No Country For Sane Men

You know that if we've written about some local politician he's usually ready to write/call/sue. That when your organization is having an event, posting in our Things To Do Edition is a sure way to get people to go. That you have called on our sponsors and they've treated you extra-special because you're part of this exciting endeavor.

But with all that said, it still takes time ~ about ten hours a week, 50 or so weeks a year and it's just once a year we ask that you help us out and show your support by donating to the cause.

We have a small handful of regulars who help each year and I love them - and you should too - since without them this column would fail to arrive each Monday, Wednesday and Friday chock full of interesting - and sometimes even useful - information.

So, click on the donate buttons available on the page and help keep News That Matters  coming to your inbox week after week after week.

And then I'll leave you alone. Promise.

Best,

Jeff

PlanPutnam’s Annual Fund Drive is in Progress!

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day, observed every year on December 1st, and established by the World Health Organization in 1988. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.

This evening at 6PM in Judge Spofford's courtroom in Carmel, Lori Kemp will once again be called to answer a charge against a man she directly ordered to leave her property. The man "fell" and allegedly hurt himself so bad that he would not go through the hassle of filing charges against her. But the cop on the scene (there was a cop on the scene?) decided that he would instead and the case moves forward from there.

You can get some background on Lori and her issues in Carmel here, here, here, here and here. The last time Lori was in court for this charge, when the judge called her name a dozen stood in solidarity with her. Let's see if we can do better than that this evening.

"Inequitable, unconscionable, vexatious and opprobrious," that's what Suffolk county Judge Jeffrey Spinner called OneWest bank just before he wiped out $525,000 in mortgage payments demanded by that California based company (a receiver of more than $700 million in bailout monies) on a LI couple, blasting its "harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive" acts. See the story below.

While it seems this next story has had traction these past few days, had I published last week we would have it first!

What does Greg Ball and Michaele Salahi and Tareq Salahi, the gate-crashers at the White House last week have in common? Apparently they're connected. Thanks to an NTM blog reader who sent this link.

This isn't the first time that Greg's been tied to something not exactly kosher as this Washington Post article will renew your memory. Remember CUEG?

"According to New York state newspaper accounts at the time, Citizens United for Ethical Growth was founded in fall 2004 with Ball as its president. Its goals were to promote "smart growth" and regional planning in the small-town and suburban communities north of New York City, with special concern for traffic congestion on state Route 22. The following April, Ball announced he would run as a Republican for state assembly against a longtime incumbent. In December 2005, CUEG -- then described in its press releases as being led by a Dutchess County, N.Y., landscaper, Frank Chiera -- announced it was transferring its $18,000 in assets to Ball's campaign."

Visitors can search for trails in several ways—by trail name, by trail attributes such as length, surface, allowable uses, and distance from a particular location, or by browsing the interactive map. Trailhead parking areas are included, as are directions and nearby bike shops and other amenities such as bicycle-friendly bed & breakfasts.

Tales from Black Friday:

A Wal*Mart in Upland, California, was closed for 3 hours and the customers thrown out the other night as shoppers went crazy, tearing open packages, fighting and running amok through the store.

In Manchester, CT, a Toys R Us store also had to call the police as shoppers tried to cut lines to get ahead of others. Police were called. According to the Courant article, "Eventually, 20 officers from Manchester, South Windsor, East Hartford and the state police managed the line. Police made sure managers did not open the Toys R Us store until the crowd formed into orderly lines -- at 12:55 a.m."

America is not imperial in the traditional sense, of course. We are not colonists. We have little interest in actually conquering territory. But we do have an overabundance of faith in the ability of our military to insure our security and our economic interests

The wheel bearings (or the wheel something-or-other) on my car are shot and there's no time to have them repaired by Thursday so I'm not driving to Long Island on Thanksgiving. Instead, I'm looking for a more progressive way to spend the day than hanging around and painting my house. Is anyone aware of a food kitchen or pantry that's serving that day where I could volunteer?

The State Senate and Assembly are stuck in Albany not doing much of anything but blaming each other for the deadlock in budget negotiations. Republicans blame the Democrats and Democrats put their hands up and say, (fairly, I might add) "give us some ideas!" In the end you know as well as I that your taxes will go up since no one wants to give up any State services and then Republicans will point to the Democrats calling them 'tax and spend' (which is not unlike Governor Pataki who was a 'borrow and spend' Republican.) Whew!

Wednesday's News That Matters will combine news and events for next weekend so if you've got something going on you want your fellow readers to know about please get it in pretty quick. I can't post on Friday as it's the traditional MAD DASH TO THE MALL DAY and I aim to be sitting in traffic, burning fossil fuels, contributing my share of greenhouse gases to global warming while waiting my turn to see Santa and give him my wish list and rudely jostle millions of fellow mall-goers forcing my way past them for that sale at Banana Republic. Honestly, how the heck are the reindeer going to fare after the ice melts?

And now, The News:

1. Praising progress at Peach Lake
2. 300,000 have visited Walkway; lighting being installed
3. Now is the time for Cape Wind
4. The New (Green) Arms Race
5. 8 Steps Obama Could Take to Save Our Food System
6. Why Not Tax Wall Street?
7. Michigan State police want nearly $7 million to fulfill FOIA request
8. Big Foot
9. Support Our Sponsors
   1. TaconicArts.com
   2. Brown Ink
   3. Joe Greico's Out On A Limb

Praising progress at Peach Lake

NORTH SALEM — Tom Duffy, chairman of the Peach Lake Coalition, stood on the porch of the Vails Grove Pavilion at the lake and gave a two-minute summary of the almost 40-year effort to rid the lake of pollution.

His speech carried those who listened from 1971 to Saturday afternoon, from the initial effort to form a lake-improvement district to the receipt of almost $7 million in federal funds and the ceremonial groundbreaking to bring sewers to almost 500 homes.

"The rest is history that is being written at this very moment," Duffy said Saturday.

About 150 residents, community leaders and elected officials came to the shores of Peach Lake to herald the major chunk of funding for the $24 million project and to mark the progress. The project will replace failing septic systems and keep sewage out of the lake that straddles the Westchester-Putnam border. Many of the homes were built as summer cottages on small lots and have failing or inadequate septic systems.

Among those in attendence were Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains, who presented a $5 million check to North Salem and a $1.9 million check to Southeast. The amounts included federal stimulus money and other federal grants. Hall said the Peach Lake project, which is expected to create about 30 construction jobs, is why he voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Read More

300,000 have visited Walkway; lighting being installed

Fred Schaeffer wants to make Walkway Over the Hudson the "friendliest park in the world."

More than 300,000 people have visited the linear state park since it opened seven weeks ago, said Dave Barone, park manager.

Schaeffer, chairman the nonprofit group responsible for turning the abandoned Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge into a park, envisions Walkway volunteers, or "ambassadors of goodwill," answering questions, making people feel at home and, yes, reminding guests to clean up after their pets.

Construction of the Walkway was completed in September , but finishing touches are still being added. That includes LED lights under the railings, additional signage and an elevator that would take people from the Poughkeepsie Railroad Station up to the bridge. Benches, shade structures and permanent bathrooms are also on the agenda, according to Walkway officials.

Schaeffer opens the park’s gates each weekend morning, often a little before 7 a.m. so people can catch the sunrise.

Read More

Now is the time for Cape Wind

Today in the NY Times, there's an exciting article about efforts to develop deepwater, floating wind turbines. The article makes it clear that there are still engineering and major costs hurdles, but I'm hopeful that one day floating wind farms will provide bountiful zero-carbon electricity. But we have to get started today, and fortunately we can. The Cape Wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound is ready to be built now.

Unfortunately, with seemingly endless review, the future of Cape Wind continues to hang in the balance. On Tuesday, NRDC sent Secretary Salazar a letter (PDF) urging him to require that the Interior Department complete the review of the Cape Wind project and issue a final decision prior to the commencement of the U.N. Climate Change Conference on December 7, 2009. This letter echoes a similar message to the Secretary from Congressman Markey. It is time to have a clear indication from our federal government that offshore renewable energy is a priority in this country.  As the administration and the world gear up for next month's meeting in Copenhagen, action approving the Cape Wind project would speak louder than words.

Read More

The New (Green) Arms Race

Hobbled by opposition from the carbon incumbents and their short-sighted allies on Capitol Hill the Obama administration acknowledged this week that it would not return from Copenhagen with any groundbreaking commitment to control green house gases. Meanwhile, Congress is backsliding on the administration's wise commitment to impose a rational price on carbon. Behind the logjam, a treacherous U.S. Chamber of Commerce, always willing to put its obsequious scraping to Big Oil and King Coal ahead of its duty to our country, has battled every effort to accelerate America's transition to a market-based de-carbonized economy.

The Chamber has continued to argue, idiotically, that energy efficiency and independence will somehow put America at a competitive disadvantage with the Chinese. Meanwhile, the Chinese have shrewdly and strategically positioned themselves to steal America's once substantial lead in renewable power. China will soon make us as dependent on Chinese green technology for the next century as we have been on Saudi oil during the last.

Indeed, the Chinese are treating the energy technology competition if it were an arms race. China is spending as much or more on greentech as it does on its military, hundreds of billions of dollars annually on renewable energy and grid infrastructure improvements. Those investments, if not vigorously countered, will effectively erode America's greentech industry leadership and secure China's dominance. China's economic stimulus package, targeted 38% of spending on greentech, as compared to a miserly 12% of the U.S. stimulus program. By 2013, greentech will account for 15 percent of the Chinese GDP. While the United States is projected to roughly triple its wind generation by 2020, China will increase its capacity twelvefold to a wind generating capability more than twice that of America's. And, while the United States is projected to increase its installed solar generation a modest 33% by 2020, China's solar generation is projected to increase 20,000%.

Read More

8 Steps Obama Could Take to Save Our Food System

The landscape of health has changed. No longer are our families guaranteed a healthy livelihood, not in the face of the current rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's and allergies. In the words of Elizabeth Warren, Harvard University law professor who is head of the Congressional Oversight Panel, "We need a new model," and we need a new food system. It's our health on the line.

8 Steps Obama Could Take to Save Food:

1. Evenly distribute government moneys to all farmers. The current system allocates the lion share of our tax dollars (approximately $60 billion) to farmers growing crops whose seeds have been engineered to produce their own insecticides and tolerate increasing doses of weed killing herbicides. As a result, these crops, with a large chemical footprint, are cheaper to produce, while farmers growing organic produce are charged fees to prove that their crops are safe and then charged additional fees to label these crops as free of synthetic chemicals and "organic". If organic farmers received an equal distribution of taxpayer funded handouts from the government, the cost of producing crops free from synthetic chemicals would be cheaper, making these crops more affordable to more people, in turn increasing demand for these products which would further drive down costs.  If we were to reallocate our national budget and evenly distribute our tax dollars to all farmers, clean food would be affordable to everyone and not just those in certain zip codes.

2. Reinstitute the USDA pesticide reporting standard that was waived under the Bush administration. In 2008, the USDA waived pesticide reporting requirements (a procedure that has been in place since the early 1990s) so that farmers and consumers would know the level of chemicals being applied to food crops. Given a report just released that reveals a 383 million pound increase in the use of weed killing herbicides since the introduction of herbicide tolerant crops in 1996 and the potential impact that this glyphosate containing compound is having on both the environment and on our health, perhaps the "don't ask, don't tell" policy assumed under the previous administration should be reversed.

Read More

Why Not Tax Wall Street?

Washington is experiencing a rare and disorienting moment. Big ideas for financial reform that have languished for years are suddenly gaining momentum. Instead of taxing folks to clean up after reckless Wall Street bankers, why not tax Wall Street? Instead of tolerating behemoths regarded as "too big to fail," why not break them up before they do more damage to the country? Instead of genuflecting before the mysterious Federal Reserve, why not strip the temple of its secrets and cleanse it of the self-interested bankers who shape Fed policy?

The fact that these and other unsanctioned propositions are in play and even proposed by respectable figures indicates how deeply the established order has been rattled by the financial crisis. It also demonstrates that members of Congress who bailed out the bankers with public money are quite terrified of voter retribution in the next election.

The center is not holding. That's good news for the Republic, because the center has long been subservient to the demands of financial power. Cynics will say this is a passing tempest that will come to nothing. They might be right. But reformers should make the most of it, at least to agitate the fears of elected politicians--including the president.

Welcome to Mardi Gras, Washington-style. It feels like carnival time, when up is down and down is up, when humble folks parade as kings and queens and the reigning royals are dressed as clowns. As someone who has written about these heretical ideas for decades, I feel a bit giddy at the opportunities for real change, though mindful that the anarchy may not last long.

The most startling evidence of reversal is Chris Dodd, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, who has been a loyal friend of Wall Street and especially Connecticut-based insurance companies. Dodd proposes to strip the Fed of its regulatory functions because of its "abysmal failure" to protect the public, and to replace it with an overarching regulatory administration. Dodd is no doubt motivated by his weak prospects for re-election next year. Still, he earns courage points for violating the longstanding taboo against criticizing the central bank. Likewise, Senator Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on banking, wants to eliminate bankers' insider influence over regulation at the Fed.

Read More

Michigan State police want nearly $7 million to fulfill FOIA request

A communications specialist at the center requested information after the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general released a report that detailed multiple implementation problems in how $129 million in security grants was spent in seven Michigan counties between 2002 and 2004.

The center filed a follow-up FOIA request for all documents relating to homeland security grants in the state since 2002, but the state police department, which administers homeland security grants in Michigan, said there would be more than 2 million pages and that it would cost $6.9 million to process the request.

Read More

Big Foot

by Michael Specter February 25, 2008

A little more than a year ago, Sir Terry Leahy, who is the chief executive of the Tesco chain of supermarkets, Britain’s largest retailer, delivered a speech to a group called the Forum for the Future, about the implications of climate change. Leahy had never before addressed the issue in public, but his remarks left little doubt that he recognized the magnitude of the problem. “I am not a scientist,” he said. “But I listen when the scientists say that, if we fail to mitigate climate change, the environmental, social, and economic consequences will be stark and severe. . . . There comes a moment when it is clear what you must do. I am determined that Tesco should be a leader in helping to create a low-carbon economy. In saying this, I do not underestimate the task. It is to take an economy where human comfort, activity, and growth are inextricably linked with emitting carbon and to transform it into one which can only thrive without depending on carbon. This is a monumental challenge. It requires a revolution in technology and a revolution in thinking. We are going to have to rethink the way we live and work.”

Tesco sells nearly a quarter of the groceries bought in the United Kingdom, it possesses a growing share of the markets in Asia and Europe, and late last year the chain opened its first stores in America. Few corporations could have a more visible—or forceful—impact on the lives of their customers. In his speech, Leahy, who is fifty-two, laid out a series of measures that he hoped would ignite “a revolution in green consumption.” He announced that Tesco would cut its energy use in half by 2010, drastically limit the number of products it transports by air, and place airplane symbols on the packaging of those which it does. More important, in an effort to help consumers understand the environmental impact of the choices they make every day, he told the forum that Tesco would develop a system of carbon labels and put them on each of its seventy thousand products. “Customers want us to develop ways to take complicated carbon calculations and present them simply,” he said. “We will therefore begin the search for a universally accepted and commonly understood measure of the carbon footprint of every product we sell—looking at its complete life cycle, from production through distribution to consumption. It will enable us to label all our products so that customers can compare their carbon footprint as easily as they can currently compare their price or their nutritional profile.”

Leahy’s sincerity was evident, but so was his need to placate his customers. Studies have consistently demonstrated that, given a choice, people prefer to buy products that are environmentally benign. That choice, however, is almost never easy. “A carbon label will put the power in the hands of consumers to choose how they want to be green,” Tom Delay, the head of the British government’s Carbon Trust, said. “It will empower us all to make informed choices and in turn drive a market for low-carbon products.” Tesco was not alone in telling people what it would do to address the collective burden of our greenhouse-gas emissions. Compelled by economic necessity as much as by ecological awareness, many corporations now seem to compete as vigorously to display their environmental credentials as they do to sell their products.

Read more

I know that there are 450 or more people who receive this each day by email (I could name you all, if you'd like?) and another couple hundred who read online. I also know that those who most write to critique, comment or ask for access have never helped us out. What's with that?

Yesterday was World Toilet Day and I would appreciate it if someone were to ask the Town of Kent why they're spending tens of thousands of recreation dollars on a toilet facility at Farmer's Mills park when for $5000 they could have a two-stall composting toilet dropped on the site instead.

I once asked the current board why this was and was told that the Putnam County health department would not allow it but Scenic Hudson is using them at the Cold Spring Foundry. I also found that all the town needs is a waiver from the health department and they're good to go. So why haven't they pushed for one?

Then we have to ask why, in these times of tight budgets and the greening of all we do there's crews about to go out there digging wells, laying pipe, digging a leach field, running power and plumbing when a prefab deal would do just as well, be much more inexpensive and have the added benefit of producing compost for the Beautification committee?

Composting toilets are in use all around the world with stellar results. They're here in the valley. They're in state and national parks and nature reserves and they're in extensive use at the Clear Lake Boy Scout reserve which, if the maps are correct and I know they are, is right in the heart of Putnam County. They're, well, they're everywhere but here in the Town of Kent. What's with that?

(Image: Composting Toilet in use on the Poughkeepsie Side of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park)

Putnam CAP is gearing up for the distribution of Thanksgiving Baskets beginning on Monday, November 23rd.  We make every attempt to include a pie for a traditional Thanksgiving dessert.  As of now we expect to be distributing 500 baskets, but have only received commitments of approximately 200 pies (or other desserts).

Still needed are boxed pies, preferably frozen, that can be included in each basket.  (Storage of pies is difficult and while homemade is by far the best, it doesn't store or stack well in their limited space.)

Please consider donating or coordinating a collection of boxed pies with your friends, neighbors or co-workers.  Help us to get the word out by forwarding this e-mail to your contacts.  Apple and pumpkin are the most desired traditional fare, but any type of boxed pie would be appreciated.

We are open Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30.  On Wednesday we are here until 6:30 pm.  This weekend 11/21 + 11/22 we are here from 4:30-7:00. Best Regards for an enjoyable Thanksgiving,

Judy Callahan, Director, Putnam Community Action Program, 121 Main Street, Brewster NY - 845-278-8021 x 17 or pcapjc@bestweb.net

The weather this weekend is supposed to be pretty fair so get out there and do something. And please remember, when you blow your leaves out into the street they go somewhere and that somewhere is often the nearest lake or stream or other body of water adding phosphorus and other pollutants that screw things up. Bag 'em or compost 'em.

• Tonight:
  • Michelle LeBlanc Trio
• Saturday:
  • Thomas Paine Lecture
• Sunday:
  • Driven to Abstraction
  • Black Bears in New York
• Into the Future:
  • Friday, November 27
    • Class Action
  • Friday, December 4
    • 5th Annual  Green Buildings & Energy Conference
  • Saturday, December 5
    • Putnam Arts Council 15th Annual Invitational Craft Show and Sale
• Support Our Sponsors
  • TaconicArts.com
  • Brown Ink
  • Joe Greico's Out On A Limb

Tonight:

Michelle LeBlanc Trio

7:30 PM - at The Division Street Grill, 26 North Division Street, Peekskill NY 10566. Featuring:

Bill Crow is a legendary string bass player whose career has included performances and recordings with jazz greats like Benny Goodman, Stan Getz, Marian McPartland, Mose Allison, Chet Baker, Ray Brown, and Milt Jackson. Bill has toured extensively through Europe and also in Japan and Russia. Bill writes about jazz and has authored two entertaining books: From Birdland to Broadway and Jazz Anecdotes.  Visit him at www.BillCrowBass.com

Tom Kohl, composer, arranger and jazz pianist, has performed, recorded, and taught throughout the Northeast since 1982. He has worked with Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Richard Davis and Marc Johnson. Tom's early studies with Archie Shepp and Dr. Horace Boyer instilled a deep sense of ensemble dynamics and harmonic adventure in his playing. Visit him at www.TomKohlmusic.com

Michelle LeBlanc, jazz vocalist, has been performing in Hudson Valley jazz clubs and concert stages since the early 1990's.  She has worked with many Hudson Valley jazz greats, including Bill Crow, Tom Kohl, David Amram, Joe Puma, Ed Xiques, Michael Abene, Carmen Leggio, and also with Calloway Brooks at the Rainbow Room in New York City. Michelle was awarded annual grants for ten years in a row from New York State Council on the arts supporting her series of shows titled "JAZZ: The American Story" in which she traces the development of jazz and the history that gave rise to this uniquely American art form.  Visit her at www.michelleleblanc.com

Saturday:

Friends of the Kent Library - Mini Book Sale

10am to 2:30pm -- The last of three Mini Book Sales will be held in the Program Room of the Kent Public Library (large selection - great for holiday gift giving). Be there!

Thomas Paine Lecture

2PM - The Southeast Museum will host a free lecture by  Dr. J. Ward Regan. This talk is an examination of the life and writings of Thomas Paine at the end of the eighteenth century. By looking at his early political writings in England, Common Sense, and The Crisis Papers, the talk explores the integral role of Paine in not only the American Revolution, but also in the creation of a "democratic political ideology."  The presentation will also explore the characterization of Paine as a preeminent philosopher, the genesis of radical politics, and a force in world events.

Sunday:

Driven to Abstraction

1-4 PM With Jeanne Demotses. Presented by the Putnam Arts Council at Tilly Foster Farms. We will look at the principles which all artists rely upon to develop their paintings and discuss how those principles are used in abstract painting. Lecture & demonstration. Fee $40.

Black Bears in New York

2PM - As part of the Friends of the Great Swamp's (FrOGS) Annual Meeting, Matt Merchant, a Senior Wildlife Biologist, NYS DEC will talk about our local black bear population. Matt met the black bear as a student in the Wildlife Management Program at the University of Maine when he participated in a study of bear habitat use and spent one summer live-trapping bears in northern Maine. After a decade with the DEC office in Stamford, NY, Matt is now in charge of NYS DEC’s bear program for Region 3 as well as head of their Sportsman Education Program. The event will be held at the Lalor Building at the intersection of Routes 164 and 311 in Patterson. The event is free.

Into the Future:

Friday, November 27

Class Action

9 PM - At O'Malley's Bar and Grill, 30 East Main Street Mt. Kisco, NY. Featuring, Gary Cusano, Greg Kuczinski, Mike Latini, Rich Block and Matt Daus.

Friday, December 4

5th Annual  Green Buildings & Energy Conference

9AM- 4:40PM - Education & Workforce Development for the 21st Century Economy at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY. Sponsored by the Hudson Valley Regional Council, the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University, & Schein Media Green Business+Careers

Join regional leaders for a working conference on linking business, education, local government, workforce training and community development.

     ·        Presentations and panel discussions will feature emerging trends, case studies, roundtable dialogue and networking opportunities, focusing on energy efficiency, green buildings, solar energy, water, local food and sustainable agriculture sectors.  We’ll provide an overview of emerging training, education and workforce development programs and discuss how these programs can be tailored to fit the emerging economy.

·        This program is designed to help identify and advance regional opportunities to benefit from the growing green economy.  Building on previous programs, we will address key challenges and obstacles to be overcome, as well as potential solutions and mechanisms that can work for the Hudson Valley region.

·        The program will highlight job-creation opportunities for organizations, businesses, and local government in the Hudson Valley region, and introduce examples from other areas in NY State where public-private partnerships are working to address these emerging needs and opportunities.  It will also include discussion about educational goals for developing a deeper literacy in ecological issues that may be critical to realizing the full potential in these economic sectors.

Register now – space is limited.  Visit    http://www.hvregionalcouncil.org/   or call 845-564-4075 for more information.

Speakers and panelists will include Vince Cozzolino, The Solar Energy Consortium; William Schlesinger, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Wayne Williams, U.W. Marx Construction;  Paul Mankiewicz, Gaia Institute; Lisa Cleckner, Syracuse Center of Excellence  Frank Surdey, NY State Dept. of Labor; Rick Alfandre, Alfandre Architecture & US Green Building Council NY Upstate Chapter; Simon Gruber, Hudson Valley Regional Council; Tom Bregman, Antioch New England Graduate Center; Jonathan Schein, ScheinMedia;  Judith LaBelle, Glynwood Center; Chris Marx, SUNY Ulster; William Makofske, Ramapo College;  Hanah Ehrenreich, CNY Works;  Melissa Everett, Sustainable Hudson Valley;  Alan Berkowitz, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Mark Thielking, Town of Bedford; Martin Ping, Hawthorne Valley Association; Stephen Mitchell, SUNY Sullivan.

Co-sponsors include Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Sustainable Hudson Valley, US Green Building Council NY Upstate Chapter, Syracuse Center of Excellence, Building Performance Contractors Association of NYS, Mid-Hudson Energy $mart Communities, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Edible Hudson Valley, Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance (list in formation.)

Saturday, December 5

Putnam Arts Council 15th Annual Invitational Craft Show and Sale

2009 Putnam Arts Council presents their 15thAnnual Invitational Craft Show and Sale ~ Their last official event at their digs at Tilly Foster Farm. The show will be featuring the work of 40+ regional artisans including jewelry, wearables, pottery, wood & metal works, original art and more ~ come see these beautiful and affordable treasures (for anyone on your list!) created here, in your own backyard. Admission and parking free, Tuesday – Sunday from noon-5pm, December 5-20, 2009 at The Lodge (Bldg 8), Tilly Foster Farm, 100 Rte 312, Brewster, NY ~ Special member preview, December 4, 6-8pm Info/directions: putnamartscouncil.com or 845-278-0230

Before we dive into the world around us this morning please do me a favor:

Pass a copy of this newsletter on to people you know who do not receive it either by subscription or who do not read it on the website. Let’s spread the news around a bit and grow our readership. Our goal? 1000 daily readers by January 1.

Then hop on over to your Facebook account and become a fan of the News That Matters page that’s been created there or click on the link over there in the right-hand column.

Finally, click on the “donate” button above ~ and you know what to do after that. It is that time of year again. Thanks to those who have already helped out this year and in the past. But we do need to see some new faces!

From How Stuff Works: Tomorrow, Nov. 19 is World Toilet Day, a time to reflect upon how far modern sanitation has come. In the United States in 2005, less than half of one percent of the country's more than 124 million households didn't have a flushing toilet [source: U.S. Census Bureau]. That leaves 620,000 US primary households without access to modern plumbing.

Friday is normally our Things To Do Edition but I've got little to offer this week. If your group or organization is holding an event this weekend please send me a plain text email about it for inclusion in the calendar.

Poles for Christmas trees have sprouted along Route 6 and Lake Gleneida. Isn't it time to plant trees permanently there?

Each year trees are grown somewhere, chopped down and transported to the shores of the Hamlet's water supply, decorated, then tossed into a compost heap somewhere.

But we could lessen the waste and costs and make improvements to the landscape if we were to plant that row of trees and let them grow with us year after year. Years back when I asked the same question a prominent Carmel attorney told me that planting trees there would ruin the view. What do you think?

The search for the Loch Ness monster continues unabated. In the last serious foray what researches found wasn't some aquatic remnant of pre-historic days, but 100,000 golf balls strewn across large sections of the bottom of the Loch.

Yuri Foreman, a 29 year old boxer who just happens to be studying to be a Rabbi, captured the World Boxing Association's 154 lb weight class, defeating Daniel Santos in Las Vegas last Saturday night. Tell your kids they have a choice: they can either get to work studying for their Bar Mitzvah's or they're going to have to go a round or two with Foreman.

While we're on that subject, find a way to take yourselves out to see the new Coen brother's film, "A Serious Man". You will need to bring a Jewish friend along with you in order to get the most out of it as there are inside jokes and references galore that the goyim just won't get. One of the best films these two boys (who have probably never boxed Yuri Foreman) have done.

Other films the Coen brothers have done either singly or together include "Fargo", "The Big Lebowski", Raising Arizona, O' Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "No Country for Old Men". Between them they've accumulated 6 Academy and 3 Golden Globe awards.

Glenn Beck claimed that the proposed health care reform bill includes health insurance for your dog.

Assemblyman Greg Ball is in the news again. No, it's not for his record in Albany (of which there is none) but for a recent press release claiming that the government's plan to hold a trial for 9/11 defendants in NYC is a bad idea. Citing the threat of terror attacks, he claims that the world - as we know it - will end if the trials in New York move forward. He goes so far as to blame an earlier trial of those who attempted to blow up the World Trade Center with the 9/11 events. He then agrees that "civilian courts are no place to try terrorists." If not there, then where? Are we not a nation of law?

A writer to the NYJN Letters section this morning said we should try them by military tribunal then shoot them. Last time I looked this was not Saudi Arabia or Yemen or Syria. I guess she likes those places and desires us to be more like them.

---

In order to lessen the number of cars in the heart of Bruges (The Netherlands), the city has built car-parks where parking is cheap and free transportation is available into and around the city while in the heart of the city, one-way streets and no-parking zones make it difficult to drive there. Signs on all major roads leading into Bruges direct drivers not to the city itself but to those car-parks instead. Meanwhile, congestion pricing, now widespread in Europe, has lessened traffic and improved air quality in every city in which it has been instituted and has made walking easier and safer with a decline in pedestrian/vehicle accidents.

• Southeast budget would raise taxes
• Pfizer to Leave City That Won Land-Use Case
• Healthcare Rx from my Socialist Fire Department
• New snowmobile trail rules adopted for Forest Preserve
• Chickens come home to roost in backyards around the USA
• Central Kings students wear pink to send bullies a message
• How the US Funds the Taliban
• Support Our Sponsors
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    • Brown Ink
    • Joe Greico's Out On A Limb

Southeast budget would raise taxes

SOUTHEAST — Homeowners can expect to pay about 4.7 percent more next year in town property taxes under Southeast’s 2010 budget.

The $14.4 million budget would raise a homeowner’s annual tax bill by about $24 to $531.

The Town Board last week voted 3-2 to approve the budget plan put forth by Councilmen Paul Johnson, Richard Honeck and Roger Gross.

That capped a debate between their plan and Supervisor Michael Rights’ tentative 2010 proposal.

Rights ultimately proposed a spending plan without a tax increase.

In doing so, he suggested the town sell its non-highway vehicles and cut funding to outside agencies, such as the Brewster Library.

Read More

Pfizer to Leave City That Won Land-Use Case

>From the edge of the Thames River in New London, Conn., Michael Cristofaro surveyed the empty acres where his parents’ neighborhood had stood, before it became the crux of an epic battle over eminent domain.

“Look what they did,” Mr. Cristofaro said on Thursday. “They stole our home for economic development. It was all for Pfizer, and now they get up and walk away.”

That sentiment has been echoing around New London since Monday, when Pfizer, the giant drug company, announced it would leave the city just eight years after its arrival led to a debate about urban redevelopment that rumbled through the United States Supreme Court, and reset the boundaries for governments to seize private land for commercial use.

Pfizer said it would pull 1,400 jobs out of New London within two years and move most of them a few miles away to a campus it owns in Groton, Conn., as a cost-cutting measure. It would leave behind the city’s biggest office complex and an adjacent swath of barren land that was cleared of dozens of homes to make room for a hotel, stores and condominiums that were never built.

The announcement stirred up resentment and bitterness among some local residents. They see Pfizer as a corporate carpetbagger that took public money, in the form of big tax breaks, and now wants to run.

“I’m not surprised that they’re gone,” said Susette Kelo, who moved to Groton from New London after the city took her home near Pfizer’s property. “They didn’t get what they wanted: their development, their big plan.”

Read More

Healthcare Rx from my Socialist Fire Department

Tell me where it hurts, Mr. President.

    What's killing you, Barack, is what's killing us all: an evil germ called "Medical Loss Ratio."

    "Medical Loss Ratio" [MLR] is the fancy term used by health insurance companies for their slice, their take-out, their pound of flesh, their gross - very gross - profit.

    The "MLR" is the difference between what you pay an insurance company and what that insurer pays out to doctors, hospitals and pharmacists for your medical care.

    I've totted it up from the raw stats: The "MLR," insurance companies' margins, is about to top - holy mama! - a quarter trillion dollars a year. That's $2.7 trillion over the next decade.

    Until the 1990's, insurers skimmed only about a nickel on the dollar for their "service," Wendell Potter told me. Potter is the CIGNA insurance company PR man who came in from the cold to tell us about what goes down inside the health insurance gold mine. Today, Potter notes (and I've checked his accuracy), porky operators like AIG have kicked up their Loss Ratio by nearly 500 percent.

    The industries' slice is growing to nearly a quarter of your insurance bill. All of it just paperwork and profiteering.

    President Obama is never going to pull the insurance company piggies from a trough this big, especially when the industry has made room for Congressional snouts.

Read More

New snowmobile trail rules adopted for Forest Preserve

By MIKE LYNCH, Enterprise Outdoors, link to original post

The state Adirondack Park Agency approved new guidelines for snowmobile trails Friday, Nov. 13, 2009.

The rules are intended to improve the safety of snowmobilers while lessening the environmental impact on the Forest Preserve during the process of constructing, maintaining and locating trails.

The guidelines were approved 10-1. Commissioner Richard Booth cast the dissenting vote, saying the State Land Master Plan should be amended before these guidelines were approved.

The guidelines will move snowmobile trails from the interior of wild forest areas to the outskirts while also creating community connector trails. They would also allow tracked groomers on community connector trails. Snowmobile trails would also be required to have the same character as foot trails.

For the most part, the snowmobile guidelines were hailed by those involved as a major accomplishment and an example of how the state Department of Environmental Conservation, APA, snowmobile groups, local government leaders and environmental organizations could work together to achieve rules that would satisfy everyone.

“It think that the theme of balance is something we have to look for in setting public policy, and to that end I think that what you passed today represents that balance,” said Mike Fischer, president of the New York State Snowmobile Association.

Read More

Chickens come home to roost in backyards around the USA

PORTLAND, Maine — For months, Daniel Strauss has looked out the window of his home on busy Stevens Avenue and noticed as many as six chickens pecking at the soil of his backyard.

The hens' owner, Jennifer Rudin, wasn't sure at first whether her city neighbor would appreciate the chickens' free-ranging, which has become routine for them since Portland approved backyard chicken farming earlier this year. But having seen how adaptable chickens are, Strauss is planning to get a few of his own.

"They eat insects, they fertilize the yard – I don't really see any downside to them," Strauss says, adding that he'd also welcome fresh eggs. "The more food you can get from your own backyard, the better."

A trend in backyard chicken farming is taking hold as urbanites, eager to scoop up flavorful organic eggs, discover how easy it is to get started. A simple coop, a pen and a little feed are such a low entry bar that people are flocking to try their hand at keeping chickens in a tough economy.

Read More

Central Kings students wear pink to send bullies a message

Central Kings Rural High School students David Shepherd and Travis Price

The Grade 9 student arrived for the first day of school last Wednesday and was set upon by a group of six to 10 older students who mocked him, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up.

The next day, Grade 12 students David Shepherd and Travis Price decided something had to be done about bullying.

"It’s my last year. I’ve stood around too long and I wanted to do something," said David.

They used the Internet to encourage people to wear pink and bought 75 pink tank tops for male students to wear. They handed out the shirts in the lobby before class last Friday — even the bullied student had one.

"I made sure there was a shirt for him," David said.

They also brought a pink basketball to school as well as pink material for headbands and arm bands. David and Travis figure about half the school’s 830 students wore pink.

Read More

How the US Funds the Taliban

But Popal was more than just a former mujahedeen. In 1988, a year before the Soviets fled Afghanistan, Popal had been charged in the United States with conspiring to import more than a kilo of heroin. Court records show he was released from prison in 1997.

Flash forward to 2009, and Afghanistan is ruled by Popal's cousin President Hamid Karzai. Popal has cut his huge beard down to a neatly trimmed one and has become an immensely wealthy businessman, along with his brother Rashid Popal, who in a separate case pleaded guilty to a heroin charge in 1996 in Brooklyn. The Popal brothers control the huge Watan Group in Afghanistan, a consortium engaged in telecommunications, logistics and, most important, security. Watan Risk Management, the Popals' private military arm, is one of the few dozen private security companies in Afghanistan. One of Watan's enterprises, key to the war effort, is protecting convoys of Afghan trucks heading from Kabul to Kandahar, carrying American supplies.

Welcome to the wartime contracting bazaar in Afghanistan. It is a virtual carnival of improbable characters and shady connections, with former CIA officials and ex-military officers joining hands with former Taliban and mujahedeen to collect US government funds in the name of the war effort.

In this grotesque carnival, the US military's contractors are forced to pay suspected insurgents to protect American supply routes. It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting. And it is a deadly irony, because these funds add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban. "It's a big part of their income," one of the top Afghan government security officials told The Nation in an interview. In fact, US military officials in Kabul estimate that a minimum of 10 percent of the Pentagon's logistics contracts--hundreds of millions of dollars--consists of payments to insurgents.

Read More

Pass a copy of this newsletter on to people you know who live in Putnam County and who do not receive it either by subscription or who do not read it on the website. Let's spread the news around a bit.

Then hop on over to your Facebook account and become a fan of the News That Matters page that's recently been created there or click on the link over there in the right-hand column.

Finally, click on the "donate" button above ~ and you know what to do after that. It is that time of year again.

I gave the Town of Kent $2.50 the other day in order to keep its dog control officer, Kathy Hamilton, from swooping down in her black helicopter and arresting my dog for DWL, Dogging Without a License. (Ag and Markets Law, Section 110)  I also gave the State of New York $2.50 for the same protection and if you own a dog you've done the same.

This isn't a tax. It isn't a fee. It's a revenue generating protection racket. The town collects the money then sends a portion to the county and then the county, after keeping a portion, sends the rest on to the state.

In my town, assuming 1/2 of all properties own a dog, (Hey, I have to have some number to work with,) the total take for the town would be around $8700 or so which seems hardly enough for the effort. Yeah, there's the rabies thing the state has set as a requirement but do we really need to pay the town and county and state to prove the dog's been inoculated?

As a gesture to a cash-strapped public the town and county could waive their portion of the fees and collect only the $2.50 the state demands.

For now at least, Ms. Hamilton, has been kept at bay.

Claiming to be a law enforcement tool, the state says that you need these new plates as your old ones have faded and are hard to read by cops on the beat. But the State's real goal is to raise $129 million dollars for the general fund. It's interesting how whenever anyone wants to raise your taxes they do so by claiming "law enforcement" or national security as the reason. Smarten up folks! Opt for fewer services and elect politicians with balls and be done with it.

In a saucepan, add two vegetable bullion cubes to two quarts of water and boil to dissolve the bullion then set aside.

Heat a large pot and add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom. Slice up two medium-sized onions and toss them in the pot with a large spoonful (or two or three) of minced garlic. Stir around until the onions are just slightly softened. Lower the heat a bit and cover. Add two large diced potatoes and stir to cover everything with the onions and garlic and let the potatoes soften for just a little while you cut up a couple sweet Italian sausages and add them too. Add the bullion to the pot, raise the heat until it starts to boil then lower to a simmer.

While this is cooking, search your fridge for any left-over garden greens you have; kale, rabi, whatever you find. Slice it all up and add to the pot stirring well. Cover and simmer until the greens are well integrated, about 30 minutes.

Serve with hot cornbread.

Yeah. Men can cook.

• Saturday:
  • Putnam Chorale
  • Reflectionist Exhibit: Visions, Sensations, Considerations
• Sunday:
  • Reflectionist Exhibit: Visions, Sensations, Considerations
  • Painting Critique Workshop
  • Putnam Chorale
  • The Tompkins Corners Family Music Festival
  • Sand and Sorrow
• Into the Future:
  • Friday, November 20
    • Michelle LeBlanc Trio
  • Saturday, November 21
    • Thomas Paine Lecture
  • Sunday, November 22
    • Driven to Abstraction
    • Black Bears in New York
  • Friday, November 27
    • Class Action
  • Friday, December 4
    • 5th Annual  Green Buildings & Energy Conference
  • Saturday, December 5
    • Putnam Arts Council 15th Annual Invitational Craft Show and Sale

Saturday:

Putnam Chorale

8 PM - The Chorale will perform with guest soloists, and a professional orchestra all under the direction of Douglas Anderson. This season’s main performances are scheduled for: At the First United Methodist Church located on Main Street in Brewster, NY. The performace will include: HAYDN: Lord Nelson Mass (Mass in D), BEETHOVEN: Choral Fantasy, with piano soloist LAURENCE WILSON, MOZART: Ave Verum Corpus and HANDEL: Zadok, the Priest.

Reflectionist Exhibit: Visions, Sensations, Considerations

1-4 PM Visions, Considerations, Sensations. A cooperative of 28 artists asks us to “consider a picture not in 1000 words but in a few.” Artists’ Reception: Sunday, November 15. Free: Lake Carmel Cultural Center. More information: www.reflectionist.org Continues Next Weekend.

Sunday:

Reflectionist Exhibit: Visions, Sensations, Considerations

1-4 PM Visions, Considerations, Sensations. A cooperative of 28 artists asks us to “consider a picture not in 1000 words but in a few.” Artists’ Reception: Sunday, November 15. Free: Lake Carmel Cultural Center. More information: www.reflectionist.org Continues Next Weekend.

Painting Critique Workshop

1-4 PM (For painters in any medium) with Jeanne Demotses. This 3 hour workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to have 3-5 paintings in any medium critiqued in a supportive atmosphere. Class size will be limited to 10. Hosted at the Tilly Foster Farms by the Putnam Arts Council. Fee: $40.

Putnam Chorale

3PM - The Chorale will perform with guest soloists, and a professional orchestra all under the direction of Douglas Anderson. This season’s main performances are scheduled for: At the Mt. Kisco United Methodist Church, 300 Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY. The performace will include: HAYDN: Lord Nelson Mass (Mass in D), BEETHOVEN: Choral Fantasy, with piano soloist LAURENCE WILSON, MOZART: Ave Verum Corpus and HANDEL: Zadok, the Priest.

The Tompkins Corners Family Music Festival

Sand and Sorrow

4:30 PM Sand and Sorrow, a documentary film about Darfur by Paul Freedman, produced and narrated by George Clooney. The film features an exclusive look deep inside Darfur and into the heart of the crisis as viewed by human rights activist John Prendergast, Harvard University professor Samantha Power and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Sponsored by SLS Residential and the Putnam Arts Council at Tilly Foster Farms.

Into the Future:

Friday, November 20

Michelle LeBlanc Trio

7:30 PM - at The Division Street Grill, 26 North Division Street, Peekskill NY 10566. Featuring:

Bill Crow is a legendary string bass player whose career has included performances and recordings with jazz greats like Benny Goodman, Stan Getz, Marian McPartland, Mose Allison, Chet Baker, Ray Brown, and Milt Jackson. Bill has toured extensively through Europe and also in Japan and Russia. Bill writes about jazz and has authored two entertaining books: From Birdland to Broadway and Jazz Anecdotes.�  Visit him at www.BillCrowBass.com

Tom Kohl, composer, arranger and jazz pianist, has performed, recorded, and taught throughout the Northeast since 1982. He has worked with Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Richard Davis and Marc Johnson. Tom’s early studies with Archie Shepp and Dr. Horace Boyer instilled a deep sense of ensemble dynamics and harmonic adventure in his playing. Visit him at www.TomKohlmusic.com

Michelle LeBlanc, jazz vocalist, has been performing in Hudson Valley jazz clubs and concert stages since the early 1990’s.  She has worked with many Hudson Valley jazz greats, including Bill Crow, Tom Kohl, David Amram, Joe Puma, Ed Xiques, Michael Abene, Carmen Leggio, and also with Calloway Brooks at the Rainbow Room in New York City. Michelle was awarded annual grants for ten years in a row from New York State Council on the arts supporting her series of shows titled “JAZZ: The American Storyâ€�  in which she traces the development of jazz and the history that gave rise to this uniquely American art form.  Visit her at www.michelleleblanc.com

Saturday, November 21

Thomas Paine Lecture

2PM - The Southeast Museum will host a free lecture by  Dr. J. Ward Regan. This talk is an examination of the life and writings of Thomas Paine at the end of the eighteenth century. By looking at his early political writings in England, Common Sense, and The Crisis Papers, the talk explores the integral role of Paine in not only the American Revolution, but also in the creation of a "democratic political ideology."  The presentation will also explore the characterization of Paine as a preeminent philosopher, the genesis of radical politics, and a force in world events.

Sunday, November 22

Driven to Abstraction

1-4 PM With Jeanne Demotses. Presented by the Putnam Arts Council at Tilly Foster Farms. We will look at the principles which all artists rely upon to develop their paintings and discuss how those principles are used in abstract painting. Lecture & demonstration. Fee $40.

Black Bears in New York

2PM - As part of the Friends of the Great Swamp's (FrOGS) Annual Meeting, Matt Merchant, a Senior Wildlife Biologist, NYS DEC will talk about our local black bear population. Matt met the black bear as a student in the Wildlife Management Program at the University of Maine when he participated in a study of bear habitat use and spent one summer live-trapping bears in northern Maine. After a decade with the DEC office in Stamford, NY, Matt is now in charge of NYS DEC’s bear program for Region 3 as well as head of their Sportsman Education Program. The event will be held at the Lalor Building at the intersection of Routes 164 and 311 in Patterson. The event is free.

Friday, November 27

Class Action

9 PM - At O'Malley's Bar and Grill, 30 East Main Street Mt. Kisco, NY. Featuring, Gary Cusano, Greg Kuczinski, Mike Latini, Rich Block and Matt Daus.

Friday, December 4

5th Annual  Green Buildings & Energy Conference

9AM- 4:40PM - Education & Workforce Development for the 21st Century Economy at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY. Sponsored by the Hudson Valley Regional Council, the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University, & Schein Media Green Business+Careers

Join regional leaders for a working conference on linking business, education, local government, workforce training and community development.

     ·        Presentations and panel discussions will feature emerging trends, case studies, roundtable dialogue and networking opportunities, focusing on energy efficiency, green buildings, solar energy, water, local food and sustainable agriculture sectors.  We’ll provide an overview of emerging training, education and workforce development programs and discuss how these programs can be tailored to fit the emerging economy.

·        This program is designed to help identify and advance regional opportunities to benefit from the growing green economy.  Building on previous programs, we will address key challenges and obstacles to be overcome, as well as potential solutions and mechanisms that can work for the Hudson Valley region.

·        The program will highlight job-creation opportunities for organizations, businesses, and local government in the Hudson Valley region, and introduce examples from other areas in NY State where public-private partnerships are working to address these emerging needs and opportunities.  It will also include discussion about educational goals for developing a deeper literacy in ecological issues that may be critical to realizing the full potential in these economic sectors.

Register now – space is limited.  Visit    http://www.hvregionalcouncil.org/   or call 845-564-4075 for more information.

Speakers and panelists will include Vince Cozzolino, The Solar Energy Consortium; William Schlesinger, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Wayne Williams, U.W. Marx Construction;  Paul Mankiewicz, Gaia Institute; Lisa Cleckner, Syracuse Center of Excellence  Frank Surdey, NY State Dept. of Labor; Rick Alfandre, Alfandre Architecture & US Green Building Council NY Upstate Chapter; Simon Gruber, Hudson Valley Regional Council; Tom Bregman, Antioch New England Graduate Center; Jonathan Schein, ScheinMedia;  Judith LaBelle, Glynwood Center; Chris Marx, SUNY Ulster; William Makofske, Ramapo College;  Hanah Ehrenreich, CNY Works;  Melissa Everett, Sustainable Hudson Valley;  Alan Berkowitz, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Mark Thielking, Town of Bedford; Martin Ping, Hawthorne Valley Association; Stephen Mitchell, SUNY Sullivan.

Co-sponsors include Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Sustainable Hudson Valley, US Green Building Council NY Upstate Chapter, Syracuse Center of Excellence, Building Performance Contractors Association of NYS, Mid-Hudson Energy $mart Communities, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Edible Hudson Valley, Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance (list in formation.)

Saturday, December 5

Putnam Arts Council 15th Annual Invitational Craft Show and Sale

2009 Putnam Arts Council presents their 15thAnnual Invitational Craft Show and Sale ~ Their last official event at their digs at Tilly Foster Farm. The show will be featuring the work of 40+ regional artisans including jewelry, wearables, pottery, wood & metal works, original art and more ~ come see these beautiful and affordable treasures (for anyone on your list!) created here, in your own backyard. Admission and parking free, Tuesday – Sunday from noon-5pm, December 5-20, 2009 at The Lodge (Bldg 8), Tilly Foster Farm, 100 Rte 312, Brewster, NY ~ Special member preview, December 4, 6-8pm Info/directions: putnamartscouncil.com or 845-278-0230

Congress amended this act on November 8, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with Veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

Read the full Wikipedia article

The financial firm Goldman Sachs received 200 doses of Swine Flu vaccine for their staff from the Center for Disease Control last week but they've got 2000 employees. Does anyone want to take bets on who gets them?

Dutchess County has decided to close their budget gap through stricter enforcement of traffic rules. That's right, tickets. Most jurisdictions say that the giving of tickets for traffic infringements cannot be used as a revenue stream but let's look at the facts: You don't just get a ticket and pay it anymore, now you pay the ticket and the administrative costs and then court costs and then there's the bribe to the state. Where a $25 ticket used to cost you $25 now it could be way more than that and all the excess going to the government as "fees". We now use our courts to turn a profit more than to dispense justice for wrong-doing. Now you know why there are so many laws you can't even keep track of them. I'll bet you've broken a few you didn't even know existed. Pay up!

Because Timothy McVeigh never existed some Americans are connecting Major Nidal Malik Hasan with 9/11. Oklahoma City officials have no comment. But it gets better. Sean Hannity, one of FOXNews' infotainment reporters claims, in an off-hand way, that the Obama Administration knew about the shootings at Fort Hood beforehand. And just think, not only are we bombarded by FOXNews in virtually every public place owned by someone with an IQ approaching the daily average temperature but the newspapers on both sides of the county are owned, by extension, by the same corporation. And the Journal News, wedged in the middle, is useless. Okay, it's not useless, if you've a bird or a rabbit in a cage...

Sarah Palin is hitting the Death Panels! charade again and thanks to those who watch FOXNews or listen to "you know who" on radio, they're buying it. Next up: "2000 year old alien graves found in Uzbekistan!",  "More Proof That Obama is Not a Citizen!" and "CIGNA Forgoes Profits to Provide Better Care!"

And now, The (real) News:

1. EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan for Hopewell Precision Site
2. Bank Failure Friday Fells Another ‘Healthy Bank’ Bailout Recipient
3. New Green Parking Lot Allows Scientists to Study Permeable Surfaces
4. Why Is It We Have Finite Resources for Health Care But Unlimited Money for War?
5. Man gets visit from police after photographing trick-or-treaters
6. 10 Most Surprising Places to Find Petroleum
7. Wiesel slams tea partiers over Holocaust signs
8. Hitler was a ‘German football coach’?

EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan for Hopewell Precision Site

(New York, NY) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its plan to address contamination at the Hopewell Precision site in Hopewell Junction, New York. The Agency has also already started the design of the new public water supply system, which will be followed by connection of those homes with potentially-contaminated drinking water wells to municipal water. The final cleanup plan will address the sources of contamination directly. Due to sloppy, past practices at the Hopewell Precision, Inc. facility where sheet metal parts were turned into furniture, the ground water that runs underneath the site has become contaminated with chemicals that can volatilize in the form of vapors into homes built over the contaminated plume. Contamination in the ground water under the site has spread beyond the boundaries of the facility. EPA’s cleanup will include restoring the ground water to drinking water standards within a reasonable time period and ensuring that the homes over the contaminated plume are not being affected by vapors that may emanate from the plume, into the basements of the homes.

“EPA is already working hard to eliminate the potential threat of people drinking contaminated water by providing an alternate drinking water supply,” said Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou. “Now that that work is underway, we are moving forward to address the entire site, in particular, ground water contamination and its vapors.”

EPA is addressing the contamination at the Hopewell Precision Superfund Site in two separate phases. EPA has already begun design work to install water mains and distribution lines that will provide an alternate water supply. In addition, the more recent final cleanup plan includes restoring the contaminated ground water to drinking water standards by using naturally-occurring microorganisms that break contaminants down, making them harmless. The plan also entails monitoring of the movement of and changes in the contaminated ground water plume, the installation of additional home ventilation devices, which are designed to vent vapors from beneath the foundation, thereby preventing vapor entry at those homes that are found to be impacted, and periodic monitoring of those homes to ensure that they continue to be properly safeguarded from the potential vapors, if appropriate.

Read More

Bank Failure Friday Fells Another ‘Healthy Bank’ Bailout Recipient

San Francisco-based United Commercial Bank [1] has become the first recipient of TARP bailout money to be shut down by the FDIC. Last year, regulators approved a $299 million [2] taxpayer funded injection into the bank. That money, which was supposed to go to only “healthy banks,” is now gone. The FDIC estimates United Commercial’s failure will cost the agency’s deposit fund about $1.4 billion.

Our resident TARPologist, Paul Kiel, reported a few weeks ago [3] that United Commercial Bank and three other supposedly “healthy banks”  were in deep trouble. On November 1, CIT, another of the four, filed for bankruptcy protection. The collapse taxpayers lost $2.33 [4] billion in TARP money invested in CIT.

United Commercial was one of five bank failures Friday, following bank closings earlier in the day in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri. The number of bank failures for the year now stands at 120. It’s the most failures since 1992, when the FDIC closed down 181 banks. The total cost of the other four bank failures to the deposit fund was an estimated $132.7 million. (See ProPublica’s complete list of bank failures this year [5].)

Last month, FDIC chairman Sheila Bair testified that the deposit fund was in the red [6] and would likely stay so until 2012. The FDIC board is expected to finalize a rule this Thursday that will require banks to pre-pay their assessments to the fund for the next three years. The agency estimates that move will raise approximately $45 billion.

Read More

New Green Parking Lot Allows Scientists to Study Permeable Surfaces

(New York, N.Y.) Paved parking lots and driveways make our lives easier, but they often create an easy pathway for pollutants to reach underground water sources and alter the natural flow of water back into the ground. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a study that will investigate ways to reduce pollution that can run off paved surfaces and improve how water filters back into the ground. EPA is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency’s Edison, N.J. facility, which houses offices and its laboratory. Most major sources of pollution going into our waterways are well-controlled, but pollution runoff from hard surfaces remains a complicated problem.

“Runoff from parking lots and driveways is a significant source of water pollution in the United States and puts undo stress on our water infrastructure, especially in densely-populated urban areas,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou. “By evaluating different designs and materials, this study will help us develop strategies to lessen the environmental impacts of parking lots across the country and make our communities more sustainable.”

This summer, EPA replaced a 43,000-square-foot section of the parking lot at its Edison facility with three different types of permeable pavement and planted several rain gardens with varying vegetation for the study. Over the next decade, EPA will evaluate the effectiveness of each pavement type and the rain gardens in removing pollutants from stormwater, and how they help water filter back into the ground. The parking lot will be functional during the study to accurately evaluate how the different types of pavement handle traffic and vehicle-related pollution like leaking oil.

Read More

Why Is It We Have Finite Resources for Health Care But Unlimited Money for War?

Friday 06 November 2009

Washington - Following a statement on the Floor of the House of Representative, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement:

“Why is it we have finite resources for health care but unlimited money for war?

“The inequities in our economy are piling up: trillions for war, trillions for Wall Street and tens of billions for the insurance companies. Banks and other corporations are sitting on piles of cash of taxpayer's money while firing workers, cutting pay and denying small businesses money to survive.

“People are losing their homes, their jobs, their health, their investments, their retirement security; yet there is unlimited money for war, Wall Street and insurance companies, but very little money for jobs on Main Street.

Read More

Man gets visit from police after photographing trick-or-treaters

Cal Webster, who goes by the Flickr username Cal Sr., said police visited his home five days after Halloween because he had been photographing trick-or-treaters on his own property.

He said the parents approved of this photography and in some cases, even posed with their children.

Nevertheless, a nosy neighbor called police to complain about his outrageous behavior.

And five days later, a cop actually followed through on the call and knocked on his door.

Apparently, things are kind of slow in Newport, North Carolina.

His 23-year-old daughter answered the door and said her dad was at work.

It appears that the cop never returned, but that didn’t mean he didn’t disrupt Webster’s life because he spent the next few days researching photography law preparing for another visit, wondering if he was about to embark on a legal nightmare.

Fortunately, he so far has not experienced what a Flickr user named Happy Tinfoil Cat went through last Halloween after photographing trick-or-treaters in San Jose.

Read More

10 Most Surprising Places to Find Petroleum

By Rachel Cernansky
Boulder, CO, USA | Thu Nov 05 11:30:00 GMT 2009

About one quarter of the oil consumed in this country is used for industrial purposes. Plastic production is the most obvious example, as awareness grows of the harm plastic does to the earth and people shun the material when they can.

But oil has permeated more of our lives than most people realize. Here, the most surprising places you'll find oil, in some form, as a key ingredient:

1. Chewing gum

It lasts as long as it does for a reason—just about all brands on store shelves today use petroleum-based polymers. (Unless you find, say, Chicza's organic rainforest gum, but I haven't seen it at any 7-Eleven lately.) In fact, Goodyear—the tire and rubber company—supplies Wrigley's with much of its gum base.

As if the toxic chemicals in hair dye weren't enough reason to avoid coloring your hair. Try finding more natural alternatives, or just go au naturale.

Also known as bitumen, the material used to resurface roads (as well as in roofing materials) is an oil-based hydrocarbon. Meaning—if you noticed that road construction slowed down in your area at all in the last year, rising oil costs may well have been the reason.

Wiesel slams tea partiers over Holocaust signs

Alex Koppelman

Unfortunately, it seems that whether it's on the Internet or in real life, Godwin's Law always finds a way to prove itself again. People manage to use Nazi and Holocaust references in the most poorly considered of ways, as if they're unaware of the true horror that was the slaughter of millions of innocent people.

That sort of thing has been happening all too frequently during protests against Democratic healthcare reform plans, and one of the more shocking examples was on display at the protest on Capitol Hill Thursday: A banner that featured a picture of naked, emaciated bodies stacked in a pile, with text reading, "National Socialist Health Care: Dachau, Germany -- 1945."

Now, someone with credibility on the issue that's all too real has spoken out against these comparisons. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and author, put out a statement through his foundation's Twitter account. It reads simply, "Elie Wiesel on the GOP Tea Party's anti-Semitism and Holocaust comparisons: 'This kind of political hatred is indecent and disgusting.'"

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Hitler was a ‘German football coach’?

A veterans’ charity has said it will seek to educate schoolchildren after an alarming survey revealed the ignorance of young people to historical events.

A survey found that one in 20 UK schoolchildren thought Adolf Hitler was a coach of the German football team, while one in six youngsters said they thought Auschwitz was a Second World War theme park.

One in 20, meanwhile, said the Holocaust was a celebration at the end of the war.

The survey for a veterans' charity also found one in 10 thought the SS stood for Enid Blyton's Secret Seven, and one in 12 believed the Blitz was a European clean-up operation following the Second World War.

Scottish-based charity Erskine, which provides nursing and medical care for veterans, said it would now take part in a nationwide scheme to educate schoolchildren about the two world conflicts.

The charity questioned 2,000 children between the ages of nine and 15 about their knowledge of the key people and events of the two wars.

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Good Monday Morning,

Tomorrow, the County Board of Elections begins counting absentee ballots and recanvassing the machine count from last week's elections. If you voted for me on the Republican line last Tuesday, you didn't. You voted for the neophyte who has a name remarkably similar to mine by mistake. You have until 10AM tomorrow to head down to the BOE - in person - to have your ballot corrected.*

In the meantime, someone cleared large portions of roadsides of their crop of political signs, mine included. If you've got them handy and/or if you've stolen them during the campaign, please let me know so I can come to get them or keep them safe so you won't have to steal them again the next time around.

It's two weeks until Thanksgiving and the family is poised to descend on your place this year and the dining room walls haven't been painted in years. They're still scuffed up from last Easter when your grandson threw his Matchbox car at his sister, barely missing her and leaving a ding in the wall. And there's that water stain on the ceiling... there's still time to fix all that up.

For years I've offered civil disobedience as a valid form of protest only to be told time and again that only leftists, communists and anarchists willfully break the law. But now that there's a Black Man in the White House all bets are off as teabaggers engage in CD across the nation allegedly to save America from fascism (or socialism, they're not really clear on the differences).

A Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of heath care in 11 nations and published online in the journal Health Affairs says that nearly 60% of Americans have trouble paying their medical bills and that doctors spend time away from patients dealing with insurance company restrictions. The report also says:

• Just 29% of US doctors have some form of after-hours care which sends millions to emergency rooms where costs are significantly higher and less likely to be covered by insurance. In contrast, 97% of doctors in the Netherlands provide after-hours care, 89% in New Zealand, 78% in France and 77% in Italy.
  
• Less than half of US doctors use electronic medical records compared to 99% in the Netherlands, 98% in the UK and 97% in Sweden.

Using wood as an adjunct to your main heating system can be efficient if the wood you use is well seasoned and split correctly. Pine, cottonwood and other 'light' woods burn fast and hot but don't put out that long-lasting, even heat you really need in the house. With the nights well into the 30's now and certain to get even colder it's time to check on the wood pile to make sure you've got what you need to get you through the winter. As well, check your stove for air leaks. The tighter your woodstove and the higher the quality of the wood you burn will make a difference.

Albania has 750,000 concrete bunkers scattered across the nation, remnants of a xenophobic dictatorship and the Cold War. What to do with them has long been a question. Some have been turned into hamburger joints (no joke!) others into storage for local farmers. The Concrete Mushrooms Project, an initiative started by two graduate students, Elian Stefa & Gyler Mydyti at the Politecnico di Milano’s Landscape Architecture department, proposes turning some of them into eco-tourist hotels.

Iran was caught last week shipping thousands of grenades, bullets, guns and rockets to Gaza. Palestinian sources claim the shipment was misaddressed and should have been sent to Kilimanjaro and not Killthemenjews. Iranian sources apologized saying that a Clerical error was to blame. Other Arab sources claim that the shipment of 500 tonnes, enough to equip a small army, was mistakenly taken by Israeli authorities on its way from Syria to Iran and that the shipping manifest was doctored by Mossad agents to implicate them.

Researchers at Harvard University found that drinking five cups of black tea a day quadrupled the body’s immune defense system after two weeks, probably because of theanine. Tea also contains catechins, including ECGC, which act like a cleanup crew against free radicals. First, consider finding a handy bathroom. Everything after that is your choice.

Samuel Botchvaroff, 24, of Vallejo, California had to get to court to answer a charge of vehicle theft. But without a car how was he to get there? Sam solved his problem easily enough... he stole another car.

Just because it's winter doesn't mean you cannot have home-grown fresh vegetables on your plate. Windowfarms.org make it easy. With some commonly found materials you can build a simple hydroponic system in any south-facing window. But beware: some local police departments require that anyone purchasing hydroponic gardening supplies be reported to them by suppliers as part of the War On Drugs. You can have fresh lettuce but you may get a knock on the door from your local Barney Fife and if you do, invite him in for a salad.

And Now, The News:

1. Suburban Sprawl: Appalachian Trail could be in jeopardy
2. Family defies no-bike policy at Maple Avenue Middle School
3. Oil prices seep into asphalt costs, detour road work
4. Is the Marcellus Shale Too Hot to Handle?
5. Pennsylvania Tells Drilling Company to Clean Up Its Act
6. How Thanksgiving Got Its Turkey
7. Man calls 911 to say marijuana missing

Suburban Sprawl: Appalachian Trail could be in jeopardy

  If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

Ask members of a group poised to keep development from encroaching on the Appalachian Trail through Monroe and South Middleton townships and you’d likely get a somber nod.

Thudding trees lead to graters and dozers, hammers and homes.

And that’s how the dominoes will clatter down if a coalition of public and private groups fails to raise the cash needed to purchase five threatened tracts that border the trail.

The White Rocks Conservation Initiative, a project of the National Parks Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and state and Cumberland County agencies, aims to protect roughly 1,000 acres of land by buying it.

These folks know that the beauty of the trail lies beyond the path itself. It’s in the surroundings, too.

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Family defies no-bike policy at Maple Avenue Middle School

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The first day of school, already a happy and trying event for any student, saw a little additional stress for Maple Avenue Middle School student Adam Marino.

Marino and his mother, Janette Kaddo Marino, left for school by bicycle on Wednesday morning, as they often do in good weather, despite a phone call placed to students’ homes by school officials, asking parents not to allow students to walk or ride bikes to school.

After a cold reception on Wednesday, local transportation advocates are rallying around the family, and plan to accompany the pair to school today in a bid to bolster calls for a policy change.

The Marino family had previously encountered trouble while cycling to school in May, when school officials informed them they were in violation of a school policy that forbids students from walking or riding to Maple Avenue Middle School. They rode anyway, noting that the family regularly rides for exercise and recreation.

Following the May incident, the school district charged a policy review committee to examine the rule, but the committee has not yet reached a conclusion. In the meantime, Kaddo Marino said she felt the district was stepping on her toes.

“I think it’s my parental right to transport my child to school in the way I deem is appropriate. I think the district is usurping its authority by telling me that I can’t,” she said.

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Oil prices seep into asphalt costs, detour road work

Some states, cities and counties say their road-repair budgets didn't anticipate asphalt prices that are up 25.9% from a year ago, so they're being forced to delay projects.

"We will do what patching we can, but this will truly, truly be a devastating blow to the infrastructure," says Shirlee Leighton, a county commissioner in Lake County, S.D., where a 5-mile repaving project was postponed after bids came in $79,000-$162,000 higher than the $442,000 budget.

The mix used to resurface roads consists of gravel and sand held together with a binder called liquid asphalt, which is made from crude oil. As oil prices rise, so does the cost of asphalt, says Don Wessel of Poten & Partners, a consulting firm that publishes Asphalt Weekly Monitor. "Prices are the highest I've seen in many, many, many years," he says. "The concern is that they will go up considerably."

Increases in the cost of diesel fuel used to transport, heat and lay asphalt are adding to the sticker shock, too, creating headaches across the USA:

• Larimer County, Colo., would like to resurface 16-20 miles of its 450 miles of paved road each year. "This year, we'll be lucky to do seven miles," says road and bridge director Dale Miller.

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Is the Marcellus Shale Too Hot to Handle?

Fluids made up of a combination of naturally occurring water from the shale formation and drilling mud are pumped into a lined retaining area behind the drilling rig on a farm in Houston, Pa., in October 2008. New York state is currently holding a public comment period for an environmental review of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. (Keith Srakocic/AP Photo)

As New York gears up for a massive expansion of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, state officials have made a potentially troubling discovery about the wastewater created by the process: It's radioactive. And they have yet to say how they'll deal with it.

The information comes from New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, which analyzed 13 samples of wastewater brought thousands of feet to the surface from drilling and found that they contain levels of radium-226, a derivative of uranium, as high as 267 times the limit safe for discharge into the environment and thousands of times the limit safe for people to drink.

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Pennsylvania Tells Drilling Company to Clean Up Its Act

After a year of chemical spills [1], water well contamination and an explosion caused by leaking underground methane, Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. has been fined $120,000 and ordered to abide by a set of stricter-than-usual probationary regulations if it wants to continue its vast natural gas drilling [2] operation in Pennsylvania.

The judgment is the latest chapter in a saga of drilling controversy [3] and environmental contamination as a result of drilling for natural gas in northeastern Pennsylvania that we’ve been following since January [2], and is part of our ongoing investigation into the environmental consequences of gas drilling across the country.  [4]

The charges and conditions against Cabot were outlined by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in a 23-page document [5] that lists each of Cabot’s offenses – from failure to properly cement wells to failure to maintain and submit proper records – and asks the company to acknowledge and address the findings. The fine is the largest issued by the Pennsylvania agency to a gas company.

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How Thanksgiving Got Its Turkey

Thanksgiving is a myth, or at least it is as taught to school children. I don’t mean to be a spoil-sport. Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday, in part because it sanctifies gluttony. More meaningfully, it also is the rare holiday that is framed by beliefs I hold dear: about nature’s abundance, the vitality of kinship across the generations, and the universal brotherhood of the table.

But the fond story about Pilgrims in brass-buckle shoes being saved from starvation in 1621 by kindly buckskin-clad Indians bearing gifts of wild game and corn is a legend, according to a fascinating article by food historian Andrew F. Smith that appeared in the fall, 2003, issue of the academic journal Gastronomica. The Thanksgiving meal is as laden with symbolism as sustenance; it’s just that the true meaning isn’t exactly what we learned in grade school.

After the grave Puritans arrived on the Mayflower and established Plimoth Plantation in 1620, they promptly began to issue all sorts of thanksgiving proclamations. These “celebrations” might be declared in observance of “a military victory, a good harvest, or a providential rainfall,” says Smith, but they were solemn days of prayer, not sumptuous meals shared with their First Nation brothers.

It’s true that there does exist a letter dated December, 1621, that mentions a big feast of wild fowl eaten with Native American king Massasoit and his men, and the missive has since been enshrined as evidence of the original thanksgiving feast. But the purpose of this letter makes it suspect: It was sent to England to attract more settlers to Plymouth Plantation. Rather than the founding document of America’s a multicultural past, it’s something of a hyped-up real-estate advertisement.

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Man calls 911 to say marijuana missing

A 21-year-old Salem man reportedly called 911 to say that his marijuana was missing, but when deputies arrived, he was booked on drunken-driving charges instead, officials said.

It began at 12:52 a.m. Tuesday as a report of a vehicle break-in at the Freeloader Tavern, 501 Lancaster Drive SE, said sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Sheila Lorance.

A man told dispatchers that while he was in the bar, someone broke into his truck, stole $400 cash, a jacket and about 3/4 ounce of marijuana, valued at about $180.

Deputy Ryan Clarke went to the tavern but was unable to find the driver.

About an hour later, the driver called 911 again, angry that deputies had not arrived.

Lorance said the dispatcher had difficulty understanding the caller because the driver was driving and stopping several times to vomit.

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