Tompkins Weekly Online - Lisa Randall
Transcription
Tompkins Weekly Online - Lisa Randall
www.tompkinsweekly.com Locally Owned & Operated Your source for local news & events ALSO IN THIS ISSUE… Volume 1, No. 16 • January 29-February 4, 2007 Barber Eyes a Change in Venue By Ann Krajewski Town of Caroline Supervisor Don Barber, who has been involved in local politics since 1983, is mullling a change of office and considering a run for New York State Senate. Barber, a Democrat, recently granted an interview with Tompkins Weekly at his farm on Landon Road. Photo by Ann Krajweski County succeeds with Recycling efforts ........page 2 TW - Why run for the Senate, and why now? Tax abatements topic of negotiations ............page 4 Dryden board revises school referendum ..page 5 Opinion and letters page 6 Cramped quarters at Lansing schools..........page 8 Physicist thinks outside the box ............................page 9 Public weighs in on comprehensive plan ........page 11 Taking a dim view of the future ......................page 11 DB – “First of all, it’s not clear that I am running. I’ve entertained the idea. This came about because I enjoy politics and I like what I’m doing at the town level and also the county level with a number of different initiatives. So I feel I can move pretty well through the political mix, knowing that each of these entities has a completely differentset of circumstances. I’d like to do what I can for my neighbors and my family who live in nearby Danby, where I grew up, knowing the pressures Volunteer driver Tan Bradfield helps Challenge client Michael Kirkwood get on the Gadabout bus. that are on upstate New York. “I have three daughters, one of whom has already moved outside the state to find work. The middle daughter is still in [New York] and my youngest is at Cornell. But I’m jconcerned that all of them are looking these issues and I have a deep and abiding concern for them. I’m not sure that a lot of people in Albany do. I think that they live on a whole different plateau. And so that's the passion I bring. I’m not sure where the best place is to work on that passion. It could be as a New York State Senator. People have told me that I’d be good, that I could be a great voice. District 51 is a gerrymandered district, but in doing so they only have two cities, Cortland and Oneonta. All the rest of it is towns.” TW – How did you become the Town of Caroline Supervisor? DB – “I was first elected to the town board in 1993. At the time I was the only Democrat. Four years later, when my term ran out as councilman, Bob Spaulding, supervisor at the time, was in a career change and no longer had the time to be in the position. I then ran for opportunities and they're not finding them around here. I have a 75acre farm, and in past generations you would have your kids move near you but it’s not even in the cards these days. It has happened to so many people, and I feel like I understand Please turn to page 14 Town Contest Starts Early ByMike Levy Town of Ithaca residents should not fear a vacuum in their leadership now that long-time supervisor Cathy Valentino has decided not to seek a fourth term of office. Two Democratic candidates emerged soon after Valentino announced her decision in mid-January, marking an early start to the town supervisor race. Tim Joseph and Herb Engman have both tossed their hats into the ring. Both have recent experience in governance — Joseph on the county level and Engman with the town. And both would like to avoid a primary election, deferring instead to the town Democratic committee to select a candidate. Joseph, who has served 25 years with the Tompkins County Legislature, including the last six as chairperson, wants to lead the town into a future where success means less dependence on oil. “I think we’ll be coming to a crisis point where a carbased transportation system is simply not going to be possible anymore,” he says. “If it came today, we’d be in serious trouble.” Joseph sees a need for a fresh approach to the town’s development. “It has to have pockets of density…you don’t sprawl all over the place, you live in compact areas,” he says. “Rather than separating workplace, residence and commercial in the way that so much land use regulation now does, you mingle everything.” His proposed move to town government is a necessary step toward realizing this goal, Joseph says. “The physical layout of the community is done at the town level. I have been getting more involved in those issues through my county work- working on affordable housing and the county comprehensive plan on economic development.” Joseph believes he is qualified to affect the type of change he envisions. “I have an ability to articulate a vision and the ability to work across a broad spectrum of people who don’t necessarily agree on a lot of stuff but need to work together.” Engman, a town board member for more than three years, believes he has a similar ability to work with people. “I know all the other town board members and have worked very successfully with them,” he says. “I also know all the staff, so I wouldn’t have a problem in terms of trust. I think I’m in a good position Photo provided Council of governments gets to work ..................page 3 FREE Tim Joseph to be a good town supervisor.” Engman describes the supervisor’s job as mostly administrative, a role for which he believes he is well suited. He is currently a senior extension associate at Cornell, and has also served as director of the university’s migrant program. Other duties have included state leader for youth community action, a position connected with 4-H. Engman says he has had responsibility for as many as 50 employees at a time, has handled large budgets and raised money through more than a dozen grants. “I’m not awed by the administrative challenges,” he says. “I think I’ll do just fine with those.” “It’s going to be a very, very hard decision to make,” says Ithaca Democratic Committee Chair Merry Jo Bauer. “They’re both experienced, qualified and good people. Of course, we have to consider that there might be other candidates.” Bauer estimates that the decision process could take as long as four to six weeks. The committee will search for and interview potential candidates for the supervisor job as well as for the three town board positions on the ballot in November. The group will then present a report to the town’s Democratic committee, which will endorse a candidate. While it’s possible that the selection of a Democratic candidate will go no further than this, a close vote might be cause for a primary election. “The loser has every right to challenge the committee’s endorsement,” says Bauer, though she suggests that such an outcome is unlikely. The selection process is an excellent opportunity for registered Democrats to get involved in town politics and decision-making, Bauer says. One option is to run for elective office, another is to seek an appointment to a town committee and a third is becoming a member of the Please turn to page 16 County Succeeds in Losing Waste This is the second insallment of a two-part series on solid waate and recycling in Tompkins County. “When we started it was all about the old landfill,” relates Barbara Eckstrom, Tompkins County’s Solid Waste (TCSW) manager. Eckstrom, who has worked in the solid waste department for 21 years, adds, “I remember watching Montgomery Ward bringing in all this furniture. It was in good shape and somebody could have used it, but they slashed it all and then dumped it. When I asked the guy driving the truck about it, he said, ‘Our policy is we're not allowed to give it away.’ And that was common. Desks from Cornell and furniture from other businesses all went in the landfill. And I thought, ‘There's got to be a better way.’” Eckstrom describes the county’s waste disposal effort as “taking that waste stream and dividing and conquering it.” TCSW is not so much about throwing things away anymore as about re-apportioning them. Much of what used to be considered garbage is now recycled, and as people become more conscious of the waste problem they reduce the amount of stuff they discard. Further, throwing things out is more expensive in the end, and causes more problems, than recycling them or re-using them. Tompkins County has the highest recycling rate per capita in New York State, but “There’s still a lot more we can do,” says Tom Richardson, recycling supervisor. Richardson is happy to conduct a tour of the recycling center, bring- 2 Tompkins Weekly January 29 Photo by Kathy Morris By Glynis Hart With a concerted effort Tompkins County is dividing and conquering the waste stream, says Barbara Eckstrom, solid waste manager. ing groups of kids or adults into the transfer station to watch the process. In the front bays of the building huge piles of recyclable containers and paper and cardboard waste are loaded onto conveyors, which feed into a processing station on the other side of the wall. The tour group gets to go behind the wall and watch the sorting process; today the sorters are picking cardboard out of the paper feeds. The paper goes forward and is collected in 1,000-pound square bales, while the cardboard goes into a separate bin to wait its turn. The bales, whether they are paper, metal or plastic, are marketed for Tompkins County by Recycle America. Depending on the type of material, they go to a variety of buyers and end up back on the market in new forms. As such, recycling brings in a profit. Since 1990 the waste stream has been reduced in Tompkins County by 50 percent. “What I’d like to see happen is for it to go down another 25 percent in the next 10 years,” says Eckstrom. There are a number of initiatives underway to make that happen. Some existing programs will be more effective if more people know about them, so the push is on to get the word out. A new county solid waste Web site (recycletompkins.org) now lets residents know where and how they can reduce the amount of waste they send to the landfill. Most people are unaware that Tompkins County is piloting a food composting program for residents and small businesses. While there is already a food composting program in place for large businesses— Ithaca College has been successfully composting its dining hall refuse—this new initiative will help residents reduce their household trash fees. Many rural residents are familiar with and practice composting. Now apartment dwellers and those without yards will be able to do the same. “If you think about it, that’s the heaviest part of the waste," says Skip Parr, solid waste operations specialist. “We already know it’s going to be a cost savings.” TCSW is still gathering data on the composting programs, but they already know that composting waste has the virtue of eliminating the disposal fee. TCSW works with several local organizations to reduce the waste stream. Paint can be recycled through a partnership with Significant Elements, which also handles construction and architectural items. TCSW encourages consumers to buy green products, and fingerlakesbuygreen.org serves as a tool for consumers looking for recycled products. Users can click on a product listed online and see where to find it. Through Sister2Sister TCSW promotes green body products, such as mascara that doesn’t contain tar, to adolescent girls. Linette Short, communication and administration coordinator at TCSW, regularly visits schools or local organPlease turn to page 16 By Danielle Klock Community leaders have discovered that the borders within Tompkins County do not define their only common ground. The formation of the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG), led by elected chair Don Barber, means that representatives from all 17 of the county's municipalities can now communicate more effectively, share information and work together on common issues to deliver government services in a “more efficient and fiscally responsible" manner, according to the group's bylaws. According to Barber, Town of Caroline Supervisor, the council brings a holistic perspective to local decision-making. He emphasizes that although Tompkins County; the City of Ithaca; the towns of Caroline, Danby, Dryden, Enfield, Groton, Ithaca, Lansing and Ulysses; and the villages of Cayuga Heights, Dryden, Freeville, Groton and Trumansburg all have separate governing bodies, they certainly do not have isolated concerns. “As development makes the spaces between our communities shrink, with the increasing demands being placed on local governments by our state legislature, and with increasing property taxes, a council of governments whose purpose is to find ways to increase efficiency of service delivery is a positive step,” Barber says. Ithaca Town Supervisor Cathy Valentino certainly agrees. It was Valentino who envisioned this kind of cooperation about four years ago, and initiated the council’s formation by inviting Carol Sweeney, Supervisor for the Town of Owego, to a meeting to discuss Tioga County’s Council of Governments. The TCCOG is modeled after the neighboring county’s organization, which has been meeting monthly since the early 1990s to share ideas and pool resources among Tioga’s nine town and six village governments to work most effectively, both individually and as a whole. “We followed a lot of the things they did,” Valentino says. Valentino, who announced recently that she will not seek reelection in 2008 and plans to retire, felt that the municipalities within Tompkins County were entirely too isolated from not only each other, but also from the county government. She cites inter-municipal cooperation as a driving force behind her initiative. “I wanted to find a way to bridge that gap.” Find it she did. And the show of support is as great as she had hoped. Since TCCOG is designed to establish non-binding resolutions, none of the municipalities is required to participate in the council. But each and every one of them has voluntarily decided to sign on. Doug Austic, Ulysses Town Supervisor and vice chair of the TCCOG, describes why voluntarily cooperation on issues such as health insurance for municipal workers (the group’s current priority) and road maintenance are appealing ideas not just to legislators, but also to Tompkins County residents. “The smaller communities don’t have the resources," he says. And Photo provided Towns, Villages Find Common Ground Cathy Valentino has been a driving force behind the council of governments. apparently the resources that are there can sometimes be used more effectively. As an example, Austic cites re-allocating road domains between the Town of Ulysses and Tompkins County. Some roads that were county roads could be better serviced by the town’s highway department because of location, he notes, while other roads designated as town roads have become more frequently used by a greater number of people to reach neighboring areas in the county. These roads are better suited for county services, Austic explains, and so the designations are being changed to reduce overall costs. “The final tax bill is less if one of those groups saves money. Then the taxpayers save money.” The TCCOG also serves as a forum for county officials to disseminate and gather information that will affect all of the municipalities, such as the new public safety communication system. The new 800 mHz system, which includes a 195-foot tower on the Ithaca College campus, will replace dated equipment and piecemeal communication frequencies to allow emergency responders and dispatchers from various public safety departments to communicate with each other through a centralized system. All of the municipalities will use it, so having a clear channel to work together in making the change smoothly is important. But potentially one of the most interesting aspects of the new inter-municipal organization is that previously disconnected communities will now have a better understanding of how decisions in one place affect the others. With non-binding resolutions, leaders in one town can help make decisions and provide solidarity for the entire county without having to participate in individual policies. A case in point is health insurance for municipal workers. With a larger group, lower premiums and better coverage may be secured, but if one of the towns already has lower costs than the larger group plan, it would not make sense for that area to participate. And they would not have to. The council has already asked for state grant support, under the Department of State’s Shared Municipal Services Initiatives program, to investigate the health insurance issue. Valentino also says that formation of the TCCOG means potentially more influence at the state Please turn to page 16 We Buy, We Sell You Save New and Used Snowboards-$69.9 9 & up, Cross-Country skis-$29.9 9 & up, Snowshoes-$79.9 9 & up, Ski Boards & Alpine Skis$49.9 9 & up. Check us Out! INSTANT REPLAY SPORTS A Family Series @ TC3, Dryden A Musical Showcase with Bart &Kevin 10:30am Sat Feb 3 Musical entertainment with valuable lessons on manners, tolerance & more Balloon Twisting Funshop 10:30am Sat., Mar. 3, Learn how to make balloon animals & more amazing creations. All ages. Programs are in the Frank K. Taylor For um at the TC3 in Dr yden. Tickets: $4 in advance; $6 at show 315 Third St. Ithaca 277-7366 at the Rink in Lansing, 216-0056 [email protected] Available at Student Activities Office in Dryden; and at Cortland & Ithaca extension sites. Call 844-8222 ext. 4450 e-mail [email protected] Tompkins Weekly January 29 3 City, IDA Continue Talks on Tax Breaks By Nate Dougherty It was among the top items on common council’s agenda for the beginning of 2007, but plans to coordinate with the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to create a system of ranking applicants seeking tax abatements from the city apparently need more work. The Community Investment Incentive Program, which would replace Ithaca’s current density policy, would prioritize companies based on criteria determined by the city and IDA. Under the original intent, common council would evaluate the tax break requests, rank them separately from the IDA and then pass along its recommendations. But IDA officials wanted more say in the original evaluations. “At the last IDA meeting, officials said they were interested in what we’ve developed but aren’t ready to sign on just yet,” says council member Dan Cogan (D-Ward Five), who headed a subcommittee on the program. “They’re just not ready to relinquish decisions on community benefits, but they understand it’s the goal to do this kind of evaluation early on in the process.” The new program is meant to bring the IDA and city together when evaluating tax breaks for companies in dense areas of the city, reducing the time companies spend in the application process. It is also meant to cut back on duplications between the city’s and IDA’s evaluations. Criteria for the city’s point system would include a number of items, including whether there are officials discuss where they believe the program should go next. He says members of the subcommittee should attend the next IDA meeting to get on the same page. “We recognize that we need to allow the IDA to get further in its discussions,” says Cogan. “Our "[The IDA] is just not ready to relinquish desicions on community benefits, but they understand it’s the goal to do this kind of evaluation early on.” - Dan Cogan green building components to a project, or if the developer is sensitive to race and gender in its hiring practices. “It’s not as if any developer would have to fulfill each of those desirable goals,” says Council Member Maria Coles (D-Ward One). “They would be rated according to how many they fill. If affordable housing is part of any development, or if the developer uses materials that are easily produced and do not inflict harm on the environment in the production, like vinyl in housing, that would be a plus for them.” Cogan suggests that council wait until the next IDA meeting to let subcommittee could convene again to discuss this, but it would be more fruitful for us to start again once [the IDA] has met.” Council members involved in the project have said they hope that if the IDA does agree to the project, the city could take on a larger role in tax abatement decisions. “As we put this together, the idea is that a project would come to council for endorsement after everything is finished,” says J.R. Clairborne (DWard Two). “Our endorsement wouldn’t necessarily mean the project is selected by the IDA, but we would hope that it carries some weight.” Mayor Carolyn Peterson says finding a way for the city and IDA to agree on a process is crucial if the program is to work. She notes that some concerns have been raised about using a cut-and-dry point system versus a more subjective evaluation of applications. “One of the major issues is finding a way to interface with the IDA so they’re aware of an issues early on,” Peterson says. The most important thing now is for the IDA and the city begin to work on jointly agreed upon criteria, Cogan says. If this isn’t accomplished, then the program won’t get past the complaints of the lagging and redundant process it now faces. “In addition to a parallel [approval] process, we’d like to have one set of criteria shared by both groups,” Cogan says. “We don’t want to adopt something like this then start using it and have the IDA come up with something completely different.” Though there may have been some friction in these initial efforts, Cogan says the work is nonetheless important and lays the groundwork for future program development. “What we’ve done so far is valuable,” he says. “We sent a strong message to the IDA, and now we can have a back-and-forth with them.” Residents’ Lawsuit Targets Dog Park The City of Ithaca’s decision to authorize an off-leash dog park is the target of a lawsuit filed by a group of local residents who charge that the city failed to meet requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Ithaca’s common council late last year agreed to suspend for a year the leash law for dogs in the proposed dog park, located on the city’s 15-acre Festival Lands property, which is surrounded by the Allan H. Treman State Marine Park. The lawsuit alleges that a oneyear period covering two bird migrations and a nesting season is not temporary, and that there is no way know if the dog park will have an adverse impact on the environment without an official review. The Plaintiffs include Herb Engman, Mark Whitmore, Kenny Christianson and Joyce Gerbasi. “In addition to the violation of the SEQRA law, this is an open-gov- 4 Tompkins Weekly January 29 ernment issue” says Whitmore, in a statement. “By failing to conduct a SEQRA review, the city neglected to involve a broader range of persons and groups as envisioned by SEQRA.” At issue is the impact on grassland habitat in the Festival Lands and both grassland and shoreline habitats in the state marine park posed by dogs running loose. “Without a fence it is hard to imagine how dogs and their owners can be kept from encroaching on the natural habitats,” Christianson says. “Dogs have been observed entering the high grass areas on a regular basis since the off-leash area opened. They also have been observed going onto State Park property illegally, since all dogs still must be leashed on the state land.” The suit charges that common council created the dog park without any SEQRA review despite advice to the contrary given by city attorney Dan Hoffman. The city’s park commission also advised lawmakers that a dog park at the Festival Lands was ill advised. According to the plaintiffs, Ron Stewart, regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, wrote to Mayor Carolyn Peterson in a letter dated two weeks before the off-leash area became effective, saying “It is the position of OPRHP that the city’s rescission of the leash law is neither minor nor temporary and is an action that should be subject to a New York Quality State Environmental Review.” Both the County Legislature and the Tompkins County EnvironCouncil mental Management passed resolutions in November advising the city to conduct a full environmental review, and to install fencing to protect the grass- land nesting areas, Hog Hole (a state-declared wetland and a county Unique Natural Area) and the shoreline habitat, the suit contnds. Common council’s decision goes against a long history of cooperation among the city, state parks, the Tompkins County EMC and other environmental groups, according to the complaint. It also alleges that city lawmakers bowed to pressure exerted by the Tompkins County Dog Owners Group. “There is no reason that a dog park cannot be compatible with all the other multiple uses of the Festival and State Parks lands,” Gerbasi says in a statement. “It simply must be done in the proper manner, which includes a SEQRA review before implementing the offleash area and putting up a fence completely surrounding the dog park to protect both dogs and other users of the areas.” Dryden Supplements School Referendum By Anthony Hall The Dryden Central School District Board of Education approved a $4.26 million referendum at its January 22 meeting, then debated the merits of billing the project of maintenance and security upgrades as one that won’t impact local taxes. As it turns out, the board put its toe just over the line, dipping ever so slightly into the district’s general fund for $38,500 and using another $72,000 set aside by the school board five years ago for security purposes. In doing so, the board lost a public relations opportunity: the ability to sell a capital improvement project of over $3 million as a freebie. But of course, nothing is really free. “It’s still all tax dollars, when you think about it,” says board member Chris Gibbons, somewhat blithely. It’s true. School boards love to paint state aid money as manna from heaven, as if upstate was spending downstate money and vice-versa, when the bottom line is that state tax dollars from all New York State residents are used. It is public money and it doesn’t come from nowhere. On the other hand, it sure looks good when the state offers EXCEL money (which comes from a lawsuit filed on behalf of New York City schools demanding a new formula for state aid), then tells school districts they can use that money as the local contribution for building projects, which then generate more state aid. The money, accord- ing to the rules, can be used for projects that fall into broad categories such as education technology, health and safety, accessibility, physical capacity expansion (to accommodate more students) and energy. In Dryden’s case, the state procured $578,000 in EXCEL money, which the district can use to generate a $2.5 million contribution from the state, which sounds like a lot of maintenance work for free. And district voters have been adamant about improving building maintenance, according to board member Karin LaMotte. “I hear that all the time,” she says. As a result, board members worked from a priority list that includes items the public will hardly notice. The most expensive item is a new roof for the “A” wing of the high school ($690,000), followed by unit ventilators in the middle school ($428,000). Two new boilers for the middle school ($252,000), some new plumbing, phone upgrades, disability accessible parking and walkways for the school auditorium, and a new ramp at the middle school front entrance are included in the package. The board then decided to stretch the dollars as far as they deemed safe for a district that approved the last school budget by less than 40 votes and has had even closer votes in recent years. Five years ago, the school board set aside $72,000 for security upgrades and never used the money. Tossing that into this mix will generate a contribution of some $200,000 from the state, and the board could not resist the temptation. Board members then agreed to use $38,500 of this year’s $200,000 budget surplus for the same reason, hoping the money will allow them to replace the middle school roof, which is due for a replacement in the next four to five years, or for new windows in the middle school. The window replacement was the next recommendation by the dis- District voters have been adament about improving building maintenance, school officials say. trict’s facilities steering committee, says Les Cleland, representing that group. Cleland also urged the board to be cautious about kicking in locally-raised tax dollars. “The district approved one of the largest increases, almost a 7 percent increase in the tax rate last year,” he notes. “I recommend a budget [this year] that reflects that and gives something back [to taxpayers],” he said. ‘Frustrating’ Situation District Supervisor Mark Crawford called the New York Department of State Education’s placement of Freeville Elementary School on a list of schools needing improvement, “vexatious and frustrating and meddling,” during his remarks to the school board. “It’s unwarranted and it’s silly,” he said. Freeville Elementary was among the state schools placed on a twoyear watch list for falling short of goals set by the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates improvements in schools that do not meet minimum academic standards, measured by the state-wide testing program. The problem, in part, is that this testing begins with children in the third grade, and Freeville only goes to the second grade. So, third graders are “back-mapped,” to their earlier classroom. When district school records administrator Wendy Earl did this, she sent the data to the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES, but the informationapparently got lost between BOCES and the State Department of Education. With no data to work with, Freeville Elementary was placed on the watch list. The situation follows a similar misstep that put Dryden High School on the same list for two years after a miscalculation regarding juniors who did not take the English Language Arts Regents tests two years ago. Two students took the test in January that year and passed, but their grades did not show up on the list. They were counted as absent, as were four special education students who were not scheduled to take the test and three students who never showed up at school that year, having moved or dropped out. The total of nine absences put the high school on notice. “That’s also frustrating,” the superintendent says. Tompkins Weekly January 29 5 Editorial Opinion Garbage in, Garbage Out The Price of a Good Education Clearly we have gotten the message about reducing the amount of stuff that ends up in the garbage. Tompkins County is second to none in New York State when it comes to the number of folks who dutifully stack and bag their newspapers, rinse and collect those cans, bottles and jars and put it all in a bin set by the curb. Every other week you see them lined up along the road. The tons of waste going into the landfill have been reduced by half in the past 16 years thanks to such diligence. Our landfill’s life expectancy is stretched, preserving land that would otherwise be converted to a dump, while most the items sorted eventually end up back in our possession in one form or another. But, as county solid waste manager Barbara Eckstrom says, why stop there? Food waste, old furniture, windows and paint are just of few of the items that don’t have to be trucked away and buried. There’s some truth to the axiom hat one man’s trash is another man’s treasure; it’s a matter of making the connections. Our institutions of higher learning are moving in the right direction when it comes to waste management, as well as pur- chases of environmentally-friendly goods. The challenge is to convince businesses that it’s in their best interest to stem the flow of refuse, despite the effort involved in taking a closer look and at what’s thrown away and what products they need can be recycled. It’s doubtful that trash haulers are losing their grip on the garbage market, but if they are collecting half as much as they did in 1990 it has to effect their costs. A second look at the trash-tag “tax” placed on residents would be good as well. Classifying all drink containers as returnables is another step in the right direction. Resistance to this change by Albany decisionmakers is puzzling. The current system works well, with nearly all of the containers carrying deposits being recycled and a lot less litter. Meanwhile, tea cans, water bottles and Gatorade jugs end up tossed by the wayside or end up in the trash. Putting a price on their heads would make these containers a potentially valuable commodity. Yes, there’s more to do in th garbage in-garbage out routine, but if we all take a closer look at some unmentionables everyone will breather easier. Letters Enlightenment Starts With Information Dear neighbors: Perhaps you have a concern about local taxes, news or community events, as I do. You may have seen other pieces I have written about these topics. As a followup to my last piece about taxes and the high rate of property tax in this area, I wanted to comment on some of the positive things taxes do. We have a great police force, we have many social programs, we have places to park and roads to drive on. While we sometimes wish some of these things were better, and that the money spent on social programs generated greater community-wide results, what does each of us do to contribute to the community, on a personal level? If you already contribute, or do volunteer work, what else can you do? Perhaps you feel you are so busy, you can do no more. I believe we can all make small, subtle changes (or big life-changing ones) that will benefit ourselves and those around us. One thing we should all do is pay attention to the news, read the news, listen to the news, and share the news. If others in the community ignore the news and thus are not aware of a crime, how can they fully value the police force? If people do not understand the cost of supporting a program, how can they take a stand for it or against it If you are unaware of the vibrant community events, how can you participate, and enjoy our area? These are the types of things that are reported in our daily and weekly papers. If you read the paper, encourage others to do so also. Mention an article to others. Give a subscription. Ask others, what is their opinion? Listen. Try it. We live in an enlightened community, so enlighten yourself. Find out what your neighbors think and how they feel. It may be a small start, but it is a start. An important one. I am not telling anyone what to think, just asking you to think, and to communicate with each other. Thank you. Brian DeYoung Ithaca Published by Tompkins Weekly, Inc. Publisher Jim Graney Managing Editor Jay Wrolstad Advertising Jim Graney, Tim McCabe, Adrienne Alexandrea, Rebecca Elliott Production Dan Bruffey, Jim Graney, Heidi Lieb-Graney, Helen Clark Proofreading Danielle Klock Calendar Heidi Lieb-Graney, Helen Clark Photographer Kathy Morris Circulation Manager Tim McCabe Web Design Dan Bruffey Cover Design Kolleen Shallcross Contributors: Helen Clark, Virginia Colket, Nate Dougherty, Anthony C. Hall, Glynis Hart, Sue Henninger, Larry Klaes, Danielle Klock, Ann Krajewski, Mike Levy, Heidi Lieb-Graney, Nicholas Nicastro, Laura Ulrich Tompkins Weekly publishes weekly on Mondays. Advertising and Editorial Deadline is Wednesday prior at 1pm. Member Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. For advertising information or editorial business, contact our offices at PO Box 6404, Ithaca, NY 14851, 607-339-9774, [email protected] www.tompkinsweekly.com. Article submissions must include SASE. Contents © 2007 Tompkins Weekly, Inc. The opinions expressed in this piece are those of each writer, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher. No parts of this newspaper may be reprinted without the permission of the publisher. 6 Tompkins Weekly January 29 By Maureen and Jim Bell On Feb. 6 Town of Lansing voters will vote on two propositions for repairs and improvements to Lansing Central School District buildings. More than half of proposition 1 funds would go toward needed repairs to the bus garage and at the elementary, middle and high schools. The rest would be for high school renovations and additions. The architects’ plans are posted in the schools, at Curves and the Field/Rink in Lansing, and at www.lansingschools.org under “Capital Project Information.” After negative community feedback regarding earlier propositions, a Facilities and Community Awareness Committee (FCAC) of parents, teachers, and administrators in the District plus engineering and architectural advisors was formed. This group assessed which potential maintenance and renovation items must be done for building safety (roofing, HVAC, etc.) as well as which should be done for the schools to continue to offer the exceptional education experience that Lansing residents have come to expect. The group was critical and the meetings were grueling; the resulting capital project plan is a “bare bones” blueprint that will meet our district’s basic needs. The Lansing school board carefully considered the FCAC recommendations and voted in December to put the plan before the voters. Many people wonder why the high school needs more classrooms when enrollment has not increased dramatically. The answer is recent changes in New York State Regents requirements. When the high school was built (mid-1970s) students were not required to get a Regents diploma. Now nearly all are, which means one more year of history, two more years of math and science, a year of fine arts and two years of foreign language. The biggest strain on our high school has been providing classrooms for all of these extra classes that students are now required by the state to take. Science classroom needs are particularly challenging because they are twice the size of other classrooms and require specialized lab space. There was considerable FCAC debate about whether the Regents requirements were useful and whether it was worth it to add on to the high school. Do our students really do any better because they are forced to take more classes? In particular, are the fine rts requirements (orchestra, band, and studio art) useful? While debate on the Regents requirements is moot — students must pass them to get a high school diploma — we still wanted a community discussion of these issues. Do all of these classes help the next generation to succeed? There have been a number of studies to determine what is the best predictor for success after high school. The best predictor for academic success in college is the student’s high school record: the number of classes taken and grades in those classes. In fact, the SAT was actually a poor predictor of a student’s success in college (see, for example, www.fairtest.org/facts/satvalidity.html). For this reason many colleges (including Cornell) are considering dropping the SAT as a required entrance test. Colleges (and employers) appear most interested now in well-rounded students who take not just the required curriculum but also advanced placement classes, and who participate in clubs, community service organizations and sports. Are fine arts classes valuable? Studies have been conducted on this question to learn if participation in arts programs benefits students in the long term. A National Governors Association report (see www.nga.org/cda/files/050102ART SED.pdf) found that students who participate in arts classes are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and three times more likely to have the best school attendance records. Fine arts also prepares students for the job market by fostering creative thinking and increased skills in design, visualization and problem solving. Sometimes these programs are also just a source of sheer joy and pride, as everyone who participated in the standing ovation after the Dec. 6 Lansing High School orchestra’s masterful performance of “Pirates of the Caribbean” will surely remember. Is it worth your tax dollars to support these two propositions? We believe so. In addition to the philosophical arguments of providing the best education possible for the next generation, there are strong economic advantages for our community. There is a direct link between the reputation of the local school system and the value of one’s home and property. Taxpayers in Lansing could be “shooting ourselves in the wallet” if we allow our schools to deteriorate or our kids’ education to become anything less than excellent. We urge Lansing voters to vote yes on Feb. 6 on both propositions in the capital project initiative. Maureen and Jim Bell are residents of Lansing. Contact Us: A dve r t i s i n g & B u s i n e s s : 6 0 7 - 3 3 9 - 9 7 7 4 o r t o m p k i n sw e e k l y @ ya h o o . c o m Editorial: 6 0 7 - 5 3 9 - 7 1 0 0 o r w ro l s @ t wc ny. r r. c o m Mail: To m p k i n s We e k l y, P O B ox 6 4 0 4 , I t h a c a , N Y 1 4 8 5 1 O n t h e We b a t : w w w. t o m p k i n sw e e k ly. c o m Briefly... County Library Renews Sunday Hours The Tompkins County Public Library Board of Trustees has announced that the library will re-open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. starting on Feb. 4. The announcement followed the news that Vector Magnetics has made a significant contribution to the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation, which was to be used at the discretion of the library board. Sunday hours ceased in February 2006, following a six-week open period funded by a New York State grant from Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton. Efforts to secure the necessary funding to maintain Sunday hours during 2006 through a public referendum in the Ithaca City School District and through direct appeals to the Tompkins County Legislature wereunsuccessful. Board president Henrik Dullea said that the board deeply appreciated the gift and that the decision to use the funds for Sunday hours was thoroughly discussed by the trustees, in light of the many other needs which need funding. While Sunday hours was a high priority for private fundraising in 2007, Dullea said that library trustees will continue to urge the county legislature to include funding for Sunday hours in the future as part of the library's core operations. With the new seven-day schedule, the library will be open 59 hours per week, four more than the minimum required by state law, but nine hours less than comparable libraries in similar communities. Sunday hours will be in effect from Feb. 4 through May 20, and again from Sept. 9 through Dec. 16. Library hours are: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8:15 p.m; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Educator Will Speak at Cornell Robert Parris Moses, a distinguished civil rights leader and mathematics educator, will make his first visit to the Cornell campus as the Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of ’56 professor. Moses will deliver a public lecture titled “Quality Education as a Civil Right” at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in the Statler Auditorium. Cornell President David Skorton will introduce Moses and moderate a discussion following the address. Moses served as field secretary for the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, helped form the Freedom Riders in Mississippi and worked on voter registration during the most turbulent days of the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. Later, Moses returned to the classroom, where he taught mathematics in Tanzania from 1969 to 1975. In 1982, he was awarded a five-year MacArthur Foundation grant, which provided initial funding to develop The Algebra Project, an award-winning program designed to raise the floor of understanding and participation in mathematics by members of underrepresented groups, particularly African-American, Hispanic, and low-income rural and urban high-school students. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. They are available at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office. Street Beat The word on the street from around Tompkins county. By Kathy Morris Question: How do you feel about the Ithaca schools bond issues? “I like the new facilities, but not at the price projections.” - Chris Archer, Ithaca “I understand what it’s like to work in a facility that needs work. ACS needs real science labs.” - Christina Mead and daughter Maggie, Ithaca “I’ve only been here a week so I haven’t really studied the issue.” - Sylvia Taylor, Ithaca Relay for Life Seeks Team Members The local Relay For Life committee has a variety of openings for those who would like to help plan the American Cancer Society’s annual fundraiser. Event organizers need individuals to serve as committee chairs and members in the following areas: team recruitment, spirit points, relay kick-off event, survivor activities, entertainment, Incentives, fundraising and sponsorship. Leadership team meetings are held monthly with additional work completed at the committee level. For more information contact Deb Mohlenhoff at [email protected] or call 274-3222, or Allison Knoth at [email protected] or 206-0999. Relay For Life is an overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money to help the American Cancer Society save lives, help those who have been touched by cancer, and empower individuals to fight back against the disease. This year’s relay will be held at the Lansing High School track on July 13 and 14. The official event kick-off is slated for March 28. “I think it’s excessive. I’d like to see them look at their expenses more closely.” - Dave Pytcher, Ithaca Submit your question to Street Beat. If we choose your question, you’ll receive gift certificates to GreenStar Cooperative Market and Ithaca Flower Shop. Simply log onto www.tompkinsweekly.com and click on Street Beat to enter. C e l e b r a t i n g 3 0 Ye a r s “We invite you to join our family” Family Medicine Associates Robert Breiman M.D. Neil Shallish M.D. Alan Midura M.D. Lloyd Darlow M.D. of Ithaca, LLP Elizabeth von Felten M.D. Debra LaVigne RN, NP-C • Tina Hilsdorf RN, NP-C • Judy Scherer RN, FNP-C We Welcome: Excellus Blue Shield, HealthNow, Aetna, GHI, RMSCO, The Empire Plan, Upstate Medicare Part-B, & Medicare Blue PPO Appointment Hours: M-Th 8-9, F 8-5, Sat 9-2 On-Site Laboratory • Two Locations: 209 West State St • 8 Brentwood Dr. Ithaca E-mail us at [email protected] or Call today to join our family 277-4341 Tompkins Weekly January 29 7 School Issues Address Cramped Quarters By Anthony Hall The Lansing Central School District Board of Education has proposed a two-part building project referendum that goes to voters on Tuesday, Feb. 6, and divides the district’s space and maintenance needs into two propositions, which also might be termed two district priorities. The school board took a cautious approach in spite of plans to use the entire $410,509 of EXCEL aid they received from the New York State Department of Education as their share of the multi-billion dollar settlement of the lawsuit in which New York City school districts challenged the state’s school aid formulas. The money used will be just 2 percent of the local share for the $18.725 million project, in part because it may not be available for long and in part because the money can leverage an additional $2.3 million from the state, which normally kicks in the lion’s share for school construction projects. Voters can turn down the whole thing, denying the district addi- 8 Tompkins Weekly January 29 tional space and maintenance projects that include boiler replacements, electrical upgrades and septic improvements at the elementary school; energy management, window hardware repair and improved drainage at the middle school. Proposition 1 also includes six new classrooms and an expanded art classroom at the high school. show stabilized enrollment for the future. While much of the project is basic bread and butter maintenance, the strongest argument for additional classes lies in the strength of the programs offered by the Lansing schools. The art room, which includes two teachers working within limited space, had 60 students coming and going 10 years ago, art teacher Ten years ago 60 students used the music room for band lessons. Now the school offers band, orchestra and symphony orchestra, sometimes piling 95 students in one room. Or they could approve the project and an additional $2 million, which will go toward high school music and technology additions and alterations. A tour of the building shows why board members are asking district voters to consider the expansion project, despite the fact that demographics for the district Patty Brown says. But enrollment in art is now three times that number and state requirements for a certified art program have expanded. The high school now offers a five-course sequence in art, and is sending students to the country’s top art colleges, according to art teacher Robin Rogers. With two teachers working from one room at the same time, Brown says “Thank goodness, we’re really good friends.” Rogers quips in return, “Thank goodness we’re really good professionals.” Besides cramped quarters for the teachers, there isn’t much room for separating clay projects or drawing instruction, let alone scheduling clay sculpting at a time when the dust won’t settle on students drawings and other artwork, the teachers said. The music room is similarly cramped. At least one instrument (a cello) is stored in the principal’s office. In the music room itself, the number of chairs alone makes it nearly impossible to move around even without students and their cumbersome trombones, tubas and drum sets. The music room, according to current state Department of Education codes, is more than two times too small, says high school principal Michelle Stone. The reason is the same as it is for the squeeze in the art class. Ten years ago, 60 students would pile into the music room for band lessons. Now the school offers band, orchestra and symphony orchestra, sometimes piling 95 students and their instruments into one room. “I can squeeze clarinets shoulder to shoulder, and I do,” band teach Eric Hummel says. “But when we teach the stringed symphony, instruments need room.” When the violin players are bowing, “They are very close to harpooning each other,” Hummel adds. It doesn’t take an OSHA inspector to surmise that the school’s symphony practices are a fire hazard. Even if the room is large enough for 100 students, with instruments, the kids are packed against the wall and seats are inches from the only exits. The administrative office has sent flyers on the project to district voters and one might wonder how this was done. The small building holds business, personnel and administrative teams, none of which has enough room. The staff has no place to eat lunch, archival files are stored in a trailer in the parking lot and some filing cabinets are so close together that drawers cannot open all the way. The hallway is used for office work; the bathroom is used to store paper. District treasurer Sue French is not quite entombed, but she has two printers high above her head on supply shelves that block her and her desk from view. In the high school, the science labs look viable during Regents week, but two chemistry and biology teachers share a room in which laboratory work cannot be prepared in advance if the teacher needs to lecture as well. The lab desks double as writing tables, which means they must be cleared while the teacher explains a project. Students, after the discussion is done, must then collect the beakers, burners, test tubes and other items, which cuts into learning time. By Larry Klaes In earlier times, art and science were intertwined in education and culture. A person was not considered a truly well rounded individual unless he had sufficient schooling in both the humanities and the sciences. This concept was ignited once again with the 2007 edition of the Light in Winter festival, held throughout Ithaca on the last weekend in January. Event organizers describe the festival as bringing “together artists and scientists from all over the world to share one-of-a-kind collaborations and the excitement of discovery.” One event among many that reflected this theme was “Warped Passages,” based on the popular science book Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions (HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2005), authored by Dr. Lisa Randall of Harvard University. Randall, a professor of theoretical physics, talked about her work at the Statler Hall Auditorium at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 27. Barbara Mink, founder and producing artistic director for Light in Winter, explains why she invited Randall to Ithaca. “I try to read every popular science book that comes out. Not only did I love Warped Passages, I felt strongly that inviting a woman from a maledominated profession to speak at the festival about physics was important for the visiting public to see and understand,” she says. Randall’s book and talk are based on two science papers she wrote in 1999 with Raman Sundrum, now a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University. The research describes a possible solution to a problem that has baffled physicists for decades: why is it that of the four fundamental forces of nature — strong, electromagnetic, weak and gravity — the force of gravity is so weak compared to the other three sets of interactions between particles and the large-scale behavior of matter throughout the universe? Randall and Sundrum conceived a theory that has our three-dimensional (four if you count time) universe residing in an “infinite extra dimension that warps spacetime so much that gravity [in the form of particles called gravitons] is concentrated near another brane [a three dimensional hypersurface embedded in a higher dimensional bulk],” says Randall. “There are actual physical consequences because of this extreme warping of spacetime.” In essence, certain parts of the cosmos may have stronger concentrations of gravity than what we experience due to these higher dimensions, thus explaining why gravity is the weakest of the four forces of nature, at least for us. Randall and her colleagues may be able to prove their theory later this year when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) becomes operational at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. This giant Photo provided Meditations On a Higher Dimension Harvard professor Lisa Randall offered a lesson in physics, accompanied by music, during the Light in Winter festival. particle accelerator and collider may be powerful enough to produce and detect what are known as Kaluza-Klein particles that move through those extra dimensions. The physicists could then determine their properties and potentially prove that we do exist in a world of higher dimensions that obey different physical laws. “If the theory is true, it will affect many other sciences, such as cosmology and string theory,” says Randall. “The scientists in those fields will have to explain their theories and the phenomena they detect in relation to those extra dimensions that interact with our universe.” Strings of another sort accompanied and framed Randall’s lesson in physics, courtesy of musicians Stephen Andrew Taylor from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and Wendy Herbener Mehne and Pablo Cohen, both of Ithaca College. Using a combination of flute, guitar and live electronics, the trio performed Taylor’s piece, titled “Seven Microworlds,” which premiered in Toronto in 2000. The piece can be heard on Taylor’s Web site: www.stephenandrewtaylor.net. Taylor earned his Ph.D. in music composition from Cornell. Over the past two decades he has composed a number of pieces honoring science, including one dedicated to Dr. Carl Sagan called “Pale Blue Dot” after the late Cornell astronomer’s description of earth as seen from the edge of the solar system by the Please turn to page 16 Fill Your Window with Color New Selection Just Arrived Flowering Houseplants Pottery, Soil, Fertilizers & advice to help keep them green year-round. 213 S. Meadow St Rt. 13 Ithaca 272-1848 M-F 8-6 Sat 8-5 Sun 9-4 "At T-burg Shur Save we're getting ready for the BIG GAME with specials throughout the store on everything you need to make yours a truly super party. We're stocked up and ready to help you bag some savings on all your favorite BIG GAME party needs, along with all your weekly needs. Come see us today. You'll be shur to save!" ~ Jeff Smith Tompkins Weekly January 29 9 Residents Weigh In on Village Plan Local residents turned out in force at a recent public meeting in Trumansburg that was scheduled to share information on the village’s comprehensive plan and to gather public input. Audience members described what they most valued in the village, citing things such as “walkability,” the “sense of community,” the “potential of the village” and the “historical aspects” of the community. Most of those in the room were village residents, although several people from the Town of Ulysses and adjoining counties also attended the meeting. Comprehensive plan committee chair Deirdre Cunningham described the proposal as a “living document” used to provide guidance for community leaders in planning. Having a strategy in place also provides advantages such as giving the village a competitive edge when applying for grants. Cunningham noted that the committee’s process has included reviewing two previous proposals (which the village never adopted), analyzing data from a community survey, drafting a primary vision statement and developing a timeline. Former mayor Tom Bennett attributes the failure of previous plans to the village board’s view of them as not “being perfect.” Cunningham responded that the committee understood some of the obstacles that previous groups had faced and has adapted its strategy to focus on educating the public and board members. This educational process will stress that each step is a “benchmark” that can be revised or approached in a different way if needed, and that the comprehensive plan would be a “working” rather than a “finalized” document. Information collected from the public meetings will be used to draft vision statements that will establish a foundation for the plan. The committee hopes to have a draft plan ready to review by this summer. Among those who addressed the meeting was David Filiberto, village board liaison to the comprehensive plan committee. He summarized the results of a community survey mailed out to residents last spring, about one-third of which were returned, some with extensive comments. Survey find- Photo by Sue Henninger By Sue Henninger Chris Thomas, comprehensive plan commmittee member, displays a land use map at the recent public information meeting in Trumansburg. ings show that most respondents work either in Ithaca or Trumansburg, with a significant percentage working from their homes. Filiberto noted that many people appear to be using Trumansburg as their residence, while spending their money and getting their needs met elsewhere. Additionally, most respondents either strongly or somewhat agreed that the village should invest time and money to “preserve the natural and architectural features of the village landscape” while also feeling that it was “moderately important” to see the value of their property “keep pace with other properties in Tompkins County and surrounding areas.” Tompkins County senior planner Crystal Buck had the group break up into “topic tables” to discuss the plan’s six major areas: environment, recreation/youth, community, housing, economic development and land use. Village resident Susan Thomas stressed that she would like to see the principles of “smart growth” used to increase affordable housing within the village. Others agreed that the proper design of “high density, non- homogenous” sections of affordable housing combined with green space would be ideal. Overall concern about the recent addition of several new stores (when there are already similar stores in close proximity) was expressed by many. If there are no means to regulate this type of development, the land use group would like to at least identi- T w o Convenient Loca tions Same Gr ea t Ser vice! 277-9989 1278 Dryden Rd. Servicing All Makes & Models 277-FAST 987 Dryden Rd. No appointment needed Come in and get out FAST! Complete Automotive Care Tune Ups Oil Changes Mon-Fri NYS Inspections Tires 7:30 am to Radiators Brakes 5:30 pm Half-Price Towing and Free Shuttle Service 10 Tompkins Weekly January 29 fy a way to limit its growth. Identifying retail operations that would fit into village life, such as more stable, community oriented businesses rather than big box stores was another priority. The land use group also urged the comprehensive plan committee to focus on the pros and cons of encouraging light industrial businesses as a means of increasing the tax base and making life in Trumansburg more affordable. The economic development group offered similar suggestions, such as encouraging the development of “high value, low impact” businesses that employ locals, maximizing existing resources in Trumansburg such as creating an “artisan retail market” and finding an acceptable balance in tourism by bringing in outside money while not being “overrun” by visitors. Chris Thomas, past chairman of the zoning board of appeals, noted that the village’s zoning laws have not been updated since 1971. The revision process started by the current zoning board has yet to be completed. Thomas, and others, would like to see the residential zoning on Route 96 changed to a category such as “compatible mixed use” so that homes and small home-based businesses could co-exist along the Main Street corridor, gradually transitioning into the downtown area. Protecting the “green corridor” land along Trumansburg Creek was a prime concern of Ulysses resident Liz Thomas. Dick Peterson of the environment group noted that his group sees developing a larger scale recreational area by the creek as a priority, as well as keeping tabs on the condition of the storm drains and preserving local water quality. Thomas emphasized the importance of monitoring any development of agricultural parcels in and on the outskirts of the village. Town board member Roxanne Merino, agreed, suggesting that there is a “false separation” between inter-municipal planning and zoning, and that the town and village need a “shared vision and a dialogue” concerning areas that overlap municipal boundaries. **** Children of Men. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Regal Cinemas. **1/2 Volver. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Cinemapolis. By Nicholas Nicastro In Alfonso Cuarón’s fine new futuristic thriller Children of Men, the day after tomorrow looks a lot like today’s Iraq. The British, having sealed off their borders against illegal aliens, have erected a national security state complete with checkpoints, identity cards and the inevitable insurgency. London looks both tailpipe crusty and hopped-up on digital imagery. “The world is falling apart,” a government commercial blares, “and only Britain soldiers on!” We can almost hear Donald Rumsfeld boasting that freedom is on the march. There’s one significant difference: based on P.D. James’ novel of the same name, Children of Men posits a future where all human females have mysteriously become infertile. With no children born for the last 18 years, humanity is looking into the abyss of inevitable extinction. Naturally, the “wrath of God” nutcases — Islamist and otherwise — come out of the woodwork, triggering a worldwide wave of terrorism. Suddenly, market day in Sadr City isn’t looking so bad. Granted, there are quite a few folks around today who would take the prospect of childless restaurants and airplane flights as blessings. For the rest of us, though, Cuarón (Y Tu Mama Tambien) presents what is possibly the most vivid dystopic nightmare since Blade Runner. As in Blade Runner, the script by Cuarón, Timothy Sexton et al builds on the old gumshoe/hard-boiled genre — that no human depravity should come as a surprise — and subverts it into something hauntingly the opposite. Perhaps most impressive, he achieves this not through flashy production design, but with a confident visual style that includes some truly brilliant (and harrowing) long takes. Compared to this, V for Vendetta feels like a trip to feed the pigeons in Hyde Park. * * * On January 19, the attendees were packed so tightly at 7th Art Corporation’s Volver benefit screening that reaching the banquet table was an achievement. Fortunately, the cause was worth the trouble: the event was held to raise funds for the non-profit corporation’s projected multiplex theater on Green Street. Along with Cornell Cinema, 7th Art is a mainstay of Ithaca’s lively film culture, and deserves support in its quest to grow (information for donors is available at www.cinemapolis. com). In this particular case, the pre-screening edibles (donated by Just a Taste, Moosewood, Madeleine’s, The Lost Dog and the Mahogany Grill) and Iberian-style live music (by guitarist Matthew Billie) made doing the right thing the pleasant thing as well. The local premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver (“to return”) was received with similar enthusiasm. I mean, you know you have a receptive house when, as the heroine (Penelope Cruz) turns a bowl of Photo provided In the Future, Women and Children First Clive Owen and Julianne Moore in Children of Men. flan, the audience lets out an audible gasp of awe. Cruz has been nominated for an Oscar for the role of Raimunda in Almodóvar’s latest gynocentric talkfest, and by the way her radiant presence dominates the film, she deserves it. Watching her, it’s as if we’ve been transported back a couple of generations, to when actresses like Jeanne Moreau and Sophia Loren had opportunity to show the glamour of being complex, grown-up women. It’s to the credit of Almodóvar (Talk to Her; Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down) that he’s willing to give the film over to Cruz. Alas, being a conscientious objector to the director’s chatty girl-fections, this writer too often found his mind drifting back to that banquet table out in the lobby. To contact Nicholas Nicastro visit www.nicastro-books.com. Movie Ratings ***** **** *** ** * Classic Excellent Good Fair Poor Donna’s Styling Salon A Full Service Family Styling Salon Providing • Family Hair Care: Perms, Color, Cuts, Straightening, Highlighting • Manicures & Pedicures • Sculptured Nails • Facial Waxing • Expanded lines of hair, skin & nail care products Open Tuesday - Saturday City Quality - Country Prices - Drive a Little, Save a Lot! Call 589-4344 • 45 Main St., Spencer Tompkins Weekly January 29 11 Tompkins County Community Calendar... January 2007 29 Monday Catholic School's Week Cinemapolis Now Playing: Letters from Iwo Jima (R) 7 & 9:35pm, Volver (R) 7:15 & 9:35pm. Info www.cinemapolis.org or 277-6115 Center Ithaca, The Commons Cortland Youth Center Open 129pm. Info: www.cortland.org/youth 7530872 Eating the Rainbow, Ulysses Philomathic Library, 10-11am. Hands on nutrition class for children. Rec for ages 6 & under. Guardian req for children under 18yrs. Info www.trumansburglearningcooperative.org Fall Creek Pictures Now Playing: The Last King of Scotland (R) 7:15 & 9:35pm, The Painted Veil (PG-13) 7:15 & 9:35pm, Curse of the Golden Flower (R) 9:35pm, The Queen (PG-13) 7:15pm. Info www.cinemapolis.org or 272-1256. 1201 N. Tioga St GED Classes, at GIAC, 9am-12pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, at TC3 Campus, 11am2pm. Info BOCES 273-8804 GED Classes, at TST Community School, 5:30-8:30 pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, at Groton Elementaty . Info BOCES 273-8804 GIAC Teen Program Game Room, Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 4-7pm. 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca. Lifelong, Enhance Fitness @ Lifelong 8-9am; Enhance Fitness @ the Mecklenburg Fire House10:15-11:15am; Open Computer Lab 10:30am-Noon; Strength Training 12:30-1:30pm; Enhance Fitness @ McGraw House 23pm; Bridge Group 2-4pm; International Folk Dancing 7-8pm; English Country Dancing 8-10pm. Info 273-1511. 119 W. Court St. Phil Shapiro's Group Folk Guitar Lessons, North Room Willard Straight Hall, Cornell University. 7pm Beginners, 8pm Intermediate. There are 8 one-hour lessons. Reg at first lesson. Fee. Info 8444535 or email [email protected] Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service Training, Mature, caring individuals are needed as volunteer counselors. Volunteers learn conseling techniques, suicide prevention skill, and community resource information. No prior experience necessary. Info 272-0752 or email [email protected] 30 Tuesday Catholic School's Week 2nd Annual Jump on Board Event, Holiday Inn, downtown Ithaca, 5:307:30pm. Jump on Board is designed to connect community members and young professionals in particular, with agencies and organizations that are seeking volunteer leaders for their Boards of Directors. Info 274-3222 or www.tompkinschamber.org or www.ithacaforward.org Beat Box Bard, Center for the Performing Arts, 7pm. An original piece combining beatboxing with Shakespeare's sonnets and soliloquies. Tix & info 254-ARTS or www.arts.cornell.edu Cortland Youth Center Open 129pm. www.cortland.org/youth, 753-3021. Dryden Democrats Village Caucus, Dryden Village Hall, 8pm. This caucus is a means of selecting candidates to run for the positions of village trustee and mayor, each are for a twoyear term. Info 227-0858. 16 South St, second floor GED Classes, at TST BOCES Campus, 9-noon. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, TC3 Campus, 11am2pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED CLasses, Newfield Elementary, 9:30-11:30am. Free. Info BOCES 2738804. GED Classes, South Seneca Elementary, 9am-Noon. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GIAC Teen Program Game Room, Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 47pm. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca. Basketball 7-9pm Tuesdays at BJM. 2723622 PeeWee Naturalists, Cayuga Nature Center. Jan9-Feb 15. Bring your favorite 3-5 year old to explore nature with us. 12 Tompkins Weekly January 29 Each program is different & includes activities, crafts, a nature walk, & snack. Info & reg www.cayuganaturecenter.org. or 2736260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd. Snowshoe Making, Cayuga Nature Center, 7-9pm. Jan 16-Feb 6. This class will guide you through the process of creating your very own set of Ojibwa style snowshoes. The course fee includes kit, materials, & instructions. There will be a class trip on the basics of snowshoeing. Fee. Info & reg www.cayuganaturecenter.org or 273-6260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd Toddler Storytime, Tompkins County Public Library, 10:30am. Parents and caregivers with children from 16months-3 years. Every Tuesday. 272-4557 x275 Tot Spot, Ithaca Youth Bureau, 9:3011:30am. Indoor stay and play for children 5months to 5 years & their parents. Fee. Info 273-8364 Winter Reading Festival and Open House, Immaculate Conception School, 6-7:30pm. Story hour by Regi Carpenter, Scholastic Book Fair, hot cocoa cafe, cozy reading corners & activities. Open house for PreK3-8. Info 273-2707. 320 W. Buffalo St 31 Wednesday Catholic School's Week Active Learning with Black Locust Initiative, Trumansburg Village Hall, 3-6pm. We will introduce students to community environmentalism concepts like: community forestry, the importance of soil, community policy, & providing for their own material needs. All ages welcome. Donation suggested. Guardian required for children under 18yrs. Info www.trumansburglearningcooperative.org Beat Box Bard, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm. This original work mixes vocal percussion with Shakespeare's work for a fun performance of music, dance and theatre. Tix & info 254-ARTS. Cornell University, 430 College Ave Comfort Food, The Kitchen Theatre, 7:30pm. Can twilight romance burn as brightly as first love? From the playwright and composer team who created Tony & The Soprano and The Angle of the Sun comes a new musical story of dining, dating, dessert & desire. Tix & info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org. Cortland Youth Center Open 129pm. www.cortland.org/youth, 753-3021. Food Addicts in Recovery Cayuga Addiction Anonymous, Recovery Services Building. 7-8:30pm. There are no dues, fees, or weigh-ins. Info 387-8329. Crn. State & Plain Sts., Ithaca. GED Classes, at GIAC, 9-Noon. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, at TC3 Campus, 11am2pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, South Seneca Elementary, 9am-Noon. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, TST Community School, 5:30-8:30pm. Free. Info BOCES 2738804. GED Classes, Candor High School, 5:30-8:30pm. Free. Info BOCES 2738804. Healthy Home Interiors Seminar, DeWitt Middle School Auditorium, 7-9pm. The Ithaca Green Building Alliance & Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County will present "Natural and Non-toxic Interior Finishes and Materials", a seminar by Brent and Diana Katzman of Balance Studio. Fee. Advance reg req. Info & reg email [email protected] or 272-2292 Immaculate Conception School Open House, 9am-2pm. Immaculate Conception School welcomes children of all faiths for an outstanding elementary & middle school experience. Info 2732707. 320 W. Buffalo St Little Explorers Storytime 11am. Borders Books in Pyramid Mall, 2570444. Love, Death and a Little Ecstasy, Ithaca College, Hockett Family Recital Hall, Whalen Center, 7pm. A faculty piano recital by Jennifer Hayghe, performing works by Granados, Scriabin, Brahms, Busoni & Prokofieff. Free. Info 274-1153 or www.ithca.edu Screening: Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen, Ithaca College Textor 103, 7pm. Series showing of "Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker". Free. Info www.ithaca.edu or 274-1153 The LGBT Democratic Club of Tompkins County Annual Meeting, TC Human Services Building, 7-9pm. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club will have their annual meeting to set goals for 2007 & elect officers. Current & new members welcome. Info 592-4188 or [email protected] "The Photograph Commands Indifference", Ithaca College, Gannett 112, 6:30pm. An artist's talk by Nicholas Muellner, whose new photographic work, along with Ron Jude's, is currently on display in the Handwerker Gallery. Free. Info www.ithaca.edu or 274-1153 February 2007 Black History Month 1 Thursday Catholic School's Week AL-ANON Hope for Today, Meeting open to anyone affected by another person’s drinking. 7:30pm 844-4210. 518West Seneca St., Ithaca, main floor. Alumni Recital, Ithaca College, Hockett Family Recital Hall, Whalen Center, 8:15pm. Kristin Bacchiocchi Stewart (flute) and Joel Brown (guitar), playing works by Ibert, Machado, Giuliani, Piazzolla and Tedesco. Free. Info www.ithaca.edu or 274-1153 Beat Box Bard, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm. This original work mixes vocal percussion with Shakespeare's work for a fun performance of music, dance and theatre. Tix & info 254-ARTS. Cornell University, 430 College Ave Comfort Food, The Kitchen Theatre, 7:30pm. Can twilight romance burn as brightly as first love? From the playwright and composer team who created Tony & The Soprano and The Angle of the Sun comes a new musical story of dining, dating, dessert & desire. Tix & info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org. Cortland Youth Center Open 129pm. www.cortland.org/youth, 753-3021 GED Classes, TST BOCES Campus, 9am-Noon. Free. BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, TC3 Campus, 11am2pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, Groton Elementary, 9am-Noon. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED CLasses, Newfield Elementary, 9:30-11:30am. Free. Info BOCES 2738804. GED Classes, Candor Elementary, 9:30-11:30am. Free. Info BOCES 2738804. GIAC Teen Program Game Room, Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 47pm. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca. Lecture: "Making Nonprofits Responsive", Ithaca College, Park Hall Auditorium, 7:30pm. By Robert Egger, founder of the D.C. Central Kitchen and author of "Begging for Change". Free. Info www.ithaca.edu or 274-1153 Movie Screening, Ithaca College, Texter 101, 7pm. Black History Month showing "I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs" and "Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin". Free. Info www.ithaca.edu or 274-1153 Out of Bounds, WEOS-FM 88.1, 7pm.This weekly interview program will feature Deborah Tannen discussing her new book "You're Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters In Conversation". Info www.outofboundsradioshow.com PeeWee Naturalists, Cayuga Nature Center. Jan9-Feb 15. Bring your favorite 3-5 year old to explore nature with us. Each program is different & includes activities, crafts, a nature walk, & snack. Info & reg www.cayuganaturecenter.org. or 2736260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd. Prenatal Yoga Classes 5:30-7pm. Diane Fine. Info [email protected] 564-3690 or dianefineyoga.com St. Lawrence String Quartet Featuring Heidi Grant Murphy & Kevin Murphy, Bailey Hall, 8pm. Fee. Info www.cornellconcertseries.com or 273-4497 Tot Spot, Ithaca Youth Bureau, 9:3011:30am. Indoor stay and play for children 5months to 5 years & their parents. Fee. Info 273-8364 Wagon Wheeels West, Cortland HS Auditorium, 7pm. Performed by Cortland Jr. HS. Info 758-4100 Waldorf Enrichment Series 1st Thursday of every month. 7-8:30 pm. Stone Circle School, 399 Turkey Hill Road. Info/RSVP: 272-2221. Waldorf Parent Toddler Afternoons Peach Blossom Kindergarten, 23 Nelson Road. 1-3pm. For ages 2-5. Info/Register: 272-2221. 2 Friday Catholioc School's Week Alice, the State Theatre, 7pm. So you think being rich will get you a giant house, fun times, & lots of great friends? This delightful world-premiere adaptation of Whoopi Goldberg's children's book, in which Alice discovers the best jackpot in life isn't money or fame at all, kicks-off Black History Month. Tix & info www.stateofithaca.com or 27-STATE Artists in Residence Series with John Gurche, Museum of the Earth, 6pm. This lecture will use examples of two human ancestors, the ancient Lucy & the more recent IceMan, to describe the process of reconstruction based on skeletal material. Info www.museumoftheearth.org or 273-6623. 1259 Trumansburg Rd., Rt 96 Beat Box Bard, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm. This original work mixes vocal percussion with Shakespeare's work for a fun performance of music, dance and theatre. Tix & info 254-ARTS. Cornell University, 430 College Ave Comfort Food, The Kitchen Theatre, 8pm. Can twilight romance burn as brightly as first love? From the playwright and composer team who created Tony & The Soprano and The Angle of the Sun comes a new musical story of dining, dating, dessert & desire. Tix & info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org. Free Beading Class, Beads! On The Commons. Noon-Easy earrings & 3:30PM Lariat necklace. Info 256-3618. 144 E. State St. Free Tax Help, Lifelong, 10am-Noon This service is free to Tompkins County residents who are Senior Citizens, people with limited incomes, individuals with disabilities. Info 273-1511. 119 W. Court St. GED Classes, TC3 Campus, 11am2pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GIAC Teen Program After Hours Spot 4-midnight. Movies, open gym, game room, video games, snacks, computers, skating & more. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca. Ithaca College Concerts, Ford Hall, Whalen Center, 8:15pm. Performance by the Turtle Island Quartet with the Assad Brothers, performing individually & together. Fee. Tix & info 2734497, 800-284-8422 or www.ithaca.edu Movie Night at Borders, Borders Book Store, 6:30-8pm. Harold and the Purple Crayon And more Harold stories. Free popcorn & balloons. Pyramid Mall. Info 257-0444 Opening Reception, Johnson Museum of Art, 5-7pm. See all the new exhibitions, plus live music, refreshment, & fun for all ages. Free & open to all. Info 255-6464 or www.museum.cornell.edu Pajamarama Storytime, Barnes & Noble, 7pm. Join us for stories for preschool & elementary age children. Juice & snacks provided, pj"s welcome. Info 2736784 or www.BN.com Rookie Reader Storytime, Barnes & Noble, 10:30am. Join us for stories perfect for infants & toddlers. Activities will follow. Info 273-6784 or www.BN.com Senior High Area All-State Festival, Ithaca College. Grades 1012. Info 274-2176 or 274-2259 Story Hour at Lansing Community Library Old Town Hall, Lansing. 2 yr olds: 10-10:20am. 3 yr olds: 10:30-11am. All children with care provider. Info: Susan 266-0266. Story Hour at Southworth Library, Dryden, 10am. No sign-up required - just come and enjoy stories, activities and refreshments. We are also looking for volunteer readers for this program. 8444782. The Lansing PTSO Annual Spaghetti Dinner, Lansing HS Cafeteria, 5-7pm. Benefits the PTSO scholarship fund. Fee. Info [email protected] Wagon Wheeels West, Cortland HS Auditorium, 7pm. Performed by Cortland Jr. HS. Info 758-4100 3 Saturday Alice, the State Theatre, 11am. So you think being rich will get you a giant house, fun times, & lots of great friends? This delightful world-premiere adaptation of Whoopi Goldberg's children's book, in which Alice discovers the best jackpot in life isn't money or fame at all, kicks-off Black History Month. Tix & info www.stateofithaca.com or 27-STATE All-you-can-eat Soup & Salad Buffet, 1st Baptist Church, 5pm. This event is to raise money for an adult mission trip to Slidell, LA to help Katrina victims continue rebuilding. There will also be an indoor rumage sale 9am-7pm. Fee. Info 387-9497 or 227-0836. E. Seneca St., Trumansburg Animal Feeding, Cayuga Naure Center, Noon-1pm. Get an up-close view as we feed some of the 40 animals here at CNC. Fee. Info www.cayuganaturecenter.org or 273-6260. Art-Full Family Saturday, The Johnson Museum, 10am-Noon. African drumming & dance with Billye Smith & Jali Diebate. Free for members. Info 255-6464 or www.museum.cornell.edu Beat Box Bard, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm. This original work mixes vocal percussion with Shakespeare's work for a fun performance of music, dance and theatre. Tix & info 254ARTS. Cornell University, 430 College Ave Children's Story Time, Borders Book Store, 11-11:30am. We'll read stories about Groundhogs to help celebrate Groundhog Day. Pyramid Mall. Info 257-0444. Comfort Food, The Kitchen Theatre, 8pm. Can twilight romance burn as brightly as first love? From the playwright and composer team who created Tony & The Soprano and The Angle of the Sun comes a new musical story of dining, dating, dessert & desire. Tix & info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org. Expectant Parent Woprkshop, Cayuga Medical Center, 9am-4pm. Meet the 1st Saturday of the month. Info 2744011 or www.cayugamed.org Explorers Storytime 11am at Borders Books in Pyramid Mall, 257-0444. Families Learning Science Together, Tompkins County Public Library, 2nd Saturday of the month, 1-2pm. Info 254-8256 or [email protected] Family Storytime Tompkins County Public Library. 11:30am-12pm. Free. www.tcpl.org, 272-4557 x272 Free Tax Help, Lifelong, 10am-Noon This service is free to Tompkins County residents who are Senior Citizens, people with limited incomes, individuals with disabilities. Info 273-1511. 119 W. Court St. GIAC Teen Program After Hours Spot 4-midnight. Music, movies, open gym, game room, video games, comput- ers, skating & more. 272-3622 318 N. Albany St.. Ithaca Kids' Fun Events, Borders Book Store, 3-4pm. Join us for Charlolette's Web fun activities. For ages 4-10yrs. Pyramid Mall. Info 257-0444. Morning Story Time 10am. Caroline Community Library 2670 Slaterville Rd. Slaterville Springs. www.tcpl.org. Mother-Daughter Book Club, Tompkins County Public Library, 1:302:30pm. Area girls ages 10 -13 & the special women in their lives are invited to read & discuss a great book with a local author. This is the groups last meeting. House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer will be disucssed. Info 272-4557 x276 or x277 or www.tcpl.org Music Concert, Ithaca College, Ford Hall, Whalen Center, 8:15pm. The symphony and chamber orchestras, directed by graduate conductor Devin Hughes, performing works by Beethoven, Schubert and Theofanidis. Free. Info www.ithaca.edu or 274-1153 Naturtal History at Noon, Museum of the Earth, Noon. Donald J. Leopold, Ph.D., will discuss native plants of the Northeast. Info www.museumoftheearth.org or 273-6623. 1259 Trumansburg Rd., Rt 96 Open Family Swim Tompkins Cortland Community College, Dryden. 11am-1pm. Fee. 844-8222. Pancake Breakfast, Enfield Valley Grange Hall, 7:30-10:30am. All you can eat pancakes, waffles, french toast, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, applesauce & beverage. Fee Public Skating, Community Recreation Center, Ithaca, 8:30-10pm. 277-7465 Saturday Morning Live: A Musical Showcase with Bart and Kevin, TC3, 10:30am. Award winning duo rocks it out with messages about manners, courtesy, diversity, tolerance & more. Fee. Info 844-8222 x4450 or email [email protected] Sciencenter Special Presentation: "Genetic Manipulation of Plants and Animals", Sciencenter, 2pm. John Alvcerez del Castillo will bring in examples of fish, plants, and birds that have been manipulated on the genetic level, and consider why and how people domesticate and modify other species. Included with museum admission. Info www.sciencenter.org or 272-0600. 601 First St. Senior High Area All-State Festival, Ithaca College. Grades 1012. Info 274-2176 or 274-2259 Sketching in the Greenhouse, Cornell Plantations, 1-5pm. Visit the greenhouses of the Cornell Horticulture Dept. to draw careful renditions of beautiful native & tropical plants. Ages 12 yrs & up. Fee. Pre-reg req. Info www.plantations.cornell.edu or 255-2400 Sustainable Saturday, Museum of the Earth, 11am-Noon. Join us for creative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. This week we make Valentine's day popup cards & envelopes. Info www.museumoftheearth.org or 273-6623. 1259 Trumansburg Rd., Rt 96 The Cave of the Yellow Dog, Cornell Cinema, Willard Straight, 2pm. This intimate & touching film follows a girl who adopts a dog against her father's wishes. Rec for age 6yrs & up. Fee. Info 255-3522 or www.cinema.cornell.edu The 2007 Crossing Borders LIVE Season begins, Club Euphoria, 8pm. This is a benefit concert fot the Ithaca Free Clinic. Playing will be The Horseflies, Sim Redmond, Trevor MacDonald, and Thousands of One. Info www.crossingborderslive.org. 115 N. Cayuga St. Tot Spot, Ithaca Youth Bureau, 9:3011:30am. Indoor stay and play for children 5months to 5 years & their parents. Fee. Info 273-8364 Trail Rides, Patchwork Therapeutic Riding Center. Help feed our lesson horses for the winter months by taking a trail ride. Beginner friendly horses, one hour trail rides, also pony parties. Info 898-3808 or email [email protected] Wild Ones, Cayuga Nature Center, Noon. Visitors can see how three snakes & two hawks eat. Info www.Cayuga NatureCenter.org, or 273-6260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd. (Rt 89) 4 Sunday American Red Cross Lifeguarding Classes, Ithaca HS, 9am-5pm. Held Sundays Feb4 thru 25. The minimum age to participate is fifteen and a skills pretest must be passed. Advanced reg req. Info 273-1900 x14 Beat Box Bard, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 2 & 8pm. This original work mixes vocal percussion with Shakespeare's work for a fun performance of music, dance and theatre. Tix & info 254ARTS. Cornell University, 430 College Ave Book Reading: "Mindless Eating", Bookery II, 2pm. Author Brian Wansink will read from his new book which explores some of the factors that influence how much we eat & the food choices we make. Info email [email protected] or call 273-5055. Dewitt MAll, 215 N. Cayuga St Bound For Glory: Pat Wictor, Cul de Snack, the Cafe at Anabel Taylor Hall, 811pm. Maybe the only contemporary songwriter going who's instrument is slide guitar. Free. Info 844-4535 or email [email protected]. Listen to the broadcast on WVBR 93.5 Cayuga Chamber Orchestra to Feature Principal Players, First Unitarian Church, 4pm. Fee. Info & tix www.ithacatalenteducation.com. or 2734497 Comfort Food, The Kitchen Theatre, 4pm. Can twilight romance burn as brightly as first love? From the playwright and composer team who created Tony & The Soprano and The Angle of the Sun comes a new musical story of dining, dating, dessert & desire. Tix & info 273-4497 or www.kitchentheatre.org. Food Addicts in Recovery Cayuga Addiction Anonymous, Recovery Services Building. 9am. There are no dues, fees, or weigh-ins. Everyone is welcome including those who think they may have a problem with overeating, bulimia, or anorexia, or are concerned about someone else. Info 387-8329. Crn. State & Plain Sts. Sciencenter First Free Sundays, Sciencenter, Noon-5pm. The Sciencenter opens its doors for free to everyone in the community. Get ready for winter with an exciting line-up of winter-themed activites & presentations. Info www.sciencenter.org or 272-0600. 601 First St Tompkins County Public Library Open on Sundays, 1-5pm. The Library will be open again on Sundays from Feb4 thru May 20 and Sept 9 thru Dec 16. Info 272-4555 or www.tcpl.org. 101 E. Green St. Tot Spot, Ithaca Youth Bureau, 3:305:30pm. Indoor stay and play for children 5months to 5 years & their parents. Fee. Info 273-8364 Trail Rides, Patchwork Therapeutic Riding Center. Help feed our lesson horses for the winter months by taking a trail ride. Beginner friendly horses, one hour trail rides, also pony parties. Info 8983808 or email [email protected] Vegetarian Cooking, Cayuga Nature Center, 1pm. Join a chef from the Full Plate Farm Collective to learn some amazing new vegetarian recipes, then stay to enjoy the feast. Fee. Info & reg www.CayugaNatureCenter.org or 2736260. 1420 Taughannock Blvd 5 Monday Coffee and Talk Book Club Lime Hollow Nature Center. 1st Mondays of the month 6:30-8pm. Info: 758-5462. Cortland Youth Center Open 129pm. Info: www.cortland.org/youth 7530872 GED Classes, at GIAC, 9am-12pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, at TC3 Campus, 11am2pm. Info BOCES 273-8804 GED Classes, at TST Community School, 5:30-8:30 pm. Free. Info BOCES 273-8804. GED Classes, at Groton Elementaty . Info BOCES 273-8804 GIAC Teen Program Game Room, Video Games, Open Gym & Field Trips 4-7pm. 318 N. Albany St., Ithaca. Parent Partner Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 6-9pm. This 2 part workshop is for parents, family, & close friends of those with disordered eating. Local professionals from the fields of medicine, nutrition, & mental health offer information & support. Small fee but open to all. Info & reg www.counties.cce.cornell.edu or 272-2292 or 273-9250. 615 Willow Ave. Trumansburg Optical Neil Henninger, O.D. Full Service Eye Care Now Accepting Providing optical services for patients of all ages, contact lens services, and a wide selection of frames and accessories. Please call for an appointment 607-387-7327 79 East Main Street (Rte. 96), Trumansburg Tompkins Weekly January 29 13 Briefly... Barber Comic Book Club Hosts Winter Show for supervisor, he ran for councilman and essentially we switched places. He was a great mentor to me.” Illustration by Sega Entertainment Continued from page 1 The “Cabin Fever” Winter Comic Book Show will set up shop on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Women’s Community Building in downtown Ithaca. Among the guest cartoonists and writers who will attend are Elmira native Joe Edkin, the writer of “Sonic X,” a comic book of original stories about Sonic the Hedgehog; artist Ken Wheaton (“Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror,” “I Dream of Jeannie Tricks and Treats Annual”); small-press comic book Sonic the Hedgehog creator Jim Coon (“Dead End,” “Detached”); and Superman novelist Roger Stern, writer of “Darkman vs. the Army of Darkness,” a miniseries starring characters created by Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. The show is sponsored by the Comic Book Club of Ithaca, and includes comic book dealers, videos and DVDs. Other activities include a coloring table and “Artists’ Alley,” where the guest artists will be doing sketches and caricatures, Sales of selected comic books and graphic novels will benefit Tompkins Learning Partners (formerly known as the Literacy Volunteers of Tompkins County). Admission is $2 and the show is open to fans of all ages. TW - What can you do as a senator that you can’t do as supervisor? Immaculate Conception School offers an open invitation to the Winter Reading Festival on Tuesday, Jan. 30 , from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The event includes storyteller Regi Carpenter, a winter wonderland of children’s books and art, browsing for books at the Scholastic book fair and treats in the hot cocoa café. In celebration of “good news in education”—the theme of this year’s Catholic School’s Week events from Jan. 29 through Feb. 2—the festival will also feature a school open house for preK-3 through grade 8. Daytime open house hours will continue between from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan 31. Book sales benefit reading enrichment at ICS, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Family Reading Partnership. For more information call 273-2707. The school is located on South Plain Street in Ithaca. DB – “Right now there’s a lot of pressure concerning the property tax. There’s a very good reason for that. As [Mario] Cuomo was ending his term as governor and [George] Pataki came on, New York State was in the middle of the pack for property taxes compared to other states, but with the highest income tax. Now we’re about the middle of the pack in income tax, and you could say, like some people in Albany do, that the towns and school districts in the rural areas are just bad managers of money, or you could say that the state has transferred its programs to the property tax because they start up programs, they still spend like they do in the same reckless manner, but whatever the outcome is they don’t have to take the heat for it. The federal government is in the same game, mostly with schools, so a lot of things are coming down to property tax. “Shifting programs to the local level may not be bad, but at the same time you can’t take the money from us. When I first came to the town board we got a certain amount of revenue share from the state. It was always the same amount for 15 years. But then when the budget started getting a little tight, they stopped doing that. Our costs are going up, 3 to 5 percent a year, so essentially it’s a reduction in state aid. It’s a continual erosion of the property tax that local governments have to work with. Author to Speak on Philanthropy TW - What are the biggest issues now facing the state government? In his book Begging for Change Robert Egger says nonprofits must stop chasing money and start focusing on the true work at hand. Egger will bring that message to Ithaca College on Thursday, Feb. 1, in a free public talk titled “Making Nonprofits Responsive: Solving the Interconnected Problems of Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness.” The presentation will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Park Hall Auditorium; a reception and book-signing opportunity will follow. DB – “The biggest issue actually is the structure, because it is set up like the proverbial ‘three men in a room.’ The Senate and the Assembly are both set up so that they give the minority party no say School Sets Reading Event, Open House and the majority party gives their words of wit to their leader, who then goes and sits down with three men in a room and hammers out whatever deal he can get. When all is said and done the things that are most important to you personally are the ones you’re going to fight the hardest for. The other problem is spending. They leave the hardest choices up to the local governments. TW - What makes you think you can get something done in a state Senate run by Republicans? DB – “It’s actually not that far apart between Democrats and Republicans, but I'd like to see it deadlock, so that the only way you can get things done in that house would be for the Republicans and Democrats to get together, have debate and take away the power of the Senate majority leader. TW - What types of legislation would yo like to introduce DB – “I would like the dairy industry to have more of a voice for the farmers. The way the law is set up it is my understanding that co-ops speak for dairy farmers. In its day that was advantageous, but the dairy co-ops have become more of a big business. The individual dairy farmers are left out. One would think that with the current stress on dairy pricing in New York State that this would be a no-brainer. The system is already in place for improvements, but nothing happens.” TW - How would being in the state Senate affect your business and personal life? DB – “I’ve been working on transfering responsibility for my [contracting] business over to my partners, so I am not in the day-to-day operations any longer and that gives me more time. My personal life is the real issue here. My wife Rita and I want to go into this with our eyes wide open. So if we decide to do it, we would be able to manage it and know what we were up against.” Traveling? Away from home? Read us on-line at tompkinsweekly.com 14 Tompkins Weekly January 29 Classifieds BAXTER'S DRIVING SCHOOL - Save money on insurance and reduce Take Baxter's Defensive points. Driving Course on February 24th at the Pyramid Mall. Call Baxter's Driving School today @ 797-7776. Larkin Insurance Home, Auto, Business 401 N Aurora St., 273-4732 Health Gimme FREQUENSEA. Marine PhytoPlankton rich Ionic cellular organic Sea/Land tonic. Delicious tasting. Energizing, re-juvenating w/ awesome benefits. Incredible testimonials. Call Tiny 607-387-3887 or Joy 802-999-1815. Product information www.joy.provibranthealth.com Women over 40 - Relax & renew your energy, flexibility and mental clarity. Easy, safe, effective yoga classes First Class FREE - Thursdays 2pm Call Ann 607-257-3677 only. www.theyogacorner.com Celebrating 30 Years Family Medicine Associates of Ithaca 209 W. State St & 8 Brentwood Dr. email [email protected] or277-4341 Insurance Automotive BAXTER'S DRIVING SCHOOL - 5 hour course taught at Pyramid Mall on Sundays February 4th and February 18th. Call Baxter's Driving School today to reserve your spot! 797-7776. Two Convenient Locations Same Great Service Autoworks 277-9989 at 1278 Dryden Rd., and Autoworks Express 277-FAST 987 Dryden Rd., M-F 7:30am-5:30pm Child Care NYS Licensed provider 17 years. South Danby Road. Openings ages 3 -12. SVE Schools. Siegard's Day Care 273-2003. Food & Drink Two Locations to Serve You Best GreenStar 701 W. Buffalo St. 2739392 & 215 N. Cayuga St 273-8210 Your Hometown Grocery T-Burg Shur Save Rt 96, T-Burg 387-3701 Shortstop Deli Open 24/7 at 204 W. Seneca St., Ithaca 273-1030________ For Rent PS2 $99 / X Box $149 / Game Cube $69.95 with 3 Free Games or DVD's and 90 Day Warranty. Media Max 607341-3636. Flowers, gifts and home decor. Not just a flower shop, Ithaca Flower Shop 273-0600, Ithaca Shopping Plaza. Ithaca’s Largest and Oldest Independently Owned Bookstore he Bookery II, 215 N. Cayuga St. Info [email protected] 273-5055 Resnicks Mattress Factory Direct 256-9666 618 Elmira Rd., Ithaca. www.resnicksmattress.com Cobbler’s Cottage Over 30 brands & 300 styles available. 273-2951 Ithaca Shopping Plaza, across from K-Mart Excavating & Drainage. Estimates, Full Insured. Mancini-Ferrara & Sons, Inc. 608 Elmira Rd., Ithaca 272-3600 Save Money on Heating Costs Burn Corn Hearth & Home 726 W. Court St. 273-3012 or www.HearthHome.com Insurance Always There, State Farm Insurance, 1111 Triphammer Rd. Call 257-8900 BAXTER'S DRIVING SCHOOL - Save money on insurance and reduce points. Take Baxter's Defensive Driving Course on February 24th at the Pyramid Mall. Call Baxter's Driving School today @ 797-7776. Always There, State Farm Insurance, 1111 Triphammer Rd. Call 257-8900 Larkin Insurance Home, Auto, Business 401 N Aurora St., 273-4732 Pets Your Yard, Garden & Pet Place, Ithaca Agway, 213 S. Meadow St. Call 272-1848 Wanted to Buy Games & Electronics. Broken or not video games & systems, I-Pods, Cell Phones, Zunes, Laptops, Media Max 317 Harrison Ave., Endicott, NY next to Valvoline Oil Change off Main St., 17-C Open M, W 10-6, Th, Fri noon-8 Sat 12-5 607-785-4380 Employment Writers Wanted interested in writing for Tompkins Weekly? We are looking to expand our group of writers. Contact Editor Jay Wrolstad at 607-539-7100 or email [email protected] Delivery Drivers Wanted Must be reliable with your own transportation. References please. Part - time. Call Tim at 607-339-9774 Real Estate Leisure Fall Creek Pictures Show Info 2721256 or Cinemopolis 277-6115 http://cinemapolis.org/home.asp Salons Crystal’s Spa. A full Service Spa & Salon. www.crystalsspa.com 2416 N Triphammer Rd., Ithaca 257-3334 Look Your Best Donna’s Styling Salon 45 Main St., Spencer 589-4344 Two bedroom apartment 3 miles from Buttermilk State Park. Clean & roomy living in country duplex. Beautiful views, ample parking, separate laundry room. Utilities included at $800/month. Call 607-564-7921. For Sale Buy-Sell-Trade New and Gently Used Children’s Clothing Mama Goose 401 W. Seneca St. 269-0600 Sell It Fast! We'll run your classified line ad for only $5! (per 10 words) Mail to: Tompkins Weekly Classifieds, PO Box 6404 Ithaca NY 14851, fax this form to: 607-347-4302, (Questions? 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Name:____________________________ Ph:_______________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ Tompkins Weekly January 29 15 Town Contest Continued from page 1 Democratic committee. Interested parties can contact her directly. Both supervisor candidates have expressed a desire to allow the Democratic organization to decide on a candidate. “I’m expressing my interest to the party and the Democratic committee will decide who they support,” Joseph says. “Tim and I both want the committee to express a preference, and then if there’s a very clear choice, that will probably be [the end of] it,” says Engman. “If it’s a split decision, then we’ll have to talk about what to do. Candidates don’t like primaries because they absorb lots of time, money and energy.” End of an Era Valentino cites several factors influencing her decision to leave the supervisor’s post after her third term. “I’ve been the town supervisor for 12 years, and I’ve spent 23 years in elected offices altogether. Twelve years in a really busy, busy job like that kind of wears you down after a while,” she says. “I was 72 years old in December. I got to thinking, ‘You know what, there’s a lot of other things I want to do that I can’t do if I’m still trying to do a good job here,’” Valentino adds. “It felt like it’s time to move on, it’s the right thing to do.” Among Valentino’s future plans is volunteering for various local organizations, something she says she never had the time for while in public office. “It’s not like I’m going to retire and go away,” she says. “It’s been great working in this community and working with so many great people,” she says. “This community’s been very kind to me.” Losing Waste Continued from page 2 izations to give a presentation on recycling and reducing waste. Further, according to Parr, new initiatives will focus on getting local businesses in line. “We offer a walk-through waste assessment for businesses, focusing on things like their purchasing practices,” he explains. “At the end we give them a report with recommendations on how to reduce their waste.” A “green purchasing” advisory group helps with this program and others, making it easier for businesses and residents to buy cleaning products, for example, that can be recycled rather than become hazardous waste. “In the end it costs less to do these things than to throw everything away,” says Parr. Still, one group involved in the process may suffer an adverse affect. As the waste stream narrows the trash haulers may find their workload is reduced as well. If less waste is going to the dump, consumer fees for garbage disposal should start to reflect this decline. “It's a change in social consciousness,” says Eckstrom, “from when it was the hauler controlling all the waste. That reduction should be reflected by reduced costs to the consumer from the haulers, but we haven't seen it yet.” Common Continued from page 3 level, noting that a resolution passed by county legislators is more effective when signed by all of the inclusive municipalities. “It sends a much stronger message to the state,” she says. All members of the council are elected officials from local governments, usually town supervisors. But alternate council members who are not elected officials are in place to vote when primary council members are absent. Tompkins County is providing staff support for the council. As the TCCOG gains its footing and begins to dig in with in-depth discussion, local leaders may find that their common ground reaches more deeply than ever before imagined. Program Focuses on Health of Lakes Meditations Continued from page 9 Voyager 1 space probe in 1990. Taylor explains what brought him to create music based on particle physics. “I was inspired to compose ‘Seven Microworlds’ by learning about string theory, a recent branch of physics in which fundamental particles such as quarks and photons are thought to consist of unimaginably small, vibrating strings. By vibrating in different ways, these strings account for all currently known particles, just as you can play many different notes on a single guitar string. “But nobody knows whether or not the theory is true, and in some ways it is quite bizarre.” Taylor adds. “In addition to our three spatial dimensions, familiar strings inhabit several other ultramicroscopic dimensions curled into complex knots. We don’t notice microdimensions, even these though the theory says we move through them constantly.” In Taylor’s piece, the electronics are intended to act as a bridge between the “real world” of the flute and guitar and these hidden microworlds that permeate us all. “Of the seven movements (played without pause), the first, fourth and seventh for both flute and guitar loosely represent the three macrodimensions,” he says. The others are solo movements inspired by various twisting microdimensions. “Collision Focus,” the first movement, zooms into microscopic chaos; the fourth, “Verticality” (the only movement without electronics), plays with ascents and wide leaps; and “Flatland” is a meditation on a plane curving into itself, Taylor says, just as the seemingly flat surface of earth wraps into a sphere. The humanities and sciences do not always meet and mesh in our modern world. But for a few brief days in Ithaca in the middle of winter, these two cultures work together in a seamless flow called Light in Winter. All of the Finger Lakes are currently listed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as threatened, stressed, or impaired. Residents and policy makers are invited to learn more about the complex threats facing Cayuga Lake and other lakes in the region during a presentation by John Halfman, professor of geoscience at and William Smith Hobart Colleges, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Human Services Building, 320 W. State St., Ithaca. Halfman will summarize his preliminary investigation of water quality indicators from the seven central Finger Lakes and reveal potential links between water quality and the level of legislative protection of the environment. The presentation will be followed by a discussion of local efforts to monitor conditions in Cayuga Lake. This event is co-sponsored by the Tompkins County Water Resources Council and the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network. Dryden Democrats Announce Caucus The 2007 Village of Dryden Democratic Caucus will be held Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. on the second floor of the village hall, 16 South Street. All registered Democrats in the Village of Dryden may vote in this caucus and are encouraged to attend. The January caucus is a means of selecting candidates to run for the positions of village trustee and mayor in the village election to be held March 13. This year village of residents will elect two trustees and a mayor, each for a two-year term. For more information about the caucus, or to learn about running for office in Dryden, call Simon St. Laurent at 227-0858. Melt Your Valentine's Heart with Ice Cream Cakes, Purity Gifts, 36 favorite Purity flavors, Sensational Sundaes, Milkshakes, Gourmet Chocolate Truffles Open Daily 272-1545 Rt. 13, Ithaca www.purityicecream.com S $ 273-PAPA UPER P E C I A LS $ 229 9 TWO- X-Large Cheese or 1 Topping Pizzas *Customer pays all tax. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer valid 2/4/07 only. TW 3 99 9 3- XL Cheese or 1 Topping Pizzas 2-orders Buffalo Wings 2-Two-Liters of Soda *Customer pays all tax. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer valid 2/4/07 only. TW papajohns.com 16 Tompkins Weekly January 29 $ 5 99 9 SIX X-Large One or Two Topping Pizzas *Customer pays all tax. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer valid 2/4/07 only. Rt. 13N & Third St. Ithaca