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Highway

Will Winter

sidewalks?

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Online @ ITH ACA .COM

For the

Youth

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happen?

tropical Pacific and North Atlantic conspire

Abstraction

musicâ€™s Sake David Bromberg plays because he likes music

community tries to get kids employable

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Ne City of Ithaca

w s l i n e

VOL.X X XVIII / NO. 16 / December 16, 2015 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

Town of Ithaca

and conducted an online survey that garnered 360 respondents in preparation to finalize a report early next year. Those surveyed told the consultants that their concerns about the stretch of road are, from most to least important, “insufficient space along road shoulders,” “fast moving traffic,” “no safe place to cross,” “no street lights or poor lighting,” and “shoulder maintenance.” Of those respondents, 38 alkers, bikers, and drivers all have complaints about the safety percent were Ithaca College students, and 64 percent of respondents said they’ve of Danby Road (Route 96B) walked along Danby Road at least a few from the city line up to the King Road times a month. intersection. Pedestrian accident numbers Along the 1.6-mile stretch you pass gathered by the consultants weren’t high, the main Ithaca College entrance, the but that’s not a South Hill Business surprise, said Tim Campus, and Faulkner of CHA. multiple residential “A lot of places developments that where we do these house everyone [studies] people from students say they don’t feel to seniors. The safe,” Faulkner students, local said, “[and] they drivers say, are don’t use the area nigh invisible or they’re very while they walk cautious.” in a ditch on the However, east side of Danby several at the Road to their gathering impugned homes or Rogan’s the caution of Corner for a pizza college students. and beer buy. “They might Heavy truck traffic offer education alongside narrow classes at their shoulders is a bad school to teach combination, bikers them what side say. And most of traffic to walk everyone says that on,” said Town of aggressive driving Ithaca planning prevails along this Corridor study area may be redesigned. board member Fred particular stretch of (Photo by Town of Ithaca) Wilcox. road. Faulkner On Tuesday, and his comrade Dec. 8 a crowd of Mary Burgoon presented two plans for about 40 aired many of these concerns at adding sidewalks to the entire stretch of the Country Inn & Suites on the corner Danby Road in question. The alternatives of King and Danby roads. The meeting essentially differ as to whether sidewalks was part of the research process for a would be built on one or both sides of the study conducted by consultants CHA highway from the Ithaca College entrance of Syracuse. The town would like to south to the city line. There’s a stretch make the area more pedestrian and bike friendly. The consultants have met with continued on page 4 business owners and IC representatives

Do Food Trucks Pay Sidewalks May Be Their Fair Share? Added to Danby Rd.

he increasing visibility of food trucks on Ithaca’s streets looks like it is leading city officials to take another gander at the mobile vending policy put into place in early 2014. Nathan Lyman, attorney for Jason Fane's Ithaca Renting Company, requested the board of public works reconsider the policy in a Nov. 10 letter, which claimed that the food truck parking spot at the intersection of Dryden Road and Eddy Street was within the 200-foot buffer zone around Sangam's Indian Cuisine. "The city should do a comparative analysis of the peanuts food trucks pay with what restaurants pay to the city," Lyman said, citing the $84,650 in combined property taxes paid by Fane properties at 418-428 Eddy Street. He said that seven to nine families are supported by restaurants at that location. “This policy is a dis-incentive to the encouragement of exceptional urban design and high quality construction, as well as promoting additional development in the central areas of Collegetown," Lyman wrote in the letter. "I would suggest that the pennies generated by fees and parking cannot come close to the revenue created by new investment in the city." "The restaurant business is tough, and at some locations with some landlords more than others," Mayor Svante Myrick responded to Lyman's comments. "My heart goes out to all who struggle to make the rent in this community." Food trucks currently pay a permit fee for a spot and for parking, at rates set by the city. David Farahi, a co-owner of Dos Amigos Tacos, was present at the meeting to ask for a temporary permit to operate downtown at Buffalo and Tioga streets. Farahi said that "Collegetown isn't really an operating market" during break, and he wanted to keep full- and part-time employees working over the holidays. Farahi suggested that a food truck association be formed to help keep mobile vendors appraised of and involved in making city policies. "We want to pay our fair share of rent; it is pretty low," Farahi said. Commissioner Bill Goldsmith asked whether there had been any study of what other cities bring in from renting out spots to food trucks. Public works executive assistant Kathy Servoss said that some municipalities do find food trucks "very continued on page 5

▶ Chill Challenge, Ithaca Community Recovery is having a fundraiser called the Ithaca Chill Challenge – Dip or Dodge Event! The Challenge is similar to a “Polar Bear Plunge,” but with a twist. The twist - each participant has their own page for donations, and their donors can “vote” with their $$$ to either…“Dip ’em” and they’ll have to run into the lake for a dip OR let ’em “Dodge” and they’ll get to stay dry and watch from the shore! On New Year’s Day, the higher total for each participant prevails. Participants commit to doing whatever their friends, loved ones, co-workers, frenemies,

siblings, and assorted other donors decide. To register to participate or donate go to our website at www.ithacachillchallenge.org. All the money raised will be used to maintain and improve ICR located at 518 West Seneca Street. ICR is a small nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the local recovery community. ICR provides a place to come for the support, fellowship, and sense of community that is crucial to anyone dealing with addiction of any type. If you’d like to know more about ICR, go to www. ithacacommunityrecovery.org.

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This band doesn’t rehearse; they’re just that good

A Zenith of Form & Duality ... 17 Abstraction is the norm for two local contemporaries

NE W S & OPINION

Newsline . ......................... 3-7, 11, 12, 16 Sports ................................................... 14

ART S & E NTE RTAINME NT

Film . ...................................................... 18 Art . ....................................................... 19 Music . ................................................... 20 Books .................................................... 21 Stage ..................................................... 22 TimesTable .................................... 25-28 HeadsUp . ............................................. 28 Classifieds...................................... 29-31 Back Page . ........................................... 32 Cover Design: Marshall Hopkins

ON THE W E B Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 B i l l C h a i s s o n , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 224 E d i t o r @ I t h a c a T i me s . c o m G l y n i s H a r t , F i n g e r L a k e s M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 235 Ed ito r @Flcn .o rg J a i m e C o n e , W e b E d i t o r , x 217 A r t s @I t h a c a T i me s . c o m J o s h B r o k a w, S t a ff R e p o r t e r , x 225 R e p o r t e r @I t h a c a T i me s . c o m C h r i s H a r r i n g t o n , E d i t o r i a l a s s i s t a n t , x 217 A r t s @I t h a c a T i me s . c o m Steve L aw r ence, Sports Columnist, Ste vespo rt sd u d e@gmai l .co m M i c h a e l N o c e l l a , F i n g e r L a k e s S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 236 Sp o rt s@Flcn .o rg M a r s h a l l H o p k i n s , P r o d u c t i o n D i r e c t o r / D e s i g n e r , x 226 P r o d u c t i o n @I t h a c a T i me s . c o m G e o r g i a C o l i c c h i o, A c c o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 220 G e o r g i a @ I t h a c a T i me s . c o m J i m K i e r n a n , A c c o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 219 J k i e r n a n @ I t h a c a T i me s . c o m A l e x i s C o l t o n , A c c o u n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e , x 221 A le x i s @ I t h a c a T i me s . c o m S h a r o n D a v i s , Cy n d i B r o n g , x 211 A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Chris Eaton, Distribution J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 210 j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c a T i me s . c o m F r eel a n c e r s : Barbara Adams,Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Cassandra Palmyra, Arthur Whitman, and Bryan VanCampen. Rick Blaisell, Les Jinks.

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All rights reserved. Events are listed free of charge in TimesTable. All copy must be received by Friday at noon. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $69 one year. Include check or money order and mail to the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. ADVERTISING: Deadlines are Monday 5 p.m. for display, Tuesday at noon for classified. Advertisers should check their ad on publication. The Ithaca Times will not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical error, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the space in which the actual error appeared in the first insertion. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The Ithaca Times is published weekly Wednesday mornings. Offices are located at 109 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 607-277-7000, FAX 607-277-1012, MAILING ADDRESS is PO Box 27, Ithaca, NY 14851. The Ithaca Times was preceded by the Ithaca New Times (1972-1978) and The Good Times Gazette (1973-1978), combined in 1978. F o u n d e r G o o d T i me s G a z e t t e : Tom Newton

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N Winter Forecast

PHOTOGRAPHER

Warm Start to Winter But This Could Change

By Josh Brok aw

What Was your favorite anything in 2015?

o what is it with this weather anyway? According to Mark Wyslocki, a senior lecturer in meterology at Cornell, much of the anomaly is due to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation or ENSO. This season’s ENSO event is the strongest since the 1997-1998 and it may end the drought in California, at least in southern California. The current event, said Wysocki, is on track to be an event stronger than that one and its famous predecessor in 1982-1983. All this was known in early October when the Ithaca Times first spoke with Wysocki, but he said that there was another shoe that had to drop before we knew what the winter was going to be like: the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO didn’t settle into a winter pattern until the beginning of December. What is ENSO? The “oscillation” part of the name incorporates both El Niño and La Niña. During a “normal” year, the trade winds blow from east to west in both hemispheres toward a line a few degrees north of the equator. They literally pile warm water in the western equatorial Pacific (near the Solomon Islands and the Philippines). In the eastern equatorial Pacific cold water wells up from depth to replace the water that has been blown away. During an El Niño the trade winds slacken and the pile of water in the west sloshes back to the east, dampening the upwelling. During a La Niña the trades blow especially hard, exacerbating the “normal” state. Once you change one large component of the ocean-atmosphere system, the change ripples through the rest of the parts like a multi-dimensional game of Tetris. The relative warmth of the central and eastern Pacific during an El Niño causes

“ Daredevil. Or maybe Ant Man” —Ameya Latyer

“Was Mad Max this year? Defintely Mad Max.” —Julian May Mann

“I took a road trip to Yellowstone.” —Marika Leitner

Danby rd.sidewalks contin u ed from page 3

of Aurora Street inside the city line that doesn’t have sidewalk, but that’s scheduled for construction in the 2017 plan, Burgoon said. As part of either alternative, CHA proposed separating the highway from the sidewalk by a five-foot-wide strip of grass. Different crosswalk concepts for current and future intersections were also presented; IC might be moving its entrance in a few years to align with the South Hill Business Center intersection. There is some flexibility for design alongside the highway, because the state bought a 100-foot-wide right-of-way in the ‘60s, Faulkner said, when it was thought a four-lane highway was needed there. Right now, 8,600 to 9,000 vehicles

“I started a health and fitness regime. I’m still going.” —Melissa Brewer

“I went to Cancun.” —Michelle Miller

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the westerly winds blow briskly and polar weather tends to stay in the polar latitudes. In the negative phase the weak pressure gradient and weak westerlies allow outbreaks of cold air from the so-called “polar vortex.” “The combination of a strong ENSO and a strong circumpolar oscillation [negative phase NAO] hasn’t been seen before,” said Wysocki. “There could be very strong storms in the winter.” The unprecedented nature of the event made predictions difficult. In early October the NAO had been in a negative phase, but estimations are made regularly based on two-week windows of data, and in late October it flipped into the positive phase and has stayed there. “That means there are fast The negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. If it occurs we might winds at the surface and aloft,” get some wicked winter storms. (Illustration: Katje Matthes/Nature) said Wysocki. “The east coast storms are moving more quickly the westerlies (north of the trades) to and heading over to [northwest] Europe, carry more moisture toward Mexico and where it will be mild and wet. The systems southern California and then across the are moving too fast, so it will be a mild continent over Texas to Florida. winter, at least the first part of it.” That “There is a 2-degree [Celsius] increase could change though. in temperature on average in the east to “The negative index slows things central Pacific,” said Wysocki. “That means down,” said the Cornell meterologist, “and there is more convection, so the moisture drags the cold air from Hudson Bay.” If gets higher in the atmosphere and is there are more storms, he said, then there is transported further.” more pulling; it is cumulative. The moisture transported to the The current weather is in front of a southeast U.S. can then become entrained cold air system that will sweep in by this in winter storms that travel up the east coast, the so-called “nor’easters.” These low- weekend, according to Wysocki, plunging temperatures into the 20s. Even this will pressure systems don’t often affect Ithaca, as it is too far inland, but their presence can not stick around long though, because of the strong westerlies associated with the draw cold air out of the Hudson Bay area positive NAO. Without a negative NAO we, down into central New York. If they hang like northwest Europe, are likely to have a around long enough. mild winter courtesy of El Niño. That is where the NAO comes in. It “It’s tough to for northeast ski resorts,” is an especially well defined piece of an admitted Wysocki. “It’s not promising for atmospheric phenomenon called the Arctic them for the next two weeks.” oscillation, a measurement of the pressure between the polar latitudes and the mid–Bill Chaisson latitudes (~40 degrees N). In its positive editor@ithacatimes.com phase the pressure gradient is strong and a day use the road, but more than 15,000 are needed before four lanes would be necessary. In response to questions about making the road one lane on both sides, Faulkner said removing the southbound, uphill lane would be a “tough sell” because it’s meant for slow-climbing trucks. The northbound, downhill lane, city resident Dave Nutter theorized, was needed back when the business campus was the National Cash Register Co. and “everyone was leaving at once.” “Now what happens is you’re slowing down to go into the 30 mile per hour zone, and people are passing you on the right,” Nutter said. Form Ithaca, the zoning redesign initiative led by local planners, proposed a 65-foot-wide streetscape on Route 96B, with 10-foot-wide travel lanes, a “planting strip” with trees between the driving lanes, and a two-way bike lane and a sidewalk

both buffered from automobile traffic. “Trees in the strip are most likely a no,” Faulkner said. “They’re considered hazardous from a DOT perspective.” According to Sue Ritter, director of planning for the Town of Ithaca, the study cost $95,000 and was 80 percent grant-funded by the state. CHA will incorporate comments from the session into their study and hopes to make a final presentation to the town board by early next year, Burgoon said. For more on this study, visit town. ithaca.ny.us/pedstudy. A previous version of this story appeared on ithaca.com on Dec. 8 with the headline “Sidewalks for Danby Road Planned.” – Josh Brokaw reporter@ithacatimes.com

N Youth Forecast

Youth Summit: Let’s Be More Data Driven

oung people, it’s often said, are the future. Figuring out how to give local youth a prosperous and successful future was the topic of discussion at the Southside Community Center on Dec. 10. The gathering, which attracted about 80 people to Southside’s gymnasium, was held to present two separate initiatives and gather ideas for how those programs might become effective. “With all the ideas and programs we’ve put into place, we still have problems,” Mayor Svante Myrick said of the state of city youth. Ithaca City schools superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown said there’s been progress made in his five-year tenure, including reducing five-day “superintendent’s suspensions” from five to six a day to five in this academic year thus far. . “It would break my heart that many of these boys looked just like me,” Brown said of the suspended students, and reiterated his commitment to showing love in education. “Whether it’s a contract extension with teachers or a suspension of five days or more, we’re going to take a loving approach.” Myrick and Brown were there, along with Town of Ithaca supervisor Bill Goodman, and county youth services director Amie Hendrix. The mayor has signed up the city to become a “My Brother’s Keeper” community, an initiative launched by President Barack Obama in 2014 to help “reduce barriers that young people of color face” toward getting a good education and career. The meeting was also a “community convening meeting,” one of many that have been held to gather information for the county’s “Achieving Youth Results” survey. Funding “to start the conversation” was received from the state office of Children and Family Services, Hendrix said, with the hope that the survey “could set some actual indicators using data.” Over 350 people had been surveyed at “community convening meetings” so far, Hendrix said, with a report to come in spring 2016. “Usually you have one session of 100 people or so, and then you make an action plan,” Hendrix said. “We wanted to go much deeper.” Before the meeting broke into discussions in the round to come up with ideas for the action planners, True Benton, owner of Big Time Barbershop, stood up to express his frustrations with an “Eurocentric” education system that he said “reinforces white superiority.” “This is the same old people in the same room doing the same thing,” Benton said. “I propose there be people up here

like me talking rather than people who always have no answers.” Once Benton had said his piece and the discussants dispersed into groups, Thia Harriett, who works in supportive housing with Tompkins Community Action, suggested to one group there be more emphasis on talking to the youth and getting their story. “I think they’re afraid,” Harriett said of young people she sees in her line of work. “These young men don’t want to go to a job interview because they’re afraid of

considered. Education, the preparation of youth “to live, learn and work in their community,” will use graduation rate and a percentage of third-grade students scoring well on the English Language Assessment as part of its goal-setting. For Engagement, “children and youth will demonstrate commitment to their community as contributing members of their families, schools and neighborhood,” which will be measured in part by youth self-reporting they’ve participated in activities, and using arrest rates among juveniles and young

Ups&Downs ▶ New VPs at TFC, Alyssa H. Fontaine will join Tompkins Financial Corporation as Executive Vice President and General Counsel effective January 1, 2016. Tompkins Financial Corporation is pleased to announce that Bonita Lindberg will join the company as senior vice president, director of human resources, effective December 28. In her role, Lindberg will lead the human resources and learning and development departments for Tompkins Financial as a member of the company’s senior leadership team. If you care to respond to something in this column, or publish your own grievances or plaudits, e-mail editor@ithacatimes.com, with a subject head “Ups & Downs.”

Heard&Seen ▶ Triad Funds Fire Dept. In November, the City of Ithaca Fire Department placed in service a new HighPressure Firefighting Skid Unit. The firefighting unit, which is installed in the back of a department four wheel drive pick-up truck, uses much higher pressure and less water to extinguish a fire. The Unit was funded by a $24,000 grant from the Triad Foundation. On behalf of the members of the Ithaca Fire Department and the Ithaca Community, Chief Tom Parsons thanks the Triad Foundation for funding this new piece of firefighting equipment.

Youth summit at the Southside Community Center. (Photo: Josh Brokaw)

being rejected.” Considerations of how employers might help aren’t prominent in the literature for each initiative, with most of the focus on getting youth ready for their roles as workers. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative (more at whitehouse.gov/my-brotherskeeper) lists six goals, which all begin with “ensuring all” youth will enter school cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally ready; read at grade level by third grade; graduate from high school; complete post-secondary education or training; all out of school are employed; and all will remain safe from violent crime. The Achieving Youth Results survey is in part an effort to increase “results-based accountability” for county programs. In a presentation made to the county legislature, slides available on its website [tompkinscountyny.gov/ youth/AYR] explain the ideas and partial metrics behind the six “community-wide indicators.” For the Community metric, the county will provide “healthy, safe, and thriving environments:” one measure is that many families are spending 30 percent or more on housing, and another is students’ reporting whether they feel safe. For Economic Security, free/reduced lunch numbers and food stamp numbers will be

▶ Top Stories on the Ithaca Times website for the week of Dec. 9-15 include:

adults for property crimes. The Family metric, defined as “safe environments,” will take into account how often children have changed schools and their absence rates. And finally, the Physical and Emotional Health indicator will factor in students who self-report as “sad or depressed,” and the childhood obesity rate. For those who might want to contribute their thoughts to the Achieving Youth Results survey, there’s one more open convening meeting scheduled right now, at the Village of Lansing Hall at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17.

1) Surrounded by Reality | Close to Home 2) Treman Center Ready to Host Events 3) Former Ithaca High School Lacrosse Team 4) Fab 5 Awards Looks For Few Excellent Folks 5) Downtown Marriott Slated to Open August 2016 For these stories and more, visit our website at www.ithaca.com.

question

– Josh Brokaw reporter@ithacatimes.com

OF THE WEEK

Do you celebrate New Year’s Eve by going out ? Please respond at ithaca.com. L ast Week ’s Q uestion: Would you like affordable

foodtrucks

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lucrative." "This is very much a process of trial and error, and we're running into some errors and need to fix them," Servoss said of the policy, which, as it was pointed out multiple times by several people, is a pilot program.

55 percent of respondents answered “yes” and 45 percent answered “no”

– Josh Brokaw reporter@ithacatimes.com T

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IthacaNotes

What’s Wrong w/ This Picture? Zigging Toward Xmas T I ompkins County had an impressive number of scientists attending the COP21 negotiations in Paris where delegates from 190 countries worked out ways to limit increases in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Among these scientists were Bob Howarth, Allison Chatrchyan, Sandra Steingraber, Johannes Lehmann, and Karen Pinkus. Hanging in the balance is the future of all coastal populations globally and indeed the future of humanity itself. Odd timing that the Ithaca Times editorial last week would consist of an ill-informed apologia for fossil fuel generation of electricity with no mention whatsoever of climate change implications. The mis-informed aspects of the editorial included these three points (with brief reply in bold): 1) Repowering the plant with natural gas will result in 19 ounces of CO2 released per kilowatt-hour of energy produced compared to 32 ounces of CO2 released when coal is used. Incomplete picture: due to fugitive methane releases, natural gas is not a climate-friendly bridge fuel. 2) The “oxidized mercury” is also removed from the stack effluents and ends up safely shipped off to the wallboard industry. Beside the point: the majority of mercury is released in stack effluents. 3) The Cayuga power plant has a flue gas desulfurization system that removes almost all sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the stack effluents that are “mostly

steam.” Misleading: dangerous amounts of sulfur dioxide are released whenever the plant is operating. Not a bridge fuel. The editor of the Ithaca Times chooses to focus on only part of the problem, overestimating the marginal benefits of natural gas by ignoring the greenhouse gas contributions of fugitive methane, which are inherent in gas production from the well-bore to the compressor station to the pipeline to the power plant. Written from Ithaca, the virtual epicenter of research on the climate effects of fugitive methane, this omission is myopic to say the least. According to an August 2015 paper by Bob Howarth, “Methane is an incredibly powerful greenhouse gas that is more than 100fold greater in absorbing heat than is carbon dioxide while both gases are in the atmosphere and some 86-fold greater when averaged over a 20-year period following emission.” Howarth and Anthony Ingraffea concluded in a paper in 2011 that “… shale gas is not a suitable bridge fuel for the 21st Century.” Removal of mercury from stack effluents. According to the federal government’s Toxics Release Inventory, the Cayuga plant released in its air effluents 14 pounds of mercury compounds in 2005, 46 pounds in 2009, and 22 pounds in 2014. Total mercury produced at the plant in 2014 was reportedly 38 pounds, so it appears that continued on page 7

By St e ph e n P. Bu r k e

thaca is a place that prides itself on zigging while others zag. You’ll see this every election year, when Ithaca generally votes quite differently from other upstate towns, and on the holiday calendar, which we tend to amend a bit to our liking. Christmas will be here very soon, but I have not heard one person here discussing Christmas shopping. Maybe we are better at it than other people, but it seems more likely that we just care less about it, and do less of it. It’s hard to argue against muted consumerism in a country where people sometimes get killed in stampedes at Christmas sales. Still, there is something to be said for a little measured gift-giving. Whatever else it is, or isn’t, Christmas is one of the top ten darkest days of the year, in a long string of them, so cheering someone with a present at this time is a nice and worthy idea. It’s easy to keep gift-giving simple in Ithaca. Downtown is filled with pleasant stores offering useful, lovely things. There are a lot of high-toned reasons why it is more blessed to give than to receive, but a core one is that it means you are lucky enough to have something to give in the first place, and to have someone to give to. Exhibiting your largesse means something to your friends and loved ones, of course, but also to your neighbors who run businesses. Years ago I opened a retail business here. At the start, there were days I didn’t make the day’s rent. But I remember December 23 of my first year, when I made enough for two months’ rent. Visions of paid bills danced in my head that night. This is a season of abundant niceties, if we want it to be. At no other time of year do people go around wishing each other

“happy” this or “merry” that. I know there are political and linguistic issues around this - at least, the media say so - but personally I do not care what anyone’s demographic status is, or faith is, or what they think mine might be, when they smile and use such words with me. Perhaps you actually like to zag—i.e., in this context, to partake of extravagant giving this time of year. Swell: there’s a place for you (are places for you), too, in Ithaca. There are national chain stores on Route 13 south of downtown that can meet your needs, including the need to let an out-of-town recipient possibly peaceably exchange your gift, if they want, at a branch near them. There are also many such emporia up Route 13, off Triphammer Road. I remember opposition to these stores being built, way back when, for being in Lansing, technically, thus depriving the city of Ithaca of sales tax. This issue seems to have long faded away. Now the major knock, such as it is, seems to be occasionally grim car traffic. A few years ago I ventured up there, in late December, and marveled as I realized, a bit past Cayuga Heights Road, that the right lane was no longer a lane, but a line, for the Triphammer Road exit. Last year at this time I went up there again, fortified by knowledge and mentally prepared this time to drive past Triphammer, if congested, on to Warren Road, to take a U-turn there. The traffic, however, was smooth sailing - sort of a disappointment, at that point, to strategic Magellan me, ready to revel in exploratory glory. I had to be satisfied with an easy zig when I was ready for a testy zag. Whatever floats your boat. I hope and trust you will get as good as you give this season. I wish you a happy merry. •

YourOPINIONS

Moosewood Is Still Itself

Moosewood’s customers, friends, and fans have been worried by persistent rumors that the restaurant has been sold and is either going out of business or being replaced by a fast casual joint. This is due in part to an article in the Ithaca Voice last summer that contained a number of inaccuracies. Let us set the record straight— Moosewood Restaurant is still owned by the same nineteen people, aka the Moosewood Collective. We’ve operated continually for 43 years, and we’re currently writing our 14th cookbook. But we’re in our 50s, 60s, and 70s now. For years we’ve been looking at succession plans so that we can retire while ensuring that Moosewood continues 6

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with a full-service natural foods menu with a vegetarian emphasis, the values of social responsibility, healthful food, and love for this community. It’s challenging; we’ve tried some new things—seasonal, à la carte menus plus ever-changing soups and specials, and live music Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings. We’ve heard people’s feedback and have returned the Daily Special, lunch specials with salad included, and we now take reservations. We’ve explored many ideas to expand and make the most of our brand. If we do make a deal, it will be with people we are confident will take good care of our place, continued on page 7

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the majority of the mercury produced by coal combustion went out the stacks in 2014 and not into wallboard products as the editor of the Ithaca Times asks us to believe. The dangers of mercury from food consumption (for example, from tuna) are well known and include decreased intelligence and altered behavior in children exposed in the womb. However, the risks associated with environmental exposure through air have not been well studied. Mercury exposure from air also affects the immune system, cardiac health and may hinder neurological development in children. Furthermore, while information on effects of air exposure to mercury is limited, once mercury released into the air is deposited onto the ground or into water, it is transformed by bacteria into methyl mercury and from there makes its way into our food. Removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2). According to a Sierra Club letter sent to the Public Service Commission [PSC] on 7 December 2015, “Cayuga is routinely emitting sulfur dioxide above thresholds identified by modeling as necessary to maintain EPA’s health-protective ambient air quality standard.” In 2011 (the last year for which SO2 data are available at echo.epa.gov), Cayuga Power released 21 million pounds of sulfur dioxide into the nearby atmosphere, i.e., a huge amount! A map of the likely distribution of toxic levels in the air can be seen below. Cayuga Operating has flue gas desulfurization systems for both Units 1 and 2, but are they consistently switched on? Sierra Club staff attorney Josh Berman writes in his 7 December 2015 letter to the PSC that, “The average monthly SO2 emission rate for the Cayuga facility over the past three years shows dramatic month-to-month variation. Absent huge fluctuations in the sulfur content of the coal being burned, these variations call into question whether Cayuga Operating Company is fully utilizing its existing SO2 controls … actual SO2 emissions over the past nearly four years, SO2 emission rates have almost uniformly been well above the modeling-informed limit. Exposure to SO2 even in very short time periods—as short as five minutes—has been shown to cause significant adverse human health effects. SO2 causes decrements in lung function, aggravation of asthma, and respiratory morbidity. Short-term SO2 exposure is especially risky for children, the elderly, and asthmatics. And EPA has determined that SO2 exposure can aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospitalizations and premature deaths [footnoted sources deleted].” The following map—in a technical report appended to Berman’s letter—shows a landscape where all colors denote an exceedance of allowable SO2 levels as predicted by a model. Note, for example, that the village of Trumansburg is enveloped within the 5000-7000 µg per cubic meter exceedance of SO2 levels. However, the EPA reports no violations of

the Clean Air Act by the plant in the past 12 quarters, probably because models to not carry the same weight as data derived from actual air quality monitoring devices. Air quality monitoring by independent scientists is needed. Source: Steven Klafka, PE, BCEE. June 4, 2014. Cayuga Operating Company, Lansing, NY. Sierra Club Evaluation of Compliance with 1-hour SO2 NAAQS. Last week’s editorial fails to acknowledge that there are also health hazards posed by a host of toxic chemicals that are not removed by scrubbers and flue gas desulfurization systems whether on or off. Amounts of some of these substances released in 2011 include: 3.7 million pounds of nitrogen oxides, 2.5 billion pounds of CO2, 227,354 pounds of carbon monoxide, 160,957 pounds of sulfuric acid, and 111 pounds of selenium. It is true that selenium and carbon dioxide in the right quantities are essential to certain life processes. However, their concentration and release by such an antiquated highly-centralized power plant is an unnecessary problem that can be cost-effectively avoided by an updated and modern electrical grid in conjunction with electrical generation with solar and wind. While 190 countries worked out an agreement in Paris to limit the global emissions of greenhouse gases, the editor of the Ithaca Times chose to depict local environmentalists as NIMBYs who simply wish to push greenhouse gas emissions to other locales. Nothing could be further from the truth. Campaigns here in New York to prohibit new pipelines anywhere in the country will help to keep oil and gas in the ground where it belongs, whether those reserves are in Alberta, Texas, Pennsylvania, or New York. As federal subsidies to the oil and gas industry are rolled back, alternative energy sources— already increasing exponentially in this country—will be mainstreamed even more readily. -John V. Dennis, PhD, Environmental Planner, Sustainable Development Associates -John T. Finn, P.E., Visiting Fellow, Dept of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University -Hilary Lambert, Ph.D., Steward/ Executive Director, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network -Keeley MacNeill, Ph.D. candidate, Cornell University -Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D.,  Cofounder, Concerned Health Professionals of New York & Distinguished Scholar in Residence,  Department of Environmental Studies and Science,  Ithaca College  Youropinions contin u ed from page 6

our name, and our community of friends, and we’ll shout it out with pride. Please come and eat at Moosewood, and if people tell you we’ve sold out for the megamillions, wait until you hear that from us. – Laura Branca and Nancy Lazarus, Moosewood Restaurant Co-owners

Treman Lake in upper Buttermilk Creek State Park. (Photo: Cassandra Palmyra)

Don’t Shackle Pregnant Women

A Shaky Business Model?

Imagine a state where pregnant women can be shackled to hospital gurneys headed to the delivery room, and go to prenatal and postpartum doctor visits completely shackled, including leg chains. Sound barbaric? It is. That is why we need Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature on the 2015 Anti-Shackling Bill to stop these abuses in New York. Passed by both the Assembly and Senate in June, the bill provides needed health care reform by preventing the serious physical and psychological health risks caused by shacking pregnant and postpartum women. The dangers shackling presents to pregnant women and their babies are well known, including limiting the mobility needed for a safe pregnancy, increasing the risk of blood clots, interfering with routine and emergency medical care, and impacting bonding and postpartum recovery. Recognizing the risks, New York State first enacted a law in 2009 banning shackles on incarcerated women during labor, delivery, and immediately after birth, as well as limiting shackling during transport. However, women remain at peril, with widespread violations documented by the Corrections Association of New York. The 2015 Anti-Shackling Bill protects women’s health by expanding the 2009 shackling ban to cover the entire pregnancy and an eight-week postpartum period. The bill addresses public safety concerns by allowing limited restraints in the extraordinary circumstances that they are necessary to avoid injury to the inmate and medical or corrections personnel. Join the call urging Governor Cuomo to sign the 2015 Anti-Shackling Bill now and finally put an end these health care abuses in New York State.

Aren’t we forgetting the first concern of the business model? Any business model. That would be to gauge the economic viability of your project based on the market. We can see by your example of the E Clinton St. project that between the “changes in the marketplace” and “changes that the City Planning Board insisted on,” this project was made financially unsound, assuming it was sound at the original $2.5 million. Whether or not a project is privately financed or money comes from the taxpayers, don’t you think it should be sound? And if we go about developing our world without regard to the economic soundness of our projects, shouldn’t we expect financial calamity? I mean, isn’t this the formula for ultimate failure? You seem to be suggesting that certain naysayers have an over-simple view of this issue. Well, you know, the world we have today and the one so many people seem to want to preserve was built up by application of sound (and fairly simple) economic principles. It seems to me we’ve been gradually pushing the tried and true principles over the cliff and adapting the convoluted ideas and principles of Bizarro World. The private marketplace isn’t perfect. Nobody is saying it is. But the one thing you can be sure of is that if developers are forced to use their own money and play by the same rules as the rest of us, they will tend to build projects that fit in with our community of today, that are sustainable for today and that are affordable in today’s economy. The government can help them by giving them the freedom to do it. – Timothy Terpening (Lake Street Apartments LLC), Sayre, Pennsylvania

– Liz Gipson, Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, Ithaca T

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Terpening is responding to a blog post at Ithaca.com. The blog, “What We Think,” is in the upper right hand corner of the home page.

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Big & Mean They don’t rehearse; they’re just that good B y J o s h B r o k aw

achines are designed to be precise, exact, calibrated to do some specific work in a repeatable manner. The Machine requires that people become predictable, orderly, precise in their actions as part of a larger, civilized, scheme. The Egyptian priests who made men into the regulated mega-machine that built the pyramids would have little tolerance for the inner workings of a group called Big Mean Sound Machine. Even the lowly engineers who plan your margarita maker’s immediate obsolescence would get nervous at the logistical challenges presented by Ithaca’s biggest band. The proof this Machine works is in the product—The Sound—and Big Mean puts out a high volume of audible material. The group puts eight to twelve musicians on stage for every gig, with 150-some dates played this year by the time they wrap up 2015 at Lot 10 on New Year’s Eve. They’ve issued three full-length releases of Afrobeat-inspired, always danceable, increasingly complex instrumental music—Ouroboros (2011), Marauders (2012), and Contraband (2014)—with another record to come in summer 2016. • • • Big Mean’s sound is not easily captured by the precise, genre-parsing descriptors of a contemporary music press that’s uncomfortable admitting to being surprised with a new sound. By playing music without lyrics, the memorable points of a set for the average listener become a rhythm tapped out on the kitchen counter while making Sunday coffee, a melody repeating itself in the head that makes the toes twitch. Upon taking in another live performance, a horn 8

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Photos: Casey Martin line hits that déjù vu spot in the mind IC on the African diaspora with Naeem and one knows it’s time to get over the Inayatullah, a professor of politics, which top. The rational thought, the associative included much listening to and discussion memories that accompany a favored lyric of West African music, a strong influence are left alone for the evening. If barkeeps on the group’s sound. ever reclaim from the Internet their right “What people remember about that of deciding the local’s soundtrack, a Big section of the course is Fela’s music,” Mean track on the juke says, “Let’s have a Inayatullah said. “I just met them at a dance party!” time of life they were ripe to something Big Mean’s origin story is far from like this, and I happened to be available to that of a dance band; it was four dudes in provide the music.” a lake cottage in Lansing over the summer “It was through Naeem that I began of 2009 making what would become the band’s self-titled EP. Guitarist Dan Barker, drummer Andrew Klein, bassist and composer Angelo Peters, and trumpeter Bobby Spellman gathered together to play music when friends offered them a usable space with a yet-unexpired lease. “We didn’t have a real vision or music written or guidance from a producer or anything like that,” Klein said. “We just had some toys, time, space, meat, and alcohol. A ngelo P eters a n d Bobby Spel l m a n Those are our humble beginnings.” That foursome, along with Rob Tate, who is now studying listening to Tony Allen and Fela Kuti, literature at Duke, made up The Buddhi, a and it was because of this that I took reggae/funk band who released an album an interest in learning some of those in 2009. rhythms,” Klein said. “When you’re a “While we had cultivated a fan base drummer and independence is a concept comprising mostly IC students,” Klein you’re excited by, Afrobeat is the most said, “it lacked the appeal, presence, and interesting music in the world ... when it’s stylistic coherence that all successful bands played right, the feeling is pure bliss.” have.” Other Big Mean members took Klein took a freshman seminar at Inayatullah’s classes, and Naeem kept

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feeding them musical ideas. The professor and his wife became “kind of groupies,” he said, and they make all the Ithaca shows that happen “within our bedtime hours.” Naeem compares Big Mean to Antibalas, which was the house band for the Broadway musical Fela and still tears it up on the festival circuit today. “I don’t understand why they’re not bigger than they are,” Inayatullah said of Big Mean. “I think they should be on the national scene right now.” Which isn’t to say the professor thinks the Sound Machine has got far enough out yet. He’s hoping for more in the way of “trading fours” and incorporation of more concepts from the likes of Sun Ra and the Art Ensemble of Chicago into the Big Mean repertoire. Given the limitations of distance learning, Spellman said his compositions “can’t get too far outside the groove element.” Collective improvisation is an occasional experiment. Klein speaks of the music with concern for its integrity as a group endeavor. “It’s important to master self-control over the urge we musicians have as creatives to express every idea that we have,” Klein said of his study in West African music. “It’s going to be a work-in-progress for a long time, maybe forever, to break those virtuosic habits that we’re conditioned with here in the west, and that is one of the goals I’m working toward.” “This band has contributed more to my own ability to express myself on my

instrument any other band ever has,” tenor saxman Jamie Yaman said. “You look at the people who are playing right down the line and each is as good as the next. I’m playing with people who have command of their craft.” For the listener who stops shaking to pay attention at a Big Mean show, they can find a musical education. “You can have party music that’s incredibly sophisticated to the ear,” Inayatullah said. “The only way to formulate a fan base is to take music and train the audience to hear it well. Don’t settle down and keep pushing it.” The band challenges itself on stage, taking the music outside at times while staying in the groove. “Sometimes we’ll turn to each other before taking a solo and say ‘Pretend a madman is chopping off your legs with an axe,” Spellman said. “Play like you’re flying through space. If you’re playing music people can dance to, they’re not going to be upset by the scary stuff. If people are playing free jazz or whatever with an off-putting attitude people won’t dig it … If you say we’re going into the musical forest together, people dig it as long as they can move their butts.” • • • Big Mean’s current group of a dozen touring members are scattered to the Northeastern winds, in Boston, Hartford, D.C., Buffalo, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, with two based here in Ithaca. Most of them are full-time working musicians, with lessons to give, other gigs to perform, rent to make. How dooo they do it? “We try to plan everything waayyy in advance,” said Klein. “Keep in mind you’re dealing with musicians here. We’re a bunch of disorganized, stoned wackos.” Since the players are typically arriving from their scattered locations just in time to catch the van to the next gig, dedicated rehearsal time is a rare luxury for Big Mean. “We show up knowing the s***. That’s been the M.O. for damn near the entirety of this band,” Peters said. “We never got together and jammed, ever. We never had regular hangouts as a band. We take all this music Bobby [Spellman] and I are crafting on the computer, give it to the live band, throw them in a room and say, ‘Go.’” Trumpeter Spellman, who writes the horn lines, says there’s “a lot of yelling” between himself and Peters during a performance when new songs are getting worked out on the bandstand. “Whenever we first play a tune we usually get about a C minus,” Spellman said. “We’ve never had a trainwreck, but usually it’s bad. The second time we play it’s better, and the third time we pretty much have the tune.”

The mere act of fitting the band onto stage is a creative challenge in itself, a game that Barker calls “Band Tetris.” Sometimes the players spill into the audience, off the stage, out of the tent. The touring arrangements are as tight as those

engineered several tracks on Contraband at Electric Wilburland in Newfield. “They have so much fun hanging out, let alone playing … and when they’re tracking everybody dances.” The Big Mean players better love each other, because “touring is how you make all the money nowadays,” Peters said, at a time when “places are closing all the time.” As an immediate example, Peters offered the case of The Hinge, a club in Northampton, Mass. where the Sound Machine was scheduled to play the second weekend of December. “We had the posters sent out and the Facebook event made and the place just closed,” Peters said. “We’ve lucked out by not having too many crappy shows.” Big Mean hasn’t had much in the way of problems on the road; snowstorms canceled a couple nights on a recent Virginia/North Carolina tour, a region where they’ve been building a following. The humbling gig is always a possibility. Big Mean played three sets

Planning ahead, with intelligence provided by conspirators of the vast live music underground, helps the band avoid gigs that aren’t a good fit. In 2016, the plan is to push west as far as Colorado, Peters said, with a potential swing through Texas and a visit to New Orleans. With so many players, the casual observer might think that Big Mean’s members are being charitable with their time; the size of the group, though, can be an asset for the band’s bottom line. “Everyone gets paid. You can say ‘Look at all the mouths to feed,’” Peters said of negotiating with promoters. “They see that you can get 10 musicians on stage to commit to what you’re doing. If you can do that, they know you can certainly get a crowd going.” Big Mean has stepped up their touring game in recent years. “The gap between 50 and 75 shows in a year is insane,” Peters said. “With 12 months in a year, and two gigs in a weekend, it’s pretty easy to rack up 50 shows.” When on tour, there are no nights off. Big Mean played seven straight nights

Angelo Peters

on stage, with 10 or more people and lots of equipment to fit in a 15-passenger van pulling a trailer. “We’re packed like sardines in the van, three in a row,” tenor saxophonist Jamie Yaman said. “As a horn player on stage, there’s not much room for dancing—you’re dancing shoulder to shoulder with the guy or girl next to you.” Despite taking a number of multiweek tours up and down the East Coast over the past couple years, with GrassRoots’ festivals in Shakori Hills, North Carolina, and Virginia Key, Florida, serving as anchor gigs, none of the players interviewed for this article report any grand tensions, factional divides, or death wishes levied upon one member by another. “Because there’s so many people, if someone is bothering you, you can go hang out with somebody else,” trombonist Alicia Aubin said. “There’s no real tension, and you’re able to work it out with so many people in the group. Everybody is really awesome.” “Those guys love each other,” said Matthew Saccuccimorano, who

A l i c i a Au b i n

at GrassRoots 2015, with the usual sort of enthusiastic crowd support music receives in Trumansburg. With Saturday night off and everyone together, the band took a gig for the downtown festival of an unnamed Finger Lakes burg. It was one of those “the-universe-issaying-don’t-get-too-big-on-yourself-now” nights, according to Yaman. “There were about 10 people in lawn chairs about 50 feet back from the stage,” Yaman said, “and not the type of people who typically listen to our music.” After the set, Yaman went into the bathroom with a bandmate and heard a guy washing his hands muttering to himself. “He’s saying ‘Holy s***! That last band sucked.’ We left the room and started laughing outside.” T

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in October on their way to the Shakori Hills GrassRoots, starting in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “It’s tiring with a lot of all-night drives, but it’s an exciting time and a little bit of a scary time,” Aubin said. “We’re getting so busy now. Big Mean is a priority for everyone, and it’s awesome.” An increased fan base from more consistent touring has Peters excited about rolling out the new record, which will be partially funded by a crowd-funded pledge campaign. Keeping this independent organization moving means there must be a “division of labor” among the band

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members of work that they “can’t afford to outsource,” Klein said, like scheduling, logistics, merchandise, booking, and keeping the website updated. “There’s endless amounts of work you can do, so many things to tighten up outside of the music,” Peters said. “Who’s doing merch inventory? Who’s going to take the trailer bearings to get greased? Who’s going to make sandwiches on the next run? Who’s cleaning the van?” In making both musical and business decisions, “it’s tough to have a democracy,” Peters said. “One person needs to crack the whip.” As the only member never

to miss a gig, Peters says he has to play “barometer” for the group’s collective feelings on most every decision. Doing 150 or more shows in a year takes a strong level of commitment. “We generally travel from Thursday to Sunday,” Spellman said, “and we all come from different cities, convene in Ithaca, travel to other cities, work late into the night, sleep on floors and cots in strange places, repeat, repeat, return to Ithaca, return home, and try to recover before work Monday.” The pressure is alleviated somewhat by the modular nature of having a dozen players and not necessarily needing all of them every night. Yaman says, with a real estate business to tend in Cortland

and retreat center classes to teach some weekends, he makes about three-quarters of the gigs “and there’s no pressure.” Aubin plays in the Brooklyn Wind Ensemble, which has a couple unmissable shows every year, so she occasionally must take a weekend off from the Sound Machine. Dan Barker

Member FDIC

’tis the season to be happy

Just a friendly reminder to slow down and savor this special time of year. Take a break from the holiday hustle and bustle. Stop and smell the roses—or the pinecones, as the case may be. And don’t forget to stock up on plenty of cheer. From our merry crew to yours, Happy Holidays.

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If you think of each Big Mean player as occupying a chair, just like in that school band you dropped out of, some chairs have replacements and some do not. The rotating nature of the cast particularly affects Spellman’s arrangements for the horns. “I’m always conscious of the practical elements,” Spellman said. “Sometimes it’s four horns, sometimes two, more often than not it’s three. I’m tempted to write to have the maximum of whatever we need— we could over-dub and have 80,000 horns.” Spellman writes a “high” part and a “low” part, with ideal situations including at least the trumpet and tenor in high harmony, with the consideration that he’s “not going to give the funkiest note in the voicing” to that harmony part. Keyboard player Paulie Philippone can also double a part if needed. • • • In the studio, the stage ethic prevails for Big Mean. Rob ‘Wacko’ Hunter, a Groton resident who produces Branford Marsalis, helped produce Contraband. “It’s not like everybody is in a separate room alienated from everybody else,” Hunter said. “They’re a very, very wellbalanced band that’s found the right place to position, in a big circle.” “It should be impossible to record a band that size live in the studio without headphones or isolation,” Saccuccimorano said. “Every magazine will tell you not to do it that way. In fact, that’s more often than not the best way to record a good band, and Big Mean Sound Machine insists on it.” “We keep it as live as possible in the studio environment,” Peters, who’s produced the three albums, said. “It’s more important to get the band to nail some crazy live take sometimes, that doesn’t come from fiddling with a tape machine ...” (though Big Mean has used their fair share of two-inch tape). “It’s like testing a scientific hypothesis,” Peters continued. “You control the situation as best as possible. You can’t control whether people nail a take or not, but you can capture all of what they’re doing nowadays.” •

Dr. David Evelyn said that he is in favor of Kruppa leading both departments because the mental health and public health sectors could be more effective if they were able to collaborate more easily. Evelyn is vice president for medical affairs at Cayuga Medical Center and a member of the Tompkins County Board of Health, though he was clear that his opinions as expressed in this article are his alone and do not represent the opinions of either n Dec. 8, Tompkins County organization. legislators were tasked with “For many, many years health care has determining the best course of separated out mental health from physical action regarding the Tompkins County Mental Health Department. The debate has health and from public health,” Evelyn said. been going on for nearly a year; some local With the stigma attached to mental illness, the mental health department has always officials believe the county should resume needed strong advocacy and programs to a search for a new mental health director; move the agenda forward, he said, “but others think extending Frank Kruppa’s now I think we’re getting a little beyond time in dual roles as both public health that point.” director and mental health director is the This integrated structure would wiser move. Both options were on include professionals in the agenda, and most legislators their fields working directly agreed this past week that the with patients under the issue would likely be resolved in a director’s purview, but the vote Tuesday, Dec. 15. director doesn’t necessarily Legislator Peter Stein have to come from a mental (D-Ithaca), chair of the County health background in order Mental Health Committee, is in to be an effective head of favor of keeping Kruppa in the department, he said. “My role of mental health department personal experience at the supervisor and revisiting the issue hospital is that if two separate in three years. He explained that programs want to be aligned in October 2011 Bob De Luca, Frank Kruppa close together you need the head of the Mental Health (Photo provided) to have an administrative Department, passed away. Not structure that binds the two, long thereafter it was evident that and I think having a strong his replacement was not working out, and administrative head of both departments is the board followed the usual procedures to a good idea,” he said. find suitable candidates to fill her position Tompkins County Legislator Will as soon as possible. None of the people Burbank (D-Ithaca) disagrees; he believes who applied for the job were deemed there should be another attempt to find suitable. a qualified mental health department “So now what we have is a period director before appointing Kruppa to the where there’s no one at the helm of this position for three more years. He argued ship for several years, and we were really that every effort should be made to find worried about it,” Stein said. “We had clients that were probably not being served a new director because there is a deep difference between the functions of the two as best as they could.” Meanwhile, he said, departments. Kruppa was doing an excellent job as the “There’s this idea that there’s sort of director of the Tompkins County Public a false distinction between mental health Health Department. “We felt really lucky and physical health, and that these worlds to have him, and the county administrator need to be moving forward, so why not asked him if he thought it was possible, if start at the top? But that’s not the reality of he had enough time and experience, to do what these departments do,” he said. both of them together.” The Department of Public Health is About a year and a half ago, County largely a regulatory department that deals Administrator Joe Mareane went the somewhat unorthodox route of appointing with things like restaurant inspections and water quality, he said, whereas the mental Kruppa to the position without passing health department offers direct services a resolution, “but he explained to the such as one-on-one counselling. legislature what he was doing,” Stein said. Burbank said the legislature also needs “It was sort of a risky thing, but not doing to consider the opinion of the Community anything, we all felt, was riskier.” Mental Health Services Board, an advisory According to Stein, Kruppa not only board whose members have expressed kept the department afloat but fixed many ongoing deep concern about the process. of its problems. He said that at first he Burbank thinks it’s “always a mistake didn’t think it made sense to combine to build a particular job around the skills of the leadership of two very different one person,” and the leadership structure departments (“At first I thought this was ought to be designed so that it can be filled nuts,” he said), but after speaking to the by a variety of people over time. • employees in the department of mental health he was convinced that keeping Watch ithaca.com for results of the Dec. Kruppa on board was the right course of 15 vote in the legislature. action. “Despite the fact that the public health department was his specialty, he was – Jamie Cone bringing the mental health program back southreporter@flcn.org to the way it should be,” he said.

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sports

Awesome in Pink

Girls’ mite hockey team starts first season By Ste ve L aw re nc e

ndeed, in some parts of the world the ice is shrinking, as are populations of white bears, but here in Ithaca, the ice is as plentiful as ever and there have been numerous sightings of a very healthy population of Pink Grizzlies. The Pink Grizzlies are a team of 13 girls, all friends and all a part of the Ithaca Youth Hockey Association’s thriving Mite program. The Mite teams are comprised of 4 through 8 year-olds, and according to coach Tyler Wagenet, “We have about 60 kids in Mites, and that’s pretty incredible to see at the grassroots level.” Tyler went on to elaborate on the

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The Pink Grizzlies (Photo provided)

Entrepreneur • Business Leader • Volunteer • Rookie of the Year • Not-For-Profit Leader

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aforementioned team, and said, “The girls call themselves the Pink Grizzlies, and they have played four games so far—one game against a team from Tompkins Girls Youth Hockey, one against a general coed team, a game against the Binghamton Blizzard (an all girls team) and one against Cortland.” He added, “We will also be going to Oswego to play an 8U team.” Having come up through the ranks of youth hockey in Ithaca, Tyler pays attention to what he sees as important in the developmental phases. “These kids have the most fun being on the ice together,” he told me, “and they come off the ice with a smile on their face, and that’s the most important thing at this time.” Having been connected to these kids for a few years, the coach has built some good relationships, and Wagenet said, “I have coached some of these kids since they were 3 or 4 years old, and their parents are so committed to keeping them in hockey with their friends. There were some politics going in [between the two youth hockey organizations], but we all do our best to keep it about the kids and to maintain a really fun atmosphere.” In his “other” life, Tyler manages surveillance systems at Ithaca College, and

when he became a dad, he knew his hockey days were far from behind him. “After playing youth hockey, I took a hiatus, then played in some adult leagues, and when my daughter, Natalie (a Pink Grizzly) showed an interest, I was really pleased.” Natalie, he said, “has had two Big Sisters from the Cornell women’s hockey team—first Jessica Campbell and now Hannah Bunton—and that’s been great.” He added, “Most of the girls have a Big Sister from the Big Red, and they are such positive role models. The girls get to skate with the Big Red, and I know from growing up in Ithaca that kids just idolize these players. When you’re a kid, the Cornell hockey players are like pro players to you, it’s just such a big deal.” Tyler expressed his appreciation to the Cornell programs for their continued involvement, saying, “You hear some people saying that in general, Cornell doesn’t do enough for the community, but I will tell you that the relationship Cornell athletes have with the locals is absolutely amazing to me.” The Pink Grizzlies are: McKenna Syer, Anya Godert, Katie Collins, Jessica Savage, Alex Pasto, Emerson Chiuten-Black, Hailey Baughan, Natalie Wagenet, Heather Gao, Allie Kirk, Sonia Enns, Hadley Ackerman, Lucy Levine and Shannon McClure. They are coached by Paul Kirk, Tyler Wagenet and Doug Levine. ••• Two columns back, I referenced a group of Cornell football players who have played (or are currently playing) in the NFL, and Big Red kicker Pete Gogolak was on that list. Wouldn’t you know it, Gogolak made the news again this week as he and his brother Charlie (a Princeton grad and fellow NFL alum) were honored as the National Football Foundation’s Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award Recipients at the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Pete Gogolak was the first soccer-style place-kicker in collegiate football history, and he set a national major college record of 44 consecutive kicking conversions from 1961 to 1963. Overall, his conversion record was 54-for-55 for his three-year varsity career. In 1963 he nailed a 50-yarder against Lehigh, and that was the nation’s longest field goal in a major college game at the time. After graduation he starred with the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants, setting the Giants’ all-time scoring record. •

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Fifth Graders Become Citizen Scientists

For everyone on your list...

Public Education

22,

2015

he students in the fifth-grade classes of four local elementary schools have been in the field doing science, and they are now ready to report their findings regarding invasive species. On Tuesday, Dec. 22 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. 175 10 year-olds will hold a symposium at the Space@Greenstar to present their findings. In a way this began with the troutraising projects that many fourth graders undertake with the help of the Floating Classroom and Trout Unlimited. According to Bill Foster of the Floating Classroom, the children get attached to the fish and when they release them in the local creeks, many of them wonder what was going to happen to “their” trout. A group of teachers, led by Brian Goodman from Enfield Elementary School, wrote a successful proposal to get grant money from the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI). “They were already familiar with the creeks,” said Beverly J. Martin Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Christine Barley, “because that is where they release the trout, so we decided to use the creeks as a focal point to teach them more about food webs and ecosystems.” This is an objective in the curriculum written by the New York State Department of Education. Called “Next Generation” science standards, they are multi-disciplinary missions that includes not just the sciences, but also English language arts (ELA) and, when possible, social studies. The teachers wanted the students to understand what the creeks were like historically and compare them to their present state. The various schools went to their local creek. Barley and her class used Cascadilla Creek as it passes under North Cayuga Street and goes past the “bell” park. Caroline Elementary looked at Six Mile Creek. South Hill Elementary went to Buttermilk Creek, and Enfield Elementary visited Enfield Creek in upper Treman State Park.

The classes chose to focus on particular invasive species based on their observations at the creeks. “We wanted them to get a broad understanding of natural systems,” said Bill Foster of the Floating Classroom. “We want kids to develop a deeper understanding of how food webs and ecosystems work. They learn how to design scientific experiments. And because this is in their own neighborhood, they get why this is important. So, they learn the ‘why’ of science.” At Beverly J. Martin the students chose to look into the status of the round goby, a small introduced fish species, and the Norway maple, a ubiquitous tree planted along Ithaca streets for decades and now found into surrounding natural areas. Barley said that the students had looked for round goby in Cascadilla Creek when they were in fourth grade and they hadn’t found any. This year when they looked for the exotic species in their local creek, they found it. It had arrived in their neighborhood between when they were in fourth grade and when they were in fifth grade. “We thought it was important for them to engage in hands-on work,” said Barley, “and also to do case studies instead of doing discrete experiments. The case study approach encourages them to ask questions and a lot of different subjects can be integrated into the project.” Barley took her students out on two field trips. Foster and his colleague Sarah Newman made two site visits per school. Foster said he found a wide range of experience among the students; some of them were accustomed to being outside and paying attention to what was around them, and some students were not. “We had to say, ‘Remember why you came out here. Don’t act like nuts. You’re still learning,” he said. “In the end we actually got some pretty impressive observations.” In addition to the Floating Classroom staff, the elementary school teachers had help from five Ithaca High School students who had been trained to do macroinvertebrate surveys by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Department of Environcontinued on page 16

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call to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s office. According to a press release by the commission, Becker was under investigation for allegedly leaving a voicemail with the county assistant district attorney wherein she misrepresented herself as her daughter, who was the complaining witness in the criminal case. Posing as her daughter, she requested that criminal charges in the case be upgraded from harassment in the second degree to assault in the third degree. Becker, who is not an attorney, had served as a justice of the Newfield town court since 2015. The commission reports that her salary in 2015 was $10,000. She told New York Daily News

Newfield

Town Justice Steps Down After Misstep

he New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has completed its investigation of a complaint against a Newfield town justice. Linda Becker, who was a judge in the town of Newfield for one year, will resign effective December 31 amid allegations that she impersonated her daughter in a phone

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reporter Keri Blakinger that she “wasn’t thinking clearly” when she placed the phone call and that she was still recovering from a head injury at the time. “A judge is obliged to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary. The allegation that a judge pretended to be someone else is serious enough, and is made even worse when the purpose is to interfere with a prosecutor doing his or her job,” said Robert H. Tembeckjian, New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct Administrator. Becker has agreed to a stipulation that she will neither seek nor accept judicial office at any time in the future. The commission accepted Becker’s promise on

December 10, concluding the matter. Tembeckjian said that the policy of accepting such stipulations was put in place in 2003 to save on time and resources; if Becker had resigned without agreeing not pursue a judicial role again, the commission would have had 120 days following her resignation to complete its investigation into her conduct. The commission has accepted 56 such stipulations since the procedure was instituted in 2003. The Newfield town board accepted Becker’s Former Newfield justice Linda resignation at Becker (Photo provided) a meeting on Dec. 10. “I am sending this letter at this time to allow the Town of Newfield to appoint a new town justice who can take advantage of the training provided by the Office of Court Administration in December 2015. It has been a privilege to serve as the town justice for the Town of Newfield this past year.” The board accepted her resignation with a unanimous vote. Becker declined to comment further to the Newfield News regarding her reasons for resigning. Newfield Town Justice William Chernish recommended against hiring a new justice for the time being, as it’s too late for anyone selected to attend the training necessary for new appointments that are not attorneys. The training is offered in December. Chernish said he believes having only one justice would be more efficient, as well as an effective cost saving measure for the town. • – Jaime Cone southreporter@flcn.org Citizenscientists contin u ed from page 12

mental Conservation. The fifth graders received a lot of training in plant and animal identification from Foster, Newman and their teachers in order to carry out their inventories of the study sites. Enfield students focussed on the hemlock wooly adelgid and earthworms. Caroline students looked at Japanese knotweed, round gobies, rusty crayfish, and house sparrows. South Hill students studied rusty crayfish, round gobies, the wooly adelgids and Japanese privet. Foster said that finding the invasive species was easy, but assessing their impact proved to be the challenge. “Whatever we learn from this,” he said, “will inform what we do next year.” IPEI funded this year’s projects as pilot programs. – Bill Chaisson editor@ithacatimes.com 16

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Arts&Entertainment

A zenith of form and duality Abstraction is the norm for two local contemporaries Above: Melissa Zarem’s “Eternal City” (Photo Provided)

ainters tend to be solitary creatures. Ensconced in their studios, surrounded by their tools and materials, wielding their arcane know-how—they work in rhythms and tempos often foreign to the culture at large. One goes to the studio, not exactly to escape reality, but with the hopes of remaking reality on one’s own terms. Success or failure, the completion of the work—these are negotiated not by formulae or a show of hands but through a nuanced attunement with the work, the self, and the history of the form. And even for the viewer, a painting (or drawing, or print) is often something that addresses itself primarily to the individual. Painting is not a mass medium. It can’t be; one has to stand in front of the thing or hold it. (Murals, true, are something else.) For such reasons, genuine collaboration with other artists is as unusual as it is potentially liberating. At their best such experiences stretch the painter in new directions while maintaining the signature of style. Such a collaboration forms the focus of “This is How it Starts: Works on Paper by Elise Nicol and Melissa Zarem.” The show concludes a year of interesting exhibits

by A rt h u r Wh itm a n

at Cayuga Heights’ Corners Gallery in particularly fine form. (It’s on display from Nov. 10 through Jan. 30.) Both Nicol, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and Zarem, of Ithaca, specialize in abstract work on paper that crosses and combines media with exuberance and aplomb. Their art is experimental in the best sense: mixing, layering, and reworking marks and textures in process akin to cooking. The two women have strong connections to Ithaca. Zarem, though raised in New York City—and for many years an artistin-residence at the Henry Street Settlement House in Brooklyn—earned her BFA at Cornell and returned here to restart her artistic career after a hiatus with young children. Nicol, who received a BFA in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art, also has one in theatre from Ithaca College. Both artists have exhibited extensively in the area. The two began their artistic and personal kinship a decade ago when both were living in Ithaca. Finding a likeness in their aesthetic voices, they met weekly for many years to exchange ideas. Although Nicol moved away a few years ago, they have continued their collaboration.

In a email, Nicol, explained their process: Melissa and I work together, on average, about a day and half to two days every month. The first thing that we do together is swap what we have that’s new: a new drawing tool we’ve found or made and the mark it makes, a new ink or paint and the mark it makes, and, more often, new marks we’ve made with familiar tools and supplies. We then go to work side by side, at first imitating what the other has done, then making discoveries on our own, swapping those discoveries, and so on. The walls and floor in Melissa’s studio become covered in drawings, some of them distinctly mine, some of them clearly Melissa’s, and others, well, we’re not sure. The pair also exchanges handmade postcards “just to keep the conversation going.” “Starts” features small square pieces as well as larger ones by each artist. All of the work is unframed, attached directly to the wall with pins, magnet, and tape. (This seemingly informal presentation accentuates the physical rawness of the art, particularly continued on page 23

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actor. I’ve been a fan since HBO’s Mr. Show, and he’s evolved into a dependable character actor in lots of movies and TV shows. Posehn isn’t the kind of guy who usually gets to star in his own movie, but he does in the dark holiday drama Uncle Nick. Other comedy pros are cast

ook, I grew up as a first-generation SNL fan, so I’m usually a pushover for any time that Bill Murray sings while Paul Shaffer plays piano, which happens a lot during Sofia Coppola’s A Very Murray Christmas. Not to mention that this Netflix holiday special reunites Murray with David Johansen, aka Buster Poindexter for the first time since 1988’s Scrooged. That film was co-written by Mitch Glazer, who cowrote this Xmas special with Murray and Coppola. So you’d think A Very Murray Christmas would be right up my stocking, as it were, but unfortunately the whole thing falls flat. The whole thing plays like flat improv, with Murray and company sitting around the bar at the Carlyle Hotel, making up a show on the spot, and boy, do you feel all that heavy lifting. Murray pours George Clooney, Bill Murray, and Milley Cyrus star in Sofia Coppola’s A Very Murray drinks. Chris Rock gets Christmas (Photo Provided) roped into a song even though he can’t sing or dance. Around the halfway mark, Murray here, like Missi Pyle, Paget Brewster, and gets knocked on the head, passes out, Scott Adsit, but while the film is funny and the rest of the show plays out as a in uncomfortable, squirmy ways, Chris dream sequence shot on a sound stage in Kasick’s family Christmas story isn’t Queens—and feels like it. about laugh-out loud comedy concerns. About the only fun to be had is Posehn’s always had a cynical nerdiness seeing which of the guest stars have about him. This could be the kind of musical ability. I knew Miley Cyrus and film that if he weren’t starring in it, he’d Jenny Lewis could certainly carry a carol probably mock it mercilessly in his act. or two, but it’s nice to hear Rashida Jones The big surprise is that this hulking geek and George Clooney try and croon along is up the challenges of the film and the with this shambling, ambling holiday title to. project. Thankfully, Michael Cera does Posehn does indeed play the title not sing. role, a chain-smoking drunken mess of a Maybe a live audience would have man still reeling from a tragic event in the helped. The NBC live musicals feel so past. He hates his lazy, entitled brother dead and lifeless upon transmission. With (Beau Ballinger) and his new family no laughter and no applause, these things of step-relatives, but he goes to their feel like televised dress rehearsals. Bah, Christmas party in hopes of hooking up humbug! with his brother’s stepdaughter (Melia • • • Renee). And he’s the good guy here. • Brian Posehn is a comic, writer and

against his face, the other on his lap. Wide eyed, he seems oddly distant. Illustrator milly acharya and photographer Susan Larkin create eloquent botanical studies. Painted with watercolor in shades of rusty brown, acharya’s Miscanthus sinensis shows the flowering grass as a dense tangle. Her meticulous realism captures the specimen with an Local gallery hosts annual open show eerie sense of suspended motion. Larkin’s black-and-white digital photo Asclepias By Ar thur W hit m an syriaca (milkweed) has a marvelous sense he “Annual Open Show” at the be finding their footing. I’ll focus below of chiaroscuro (light/dark contrast)— Community School of Music and on some of the most accomplished and making her subject pop like a Baroque Arts is a familiar end-of-the-year ambitious work. painting. tradition. Selected from an open call for In The Inspector, painter and Ithaca Drawn with brown conté crayon on submissions, everybody gets at least one College art instructor Linda Price pokes several sheets of paper attached together, piece included. As such, it’s a perfect affectionate fun at geometric abstraction. Indie Stratton’s crab claws features a representation of the CSMA’s egalitarian The background of the oil on panel densely surreal overlapping of spiky, spirit. painting is divided into two approximately bending limbs. Darker, shaded ones Local artist Terry Plater juried the equal blocks: milky white above with a overlap with more lightly rendered ones. latest installation, which runs from Dec. 4 thicker ochre below. Near the middle, The paper is attached directly to the wall through Jan. 29. An able artist in oils and a gray-haired, green shirted man bends unframed, emphasizing the physicality of down over a blue-gray table the markmaking. that cuts diagonally—in Landscape is an ever-popular subject crisp perspective—across for regional artists. Done in subtle strokes of white chalk and conté on blue-gray paper, Christopher Loomis’ Float captures a twilight sun reflected in the broad expanse of water below. Audrey Bialke’s oil on panel painting Woods I is nearly monochrome. A blackened copse of trees appears like ghosts amidst a paint surface that is gorgeously grimy. Bialke is part of a clan of talented Trumansburg artists. Her mother Anne exhibits at the traditionalist West End Gallery in Corning. Her sister Madeleine was part of “Four in Hand,” a memorable recent show at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts. Ileen Kaplan is Left: “The Inspector” by Linda Price. Right: “Portrait of Jesse at best known for her 11” by Diane McPherson (Photos Provided) painted observations of everyday life. A square oil-on-panel the picture plane. The piece, Early Autumn represents a recent pastels, Plater is also a busy instructor at realistically rendered figure holds what foray into abstraction. It nevertheless has the school, teaching visual arts classes for appears to be a saw. He is cutting a purple a strong landscape feel with its drizzly both children and adults. brick, which rests obliquely on the table. greens, patches of submerged orange, She also leads an annual summer Below him, resting in the void, are a and—towards the bottom—a horizontal artists’ retreat to France, which is the number of open box shapes in various band of black. subject of an interesting concurrent exhibit colors. Famous for his involvement in Ithaca’s at Decorum Too in the DeWitt Mall. Both Price’s punning between realism Tibetan Buddhist community, Sidney shows include work by the painterly realist and abstraction—as well as flatness and Piburn is less well known as an artist. Rob Mackenzie, a talented newcomer to depth—makes for a characteristically His Untitled Wall Piece is one of the few the local scene. engaging and witty narrative. memorable sculptures here. The work This year’s open show features 78 Diane McPherson’s Portrait of Jesse at is both disarmingly minimal and subtly pieces—a huge number by local standards. 11 is the most striking of many portraits totemic—an upright, burnished steel box Although dominated by painting and and figure studies here. Done in pencil with a square of black leather mounted in a drawing, it also includes photography, on light gray toned paper, the piece has central spot and bone-like crescent poking sculpture, ceramics, fabric work, wood something of the cool lucidity that the through it. cabinetry, and more. Most of the contemporary British painter Lucian Freud For a good sense of what artists are participants are familiar names from Ithaca brought to his early portraiture. Most of his doing in the region, visit this show and also and the surrounding region. upper body is drawn in sketchy contours— peruse this month’s “Annual Juried Show” As usual, it features some of our best only his hands and head are detailed and at the State of the Art Gallery located on artists as well as those that appear to still shaded. The boy leans right, one hand the other side of the Commons • art

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travel seemed the appropriate metaphor. Some of things I find interesting in production and creation, others don’t. And the thought of working with or without these necessities can be baffling one way or another, depending on which side of the coin you’re on. But that’s the thing about creation; there’s no definitive solution. “You’re asking me questions that I’ve never thought about in this way,” Bromberg replied to a question of mine. “We’re never trying to do anything, things just come out. It’s what we do, it’s who we are as musicians.” I had previously asked him about his live performances, and the incorporation of a varying spectrum of styles and forms that are present in them, and why particularly, this was important to him as an artist. I think I used the wrong words. Bromberg’s appetite for a wide range of folk traditions is very present in his approach, but for him, this doesn’t require a formal treatise on method. His experiences of early musical explorations allign with this outlook. “When I was six or seven, maybe eight, I took to playing the flute. I have no idea what I wanted to play with the flute - I

just began playing”, Bromberg reminisced. “When I was 13 I got the measles, and was bed-ridden. My brother had always played the guitar, and I didn’t want to compete with him, but I was bored, lying in bed. So I grabbed his guitar, and sat on my back and taught myself to play the guitar. After that I wanted to learn how to play everything on the guitar. There was no reason not to play everything.” Bromberg is famous for his collaborations with a rogue’s gallery of legendary ‘60s icons, including George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Jerry Garcia. The last, he spent some time with in the most unlikely of places. “During the great rainstorm of Woodstock I spent the entire downpour in a teepee with Jerry Garcia and others; it was very fun, very magical. It’s very difficult to come up with exact memories of this time on demand, but yes, the time was very exciting, very enthralling.” After traveling 1,000 years into the past, the crew of the USS Enterprise walk around modern San Francisco in a daze during The Voyage Home. From the great Woodstock festival in 1969 to mp3s in 2015, the world has changed in a similarly dizzying way. Bromberg noted some differences. “The intent has changed. There’s a commercial on television for a headhunting firm. The people are coming out of the stands of a large stadium, and they’re all going after a ball with a sort of billy club. Trying to get a whack in there. This is what it’s like out there today. It’s very easy to make a recording, and you’re competing with so many people out there, it’s a very different musical climate today.” Bromberg stopped touring in the early ‘90s and opened a violin shop. “I stopped touring 22 years ago because I was burnt out and needed a break. I became interested in violins while living in California. The first fiddle I bought was made in the United States, and I was immediately interested in the process. I couldn’t imagine someone being able to look at this violin, the outside of it, the inside, and be able to tell when and where it was made. I wanted to be able to do that.” You don’t need a time machine or an Einstein-Rosen Bridge (better known as a wormhole) to make your way back to a time in the universe, where music represented a more communal and simpler form of expression. Do you want a celebration of America’s future perhaps, where just being is enough? The David Bromberg Quintet has you covered this Saturday night. •

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By C hr i s tophe r J. Har r ing ton “Is all that we see or seem / But a dream within a dream?” Edgar Allen Poe

midst the inner twilight of horror’s dimensional realm, the written word has taken a back seat to contemporary infatuation with immediate visual gratification. And so the writing has suffered: simple tales, with even simpler syntax. This is not the horror I find enthralling. Entertaining—at times, but I hold master-wordsmiths and spatial

champions like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and Bram Stoker as the true masters of the genre. The language and syntax in-and-of itself of these artists, is a bewildering maze and labyrinth that one needs to really invest in. This literature is dense, often perplexing. On the flip side, there’s the more direct, contemporary, and far less technical means to write horror, i.e., Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Though at times amazing, they write for an audience that has changed quite dramatically. T.D. Trask and Dale Elster’s new collection of horror stories, Deadsville, positions itself in the latter camp, but in glimpses, these writers occasionally find that old-world textural touch, where vision crawls through dimensional portals into the corpus callosum region of the brain. Deadsville is a dually written book— with alternating stories by each author— plus a collaborative piece sandwiched in the middle. It’s a collection of tales whose central backdrop is a fictional central New York town, somewhere about an hour and half from Binghamton, and a half hour from Hell (maybe Ithaca). Together, the writers seem to have worked in unison to develop a sort of evenness. At times you

think one is the better writer, only to be amazed by the next author’s tale, but then, unfortunately, regressing again. I’m not a huge proponent of isolating your best attributes for the sake of collaboration, and for some tales in this collection to be so much better than others is disappointing. The two writers are at their best when they’re not trying to communicate with your arrangement of hypothesis. Some stories, Knew It All Along, The Pit, and Still Water, fall into black holes because of an adherence to a standard toe the line-type horror cliché. This kind of communication takes away from both the narrative, and the sublimity of experience. The writers fall flat while using this rationale. In other stories, specifically, What Happened on Black Hill and A Crack In The Window, Elster lets go of this method, and allows the reader to develop one’s own imaginative picture. These two stories are really excellent, both concerning inter-dimensional beings: one, the Thorn Man, a being that interposes through graphite and bark, commanding complete devotion; the other, an abstract werewolf who takes advantage of a mother’s unfortunate folly. The latter story is perhaps the saddest and most troubling of all the tales in the collection. I felt truly hauned by the actions throughout this tale. Trask’s A Job’s A Job and The Children in the Meadow are his best of the collection. In A Job’ s A Job he seems wholly immersed in presenting a simple, concrete, yet dense tale about Satan. The Children of the Meadow is a sort of abstract story of a dimensional portal in a meadow where the protagonist has farmed his entire life. This story works in a Clive Barker process-byconstruction kind of way, and also calls to mind the awesome scene in Tolken’s The Lord Of The Rings where the hobbits meet Tom Bombadil in the Old Forest. The aforementioned scene is a good illustration of what works well and doesn’t work well for me in Deadsville. I feel like the stories that pander to horror clichés and read like movie scripts are disappointing, particularly when slotted in-between real gems that honor their syntax in an old-form literature way. The Tom Bombadil scene doesn’t make the cut in The L.O.T.R films, and for good reason; some literature can’t be transformed visually. That is to say, it can’t be construed in another way imaginatively, because it’s too sacred and unique. Like the masters of old, there are some tales in Deadsville that are unique, and find birth through the inspired text of its creators. I recommend reading the book by candlelight or a desklamp late at night, preferably all alone. A place where your imagination has room to breathe and can ponder such dimensional horrors. •

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From Beyond The Grave

The Plaids return for some christmas cheer By Br yan VanC ampe n Forever Plaid Presents Plaid Tidings, original musical arrangements, vocal arrangements and musical direction by James Raitt; written by Stuart Ross. Directed and choreographed by Douglas S. Hall; music direction by Jeff Theiss; scenic design by Kevin Judge. At Merry-GoRound Playhouse through December 19.

Francis (JD Daw), Jinx (Jason Moody) and Smudge (Billy Hepfinger)—are hit and killed by a bus full of Catholic schoolgirls on the way to the Ed Sullivan Show to see the Beatles. And with one heavily symbolic tragedy, the kinds of groups satirized by the Plaids found themselves conquered and silenced by the British Invasion. Overnight, kids went from singing established songs to writing their own songs. The Plaids return from beyond the grave for one last show, and in the sequel Plaid Tidings, conceived just after 9/11, they retain that idea, but this time the boys are called back for a Christmas show, summoned by the spirit of Rosemary Clooney—nice touch, that. This marks the first such holiday show for the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival at the Merry Go Round Playhouse, and it’s a ditzy, nerdy delight. It takes about 20 minutes for the audience to get into the world of the Plaids, but as the bits and the impressive vocal blend take hold, everyone is taken back to the days of Howdy Doody and Bosco. Jinx is prone to nose bleeds, and

orever Plaid is one of those shows like Greater Tuna that spawn sequels. First produced in 1990, it was one of the first of the “jukebox” musicals constructed from pre-existing songs; I saw it at the Hangar Theatre when it was new and surprisingly hip. I’m not generally a fan of the genre, but truth be told, I never thought of Forever Plaid as a jukebox musical because its central concept made the song selection—”Three Coins in the Fountain”, “Lady of Spain”— absolutely essential to the story and the era being evoked. For the uninitiated: Forever Plaid presents us with a four-man closeharmony group in matching suits doing an act much like the Ames Brothers. The guys—Sparky (Caleb Damschroder),

the others all have odd, endearing traits show like The Smothers Brothers or the to be exploited for comedy. The mic kind of retro hip set design seen on between the cast’s body mics and the Conan: modular columns framing a onstage microphones is just about perfect. star-lit sky and a warm, fuzzy moon in JD Daw, in particular, performs regularly the corner. The props are minimal but in Four Seasons tribute shows, and here very effective, like the posts festooned and there he unleashes just enough of that eerie Frankie Valli falsetto to make your spine shiver. I especially liked Billy Hepfinger’s extended monologue done to kill time while Jinx’s nose coagulates. He sits down on a stool and pulls a tiny model of another theatrical set out of the band Smudge (Billy Hepfinger), Sparky (Caleb Damschroder), Jinx (Jason Moody) and Frankie (J.D. suitcase. It’s Daw) in Plaid Tidings (Photo Provided) the set for the TV Christmas show he always hoped the combo would make someday with Christmas lights that the guys bring when they got famous. Hepfinger is so into the house for “Christmas Calypso.” real and earnest in the moment that There’s a lot of audience participation, so by the time he finishes his story, the fair warning to anyone seated on an aisle: audience is completely on their side. you will be helping with the performance, I particularly like Kevin Judge’s so have fun with it. elegant scenic design. The set feels like Information: 1-800-457-8897, a backdrop from a Mad Men-era variety FingerLakesMTF.com. •

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ince 1981, the Ithaca Times has closed the year with the “Readers’ Writes” issue, featuring submissions from our most valuable commodity, you. Stories, poems, drawings and photographs are welcome. It’s a chance for you to have a voice in the paper other than the letters page.

This year’s theme is “Transitions”

That can be as loosely interpreted, as tradition here dictates. Of course, a wide range of submissions will be accepted. Send your submissions to Attn: Readers’ Writes, the Ithaca Times, PO Box 27, Ithaca, New York 14850. Or, you can email submissions, with a subject line of “Readers’ Writes” to editor@ithacatimes.com. * Limit 1,500 words

get writing!

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given the prevalence of irregular, torn edges.) Everything is dated from 2015—an indication of the pair’s prolificness. The exhibit caps an exceptionally good year for Zarem. This past summer, she was one of the 11 artists selected for “Locally Sourced” at Cornell’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum. The work of contemporary curator Andrea Inselmann, “Sourced” was a rare—and expansive—foray for the museum into presenting local art. In

printmaking, painting, and drawing—often conflating and confusing their distinctive qualities. In 2013, she had a memorable exhibit of her abstract photography at Corners, “Strange How Hard it Rains Now.” If the work in that show has a distinctly painterly quality, the work here is closer to drawing: linear, dry, astringent. As such, they make an intriguing counterpoint to Zarem’s juicier concoctions. Hung mostly in the front reception room and arranged less formally, larger pieces by each artist complement the collaborative efforts in the main gallery space. Zarem is a master of the suggestive

Houses of Worship Join us this Christmas as we reflect Eve 2015 ad for Ithaca Times: on TheXmas Songs of Advent 1763 Slaterville Road Ithaca, NY 14850 www.bg.org (607) 277-3333 First Unitarian Church

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at St. Paul’s

Traditional Candlelight Services

12 noon Lessons and Carols Service

Thursday, December 24 TWO services at 5:15 and 8:00 pm in Sage Chapel (Cornell University)

6:30 pm Brass Choir 7:00 pm Candlelight Service with Pageant 9:30 pm Candlelight Lessons and Carols Service

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church A compassionate community led & transformed by the Spirit 402 North Aurora Street 607-273-5971

Bring your family and friends and join us in one of these festive and glorious services filled with readings and fellowship, candlelight and song. The Rev. Jane Thickstun, Organist Stephanie Ortolano, chimes concert, the Unitarian Choir and guest musicians.

office@stpaulithaca.org www.stpaulsithaca.org

www.uuithaca.org or 273-7521

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First Baptist Church Dewitt Park Christmas Services

Sunday, December 20 21 • Advent Service 10:00 AM • Family-friendly Wednesday, December 24 • Christmas Eve 76:00 PM • Family-friendly, Candlelight Service Nursery care also available. Greystone church located in Dewitt Park, Ithaca Parking accessible in the Courthouse Lot, and on Cayuga, Court, and Tioga Streets

Elise Nicol’s “Evidence Fades but the Legend Lives On” (Photo Provided)

www. Firstbaptistithaca.org • 607-272-5800

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recent months, the artist has been part of group shows at Corners, at Exhibit A in Corning (where she is a “stable” artist), and the Community School of Music and Arts (where she has taught). The chance to see her work so frequently in public has been a blessing. Next year, Zarem will be the subject of a one-person show at eye, a new gallery on the Commons that is already shaking up a local scene short on “serious” places to exhibit. Zarem’s work on paper uses ink, gouache, acrylic, crayon and graphite. A typical piece of hers combines loose, abstract expressionist brushstrokes; blocks and patches of color; vertical drips marking gravity; swirls and scribbles in crayon,; and nearly microscopic hatches and signs in ink. Her witty conflation of doodles and mock-handwriting with serious abstract painting recalls Cy Twombly. But the combination of levity and weight is all hers. Nicol works between photography,

title—ones that match perfectly the omnivorous quality of her paintings. A diptych, the two adjacent sheets of Eternal City echo the structural straight edges inside, which manage to barely contain the expressionist churn. On the Stove Too Long conveys a remarkable sense of concentrated motion. A sweeping vertical    red-orange brushstroke to the right appears   counterpoised with dizzying loops hovering  around the left. Dark ochre circles—small   to large, as if pulsating—form a loose grid   in My Umbrella is Upside Down. These   punctuate a field of dirty yellowish gray  paint further accented with gestural marks.   Most of Nicol’s work in this show   focuses on the motif of the repeated dot or  circle. Her most common approach here   (found in pieces large and small)PROOF featuresO.K. BY: _____________________________  O.K. WITH CORRECTIONS BY: ____________________ miniscule white dots repeated in space filling “all-over” compositions of nearly   PLEASE READ CAREFULLY • SUBMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE  hallucinatory intricacy. Variable in size,   ADVERTISER: PROOF CREATED AT: 12/12/2014 8:06 AM these hand-painted dots appear in fields FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH  PROOF DUE:  and clusters against smooth SALES black PERSON: CHARLENE CRESWELL-ITHACA 

 

PUBLICATION: NY-DAILY

SIZE:on 3 col X 324 in continued page

 NY-0000731771. 

NEXT RUN DATE: 12/17/14

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backgrounds. The Part of Your Mind Where it’s Unsafe to Travel is a particularly impressive example. It combines acrylic, charcoal powder, graphite, colored pencil, and ink. An intriguing tension is formed between dots that read as texture—thick and thin, like sand—and dots that line up in intersecting arcs to traverse the image. (A similar approach is taken by a number of contemporary artists, many of them Japanese or Japanese-American. Yayoi Kusama has made the dot motif a signature over the course of her sevendecade career. Less well-known but more nuanced are the intricate dot-scapes of Barbara Takenaga and Hiroyuki Doi—the former primarily a painter, the latter a selftaught “outsider” artist who works with ink on paper.) In other large pieces, Nicol’s loose grids of dots or other marks evoke writing. The dark brown ink spots that grid Finally We are Singing in Key resemble burn marks or holes. Done in black-and-white monoprint and graphite, Evidence Fades but the Legend Lives On suggests torn paper cards marked with Braille or Morse code. The thinly colored ink and gouache Independent of Mind but Not Recklessly So recalls the abstract calligraphy of the French poet Henri Michaux. To look at the work of these artists is to be reminded of how vital and evocative abstract art can be. Far from being cold

or remote, the work pulses—and monotype, monoprint, woodblock in Zarem’s case, explodes—with and stamping. sensations that engage not only the All of the pairings are strong eyes but also the mind and the body. but a few in particular stand out. The pieces here are as “realistic” as Among these: anything—they draw their sustenance A vertical, brushy, bright red from our everyday perception and stripe accents the otherwise blackexperience of the world, from the and-white This is How it Starts: unnoticed or barely noticed at the root Stare. It shares Zarem’s right hand of the visible. sheet with fluidly calligraphic (I adopt these ideas from the black ink—alternately wet and British philosopher of art Paul blobby and dry-brushed. Nicol’s Crowther, whose writing offers a left section is filled with irregular richly sustained examination of what it woodblock printed black shapes is that makes pictures so meaningful.) that diminish in size as the gaze Two years ago, Corners Gallery moves down. It suggests a collection owner Ariel Bullion Ecklund of disassembled US states arranged embarked on an expansion project in the manner of an eye chart. aimed at upgrading her business— This is How it Starts: Holler long primarily a frame shop—into one combines a sheet on the left of Ithaca’s leading fine arts galleries. by Nicol with one on the right To that end, she acquired an adjacent by Zarem. The white dots and space, had the wall knocked out, and strands—against black—that had it renovated as a dedicated gallery make up Nicol’s block-printed room. contribution form something like For “Starts,” the room has been a chaotic wreathe. The fine hatches hung with a large number of small and fuzzy balls that make up pieces from show’s titular series. The Zarem’s seem to be joining to form majority of these square sheets have a giant cluster. (Here as elsewhere been hung adjacently as informal Zarem’s work calls to mind the diptychs, with most of these pairings prints of contemporary artist Julie Melissa Zarem’s “My Umbrella is Upside Down” (Photo Provided) counterbalancing one piece by each Mehretu.) artist. They are mostly black-andPaper is a particularly flexible white but some have subtly—or not so and inviting surface for picture a book.) subtly—colored areas. Most of the motifs making and both Nicol and Zarem are As well as a range of drawing and echo those found in the artists’ larger doing marvelous, surprising things on it. painting media, many of these incorporate works. But the combination of brevity and This is a rich, intelligent exhibit filed with simple printmaking techniques of the juxtaposition gives them a new life. (It work to get absorbed and lost in. * kind that can be done without a press: would be interesting to see these pictures as

DINNER, TASTING & PAIRING WITH:

FARM TO BISTRO

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17TH AT 6:3OPM Join us for a five course tasting menu by Executive Chef Richard Brosseau, each course paired with a selection of Rooster Fish Brewing’s beers. $65 per person, plus tax and gratuities. Limited seating, please call for reservations.

Closed for the Holidays December 24th, 25th, and Jan 1st. 24

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235 S. Cayuga Street, Ithaca NY (607) 882-2333 coltivareithaca.com Now taking dinner reservations on-line or by phone

Music

bars/clubs/cafés

12/16 Wednesday Reggae Night | 9:00 PM-1:00 AM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | I-Town Allstars are the House Band featuring members of: Mosaic Foundation, Big Mean Sound Machine, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, John Brown’s Body and More! Jam Session | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Canaan Institute, 223 Canaan Rd, Brooktondale | The focus is instrumental contra dance tunes. www. cinst.org. Djug Django | 6:00 PM-9:00 PM | Lot 10 Lounge, 106 S Cayuga St, Ithaca | Live hot club jazz. i3º | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM | Argos Inn, 408 E State St, Ithaca | Live Jazz: A Jazz Trio Featuring Nicholas Walker, Greg Evans, and Nick Weiser Home On The Grange | 4:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg |

12/18 Friday The Southern Tears | 9:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W Main St, Trumansburg | Heartbreaking Country, Swinging Rockabilly and Original Songs. Gabriel Tavares and Lora Pendleton | 9:00 PM | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | Previewing songs from upcoming release of Sisu Powder the Moon. Alternative, Indie, Experimental. Contra and Square Dances | 8:00 PM | Great Room at Slow Lane, Comfort & Lieb Rds, Danby | Everyone welcome; you don’t need a partner. Dances are taught; dances early in the evening introduce the basic figures. Rockwood Ferry | 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | Two Goats Brewing, 5027 State Rte 414, Burdett | Original music intended simply to be beautiful and meaningful. Rabbit in the Rye and Stevie Tombstone | 8:00 PM | Ranson Steele Tavern, 552 Main Street, Apalachin | Progressive Folk Rock. Richman and the Poorboys | 8:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main

St, Trumansburg | Blues, Country, Bluegrass, Rock and Roll. Ithaca Contra Dance: Berry Pond | 8:00 PM-11:00 AM | Slow Lane, 888 Comfort Road, Spencer | Henry Jankiewicz and Harv Nusbaum are at the core of this mini-revival of the legendary Cranberry Lake Jug Band. El Caminos | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Grist Iron Brewing Company, 4880 NYS Route 414, Burdett | Country, Rock, American Bar Music, Americana, Soul, Southern Rock. Surf Renegades | 6:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Enjoy your favorite Christmas tunes in a Surf style! Surf, Rock, Psychedelic. Iron Horse | 6:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | Southern Rock, Rock, Texas Blues. Radio London | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | Americana Vineyards, 4367 E Covert Rd, Interlaken | 50’s and 60’s Rock and Roll, Blues, R&B, Folk. Whippoorwillow | 7:00 PM | Heavily Brewing Co., 2471 Hayes Rd, Montour Falls | Americana, Folk, Bluegrass, Rock.

12/19 MOVIE: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1/29 GET THE LED OUT 2/06 HYNOTIST: MICHAEL C. ANTHONY 2/20 THE MOTH MAINSTAGE 2/28 JOAN BAEZ 3/5 GAELIC STORM 3/6 JUNGLE JACK HANNA 3/26 STEVEN WRIGHT

| 8:00 PM | Ranson Steele Tavern, 552 Main Street, Apalachin | Moxy Rock. Square Dance with music by Long John and the Tights | 7:00 PM | Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, Congress at McLallen St, Trumansburg | All skill levels welcome. Michelle Delco will be calling. Dancing, Bluegrass, Folk, Swing, Old-Time. Tink Bennet and Tailor Made | 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca | Country, Rock, Blues. David Bromberg Quintet | 6:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Folk, Blues, Jazz, Old-Time, Rock and Roll. Tru Bleu | 5:00 PM-8:00 PM | Grist Iron Brewing Company, 4880 NYS Route 414, Burdett | Three musicians who are dedicated to writing, playing, and singing music with heart, soul, and meaning.

12/20 Sunday Acoustic Open Mic Night | 9:00 PM-1:00 AM | The Nines, 311 College Ave, Ithaca | Hosted by Technicolor Trailer Park. International Folk Dancing | 7:30 PM-9:30 PM | Kendal At Ithaca, 2230 N Triphammer Rd, Ithaca | Teaching and request dancing. No partners needed. Maxie’s Holiday Jazz Festival: Al Hartland Trio | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM | Maxie’s Supper Club & Oyster Bar, 635 W State St, Ithaca | Jazz. Contra Dance with some squares | 4:00 PM-7:00 PM | Tioga Trails Café, Lake and Main Streets, Owego | Beginners welcome, all dances are taught and prompted, come with or without a partner. The band and caller will be announced. Sean Farley | 4:00 PM-7:00 PM | Two Goats Brewing, 5027 State Rte 414, Burdett | Original Blues.

The Ithaca Musician’s Office Party | 4:00 PM | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W Main St, Trumansburg | Mistress of Ceremonies: The Mighty Mickie Quinn, Johnny Dowd and Mike Edmonton, Beverly Stokes and Brooks Miner, Steve Gollnick and Billy Coté, Jen Middaugh, Mary Lorson with Michael Stark, Zaun Marshburn, Walt Lorenzut, and Beverly Stokes; special guest Billy Coté, Park Doing, Bronwen Exter, Jennie Stearns, Michael Stark, Brian Dozoretz, Matthew Saccuccimorano. Purple Valley | 4:00 PM-6:00 PM | Americana Vineyards, 4367 E Covert Rd, Interlaken | Blues, Swing, Rock and Roll, Country, Americana. Donald O’Shaughnessy | 2:00 PM-5:00 PM | Grist Iron Brewing Company, 4880 NYS Route 414, Burdett | Instrumental Guitar, Joke Telling, Comedy Rock. True Blue | 1:00 PM-3:00 PM | Six Mile Creek Vineyard, 1551 Slaterville Rd, Ithaca | Three musicians who are dedicated to writing, playing, and singing music with heart, soul, and meaning. Jerome Attardo | 12:00 PM-3:00 PM | Moosewood Restaurant, 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | Classical Piano. Brunch with Jim Hull | 11:00 AM-1:00 PM | Silver Line Tap Room, 19 W Main St, Trumansburg | Pop, Standards, Oldies, Country, Singer Songwriter.

M&T BANK / ITHACA TIMES CLASSIC MOVIE SERIES PRESENTS:

Hypnotist:

MANY MORE SHOWS NOT LISTED HERE! STAY UP-TO-DATE AT DANSMALLSPRESENTS.COM

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| Rulloff’s, 411 College Ave, Ithaca | Hosted by Traonach Professor Tuesday’s Jazz Quartet | 8:00 PM-10:00 PM | Madeline’s Restaurant, 215 E State St, Ithaca | Jazz. Intergenerational Traditional Irish Session | 6:30 PM-9:00 PM | Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, 139 W State St, Ithaca | Calling all fiddlers, whistlers, pipers, mandos, bodhran’s, and flute players. All Ages & Stages. Tuesday Bluesday w. Dan Paolangeli & Friends | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | The Dock, 415 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca | Dan Paolangeli and Friends are joined by different musicians every Tuesday. Viva Rongovia | 6:00 PM- | Rongovian Embassy, 1 W. Main St., Trumansburg | Maxie’s Holiday Jazz Festival: Diana Leigh Jazz Quartet | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM | Jazz. concerts

12/16 Wednesday Lunasa and Karan Casey | 7:15 PM | Community School Of Music And Arts, 330 E State St, Ithaca | The Ithaca Catholic Worker proudly presents a holiday benefit concert with Irish musicians. Irish, Folk, World, Celtic. Stitched up Heart, Righteous Vendetta, Failure Anthem, After Earth | 6:00 PM | Lost Horizon, 5863 Thompson Rd., DeWitt | Hard Rock, Heavy Metal.

12/17 Thursday Trapt, First Decree, AdaKaiN, Breaking Solace | 7:00 PM | Lost Horizon, 5863 Thompson Rd., DeWitt | Hard Rock, Alternative Metal, Post-Grunge, Nu Metal.

12/18 Friday One Step From Falling, Dear Mr Dead, Circle The Suffering, Adesta | 8:00 PM | Lost Horizon, 5863 Thompson Rd., DeWitt | Heavy Metal, Alternative Metal, Funk Metal, Progressive Rock.

12/19 Saturday Consider The Source, Lucid | 9:00 PM | Funk ‘n Waffles, 727 S Crouse Ave

12/31 NYE SPECTACULAR WITH DRIFTWOOD 1/22 WILD CHILD 1/30 JOHN BROWNS BODY 2/5 CABINET 2/12 MARTIN COURTNEY (OF REAL ESTATE) THE HAUNT

SATURDAY

DECEMEBER December 19

7:00PM

12/19 DAVID BROMBERG QUINTET 1/9 GILL LANDRY (OF OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW) 1/21 TODD BARRY 1/23 THE BLIND SPOTS 1/27 MIGHTY DIAMONDS 2/13 FREAKWATER THE DOCK

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Ste 8, Syracuse | Sci-Fi Themed, Middle Eastern, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic, Jam, Funk, Fusion.

12/20 Sunday Mark Rust & Friends: Holiday Show | 7:00 PM | First Unitarian Church Ithaca, 306 N Aurora St, Ithaca | Mark will be joined by John Simon with special guests Terry Burns & Russell Posegate. In lieu of admission, donations will be accepted, with all proceeds going to the Friendship Donations Network. More information at www.friendshipdonations.org Ithaca Brass | 3:00 PM | Grace Holy Spirit Church, 13 Court Street, Cortland | The Arts at Grace series celebrates the 2015 holiday season with a joyous concert by the Ithaca Brass. The quintet will present a varied program including seasonal numbers and other arrangements.

Film It’s A Wonderful Life | 7:00 PM, 12/19 Saturday | State Theater Of Ithaca, 107 W State St, Ithaca | See the Holiday Classic on the big screen! An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

cinemapolis

Friday, 12/18 to Thursday, 12/24. Contact Cinemapolis for Showtimes Brooklyn | An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. | 111 mins PG-13 |

Chi-Raq | A modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago. | 118 mins R | Macbeth | Macbeth, a Thane of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself. | 113 mins R | Spotlight | The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core. | 128 mins R| Trumbo | In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood’s top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. |

124 min R | Janis: Little Girl Blue | Musician Cat Power narrates this documentary on Janis Joplin’s evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators. | 103 min NR | Heart of a Dog | An impressionistic and musical meditation on a pets death with prelude by the artist Laurie Anderson, who enjoyed a very deep relationship with her dog, with following soundtrack. | 75 min NR | Regal Ithaca

Wednesday 12/16 to Tuesday 12/22 | Contact Regal Ithaca for Showtimes In The Heart of the Sea | A recounting of a whaling ship’s sinking by a giant whale in 1820 that would inspire the great novel, Moby Dick. | 122 mins PG-13 | Krampus | A boy who has a bad Christmas ends up accidentally summoning a Christmas demon to his family home. | 98 mins PG-13 | The Letters | A drama that explores the life of Mother Teresa through letters she wrote to her longtime friend and spiritual advisor, Father Celeste van Exem over a nearly 50-year period. | 114 mins PG | Creed | The former World Heavyweight

Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed. | 133 mins PG-13 | The Good Dinosaur | An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. | 93 mins PG | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 | As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen, the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow, while all she holds dear hangs in the balance. | 137 mins PG-13 | The Night Before | On Christmas eve, three lifelong friends, two of whom are Jewish, spend the night in New York City looking for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties. | 101 mins R | Love the Coopers | When four generations of the Cooper clan come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all toward a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday. | 107 mins PG-13 | Spectre | A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels

Stage The Spirit of Christmas Present: A Poetic Carol in Three Movements | Kitchen Theatre, 417 W State St, Ithaca | Runs Friday, 12/18 through Sunday, 12/20 | Conceived and Directed by Freddy Villano. A delightful movement meditation on the spirit of giving for children and families. Go to civicensemble.org or call 607-241-0195 to reserve a seat. For showtimes and more info visit Site: http://civicensemble. org/season/the-spirit-of-christmaspresent/ Tickets at http://www.kitchentheatre.org/

Notices PMI Ithaca Branch Monthly Meeting | 5:30 PM-7:00 PM, 12/16 Wednesday | Hotel Ithaca, 222 South Cayuga Street, Ithaca | The Ithaca Branch of Project Management Institute, Rochester Chapter, is an international professional organization that meets monthly to discuss topics related to project/program management. Visit http://pmirochester. org/content.php?page=Ithaca_Branch Questions? Email ithaca@pmirochester. org

Moosewood Authors Signings,

Kitchen Theatre, December 18, through December, 20

Moosewood, Saturday, December 19, 12:00 p.m.

Collaborating with the History Center of Tompkins County, Ithaca’s Civic Ensemble present a unique, humorous, and metaphorical production entitled The Spirit of Christmas Present: A Poetic Carol in Three Movements. Influenced by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and the strange history of Ithaca’s SIlent City and the Rhiners of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this play sees actors perform silently in full masks. Writer and conceiver Freddy Villano has truly created a piece where every subtle movement vibrates eons of social and philosophical ideals.

This is your last chance to get your favorite Moosewood Cookbook autographed by one of its authors. The original cookbook is pretty much legendary. Don’t tell me your mom or dad didn’t have this book in their cabinet. Written by Mollie Katzen in 1974 when she was a member of the Moosewood collective right here in Ithaca, it featured wonderful illustrations and recipes written by hand. Possibly the most famous Vegetarian cookbook of all-time, this would make a sweet present for your mom, or dad, so don’t delay.

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Poetic Carol in Three Movements,

Christmas Nativity Display and Donations for Meals On Wheels | 9:00 AM, 12/16 Wednesday | Now You’re Cooking, 116 The Commons, Ithaca | Over 150 different nativity scenes from around the world on display until New Years. Accepting donations for Meals on Wheels of Tompkins County. Come out for some Holiday Festivities and make a donation to people in need. Coalition for Families Monthly Meeting | 8:30 PM-10:00 PM, 12/17 Thursday | Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca | Watch here for more information, or get in touch with Anna, ams69@cornell. http:// ccetompkins.org/, http://www.frct. org/, http://www.human.cornell.edu/ pam/outreach/parenting/programs/ parentingskillsworkshopseries.cfm The Nutritional Wellness Center 10th Anniversary Open House | 6:30 PM-8:00 PM, 12/17 Thursday | Nutrition Wellness Center, 520 W Green St, Ithaca | The event will feature information nutritionists, massage therapists, chiropractors, and other health and beauty practitioners. It is free and open to the public. (607)257-9116 sherrie@ versatilewriting.com www.versatilewriting.com Friday Market Day | 8:00 AM-2:00 PM, 12/18 Friday | Triphammer Marketplace, 2255 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca | Farmer’s & Artisan’s Market at Triphammer Marketplace. Outside 8 a.m. to noon, Inside 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fridays through December. Locally grown & produced foods and handcrafted items. Local seasonal produce, honey, flowers, baked goods, meats, pottery, woodwork, jewelry, glass, fiber arts and the Owl’s Head Fish Truck! Lots of variety, plenty of parking. The Finger Lakes Finns Final Meeting of 2015 | 1:00 PM, 12/20 Sunday | Newfield Fire Hall, 77 Main St., Newfield | We start with a delicious lunch - ham provided. Bring a side dish or dessert to share and your own table service. As usual, the coffee will be on! If adults would like to participate in our gift exchange, please bring a wrapped item up to a $10 value and indicate whether suitable for male or female or either. Gifts will also be available to children attending. Please contact us ASAP via our website www. fingerlakesfinns.org if you have a child attending who would like to receive a gift. The Ultimate Purpose: Free Speech Open Forum Discussion | 7:00 PM,

back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE. | 148 mins PG-13 | Bridge of Spies | During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers. | 141 mins PG-13 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas and set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). | 135 mins PG-13 | Sisters | Two sisters decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home. | 118 mins R | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Trip | Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami...and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother. | 86 mins PG |

12/22 Tuesday | The Mate Factor Cafe, 143 The Commons, Ithaca | Please join us for tea, cookies, and a lively open discussion on the deep issues concerning humanity and our future. Every Tuesday Night at 7 O’Clock. Newfield Woodlawn Cemetery: Annual Meeting | 6:00 PM-, 12/22 Tuesday | Newfield Fire Hall, 77 Main St. , Newfield | Local residents are encouraged to attend.

Electronics in Clinton St. Plaza. Tompkins Workforce: Meet the Employer Session-Ithaca College | 9:00 AM-10:30 AM, 12/18 Friday | Tompkins Workforce New York Career Center, 171 E State St, Ithaca | Come meet an Ithaca College Human Resource Representative, who will share their application process and the benefits of working at Ithaca College. ASLCI: American Sign Language Learning Group | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM, 12/22 Tuesday | Barnes & Noble, 614 S Meadow St, Ithaca | ASLCI is a casual group for Ithacans of all signing abilities. We welcome everyone, Deaf or hearing, to learn more about Deaf culture and practice ASL. Our group meets every Tuesday at Barnes & Noble (614 S. Meadow St.) from 5-7pm, in the study area behind Starbucks. You may arrive and leave whenever you wish. For more information and resources for beginning signers, please visit our website: aslchatithaca. wordpress.com

Learning Art Classes for Adults | Community School Of Music And Arts, 330 E State St, Ithaca | Adult classes and private instruction in dance, music, visual arts, language arts, and performance downtown at the Community School of Music and Arts. For more information, call (607) 272-1474 or email info@ csma-ithaca.org. www.csma-ithaca. org. Writing Through The Rough Spots | Various Locations | Winter Writing Through The Rough Spots classes begin soon. Writing can help create clarity about challenging situations. Those interested should check the website for dates and times of classes at www. WritingRoomWorkshops.com Jeanne Calabretta, N.D, A.A.S., CNHP, Nature’s Sunshine Manager | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM, 12/17 Thursday | The Jenkins Center, Suite 110, 301 South Geneva St., Ithaca | Topics include, The Gut::Brain Connection, Flower Essences and the emotional areas of the brain, Herbs that do not counteract medications, Lifestyle changes (at your own pace), and much more! Open to the Public. Reserve a place by calling (607) 277-7337 www.mhaedu.org Writing Successful Foundation Grant Proposals with Jana Hexter | 9:00 AM-4:00 PM, 12/17 Thursday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | If your job requires you to write foundation grant proposals or you’d like to boost your skill set, this is the course for you. The course will be informationpacked and fun. The class materials will reflect recent trends in grant-making and give you the skills that you need to start preparing proposals for your organization. Learn to Play or Practice Bridge | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, 12/18 Friday | Ithaca Bridge Club, 609 W Clinton St, Ithaca | Coaches available. No partner needed. No signups required. Walk-ins welcome. The Ithaca Bridge Club is located down the hall from Ohm

Special Events

ThisWeek

9th Annual Holiday Pottery Sale to benefit Healthy Food For All | 5:00 PM-8:00 PM, 12/16 Wednesday | The Studio, 379 Gunderman Road, Danby | Renata Wadsworth Pottery again will host a Holiday Pottery Sale to benefit the Healthy Food For All subsidized CSA program, which makes local produce accessible to families with limited incomes. Find amazing deals on beautiful pottery, handmade jewelry, cutting boards and more! ‘Seconds’ with cosmetic or minor flaws will be sold at a major discount, closeouts and others marked up to 75% off, rejects as low as $1. Runs Wednesday, December 16, 5:00-8:00pm and Saturday, December 19, 11:00am-2:00pm. More information at: www.renatawadsworth.com and https://www. facebook.com/HolidayPotterySale Paint Nite Ithaca | 7:00 AM-, 12/16 Wednesday | Carriage House Cafe, 305 Stewart Ave, Ithaca | Grab a drink, grab a brush, and drink creatively with Paint Nite Ithaca. Tickets call 617-453-8590 Ithaca Sociable Singles Dinner | 6:00 AM-, 12/16 Wednesday | Ciao’s, 2 Hickory Hollow Ln, Ithaca | RSVP sam221w@hotmail.com Star Wars Party | 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, 12/17 Thursday | BorgWarner Room, 101 E Green St, Ithaca | Tompkins County Public Library’s Junior Library

Ithaca’s own alt-country-Americana-cow punk champions The El Caminos, bring their engaging mix of styles and form to the Grist Iron Brewing Company in Burdett on Friday, 12/18 at 7:00 p.m. Grab a micro brew and get your boogie on! (Photo Provided) Advisory Council will celebrate the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with an all-ages Star Wars Party. Veteran fans and those new to the Star Wars franchise will enjoy games, crafts and activities, including a photo booth and lightsaber duels. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Snacks will be provided. Advance registration is appreciated but not required. To register, contact Teen Services Librarian Regina DeMauro at rdemauro@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 274 Moosewood Authors Holiday Cookbook Signings | 12:00 PM-4:00 PM, 12/19 Saturday | Moosewood Restaurant, 215 N Cayuga St Ste 70, Ithaca | Signed cookbooks make great gifts. The International Rutabaga Curl at the Ithaca Farmers Market | 12:00 PM, 12/19 Saturday | Ithaca Farmers Market, 545 3rd Street, Ithaca | The 18th Annual Rutabaga Curl will take place with the Lighting of the Torch, the Procession of Athletes, the Rutabaga Chorus, and then the Curl itself. Sign-ups 10-11:30, and practice your throw. We have referees, two MCs,

a DJ, a photo booth, and more. This may be YOUR year to be the best in the world at something! Come in costume, as part of a team, or just yourself. www.rutabagacurl.com Soup n’ Sandwich Luncheon | 11:30 AM-1:00 PM, 12/19 Saturday | Burdett Presbyterian Church, 3995 Church St, Burdett | Homemade soups, made-to-order sandwiches, dessert and beverage. Take-outs available. All are welcome. Silver Needles Machine Knitters | 10:00 AM, 12/19 Saturday | Cortland Ramada, 2 River St., Cortland | Bring any kind of machine to work on a group project, get help, and learn from club members. Visit www.fingerlakesknitting.com/silver_needles_ knitting_club for details. Ithaca Sociable Singles Lunch / Brunch | 10:00 AM, 12/19 Saturday | Carriage House Cafe, 305 Stewart Ave, Ithaca | RSVP joyceannewhite@ icloud.com 108 Sun Salutes: A Community Fundraiser and Winter Solstice Experience | 9:30 AM-11:30 AM, 12/19 Saturday | Fine Spirit Studio, 201 Dey St., Suite 202, Ithaca | Live music

Black Masala,

Rongovian Embassy, Saturday, December 19, 9:00 p.m. Washington D.C.’s hybrid-fueled gypsy collective Black Masala has blazed a trail across the musical landscape the past four years with killer live shows, incorporation of all things contemporary and a lot of things from the past, and inspired balkan influenced gypsy-punk-soul music. To pull it off - it helps that the musicians are top notch, and the singing ridiculously melodic and soulful. It’s a potent punch that’ll have you flinging your date up in the air, while you get your hardcore Cocek on!

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provided by Joe S. Mellow, Elizabeth Simkin, and friends, Sun salutations will be done together in the traditional Namaskar A style, FLYC will provide light snacks and beverages. More info at https://www.facebook.com/ events/165945340424218/ The Longest Night: A Service of Hope and Healing | 3:00 PM, 12/20 Sunday | First Presbyterian Church, 315 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | Held near the longest night of the year, this service is for those of us who struggle to find the joy in this holiday season. If you are struggling with grief, loneliness, depression, anger, find yourself far from home or feel stressed, and are having a hard time feeling God’s presence in this Advent season, come as you are and worship with us. The service will be brief and followed by fellowship. Everyone is welcome. Solstice Fire Ceremony | 6:30 PM-9:00 PM, 12/22 Tuesday | Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd, Ithaca | Sit, dance, and sing by a scared fire. Munay-Ki creator gifts at this fire! Contact www.connecting2spirit.com Susan Norton 607-229-5161, Susan@ connecting2spirit.com

Meetings Rental Housing Advisory Commission (RHAC) | 5:15 PM, 12/16 Wednesday | Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | RHAC recommends to Common Council new steps to be taken to improve the accessibility, affordability, and quality of rental housing in the City of Ithaca. IURA Governance Committee (GC) | 8:30 AM-10:30 AM, 12/18 Friday | Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | Third Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 108 E. Green Street, Ithaca. GC advises IURA on issues such as budgeting and finance, personnel and committee membership, strategic planning, regulatory and statutory compliance, and external communications. Town of Ithaca Zoning Board of Appeals | 7:00 PM-9:00 PM, 12/21 Monday | Town Of Ithaca, 215 N Tioga St, Ithaca | Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Council (BPAC) | 5:30 PM-7:30 PM, 12/21 Monday | Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | BPAC members regularly review ongoing and upcoming city

It’s a Wonderful LIfe,

State Theatre, Saturday, December 19, 7:00 p.m. Heaven, angels, drunken bar fights, Donna Reed, time-travel, crooked capitalists, inter-dimensional beings, well maybe not the last bit, but man o’ man does It’s A Wonderful Life have it all. The quintessential Holiday film of the 20th and 21st century, this film actually enables its viewers to do a little time travel of their own. It has a special magic to it, almost like a dream, almost like it was blessed or cursed by some strange Free Masons. Whatever the reason, can you believe it’s gonna be on the big screen this Saturday.

projects and advise the Board of Public Works, Common Council, the Planning & Development Board, the Parks Commission, and other appropriate City bodies on bicycle and pedestrian issues, including issues faced by people with disabilities, to ensure all city projects accommodate and encourage safe and legal travel by bicycles, pedestrians and people with disabilities Planning and Development Board | 6:00 PM-10:00 PM, 12/22 Tuesday | Common Council Chambers - Ithaca City Hall, 108 E Green St, Ithaca | The Board reviews Site Plan Review applications, proposed Subdivision applications, proposed City ordinance revisions, zoning appeals, and other matters it is charged with reviewing.

Books Coloring: Stress Relief | 5:00 PM-6:00 PM, 12/16 Wednesday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | GM Asha introduces you to the stress relief that is coloring. Yes, coloring. All the rage these days, but many have known for years how taking a colored pencil to a page can ease the mind. We will have colored pencils and pages to color, or you can bring your own book. Free and open to the public . “The Other Racism” Book Club | 5:30 PM, 12/16 Wednesday | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N Cayuga St, Ithaca | A new Ithaca book club will examine “The Other Racism” -- anti-Semitism -- in Ithaca and beyond, by reading the new Kenneth Marcus book, The Definition of Anti-Semitism. For more information, see the ICUC-ME Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ IthacaCoalition.

Art ongoing Buffalo Street Books | 215 N Cayuga Street, Ithaca | Wynn Yarrow Landsapes. Wynn Yarrow will feature new landscape works created specifically for this magical show. Runs through December. CAP ArtSpace | Center Ithaca, The Commons, Ithaca | Sharp Knives, Erin Deueuville. This exhibition of oil paintings combines work from the past five years. Collectively, these portraits and kitchen scenes tell stories about generosity, vulnerability, and sharing a

HeadsUp Life through a village by Bill Chaisson

iving Buddhism is written in a manner that seems to be becoming increasingly common in academia: it is a blend of straight expositional writing about ideas and observations and is also memoir (more or less) focused on the author’s experiences as they relate to the topic of the book. Julia Cassaniti is trained in psychology, also has an academic education that includes anthropology, though not, it would seem, religion. In the opening chapter she describes being upset at the death of 45-year-old Thai who has destroyed his liver through drinking. She is baffled by his family’s calm albeit sad acceptance of his fate. They try to explain anicca or “impermanence” to her and she is resistant to their perspective. The book is essentially the story of her journey to understanding the initially alien Buddhist way of looking at life. Cassaniti spent a decade in a small rural village called Mae Jaeng. She describes her own prior familiarity with Buddhism received in the course of retreats and meditation training, far from her own daily life. In contrast, she notes, the people of Mae Jaeng integrate Buddhism into their daily life. It is ostensibly naïve observations like this that give the book its charm and draw you on. Although she is an assistant

meal. | www.artspartner.org Community School of Music and Arts | 330 E.State / MLK Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 | Annual Open Show. Works by 70 regional artists in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fiber art, and mixed media assemblage will be on view from December through January at the Community School of Music and Arts’ much anticipated Annual Open Show. Curated this year by Terry Plater, a painter based in Ithaca, this exciting exhibition showcases a wide array of artistic talent and interests. Visit more than once to appreciate everything this show has to offer!| www.csma-ithaca. org Corners Gallery | 409 E. Upland Road (within the Community Corners Shopping Center), Ithaca | This Is How It Starts: Elise Nicol and Melissa Zarem

professor of cultural anthropology, Cassaniti is apparently a not conventionally religious person. From the early pages of this book you can tell that she is going to ask interesting questions about Buddhism because she is being so personal about it. In her pursuit of an understanding of anicca and its centrality in the Buddhism of the Mae Jaeng residents, Cassaniti does not discard her own cultural prejudices, as a more archly clinical anthropologist would (try to) do. Rather, she is candid in her continuing conviction that it is odd that the people around her accept death so serenely. But instead of judging them, she tries to understand in any way she can. She reads children’s textbooks, attends funerals, builds friendships with Thais that include talking to them about their families, and she learns to speak Thai well. She visits a neighboring Karen community that has converted to Christianity and is present when an American evangelist urges the villagers (in English) to convert the residents of a neighboring village or “they’ll burn in hell.” Cassaniti is uncomfortable with the missionary’s fervor and is once again surprised when she queries the translator and finds he has not translated the missionary’s remark simply because it seemed rude to the people in the adjacent village. She goes on to describe the Karen Christians as more animated than the Thai Buddhists of Mae Jaeng, more likely to speak about their feelings, more interested in the outside world, and to express “hot” emotions. It is implied but not stated that the difference is due to the Karens’ Christianity, but the other cultural differences between Karens and Thais are not mentioned, if they are considered. This is a bit odd in that she

/ Exhibition of new works on paper. Runs through December 23. | www. cornersgallery.com Crow’s Nest Café | 115 The Commons, Ithaca | Sarah Thomson – As a 30 year Tompkins County resident I have learned that one need not travel far to observe incredible wildlife, landscapes and events. I have been playing with cameras since I got my first Brownie as a kid. A camera became almost another appendage for me and a way to document events and places visually that I might otherwise forget. Photography provides an opportunity to get intimate with a subject and I am always surprised by what I learn. I consider this time a real luxury. | (646) 306-0972 State of the Art Gallery |120 West State Street, Ithaca | State of the Art hosts artists from the Ithaca area

soon moves on to note that she had at first attempted to find evidence of supposedly universal emotions (happiness, sadness, anger etc.) among Mae Janeng residents and had found that “this really missed what was happening in the emotional lives of the people I knew.” Cassaniti focuses on the difference between the Thai and Karen perspectives on anicca. For the Thais it is part of a mantra for letting go of worldly irritations. For the Karen, she finds that it roughly translates as useless vanity, and she is referred to a passage in Ecclesiastes in which we are encouraged to let go of worldly things (vanities) and trust God, although his ways are mysterious. She notes that this is a minor part of Karen Christianity, but a central part of Thai Buddhism. The blend of careful observation, sound insight, and personal involvement

and beyond in its 2015 “Juried Show” during December. All media except photography will be shown in the exhibition–paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, collage and mixed media. For information: 607-277-1626 or gallery@ soag.org Cellar d’Or | 136 E. State/MLK Street, on the Commons, Ithaca |Figure in Landscape. This past September six artist drew, and painted from the model outside at The Newman Overlook on the Cornell Plantations. Model Gretchen Ernst, is an acrobatic hand balancer who’s dynamic poses serve as the focus for “Figure in Landscape.” Featuring works by Gabe Carraher, Carol Goodlin, Robert Grant, Bob Ivers, Robin Parkins, and Michael Sampson. | www.thecellardor.com Décorum Too | Dewitt Mall | France for Art’s Sake 2015. A special aesthetic

Waffle Frolic | 146 East State/MLK Street, Ithaca | A combined photo and print show of works by Naomi Edmark and Kevin Cruz. The show will run through December 31. | www.wafflefrolicking.com

treat awaits those who visit the store and gallery in December: artists who took part in this summer’s painting excursion to France will display work: oils, pastels, drawings, and photos, done in and around Paris. Come enjoy the work and learn about plans for the 2016 trip! | 319-0944 or visit www. decorum-too.com EYE | 126 E. State/MLK St., 2nd, Ithaca | The Lustrous World of Giselle Potter. Artist Giselle Potter is like no other. Her colors are plucked from nature: her imagery, insanely appealing. She can take an everyday and make it extraordinary. A frequent contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker, Potter has illustrated over 25 books for kids of all ages and has shown at the Society of Illustrators in NYC and the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst. | www. eyegallery.com

Tompkins County Public Library | East Green Street, Ithaca | Streetscapes, a new exhibit that brings street art inside the Library. Curated by Jay Potter, Streetscapes will feature a collection of work that draws on creativity and inspiration from our urban surroundings. | www.tcpl.org

Got Submissions? Send your events items – band gigs, benefits, meet-ups, whatever – to arts@ithacatimes.com.

MAxie’s Holiday Jazz Festival,

Titus Gallery, Exhibit open until December 31

Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar, Sunday, Dec 20, through Tuesday, Dec 22 Thank the heavens someone is putting some sort of mini-jazz festival together. If Ithaca is missing anything, it’s a proper jazz scene. Maxie’s dedicates three nights this week to some of Ithaca’s best jazz artists. Sunday night the Al Hartland Trio will perform. Monday night the Zaun Marshburn Quartet will bring the hard bop and free jazz, and Tuesday the talented Diana Leigh Jazz Quartet will entertain. This is a good start on some regular jazz happenings. Don’t miss out.

Make sure you stop by one of Ithaca’s most treasured and special art and crafts gallaries this month, because it won’t be around for long. THE SPIRIT OF LAKE LIGHT is the newest exhibit of recent paintings of the Finger Lakes by Brian Keeler, as well as landscapes of New England and Italy. This award winning artist’s paintings will be on display until December 31st. This is our last guest artist show as the Titus Gallery will close when we retire in Spring 2016.

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in Living Buddhism works well. The reader learns much about Buddhism through getting to know a particular Thai family. But more than that, Cassaniti is a proxy for the reader, sharing her feelings (which will likely mirror your own) as the story unfolds. •

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Leading distributor of exhibition catalogues and other art books seeks applicants for key position. Approval-Plan Coordinator has primary responsibility for providing collection-development assistance to some 150 academic libraries through the selection of appropriate artrelated publications. Candidates should have a broad knowledge of art and art history, excellent written and verbal communication skills, solid clerical and computer skills (particularly Excel and Word), and ability to interact effectively with clients and co-workers in busy work environment. Bachelor’s degree in art history or related field preferred. Previous experience in the book trade or library field a plus. For more information, see posting at www.worldwide-artbooks.com/ wwb_staff_list.html. Please send resume and cover letter by January 15th to Mr. Kelly Fiske, Worldwide Books, 1001 West Seneca Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 or by e-mail to coordinator@worldwideartbooks.com

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STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY COURT: TOMPKINS COUNTY in the Matter of the Foreclosure of tax Liens by : Proceeding in Rem pursuant to Article Eleven of : The Real Property tax Law by the city of ithaca : 2014 Proceeding

PEtitioN AND NoticE oF FoREcLoSuRE Index No. 2015-0915

The above captioned proceeding is hereby commenced to enforce the payment of delinquent taxes or other lawful charges that have accumulated and become liens against certain property. The parcels to which this proceeding applies are identified on Schedule A of this Petition, which is annexed hereto made a part hereof. This document serves both as a Petition of Foreclosure and a Notice of Foreclosure for purposes of this proceeding. Effect of filing: All persons having or claiming to have an interest in the real property described in such petition are hereby notifiedEsq. that the filing of such petition constiKrin Flaherty, tutes the commencement by the Tax District of a proceeding in the Court specified in Assistant City Attorney, Of Counsel the caption above to foreclose each of the tax liens therein described by a foreclosure On Behalf of the, City Attorney proceeding in rem. Attorney for Tax District: Nature of proceeding: Such proceeding is the brought against the real property only and City of in Ithaca is to foreclose the tax liens described such petition. No personal judgment will be entered herein for such taxes or108 other legal charges or any part thereof. E. Green St. Persons affected: This notice isIthaca, directed all persons owning or having or claiming to NYto14850 have an interest in the real property described in such petition. Such persons are hereby notified further that a duplicate of such petition has been filed in the office of the En607.and 274.6504 forcing Officer of the Tax district will remain open for public inspection up to and including the date specified below as the last day for redemption. Right of redemption: Any person having or claiming to have an interest in any such real property and the legal right thereto may on or before said date redeem the same by paying the amount of all unpaid tax liens thereon, including all interest and penalties

and other legal charges which are included in the lien against such real property, computed to and including the date of redemption. Such payments shall be made to Debra Parsons, City Chamberlain, City of Ithaca, 108 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY, 14850. In the event that such taxes are paid by a person other than the record owner of such real property, the person so paying shall be entitled to have the tax liens affected thereby satisfied of record. Last Day of Redemption: The last day for redemption is hereby fixed as Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Service of Answer: Every person having any right, title, or interest in or lien upon any parcel of real property described in such petition may serve a duly verified answer upon the attorney for the Tax District setting forth in detail the nature and amount of his or her interest and any defense or objection to the foreclosure. Such answer must be filed in the Office of the County Clerk and served upon the attorney for the Tax District on or Cityabove Chamberlain before the date mentioned as the last day for redemption. Failure to redeem or answer: In the event of failure to redeem or answer by any person having the right to redeem or answer, such person shall be forever barred and foreclosed of all his or her right, title and interest and equity of redemption in and to the parcel described in such petition and a judgment in foreclosure may be taken by default. Dated: 12/04/2015 Enforcing Officer: Debra Parsons City Chamberlain Krin Flaherty, Esq. Assistant City Attorney, Of Counsel On Behalf of the, City Attorney Attorney for the Tax District: City of Ithaca 108 E. Green St. Ithaca, NY 14850 607. 274.6504

Schedule A Year

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Property Owner

Total Due

2015 27.-5-8 2014 27.-5-8 2015 28.-5-20 2014 28.-5-20 2015 42.-1-9 2014 42.-1-9 2013 42.-2-12 2015 43.-2-10 2014 43.-2-10 2015 45.-4-18 2014 45.-4-18 2015 51.-2-9 2014 51.-2-9 2015 53.-6-8 2014 53.-6-8 2015 53.-6-10.2 2014 53.-6-10.2 2015 56.-3-6 2014 56.-3-6 2014 59.-2-3 2015 59.-2-27 2014 59.-2-27 2015 59.-3-1 2014 59.-3-1 2015 59.-6-21 2014 59.-6-21 2015 61.-6-14 2014 61.-6-14 2015 69.-5-2 2014 69.-5-2 2015 71.-7-19 2014 71.-7-19 2015 71.-8-4 2014 71.-8-4 2014 77.-1-1 2014 84.-3-2 Year Tax Map 2014 84.-6-5 2015 91.-6-1 Page 2 of 3 2014 91.-6-1 2014 107.-1-8

410 Utica St 410 Utica St 821 Aurora St N 821 Aurora St N Cliff St Cliff St 507-09 Cliff St Cascadilla St Cascadilla St 107 First St 107 First St 312 Park Pl 312 Park Pl 217 Cliff St 217 Cliff St 211 Cliff St 211 Cliff St 229 Cliff Park Rd 229 Cliff Park Rd 725 Court St W 630 Buffalo St W 630 Buffalo St W 317 Meadow St N 317 Meadow St N 528 Seneca St W 528 Seneca St W 207 Geneva St N 207 Geneva St N 101 Hudson St 101 Hudson St 204 Plain St S 204 Plain St S 407 Green St W 407 Green St W 301 Elm St 109 Ithaca Rd Property 107 ValleyLocation Rd 415 Hillview Pl 415 Hillview Pl 624 Hudson St

STEVEN HERTZBERG STEVEN HERTZBERG BARBARA R SMITH BARBARA R SMITH EVA COON EVA COON JOSHUA ADAMS ARGYLE ASSOCIATES, LLC ARGYLE ASSOCIATES, LLC ESTHER M GLOWA ESTHER M GLOWA GILL EDNA MC GILL EDNA MC INDIGO BRIDGES LLC INDIGO BRIDGES LLC INDIGO BRIDGES LLC INDIGO BRIDGES LLC PETER ROGERS PETER ROGERS WILLIAM L LOWER LF EOM, LLC LF EOM, LLC KNUPPENBURG REALTY INC KNUPPENBURG REALTY INC SHAWN GILLESPIE SHAWN GILLESPIE JOSEPH M QUEZADA JOSEPH M QUEZADA TODD MCGILL TODD MCGILL CAMILA A FONTANEZ CAMILA A FONTANEZ ERNEST LEE ERNEST LEE STEVE HALTON TATIYANA APANASOVICH Property Owner MATTHEW TIRINO

$4,204.27 $4,509.26 $4,064.00 $1,535.23 $417.25 $616.49 $406.40 $5,528.49 $5,205.08 $4,822.72 $3,760.89 $2,991.85 $2,976.11 $773.33 $2,079.31 $6,091.17 $5,035.98 $9,977.22 $8,655.58 $7,628.50 $912.55 $2,450.59 $10,687.25 $2,594.98 $9,886.23 $10,079.63 $12,944.29 $12,822.79 $5,645.18 $5,726.38 $2,494.58 $1,795.25 $5,219.44 $1,988.28 $5,725.79 $2,952.60 Total Due $7,461.85

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DELL GROVER DELL GROVER ON THE ROCK USA CHURCH

2015

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ERNEST COON ERNEST COON

GILL LAWRENCE MC GILL LAWRENCE MC

DAVID ROGERS DAVID ROGERS PATRICIA M LOWER

BELINDA MCGILL BELINDA MCGILL

EMMA GROVER EMMA GROVER

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Men’s and Women’s Alterations for over 20 years Fur & Leather repair, zipper repair. Same Day Service Available

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dumpster rentals

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Find us on Facebook!

315-585-6050, 866-585-6050

AAM ALL ABOUT MACS

Great Deals on the Latest and Greatest Electronics! Grace Internet Radios

Macintosh Consulting

Graco Headphones

http://www.allaboutmacs.com

Sony 4K Ultra-HD TVs

(607) 280-4729

Music Hall Turntables

ABC Clean Community Cash Deals Huge Discounts each month! Please go to www.abcclean.com to

607-227-3025 or 607-220-8739

607-272-0114

Ithaca Weekend Planner

Get $125 gift card for $100! Sale is Dec. 14-20th. Visit www.mightyyoga.com, 272-0682

24/7 CLEANING Services

www.peacefulspiritacupuncture.com

Monitor Home Audio Speakers and more!

High Dusting * Windows/Awnings

Anthony Fazio, L.Ac., C.A.

Start your Weekend Thursday

Sent to your email in box every Thursday

Janitorial Service * Floor/Carpet

Peaceful Spirit Acupuncture

MIGHTY YOGA

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

range of human ailments

Ithaca Weekend Planner Sent to your email in box every Thursday

Yamaha Surround Sound Receivers

Independence Cleaners Corp

Full range of effective care for a full

Pellegrino’s Service & Sales No need to leave town to resolve CHECK ENGINE lights 40 Yrs Experience Keys, Tires, Full Service 607-272-8259

Searching for the perfect gift? Give the gift of yoga!

7102 Elmira Road 272-2644

Affordable Acupuncture

SAAB

Start your Weekend Thursday

Klipsch Home Theatre Speakers

Stellar Stereo

download your monthly coupon!

Honor a Life like no other with ceremonies like no other. Steve@reallifeceremonies.com

Signed Moosewood Cookbooks Make Great Gifts! Moosewood authors will be hosting Saturday holiday signings at the restaurant noon to 4 pm December 5th, 12th, and 19th

Signorama of Ithaca

Buy, Sell & Consign Previously-enjoyed

Love dogs?

FURNITURE & DECOR MIMI’S ATTIC

Adopt! Foster! Volunteer! Donate for vet care!

430 W. State St. (607)882-9038 Open Every

www.cayugadogrescue.org

Your Full Service Sign Center From Business Cards, to Window Lettering A NYS Certified Women’s Business Enterprise FREE Quotes

Day!

www.facebook.com/CayugaDogRescue

607-273-1502

Check out Cayuga Dog Rescue!

bulk

benefits

The Yoga School Ashtanga * Vinyasa *Semester Pass $300 *YA registered school * 200 hr TT *Yoga Philosophy * Ayurveda *Cooking & Tea Classes *Gentle Vinyasa *Over 15 years experience www.yogaschoolithaca.com We Buy, Sell, & Trade Black Cat Antiques

607-898-2048

10%

friday, dec. 18

*10% discount cannot be used with other discounts or sales *10% discount cannot be used for case sales

www.greenstar.coop

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22,

2015