Phil Austin, Publisher

Which is worse, heroine or those Girl Scout cookies?

2010-03-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Tis the season of the Girl Scout cookie. Every time this year my wife buys a couple of boxes of cookies. This year it's even worse as she is a troop leader. As we were munching on some thin mints I was commenting on how small each cookie was. I could easily finish a box of these things. When I checked the nutritional info on the side of the box I was shocked. These things were REALLY bad for you. Worse than ice cream or a snickers bar or sugar cereal. How do you teach young girls about health and nutrition? The biggest problem is that their so addicting. Who can eat just two? The box indicates that is one serving. No way! While your eating them you feel really great. Then, after, you feel really guilty. Maybe we should outlaw cookies like we do drugs.

What do you think about our newspaper?

2010-03-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'm always open to criticism or ideas about our paper's content, customer service, or website. If there is a better way of doing things, I know our readers can give advice. We can have a chat to discuss what you want and if it's possible to give it to you. Oneida is a small community and being open and honest is one of its benefits.

If you have any questions about how or why we do something, we can discuss that too.

You can comment on this blog, call me at 363-5100 or e-mail me at PAustin@journalregister.com

Southern Madison County Living

2010-03-12T04:05:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen our new monthly publication, I encourage you to take a look. We feature many of the activities and special events going on in the southern tier of our county. It's such a large geographical area that delivering it ourselves seemed like a daunting task. That's why we brought in the expert help of the US Postal Service. That's right, we mail it! It comes to over 14,000 homes and businesses from Cazenovia to Munnsville and everywhere south. It can also be found on our website in the upper right skybox or by going to:

http://marketplace.capitalcentral.com/SS/Page.aspx?ptype=SS_TILE&secid=78853&pagenum=1&facing=false

If you get a chance, check it out. I think you'll find there's lots going on down there and it's really not that far of a drive.

Swear words and your kids

2010-03-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

My wife and I have agreed to disagree on some smaller areas of raising kids. The big issues we agree on and I suppose that's the more important issue. It's the smaller topics that seem to create the most havoc. Here's an example...I am a big believer in teaching kids about the real world and my wife goes more towards protecting them from it. When it comes to swear words my wife doesn't want the kids to use them (I agree), but the difference is that I teach the kids new swear words and what they mean. My philosophy is they need to know what the words are so they know what they are hearing and what is right and what is wrong. If your oblivious to it then you could repeat a word you heard and not even know it's bad...until it's too late. It started when my boy was four and gave me the middle finger. He didn't know it was bad. He saw another "adult" do it and thought it looked cool. Now, I haven't mentioned the "F" word yet because the concept is still over their head. They know what the others are though and know not to use them. We have a quarter jar in the house which is fairly empty, thank God. If I even say "hell" a quarter needs to go in. Tough crowd!

Death & Taxes? I'll pay the tax

2010-03-11T03:22:00.000-08:00

I did my taxes this week and like all Americans, I was swearing at the computer the whole time. Actually I used Turbo Tax and it wasn't that bad. I started using Turbo Tax last year and I didn't think it was all that great. It still took me a long time and it cost me $60 for the program. This year was a different story. I loaded up the software and it got all my information from last year and moved it over. Luckily, I haven't had a lot of changes year over year so all the information from last year was the same. It was just a matter of plugging in a few numbers and I was done. I had swear words left over and no where to use them! I guess this blog turns out to be an infomercial for a tax product...who knew?

Raising kids in Central NY

2010-03-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

I talked to a friend of mine who lives in downtown Boston. What a difference in culture. He also has kids about the same age as mine but they have very different problems.

My kids - Go outside to play in the street or over to some one's house
His kids - Never go outside alone for fear of the neighborhood and parents always accompany the kids inside their neighbors houses

My kids - Ride bikes around
His kids - Don't even own bikes

My kids - Wait for the bus to school
His kids - Get driven everyday

These are just a few of the examples. Everyday life is also different. The traffic is always hectic in Boston. Even just to go to the store for a gallon of milk. There is a murder on the news every single night. Pollution is a huge problem in Boston. There are plenty of things to complain about living in Central NY, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side

Sandra Bullock

2010-03-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

I have a confession. I have a crush on Sandra Bullock. Not only is she adorable to look at, I also love to watch her give an interview. Her sense of humor really is what I am attracted to. I've seen her on Jay Leno, Dave Letterman and last night with Barbara Walters. I laugh more at what she says than the so called comedians hosting the shows.

I was glad she won last night and I really enjoyed the movie :The Blind Side" that she was nominated for. Even in her acceptance speach she was funny.

Chittenango Falls

2010-03-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

I must admit that the decision to close some parks hit home as I live in Chittenango. As a family we have gone to this park for many differeent reasons. We have had picnics, gone to organized functions, camped, taken some walks just to get outside and most importantly, brought people who were visiting from other areas there to show what an amazing place it was. All this right in my own back yard. Granted, it is not the most visited park in the area. When we go, there are only a hand full of cars are in the parking lot. Conversely, if we go to Green Lakes, it's packed! It doesn't seem to cost nearly as much to run as a Green Lakes. I wonder how much they are saving in closing it down? None of the reports seem to mention this.

I hope they keep it open.

On Facebook? Do youTwitter?

2010-03-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

I have had a facebook account for about 6 months now. When I first got on I was stunned at how many people were on and more importantly, how much time some people were spending on it. I was contacted by people who I graduated with from high school and college 25 years ago that, frankly, I haven't even thought about or remembered. It was a nice flashback that soon faded. I realized I was getting updates from the same small group of people inviting me to join their online games and treasure hunts or just telling me they had a good day. Of the 100 or so "friends", none of them were ever close and I have more important things going on in my life to keep up with that many people's daily activities. I can see, however, how it can get addicting. I know lots of people younger than me who go to it all the time and it is a great tool to get information sent directly to you rather than having to go search for it. Twitter, on the other hand, is something really new to me that I have seldom used. I really don't get this one. I like following news agencies, sports stations and maybe the occasional celebrity, but the "normal" person's information of what they had for lunch really doesn't interest me. Neither is a play by play event that is going on that I will here about in its entirety later on.

Videos on the website

2010-03-04T03:30:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that we have had more and more videos on our website. Our parent company, Journal Register Company, has given us new devices called Flip Cameras to help bring our community to life. These cameras are small enough to be put in your purse or pocket and pulled out whenever needed. The idea is to get quick video that doesn't take a lot of time to take or a lot of time to edit. The quality may not be perfect but that's not the point. Getting a different look at a story through video can be very informative to the public. Seeing body language, facial expression and tone of voice tells part of the story that the print version can't. Plus, it's pretty cool to see yourself in the paper and even more cool to see yourself on video that you can show your friends and family.

My thanks and gratitude go out to our photographer, John Haeger, who has embraced this concept and has done a great job not only in getting these videos, but setting an example for us all to follow. Each of our reporters have a video camera and John has graciously helped them with questions, editing, guidance and leadership.

Like with any new idea, time is the biggest hurdle. Our staff already has plenty of things to do and this just adds to their plate. I think in time, though, that it gets easier and easier to do because of familiarity. You get to know what needs video, what looks good on video, and how to edit film easier. Hopefully this will be the case. Only time will tell.

UFO - That big yellow thing in the sky

2010-03-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Did you see it yesterday? I wasn't sure what it was until somebody told me they called it a "sun"!

Yesterday was beautiful. The sun was shining and it got up into the forties. If you were in Florida they would think the world was ending, but here the world looks better than ever. I can feel spring is on its way. We may get one more snow storm (we usually do in March) but after that I feel the crocuses will be popping, the daffodils blooming and the tulips right behind.

As you can tell I'm kind of a flower guy. Please don't tell any of my guy friends, I'll deny it.

Just a couple more weeks and we'll be there!!!!

Gov. Paterson

2010-03-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

I was saddened to hear about Gov. Paterson not wanting to run again. I can understand his decision with all the scandals going on around him, the difficulties trying to get anything done with the Legislature he has to deal with and the looming billion dollar deficit in front of him. I did, however, love the way he went about being a politician. It was refreshing to see someone who didn't seem to have a political agenda other than getting NY fiscally responsible again. His message was not liked but, unfortunately, it is a reality. He realizes the problems the state faces economically and was trying to deal with it head on. The Senate doesn't seem to see it the same way. They are the problem. They are politics as usual that everybody hates. They should be the ones not running again for office.

Every aspect of NY is going to be affected. When he started announcing his plans of cuts, the commercials started showing up. "Send a message to Albany not to cut our stuff" was the cry from every group. Whether it be education, health care and now the parks and tourism, the commercials are the same. The problem is so dire that EVERY aspect of the budget needs to be cut. No one area will be saved and the Legislature doesn't understand this. The Senate has kept the spending going for so long and now there is no money to pay for it. This next year it is going to get ugly.

If you live in NY you will pay the price. All areas need to be shaved a bit. Everyone will need to pay more in an already high tax area. Some programs will need to go away all together. No one will be spared. It's just like your own home. If you've used your credit card in the past to pay for things and now your maxed out, you can't buy the things you've had in the past. Cable TV needs to go, sell the new car and buy used, don't go out to dinner and get a part time job. NY government needs to look at the same way.

Sledding - Can you answer this question?

2010-02-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

My wife and I had a debate earlier today. How old do your kids need to be before they can go off sledding by themselves? We have a community hill about 1/4 mile away. It's kind of a big hill as well. My kids are 9 and 7 and I say go and have a good time. My wife made me go with them. Who's right?

Winter's Helping Hand

2010-02-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a snow blower. With great power comes great responsibility. I was out this morning and noticed my single mother neighbor trying to shovel the heavy snow. I headed out to at least get the end of the driveway for her so she could get to work. Then the young couple across the street decided to gun their 4 wheeler down the driveway and crash through the piled up snow at the end of their driveway. I remember being young and naive thinking I could make it as well. As he got stuck I couldn't help but laugh. I laughed a little too loud as they gave me a pretty dirty look. Feeling bad, but not that bad, I helped the husband push through. I wonder how he plans to get the vehicle up his driveway once he comes home to find it even higher from the plows. I think I know what I'm doing on this Friday evening once I get home. Who knows, maybe I'll get a beer out of it.

You don't need to watch the Syracuse game on Saturday

2010-02-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Syracuse basketball, especially this year as they are playing so well. This Saturday is supposed to be a big game against Villanova, but I could care less if they win or lose. The goal of any sport's regular season is to get to the post season. After that it is to win the championship. Whether Syracuse wins or loses, they still get to the post season. If they lose to a currently ranked top 10 team then they won't drop that much. Conversely if they win they won't move up that much. Does it really matter if they are a number 1 seed or a three? Either way they will need to face some tough competion to win it all. The same goes for the Big East Championship. Play a couple of games to stay in the flow but then lose so the team doesn't get worn out. A few years from now nobady will remember if they won the Big East regular season or the tournament. The NCAA tournament is what really matters.

Big Storms 2

2010-02-25T06:19:00.001-08:00

Did I say I "LOVE" big storms? After driving in this morning and planning to drive home this afternoon, I must recant my last statement. I really like big storms!

Big Storm Coming

2010-02-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

I love big storms! I'm the happiest when Mother Nature is at her worst. There's an excitement about it all. The anticipation, the getting prepared, the havoc it creates. There's a fellow employee, Marcia, who shares my enthusiasm for storms. We discuss how bad it could get and are disappointed when it turns out to be nothing. We'll watch the radar and hope that huge dark red cell comes right over us. It usually passes by and misses us all together though. I guess my life is pretty boring if stuff like this gets me going.

Canastota Election

2010-02-24T04:30:00.001-08:00

Whether you are for, or against, the $59 million dollar school renovations, please voice your opinion. On Thursday (Feb. 25th) a vote will be held to let the School Board know how you feel. These kinds of voting opportunities directly effect your lives and should be taken advantage of. While the national elections get more hype, the local ones more directly show up in your pocket book. Please go out and vote!!!

Obituary - Old Picture or New

2010-02-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

We have had this discussion in our newsroom before. Would you rather have your obituary picture from when you were young and in your prime, or when you are much closer to your date in the paper? Me, personally, I'm a young and prime type of guy. But I think I am in the minority. What do you think?

Credit Card Laws

2010-02-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

The new laws went in effect today but I don't think they will be the "protectors" that they were intended to be. The credit card companies need to keep their revenues where they were so they will invent new ways of adding on fees, interest and penalties. You can lock the front door but they will get through an open window. Please watch your statements closely and don't put anything on your credit card that you can't pay off the next month.

Miracle on Ice

2010-02-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

I remember the day very clearly. I was a youngster and had a neighbor who was a little older and a big hockey fanatic. When USA won we grabbed an American flag and drove around town waving it out the window. People were honking and cheering and I remember being very proud...and then very cold because we were driving with the windows rolled down in February.

Black Diamond

2010-02-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

I took the kids skiing today and it turned out to be a momentous day. We all lived to see another day! No, just kidding. My 7 yr old daughter went down the black diamond trail for the first time. She was pretty scared, like her father was watching her, but she did ok. No broken bones, bruises or lacerations. Actually, she didn't even fall. Olympics, here we come!!!

Red sock in a load of whites

2010-02-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

Years ago, when I was first with my wife, I started to do laundry. My buddies told me that if I put a red sock in with a load of whites, the laundry would turn pink and I'd never have to do laundry again. That was the big secret on getting out of a chore nobody wanted to do. I never took their advice and now I'm stuck with laundry duty for a family of four. Motto of the story...listen to your friends, they know what their talking about.

Running outdoors

2010-02-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

This morning I took a long run outdoors. I usually like to go outside to run rather than the dreaded treadmill. I hate that thing! Running for an hour and going nowhere. If the weather is bad, however, it is better than not running at all. The weekends give me the ability to run outside no matter the weather. The traffic is lighter, it's later in the morning so I can see better and I don't have any time constraints. I layer myself thick and head on out. It's tough, though. The icy, snowy conditions make you have to concentrate more on every step and help you realize how tired you are. I would much rather have clear conditions, forget my troubles and run to my music not thinking about anything.

Funny or Cruel...You decide

2010-02-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

I thought this was funny but my wife didn't really get a kick out of it(pun intended). I showed the kids the classic trick of putting the "kick me" sign on some one's back. We used a sticky note and pretended to hug my wife while patting her on the back and getting the sign to stick. The kids then kept kicking her (not hard) and were laughing hysterically. Once Mom realized the sign, she was not amused. Now the kids try to stick one on me every night. "Dad, I just want a hug" is a dead giveaway!

An inch a day...everyday

2010-02-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'd rather have the huge snow storm or nothing at all. This inch a day stuff drives me nuts. It's tough to run in the morning, drive on slick roads or do any activity outside. Skiing stinks in this weather!! I believe Sunday is supposed to be clearer so my driveway will be cleaned that day

Technology and the internet

2010-02-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

We are having some technical difficulty getting the website updated. We hope to have this corrected some time today.

Really...another pizza place?

2010-02-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

I was having lunch at Subway this afternoon in Glenwood Plaza and noticed some work being done at the store next to Subway. So, working for a newspaper, I had to ask what was going on. Another pizza place is what I was told. My jaw dropped and I wondered how many pizzas can one city eat? I started counting off the top of my head how many pizza places we already have and stopped when I hit 15. That's a lot of pizza!

Facebook

2010-02-18T06:23:00.001-08:00

We are now on Facebook! We have entered the 21st century and hope you come along. Click on the icon on our front page to become a fan.

Olympics...the next night

2010-02-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

I said I wouldn't watch the olympics again, but there I was last night watching. I'm glad I did because while there were still a lot of commercials, there wasn't as many as the night before. I also got to see many of the big name stars win gold. I am now paying the price for staying up so late!

Olympics

2010-02-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

I got harassed at work because I wasn't watching the Olympics. Well, I watched them last night and was disgusted at all the commercials. My family started keeping track. 4 minutes of Olympics, 6 minutes of commercials. This went on through the night. I'm done with the watching them! That being said, I did enjoy the Downhill Snow Cross event.

Matt Toomath - 2 to 6

2010-02-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

I didn't know Matt very well and when the story originally broke I was very surprised. I wish the best for his wife and children.

New Fire Truck

2010-02-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

Good luck to the company in Ohio who decided to build a new fire truck and doesn't know how it will be paid for. A grant has been proposed but not accepted. What if it gets denied?

Pepsi Grant

2010-02-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

Really, the Parks & Rec dept has to get permission to seek a grant? Why can't he just do it? I would understand if there was a cost to it or if the city needs to do something to make it happen, but anyone should be able to try to get a grant. I wonder how much time is needed to get council approval before anyone can start the grant process.

Fire

2010-02-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday one of our employees had a terrible fire at his house and lost everything. Luckily everyone was ok, but all possessions were lost. More importantly was the loss of their two dogs who perished in the fire. We here at Oneida Publications wish Bruce the best in getting his life back in order.

Monday, Monday

2010-02-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

I thought today was going to go smoothly as it is a holiday and all. Wow, was I wrong! The kids were going to a day camp and were terrified. Work has been one fire after another with no end in sight. I now see why everyone dreads Monday's

Sledding

2010-02-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

I run, lift weights and sometimes do karate, but sledding is the toughest workout around. I'm soaked through my shirt, exhausted and the kids can keep going the the Energizer Bunny. I don't know how they do it

Weekend

2010-02-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

I used to really look forward to weekends when I was younger. Now, I seem to work harder with the family than sometimes I do at work.

Friday - Soccer practice

Saturday - Soccer game, grocery shopping, laundry, sleeping over at the MOST with cub scouts

Sunday - Exhausted from sleeping over at the most with cub scouts, birthday party, honey do list

Weekends are just no fun anymore

When Mom is sick

2010-02-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

My wife woke up with pink eye today. When "Mom' is sick the whole house is sick. On the way into work I have errands, my lunch hour I have errands and on the way home I have errands...Such is the balance of work and home

Sports Season

2010-02-11T09:20:00.001-08:00

This is a tough time of year. No sports of any importance going on until March Madness. I think I will miss Tiger Woods

Feb 11 2010

2010-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

How do you balance all the things life has to send your way. You have to be at work all day and you have to do the right things for your family at night. many times they collide and in the end what is left for yourself?