Fall fest is on

Check it out - 1-6 today at Lemansky down by the track

I gotta go help right now

btw - they will have a dunk tank - I plan to get in and so does Nick. Maybe I'll get Doug to hit it. Come early though because it won't be a full 5 hour event! (don't want hypothermia ;)

The world is curved

Just wanted to put in a word for a brilliant new book called The World is Curved, by David Smick, which predicted the financial crisis we are now in. It came out Sept 4th. The title is a swipe at Tom Friedman's modern classic about supply chain in the age of globalism called The World is Flat, which describes a miraculous new age of cooperation, free trade and global prosperity. Ahem ... except for when things like subprime happen! ;)

In the words of Publisher's Weekly

With this illuminating book, [David] Smick revisits Thomas Friedman’s description of the “flat” world produced by globalization, arguing instead that the uncertainty produced by globalized financial markets has created a world that is curved, where events and their consequences are unpredictable. Smick begins with a puzzle: why did the subprime mortgage crisis, an event that directly impacted a relatively small piece of the global market, have such a catastrophic impact on the world market as a whole? From there, the author turns to topics as complex and varied as the potential 21st century Chinese financial bubble and the policy dilemmas currently facing the Fed. Throughout the book, the author returns to the argument that political trends are increasingly at odds with the forces driving the globalized world economy. Smick brings expertise and lucidity to many difficult subjects, and while his book’s appeal will likely be limited to those with some background in the field, it will undoubtedly stir interest and debate amongst investors, policymakers and strategists alike.

Basically the lack of transparency, bad trade agreements and monetary policies are all a part of it as are lax regulatory enforcement.

Should be on the gift list for the holidays (or my birthday, if I can wait that long ... on second thought think I'll be picking it up over the weekend ;).

2006 Income tax paid: $17.8M, local aid: $3.9M

Welp ... I finally tracked down the information I was looking for from the state.

Read it and weep should be the caption ...

Here's a pointer to the info...

The income tax receipts for Auburn for the latest year on record (2006) were around $17.8M. This is according to a senior economist for the DOR DLS. By way of comparison, our local aid for the year was around $3.9M according to DOR DLS. So our money DOES go east and never return.

There's a discrepancy/overhead/loss from the state of $17.8-3.9=$13.9M for 6500 taxpayers we would have saved (net) if there were no income tax. The numbers are a little different for last year because we got more aid, but I bet we paid more too. They don't have that yet though. In any event, think about it - if you could have $14 or 15M in your pocket (among 6500 people that's an average of $2138 for 06 numbers) or let's be fair, if we made up for TWICE the amount of money we get back, say $1000 in your pocket with MORE money for a library or a curriculum coordinator or police/fire, wouldn't you do it?

Lights on Swanson?

Anyone notice the lights have been blinking on Swanson since Friday - not sure of the deal here, but obviously it should be fixed ASAP! It's right next to the Middle school and in a high traffic area.

That little spec ... is making money for Holy Name

Its actually hard to see with my phone camera but the new Holy Name windmill is actually visible from the Shoppes over in Millbury.

Let's see if this comes out



Anyway, you can also see it from 290, but despite its size it's only visible for a brief time if you're headed west. Going the other way it's not even visible. Funny because it appears almost like any other building. Every time I see it turning - and it was turning REALLY well over this past week - I think about the money it's cranking out in electricity.

I also noticed the new tower on Millbury St by Worcester envelope. To me I think all the concerns and dire warnings about looming towers are overblown. Oh I guess that's a pun - haha ;). Anyway, to me it really depends on how you "see it" (I'm full of them this AM - sorry was up watching ALCS sadly ...) but I get a good feeling about the windmills, like we're doing the right thing for energy and global warming. I guess if I had one next to my house, not a bad idea actually living next to the water as I do with a seemingly constant breeze, but if it was sufficient size I might be more concerned, but so far they look pretty good.

Biking in the bailout

Cross posted from my fitness blog.

It turns out there are a few good developments for biking in the bailout bill. It'd be nice to have some bike lanes maybe in the Veterans corridor and some trails on town land.

Something for the Rec committee to look into, especially in these days of rampant obesity and high fuel prices. One thing that's becoming an issue is safety. It's one thing to encourage biking it's another to really accommodate them on the roadways, where it's dangerous enough when you're driving, never mind biking or heaven forbid on foot! It should be a goal to make a commitment to this in a real way going forward in the town.

Wind study in Charlton

Other towns are looking into this - power would be used for a school.

Auburn needs to get off its duff and get moving on something for the town. Probably on one of the hills.