Good Friday Morning,
Watch out for cyclists on the roads this weekend as the 13th annual Tour de Putnam hits the streets. The event starts at the County Park in Kent and then winds its way through up to 100 miles of Putnam's roads and byways.
Lions and tigers and bears, Oh my!
That's what the news has been like around these here parts. What with our newest famous resident slashing necks in NYC cabs, a bear at Hill and Dale slashing residents and MaryEllen Odell slashing Vinnie Leibell to pieces in the LWV debate last week it's like the promo for a new Freddie film.
- According to the 9th Circuit court which covers most of the Pacific northwest, police can secretly place tracking devices on your car without a warrant from a judge and then use the GPS data against you. The effects for civil liberties are chilling. Though this will certainly be challenged and challenged again until it reaches the Supreme Court, other jurisdictions will test the ruling meaning that no one is safe - not even you.
- A Yonkers man pleaded guilty to moving a ton of marijuana over two years and faces life in prison. Wall Street executives moved a trillion dollars from the working classes to their pockets and face life bouncing between golf courses and their yachts.
- Serious crime in Putnam County is down from last year and according to the Sheriff it's because of better police communication and enforcement of laws. It always is. Rises and drops in crime have nothing to do with socio-economic issues and overall cultural changes.
- One must wonder if we're ever going to see Republican congressional candidate Nan Hayworth debate her opponents. While she's quite active doing the fund-raising thing and spending her money on signs and advertisements and her website time parroting the NRCC agenda of the day, she refuses to come out in public and actually answer questions in an open forum. If you're supporting Ms. Hayworth in the September primary against Neil DiCarlo, how do you know?
- Glenn Beck is comparing himself to Martin Luther King, Jr. The rumbling in the earth you feel are the spinning bodies of those who worked for civil rights over the years. The screaming you hear is the anguish in the voices of those who still are. The void you see before you is the hole into which he should walk.
- In Mayfield, Kentucky, a crowd of 250 cheered when the zoning board refused to allow the building of a mosque. In Madera, California, someone threw a brick at an Islamic center and left signs behind such as, "NO Temple for the god of terrorism..." In Nashville, Tennessee, a long-ago proposed mosque has enraged locals with one demonstrator saying, "It is about Tennessee stopping homegrown terrorists." And a reborn Newt Gingrich said something about Nazis.
- (Back to Beck again). His rally this weekend in Washington is intended to "Restore honor" to America. Here's a word of advice: if you want to restore honor, feed a hungry person, teach a child to read, employ the unemployed, house the homeless and heal the sick and do so selflessly. That's what we'll be judged on, not how many flags we fly, speeches we make or countries we bomb.
If you're not going to Washington this weekend to boost your ego, here's some events taking place right here at home that will a) make you feel good and, b) contribute to the betterment of your community.
Friday, August 27 Grange Tag Sale 10 AM - 4PM at the Putnam Valley Grange Hall, 128 Mill Street at Peekskill Hollow Road. Repeats tomorrow, Saturday, August 28.
Saturday, August 28 Gallery Talk at Dia:Beacon: Tobi Maier on Imi Knoebel 1pm. Tobi Maier is the curator at Ludlow 38, the downtown satellite space for contemporary art of Goethe-Institut on New York's Lower East Side. He was previously curator at the Frankfurter Kunstverein and also collaborated on Manifesta 7 (Rovereto, Italy) as curatorial adviser (2006-2008), and was curatorial intern at the 27th Biennial of Sao Paulo (2006). He holds an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art in London. At Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries, 3 Beekman Street, Beacon, NY 12508. Call 845 440 0100 or visit www.diaart.org.
Habitat For Humanity Event 6PM - Drew Methodist Church, Gleneida Avenue, Carmel. International dinner to benefit Habitat For Humanity. Silent Auction, 50/50 raffle, Karaoke for Kids. $7 per person. $25 per family (+4) Contact jobrien@habitatputnam.org or call 845-230-8022
Mozart's Requiem 7:30 PM - First United Methodist Church, 83 Main Street, Brewster. Summer Sing and Open House. The Putnam Chorlae performs this work-horse in an evening of music, fun and food. Enjoy an opportunity to sing with the Putnam Chorale. Bring your own score or borrow one of theirs or just come to listen. For information call 845-279-7265 or http://www.putnamchorale.org Admission $10.
Sunday, August 29 Tour de Putnam 8AM - Starting at the County Park on Gipsy Trail Road in Kent, then going everywhere. Click here for more information, registration details and directions to the park.
NYNJTC Work Day at Wonder Lake State Park An excellent opportunity to lean various side-hilling techniques and then work on the northern portion of the Highlands Trail in Wonder Lake State Park. Contact Gary Haugland (haulandg@aol.com or 845-642-1590) for more information.
Into the Future Friday, September 10 Michelle LeBlanc 7:30PM - 10:30PM - At the DIvision Street Grill, 26 North Division Street, Peekskill. 914.739.6380. Featuring Pianist Tom Kohl. Join us for an evening in Michelle's favorite small city at the jazz club that sparked the Peekskill jazz renaissance.
Sunday, September 12 Ride to Remember Jeff Coursen 11AM - Motorcycle Ride. 1PM - Picnic at the Pawling Fire Department (South Street in Pawling, just north of route 55) A 100 mile motorcycle ride and picnic to remember Jeff Coursen’s dual passions: Motorcycles and helping alcoholics and addicts overcome addiction. Everyone’s Welcome! The Event and Picnic are sponsored by Jeff Coursen’s family and friends. Your tax deductible donations will benefit St. Christopher’s Inn, a treatment facility that has been providing hope and compassionate care to alcoholics and addicts for 100 years. For more information and to register contact: Ed and Mary Mahaffey at The Annex Florist Pawling, 28 Charles Colman Blvd, Pawling NY 12564 845.855.9612 or email: ridetorememberjeffcoursen@gmail.com
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