Website for Logophiles

I recently discovered an entertaining website for people who love new terms and clever coinages: Paul McFedries Word Spy.

My current favorites from the site are Velcro dog, a dog who sticks close to his human and follows her from room to room (that's my William), and locapour, someone who drinks only locally produced wine or beer.

Visits to the Department of State

Earlier this week, representatives of The Valley Alliance and Scenic Hudson met with four representatives of the New York State Division of Coastal Resources to discuss Hudson's controversial LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Program). The meeting has been described as "cordial and productive." A full account can be read at The Valley Alliance website.

Rumor has it that Mayor Rick Scalera and Common Council President Don Moore had a meeting at the Department of State today.

Another House Demolished in Hudson


A house was demolished today on Robinson Street. It was on the list of buildings that Fourth Ward Supervisor Bill Hughes had identified as "demolishable" to make way for the new units needed to replace Bliss Towers, but the demolition of the building today seems to have no connection with that project. Rumor has it that the house may have been razed to allow an adjacent house to have a garden.


Photographs by John Peterson and Peter Frank   

The Hazards of Being a Pedestrian

Today's Register-Star reports about Second Ward Supervisor Ed Cross's appeal at Monday's Common Council meeting that something be done about motorists who ignore crosswalks and the pedestrians in them: "City talks car versus pedestrian problems." Not to belittle Cross's unfortunate encounter with a car driven by an inattentive driver or to minimize the problem, which is very real in Hudson, the situation called to mind this article from the Evening Register on September 10, 1898. Gossips publishes it as a reminder that sharing the way with wheeled vehicles has always been a dangerous proposition.

HUDSON LADY RUN DOWN BY A SCORCHER

Miss Marion Magoun Quite Badly Hurt by a Stranger in Green Street

Her Head Cut, Her Body Bruised and Her Clothing Torn in the Accident.

Another victim of the irrepressible scorcher in the person of Miss Marion Magoun lies in a bed of pain she having sustained injuries that are very painful if not permanent in effect.

The accident happened on Green street near the residence of George McKinstry at 11 o'clock last evening. There had been a card party at the home of Mrs. William I. Gray, and a group of nine of the guests among whom was Miss Magoun were walking homeward on the side of the street, there being no sidewalk at the point where the accident occurred, when suddenly out of the darkness came a warning rung by the cyclist, who though having the road clear to the right, bore down on the party from behind. So quickly did he come into view that the ladies were confused and in attempting to escape from danger Miss Magoun had the misfortune to get into the path of the swiftly moving wheel. She was knocked down with such force that she rolled over and over, and her head, coming in contact with the macadam, was badly cut. She was severely bruised about the body and her clothing was soiled and torn.

The scorcher, who was a stranger, stopped to see what injury had been done, and promised to send a doctor to the scene of the accident, but his mission was not accomplished, for he mounted and rode swiftly away and that was the last seen or heard of him.

During the excitement and confusion, in which one lady fainted, a gentleman drove up and kindly took Miss Magoun and her mother to their home on Union street in his carriage. He then went for Dr. H. Lyle Smith, who examined the young lady, cared for her wounds and allayed the fears of friends by informing them that he did not anticipate any lasting injurious results from the accident.

To-day Miss Magoun's condition was much improved although the results of the shock will probably keep her confined to her room for several days.

Don Moore on the Dock

Since First Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling presented her resolution on Monday night that would authorize Mayor Scalera to negotiate with Holcim to buy the dock, there have been questions about the mayor’s prior knowledge of this resolution and about the feasibility of what the resolution proposes. To provide some clarity about the issue, Common Council President Don Moore made this statement in a Friends of Hudson listserv discussion and agreed to let Gossips publish it here.

“I have spoken with the Mayor about whether Holcim would sell the property. Holcim has been formally approached about the value of the property. Last June, at the City’s request, face-to-face discussions began between the Mayor, Cheryl Roberts, and myself; Holcim; O&G; Scenic Hudson and Open Space Institute about the disposition of Holcim’s lands and the possible configuration of an access road to the port other than the causeway. These discussions were prompted largely as a consequence of public comments I authored in March that were critical of, among other things, the vagueness of the land transfers from Holcim to the City proposed in the LWRP.

"I announced at a Common Council Meeting in July at which the LWRP was discussed that these discussions were taking place. The five-way discussions came to a halt in late summer with Holcim’s attorney stating that the question of exactly how much land would be on the table was sent up the line to Holcim’s home office. I never heard back from Holcim with a decision or another negotiating option. To the best of my knowledge, neither did any of the other participants.

"The issue of whether Holcim would sell the port or whether eminent domain were a viable option became very public question in the fall as a result of discussions at Common Council meetings and in private citizen advocacy meetings. One outcome was a letter writing campaign initiated by Hudson businesses to Scenic Hudson and Open Space Institute urging those two organizations to purchase the entire 1,800-acre Holcim holdings. It was assumed, and I believe still is assumed, that Holcim would not sell the port separately. I do not recall hearing if a definitive answer came from SH or OSI. However, SH subsequently published a letter in the Columbia Paper declining to be involved in financially underwriting an eminent domain action.

"It is painfully clear that Holcim’s decision to pursue a challenge to their assessment is completely, ludicrously at odds with their other positions regarding the disposition of the port. The question is not whether $1.5 million is reasonable as an assessment. It simply can’t be. The question is would Holcim sell the property for that amount or anything close to it. At this point, what I know says it’s highly unlikely.

"As to how much the port, or for that matter Holcim’s entire holdings, is worth on the market, there is no current, accurate data. The figures that were thrown around, which is to say these estimates had little basis in any sort of appraisal of which I am aware, for all Holcim’s property (Hudson and Greenport) was between $20 and $40 million. Hudson’s assessor this year increased the assessed value of the port from $2,317,100 to $4.563,200. From my recent discussion with professional assessment firms, it is particularly clear that the assessment of the port must be done by independent experts who specialize in appraising “unique and highly complex properties,” of which this port is a prime example. Though it will be relatively costly, I look forward to a court-ordered appraisal of the port to fix its assessment. Whether through the court, or a similar expert appraisal done for the City, we will determine a fair tax rate, even if we can’t fix exactly the value the port would fetch in the open market."

Halt the Salt!

Good news in today's Register-Star for everyone who hates that unsightly salt pile on the waterfront and worries about salt leaching into the river: "Transport, storage of salt to halt after deal." 

Back in August, Gossips reported that First Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling had investigated the terms of the conditional use permit granted to SLC and Cargill in 1996 and discovered that it allowed salt that had been brought in by barge to be stored there. For the past few years, salt has been trucked to and from the dock--a practice not at all water dependent and in violation of the conditional use permit. The settlement that's been reached between Cargill and the City of Hudson, which dictates that no more salt can be brought to the dock and the salt that's there already--on the dock and in the stock house--must be removed by May 2012, is the happy outcome of that discovery. 

Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane

On Saturday, January 15, an exhibition of photographs by China Jorrin is opening at the Hudson Opera House. The subject of the photographs: the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane in Poughkeepsie. The building was--and what remains of it today still is--awesome. Its construction began in 1868 and continued over three decades. 

The massive High Victorian Gothic building was designed by prominent architect Frederick Clarke Withers, following the recommendations of Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, a physician respected for treating the mentally ill and a researcher and pioneer in asylum design. The sprawling layout of the building--it was 1,500 feet in length--was  intended to allow as much natural light into the rooms as possible. Its location gave it commanding views of the Hudson River and the surrounding valley, and its extensive grounds, which included lavish gardens, fields, ponds, and a network of walkways, were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. 

At its height, the hospital served more than 4,ooo psychiatric patients, but beginning in the late 1970s the building was progressively abandoned. In 2005, it was sold for redevelopment as a hotel/apartment complex. Tragically, in 2007, the south wing was destroyed by fire. In 2009, in a lecture sponsored by Historic Hudson, J. Winthrop Aldrich, Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation for New York State, who has for years advocated for the restoration and reuse of the Hudson River State Hospital, said that a third of the building is still standing, and there is talk of restoring it as a hotel.

There are fascinating historic images of the hospital and information about its history at Historic51.org.

Mayor Reacts to Resolution to Buy Dock

Although yesterday the Register-Star did not report about the startling introduction, at Monday night's informal Common Council meeting, of a resolution, crafted by First Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling, to buy the Holcim dock, there's an article today about Mayor Rick Scalera's reaction to that move: "Holcim resolution takes mayor by surprise."

Snow Emergency

The City of Hudson has declared a 48-hour snow emergency beginning at 8 a.m., Wednesday, January 12. Everyone who parks a vehicle on the streets of Hudson take heed. Here is the directive that appears on the City of Hudson website. Ignore at your own peril.

All vehicles parked on City streets must be moved to the odd numbered side of the street at 8:00 AM Wednesday, and remain there for 24 hours until 8:00 AM Thursday at which time vehicles must be moved and parked only on the even numbered side of the street until 8:00 AM on Friday. The Snow Emergency will terminate at 8:00 AM Friday unless conditions require an extension. Please check back here for updates. Note that violators will be ticketed and towed. 

Get ready to hit the streets at 8 a.m., armed with brushes, scrapers, and shovels!

Photograph taken at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, January 12.

Competition for Diamond Park

Last night, Brenda Adams, executive director for Columbia County Habitat for Humanity, and Georgene Gardner, from Habitat's site selection committee, came to the Common Council meeting to request land for their next project. They have their eye on "Diamond Park" in the 200 block of Columbia Street, part of which is owned by the City of Hudson, the other part by Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA).

There they plan to build three houses similar to the ones just being completed at 444 and 446 Columbia Street--houses that Adams referred to as "Federal style." This is a new housing model for Habitat, developed to create houses that were more compatible with the architecture of Hudson than the single-story houses that Habitat typically builds and those they built on Mill Street in Hudson.

Adams said Habitat was anxious to continue its partnership with Hudson, saying we "love building in Hudson," and Common Council President Don Moore seemed equally happy about entertaining their request until it was revealed that Habitat needed a commitment from the City of Hudson by the end of the month. It seems that Omni Housing Development is interested in the same land for building replacement units for Bliss Towers, and since Omni is not pursuing a "tax credit option," their deadline for identifying the properties they want isn't until summer. Although Moore seemed uncertain about how to deal with two requests for the same property, Mayor Scalera was clear in his preference for giving the lots to Habitat, suggesting that there might be people in Bliss Towers who would qualify for a Habitat house, thus reducing the number of replacement units needed.

If the lots go to Habitat for Humanity, the City must donate the land, but the houses will be sold to qualified home buyers who will pay property taxes. If the lots are used as part of the Bliss Towers replacement, Omni would purchase the land from the City but the buildings constructed on the lots would be tax exempt.

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity has so far built or rehabbed twelve houses in Columbia County, and, if I'm not mistaken, nine of them are in Hudson. Habitat is mandated to build where there is water and sewer, and in Columbia County that mandate limits the possibilities. Also, they need the land to be donated, and Mayor Scalera and the Common Council have been happy to turn over City-owned vacant lots to the organization. Adams mentioned two land donations in other parts of the county, neither of which worked out: one because of environmental issues; the other title issues.

The lots on Columbia Street may also have title issues. In 2003, the City of Hudson deeded the property to the Power and Restoration Church, which wanted to build a church building there. A condition of the gift was that construction had to begin within two years. If it didn't, the property would revert back to the City. City Attorney Jack Connor advised Adams to check with their title company to make certain that the lots could get title insurance because of the "reverter."            

What He Said

Last night, at the close of the organizational meeting, Common Council President Don Moore made a statement that had the flavor of a "State of the City" address. He touched on business growth, job creation, and public transportation. He congratulated the City for its 2011 budget and urged continued attention to efficiencies in all agencies. He lauded volunteers--mentioning in particular the volunteer fire department and the "virtually upaid" Common Council--and declared that careful spending and cooperation must be "our principles."

He announced that the City would soon sign a contract with "a highly respected property tax assessment firm" to "complete the city-wide revaluation." He expressed his delight that the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce would soon relocate to the "renovated historic Washington Hose building." He shared his expectation that the LWRP would be back from the Department of State "within a month or two" and announced his intention "with the mayor" to assemble "a group of active and dedicated people into a new LWRP Advisory Board to help the city solicit further mixed use development--commercial, residential, environmental, and recreational--on our waterfront." He mentioned the mayor's initiatives: a new configuration of programs for youth, programs for senior citizens, cooperative agreements with the county government to improve public transportation, "consideration of a new restaurant on the waterfront." He also expressed his concern for the "most vulnerable among us": the unemployed and people with inadequate housing or homeless. He concluded with this quote from Italian poet and activist Danilo Dolci: "Words don't move mountains. Work, exacting work, moves mountains."

For the full text of Moore's address, click here.    

Back to Square One

The Register-Star reports this morning that the plan to rent this house from Phil Gellert as the county's first location for congregate housing was been abandoned: "518 Columbia nixed as transitional housing." 

In late November, city officials informed the county that the house is located in a Residential Special Commercial (R-S-C) zone, where transitional housing is not a permitted use. On the strength of a "verbal agreement" with Gellert, the county has already paid $4,600 in rent to Gellert and purchased furniture for the two apartments to be located in the building, which were never occupied. The Register-Star reports that there is now a "For Rent" sign on the building. 

Let's Buy the Dock!

Among the resolutions introduced at tonight's informal Common Council meeting was this quite unexpected one: "A Resolution to Authorize the Mayor to Negotitate with Holcim Cement Company for the Purchase of Their Property in the City of Hudson." The resolution was proposed by First Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling, and because all resolutions, except those introduced by the Common Council President, must pass through a committee, this one was assigned to the Legal Committee, chaired by Third Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston.  

Given its goal, this resolution deserves to be quoted in its entirety:

WHEREAS, the City of Hudson in its proposed Local Waterfront Revitalization Program has recognized the importance of the waterfront, especially the area of the deep water port, to the future economic development of the City of Hudson; and
WHEREAS, the proposed LWRP states that "the City supports the continued operation of this port, preferably under the ownership and control of the City of Hudson"; and
WHEREAS, the Common Council of the City of Hudson believes that revitalization of the City's waterfront is critical to the City's continued economic growth and the health and welfare of its residents; and
WHEREAS, the Holcim Cement Company which owns the deep water port dock that could be an important part of the revitalization of the waterfront has declared that the value of their property in the City of Hudson is actually worth $1.5 million not the current assessed value of $4.5 million and they also report no income from the property despite the evidence of continued delivery of aggregate by trucks through the City to the dock for shipment by barge; and
WHEREAS, the City of Hudson deems that at this time it would be in the City's best interest to acquire this property;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Hudson authorizes the Mayor to enter into negotiations with Holcim Cement Company for the purchase of said property at the company's stated worth of $1.5 million with the purchase monies to be raised by a combination of private donations, grant monies, loans and/or bonds.

The only question about the resolution was raised by the other First Ward alderman, Geeta Cheddie, who obviously hadn't read the resolution to the end and wanted to know where the $1.5 million was going to come from.

We spent $10 million for a new water treatment plant. We're spending $11 million for a new wastewater treatment plant. Buying the dock would be the best $1.5 million the City of Hudson has ever spent.

The Legal Committee will meet on Wednesday, January 26, at 6 p.m., unless the schedule of meetings for 2011 has changed from 2010, which is entirely possible. Check the City of Hudson website to be sure. 

Hudson and the River

Riverkeeper has published a map of the Hudson River Estuary that predicts the effects of sea level rise. This is a detail from it.

The map shows that South Bay will inevitably be impacted by rising water. The message seems to be that planning for South Bay should look to preserving it as a fully functioning wetland.

Click here for the full map, map legend, and background information.  

Thanks to Daniel Mackay for bringing this to the attention of Gossips.

On the Subject of Greenport . . .

Sam Pratt posted a priceless photo on his blog today. Take a look!

About Greenport

In 2012, the Town of Greenport will celebrate its 175th anniversary. For 52 years, from 1785 to 1837, the area that is now Greenport was part of the City of Hudson. It's been a separate municipality for more than three times longer, but for many it still seems to be just the "outskirts" of Hudson--a land of no zoning and runaway sprawl. People not from Hudson or Greenport rarely make a distinction between the two. They think that ShopRite, Dunkin' Donuts, and a host of fast-food restaurants, big boxes, and dollar stores are in Hudson. Even people who know the difference aren't always sure about where Hudson ends and Greenport begins. In recent years, Greenport has taken to calling itself "The Forgotten Town."

The problem stems from the fact the Town of Greenport, naming itself for South Bay, took a name that was already in use in the State of New York, so when it came time, in the mid-20th century, to assign zip codes, the Town of Greenport couldn't get its own. The US Postal Service couldn't distinguish Greenport on Long Island from Greenport in Columbia County. Consequently, every house and business in Greenport has an address that ends with "Hudson, NY 12534." 

A Gossips reader commented recently that "it's high time Hudson annexed Greenport." Easier said than done. But since it's an idea that gets floated from time to time, Gossips decided to take a look at how the division came to be in the first place. Here's how Stephen B. Miller explained it in Historical Sketches of Hudson, which was published in 1862.         

The town of Greenport was erected on May 13, 1837, from territory formerly included in Hudson city. The separation was the result of long-continued opposition on the part of residents of the outlying region to sharing the financial burdens of the compact part of the old city. These residents did not value at their true worth the various improvements made within the city and succeeded in obtaining a greatly reduced taxation after the division was made. . . .

The reason Hudson and Greenport split in the first place is likely to be the reason the two municipalities won't get back together any time soon. The Hudson Area Libary--one of the "financial burdens of the compact part of the old city"--is a case in point. The library was chartered in 1959 to serve Hudson and Greenport. Thanks to a successful referendum a year or so ago, the City of Hudson now contributes $120,000 to the library's annual budget. The Town of Greenport, where a library referendum has never succeeded, contributes only $5,500 to support the operation of the library.

Setting the Right Goal

Reading the Gossips post about the sloop Eleanor, a reader was reminded of a redevelopment project on the waterfront in Norwalk, Connecticut, and sent me some information about it. Since there may be a lesson here for Hudson and some guidance for conceptualizing the plans for our waterfront, I decided to share the information--along with an opinion or two. 

Once upon a time there was an especially blighted section of the Norwalk waterfront. The efforts to revitalize this area, now known as SoNo, began in the mid-1970s with the preservation of historic buildings. Thirty-two buildings were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Once the historic architecture was secure, the City of Norwalk, working with not-for-profits and the community, started planning for a major attraction to bring visitors and revenue to the area. What they came up with was a maritime center, now known as the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. The center includes an aquarium that features live animals from Long Island Sound, an IMAX theater, and a boat collection. Since the Maritime Aquarium opened in 1988, shops and restaurants have sprung up around it, and it is now the center of a vibrant commercial district. Half a million people visit the Maritime Aquarium every year, and it brings $20.3 million to the city annually. 

Now I'm not suggesting that Hudson should imitate Norwalk and build a maritime aquarium like theirs on our waterfront. I've never been there. I don't know that it's like. I don't know much more about it than what's published on their website. I am, however, suggesting that we need to be thinking about something for our waterfront that will be a destination. A restaurant--even a really big one--isn't a destination. Restaurants and shops spring up around a destination. That's what happened in Norwalk. It's what we've seen happen right here in Hudson with all the shops and restaurants that have appeared in the 300 block of Warren Street since the Hudson Opera House opened its doors and became a destination.  

I'm suggesting, too, that in conceptualizing a destination for the waterfront we imitate Norwalk by coming up with a plan that respects place, has an educational as well as a recreation/entertainment or cultural purpose, and has as part of its mission the appreciation and/or protection of the Hudson River. And I'm suggesting that the planning not be done by three men in a room but that it involve the community and not-for-profits that could be helpful--Scenic Hudson, perhaps, or maybe the Columbia Land Conservancy, Historic Hudson, the Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society, the New Netherland Museum. "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood."     

Getting It Right

I got a phone call today from Tim Shook, who took issue with what Gossips reported in "Déjà Vu All Over Again?" His problem was not so much with Gossips as with the Register-Star, whose article, he said, misrepresented the position of Hudson Valley Common Sense. The Register-Star reported--and Gossips repeated--that Shook is "especially interested in Congressman Chris Gibson’s support for locating nuclear power plants north and south of Albany and lauds this as a viable industry for Columbia County." Shook denies that Hudson Valley Common Sense supports nuclear power plants. According to him, his organization's position is expressed by this question: "What's best for the Hudson Valley--green technology or nuclear power plants?" When asked which alternative HVCS favored, Shook said, "We're going to go with what the community wants."    

The Sloop Eleanor

It was standing room only in the back room of Wunderbar on Thursday night where people gathered to learn about the historic Hudson River sloop Eleanor and the new not-for-profit that's being organized to achieve her restoration. Called the Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society, the group has aspirations beyond restoring Eleanor and returning her to the waters of the Hudson. Those aspirations include teaching and encouraging sailing on the Hudson and restoring other historic vessels. The Society has already created a website where you can learn more about the 108-year-old sloop, which has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1982, and the plans for her restoration.

The project is the brainchild of Casson Kennedy, a ship restorer who learned his craft on Martha's Vineyard, and Louise Bliss, whose father, the late Philip Egan, acquired Eleanor in 1951. Last night, Kennedy noted that "even boats that are well-maintained rarely stick around for a hundred years" and explained that it was time for major work on Eleanor. He outlined the plans for her restoration. The first step is to build a pole barn over the sloop, which is now being stored at Joe Kenneally's Clay Pond Farms property in Greenport. The cost for the building is estimated at $20,000. The second step is to create a construction drawing, called a "lines drawing," to document the boat, which was built by prominent naval architect Clinton Crane, and preserve it on paper. This careful documentation will also guide the reconstruction of the sloop--the third step in the process. The reconstruction phase begins with determining what needs to be repaired and what needs to be replaced. According to Kennedy, every part of Eleanor needs some level of attention, but it is hoped that the reconstruction will be complete by 2013--to coincide with Eleanor's 110th birthday. 

Kennedy made the point that "what we do with the boat once it's back on the water is just as important as restoring the boat," and to this end, Joe Rapp, himself a sailor and sailboat owner, explained the organizational structure of the not-for-profit. He identified four committees, tasked with specific responsibilities: a Development Committee, to undertake fundraising, identify grant sources, and write grant applications; a Public Relations Committee, to get the word out about the project; a Program Committee, to conceptualize how the sloop will be used after it's been restored; a Building/Construction Committee, to identify and organize tasks that can be done by volunteers. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for a committee should contact Louise Bliss at (518) 828-7884. 

The restoration of the sloop Eleanor and its potential to revive sailing on the Hudson and be a catalyst for something greater--a boat-building academy, a sailing school, a historic boat festival all were suggested--are enormously exciting. Bliss expressed her hope that "Eleanor will be a star at Hudson's waterfront" and encouraged people to visit Eleanor "because boats have souls." This is definitely a project that can and should engage the whole community, but it seems regrettable that the restoration of Eleanor can't take place on the waterfront, in a building that already exists, where people--particularly local kids, commuters, visitors to Hudson--can easily stop in and see what's going on, instead of having to invest the first $20,000 raised to construct a new building fairly far from the river, in a location accessible only by car. The synergy of the restoration of a historic boat occurring on a waterfront rediscovering its maritime history and experiencing revitalization would be very powerful, and it would facilitate fundraising if the project could be seen in the context of a larger waterfront revitalization effort.    

How Much Do You Love Gossips?

A week ago, on New Year’s Eve, The Gossips of Rivertown achieved a milestone: its 500th post. In two weeks, on January 20, Gossips will reach another milestone: the first anniversary of its first post. Over the past twelve months, the number of visits made to Gossips each day, the number of people aware of its existence, and the number of readers who confess they’re addicted to Gossips all tell me that it’s filling an important journalistic niche, and people have come to value and respect it.

In the book The Seven Laws of Money, the first law is this: “Money will come when you are doing the right thing.” You've told me that Gossips is the right thing, so I’ve decided to test the first law of money by asking you to show that you appreciate what I’m doing by making a contribution. To facilitate this, I’ve added a PayPal button to the blog. Think of it as a voluntary subscription fee—in an amount that you determine yourself. Think of it as a gratuity to show that you appreciate the service. Think of it as a way to acknowledge that Gossips is something of value.