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Brought to you by PlanPutnam.Org "You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men." - Max Beerbohm Good Friday Morning,
It's been one heck of a week and I'm glad it's over. My computer was hit with a virus last Friday that kept me working on getting it cleaned up all weekend and well into this week. I think it's under control now and so this column should be a little less peripatetic - if that's possible - going into next week.
In the meantime, enjoy the show in Washington, D.C. as Congress scrambles to make their Wall Street backers happy and continues the myth that our economic model is sustainable. If you're reading the papers you'll see that every article reports that this things is down or that thing is down or that people aren't buying cars or other high-ticket items and that this is bad for the economy. But that's the point! That kind of business model is simply not sustainable.
Sensibly, if you don't really need that new car or can get by with the old air conditioner or last year's Halloween costume, then don't get a new one. But the economy is based on both planned obsolescence and *I WANT IT NOW* and cannot survive without both. Unless you continue to purchase new products, most often on credit, the American economic model falters and fails... and we're seeing that now.
The US economic model is based on continued and constant consumer growth but when the money runs out, or the crush of debt becomes too much... well, you can see where that's headed.
But there is an out here and that is the creation of new industries that will provide products that are actually needed in the marketplace. This will create jobs, re-open shuttered manufacturing facilities and grow the economy. So, what new products? Alternative and efficient energy products.
Like we did with the computer industry in the 1990's we can do with energy products in this decade and beyond. As we move away from cheap oil the nation should be focused on energy independence and in ways that create an international market for our product. Forget Coca-Cola, think solar. Forget Ford and General Motors. Think super-high-efficiency.
But you know as well as I that not only is Congress in the pocket of Wall Street but they're also in the pocket of the traditional energy industry and so without some sort of vast public outcry, nothing will change. But if you need the proof of why nothing will change:
Congressman Hall reported this week that more than 200 people called to say NO to the bailout while only a couple dozen called in support. How did he vote? With the minority - to save Wall Street from itself. (For the record, Hall's opponent called early on for a bailout then chastised John for voting for the bailout while still supporting one... yeah, you parse that on your own.)
Since we apparently cannot gain control of our own Congressman, let alone the government, maybe it's time we joined the other 300,000,000 Americans who just don't care. So, for now, here's some goings on in the 'hood for this weekend and a little beyond that will take your mind off things. You know, bread and circuses...
As always, your comments are welcome.
Tonight:
This will be the first weekend of pheasant hunting season so if you're in the woods on private land or on a DEC property be careful. Wear blaze orange. The Cranberry MUA in Patterson and the Big Buck MUA in Kent are the two most notorious so stay away from them for a while.
Instead, there is no hunting in State Parks and even though the occasional Ball supporter might be found poaching, it's safer there than anywhere else. Fahnestock, Wonder Lake, Hudson Highlands and Gateway State Parks are all nearby and, as fall approaches, quite beautiful this time of the year. Get out there and enjoy it.
Mike Latini and Jim Nowak will be at Daniel J's at Thunder Ridge on Route 22 in Patterson tonight just after 9PM. If you play an instrument, expect to be called on. Otherwise, just be there.
The new film: Pete Seeger: The Power of Song will be shown tonight at the Muddy Cup, 305 Main Street in Poughkeepsie at 7:30PM. Admission is free.
"Famous as he is, Mr. Seeger seems to exist outside of, and in opposition to, the commercial machinery of celebrity. His sensibility is cosmopolitan but also agrarian, devoted to land, family and community - to traditional American values, you might say." A. O. SCOTT, New York Times
The screening will be followed by an audience discussion. This is part of the "Give Peace a Film" series sponsored by the Dutchess Peace Coalition. Contact: Fred Nagel at (845) 876-7906 or http://www.dutchesspeace.org for more information.
Saturday:
Michelle LeBlanc's "Jazz Me Blues" will be at the Putnam Valley Town Park from 6pm - 8pm.
Featuring pianist Tom Kohl, bassist Bill Crow, Ed Xiques on sax and Ron Vincent on drums
Call 845 526 3292 or visit http://www.pvsunsetseries.com for more information. It's outdoors so bring a chair - and some warm clothes.
Commemorate Twin Forts Day just across the Bear Mountain Bridge at the Trailside Museums and Zoo - Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery State Historic Site from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Commemorate one of the bravest defensive battles of the American Revolution, during Twin Forts Day, at Trailside Museums and Zoo, on Saturday, October 4th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Trailside was built on the remains of Fort Clinton and its outer redoubt is intact.
There will be a variety of reenactments and hands-on activities for people of all ages. There will be periodic flintlock rifle firings, tours of the redoubt, patriotic music and more. Do not forget about the beautiful displays depicting the famous battle in our Historical Museum.
Parking at Bear Mountain State Park is $6.00. Admission to Trailside Museum and Zoo is $1.00 for ages 13 and up, $0.50 for ages 6-12, and ages 5 and under are free. For more information call (845) 786-2701 ext. 293
Sunday: The Annual Columbus Day Parade is on Route 6 in Mahopac. The fun starts at 1:30PM near Lake Casse Road.
The Opening Reception of the Fourth Community Art Exhibit at Arts on the Lake runs from 1 – 5 pm at the Lake Carmel Cultural Center, 640 Route 52, Kent Lakes, NY. Fifty-two artists from the area and beyond will be exhibiting work that ranges in subject and style from abstract paintings and fabrications to photographs and figurative sculptures. You are invited to drop in for a moment or the entire afternoon. Refreshments will be plentiful and conversations will abound. The exhibit will continue from 1 – 5 pm on Saturday, October 11, Sunday, October 12, Monday (Columbus Day), October 13 and Saturday, October 18. It will also be open – something new – on Wednesday Evening, October 15, from 7 – 9 pm.
Beyond: On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the 8th Annual Southeast New York Stormwater Conference will be held at the Dutchess Manor on Route 9D in Beacon. Hosted by the Lower Hudson Coalition Conservation District (LHCCD) and sponsored by NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, Hudson Valley Regional Council, and NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee. This conference will explore Low Impact Development (LID) practices, Stormwater Management Implementation Tools, Pervious Surface Options, Stormwater Practices that require Maintenance, and an Overview of New Phase II Stormwater Permits. Registration fee applies. For more information, contact: Jennifer Lusk, District Secretary, Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District, 845.677.8011 ext. 3, or jennifer.lusk@ny.usda.gov .
The Brewster Theater Company’s production of Murder in Green Meadows opens on October 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th at 8 p.m. at The Melrose School, 120 Federal Road, Brewster, NY.
Beneath its serene exterior there is trouble brewing in the picture perfect sub-division of Green Meadows. Newcomers Thomas and Joan Devereauxs’ quickly forged friendship with neighbors Jeff and Carolyn Symons becomes threatened when disturbing events from the Devereauxs’ past begins to surface.
Produced by Debbie Levin and directed by Kevin Cannon, this psychological thriller features Joshua Horan (Danbury, Ct) and Barbara Marks (Bedford, NY) as Thomas and Joan Devereaux. Paul Stein and Mallory Lidsky, both from Brewster, NY star as Jeff and Carolyn Symons.
Director Kevin Cannon of Croton-On-Hudson has extensive directing credits ranging from local one act plays to off-Broadway showcases. Murder in Green Meadows is his first show with Brewster Theater Company, and Cannon was enticed to direct it because the plot wasn’t predictable. Just when audiences may think they know how the plot will unfold, he promises that “with all the twists and turns that happen ... [this show] will keep surprising you until the final curtain.”
Tickets for this show are $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors. Go to www.brewstertheatercompany.org or call 845-598-1621 for reservations and additional information.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2008: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, a Native Plant Training Workshop will be held at the Cary Instutite for Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.
Participants will learn techniques and methods for reintroducing native plants to areas that have been managed for the control of invasive plants and will also learn how to preserve existing native plant habitats. Who should attend: Land managers including local, state and national parks, land stewards, land trusts and preserves, large land owners such as corporations, religious institutions, historic mansions, colleges and residential schools, DEC foresters, landscape architects, horticulturists, growers, nurseries, soil and water conservation district employees, highway workers, NYS Turf and Landscape , EMC, CAC, and Master Gardeners. Presented in cooperation with: NYS DEC Estuary Training Program of the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Lower Hudson, Capital-Mohawk, and CRISP PRISMs, The Nature Conservancy, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Teatown Lake Reservation, NYS Office of Parks Recreation Historic Preservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County, NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program and New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission Landscape Architecture CEU credits are pending approval. For more information and for an information packet, contact: Meredith Taylor at 845-889-4745 ext. 109/ mjtaylor@gw.dec.state.ny.us or Emilie Hauser at 845-889-4745 ext. 112/ eehauser@gw.dec.state.ny.us
The Blue Horse Repertory Company presents a staged reading of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, in a modern political update of that timeless classic. The production will have live music by the Kitchen Table Band.
The show takes place on Friday, October 24, 2008 at 8pm at the Cultural Center on lake Carmel (Arts on the Lake). Tickets are $10 ($9 for AotL Members) and can be ordered in advance at artsonthelake.org.
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