Are we in the same town or what?!?

spam deleted. Thanks! 'here's to your health!' Was reading on plans to expand and revitalize Cohoes as apparently city got 20 million dollars. In agenda mentions how businesses and high income housing are coming. Apparently poverty level here is 17%. 30% of which are in the 18-34 age range. 22% of the population doesn't work. 6% unemployment rate. Hmm. Let's get real shall we? If you lived down town like I do, off Remsen and Columbia sts., you would say 30% of the people here are doing nothing all the time. Smoking regular and funny cigs,coming home with 12 packs of beer and so on. SOS different day. Dead end lives. Why? Are they a generation of druggies, throwaways and slackers? No I say. Many are uneducated, left school in junior year of highschool as didn't like it and felt didn't need it. Several in Cohoes are elderly so retired. Others have disabilities or other problems that prevent or impede them from workinglike mental illness. Drug addiction, mental, physical illness and alcoholism are real issues here too. There are the working poor also who work at Mohawk factory and Burger King. Many are in fast food service industry. Choices are slim and they certainly aren't going to the music hall for $25 a ticket. They don't eat out, do shop at thrift and watch every penny. They like me live in subsidized substandard housing and have to take what get. For us Cohoes is not a land of opportunity and rainbows but a grim reality of struggle like for many in this country. If being an 'All American town' means seeing streets filled with empty store fronts,abandoned and condemned apartment buildings, broken, littered, crap-filled side walks and roads,then yes Cohoes is certainly America, now. I do not find it a city that cares at all. It is an island full of selfish individuals with their own greedy agendas. The poor get poorer and the well off and comfortable get more so. The two don't run in the same circles. For some here, Cohoes is a great place to buy another bar as yes many here like to drink and get drunk. It is harder though to sell clothes, jewelry or art here. Many spend $5 at Walmart on necklace from China. It is not hand made by an artist. Clothes there are not of the same caliber as a fine clothing store. People in Cohoes don't pay for nice clothes here but buy cheap from Family Dollar for the most part so is hard to attract nice businesses here. The demographic is not good. I know as am an artist who paints, makes jewelry and I have a hard time selling people here anything unless it's cheap!I guess by attracting people with some money, good jobs, offering them pretty, pricy housing, someone will drop some cash to pay for some nice shoes in that imaginary store that is allegedly coming. Provided you can entice that store to come to a town with so many social ills, at all! By gentrifying certain areas of Cohoes, the powers that be here, are keeping or tossing the poor out. Supposedly want to attract some artists and the arts but us artists are notoriously odd outsiders and struggle financially for our art. A contradiction if there ever was one. Am here and noone helps promote me or my work, especially Choose Cohoes for Art or the Foundry which allegedly is their job. They support who like and deem worthy of attention. Nuts when art is subjective. America was built on diversity of people, nationalities, religions sexes and viewpoints. Sadly small cities like Cohoes are not open to new energy and people with different view points than theirs. Instead they find it off putting and threatening. Like minds stick together sadly. Mention have places of entertainment. Hmm..I see some seedy bars, overpriced restaurants is all. I watch cable and dvds with my dog. I get take out and buy online at Amazon prime, where what want is shipped free! I find it very isolating here. I am on disability and over 50. I do not see those like me mentioned in your article. You are buildings park for seniors when looks fine around senior center and housing. Want to help seniors, disabled? Use some of that funding for us! No activities at senior center. Can't afford community center. People in senior housing keep to selves to avoid the BS if smart. Gossips abound. Offer tickets to music hall at discount,and the same at local restaurants so all can share in your good fortune or rather 20 million got that is ours. Try helping all and not those who don't need help. You all have jobs, good ones, are young or able bodied. Try looking at things from a different perspective. Want to help vets? Provide housing not a memorial. One have is fine, as per chat with Vietnam vet Bill Eagan who lives n Cohoes. In the mean time, despite your efforts for change, I do not see any, not for the long hall. Try being transparent. I just found your plans under Cohoes economy. In my humble opinion, I think it stinks. Why don't you welcome fresh blood to your town meetings and try listening to them instead of shutting them up? Cohoes proud huh? I'm not proud to exist and sleep here at all. Is boring and lacks any spark. Would leave if could afford to. Sadly no promise next apt., town any better as I am limited due to income. Good luck trying to get people with money in Cohoes. Most people I know who are well off, are afraid to come here. Crime down 40%? Interesting. I don't feel safe walking alone at night here. I don't know what strange brew you all are drinking at Spindles but from where I sit, things look pretty bad and not as hopeful as you paint with your rosey pen. Many of you all plop butts in cars so don't know what it's like to be a female walking down the street here. I get hit up for money for example often. Many drunk or high or mental. Crap on sidewalks from people not picking up after their dogs. Pride in where live huh? Many here take no pride in selves, let alone where live! I don't know as said what city you are talking about but it'not the one I've been living in for the past three years. For each biz that came, one went out. Keep bringing up bakery as is all that has come here with help from micro loan. Of courses she sings your praises. Most living downtown don't go there as too expensive. Be careful when your cleansing Cohoes of the riff raff and blight so you can get who want here that you don't lose some of the charm of Cohoes. It has always been full of blue collar workers struggling for a better life for themselves and their families. Bring in some business, jobs and better housing but don't send the rest of us packing in the process!

Latest Cairo,NY news....Police chief arrested for..

No spam. Thanks! Thanks Chris. Just what this little messed up town needed. Isn't it bad enough that it is known as a drug town with it's junkies and dealers?! Also is the armpit ogf Greene county with it's high unemployment,lack of job opportunities,uneducated citizens just lounging in front of the tv on the government dole all day. How disgraceful. Tons of slumlords too as have reported. This used to be a nice area where tourists used to vacation in the day if you can even imagine it. You can't now as businesses don't even want to open their doors here as noone buys anything from them except drugs,cigarettes,liquor. Now if you wanted to open a pot stand and sell your plants in your yard,this would be the town for you! If you are looking to come some place to eat or vacation,skip Cairo is all can say. Even with new library,they took out a million dollar loan for with money didn't have and the new expensive hannaford coming,sorry but true. SOO glad to be gone from here as yeh used to exist here.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

While I appreciate your comments to my posts, I would ask firstly that they pertain to topic and are not spam in nature. Thanks!



This applies to all of us folks and not just those suffering with emotional illness and addiction due to abuse and the behaviors that go along with it like stealing,lying,manipulation,job instability,violence and so on. Keeping ourselves on the beam so to speak is very important. It is vital that we know what our priorities are,that we surround ourselves with supportive,healthy people and choose jobs that are fulfilling to us and where we are appreciated for what we contribute by not just a pay check. If we can't find joy in what we do career wise then it is essential we do somewhere or we will be lost. Perhaps volunteering is the answer. Maybe joining an organization whose mission you too share like being green,saving animals,advocating for abused kids,elderly,those with disabilities. I don't know. It's different for everyone. When you find yourself at a point in your life like you don't want to get up in the morning,nothing excites you,family or person(s) close to you are not enough or are getting to YOU, it's time to look at what is really going on here. If honest, you will see what is needed is that you make a change in your life and the direction it is going. Don't settle for less as it will effect all areas of your life.Be courageous and live your life and do what you are being called to do. Listen to that little voice in you telling you what you need to do,what you are here to do. Don't shrink from that call but boldly follow it. You won't regret it. It is then that you will be living and not just existing.

We probably have been hearing that voice a long time but we didn't follow it out of fear of what we might have to do or give u to achieve it.

Hahahahahah,always a good read...

at 'A Disgruntled Republican!' Funny clip on Obama's stimulus package, a real hoot!

Went shopping this weekend!

Cool ice sculpture from winter festival...

Yeh...Despite the recession, I saw a lot of people at the new mall in Westchester, NY on the Bronx border, in Mt. Vernon. Many were flocking to the sales and regularly discounted items at stores like T J Maxx and Petco. I even joined the Pet pals club to save on food and toys and other necessities for my pets. I am glad that one can go to this mall in like 5 minutes from New Rochelle. Before this, we really didn't have any place to shop but dollar stores so we had to drive or hop on a bus or train to White Plains. This is so much more convenient, however; it was a pain leaving with the traffic as there is now urban sprawl! ugh! I still had a very nice time and day in general as my mom went back home after visiting for the holidays so I went down to my old stomping grounds where she lives, to return her!

I bought a nice pair of shoes for like $ 35, some socks,coffee from Hawaii,tea from London etc. I also went to a thrift store and bought some pet training books and some curtains for my new house. I would say that in this economy, these are the kind of places that are doing well..Yes, thrift stores and consignment shops and Walmart,Peter Harris and TJ Maxx, who sell designer clothes for less and Petco and Petsmart, where you can really save on pet supplies and even groom your pet while you are there. And yes.. they are pet friendly so by all means, bring Fido along!