Sasha's commentary for February 10, 2014

Why we can't have nice things in New York: a committee assembled by Governor Cuomo in regards to the handling before, during and after Superstorm Sandy points fingers at none other than the governor's office itself! One of the reports is loaded with negative feedback. And the conservatives blame Democrats for government incompetence. Apparently, they've been right all along. Somehow, Governor Pataki kept a good running ship.

I am convinced of one big thing: this state I love so much and would do a hell of a lot for, New York, apparently is unable to have nice things because our leaders make poor decisions at times and us New Yorkers do not get involved in our state's government.

And this shows through with other state agencies. Apparently, the state of New York State's DOT is troubling: the draft environmental impact statement I've been reading for the last week should have been completed months ago. The worst part about this? There's skepticism that true high speed rail can come to New York, even higher speed rail. But I'm an eternal optimist. My job is to believe there will be a better and brighter future. But still, I have written to the NYSDOT about my concerns and will voice them at a meeting.

But then again, New York at times can have nice things: two brothers outside of Albany built a ski resort literally in their own backyard.

This is one of those "happy" sad stories: a couple married for 67 years dies a couple days apart: the wife died a few days before her husband did. But here's the boring part: both were in their 90s.

I have utmost sympathy for Alicia Payton, as my parents are in the same boat that she is in: struggling to not just make ends meet, but pay the bills. It seems that it costs money to stay out of poverty. Americans are living closer and closer to the edge. It's not healthy, both physically and emotionally.

United Airlines has a list of cities they are axing service from Cleveland to as part of their hub closure in that city. Big business in this country has something against the Rust Belt.

I'm going to argue this: we need a statewide public advocate. New York City has one, and it's worked very well for them. Bill de Blasio used to be the public advocate, and now he's mayor of the city. And if it weren't for that he's from the city AND is overly liberal, he'd make a good governor.

Sasha's commentary for February 6, 2014: The Short Month

Since tonight is the night the Sochi Olympics open, I thought I'd take some time to make note of a couple of things going on currently in regards to the games...and I'll need to fix this!



With that said, here are some things I've found on the web:

Thinkprogress.org has a wonderful article on how the Northeast could cut carbon pollution by 75%. I was surprised to find that the Northeast already has a significant level of clean energy, as I thought we still had a boatload of dirty plants. This might prove an incentive for the New York State DOT in considerations of building a high speed rail line here in the state. Electrified track might be the way to go, but then again, an electrified right of way doesn't benefit smaller communities.

Supposedly, Russian wedding photos are weird. As a proud Russian-American, I can attest to the fact that Russians are an unusual bunch. Wonderful people, just an unusual bunch, but I say that with affection.

Apparently, Kim Jong-un is a fan of the Mac. I don't think that's what Steve Jobs had in mind as his user base: dictators of isolationist nations. How badly does the North Korean dictator love Macs? The North Korean government is working on a MacOS look-alike.

With both sarcasm and concern in my tone, the Republican Party still is lacking in knowledge of history. That bothers me, but then again, we have a governor in New York who says things that might be condescending to particular groups. On the other hand, unlike the GOP, we teach high school students the horrors of the Holocaust in New York

The Republican National Committee today excitedly announced the launch of a new startup lab to bring techies and creatives together, Silicon Valley-style, to get Republicans elected. Oh, and they named it for a Nazi gun, a type of ammo, and a philosophy that puts war before peace.

Only the Republicans, only the Republicans. The Para Bellum Labs? Doesn't have a good ring to it either. Then again, Gawker is a left-wing site, so it's a partial overreaction.

There are a thousand reasons why I want to date a girl who travels. The most obvious reason is that I enjoy exploring the world also. I enjoyed reading the article, but the article had a feel of snobbishness. It's also a strongly written article, and I mean that it's short and to the point. It makes unemployed individuals feel unworthy of affection.

Here's another one of those "old fashioned dating tip" articles. I thought the term "going steady" was for high schoolers. I thought the twenty-something used "We're an item" or "We're involved." Some of these are really obvious: asking permission for something should be a given.

And finally, I'm glad my generation is doing whatever it takes to be less car dependent. It's obvious that the government has a lot to why we're an automotive-centric nation. I wish every small community in the United States could have bus or train or light rail access.