Revelations about the vast extent of surveillance by the National Security Agency drive home one point that’s been made many times but deserves to be made again. When we engage in electronic communication, we cannot count on privacy. In fact, if the communication is sensitive or could be embarrassing, we should expect that its confidentiality […]
Engineers and builders have been constructing roads for centuries. But now the process has become so complicated that road projects are facing long delays and higher costs. Take just one local example, the long-planned reconstruction of a section of North Albany Road, the busy link to a fast-growing part of the city of Albany. The reconstruction […]
Eight years ago my attention was called to the country of origin of many of the manhole covers in Albany streets, which happened to be India. A story appeared in the Democrat-Herald on Oct. 1, 2005, and I’m glad to say that an update is in order. In 2005, the story was that India was supplying […]
The good news: Hasty Freez, Albany’s venerable burger, ice cream and shake emporium at the corner of Seventh and Lyon, can stay where it is under the current plan for building a new fire station in place of the old Station 11 downtown. On Wednesday (Nov. 6) the city council will vote on authorizing the […]
Sometimes you wonder whether our top spy officials know what they are doing. Or if they know how bad they sound when they say some of the things they say. For example, take James Clapper, the director of national intelligence. The other day Clapper was testifying before Congress. According to the Associated Press, he as much as […]
It’s bad enough that our top officials keep screwing up. Why do they have to cheapen the English language as well? If they don’t know the implications of words like “accountable” and “responsible,” they should not use them. The Obama administration had three years and spent uncounted millions of dollars to get ready for the […]
Protecting Albany airport from — what?
The city of Albany is having a new fence put up at the city airport because, well, the government says it must. And that requirement raises a question: Is it necessary? The placement of the fence along the airport’s southeastern boundary prompted a discussion before the city […]
Tags: airport security, Albany Airport, Albany City Council, Federal Aviation Administraton