News That Matters - September 29, 2009

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Good Wednesday Morning, My fingers are slightly dyslexic and I can't wait until Setpember is over. Dozens of villages were destroyed and scores of people were killed in an earthquake and its resulting tsunami in American Samoa yesterday. Pause for a moment for them. Images from the disaster are here. I went into the Sears the other day and greeting me was a large display of [you know what holiday!] decorations prominently set by the main entrance from the mall. A $150 for a fake Christmas Tree? I'm happy they're ready to go as there's only 86 shopping days left and, with no holidays in-between.... Oh. Wait. We've got Halloween, which is now the second largest shopping holiday,  and Thanksgiving where we don't really buy much of anything but cardboard turkeys and waxed leaves. As we've been doing over the years here at PlanPutnam, we'll be offering space for local cottage businesses to promote their handcrafted wares for the holiday that's 86 days away. Drop me a note for more information. Are you a musician? Do you have a small country-like acoustic group? Putnam County is looking for you! The county needs a band to play at the County Farm Tour this weekend on October 4th. The event this year will be held at Mike Beal's Willow Ridge Farm on Canopus Hollow Road in Putnam Valley. You won't get paid but you can sell your wares and you'll be the only band so you'll have no competition. Give George Michaud a call (845) 225-3641 x49310 and tell him Jeff sent you. The Kent Town Board is circling the wagons if last night's meeting was any indication. I used to walk in and get a smile or a nod and now... nothing. I suppose it's "all about politics" and everything will change back to "normal" once the elections are over but it's silly in any case. After one blessed candidate got up and delivered his stump speech during the public comment period - at the end of the meeting - John and I had to wonder how far along he or I would have gotten had we tried the same thing. Not far, we figured. But I suppose this is all to be expected. Change is coming to the board in November and they're scared but shouldn't be unless they fear loss of control. But no elected board should ever fear loss of control for in a right world control wouldn't be an issue. Good governance would be what it's all about. But one question does remain which was asked again last evening: when did the Board decide to stop televising work sessions and why? Since the question wasn't on the agenda the board would not respond. Huh. And, how many tens of thousands of dollars are going to be spent on putting bathrooms at Farmer's Mills Park when every other place in the world is using low-cost, low maintenance composting toilets? The United States is still banning books. Yesssiree! It's one of our favorite pastimes and there's seemingly no end in sight. To celebrate National Banned Book Week you are encouraged to go out and read these books: And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper It's kinda funny that in this nation we ban books and effectively ban movies based on their sexual content but we have no problem with violence. Show a nipple on TV and the world ends, fines are levied and Congress meets in emergency session. Show someone being blown to smithereens, stabbed, or beaten and people line up for more. Last weekend a free health clinic was held in Texas and thousands showed up. In Parkersburg, West Virginia 1300 came out for free dental checkups. And for 8 days in a row over 1500 people came - each day - for a free medical clinic in Los Angeles. A US Census worker was found bound with duct taped, naked and hung by the neck near a cemetery in Big Creek, Kentucky on September 12th. His Census Bureau ID tag taped to his neck. Right-wing bloggers have posited that the victim, Bill Sparkman, might have been a child predator. Left-wingers blame Michelle Bachman's anti-government / anti-census rhetoric. And, after two weeks the police will not confirm whether a homicide took place or if Mr. Sparkman simply slipped off a tree and hung himself. Still, and assuming this was not a suicide, whoever did the killing strung the man up in ways that recall lynchings of a past era and was meant to terrorize others. Police in Wisconsin stopped and questioned a man for taking pictures of public buildings from a parking lot. Apparently they thought it was illegal - but it's not. The man, TV newsman, Brian Gotter, was with his wife and children at the time and uses his photos as backdrops for his news reports. England has banned bonuses for banking and stock market executives as a way of curbing the excesses that led to the global economic breakdown during the last year of the Bush Administration. Attempts to do the same in the US have med stiff resistance from some in Congress who insist that these bonuses are a way of attracting and keeping the best minds in the business. Yeah, you read that right and no, I don't get that logic either. Do we really want those "best minds" in the business? Sure we do... if we've another trillion taxpayer dollars to spare. Iran admitted to having a secret nuclear program and then test-fired a missile capable of hitting US bases and Israeli cities. But no one noticed since we were all agog over where Kadhafi was putting his tent. And now, The News: 304-acre Beekman farm protected from development Invasives threaten N.Y.'s natural order Decision to Grant Variance after Construction Largely Completed Upheld Officials, Nonprofits Call for Green Investment for State's Health and Economy Don't Blow It: Rake Instead Put in a Small Rain Garden How Dependent Are We on Foreign Oil? The New Sputnik 304-acre Beekman farm protected from development John Davis Poughkeepsie Journal POUGHQUAG - A 304-acre hay and alfalfa farm on Frog Hollow Road is off limits to housing developers forever. The Town of Beekman has purchased the development rights on the property owned by Thomas Sanford. This is the town's first land acquisition in an effort to protect its rural character as more and more farmland is being subdivided and transformed into new housing developments. "It's a project the town has been working on for some time," Beekman Supervisor John Adams said. The residents of Beekman are paying for most of the $2.4 million paid to Sanford on Aug. 26 for his development rights. They voted overwhelmingly in a public referendum in 2005 to the give the town government permission to borrow up to $3 million to preserve open space. Read More Invasives threaten N.Y.'s natural order Michael Risinit mrisinit@lohud.com In the 1997 movie "Men in Black," the characters played by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones work for an agency monitoring and managing alien activity on Earth. Their charges include a host of not-of-this-world creatures: worms that make a nice cup of coffee, large insects that drink sugar water and human-looking individuals blinking two sets of eyelids. Of course, in the real world those don't exist (as far as we know, anyway). But other interlopers do, such as swallow-wort, zebra mussels, Chinese mitten crabs and northern snakeheads. They are among some 4,000 or so species in the United States that are both non-native (alien) and damaging to their new digs. Be they animal, plant or pathogen, such beings are called invasive species. As a threat, invasives have been judged second only to habitat loss when it comes to a region's biodiversity - the abundance and variety of living things. Northern snakeheads, originally from China, can wipe out native fish populations. Chinese mitten crabs can be bad news for the Hudson River's blue crabs, and their burrowing can destabilize stream banks and earthen dams. Swallow-wort, imported from Europe, is a menace to monarchs. The butterflies are fooled into laying eggs on a plant that cannot support their offspring. Read More Decision to Grant Variance after Construction Largely Completed Upheld Pursuant to a building permit, the owner of the subject property had largely completed an addition to her house when the permit was revoked.  She then applied for a permit for an expansion of her nonconforming use and a 28-foot side yard variance in accordance with the work already done. At the public hearing, the appellants, adjacent property owners, contended that the addition had a adverse impact on them. Both of the properties were built prior to the adoption of the zoning laws and the buildings on both properties are positioned close to the property line they share. The zoning board of appeals granted the requested area variance, and the neighbors commenced the proceeding claiming that the board’s determination was arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion. The appellate court upheld the determination since the zoning board engaged in the appropriate balancing test pursuant to the five enumerated statutory factors, and that the record revealed that the decision to the grant the variance had a rational basis and was not arbitrary, capricious or an abuse of discretion. Adams v. Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of East Fishkill, 2009 WL 2960767 (N.Y.A.D. 2 Dept. 9/15/2009). Read the ruling here Officials, Nonprofits Call for Green Investment for State's Health and Economy Released Sep 24, 2009 Andy Bicking, Director of Public Policy, Scenic Hudson, Inc. Cell: 914 489 1568 abicking@scenichudson.org HUDSON VALLEY – A group of 11 bipartisan elected officials and more than 25 nonprofit environmental and community groups is calling on Gov. David A. Paterson and the state legislature to keep their word on funding for the state's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Although the EPF is less than 1 percent of the state budget and for this year was reduced by nearly 25 percent from funding levels passed into law in 2007, the program creates economic stimulus and spurs private investment in nearly every region of the state. The group says doing right by the EPF is a win-win because the investment in land, healthy air and water, maintaining working farms, and other green infrastructure improvements is not only good for the environment, it is good for business. EPF land protection programs are green economic stimulus The EPF proponents stated that a small investment by the state in land protection creates enormous economic stimulus and serves as a catalyst for private investment. Each $1 of state EPF funds invested can generate as much as $40 in private funds, according to a NYS Preservation Plan study. The elected officials and advocates used real-life projects (PDF, 64K) to showcase that the EPF produces huge investment returns through creating jobs, generating tax revenues that reduce property-tax increases, and producing spending to fuel regional economies. Read More Don't Blow It: Rake Instead Although leaf blowers may seem cool and convenient, they are extremely polluting, and much less green than simply raking fallen leaves the old-fashioned way. In one year's time, that little leaf blower engine you hear buzzing up the street pumps out as much smog-forming pollution as 80 cars, each driven 12,500 miles, according to a California air quality agency. Fortunately, regulators have taken notice, and are encouraging manufacturers and the buying public to upgrade to newer, cleaner (as well as quieter) models. But it is still cleanest of all to hand out the rakes. Raking leaves is a simple task that can be shared by the whole family, and it's a good way to get some exercise while enjoying the crisp autumn air. Why not reward your helpers with a steaming cup of fair trade cocoa or mulled local cider? Read More Put in a Small Rain Garden Homeowners and businesses can stem the tide of polluted runoff threatening our waterways by setting up a simple "rain garden," which is beautiful as well as beneficial. Homeowners and businesses can stem the tide of polluted runoff threatening our waterways by setting up a simple "rain garden," which is beautiful as well as beneficial. The concept of a rain garden, which mimics natural systems, was crystallized in Maryland in the 1990s. The idea is to create a depression filled with plants that collects the rainwater that runs off a building and its landscape. The plants — such as sedges, rushes, ferns, wildflowers, shrubs, trees and so on — absorb the water and release it slowly. This reduces the surge of water running off the landscape, which picks up fertilizers, pesticides, motor oil and other contaminants and carries them into waterways. Read More How Dependent Are We on Foreign Oil? Oil helped fuel the United States' prosperous 20th century, and the growing country built its infrastructure with that in mind. But the sprawling suburbs and far-flung freeways ended up locking America into long-term dependence on the nonrenewable sludge, which passed coal as the nation's favorite fossil in 1951.   U.S. oil production peaked 19 years later, and America suddenly was faced with outsourcing a pillar of its business model. From 1900 until 1969, the country's oil imports had risen by an average of 70.7 million barrels per decade, but in the '70s they rose by nearly 1.9 billion. Making matters worse was political instability in the Middle East, where the United States got much of its imported oil at the time. Following the 1973 Yom Kippur War and again during the 1979-'81 Iran hostage crisis, Americans cut back on oil use, and gasoline consumption dipped for the first time since World War II. But that conservative spirit didn't last. Read More The New Sputnik By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Most people would assume that 20 years from now when historians look back at 2008-09, they will conclude that the most important thing to happen in this period was the Great Recession. I’d hold off on that. If we can continue stumbling out of this economic crisis, I believe future historians may well conclude that the most important thing to happen in the last 18 months was that Red China decided to become Green China. Yes, China’s leaders have decided to go green — out of necessity because too many of their people can’t breathe, can’t swim, can’t fish, can’t farm and can’t drink thanks to pollution from its coal- and oil-based manufacturing growth engine. And, therefore, unless China powers its development with cleaner energy systems, and more knowledge-intensive businesses without smokestacks, China will die of its own development. What do we know about necessity? It is the mother of invention. And when China decides it has to go green out of necessity, watch out. You will not just be buying your toys from China. You will buy your next electric car, solar panels, batteries and energy-efficiency software from China. I believe this Chinese decision to go green is the 21st-century equivalent of the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik — the world’s first Earth-orbiting satellite. That launch stunned us, convinced President Eisenhower that the U.S. was falling behind in missile technology and spurred America to make massive investments in science, education, infrastructure and networking — one eventual byproduct of which was the Internet. Read More	Sign up to have News That Matters Delivered to your email inbox! Email: Support Our Sponsors! Joe Greico's Out On A Limb All types of tree work, all aspects of lawn maintenance, snow plowing, lot clearing, excavation, retaining walls, stump grinding. 82 Hortontown Rd. Kent Cliffs, NY 10512 greico@verizon.net T- (914)224-3049 F- (845)231-0815 TaconicArts.com Interior/Exterior House Painting by someone you can trust. (845) 225-2104 jeff@taconicarts.com
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News That Matters - September 25, 2009 - Things To Do Edition

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Good Friday Morning, Congress has declared October as "Paint Your House Month"* which means it's time for you to look around the exterior and interior of your home and realize that you're either going to be stuck inside all winter and you can't stand the dingy walls (and besides, when the family comes for Thanksgiving will they talk behind your back about the dreadful state of your dining room?) or that the exterior needs to be tightened up and sealed against the coming winter cold, wind and snow. Luckily, we here at News That Matters can help! Click here or call (845) 225-2104. Demonstrators in Pittsburgh set out to stop the G20, the worlds leading bankers and financial institutions, from taking over the world but despite their best efforts the world's leading bankers and financial institutions have decided to re-write global banking regulations so that we can bail them out again. Reuters reports: "The Group of 20 will take on the role of caretakers of the global economy, giving rising powers such as China, and roll out tougher rules on bank capital by the end of 2012, according to a draft communique." One question, Where are the teabaggers? Nowhere to be found. It's really time to get outside and enjoy this beautiful early fall weather! Trees are turning much earlier than normal and so you "leaf-peepers" can gain an extra couple of weekends to witness fall in New England. Your selected hike this weekend should be to the Hubbard-Perkins Conservation Area which is hidden in the middle of Fahnestock State Park. It's a relatively easy 6 mile loop starting on Route 301 and crossing up an dover open farm fields with a 360 degree view of the surrounding hills and working itself around the farm you see in the valley. Details for that hike are available at PlanPutnam's Outdoor Recreation Page here. From the hike description: If you opt for the north woods road (yellow outline on map) , this will go through some rather isolated back country where you're more likely to see bobcats, pumas and bears than people. It eventually meets up with the Blue Trail (the top most section of the trail you left just before) near the site of an old summer camp. You'll see its fields through the trees and it too is a nice place for a stop. Continuing on the blue trail to the north or east you will climb a ridge that becomes dry and xeric and typical of the highland uplands - if you're in time the blueberries will be everywhere so be ready eat. After reaching the ridge top the trail swings south and there is a nice open view eastward off the side of the trail. The trail continues until it meets the red trail I spoke about in the paragraph above. In any case, get your house painted, get your firewood in order and get the heck outside! Tonight: The Hudson River: Transformation and Understanding Saturday: “Plein Air” Day in the Great Swamp and its Watershed Fall Collaborative Art Show Bowl-A-Thon for Multiple Scelrosis Rondout Creek Watershed Council Stream Monitoring Family Day Sunday: Sterling Forest Conservation Day Family Fun Day at Ryder Cottage Farm Into the Future: Friday, October 2nd Arts on the Green Opening Ceremonies for Walkway Over the Hudson Saturday, October 3rd Harvest Festival at Stony Kill Farm New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Bear Mountain Hike-a-thon Saturday, October 17th. Putnam County Hazardous Waste Drop Off Day Tonight: The Hudson River: Transformation and Understanding 7 PM - A special evening of art and science. Freshwater Ecologist Dr. David Strayer will discuss how human actions have transformed the Hudson River and its watershed. Following the seminar will be a reception for landscape painter Rebecca Allan; her work inspired by riparian environments, including the Hudson River watershed. Cary Institute Auditorium, 2801 Sharon Tpk., Millbrook. Free. RSVPs appreciated. 677-7600 x121 or freeman@caryinstitute.org Saturday: “Plein Air” Day in the Great Swamp and its Watershed Plein Air means, "In the open air". Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) has held its very Successful Art Show for the past fifteen years at Christ Church on Quaker Hill in Pawling in Late October. We draw over 2000 people to the Show each year. We are holding the Show again this year—on October 24th and 25th but to Celebrate the wonders of the Harlem Valley---Great Swamp Watershed and give artists a special event opportunity to create a work outdoors in the Swamp and its environs. Registration: On Saturday, September 26th at the Patterson Library, 9AM-Noon. Directions from south, take Rte 22 north to Rte 311 in Patterson, turn left onto Rte 311, cross the River, Library is on the Left (before the RR tracks) From North, take Rte 22 south to Rte 311, make a right, follow remaining directions. Or register in advance by phone, call Laurie Wallace, 845-279-8858. Complete information for the Plein Air event can be found here. All works will be auctioned that evening; minimum bid will be set at $ 200 unless the artist agrees to less 50% of the proceeds of the auction will go to the artist, 50% will be a donation to FrOGS in support of its continuing efforts at Education and Art appreciation in and around the Great Swamp Fall Collaborative Art Show 1PM - 5 PM Opening Reception. At the Cultural Center on Lake Carmel (Old Firehouse just south of the Route 311 Causeway.) 42 artists have collaborated to create 30 new works. Exhibiting artists will be creating an additional 4' X 8' piece during the opening reception. Additional exhibit days: Sun, Sept 27, 1-5 pm; Wed, Sept 30, 7-9 pm; Sat, Sun, Oct 3-4, 1-5 pm. Bowl-A-Thon for Multiple Scelrosis 1 PM - Carmel Bowl, 23 Old Route 6 in the Hamlet. Action for MS, a non-profit organization, is holding their first annual Bowl-a-thon to raise funds for individuals and families afflicted with MS. Contact actionformsny@yahoo.com Rondout Creek Watershed Council Stream Monitoring Family Day Martha Cheo from Hudson Basin River Watch will demonstrate NYS DEC approved methods for evaluating the health of a river.  Participants will:  (1) Learn how to evaluate a stream's physical habitat; (2) Observe an underwater electronic probe measure chemical water quality indicators; (3) Assist with collecting live samples of stream organisms (waders provided, but bring your own if you have them); and (4) Learn how to identify aquatic invertebrates and use them as indicators of stream health.  This training will empower you to help your friends, neighbors, and elected officials make wise decisions for watershed protection.  Waders, nets and equipment provided. Younger children are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by adult.  Fun and educational for all.  Sponsored by Sponsored by Rondout Creek Watershed Council, Hudson Basin River Watch & Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.  To register, contact Martha Cheo at:  mcheo@hvc.rr.com  or 845-256-9316.  This family friendly stream monitoring workshop is funded by the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program.  RAIN DATE:  Sunday, Sept. 27. Location:  In the Rondout Creek WAtershed, Rosendale, NY (Rochester Creek, just upstream of Mettacahonts Road, north of 209 near Accord) Sunday: Sterling Forest Conservation Day 9 AM - 1:30 PM. The Sterling Forest Partnership will hold its 11th Annual Sterling Forest Conservation Day with a variety of hikes in Sterling Forest State Park. Hikes will leave from the park's Lautenberg Visitors Center at 116 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987, off Long Meadow Road, approximately five miles north of County Route 72 or approximately four miles south of NY Route 17A. Donald 'Doc' Baynes, environmental educator and historian of Sterling Forest, will lead two regional history hikes on the Lakeville Ironworks Trail -- at 9:30 AM and at 1:30 PM. Doc will explain the importance of this iron rich area during both the American Revolution and the Civil War. There will be family hikes around Sterling Lake and to the 60-foot Fire Tower leaving at 10 AM. Other hikes will depart as demand dictates. For further information, please contact Sterling Forest Visitors Center 845-351-5907 or Tom Thompson 201-848-1080. Family Fun Day at Ryder Cottage Farm 11 AM - 3 PM. Free. 400 Starr Ridge Rd, Brewster, NY. Bring the family for a day on the farm. Enjoy wood carving demonstrations, children's craft activities, pumpkin painting, face painting, potato sack races, farm tours and more!! For more information call the Southeast Museum at 845-279-7500. Into the Future: Friday, October 2nd Arts on the Green Following a day of golf - for those who golf - there will be a an Autumn Reception at the home of Mike and Cynthia Gibbons in Western Kent on Friday, October 2.  Singing and music by Pat Cummings, Michelle LeBlanc, Kate O'Connor Hoekstra, Neil Hickey, Jan Hoekstra, Lora Lee Ecobelli, Tim Pitt, Real Chemistry Quartet, Midhat Serbagi and . . you.  The admission is by a contribution in an amount of your own  choosing.  If you haven't yet said you will join us, please email events@artsonthelake.org to sign on.  Full details of the day can be accessed at artsonthelake.org.  As Shakespeare surely said, "we must party together or hang separately." Opening Ceremonies for Walkway Over the Hudson Continuing on Saturday, October 4th. 7 PM - Warways Park, Poughkeepsie. Out of the Shadows - The Grand Illumination of the Walkway Over the Hudson. The evening's events will include: River of Light Promenade (7:00 pm) 1,000 Points of Light Lantern Release (after promenade) Light Exhibition on the Mid-Hudson Bridge. JJ Harvey Illuminated Fire Boat (all evening) Waryas Park Band Shell from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm featuring the Big Band Sound sponsored by Bridgeway Federal Credit Union and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Fireworks between the Walkway Over the Hudson bridge and Mid-Hudson bridge (approx. 8pm) The best viewing for this event will be Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie and Oakes Road in Highland. More information is here. Parking and shuttle busses available. Saturday, October 3rd Harvest Festival at Stony Kill Farm 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center will hold its 31st Annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 3, from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM, rain or shine. DEC staff will be at the festival with activities and information. The Bureau of Recycling will conduct an environmental button-making activity for children and present a new recycling information display. Staff from the Hudson River Estuary Program will lead a Hudson River beachcombing activity, Hudson River Fisheries staff will conduct a fishing clinic, a forester will conduct a tree pruning demonstration, and a forest ranger will show how to prepare a safe campfire and use firefighting equipment. An environmental conservation officer will also be on hand to answer questions. There will also be special appearances by Smokey Bear. Musical entertainment will be provided by Linda Richards, a Hudson valley folk singer and environmental educator who has performed with Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Tom Paxton. Linda’s sound system will be powered by solar panels provided by the Beacon Sloop Club. Hayrides will carry visitors back and forth between the farmstead, which includes an 18th Century Tenant Farmhouse, and the historic Manor House, built in 1842 by one of the oldest Dutch families in the region. AmeriCorps interns from the Student Conservation Association and special guests from the community will lead a variety of activities for children, including a scavenger hunt, a tree ID game, and nature crafts. Shane "Whitefeather" Hobel of Mountain Scout Survival School will demonstrate wilderness and native American skills. Ti Yogi Bowmen will conduct an archery clinic, and the Mid-Hudson Gem and Mineral Society will lead a rock and mineral "dig" for kids. "Common Ground," the Community Supported Agriculture group based at Stony Kill Farm, will provide information about their program, as well as children’s activities. Stony Kill’s barn will be open for guided tours, up close and personal with cattle, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs. Admission is free. Food and refreshments will be available for sale, including homemade soups and baked goods from the Verplanck Garden Club, hot dogs and hamburgers from the Stony Kill Foundation, and vegetarian chili from Randolph School. Stony Kill Farm is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and is located on State Route 9D, two miles north of the Beacon-Newburgh bridge. The Fall Harvest Festival is co-sponsored by Stony Kill Foundation. For more information, call Stony Kill Farm EEC at 845-831-8780, or visit us on the web at www.dec.ny.gov. New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Bear Mountain Hike-a-thon Join the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference on a fundraising hike to protect trails impacted by storm damage, invasive species, erosion, foot traffic from thousands of visitors, and budget cuts every year. Join in and acknowledge the importance of a healthy lifestyle, environmental stewardship, and outdoor recreation in your life by registering for this fun event!  You don’t need to be a member of the Trail Conference to participate. Note, dogs are allowed on Bear Mountain, and therefore can participate with you on leash for this event if the route which you chose allows dogs. Please visit www.nynjtc.org for more information about the event, the hikes, or email Hikeathon@nynjtc.org. Location:  Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks Saturday, October 17th. Putnam County Hazardous Waste Drop Off Day Need to get rid of that old drain cleaner, old paint thinner or the old chemsitry kit you just found in the attic? This is the day for you. Call the county at (845) 278-6130 to pre-register. The event takes place at the Canpous Beach parking area at Fahnestock State Park from 9AM until 1PM. If you have electronics that need to be disposed of (computer monitors, etc.,) each town will have a drop-off location today as well. Call your town to find out just where. * I made that up. But it really is time to paint.	Sign up to have News That Matters Delivered to your email inbox! Email:   Support Our Sponsors! Joe Greico's Out On A Limb All types of tree work, all aspects of lawn maintenance, snow plowing, lot clearing, excavation, retaining walls, stump grinding. 82 Hortontown Rd. Kent Cliffs, NY 10512 greico@verizon.net T- (914)224-3049 F- (845)231-0815 TaconicArts.com Interior/Exterior House Painting by someone you can trust. (845) 225-2104 jeff@taconicarts.com
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News That Matters - September 23, 2009

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Good Wednesday Morning, Believe it or not, many communities across the United States ban clotheslines. Those communities claim they're tacky and white-trashy and assume everyone wants to blow their money on running an electric/gas clothes dryer when the Good Olde Sun will do the trick for nothing. But some communities are fighting back and several states now have "Right To Dry" laws on the books. Imagine needing to do that!? Votes in several races from last Tuesday were re-tallied yesterday and absentee ballots counted as part of the county-wide recount forced by Jim Borkowski in the Sheriff's race. Later last evening Mr. Borkowski conceded that hotly contested race to Sheriff Don Smith who now faces Kevin McConville in November. With the ongoing recount, a vote or two here or there was picked up or lost and the outcome of most races did not change. But in Kent where a clerical error gave John A. Greene a huge win over his Republican opponents last Tuesday the numbers have now been corrected and he has fallen to a strong second place. The figures (as of 8:11PM yesterday) are Tartaro: 640, Greene: 605, Maxson: 438. Due to the Sheriff's recount, write-in ballots have not yet been counted but they will be today and due to that many races are still undecided with the Kent Town Council Independence Party race most likely going to the Republican Machine. I'm wondering how many of them have actually read the Independence Party's platform? Patty Villanova has maintained her come-from-behind campaign to earn a spot on the Republican ticket in Putnam Valley though that could change once write-in's are counted. Glenn Beck says that John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama and that he would have voted for Hillary. I've checked with authorities at the USGS but they insist hell has not frozen over. In a recent issue of the New Yorker magazine there's an article, "The Cost Conundrum" by Atul Gawande asking the question why Medicare payments for patients in McAllan, Texas is twice as high as pretty much anywhere else. From that article is an out-take that pretty much sums up why medical care for all of us is so expensive. The writer says; "I gave the doctors around the table a scenario. A forty-year-old woman comes in with chest pain after a fight with her husband. An EKG is normal. The chest pain goes away. She has no family history of heart disease. What did McAllen doctors do fifteen years ago? Send her home, they said. Maybe get a stress test to confirm that there’s no issue, but even that might be overkill. And today? Today, the cardiologist said, she would get a stress test, an echocardiogram, a mobile Holter monitor, and maybe even a cardiac catheterization." A link to the full article is below. From Environmental Advocates of New York: When the New York State Senate returned to Albany on September 10th, lawmakers overwhelmingly voted the right way on legislation that will save New Yorkers money by increasing the energy efficiency of an estimated one million homes and businesses and create new green jobs. Green Jobs-Green New York, which passed by a vote of 52 to 8, takes our state one step further on the path to a cleaner, more sustainable economy, creating thousands of green jobs while making our homes and small businesses more energy efficient. That means smaller utility bills, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and new jobs when our economy needs them the most. Click here to see if your senator supported green jobs for a greener New York. In the meantime, Sandy Galef has proposed a bill in Albany that will reimburse homeowners for upwards of 55% of the cost of a green roof installation. More info on that is here. And now, The News: Putnam bike path parking generates controversy and compromise One DEC failure leads to the fear of too many more Town Violated Telecommunications Act In Failure to Allow Provider to Fill Gap in Service DEC may ban chainsawing in wilderness areas Obama lashes out at U.S. banks over student loans Reform or Bust Sorry, Sir, Firefighting Is A Pre-Existing Condition Lies My Parents Told Me: Parents Use Deception To Influence Their Children The Cost Conundrum Putnam bike path parking generates controversy and compromise Barbara Livingston Nackman bnackman@lohud.com CARMEL - Town officials are set to restrict roadside parking near the Putnam County Trailway to appease bicyclists who need a place to park their vehicles and neighbors who say parking is dangerous. The Carmel Town Board tossed out a proposal Sept. 16 that would have banned all parking on Willow Road and Willow Spur. In a work session Wednesday, the board will discuss a compromise allowing parking on the east side of the streets and to improve the road shoulders. Putnam County officials are working, as well, to find other parking options for the trail, which follows the old Putnam railroad from Westchester County to the Danbury, Conn., border. Read More One DEC failure leads to the fear of too many more The word to remember is "failure." That's the way the state Department of Environmental Conservation describes the operation of the sewage treatment plant for the Brigadoon subdivision in Highland Mills. Failure is not too strong a word when what is supposed to be treated sewage, up to 90,000 gallons a day, contains human feces and other waste pouring into local waterways, posing what the DEC calls an "imminent danger" to people and "irreparable damage" to the Moodna Creek watershed. Failure also describes something else, something that poses a danger beyond one pricey subdivision and one watershed. That's the failure of the DEC to clean up a mess that has been going on for at least four years, in the department's own documentation. The record contains one harsh warning after another, one visit after another, one account of failure after another, none of which has made any difference. If anything, the record shows a situation that has become worse over the years while the department continues to turn out paperwork. Read More Town Violated Telecommunications Act In Failure to Allow Provider to Fill Gap in Service In 2002, Nextel (an Omnipoint/T-Mobile competitor) commenced litigation against the Town of LaGrange after the Town had denied Nextel’s application to replace an existing radio tower with new tower.  The Nextel/Town lawsuit was settled in 2004, with the Town agreeing to allow Nextel to construct a new 150 foot monopole tower to replace the radio tower.  But that was as far as the settlement would go – the settlement agreement explicitly required that any future modifications or alterations at what is referred to in the opinion as the “ATC tower” must comply with the Town Zoning Code (and reserved all rights to challenge the Zoning Code as applied to any such modifications or alterations). In 2003, T-Mobile attended a pre-application meeting with the Town to discuss three potential options for curing a gap in coverage by the installation of new wireless facilities:  (1) collocation on the ATC tower (which was then the subject of ongoing litigation between Nextel and the Town); (2) construction of a new monopole tower at different site; and (3) collocation on a Con Ed transmission tower.  T-Mobile’s engineers analyzed each potential option using sophisticated propagation tools, and determined that the ATC tower furnished the most complete remedy for the service gap.  Nevertheless, and principally due to the ongoing litigation between Nextel and the Town, T-Mobile submitted an application to construct a new tower, which met with significant resistance. Read More DEC may ban chainsawing in wilderness areas Use of brush saws, mowers and generators also set for restriction By MIKE LYNCH, Enterprise Outdoors Proposed environmental conservation regulations governing wilderness, primitive and canoe areas in the state Forest Preserve would add the operation of chainsaws and other motorized equipment to the list of things banned in those lands, except under special permits. The additional language would be added to Section 196 of the state Department of Environmental Conservation lands and forest regulations that currently address use of motorized vehicles, boats and aircraft in the Forest Preserve, which is protected by the state Constitution as being "forever ... wild forest." In addition to chainsaws, the list of banned motorized equipment would include brush saws, rotary or other mowers, rock drills, cement mixers and generators. Currently, motorized equipment is only banned in the High Peaks and William C. Whitney wilderness areas. These rules would also apply to all state-owned lands in the Catskill Park that are classified as wilderness or primitive bicycle corridor. A public-comment period on the proposed regulations opened on Wednesday and will end on Nov. 2. Written comments may be mailed to Peter Frank, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12333. E-mails should be directed to lfadk@gw.dec.state.ny.us. Read More Obama lashes out at U.S. banks over student loans By Caren Bohan TROY, New York (Reuters) - President Barack Obama criticized the largest U.S. banks on Monday for trying to thwart legislation that would overhaul federal student loan programs. He singled out in particular banks that have received bailout money from the federal government, saying they want to maintain the status quo on student loans because they get an "unwarranted subsidy" from it. The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved legislation that would cut major banks and student loan giant Sallie Mae out of a large slice of the $92 billion university student loan business, shifting most lending into a program run by the U.S. Education Department. Read More Reform or Bust By PAUL KRUGMAN In the grim period that followed Lehman’s failure, it seemed inconceivable that bankers would, just a few months later, be going right back to the practices that brought the world’s financial system to the edge of collapse. At the very least, one might have thought, they would show some restraint for fear of creating a public backlash. But now that we’ve stepped back a few paces from the brink — thanks, let’s not forget, to immense, taxpayer-financed rescue packages — the financial sector is rapidly returning to business as usual. Even as the rest of the nation continues to suffer from rising unemployment and severe hardship, Wall Street paychecks are heading back to pre-crisis levels. And the industry is deploying its political clout to block even the most minimal reforms. The good news is that senior officials in the Obama administration and at the Federal Reserve seem to be losing patience with the industry’s selfishness. The bad news is that it’s not clear whether President Obama himself is ready, even now, to take on the bankers. Read More Sorry, Sir, Firefighting Is A Pre-Existing Condition By Carrie McLaren According to internal insurance industry documents recently released to the press, the reasons health insurers cite to deny insurance to private individuals is limited only by one's imagination: cops. firefighters, construction workers, and war correspondents are among the occupations that some insurance companies have considered deal breakers. Similarly, acne, allergies, ADD, and even bunions have caused companies to deny customers coverage. The nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog released the documents, which date from 2003 to 2006. Known as underwriting guidelines, the materials were used by insurance sales personnel to find customers healthy and low-risk enough to cover. PacifiCare Underwriting Guidelines (2003), for example, instructed underwriters to deny coverage to athletes, loggers, police, firefighters, migrant workers, war coorespondents, and many other "ineligible occupations." Read More Lies My Parents Told Me: Parents Use Deception To Influence Their Children ScienceDaily (Sep. 23, 2009) — Parents say that honesty is the best policy, but they regularly lie to their children as a way of influencing their behaviour and emotions, finds new research from the University of Toronto and the University of California, San Diego. Surprisingly little scholarship has been published on the subject of parental lying, so Gail Heyman, professor of psychology at UC San Diego, Diem Luu, a former UCSD student, and Kang Lee, professor at the University of Toronto and director of the Institute of Child Study at OISE, set out to explore the under-researched phenomenon. They asked U.S. participants in two related studies about parents lying to their children – either for the purpose of promoting appropriate behaviour or to make them happy. In one of the studies, many parents reported they told their young children that bad things would happen if they didn't go to bed or eat what they were supposed to. For example, one mother said she told her child that if he didn't finish all of his food he would get pimples all over his face. Other parents reported inventing magical creatures. One explained, "We told our daughter that if she wrapped up all her pacifiers like gifts, the 'paci-fairy' would come and give them to children who needed them...I thought it was healthier to get rid of the pacifiers, and it was a way for her to feel proud and special." In the other study, the researchers surveyed college students' recollections about their parents' lying and obtained similar results: parents often lie to their children even as they tell them that lying is unacceptable. Read More The Cost Conundrum What a Texas town can teach us about health care. by Atul Gawande It is spring in McAllen, Texas. The morning sun is warm. The streets are lined with palm trees and pickup trucks. McAllen is in Hidalgo County, which has the lowest household income in the country, but it’s a border town, and a thriving foreign-trade zone has kept the unemployment rate below ten per cent. McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. “Lonesome Dove” was set around here. McAllen has another distinction, too: it is one of the most expensive health-care markets in the country. Only Miami—which has much higher labor and living costs—spends more per person on health care. In 2006, Medicare spent fifteen thousand dollars per enrollee here, almost twice the national average. The income per capita is twelve thousand dollars. In other words, Medicare spends three thousand dollars more per person here than the average person earns. The explosive trend in American medical costs seems to have occurred here in an especially intense form. Our country’s health care is by far the most expensive in the world. In Washington, the aim of health-care reform is not just to extend medical coverage to everybody but also to bring costs under control. Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs, and the like now consumes more than one of every six dollars we earn. The financial burden has damaged the global competitiveness of American businesses and bankrupted millions of families, even those with insurance. It’s also devouring our government. “The greatest threat to America’s fiscal health is not Social Security,” President Barack Obama said in a March speech at the White House. “It’s not the investments that we’ve made to rescue our economy during this crisis. By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation’s balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care. It’s not even close.” The question we’re now frantically grappling with is how this came to be, and what can be done about it. McAllen, Texas, the most expensive town in the most expensive country for health care in the world, seemed a good place to look for some answers. Read More	Sign up to have News That Matters Delivered to your email inbox! Email: Support Our Sponsors! Joe Greico's Out On A Limb All types of tree work, all aspects of lawn maintenance, snow plowing, lot clearing, excavation, retaining walls, stump grinding. 82 Hortontown Rd. Kent Cliffs, NY 10512 greico@verizon.net T- (914)224-3049 F- (845)231-0815 TaconicArts.com Interior/Exterior House Painting by someone you can trust. (845) 225-2104 jeff@taconicarts.com
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News That Matters - September 21, 2009

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Good Monday Morning, Happy 5770! Correction: In Friday's NtM we posted the "Plant One On Me" event taking place at Cornerstone Park tomorrow evening. The correct time is 7 PM - 8:30 PM. Saturday was "Talk Like A Pirate Day" and the first day of Rosh Hashana. "Oy Vey! Me hearties!" Also on Saturday, the Kent Fire Department held their first Friendship Night in which the departments they extend mutual aid services to were invited to the station on Route 301 for a party. It was very well attended and a good time was had by all. Our thoughts go out to the family of Michele Capone who died in a one-car accident over the weekend. Michele graduated Carmel HS in 2007 and had just recently moved to Holmes. My friend Patty Villanova who is running in the Republican primary for town council in Putnam Valley, wanted to know why I didn't mention her race in Friday's column. It's now been mentioned. Former Congressman Rick Lazio has announced his plan to run for Governor. The Actor Within is a class given by Lora Lee Ecobelli and hosted by Arts on the Lake. In order to drum up students there will be a free workshop class tomorrow evening (9/22) at 7:30 PM at the Cultural Center on Lake Carmel which is in the old firehouse on Route 52 just south of the Route 311 Causeway. If you're chicken (don't be) or need more information you can write to Lora Lee here. Are you a musician? Do you have a small country-like acoustic group? Putnam County is looking for you! The county needs a band to play at the County Farm Tour on October 4th. The event this year will be held at Mike Beal's Willow Ridge Farm on Canopus Hollow Road in Putnam Valley. You won't get paid but you can sell your wares and you'll be the only band so you'll have no competition. Give George Michaud a call (845) 225-3641 x49310 and tell him Jeff sent you. Net Neutrality is about to win a big Victory when the FCC announces new rules that will prevent internet providers from setting up a class system based on what you use the internet for. Verizon, ATT&T and others have long wanted to create a tiered system where - for the right money - traffic would flow to your website unimpeded. If you didn't pay then traffic to your website could take a little longer, be delayed or not get there at all. Conventional theory about the behavior of light or electromagnetic fields cannot explain Superman's X ray vision. Obviously these theories need to be modified. Public Policy released a poll the other day saying that 16% of New Jersey Republicans believe President Obama is the Antichrist. In the meantime, 83% of all voters believe the Federal Government should NOT be abolished and 89% believe we should keep public education. 32% of Conservative voters do not believe President Obama was born in the United States and 9% were surprised to find out Hawaii was a state. While we're waiting for October to come around to get our Swine Flu shots, scientists and government health officials are warning of a new mosquito borne virus that's decidedly worse than West Nile. Chikungunya virus has spread beyond Africa since 2005, causing outbreaks and scores of fatalities in India and the French island of Reunion. It also has been detected in Italy and France where it has begun to spread locally. When a Florida man suffered a heart attack, he needed to leave his job. Between everyday expenses and medical bills, he fell behind on his mortgage and other bills, and debt collectors began calling. And calling. And calling. Eventually, a lawsuit alleges, the stress from the harassing and abusive phone calls led to the man's death. Frivolous lawsuit? Maybe not. And now, The News: State planning to reform major environmental act Homes Pollute: Linked To 50 Percent More Water Pollution Than Previously Believed Student Loans 101; Hall explains changes to high schoolers You called 911? Without asking first? In hundreds of cities, parking spaces become parks Can a Farm State Feed Itself? Bailout Banks Will Keep Using Your Money For Private Jets Judge slams Kansas town for censoring citizen State planning to reform major environmental act By Alexa James Times Herald-Record Posted: September 20, 2009 - 2:00 AM NEW PALTZ — To get anything built in New York, you've got to survive the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, also known as the most acrimonious acronym in the Hudson Valley. Enacted in 1976, the law requires governmental bodies — from villages to counties — to identify and mitigate significant environmental impacts of any new development or growth. Before a shovel hits the dirt or a permit is approved, the SEQRA must be satisfied. In the Hudson Valley, where real estate and natural resources collide like football linemen, moving through that process can take years. But state officials are now pledging to revisit the system, looking for ways to streamline the law without compromising its purpose. The head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation debuted a plan Thursday that would take shape in the Hudson Valley. The idea: Form a regional workgroup made up of DEC staff, real estate developers, conservationists and members of local planning and zoning boards. Use the group to gather ideas for quick fixes and long-term reforms. "I'm looking for recommendations by the end of the year," said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. Read More Homes Pollute: Linked To 50 Percent More Water Pollution Than Previously Believed They say there's no place like home. But scientists are reporting some unsettling news about homes in the residential areas of California. The typical house there — and probably elsewhere in the country — is an alarming and probably underestimated source of water pollution, according to a new study reported recently at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. In the study, Lorence Oki, Darren Haver and colleagues explain that runoff results from rainfall and watering of lawns and gardens, which winds up in municipal storm drains. The runoff washes fertilizers, pesticides and other contaminants into storm drains, and they eventually appear in rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. Read More Student Loans 101; Hall explains changes to high schoolers GOSHEN - Congressman John Hall announced the passing of H.R. 3221, or The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), to an auditorium full of High School seniors at Goshen Central High School Friday morning and explained to them what impact this piece of legislation would have on their graduating class and all others to follow. According to Congressman Hall, “H.R. 3221 increases the amount of money available for Pell Grants and other student loans by $40 billion over the next ten years.”The process of making this $40 billion available also, “saves the Federal Government $87 billion.” The way,  “to make $40 billion available that is not currently available and still save $87 billion over ten years,” Hall explained, “is by cutting out the middle man.” “The Federal Treasury gives the money to the banks, provides them with an incentive to lend it, and then guarantees it, so we … it’s not just the student’s parents who cosign the loan; the Federal Government guarantees it 100% so the bank has absolutely no risk.” Read More You called 911? Without asking first? By Jill Hudgins Self-employed and uninsured, she's on the 'never-get-sick' plan. Calling the paramedics might not be doing her a favor. I can't afford to get sick. Like 46.3 million other Americans, I don't have health insurance. The government should issue identification tags for people like me. Call it a DND (Do Not Dial) order for the medically uninsured. That way, if strangers see us on the street -- injured, ill or otherwise ailing -- they won't be tempted to call 911. They'll spot the DND tag and keep on walking. They'll tell other passersby, "Don't bother, she doesn't have insurance." When my mother saw me suffer a seizure four years back, like any worried parent, she ran for the phone. Later at the hospital, instead of thanking her for calling the paramedics, I asked, "You couldn't have waited until I stopped shaking?" "Jill, you were foaming at the mouth," she said, "and moaning, with your eyes rolled back in your head." "Still, you couldn't have waited?" Or called my insurance company (I had coverage at the time) to find out what kind of treatment my plan would pay for after a grand mal seizure? Read More In hundreds of cities, parking spaces become parks By DAISY NGUYEN Associated Press Writer Activists across the nation parked themselves curbside Friday, taking up spaces reserved for cars and transforming them into mini parks with sod, potted plants, lawn chairs and even barbecues to raise awareness about how the auto has won the battle over public space in big cities. On a busy street in Los Angeles, a neighborhood association took up seven parking spots and set up a hangout with a grill, a kiddie pool and a gardening workshop to teach people how to grow drought-tolerant plants. In Chicago, an architecture firm turned two parking spaces into a pit stop where bicyclists can chill out on a grassy knoll and refuel on drinks and snacks. In New York City, theater students from Fordham University staged a "Shakespeare in the Parking Spot" festival. Construction workers on their lunch break sat on cardboard chairs and watched the students read "Romeo and Juliet," "Richard III" and other plays from a portable stage. "I was impressed," said adjunct professor Sandra McKee. "They did some interesting interpretations and they projected their voice well. Of course, they had to compete with the cars." Read More Can a Farm State Feed Itself? by: Brooke Jarvis  |  YES! Magazine According to the local multiplier effect, if a state increases it's local food sales it will boost it's economy. Illinois, home to 76,000 farms and more than 950 food manufacturing companies, is a solidly agricultural state in the heart of America’s bread basket. Fully 80 percent of it is farmland. But, of all the food eaten in Illinois, only four percent is actually grown there. Vast quantities of food are exported to other states and nations, while similarly vast quantities are brought in to feed Illinois’ citizens. It’s a costly arrangement that leaves too many people without enough access to healthy fruits and vegetables. A new bill, recently signed by Governor Patrick Quinn, will make it easier for farmers to sell their harvests within Illinois instead of shipping them out of state. But first, the state had to figure out what had been making it so hard. Read More Bailout Banks Will Keep Using Your Money For Private Jets By Marc Perton, 4:12 PM on Tue Sep 15 2009 Under government pressure — and by "pressure" we mean asking meekly in a very soft voice — companies that have received funding from the taxpayer-funded TARP program have outlined the controls they plan to put in place to limit "luxury expenditures." And — surprise! — the definition of "luxury" is very different for the corporate titans spending your money. While most big banks have put at least some limits on personal use of corporate jets, many seem to echo Bank of America's policies on official use, which state that that execs can use private planes for "safety and efficiency reasons," no advance approval required. Most of the bailed out banks, as well as auto manufacturers Chrysler and GM, will still allow top execs to use private planes for at least some business trips, and some, like Bank of America, seem to encourage it, with policies that authorize "reasonable usage of the aircraft and other upgraded transportation services for conducting the business of Bank of America." Private use of company planes is now mostly off limits, and Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, who had an exemption from that company's no-private-use policy, has said he'll honor it regardless. Read More Judge slams Kansas town for censoring citizen Rules ban on comments on gambling's 'social ills' violated First Amendment @2009 Worldnet Daily A federal judge has ruled that town officials holding a public meeting to talk about a massive casino project proposed for their area cannot ban statements about the "social ills" of gambling if they allow discussion of the industry's benefits. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Monte Belot in Wichita, Kan., concluded that officials in the city of Mulvane violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when the mayor ordered police to escort a known gambling critic out of a public meeting. Mayor Jim Ford had announced before the meeting that no discussion of "social ills" would be allowed, but then he allowed discussion of social benefits. "Mulvane's restriction would have passed Constitutional muster (i.e. would have been both viewpoint and content neutral) if it had simply precluded the 'social benefits' as well as the 'social ills' of gambling and/or if Mayor Ford had enforced the restriction as announced. In other words, at least in theory, a restriction could have been imposed and enforced which could have passed strict scrutiny, i.e. narrowly-enough tailored to serve the compelling government interest of good order at the meeting," the judge ruled. "Or Mayor Ford could have told Farnsworth to save her comments for the public session. Read More	Sign up to have News That Matters Delivered to your email inbox! Email:   Support Our Sponsors! Joe Greico's Out On A Limb All types of tree work, all aspects of lawn maintenance, snow plowing, lot clearing, excavation, retaining walls, stump grinding. 82 Hortontown Rd. Kent Cliffs, NY 10512 greico@verizon.net T- (914)224-3049 F- (845)231-0815 TaconicArts.com Interior/Exterior House Painting by someone you can trust. (845) 225-2104 jeff@taconicarts.com
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News That Matters - September 18, 2009 - Things To Do Edition

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Good Friday Morning, Why was it dark and 43° this morning when I woke up? What's with that? Someone tell Joe Lindsley that, as promised, I bought a copy of his paper yesterday. Rush Limbaugh called for segregated public buses. Huh. There was no News That Matters on Wednesday this week as I was recovering from the primary elections the day before and being on-the-go for 16 hours straight is draining. The race I was in is still up in the air as the write-in and absentee ballots will not be counted until next Tuesday, but I go into the general election on two lines in any case. There were a number of upsets and surprises and even at that, reports say that many of the races assumed won or lost may change come the final tally so we're all just sitting back and waiting until then. And let me tell you - it's quite nerve-wracking. There were three Big Races: one for Sheriff, the judges' race in Kent and the Republican primary for town council in Southeast. All three races were hotly contested with accusations and mud being slung from all corners. Here in Kent I had to comment to one of the judicial candidates that I would have to start putting up billboards showing trees and plants just to remind us of what lay behind the virtual blockade of the landscape created by his, and his opponents signs. Between the Sheriff's, judicial candidates and one town board contestant it was the worst blight I'd ever seen. I opted not to follow suit with the others by plastering the town with signs since, if the guy with the most signs wins, Ben Shuldiner would be our Congressman today. Who is Ben Shuldiner? Exactly. Anyway, enough of all that stuff and on to the weekend! Get yourself outside and do something like taking a hike to Earl's Chimney at Fahnestock State Park. This is an easy 2 mile (round trip) "Granny" hike above a small gorge with an ancient, collapsed dam, along some sweet wetlands, through a pine grove and finishes with a slam-dunk view over the Hudson Valley. The hike steps off on Highland Road directly across from the Garrison Fish and Game Club in Philipstown. The key is to take the right-hand trail at every intersection until you reach Earl's Chimney and its fantastic vista at the end. More information and a detailed trail map can be found at PlanPutnam's Outdoor Recreation pages or here. All Weekend: 2009 Hudson River Valley Ramble Collaborative Concepts Outdoor Sculpture Show Saturday: Van Wyck Homestead Museum What Henry Saw - And More Icons of the Hudson: Portrait of a River Michelle LeBlanc Jazz Trio Sunday: Constitution Island: American Landmark Into the Future: Tuesday, September 22 Plant One On Me Wednesday, September 23 Strengthening Environmental Intermunicipal Agreements Saturday, September 26 “Plein Air” Day in the Great Swamp and its Watershed All Weekend: 2009 Hudson River Valley Ramble The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, Hudson River Valley Greenway and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program is encouraging residents of the Hudson Valley and beyond to get ready for the Tenth Annual Hudson River Valley Ramble, scheduled weekends through September.  Nearly 300 events for the 2009 Hudson River Valley Ramble have been posted on the Ramble website so be sure to visit www.hudsonrivervalley.com/ramble to find an event near you!  Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy guided walking, hiking, kayaking and biking experiences, estuary explorations and historic site tours that highlight the significant historical, cultural and natural resources found throughout the Hudson River Valley.   This year, the 2009 Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial Commission has partnered with the National Heritage Area and the Historic House Trust of New York City to inaugurate the state’s first ever New York Heritage Weekend which will be held during the second weekend of the Ramble, September 12-13.  During this special weekend, museums, historical societies, heritage areas, historic places, parks, and recreation areas of the Hudson and Champlain valleys will welcome visitors free of charge or at significantly reduced rates for exploration and participation in special events.  Heritage Weekend event listings can be found on the Ramble website or by visiting www.heritageweekend.org.   For more information on the Hudson River Valley Ramble, see  http://www.hudsonrivervalleyramble.com/home.aspx Collaborative Concepts Outdoor Sculpture Show The Collaborative Concepts Outdoor Art Exhibit begins this weekend (and runs through October) on Sandy Saunder’s Farm at the intersection of the Old Albany Post Road and Highlands Road in Philipstown. Admission is free and the scenery is ‘to die for’. Don’t miss this show. Collaborative Concepts invited local, national, and international artists to place sculptures throughout 100 acres of an historic farm in Garrison, NY. The rolling hills and wooded glens of Saunders Farm culminate in panoramic views of the Hudson Highlands. Black Angus cattle can be seen grazing peacefully in stone-walled pastures. More than 50 site-specific artworks were chosen to complement the farm’s spectacular vistas. The exhibition is free and can be viewed from 10 am to dusk, Labor Day weekend into late October. Visitors should dress appropriately for a walk in the country. Saturday: Van Wyck Homestead Museum 10 AM - 4 PM. 504 Rt 9 (Rt 9 & I 84) Revolutionary War Weekend. Re-enactors' encampment. Exhibits of Artifacts from the Fishkill Supply Depot, 1776-1783.  Sunday, Sept. 20, 11 AM. Presentation by Elizabeth Kaplan on "George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring" courtesy of the NYS Council on the Humanites. What Henry Saw - And More 10 AM - Celebrate the Quadricentennial with an exploration of Henry Hudson’s journey aboard the Half Moon along "The Devil’s Horserace." Local Hudson River historian Ray Phillips will begin the discussion at the Fort Montgomery promontory, one of the most amazing concentrations of military, cultural and natural history sights in America, and then take a stroll across the Bear Mountain Bridge to ponder what we’d see if we travelled back in time to 1609, before, and since. Pack a picnic to enjoy at the Center after the hike. Part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble. Meet: 10am Fort Montgomery Visitors’ Center Duration: 2.0 hrs. Level: Moderate Icons of the Hudson: Portrait of a River Noon - 2PM - Opening Reception. This solo exhibition featuring Joseph Squillante, Hudson River photographer, will be open from September 19 through October 25.  The opening reception will be held on Sept. 19, from noon – 2pm.  Location:  The Field Library, 4 Nelson Avenue, Peekskill, NY Michelle LeBlanc Jazz Trio 7:30pm - 10:30 pm - Featuring guitarist Steve Lamattina and bassist Bill Conway at the The Division Street Grill 26 North Division Street, Peekskill NY 10566. Call for dinner reservations: 914 739 6380. Sunday: Constitution Island: American Landmark Putnam Arts Council is pleased to announce our September film, "Constitution Island: American Landmark" screened in honor of the Hudson Quadricentennial. This brief documentary written and presented by Richard de Koster, executive director of the Constitution Island Association, includes wonderful material about Constitution  Island and its history, and has recently been the recipient of a GHHN Award toward Excellence. The screening, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20 at noon, co-ordinates with the dates logged for Henry Hudson sailing up that area of the river (Sept. 15, 1609), and will be offered at the Arts Council’s headquarters at Tilly Foster Farm, Building #8. Other screenings in this series include “Who Does She Think She Is” (10/24) which explores the different tasks and presumptions female artists frequently must address, and “Sand and Sorrow”, an in depth look inside the Darfur crisis (11/15). This series is made possible by the continued sponsorship of SLS Health Services, and in the words of PAC Director, Joyce Picone, “…has been designed to not only bring access to free screenings of several films that our audience may be seeing for the first time, but also to try and spark a conversation and prompt an exchange of ideas among those who attend.” Reservations are requested as seating is limited and admission and parking are free. For directions or more information on our Independent Film Series and all our programs, classes, special events and services, visit our website: putnamartscouncil.com Into the Future: Tuesday, September 22 Plant One On Me Urging businesses and homeowners to plant flowers along road frontages. 8:30PM Kick-off Party at Cornerstone Park at Fiar Street and Route 52 in the Hamlet of Carmel. Co-sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension 845- 278-6738 Welcoming remarks from Ken Schmitt, Supervisor, Town of Carmel. Learn how to improve your curb appeal/value of your home or business…and your quality of life. Learn why Daffodils are the perfect roadside plant. Learn which plants are road salt tolerant & deer resistant (free list of plants for sun or shade). RSVP by Sept. 21 so we can get enough coffee and deserts (Yum!). Contact: Walt Thompson at Keep Putnam Beautiful. Putnam County Health Department, 1 Geneva Road Brewster , NY 10509 Phone: 845-278-6130 X 43155 Web site: www.putnamcountyny.com/kpb Wednesday, September 23 Strengthening Environmental Intermunicipal Agreements Guest Speaker: Tiffany Zezula, Pace Land Use Law Center. As part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County (CCEDC) Environment Program Open Educational Forum series, Tiffany Zezula, Director of Training at the Pace Land Use Law Center, will present on strengthening intermunicipal agreements to protect environmental resources. Intermunicipal planning and agreements (IMAs) can be effective ways for communities to preserve and enhance joint resources, especially natural resources that often extend beyond political boundaries. Through intermunicipal agreements, towns, villages, and cities can ensure greater cooperation and consistency in planning decisions across adjacent communities.  In Dutchess County, there are at least three intermunicipal agreements in place for watershed management and MS4 stormwater compliance.  The forum will provide information on effective strategies for IMAs, as well as help officials and volunteers brainstorm ideas for strengthening and improving IMA effectiveness given limited resources and time.  For more information or questions about this forum, contact 845-677-8229, ext. 153. Location:  CCEDC is located at the Farm and Home Center in Millbrook, NY (2715 Route 44.) Saturday, September 26 “Plein Air” Day in the Great Swamp and its Watershed Plein Air means, "In the open air". Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) has held its very Successful Art Show for the past fifteen years at Christ Church on Quaker Hill in Pawling in Late October. We draw over 2000 people to the Show each year. We are holding the Show again this year—on October 24th and 25th but to Celebrate the wonders of the Harlem Valley---Great Swamp Watershed and give artists a special event opportunity to create a work outdoors in the Swamp and its environs. Complete information for the Plein Air event can be found here. Create a work in the medium of your choice on September 26th. Frame and wire the work for hanging, finish up if necessary. Standard sized works that you expect to sell in the $100 to $700 price range are best. Bring them to Christ Church on Quaker Hill on Thursday, Oct. 22nd for hanging in a Special Section of our annual Art Show . Each artist participating in the plein air event may bring one other work to be auctioned as well. We will auction all the works created at a Special Addition to the Show at a reception and auction on Saturday Evening October 24th. All works will be auctioned that evening; minimum bid will be set at $ 200 unless the artist agrees to less 50% of the proceeds of the auction will go to the artist, 50% will be a donation to FrOGS in support of its continuing efforts at Education and Art appreciation in and around the Great Swamp	Sign up to have News That Matters Delivered to your email inbox! Email: Support Our Sponsors! Joe Greico's Out On A Limb All types of tree work, all aspects of lawn maintenance, snow plowing, lot clearing, excavation, retaining walls, stump grinding. 82 Hortontown Rd. Kent Cliffs, NY 10512 greico@verizon.net T- (914)224-3049 F- (845)231-0815 TaconicArts.com Interior/Exterior House Painting by someone you can trust. (845) 225-2104 jeff@taconicarts.com
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