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Good Thursday Morning,
Today, June 19th, is celebrated as Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. From Wikipedia:
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived on Galveston Island to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”
"The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."
That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth.  I was rained out yesterday so we took the dog for a hike up Anthony's Nose on the Putnam-Westchester border. You see this massif each time you come back across the Bear Mountain Bridge with its seemingly vertical rise of over 1000' from the River to its summit. There are three ways to approach the top of this mountain; one brings you up the Blue Blazed Camp Smith trail which begins just north of Peekskill. Another, and the most popular, is up the steep white-blazed AT at Route 9D just this side of the Bear Mountain Bridge. But we came in on the AT off South Mountain Pass in Garrison, opting for the longer hike that brings one through some beautiful forest and rhododendron groves along the way. The image is from that hike and a full sized version, suitable for your computer desktop, is available as a Picture of the Day at the PlanPutnam website.
In a letter to the editor of the NY Journal News, Assemblyman Greg Ball writes,
"In my first term, I proposed, amassed support for and helped pass into law the New York State GI Bill. After I introduced the legislation last year, the bill was supported by the entire Republican Conference, supported by a variety of veterans' organizations, and finally included in the executive budget, as well as in the budget plans submitted by both houses of the Legislature."
However, what he fails to say is that once he did all that work he voted against funding for the bill. It makes me wonder why so many otherwise intelligent people buy his line without looking a little deeper, or asking a few questions. As well, I suppose the JN editors simply accept letters as written, factual or not.
You've seen me write volumes about the benefits of restoring the Poughkeepsie High Bridge, the only rail connection across the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. Here is a tidbit from The Daily Green about the bridge and an article in the news section below:
The Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge The Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge was an engineering marvel when it was completed in 1888. At 6,767 feet, it was then the longest bridge in the world, and by connecting the East and West banks of the mighty Hudson River in New York, it connected the country in a new way, allowing not only for increased commerce, but the transportation of troops to the coast during the world wars. It has been closed since 1974 when a fire damaged a portion of the decking. By then, the bridge was no longer commercially important, so there was no incentive to repair it for railroad traffic. Owned by the non-profit group Walkway Over the Hudson, the the bridge is to be re-opened in 2009 as the world's tallest pedestrian bridge. Many people in the United States, especially those who are altruistic about education, are concerned about No Child Left Behind (NCLB). I have only spoken to one educator who thinks the program is a good one. But most educators I've spoken with insist it takes too much time preparing children, not for life in general, but to take tests and those are specifically designed to prove failure in the public education system.
Some states have opted to reimburse school districts for lost Federal monies if they opt out of NCLB but New York does not do this. The total amount of Federal monies contributed in NY to NCLB, which peaked at $1.3 billion in 2004, is now $1.2 billion with the total amount of Federal Aid for all education programs coming in at $3.428 billion. If we were to cancel NCLB we would lose the $1.2 billion but since we'd be teaching and educating rather than constantly "practicing for the test" our students would be better prepared for the future and New York students would find themselves unburdened education wise. Our desire to force our schools into a vacuous competitive race, one against the other, has hurt education and our children's futures.
There are movements afoot to alter or change or 'repair' NCLB as in this worthwhile letter writing campaign by Susan Neuman. Ms Neuman assisted in creating NCLB and now sees serious flaws within it. In her letter she writes:
"Continuing on our present educational course, propelled by the simplistic notion that educating is a mere matter of setting standards, covering the material, and then testing, is a recipe for institutional and societal disaster. Standards? Of course! But standards tied not to a random handful of disconnected school subjects but to the personal qualities essential to individual and societal well-being. Tests? Of course! But tests not of what can be remembered of something read or heard in class and stored in short-term memory, but tests of the ability to make more sense of the present moment, of the trends of the era, of life."
But we really need to focus on Albany and tell them that it's time our children were not beset by studying for a test but would rather spend their time learning about the world around them, practicing skills to prepare them for the future and to have the ways and means to excel in the modern world. So long as we adhere to Federal demands that our children fail, this will never happen.
Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) is holding their Annual Meeting today at Croton Point Park. The festivities begin at 5PM with a picnic and your contribution of $25 will help this long-standing organization with their work. Rye resident Bill Lawyer and Swiss Re will be receiving that organization's "Green Seal Award". Call (914) 422-4053 for more information. I'll be there and you should, too.
Bill Lawyer, a long time Rye resident, and recently retired Executive Director of the Greenburgh Nature Center (GNC), will receive a Green Seal Award from Federated Conservationists of Westchester County at our 43rd Annual Meeting on June 19, 2008. He will be honored for his 30 years of outstanding environmental efforts at the GNC and as an active 10-year board member and past president of FCWC. Bill will deliver brief remarks entitled “Looking Backward and Forward” at the meeting.
Swiss Re of Ardsley, was an active participant in the County’s Global Warming Task Force this year and has enacted programs at its Westchester headquarters that include an energy protection plan, proposals to reduce and/or offset the carbon emissions generated by its operations and business travel, subsidies for employees towards purchase of hybrid cars or other energy saving devices, and natural (without pesticides and herbicides) lawn care at its Armonk headquarters, among other initiatives.
The Lalor campaign signs are still up and spreading across the district. In the Town of Kent, there is a law that requires election signs to come down within 7 days after completion of an election. The school board elections were on May 20th, and while Mr. Lalor was not running for any position in that race his signs still went up as if he were. The 7 day grace period after that race ended 24 days ago... I must ask, why hasn't the town taken legal action? Why hasn't the Journal News investigated this? Does anyone know? How can we possibly presume to elect someone to Congress who so willfully violates the law? For the record, the fact that Mr. Lalor is a Republican has nothing to do with my growing outrage about this, simply that it's visual pollution I am sick of seeing - and you should be, too. Recently highway crews were out mowing and had to work around those signs. Write your towns and demand they enforce these rules.
Lastly, and sadly, today we say good-bye to longtime PlanPutnam readers who are moving out of the county. These Lake Carmel residents aren't leaving because of high property taxes or bad schools but because their backyard is slated to become Putnam County's latest commercial boondoggle, Patterson Crossing. Not being able to fight the politicians and not being able to stop the project, they've opted to take the family elsewhere so that their night sky will still be dark, so they won't be affected by diesel pollution and their lives will not be disrupted by the constant noise of years of construction followed by the forever rumble of cars, trucks and the general roar generated by this thing.
That county government and the Town of Patterson are more concerned about the promise of sales tax revenues to feed an over-bloated budget and a yearly contribution of less than 1% to the overall cost of the Carmel Central School district over the needs, wants and desires of its longterm residents, is downright criminal.
And now, the news:
- Movement afoot to abolish Putnam County historian's job
- Community View: Include income as school tax factor
- Ball and Fusco demand sales tax cap on gas
- Carvel site builder looks to tweak proposal
- The World's Highest Pedestrian Bridge (in the Making)
- Yes, We Will Have No Bananas
- Veterans’ Subcommittee Reviews Legislation to Bolster Disability Benefits for Veterans
- Romania village elects dead mayor
Movement afoot to abolish Putnam County historian's job Susan Elan
The Journal News
Putnam County prides itself on its 196-year history and promotes tourism by touting its Revolutionary War roots.
But some Putnam officials now say the paid post of county historian is expendable. Eliminating it would require a charter change but would save the financially strapped county about $31,000 a year in part-time salary and benefits.
Under a proposal informally presented to the Legislature by the administration, the nine town and village historians would elect one of their own to serve unpaid, rotating stints as county historian.
Opponents say the underlying goal is to remove current County Historian Alan Warnecke, long a thorn in the side of County Executive Robert Bondi and the Legislature for his efforts to preserve and promote the late 18th-century Hill-Agor farm in Mahopac.
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Community View: Include income as school tax factor By Arthur H. Gunther • June 2, 2008
Ever-larger school budgets in Rockland, often with tax increases running several times the inflation rate, mean the vault door is closing quickly on funding education via the property levy alone. Income must be included as a mathematic factor in determining fiscal liability and responsibility if the most egalitarian of instruction in America - our public schools - is to survive.
The Journal News has long advocated for such income inclusion. Indeed, it was the focus of most pro-school vote editorials in the 1980s and '90s, to the point where Gov. Mario Cuomo, in an early 1986 visit to the Editorial Board in Nyack, told editors, including this writer, that his "No. 1 goal" for the next legislative session was to reduce reliance on the property tax to fund public schools.
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Cuomo got nowhere, and the strength of his resolve seemed quickly lost anyway. There wasn't yet a crisis. Many legislative sessions and some governors have come and gone, and the argument that income should be a part of the wealth picture in determining school taxes has gotten very little attention.
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Ball and Fusco demand sales tax cap on gas By: Eric Gross, Staff Reporter
06/19/2008
CARMEL-State Assemblyman Greg Ball and Putnam Legislator Anthony Fusco have called on Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester governments to enact a plan that caps gasoline tax.
The two men were joined by Southeast Supervisor Michael Rights Friday on the steps of the historic Putnam County Courthouse for the announcement.
The plan calls on the three counties to opt into a gas-tax cap proposal that would allow the municipalities to cap their sales tax on motor fuels. Two years ago the State Legislature passed the legislation capping the state gas tax at 8 percent per gallon and allowing counties to opt it. Counties balked at the measure deeming it ineffective. Others like Putnam don't want to give up needed sales tax dollars. Initially, 15 of the state's 62 counties capped their gas tax but eight have withdrawn from the program.
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Carvel site builder looks to tweak proposal By Rasheed Oluwa
Poughkeepsie Journal
PINE PLAINS - The Durst Organization is going back to the drawing board.
The developer is looking at ways to modify its plans for a luxury golf resort proposal at the old Carvel site in the towns of Pine Plains and Milan.
Durst, along with Landmark National, is in the state environmentally review process for a 951-unit development with a 27-hole golf course to be built on more than 2,000 acres. About 1,600 acres are in Pine Plains while more than 500 sit in Milan. Pine Plains would get the bulk of the development with 884 homes, while Milan would have 67 homes.
"We are evaluating revisions to the plan," said Jordan Barowitz, a spokesman for the Durst Organization. "We're looking at everything, starting with the natural resources. We are evaluating everything, with the exception that this will continue to be a second-home community. We listened to the public and we received suggestions from the planning board. That was the impetus."
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The World's Highest Pedestrian Bridge (in the Making) In 2009, Walkway Over the Hudson Will Be Complete
June 18, 2008 at 1:46PM by Ned Sullivan
Built to facilitate transport of coal from the mines of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to the mills of New England, the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge was deemed the longest in the world when it opened in 1888. A fire in 1974 damaged the 6,767-foot iron span that rises majestically above New York's Hudson River. Obsolete thanks to speedier rail routes, the bridge was never repaired. It appeared destined for demolition or worse -- remaining as a colossal white elephant.
Now the elephant is getting a spectacular makeover, transformed into a state park boasting its own superlative. Dubbed Walkway Over the Hudson, the revitalized span will be the world's highest pedestrian bridge when it opens in the fall of 2009. Not only will strollers and cyclists enjoy magnificent views from their perch 212 feet above the river's surface, but links to rail trails on both shores will enable them to continue walking and pedaling for more than 30 miles.
This success story not only serves as a classic example of turning an eyesore into an asset but illustrates the amazing potential of grass-roots resolve. In 1992 a small group of individuals formed Walkway Over the Hudson, dedicated to replacing the bridge's ties and tracks with a public park. Over the next three years, they amassed money to purchase the span. Although they struggled for years to interest government and local leaders in their ambitious plan, they never gave up. Their perseverance eventually was rewarded with federal funding secured by Rep. Maurice Hinchey and a grant from the Dyson Foundation, one of the most visionary charitable organizations in the Hudson River Valley. These furnished the momentum to turn their dream into a reality.
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Yes, We Will Have No Bananas NYT Op-Ed Contributor
By DAN KOEPPEL
Los Angeles
ONCE you become accustomed to gas at $4 a gallon, brace yourself for the next shocking retail threshold: bananas reaching $1 a pound. At that price, Americans may stop thinking of bananas as a cheap staple, and then a strategy that has served the big banana companies for more than a century — enabling them to turn an exotic, tropical fruit into an everyday favorite — will begin to unravel.
The immediate reasons for the price increase are the rising cost of oil and reduced supply caused by floods in Ecuador, the world’s biggest banana exporter. But something larger is going on that will affect prices for years to come.
That bananas have long been the cheapest fruit at the grocery store is astonishing. They’re grown thousands of miles away, they must be transported in cooled containers and even then they survive no more than two weeks after they’re cut off the tree. Apples, in contrast, are typically grown within a few hundred miles of the store and keep for months in a basket out in the garage. Yet apples traditionally have cost at least twice as much per pound as bananas.
Americans eat as many bananas as apples and oranges combined, which is especially amazing when you consider that not so long ago, bananas were virtually unknown here. They became a staple only after the men who in the late 19th century founded the United Fruit Company (today’s Chiquita) figured out how to get bananas to American tables quickly — by clearing rainforest in Latin America, building railroads and communication networks and inventing refrigeration techniques to control ripening. The banana barons also marketed their product in ways that had never occurred to farmers or grocers before, by offering discount coupons, writing jingles and placing bananas in schoolbooks and on picture postcards. They even hired doctors to convince mothers that bananas were good for children.
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Veterans’ Subcommittee Reviews Legislation to Bolster Disability Benefits for Veterans Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, led by Chairman John Hall (D-NY), conducted a legislative hearing to review eleven bills that would improve benefits for veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“A veteran is entitled to compensation for disabilities incurred in or aggravated during active military, naval or air service,” said Chairman Hall. “A few of the bills before the Subcommittee today address establishing presumptions of service-connection based on military service and seek to provide benefits to veterans afflicted with various illnesses as a result of their military service. A presumption for these illnesses would ease the often needless evidence hurdles many of these veterans face when filing their claims for disability compensation.”
Six of the bills reviewed at the DAMA Subcommittee hearing address establishing or expanding presumption of service-connection for certain diseases, service or specific veteran populations:
Read the full release
Romania village elects dead mayor Romanian villagers have voted to re-elect a dead man as their mayor, to prevent his living rival winning.
Neculai Ivascu - who led Voinesti for almost two decades - died from a liver disease on Sunday, too late to cancel the contest.
The village's loyal residents still gave him 23 more votes than his rival, Gheorghe Dobrescu of the ruling National Liberal Party.
"I know he died, but I don't want change," one villager told Romanian TV.
In a controversial decision, the electoral commission declared the runner-up and rival Mr Dobrescu the winner.
Neculai Ivascu's party, the opposition Social Democrat Party, has said it will contest the decision.
Some villagers have also called for a fresh vote.
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