| News That Matters Good Wednesday Morning, "One is tempted to define man as a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason." - Oscar Wilde Today is Lyndon Johnson's birthday and in 1859, the first successful oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania and by 2059 if the Congress has their way, we'll all have one in our backyards! The Greg Ball 'stalking' story is out and on the national airwaves. The Assemblyman blames rival candidate John Degnan for the mess, Degnan claims he's not responsible - and I'll believe Degnan. There are more people involved in this race than is readily apparent. Though Mr. Degnan has too often been on the receiving end of Mr. Ball's false attacks (i.e., the slumlord story as just one example,) I just don't think John has it in him to hit back like this.
Please make an effort to stop by one or both of their two weekly markets to experience incredibly fresh produce, local products and support your local farmers and vendors. You'll be surprised to find out how much you can buy for $5.00 or less.If you're out for fresh, local produce, Betsey Ryder's Farm Stand is open every day at all hours on Starr Ridge Road in Southeast. On Saturdays you can visit the Cold Spring Farmer's Market from 8:30AM until 1:30PM, the Brewster Farmer's market from 9AM until 2PM and Cascade Farms in Patterson runs from 9AM until about noon. In other words, get the heck out of the supermarket and support local agriculture. If you haven't been to this show, it's really worth the time to drive over and see it. For one, the trip to the Saunders Farm is a gem. Dirt roads, farms, rolling countryside and a view of Putnam County that is quickly being lost to the Paul Camarda's of our world. It's also a huge event, spread over 100 acres of rolling hillsides with expansive views to the east and a hidden view of the "gap" through the break between Storm King and Breakneck ridge... if you look for it! (Note: images are from the 2006 and the 2007 shows.) The AERY Theatre Company is getting ready to perform a series of short plays at the Philipstown Depot Theatre beginning on September 5th. More information is here. News That Matters reader Judy Allen will be directing Mark Jacob's play, "Of, By and For the People" on the 5th. Tickets are $12 and $15 (Do I get my comp tickets now?) The Brewster Theater Company, presents, Bringing Books to Life. The workshop is designed to teach children acting and expression in a fun and exciting environment. Events are held at the Brewster Public Library and this time around shows: "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" on September 27th 2:30-4:00, suitable for children ages 5-9. There is a limit of 15 children. Cost for the workshop is $10. People interested in registering can call the Brewster Library at 845.279.6421. For more information visit www.brewstertheater.org On Wednesday, September 10th at 7 p.m. the Cary Institute will host a free public lecture by Eric Chivian, MD. A physician by training, Chivian has spent the last 17 years investigating how human health depends on the vitality of natural ecosystems. His talk will explore how biodiversity influences biomedical research, disease spread, and food production. Chivian is the Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. He was the co-recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.The Trailside Museums and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park, is offering a special event as part of the Ninth Annual Hudson River Valley Ramble in September. A total of 202 events will take place from Saratoga County and the Capital Region to New York City on the weekends of September 13-14, September 20-21 and September 27-28. The Ramble is sponsored annually by the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Hudson River Valley Greenway and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Estuary Program. On Sunday, September 21st, at 12:00 noon, history buffs and interested visitors will meet our knowledgeable docents at Trailside Museums and Zoo's amphitheater, for a walking tour, recounting the Revolutionary War battle for Fort Clinton, one of the Twin Forts of the Popolopen. You will retrace the steps of the battle, see the last remaining pieces of Fort Clinton at the West Redoubt, and experience the superb archaeological collection from both Forts Clinton and Montgomery in our unique history museum.If you're getting News That Matters from someone else (and I know many of you are), get your own copy each day either by subscribing through the link up there to the right, by visiting PlanPutnam, Blogspot or No Country For Sane Men on the 'net. (And remember, our Annual Fund Drive starts the day after election day and runs through the last day of November. If you appreciate News That Matters, just keep that in mind.) And now, the News:
Upstate New York Town Loses Its GovernmentALBANY, NY (AP) -- With eight months on the job, small town Supervisor Thomas Dias finds himself faced not with a crisis in government, but no government all.The problem? Three veteran Ancram town board members abruptly resigned over three days leading up to last Thursday's monthly meeting. That leaves the rural, 200-year-old Columbia County town with a government unable to even pay its July bills. ``I said, `Wow!' I was really surprised,'' Dias said when he received the first resignation. He immediately sought guidance from an expert at the New York State Association of Towns, a lobbying and government resource organization. ``He said this is what is called an 'indeterminate possibility,''' Dias said, ``that something like this will probably never happen, so there is no way to plan for it.'' Dias is trying to get Democratic Gov. David Paterson to appoint at least one town councilman so the five-member board has a quorum and can conduct business until replacements are chosen by voters in the fall. The town is solidly Republican. Dias won election last fall on an independent line after losing a GOP primary. Ancram is a Hudson Valley town of 1,500 people once known for its lead mines. It is part of a county where gentrification is causing friction between local families living there for generations and Manhattanites buying weekend and vacation homes. Read More NYC's Drinking Water Wins State Taste TestNEW YORK (AP) -- Add this to New York City's list of superlatives: the best-tasting drinking water in the state.The nation's biggest city beat 150 other communities to take first place in Tuesday's tap water taste test at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. Second prize went to Pulaski, a village of roughly 2,400 people about 40 miles north of Syracuse. Albany won last year. New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd says Tuesday's victory demonstrates the importance of maintaining the city's celebrated water system. Read More Mushrooming Workshop Offered at GlynwoodUsing fresh mushrooms from the woods and slides, Glynwood Center in Cold Spring will hose a Mushrooming Lecture & Foray with Gary Lincoff. The event will focus on edible mushrooms and their look-alikes, so that each participant can become adept at recognizing the best edibles in the area and how to avoid making mistakes. They will also discuss how to prepare local wild edible mushrooms to bring out their best flavors and textures, and how to preserve them for future use.The workshop will begin with a slide lecture which will be followed by lunch provided by Glynwood. The foray will take place after lunch, after which participants will return to the classroom for discussion. Terrain is moderately steep, so please wear appropriate shoes. Check the weather and dress appropriately. Read More Keep Putnam Beautiful 2008 Showcase Award Nominations SoughtNominations are now open for the 2008 Showcase Awards offered by Keep Putnam Beautiful. Anyone can nominate their own project or those of others.In addition to public recognition for their accomplishments in beautifying Putnam County, recipients of a Showcase Award will receive a plaque suitable for outdoor display. Categories to be awarded include: Best New Residential Construction; Best Residential Renovation; Best New Commercial Construction; Best Commercial Renovation; Best Municipal Or Public Project and the catch-all "other" Judges will use the following criteria when considering nominations: Exteriors Only; Use of site; Innovation; Visual Appeal; Date of Project; Located in Putnam County Beautification projects help residents and businesses preserve property values, provide better drinking water and reduce litter and recognize those who have done an outstanding job in helping to beautify Putnam County. Application Deadline is Sept 5, 2008. Projects must have been completed between January 1, 2008 and August 31, 2008. Read More Drought pulls river flow to lowest recorded levelASHEVILLE - Stream flows in the French Broad River have reached their lowest levels since record-keeping began in 1895 and likely will continue to drop as the region's drought drags on.The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Sunday that the river at Pearson Bridge in Asheville was flowing at a rate of 121 million gallons a day, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That rate falls well below the median stream flow of 781 million gallons a day for this time of year and below a previous low of 139 million gallons a day measured in 2002. "I've been working in river programs for 27 years, and I've never seen the river this low," said Bill Eaker, environmental services manager for the Land-of-Sky Regional Council. Read More After White House Pressure, Agency Scales Back Whales Protection Ruleby Paul Kiel - August 26, 2008 12:10 pm EDTThe Bush administration has not been shy in questioning the conclusions of government scientists. Years-long rulemaking processes have been shunted by White House questions and objections, reports and congressional testimony heavily edited, and in some cases troublesome scientists entirely removed from areas of responsibility. In one survey, nearly half of EPA scientists who responded complained of political interference. Here is another episode. Yesterday, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued new proposed guidelines for the protection of North Atlantic right whales. According to the new rules, ships will have to slow to 10 nautical miles per hour within 23 miles of certain ports at certain times of year. While a significant measure to protect the whales, of which only about 300 remain, prior guidelines had extended the protected zone to about 34.5 miles from shore. Read More The Surprising Way Wind Turbines Kill BatsScientists have known since 2004 that wind farms kill bats, just as they kill birds, even though the flying mammals should be able to avoid them. Many biologists thought that the bats, like their avian counterparts, might be falling victim to the fast-spinning turbine blades. But an examination of 188 hoary and silver-haired bats killed at a wind farm in southwestern Alberta in Canada between July and September in 2007 showed that nearly half showed no external injuries—as would be expected if the giant blades had smashed the flying mammals to the ground.Instead, 90 percent of the 75 bats the researchers ultimately dissected had been killed by burst blood vessels in their lungs, according to results presented in Current Biology—suggesting that the air pressure difference created by the spinning windmills had terminated them, not contact with the blades. Read More Wiggling Plastic at River Bottom to Generate ElectricityEric Bland, Discovery NewsAug. 26, 2008 -- For centuries humans have dammed rivers and streams to grind grain and later, generate electricity. Now a new, more subtle form of freshwater power is about to make its debut in the old steel town of Vandergrift, Penn. Using a grid of electricity-generating smart materials on the bottom of the Kiskiminetas River, combined with a host of energy conservation efforts, Vandergrift hopes to generate between 20 and 40 percent of the city center's electricity. "Vandergrift is trying to be the model green town," said Lisa Weiland, a scientist at the University of Pittsburgh who is involved in the project. Vandergrift, which is northeast of Pittsburgh, was originally supposed to be the model steel town, but now, as Weiland says, it is "reinventing itself and going for sustainability." That sustainable power will most likely come from a grid of undulating strips made of polyvinylidene fluoride or PVDF, a material that generates a slight electrical current when it is moved, in this case, by the currents and eddies in the Kiskiminetas River. Such materials are described as piezoelectric, and the resulting electrical current would pass to small substations along the river's edge before charging a group of batteries. "There are other materials that give better performance or have higher energy densities," said Weiland. "But we're willing to sacrifice a little power to keep the ecosystem happy." The Kiskiminetas River, or the Kiski, as it's more informally known, is about 40 yards wide where it passes Vandergrift. Weiland currently plans to lay a grid, 30 yards wide and about a mile long, down on the river bed to help power the city. Read More Woman humiliated by airport bra incidentOAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A woman said she was humiliated at an Oakland, Calif., airport when confronted by Transportation Safety Administration officers about her underwire bra. |
| ||||||||
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
News That Matters - August 27, 2008
