"I want a chastity belt on this man. I want his every move watched in Washington. I don't trust this guy. This one could end with a dead intern. I'm just saying. It could end with a dead intern."
-- Glenn Beck on Senator-elect Scott Brown
Good Friday Morning,
Yet another note to the cat: I really am tired of the hundreds of muddy footprints that exist on every horizontal surface in the house. They look a lot like yours. Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!
The Great Tefillin Scare!!
On a short-haul flight the other day a 17 year old kid put on his tefflin to pray. A flight attendant asked what he was doing, "praying," he replied. She notified the pilot. In the flight attendant's description she said “...it had wires running from it and going up to his fingers,” What she didn't know was that they go directly to God! but, I digress...
So cautious was the pilot that the plane was diverted to Philadelphia where it landed so that this poor kid could pray in peace. Not that he could... the pilot described him as a "disruptive" and the TSA said he had "prayer beads". As a cultural lesson I will show you goyim out there the difference between tefillin and a bomb. Look closely now...
Hudson Valley Congressman Maurice Hinchey has been working on a bill that would add protections to historic and environmental sites in the Valley through the creation of a new National Park. Not only would this benefit the environmental concerns we have but would also be a huge boost to tourism and thus sustainable job creation. You can read his comments here. The first step in this process is a Federal feasibility study to which the Congressman addresses his remarks and is concerned with HR4003.
Patterson is entertaining a proposal for a motor raceway development along Route 22 (see my previous post about that here). Winding Glades LLC is look for permission to build a mile-long track and a 25,000 sq ft building that we're told will look and be something like this.
I think what we have here is an opportunity to communicate. Maybe the residents of Lake Carmel should support this development until Patterson calls it quits on Patterson Crossing. Why should Lake Carmel get all the noise and Patterson all the peace and quiet?
The State Senate has proposed what they call "A Better Plan for New York" as an alternative to the Governor's budget. You can read that here, though I don't see how their numbers add up. In one case they want to get rid of cigarette taxes yet on the other they want to collect $500 million more from the same.
Last week I reported on a no-tax increase pledge that Assembly Republicans have glommed on to. Thanks to Cara Matthews at the Journal News I have a copy of this pledge:
- I will not vote for a budget that raises state taxes, fees or surcharges on New Yorkers.
- I will work to ensure transparency throughout the budget process and eliminate the “three men in a room” phenomenon.
- I will not vote to increase state spending and I will work to reduce the size of government without passing unfunded mandates on to municipalities and the private sector.
 It’s all standard campaign semantics that mean virtually nothing. The pledge as written would preclude shifting the burden of school property taxes onto a progressive, graduated income tax since some people’s income tax rates would rise even though their property tax bill would decrease quite substantially. In the semantic game the state GOP is playing that would constitute a tax increase. Come on guys, quit the grandstanding. It's boring, tired and old.
It seems that pretty much everyone in the 19th Congressional district has announced they want John Hall's seat. I'm even considering it myself! And why not? Washington is a nice city, I think Amtrak is cool, I get to wear a suit to work every day and I get government sponsored health care - and you don't!
There are now three announced Republicans that cover the political spectrum from moderate to reactionary and the Tea Baggers have even started adding TBP after the R in their names. As in, Nan Hayworth (R, TBP). Not that she's agreed to such a thing, of course.
Marine Sgt. Charles Dyer, aka "July4Patriot," came to our attention when media outlets reported on the "Oath Keepers" bloc of the Tea Party movement - an organization devoted to recruiting military and police-force veterans into a Patriot-movement belief system predicated on a series of paranoid conspiracy theories, especially the notion that the federal government intends to begin rounding up citizens and putting them in concentration camps. Interestingly, during the Bush administration the radical Left was saying the same thing and no one took them seriously either.
Dyer played a prominent role in connecting the Oath Keepers to the Tea Party movement, speaking at a July 4 Tea Party rally in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. And he's been involved in organizing militia "maneuvers" in Oklahoma. Dyer cropped up again in the news -- this time in the police blotter for allegedly raping a 7-year-old girl. A poll taken just after the Massachusetts Senate election had some interesting results. Among those who voted for the Republican, Brown, 23 percent thought the President's health care proposal went too far. 36 percent thought it didn't go far enough and 41 percent said they weren't sure why they opposed it, they just did.
Around 85% of voters who had voted for Obama and who cast votes the other day wanted a public option included in the reform package and remarkably, 37% of those who voted for Brown, the Republican, thought that Democrats weren't being tough enough fighting for their issues. No one voted for that other candidate... what was her name?
Yesterday the Supreme Court decided that Corporations were not really going to be held to established campaign donation limits. Congress rejoiced! Tea Baggers take note: I know what fascism looks like and it looks pretty much like the court's decision. If you agree, it's too late to do anything about it.
The Putnam Arts Council is moving back to Mahopac in March!
Winter classes in the arts for children and adults will be offered by the Putnam Arts Council at the newly renovated Levine Art Center at 521 Kennicut Hill Rd in Mahopac. Classes start March 1 and run for 6 weeks. (The Spring session will begin in May.) Adults can sign up for Watercolor Painting, Oil or Acrylic Painting, Pottery or Chine Colle & Collagraph Printmaking. Children’s classes are offered in pottery and drawing and painting. All classes will take place in the lovely new classrooms. Be sure to check the web site at www.putnamartscouncil.com for weekly updates or call (845) 216-0636.
Tonight:  Pioneer Living For Kids
4:15 - 5:45 This Evening. Using the "Little House"� books by Laura Ingalls Wilder as inspiration we will explore the lives of children and adults as it was before the days of television, cars and refrigeration. A different topic/activity each month, for children ages 9 & up. $20 per class. Sponsored by Common Ground Farm, Wappingers Falls. For info and registration, education@commongroundfarm.org
Saturday: Saving Storm King: Con Edison vs. the Hudson River  5PM - At the Foundry School Museum, Cold Spring. Young Associates Event hosted by Joe Meisel & Felice Ramella and sponsored by Old Stone Kitchens & Country Flooring. Join the Young Associates for an event focusing on the history of the greatest environmental fight of the past 50 years. In addition, we will have the wonderful baking skills of our host, Felice Ramella. Having baked for New York City's top restaurants including Lespinasse and Cafe Boulud, attendees will enjoy samples of her creations including focaccia and baked sweets. There will also be a unique spiced rum punch and the usual YA assortment of cocktails. To ensure your spot please RSVP, 845-265-4010 or email. This event is "pay what you wish". Any contributions are fully tax-deductible and greatly appreciated. The Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street in Cold Spring.
Michelle LeBlanc 7:30PM to 10:30PM - Michelle will be playing Saturday nights starting January 16th at the Hudson House Inn in Cold Spring on Saturday evenings through February. Featuring jazz guitarist Steve Lamattina. The Inn is at 2 Main Street, Cold Spring NY 10516 Call 845 265 9355 for dinner reservations. The historic Hudson House Inn has world class food and offers elegant lodging overlooking the Hudson River and Storm King Mountain. Cold Spring is a charming getaway destination with wonderful river views, shops and antiques. Cold Spring's Metro North train stop is only minutes away. www.hudsonhouseinn.com
Sunday: Sourdough Bread Workshop 12:30PM - Learn all you need to know about how to make sourdough bread. Taste a few recipes, bring home some starter of your own. Sponsored by Common Ground Farm. $10 members, $15 non-members. Beacon. Contact: education@commongroundfarm.org
Into The Future: Tuesday, January 26 Community Screening of FRESH, the Movie The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Hudson River Research Reserve, in partnership with the Greene County Agroforestry Center, will host a free community screening of the movie FRESH on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, from 7:00-8:30 pm. Reserve staff will facilitate an optional discussion following the movie from 8:30-9:00 pm. FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision of our food and our planet’s future. FRESH reinforces the sense that individual actions do, in fact, matter. The film documents inspiring people, ideas, and initiatives around the United States, connecting audiences not with facts and figures or apocalyptic policy analysis, but with personal stories of change. Producer Ana Joanes is a Swiss-born documentary filmmaker whose work addresses pressing social issues through character-driven narratives. FRESH is Ana’s second feature documentary. Suitable for audiences from grade 9 through adult. The center is wheelchair accessible. Admission is free. For further information, contact call 845-889-4745 x 107. For directions to Norrie Point, see http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/37889.html Location: Norrie Point Environmental Center, located in Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park in Staatsburg, New York Sunday, January 31 Open Cast Call The Bare Bones Theatre Company, is preparing an April production of Troll-Loll-La!, an original musical based on Norwegian folktales by Tony Howarth and Sheldon Gartner, at the Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. Open auditions for a cast of 18 will be held at the Center at 640 Route 52, in Kent on Sunday, January 31, starting at 1 p.m.
Troll-Loll-La!, which had a well-received reading at the Center in November 2008, will be directed by Howarth, with choreography by Bart Cook. The musical director will be composer Gartner. Rehearsals are expected to begin February 6 and will be held mostly on weekends. Performances are scheduled for April 9, 10, 11 at the Lake Carmel Cultural Center, home of Arts on the Lake.
Singers are asked to prepare a song for the audition and bring sheet music of the song for the accompanist. Candidates will also be asked to read short selections from the script, which will be available at the audition. Auditions will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Characters include: FREDDIE, 16-20; KRISTINA, 16-20; FREDDIE'S mother; KRISTINA'S father; PETER and PAUL, Freddie's older brothers; STORYTELLER; A THREE-HEADED TROLL; THREE SPECTRES; TROLL MOTHER and her adult daughter, BABY TROLL; THE OLD WOMAN OF THE WOODS; THE WEST WIND; CHORUS of six; and several non-singing roles.
Further information is available by email to barebones300@aol.com or by leaving message at the Art Center, 845 228-2685.
Saturday, February 6 Teatown’s Hudson River EagleFest:  6th Annual Regional Celebration. 9:00am-4:00pm at Croton Point Park Major Sponsors: Friends of Westchester County Parks, Westchester County Parks, Club Fit. With additional support from TD Bank, Westchester County, Croton-on-Hudson, and all EagleFest Collaborating Organizations.
EagleFest Headquarters and all theaters will be located in heated tents at Westchester County’s Croton Point Park. Free parking and shuttle buses from outlying lots, including a shuttle bus from Metro North’s Croton-Harmon Train Station. Ticket holders for all shows should allow at least 30 minutes for parking and shuttle rides.
EagleFest 2010 Features: - Birds of Prey Shows in the Eagle Theater Tent
- Eagle Exploration Bus Tours
- Collaborators exhibits with educational displays
- Children’s area – with interactive games, crafts, and hands-on discoveries
- Additional presentations in the Eaglet Theater Tent
- Eagle Viewing Along the Hudson River
- And so much more!
Call Teatown at 914 762-2912 x110 to purchase tickets or for more information Admission to EagleFest Headquarters and River Sites is free, but a donation of $2 per person is suggested. Bird Of Prey Shows, $5 per person
Eagle Exploration Bus Tours, $20 per person (ages 12+) Saturday, March 6 Work on the Appalachian Trail  From Tim Messerich: So, I am a little bit a head of the game. Just wanted to let you know. Trail work starts on March 6 on the Appalachian Trail in Fahnestock State Park. So those who don't know we have formed a club RPHCV.We are a member club of NY/NJ Trail Conference.We take care of RPHC on the AT plus do all kinds of great trail work projects. Oh, I almost forgot, our annual big trail work and campout is in July. The food Man, The food! Join our club, Our dues are cheap. Hope to see you on the trail, RPHCV. Call 845-297-9573 http://timtrek.mikentim.com
CCE Spring Garden School Putnam Cornell Cooperative Extension Services. Their annual Spring Garden School will be held March 6 at the Desmond Fish Library in Garrison. Just when you're ready for an end-of-winter break, our four classes will make a great day:
* Seed starting
* All-nature pest control
* Dealing with deer and other 4-legged critter
* Basic Garden Design
Hands-on learning plus lecture-style in a friendly environment. The fee for the whole day is only $15 per person -- and you can save $5 if you bring a friend (2 people = $25). Be an early bird and sign up now. More information is here.
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