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Black Bear spotting in Lime Rock

By Lorie Longhany

The bear that has been spotted in numerous locations in our area came visiting my house tonight.  My husband went to let our dogs out when our male Schipperke started barking on the deck and refused to venture down the steps. Ironically our male Schipperke's name is Bear.  That's when Danny noticed one of our bird feeders was bent to the ground.  He picked up a flashlight and made a scan from the safety of our deck across the back yard when the light shown on the culprit.  A fairly large Black Bear was sitting, quite content, under our cherry tree with our large bird seed tote between his legs feasting away.  How he dragged that large tote from beside our deck and lifted the lid off, I'll never know.  The lid was leaning on the side of the tote as if it was removed with care. We watched him eat for a good fifteen, twenty minutes and apparently when he finished off the seed (will go out in the light of day to check out the tote) he meandered down into the back yard and off to wherever he happens to be traveling to next.

We really enjoy feeding and watching the birds -- especially this time of year when the Grosbeak's, Indigo Bunting's and EasternTowhee's stop by.  I hope we won't have to dispense with a hobby that we've enjoyed for decades.

It was pretty cool, though, to actually see this magnificent animal right in our backyard. I didn't get a good picture -- tried to get a shot with my phone, but it didn't come out. Last year my husband's cousin (a 1/2 mile away) got some great shots with a motion camera that he placed on his feeders. It's probably the same bear.

Hot Pepper Jelly

By Bea McManis

I love hot pepper jelly.  Not only is it good on the morning english muffin, but it has a myriad of other uses too.

I've used it as a glaze for ham or pork; spiced up a wing sauce; and served it with cream cheese on crackers.

My sister makes an amazing hot pepper jelly. 

Last week I purchased a jar of hot pepper jelly that was out of this world delicious.  It didn't have the beautiful color of my sister's jelly, nor the familiar jelly like texture.  This was a pale amber jelly loaded with green, red, and jalapeno pepper pieces and seeds.  It had just the right amount of heat to make it hard to resist.

2 thumbs up for Mrs. Millers' Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly.

The park and ride in LeRoy, why so many cars?

By Darrick Coleman

Does anyone know why there are so many cars parked at the park and ride on 19 in LeRoy? As far as I could find out the Rochester Park and Ride no longer comes out to LeRoy.

FCC Poised to Decide on Internet Providers

By C. M. Barons

The Federal Communications Commission has been attempting to enforce net neutrality safeguards that would keep big telecoms from inspecting and filtering the Internet content you access, blocking websites and applications they don't like, and overcharging you for using the Internet. But a recent court decision prevents the FCC from regulating net neutrality in the way it tried.

The FCC now faces an important decision. Will it stand up for consumers and reclassify broadband Internet providers to ensure the Internet stays free?

The FCC has asked for public comment on their net neutrality plans. Join in submitting a comment in support of the FCC doing everything it can to protect a free and open Internet. Just click the link below to submit your comment.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/fccnn_replycomments/?r_by=8834-734087-4mI5W_x&rc=paste1

BE A MOM FOR GILIBRAND

By Bea McManis

Every mom knows we deserve more than just one day a year when we have someone on our side, working for us.Well, for moms in New York, we do: Kirsten Gillibrand. Sign up to be a MOM FOR GILIBRAND at:  http://kirstengillibrand.com/moms. After you sign up, we’ll send you our limited edition Moms for Gillibrand decal!   Here are some reasons why Mom’s are supporting Kirsten:

 
  •  Kirsten starts each day dropping off 6-year-old Theo and 1-year-old Henry at school and day care, and then goes to work for us and our children, and fights for them as if they were her own.
  •  She wrote legislation to keep BPA and other harmful chemicals out of our children’s toys, to keep tainted foods out of our supermarkets and off our kitchen tables, and to keep our drinking water safe and chemical free.
  •  She fought to insure 11 million young children, and to allow grown children to stay on their parents' insurance plans through the age of 26.
  •  Every day, Kirsten finds new ways to give our children better opportunities to stay safe, healthy and on a path to achieve their full potential.
 
Let’s keep this passion and commitment going by signing up thousands of Moms for Kirsten by this Mother’s Day, May 9. Sign yourself up, then spread the word about Kirsten. Please forward this to your own networks and sign up moms in your community at http://kirstengillibrand.com/moms. Every Mom that signs up will receive a limited edition Moms for Gillibrand decal.

FRAUD ALERT!!! WC Budget Savers

By
P is for Perception: Don’t be these Guys, WC Budget Savers

One of the down sides to business, especially online and TV sales business, is that for every ten honest small companies, there is one that practices with shady ethics; WC Budget Savers is a prime example. Look I am not one to ridicule, but the laundry list of offenses by this company is so long that it would take putting Neo back into the Matrix to stop the scamming and fraudulent activity and figure out what it is this company actually does.

Here’s what happens. You either go online or call some phone number from an infomercial to receive a product that you are intrigued by and purchase. During that conversation you unknowingly consent to a “Free Trial” for another service. Sometimes you will receive a call from these people offering you a free gift, but sometimes you don’t even get that! The reason why I say not at all, is because in some cases they do not even list what other companies they are affiliated with, but do tell you that they can sell or “share” your information. Here is an example of that from Flirty Girl. This happened to a client of mine who purchased their fitness DVDs from their TV commercial. Here is what their site says:

 http://flirtygirlfit.com/privacy.html

Other Disclosures. We may share your personal information with carefully selected vendors, business partners and other organizations that are not a part of the Savvier Family. These companies may use the information we share to provide special opportunities and offers to you. If you do not want us to share information you provide to us with vendors, business partners and other organizations that are not part of the Savvier Family, please click here.

You have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the front page to get to the privacy link, which by the way is very small. Then after you get there you still have to read about 65% of their terms before you find this “other” portion. They do offer an “Opt Out” option, but it is set up in a way that you have to look for it. So if you have no idea where or what it is, POOF! You’re open to their offers!

Companies like WC Budget Savers pay for this information and then do whatever it is they do with it. In most cases consumers are being charged an array of different amounts from as little as $1.00 in the beginning to as much as $29.99 per month without even authorizing the charges. After the consumer discovers these charges, they begin a merry-go-round of phone calls to the different numbers that they have been provided. In some cases, the numbers listed are not even to the company but to personal cell phones of people who are not even involved. When the consumer finally gets through, they are promised a full refund. In some cases this has come to pass, in other cases not at all. Not only have these customers had to fight these charges, but some cases they were forced to close their bank accounts to ensure even further charges!

I can’t stress enough the needs for ethics in business, but if you are doing something like this, it probably won’t matter to you. The sad thing is it appears that WC Budget Savers might actually have a real service to offer, but at this point who cares? Why would anyone want to do business with a company that conducts themselves in this manner.

If you know of a fraudulent service or a company that is conducting themselves in a less than ethical way, please submit it to me at www.theworldbyphil.com. I will investigate it and tell everyone!

Until Next Time….

P is for People: What’s in a Thank you?

By
Do you remember when you were a kid? Every time that someone gave you a piece of candy at the store, or a cookie at a neighbor’s house, your parents would always chime in with, “What do you say?” Flash forward however many years later (No, ladies I am not asking any ages, my mama taught me better than that!) Now as an adult you find yourself running around like crazy for work, home and whatever else that you do trying to accomplish a million different tasks. Well that sounds about right for most of us on this crazy roller coaster of life, but let’s take it from another angle. How many of those times that you wore yourself out for someone else, did that person actually stop to thank you for those efforts?

We have all been taught from an early age to do that very thing. “Say thank you, young man” my mom would say, or my personal favorite and one that I have past on to my kids, “We can be many things in life, but we may never be rude!” All really great important lessons, but for some reason as I grew up and entered the work force, I realized that these lessons didn’t seem to apply to those in leadership positions. For whatever the reason, there was just never enough time to stop and say thank you. Kind of rude, huh? That’s what I thought!

One of the biggest complaints in most companies that employers receive from their staff is the sheer lack of recognition and appreciation they receive. People love to be noticed for their efforts. That’s simple and it makes sense too doesn’t it? If you are working hard and just killing it for your company, or even just taking on more responsibility, you want someone to look at those efforts and say, “Gosh they’re great and so are you!” or something less corny like it. If you’re a freelancer, you may or may not care as much, but it still feels good when your clients are grateful for your efforts and show it, right?  So why is this such a problem?

In a couple of recent Gallup polls, 43.5% of Americans say that they are dissatisfied with their direct line supervisor. The main reason? Lack of respect and appreciation.

The part that truly boggles me is the disdain that a lot of leaders have for this topic when it is brought up. This seems to have always been the case, but the current financial slow down has only escalated the effects. More so, over the past decade the United States has shown that is not as workplace family-oriented as many other wealthy countries. According to a study released by Harvard and McGill University researchers in February 2007, workplace policies for families in the U.S. are weaker than those of all high-income countries and even many middle-and low-income countries. The whole “Just be happy you have a job!” philosophy has become the standard in the minds of a lot of leaders. 

So what can you do? Well first off, if you are a leader of people reading this, regardless of the size of your team, ask yourself a simple question; Do I thank my employees? If the answer is yes, then I say great job. Keep it up! If the answer is no, then all I ask is this; Why? What is the reason that prevents you from doing it?

As I was coming up in my career, I have had the pleasure of experiencing all different types of leadership and management styles to work for. Some of the nicest people were the worst when it came to their professional duties and vice versa. For example, I had one boss who I became very good friends with as I moved up. He was one of the sweetest and kindest individuals that I had ever met. Yet he would never thank his employees for anything. I brought this up to him after I no longer reported to him and he told me point blank, “I pay them, that’s thanks enough.” Ouch.

Another example would be back in my retail days. I had literally one the worst leaders on the planet. The man had no right to be in the position he was in. He was unorganized, rude and had absolutely no business sense or vision. Yet, when he was dealing with his teams, he would thank them religiously and often. If he saw you killing yourself, he would tell you to take a break and buy you a coffee. Even though I couldn’t stand the man as a boss, I found myself staying late to help him with his paperwork so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

Showing your team gratitude isn’t a sign of weakness or makes you “soft”. It’s nothing more than being respectful. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive either. There are plenty of low to no cost sites that allow you to send free thank you cards. Here I’ll even give you one to get started http://www.123greetings.com/thank_you/at_work/. Just give a try and see what the results are. 

Take moment today and thank someone for all that they do for you. Remember, your company is absolutely nothing without people to create, make and buy what you are selling. You wouldn’t think twice of thanking your customers, so stop coming up with reasons to not thank your employees either.

Thanks for reading, now here’s a little something from me to you too. A little note so you know how much I appreciate you! http://www.123greetings.com/thank_you/at_work/atwork12.html

Please check out my website www.theworldbyphil.com

Until Next Time….  

DCCC Chairman Van Hollen’s Statement on the Fraud Charges Filed by the SEC

By Bea McManis

DCCC Chairman Van Hollen’s Statement on the Fraud Charges Filed by the SEC
Posted by Brandon English
Apr 16, 2010

DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen released the following statement on the fraud charges filed today by the Security and Exchange Commission:

"Today’s news that the Security and Exchange Commission is filing fraud charges against a big investment firm is another important reason why we must rein in Wall Street abuses and protect taxpayers. The reckless and irresponsible behavior that caused the financial meltdown and the ensuing loss of millions of jobs was facilitated by years of Bush Administration and Republican policies that favored big banks over consumers and taxpayers.

"Now, instead of working to pass tough new rules that would prevent these sorts of abuses, Republican leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner are wooing Wall Street executives’ support with promises that Republicans will oppose any significant Wall Street reform measures.

"During the debate on Wall Street reform, Americans will clearly see whether Washington Republicans will continue to put big banks before what is good for consumers and taxpayers.  Republicans in Congress should do the right thing and work with Democrats to end abuses on Wall Street and reign in big banks."

http://dccc.org/blog/archives/dccc_chairman_van_hollens_statement_on_the_fraud_charges_filed_by_the_sec/

Revitalization?

By jason reese

While looking at the Batavia Daily News on April 12,2010, I almost fainted.  City Manager Jason Malino was quoted saying  "Revitalization in Batavia, NY" all in the same sentence.   Mr. Malino, who's grand plan, is to merge with the Town of Batavia.  I, at that point said no, to the merger. Now i'm having second thoughts.  A revitalization and a merger,  would help the city of Batavia.  Look at Batavia now.  No morale, dirty  plus, way to many empty buildings. I hope the city manager,can get out of under the thumb of the status quo and move forward. Here is some inspiration, has anyone took a look at Genesee Community College?  If this city manager wants to make a name for himself, in a good light, maybe he should talk to Dr. Stuart Steiner. I hope the city manager,  brings a positive revitalization, for this once bustling community.

Responding To Howard's "The Batavian Is An Open Forum"

By Robert Harding

Earlier today, Howard authored a post entitled, "The Batavian is an open forum" that discussed, in my view anyway, the current state of The Batavian and the evolution of The Batavian. It was an interesting take by Howard, but I think he missed the mark in a few areas.

I have been a fan of this blog since its inception. It is because of The Batavian that the Daily News (who had long been without a website) decided to join the rest of the newspaper world in introducing a website to the fold. The Batavian also proved to be key during the 2008 elections - a perfect year for a blog such as this one to start and get off the ground running.

But I do take issue with a few things Howard said in his post. In discussing the political leanings of readers and contributors here at The Batavian, Howard said the following: 

There was a time when Republicans thought The Batavian was hostile to their positions. Many of the original members of the site were active in local Democratic politics, and I think Philip Anselmo leaned a bit to the liberal side. 

While I espoused a localist-libertarian position, I was (and am) non-partisan.

In this environment, Republicans didn't see many of their ideas being put forward and thought their viewpoints would be unwelcome.

Now, I'm hearing the Democrats are thinking of The Batavian, especially since Philip left,  is hostile to their party and positions.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Naturally, I'm going to be critical of big government programs being pushed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand or more taxes and spending from David Paterson, but that's because as  a libertarian, I think those are bad policies. It has nothing to do with party affiliation.  I'm critical of Republicans when they espouse more government solutions to problems.

I don't know how accurate it is to say that Republicans "thought The Batavian was hostile to their positions." Let's be real: The Republicans weren't reading. There were a few Republican contributors, including Genesee County Legislator Jerome Grasso, but the Republicans weren't represented here. It is one thing to claim hostility. It's another thing to be not active. The Republicans weren't active. The Democrats took advantage of having a new medium and did what we do best: We used it. We didn't see it as something foreign.

The Republicans weren't posting any of their ideas. And to say that their viewpoints would be unwelcome is a joke. If they aren't posting and aren't trying to post, how can we make such a statement and claim it as fact?

I'm not sure where Howard gets his facts about Democrats labeling this blog as "hostile to their party and positions." That word "hostile" is getting tossed around rather liberally (no pun intended) and I'm not sure where the perception of hostility is derived. I think the belief is that Howard has tried a little too hard to try and erase and previous views that this blog was friendly to Democrats. He might not agree with that view, but that is something I have noticed over the last several months and I know I'm not the only one who shares that view. Does that mean we believe that this blog is anti-Democrats as a result? No.

It is no secret that Democrats/progressives have had great success in online organizing and with the blogosphere. The Republicans/conservatives haven't had the same success. If that is what they consider "hostile", then maybe they need to be more proactive than reactive. I recall Grasso mentioning this same point. He called on his Republican friends to contribute. Apparently, instead of showing up, they chose to stew about it and allege "hostility."

Unless a blog has a certain identity (progressive, conservative, libertarian, socialist, etc.), then there really isn't a need to worry about who is utilizing the blog more than others. If there are more conservatives utilizing a blog like The Batavian, all the power to them. The Batavian isn't targeting one ideology over another. So there is no reason to try so hard to balance things out, nor is it necessary to try and debunk any claims by one party or another about one side being favored over another.

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