Table Hopping December 2020

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Brew Time

by KRISTIN MERRITT

All I Want for Christmas is BREW! …Mariah Carey’s hit holiday song aside, truly I think we can all agree that we’ll be drinking straight through the holiday season to round out this infamous year of 2020. So, what might be some brews and gifts that you want to add to your own wish-list or are you in the market for gift ideas to give others this December?

Look no further, your beer-loving holiday guide is here! Let’s start with some beer ideas to gift yourself or others…

Tis the season for stouts and porters with two recommendations that are right on the money. With both companies originating in Pennsylvania, Yuengling and Hershey’s have collaborated to concoct a tasty little limited-edition brew known as Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter. The beer is created using a base of Yuengling’s Dark Brewed Porter (which recipe happens to be 200-years-old!), combined with Hershey’s chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, and cocoa nibs. The finished product unmistakably presents with a true creamy Hershey’s milk chocolate flavor within each sip with roasted malty notes of the beer itself. The base elements of the porter are not drowned out in any capacity by the chocolate, giving this brew a very balanced finish overall, without being overly sweet. With an ABV of 4.7% you can easily throw back a few bottles and not feel overwhelmingly full as the brew is not as heavy as many porters can tend to be. The beer has been brewed for a few years, but this year Yuengling made a point to distribute as far and wide as it could over a 22-state footprint both in bottles and on draft. I found mine at Wegmans and after trying, can easily see why the masses want to get their paws on this!

Our next beer is a delectable stout – Founders Brewing

Beer glassware is a simple and popular gift idea for the brew lovers out there! Check out the bottoms up bottle!

Company’s (Grand Rapids, MI) KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge is an Imperial Stout created with Mackinac fudge coffee, maple syrup, and chocolate aged in oak bourbon barrels. Yes, it’s a mouthful to describe and it’s also a mouthful on your palate! But before I get ahead of myself, you might be asking, what the heck is Mackinac fudge?? Well, I didn’t know either… Located in the northwest corner of Lake Huron Mackinac Island, Michigan boasts an idyllic little vacation spot without cars or chain hotels, where horse-drawn carriages are common-place and the fudge is famous. In the downtown area of the island you will find 14 different fudge shops that make a collective 10,000 plus pounds of fudge PER DAY during peak travel months. (& hint, some of the shops do have an online storefront where you can order and have fudge shipped to you!

Perhaps another gift idea?) Packing a punch at 11% ABV, this boozy, dark, rich, and velvety stout dances on your tastebuds, allowing you to distinguish between every single element in the description of this beer. It is simply sublime.

This is also widely distributed in 4-packs of bottles and can also be found at Wegmans.

What better gift to give alongside beer than glassware to go with it?

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Beer glasses are always a popular and simple choice for a gift along with easily being one of the most accessible gifts to purchase as you can literally get beer glassware EVERYWHERE – grocery stores, big box stores, department stores, specialty shops, etc. There are so many different types of glassware to choose from, and if you really want to impress the receiver of your gift, it helps to do your research. A couple of years back, I wrote an article specifically about the different types of glasses; you can find all of Brew Time’s past articles online at the Table Hopping website, www.tablehopping.com. (Search and choose “Brew Time” from the drop-down list and scroll through the articles until you get to September 2018’s article.) It’s here where you’ll find glassware and information on what specific type of beer is housed best in each specific type of glass. If you’re aware of the giftreceiver’s favorite beer preference, it’ll be easy to select the specific glassware to gift them. One of the best places to purchase glassware is online, because the options are truly limitless. If you go to Amazon. com and search for “beer glassware,” over 2,000 results are available at your fingertips. This makes for a great place to start and refine what you’re looking for. In addition, you can even order personalized glasses if you’re into giving something more customized.

continued on pg 4

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All I Want for Christmas is BREW! continued from pg 3 Perhaps you’re looking for something more unique to gift (or get) this holiday season, especially for the person who seems to have ALL the beer. There are plenty of beer themed gifts to surprise someone with. Online, a great site to peruse different items and also help support small businesses, artisans and independent entrepreneurs is on Etsy. com. Here you can find everything from handmade beer-themed cloth facemasks, to

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beer soap and beer candles, to customizable growlers. This site is your oyster if you’re looking for a pearl!

In addition, there are plenty of local businesses in the Syracuse area (and beyond) where you can find brew-themed gifts not only for the holiday season but during the rest of the year too! Witty Wicks at Township 5 in Camillus has a great selection of decorative items, signs, accessories, and even some barware to choose from. Wildflowers Armory located in the heart of downtown Syracuse has a rotating collection of goods from local artists and artisans with unique and ever-changing finds. It’s here where you can find glassware, signage, art, décor and beerbottle openers – all of which are handmade by people who live and work in our city. Both locations also give you an opportunity to shop for persons on your list who may not be strictly beer-lovers as well, since they offer so many goodies inside their walls!

A new CNY business – Us & Hemp – is beginning to make its debut in the beeraccessories market as well with the product known as Recoil Coolers. Based out of Oneida, NY, the company is currently marketing an auto-adjustable hand-held cooler to fit ALL of your cold beverages including 16 oz. tallboys and 12 oz. regular cans, skinny cans, and bottles. Even better, all the components of the cooler are sourced in the US, they’re manufactured and assembled in the Upstate NY region, and hemp (also all US grown) is used in the material of the cooler itself, which reduces overall plastic use by 25%. We’re all looking for a way these days to get the most bang-for-our-buck and live more sustainably, and this product does both. Check them out at usandhemp.com and recoilcoolers.com.

Of course, I also forget to mention our local breweries, brew pubs and specialty brew shops. The large assortment of different establishments in our small city and surrounding areas offer plenty of gift ideas from crowlers of brews on tap and bottled/canned beers, to t-shirts, sweatshirts and other accessories. Don’t forget that gift cards make a great stocking stuffer too! …I just want BREW for my own, More than you could ever know, Make my wish come true, All I want for Christmas is BREW! Make it a safe holiday season y’all and cheers to Beer mug socks...Amazon really does have getting ALL the beer under everything! the tree this Christmas!

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Tales from the Vine

by CASSANDRA HARRINGTON

How Wines Are Rated Wines, like hotels, tend to get rated. And they get rated with stars. How do you know what a 5 or 6-star wine stands for? Now unlike hotels, wines do not necessarily have to be rated by an expert. They can be rated by anyone. All it takes is for a person to have enough of an exposure as well as an understanding of how wine is made, what goes into the making of wine and how it should be rated. Wine is rated on four parameters the aroma, the taste, the appearance and the aftertaste. Lets take a look at how wines get their stars!

The ultimate rating is 6 stars. A 6-star wine is said to be absolutely perfect. There’s nothing that is missing from it and nothing that needs to be removed from it. This rating means the wine just cannot be improved in any way. The number of wines that fall into this category globally is less than 1% of the wine produced all over the world. This wine is really a classic and it has all the complex characteristics that a classic wine is expected to have. You won’t find a wine like this online, no way. These are usually tagged as collectors items.

Wines that are rated as 5-star wines have a balanced color, richness and harmony.

They are almost perfect and have a wonderful aroma, taste and feel. Their organoleptic characteristics are quite extraordinary. Then come the 4-star wines which constitute 5% of the wines produced all over the world. These, too have finesse, flavor and great character and you can’t really find fault with them or perceive any noticeable flaws.

These are the wines that are commonly produced today and their rating goes up if they are allowed to age.

Then come the average wines or the wines that are 3-star rated. These are well made but the ingredients they are made from are ordinary. However, they do have great taste and texture and you cannot really find any noticeable flaws. Except for the fact that the raw materials used are ordinary, you cannot really distinguish them from 4-star wines.

Any wine with less than a 3-star rating is below par. You will usually find flaws in them that may even be noticeable and visible to the eye. There could be an unpleasant smell, it could be a watery substance or there could even be floating particles. This could of course be due to the extra acid or tannin present. Sometimes these wines might taste okay but you will find that they do not have any character, depth or complexity.

And of course, 1-star wines are made from really poor ingredients. They are generally home-made wines that might not make it to the shop shelves. They are usually not well balanced, very diluted, have a dull taste and are flawed.

How is wine tasting and rating done? It is usually done in groups that are large. The wines are not labeled and the group has to rate them without knowing the cost or the brand. These ratings are then collected and compiled. It is a comprehensive analysis of these that are the basis of rating and determining which class a wine should be classified as. These ratings and classification help as far as the buyers are concerned because it helps them to choose a good wine. You know which the best wine available in the market is and you know what the stars stand for. How many people use these as guidelines when choosing a wine? Well many of these cannot be strictly followed and finally, it’s the buyer who has to take a call on which wine he wants.

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Inside... on the

DECEMBER 2020 VOLUME 42 NO. 12

BREW TIME by Kristin Merrit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 TALES FROM THE VINE by Tushar Virani. . . . . . . . . 5 STREAMING NOW by Brian Miller. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 GOLF by Golf Monthly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 MY MIND TO YOURS by Debra Merryweather . . 18 THE WRITE STUFF by Nancy Roberts. . . . . . . . . 19 WORD ON THE STREET by Bill McClellan. . . . . . 21 EXCERCISE & FITNESS by Jennifer Nastasi . . . 24 SOUNDS OF SYRACUSE SPORTS TAKE by Mike Lindsley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

by Chuck Schiele Here She Comes-Sydney Irving is Way NOW PLAYING by Brian Miller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE by Dr. Barry . . . . . . . 34 Ahead of Schedule

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by Jennifer Nastasi Your Holiday Weight Loss Goals DON”T Have to Wait Until Next Year

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The publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertising. The opinions, views and comments expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The contents of this publication are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher. © 2020 Table Hopping Inc.

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Sounds Of Syracuse

by CHUCK SCHIELE

Here She Comes Sydney Irving is Way Ahead of Schedule At 17, New York native Sydney Irving may only be in the early years of her music career, but she has already been named the 2020 young adult artist of the year by the prestigious International Singer Songwriters Association.

Similar to other contemporary artists, Irving writes songs that mean a lot to her and that she hopes will resonate with others as well. Taylor Swift was her early inspiration, but her current hero is Tom Petty.

“I think it is just the way they can write a song about their lives and what they are going through,” Irving says, “and you can connect with it immediately.”

Her musical influences also include artists like Barns Courtney, Post Malone, Ronnie James Dio, The Doors and, perhaps not surprisingly, bad boy Ryan Adams, who actually recorded his own tribute to Swift’s entire album, 1989, covering the entire album.

Once she got to playing and writing herself, Irving didn’t look back. At only 14, her debut album, “Hello Stranger”, was released. This was soon followed by her sophomore album “The Halfmoon Sessions” in 2018. In December 2019, Irving released two EPs; “The Greene EP”, a live compilation of previously released songs, recorded in a log cabin located in upstate NY with Tom Finn and Steve Sopchak and “The Ronan EP” with Sydney Irving & The Mojo. She is currently looking forward to releasing her 5th studio album, coming in 2020.

Irving has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to be direct support for Starship featuring Mickey Thomas at the 2019 Spiedie Fest in Binghamton, NY and perform at the 2019 Dio Day event in Cortland, NY. Later that year, Sydney attended a Barns Courtney concert. She had the chance to meet him before the show and then during the show, Courtney called her up on stage to sing his hit song “You & I” with him!

She has also had the privilege to open for artists like Matt Rogers and Mikele Buck as well as be the youngest artist to have a residency at the largest casino in New York State.

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Sydney Irving, who has been nominated for best singer/songwriter at the Syracuse Area Music Awards three times, has been writing songs since she was twelve with her guitar. Sydney is a proud Breedlove Guitar endorsed artist and has played Breedlove guitars ever since receiving her Breedlove Passport-12 string at the age of 13. Along with being nominated for 2020 Female Artist of the Year by Music Mafia Radio, now at 17 years old, she is gearing up to release her fifth studio album, “Relax With Fiends” which is set to be released in December 2020. With a fresh, indie rock sound, Irving is following her dreams of pursuing music.

Follow Sydney for more information about upcoming shows and music on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube or check out her music on iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, or her website www.sydneyirvingmusic.com.

Chuck Schiele: Hi Sydney, Thank you for doing this article for Table Hopping.

Sydney Irving: Hey Chuck! Thank you so much for letting me be apart of this!

CS: Tell us all about how you got started in music?

SI: I got my first guitar ever for my ninth birthday and started lessons shortly after with the one and only, Loren Kryzkowski. I discovered people like Taylor Swift and Tom Petty, finding inspiration in their lyrics and melodies.

CS: Please characterize your music.

SI: My early roots were more folk driven, centered around just acoustic guitar. Over time, it has transformed into more of an indie rock sound.

CS: I see you’ve released several videos. How’s all that going?

SI: I love making and releasing music videos. I am lucky enough to get to work with a

Sydney Irving, who has been nominated for best singer/songwriter at the Syracuse Area Music Awards three times, has been writing songs since she was twelve with her guitar.

continued on pg 8

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Here She Comes-Sydney Irving is Way Ahead of Schedule continued from pg 6 bunch of really great people, with help from my management Grace Musicians Group.

We are working on mastering the art of music video making. We release the videos onto Facebook and Youtube. My newest one is for my newest release “What Have You Done”.

CS: What does being a songwriter mean to you?

SI: Songwriting is a big part of who I am. It helps me try to make sense of things.

CS: Where do you find your inspiration to write?

SI: Physically, I find inspiration on my bedroom floor. That’s where I write the majority of my songs.

CS:What are some of the highlights in your music path, so far?

SI: I am so thankful for all opportunities! Some of my favorite memories include being direct support of Starship featuring Mickey Thomas at the 2019 Spiedie Fest and performing at the 2019 Dio Day event in Cortland, NY. In 2019, I also attended a Barns Courtney concert and got the chance to meet him before the show. During the show, he called me up on stage to sing his incredible song, “You and I” with him. All the venues I have had the opportunity to play at are wonderful. One that stands out is the Turning Stone Casino. I am also a proud Breeedlove Guitar endorsed artist. I have been able to play with some really amazing musicians in the band as well. Sydney Irving & The Mojo includes Randy Tennant, Evan Tennant, and Luke Hart. All are so beyond talented and cool! This year I was honored to have won Best young adult artist of the year at the 2020 International Singer Songwriters Association Awards as well as be nominated for the Music Mafia Radio 2020 Female Artist of the year.

Sydney is a proud Breedlove Guitar endorsed artist and has played Breedlove guitars ever since receiving her Breedlove Passport-12 string at the age of 13.

Sydney on her Breedlove guitar singing a KISS cover CS: Anything ever happen, say.... on a gig that didn’t go quite as expected Got any funny stories?

SI: One time, when I was about 14, I was playing and a young guy must have thought I was older than I was. He bought me a hard apple cider. Fortunately, my parents were there and caught it. I think my grandma ended up drinking it.

CS: How’s the Central NY music scene treating you, so far?

SI: I love Central New York. Everyone is so awesome! I feel like I have a great support system and I hope it keeps growing.

CS: Please tell us what’s in the future for Sydney Irving and her music?

SI: I am currently working on promoting my brand new EP, which is set to drop in December. I have released two singles so far, “Rain” and “What Have You Done” along with music videos. You can check out both songs on itunes and amazon music. We also released both on limited edition cd single; hand signed and numbered. There are only 100 available. We have been so fortunate to have also gotten radio play on 95X, Soundcheck on The Rebel as well as Music Mafia Radio; Thank you to Scott Dixon, Dave Frisina, and Scott Stephenson.

CS: How do we keep in touch with you and your music?

SI: You can check me out on social media: facebook, instagram, twitter, and youtube or my website, sydneyirvingmusic.com. You can find all my upcoming shows there as well. I have been very fortunate to have booked heavily into 2021 so there is good news on the horizon.

CS: Thank you, Sydney. Keep working hard. You’re ahead of schedule.

SI: Thank you so much. You are very kind.

-Chuck Schiele 858 663 9612 “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” ~Albert Einstein

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Business of Interest

by NANCY ROBERTS

The Gem Diner | The Preserve When times are challenging, there’s nothing quite like a little taste of home. And there is nothing that is as much a part of that idea of “home” to Syracusans as The Gem Diner.

The “Little” Gem has a long history in the Syracuse area, having first opened its doors in 1950. Purchased in 2011 by Montreal Construction, it became the treasure of the LaLone Family, Doug and wife Tammy who re-opened the spot in traditional style but with expanded seating, and they were soon joined in the business by son Anthony, who runs the popular eating spot today.

When I asked Anthony LaLone what he wanted to share about the west side diner, he didn’t hesitate: “First, how much we appreciate our customers, who have been so supportive, and have continued to visit us during this time. And that our thoughts and prayers are with all of them, and with the entire Syracuse community – patrons, friends, and all the other restaurants and businesses in our city.”

About a year ago, we profiled The Gem, and everyone in the business was looking forward to a traditional season, in which The Gem always plays such a big role for Syracusans and family coming home for holidays. For locals, for the residents of the west side, and for family and friends returning home for a visit, The Gem is always a popular destination for great food and fun. This year is no different, in spite of what a unusual one it’s been. The Gem is, as always, your go-to for great food. When what you want is quick, hearty and delicious food served up starting early in the morning,

When what you want is quick, hearty and delicious food served up starting early in the morning, the all-American diner has become a tradition across the northeast, and The Gem is its ideal incarnation.

The Gem has everything from burger and fries to mouthwatering dessert!

The Gem Diner, a Syracuse staple since 1950 the all-American diner has become a tradition across the northeast, and The Gem is its ideal incarnation.

With a large menu, serving breakfast, lunch, and even an early or take-out dinner – often at the same time – customers can ponder the menu and then pick exactly what each one is looking for, from a great cup of coffee to its specialty fretattas. All the food is home-made, and much of it is the “comfort

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The bar and indoor seating at the Preserve food” we expect from a family diner, including daily specials, those big, big breakfasts we all sometimes crave, to a wide range of soups, sandwiches, salads, half-pound burgers, and all the sides you might want.

About a year ago, LaLone and partner Len Montreal opened The Preserve, a tavern and grille that serves an upscale menu of pub-meets-fine-dining selections, along with specialty and seasonal cocktails, wines, and a range of draft and bottled beers. The Preserve at 405 has become a popular Inner Harbor destination for downtowners and out-oftowners alike, and is also open for both takeout and limited indoor dining.

Both restaurants are careful to follow the best practices to maintain the health of staff and patrons, while making your visit relaxed and delicious. And when you visit, you’ll likely see people working at the diner who have been there for years, or run into another customer who’s a regular. The ties The Gem has to Syracuse, and the west end, are long and deep.

And the LaLone family is justifiably proud of its long involvement with the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY, and particularly The Syracuse

Both restaurants are careful to follow the best practices to maintain the health of staff and patrons, while making your visit relaxed and delicious.

PAGE 11 • December 2020

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The Preserve Challenger Baseball league, the oldest and largest baseball league in the world for special needs adults and children.

One thing is certain, as Doug LaLone told us last year: “This is a season of thanks,” said LaLone. “And we have a lot to be thankful for – good food, good customers, great staff.”

And from the residents of Syracuse, near and far, a big “thank you!” to The Gem, for all you do!

The Gem Diner OPEN: Tuesday-Sunday: 6am-3pm, Friday 6am-8pm http://www.thegemdiner.com/ Located on the west side of Syracuse, just five minutes down the road from Destiny USA. 832 Spencer St., Syracuse, NY 13204 • (315) 314-7380 The Preserve at 405 OPEN: Tuesday-Saturday: Noon-8pm http://thepreserveat405.com/ 405 Spencer St., Syracuse, NY 13204 • (315) 214-4399

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Streaming Flicks by MILLER byBRIAN DEBRA MERRYWEATHER

On The Rocks When Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola were first paired together in 2003 for the dramedy LOST IN THE TRANSLATION the results were inspiring. Starring alongside Scarlett Johannson, the legendary funnyman solidified a transformation that began in Wes Anderson’s RUSHMORE and ROYAL TENENBAUMS. While still rooted in comedy, his performances in these productions were far more subtle and restrained, shedding the eclectic personas displayed in CADDYSHACK, GHOSTBUSTERS, WHAT ABOUT BOB and KINGPIN. The results were astounding, proving that the veteran had found a way to tap into previously unexplored potential. His ability to deliver razor-sharp wit while oozing an effortless charm would be the key to his continued success, and this has certainly proven true over the ensuing years.

As Apple TV+ attempts to establish itself amongst the heavy hitters in the everexpanding streaming market, it has looked to feature topnotch talent. This includes the release of the latest pairing of Coppola and Murray, ON THE ROCKS. Hitting on many of the same themes and techniques that helped mold LOST IN TRANSLATION into such an understated powerhouse, the film allows Murray to deliver his best performance in years.

Married couple Laura (Rashida Jones) and Dean (Marlon Wayans) seem to have reached a point of complacency in their marriage. Living in New York City with their two young daughters, Dean is working hard on his start-up company that has found some success, while Laura is a writer who is struggling to complete her next project.

Whereas Laura works from home, her husband’s new venture has forced him to travel, often leaving his family for days at a time. Though she has never had reason to doubt his fidelity in the past, his actions of late have raised a few red flags. From a dispassionate

ON THE ROCKS delves deep into the exploration of relationships.

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arrival home from an overnight trip, to a handbag full of someone else’s toiletries, seeds of doubt began to worm their way into Laura’s mind. Though Dean can easily explain away any concerns she has, Laura is not appeased, particularly when she meets her husband’s beautiful new work partner, Fiona (Jessica Henwick.)

When Laura shares her thoughts with her father, Felix (Bill Murray,) a charming, semiretired art dealing ladies man, he is instantly convinced of Dean’s guilt. He is steadfast in his belief that it is impossible for men to remain monogamous, no matter how much they may love their wives and families. He vows to use all of his considerable means to assist his beloved daughter in tracking down the truth.

ON THE ROCKS delves deep into the exploration of relationships. Focusing heavily on the nature of men and their ability to remain devoted to their partners, it also peels back the curtain on how these decisions affect the entire family unit for the remainder

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of their lives. Felix is obviously a doting father who will do anything for his baby girl, but there is also an underlying sense of tension whenever he begins to share his beliefs on the nature of man. Rather than doing everything he can to quell his daughter’s fears, he calmly analyzes all of the reasons that led Dean to stray. While Laura isn’t completely convinced of Dean’s guilt, Felix is resolute in his certainty. In his mind, it would be impossible for Dean to not act upon his primal impulses.

The mystery of Dean’s deception may be the driving point behind the plot of ON THE ROCKS, but it is the natural, effortless give-and-take between Jones and Murray that really elevates the film beyond its reasonable expectations. There wasn’t anything particularly new or groundbreaking within Coppola’s wistful and philosophical

The mystery of Dean’s deception may be the driving point behind the plot of ON THE ROCKS, but it is the natural, effortless give-and-take between Jones and Murray that really elevates the film beyond its reasonable expectations. screenplay, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t effective. Delivered by two incredible performers that should have been paired together long ago, the dialogue is thoughtprovoking at times, but never quite reaches the same profound magnitude as it did in LOST IN TRANSLATION. Luckily, the success of ON THE ROCKS never truly depends on this. The dynamic between Murray and Jones is effortless and natural, and while they may be father and daughter, it feels much more like a buddy comedy than anything else. While navigating the perils and complexities of marriage and parenthood, they riff off one another with stunning ease, delivering laughs and thoughtfulness in equal measures. The result is a production that will appeal to fans of Coppola, Murray, and Jones alike, and an excellent addition to the growing Apple TV+ platform.

ON THE ROCKS

Laura and her father playing private detective because Dad can’t believe that a man can possibly be faithful with all of the signs that his daughter has noticed recently.

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Dining Out

by Kerilyn E. Micale

A Mano’s This year has taught us to appreciate things in our life a little bit more. Whether this year caused you to cook at home for the first time or you jumped onto the homemade bread bandwagon you undoubtedly gained a new appreciation for the amount of effort and love that goes into making food from scratch. If you are looking for that homemade taste without any of the work or clean up then you need not look any farther than A Mano Kitchen & Bar. They are located in Downtown Syracuse on the ground floor of the Icon Tower at 344 S. Warren St. in Downtown Syracuse. They are open for dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:30 pm to 9 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 4:30 to 10 pm and for Sunday Brunch from 10 am to 2 pm. Treat yourself to a meal at A Mano Kitchen & Bar and find out how they won the 2020 Diners’ Choice Award!

A Mano translates from Italian to mean “By Hand.” This name is the embodiment of everything you will find at A Mano Kitchen & Bar because as you might have guessed everything is made by hand. From the freshly made pasta to the hand tossed pizzas, right down to their homemade flavored butter. At A Mano Kitchen & Bar they pride themselves on utilizing the finest, freshest, and often locally sourced ingredients which helps them provide an unforgettable culinary experience. They have also adopted a fitting description for their style of cuisine- Modern American with an Italian Soul. At A Mano Kitchen & Bar you can experience some of the Fiacchi family’s story: a combination of decades in the culinary industry, world class culinary education, and travels across Europe learning about food, culture, and farming.

A Mano translates from Italian to mean “By Hand” On Sundays, A Mano is the ideal brunch spot in Downtown Syracuse; their fast and friendly staff will indulge you with whatever brunch style you choose. Whether you choose a light breakfast like Local Yogurt served with seasonal fruit and topped with house granola, sandwiches like the Fried Chicken Sandwich- buttermilk fried chicken, Caesar Brussels slaw, bacon, Swiss brioche bun, or a breakfast classic like the Loaded Hash Brown topped with pulled pork, queso, avocado, crema, and two fried eggs. And don’t forget that it’s just not brunch without a cocktail so be sure to check out their exclusive craft cocktail menu! A Mano Kitchen & Bar has an ever evolving dinner menu that is certain to please. Their amazing pastas are handmade, their wood fired and hand tossed pizzas are divine, and their main courses are mouthwatering. The pizza oven and crafting station in the dining room creates atmosphere is warm and inviting and as an added bonus it is a lot of fun to watch!

Cecelia and I arrived at A Mano Kitchen & Bar on a chilly Saturday night. We were immediately seated at a cozy table and greeted by our friendly server. She told us about the mouthwatering specials of the evening. One of the things I like most about A Mano is that you never know exactly what new and exciting dish will be on the menu. We started our scrumptious meal with an order of the Calamari, a dish of golden fried calamari, sweet and spicy long hot agrodolce and served with a size of lemon aioli. The flavor combinations were absolutely incredible.

We also couldn’t pass up an order of the Scampi Toast,

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Rusthcie pasta topped with wild boar Bolognese, sprinkled with reggiano and parsley this dish starts with perfectly grilled sourdough that is topped with gigantic wood fired prawns, all drizzled with a garlic, lemon, and white wine sauce. This dish was both really cool to look at and awesomely deliciously! We also loved the bread basket with their famous homemade cheese-its, chewy herbed focaccia bread, and Italian bread along their homemade lemon sesame butter. For an entrée Cecelia, who loves to eat adventurously, just couldn’t pass up the Rusthcie, a thick, flat, and long pasta, topped with wild boar Bolognese, and sprinkled with reggiano and parsley. I decided to continue with seafood theme and chose the Market Fish, a perfectly seared portion of fresh halibut, served garlic parsnip puree, dill oil, citrus, pink peppercorn. Every single bite of this dish was fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone! We also split a side of the Twice Fried Potatoes, colorful small potatoes smashed and fried until crispy and topped with parmigiana, pecorino and herbs. We couldn’t possibly pass up homemade dessert at A Mano. Cecelia had a dish of cool cardamom ice cream; it was creamy and perfectly cardamom flavored. I couldn’t pass up the chocolate peanut butter lava cake, served warm and drizzled with chocolate sauce. This was a sweet way to end a perfect meal!

A Mano Kitchen & Bar has taken every precaution to ensure that diners have a safe and enjoyable experience every time. Check out their website at www.amanosyr.com to see their menu as well as to make a reservation online. They also have a fresh new takeout menu coming on December 2nd filled with handmade pasta, pizzas and local veggies!

Call them at (315) 303-1630 for reservations or to place a takeout order.

Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all of the great happenings! Treat yourself to A Mano today!

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Beauty & Fashion

by Killer PLR Articles

Is Hair Sugaring an Effective Way to Remove Body Hair?

Hair sugaring is a process that can be used quite beneficially for hair removal. If you are someone that has used waxing in the past, consider sugaring. In the process, the wax is replaced with a sugar and honey mixture. It is sticky and works very much like that of waxing. And, it can produce the same results. But, it is organic in nature and it has the ability to give you an easier clean up too. Sugaring is a process of extracting hair from the follicle.

Although hair sugaring is a messy process the results of doing it can last upwards of two to six weeks. You can use it throughout the body since it is a natural product and see results. Many individuals find it most beneficial to the bikini line as well as to the upper lip. When the hair is removed, it will grow back. But, many people have found that it will grow back at a much lighter and finer way and it is like

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The results of hair sugaring can last upwards of two to six weeks! that it will not be nearly as thick either.

What To Use

You can actually use a homemade solution of hair sugaring and get great results.

Heres what you should use: – One cup sugar – Juice from half of a lemon – One fourth cup of honey Mix these well and then microwave on high for about two to three minutes. You are looking for a smooth consistency. Leave the bowl standing for several minutes to cool to a safe temperature.

Now, you will need to get some white cotton cloth in strips (or use store bought waxing papers) as well as wooden tongue depressors to apply the mixture. Heres what to do: – Clean skin and make sure that it is completely dry. No soap or body lotions should be used in the area.

– Apply cornstarch to the area. This will draw out the oils that are within your skin making the procedure work even better.

– Use the tongue depressor to apply a thin layer of the mixture over the area that you will want the hair removed from.

– Cover the area with a cloth strip. Rub the strip so that it is firmly in place.

Do this with moderate pressure and in the opposite direction of the hair growth.

– Grab the end of the strip and pull it back quickly in the opposite direction of the hair growth.

– Wash the area with water to remove the sugary mixture.

Like waxing, the area may be sensitive and red for a few minutes but this is a temporary situation. You will find it to be one that you can deal with if you want great looking hair removal at a very low cost. Hair sugaring is a procedure that can be done within a few minutes and can be repeated as necessary.

PAGE 17 • December 2020

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let my husband enjoy his times of golf with other men.

I’ve come to realize that my husband’s life at

BY KILLER PLR ARTICLES work is busy and stressful and that playing golf is one of his favorite ways to relax and to enjoy time with his guy friends. I am no longer threatened that he isn’t dying to get home at the end of each day. Instead, I see that golf is not the enemy of our family but actually a friend since it allows our husband and father to come home relaxed and refreshed and ready to pour more into our family.

All men who enjoy golf need to take time to play golf each week throughout the If you are a man, then I suggest you get to the nearest golf course and sign up for a summer. I’m convinced of it. As the wife of a very busy husband and as a family therapist, summer pass. If you are a woman who has been hesitant to allow your man to golf, then I am convinced that all men need the break and the relaxation that comes from playing change your mind and buy a summer pass as a Christmas gift for the guy you love. We a round of nine or eighteen holes all need times away from the stresses of home and work just to release some energy and of golf. to have fun. Golf is the perfect way for men (and women) to do just that.

When I was first married I would I think it is important that men take time to golf with other men at least one time per get frustrated about my husband’s sheer excitement about golf as each week. Obviously, if we have a man that wants to golf six out of every seven nights in the summer then there is probably an issue to talk about. Men cannot use golf as an excuse spring turned to summer. I would to never be home with their families, but it can be a great way for them to get away and give him a hard time about buying to refresh themselves for the stresses of family life and for time in the office. a membership to a local golf club Men, grab a friend or two and get to a golf course soon. See how much fun you will and I would even try guilting him have and how much stress you will release on the course. You’ll be so glad that you have out of playing as often as I could. I the time to golf that when it comes time to go home you’ll have energy and desire to didn’t realize until many years later just how important it was for me to spend time with the family.

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My Mind To Yours

by DEBRA MERRYWEATHER

Reflecting Back I have a pamphlet hanging on my refrigerator. The pamphlet, published by Vera House, lists some features of verbal and emotional abuse. The list reads, “you are being emotionally or verbally abused if your partner or care provider…

• puts you down in public or private, • causes you to feel confused, ‘crazy,’ unsure, or afraid when you are around them, • uses your diagnosis, if you have one, as an excuse to hurt you, • ignores or makes fun of your feelings.”

I haven’t provided Vera House’s complete list. I’ve listed the items I’ve asterisked as something to watch out for in general. The items describe interpersonal behaviors many of us encounter every day in some form, especially during 2020. I admit, I’ve felt a little “unsure” since reading the November 15 cover story about Vera House’s proposed strategic plan. The Post-Standard reports Vera House seeks to “dismantle the white supremacist and racist foundations and systems of the organization to enable board, foundation staff, interns, volunteers and victim/survivors full engagement.”

The Post-Standard reports that University of Washington Professor of Education Robin J. DiAngelo’s book “White Fragility,” prompted discussions and self-reflection among Vera House staff. Executive Director Randi Bregman states in the article that she is pointing a finger not at others, but at herself. I fully understand what she is saying.

I have pointed a finger at myself many times, including regarding items in the above list of verbal and emotional abuse characteristics at the beginning of this article. And, it has occurred to me that, when I point the finger at myself in a group where we all share some common behaviors or traditions, I am unintentionally, perhaps, pointing a finger at them.

Tully Historical Society’s How can a committed Vera House wice Read Book Store supporter, foundation member, or counselor not feel pointed at, when the We have some great Executive Director of the group states that winter reads! the group will now seek to “dismantle the 1000’s of Volumes! white supremacist and racist foundations New Titles Arriving Daily! and systems of the organization…” When 24 State St., Tully a leader points at themselves, and you’re 315-696-4681 following them, they are pointing at you.

Hrs: Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat 9-1 (I believe that the 45th president’s MAGA slogan was popular and successful in

2016 and to a degree, in 2020, not because he won the popular vote in either election, because he didn’t, but because he was able to rally people to get behind a simplistic slogan meant not to provide a plan, but to counter anxiety over our shared and changing socioeconomic and physical climate. MAGA plays better at a pep rally than the sentence I wrote to describe why MAGA plays well at a pep rally.)

Could challenging “white supremacy” based, in part, on discussions of an academic book that a priori ignores and makes fun of a group’s feelings be abusive in a way listed on Vera House’s own pamphlet?

Could being characterized as “white supremacist” in a group referential strategic plan qualify as being “put down in public or private?”

The book “White Fragility,” referenced in the Post-Standard article, asks the question, “why is it so hard for white people to talk about racism?” The question itself presumes that it is hard for white people to talk about racism. My experience and reading lead me to believe that it is not hard for white people to talk about racism. It might be hard for people of all cultures and ideologies to arrive at the same conclusions about historic racism and how race manifests in today’s multi-racial, multi-cultural world.

Our multi-faceted society leads to much intersectionality.

One online dictionary defines intersectionality as “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.” I’ve seen the term “intersectionality” in many social media discussions of feminist issues some of which read like race-based us versus them verbal jousts. I’ve shared my perspective that religious notions of sexual purity have oppressed, suppressed, gaslighted, blamed and marginalized women regardless of race, culture, or specific religion for millennia. There are feminist women on social media who read the word “purity” as automatically meaning racial “purity,” as in “white supremacy,” when it should be clear that “purity” has been equated with female virtue all over the world. Male sexual adventurism, especially during the neurochemically charged teen years and twenties, leaves less powerful, less savvy, and less protected girls and women vulnerable.

The current Vera House is a product of the 2005 merger with the Rape Crisis Center, which provided services from its location at the corner of James and Dewitt Streets in a building that I believe once housed Excelsior Insurance Company. Excelsior Insurance Company was not connected to the Rape Crisis Center; it just existed under the same roof.

Differing functions, people and points of view often coexist side by side.

I used to hear that it’s a man’s world.

There was a song about that. I danced to it many times.

This mixed up belongs to all of us.

Peace.

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The Write Stuff

by NANCY ROBERTS

You Topia At some point in my young life I was exposed to Utopian, and Dystopian literature. More than likely, Dystopian came first given my early interest in science fiction and fantasy, and often futuristic novels end up venturing into the dark side, rather than the ideal, of human possibility.

The term originated in Sir Thomas More’s 1516 book, “Utopia,” a fictional island society which is relatively far from what we today would consider a perfect place. While Utopians enjoy some benefits, like free hospitals, euthanasia permissible by the state, priests can marry and divorce is universally permitted – premarital sex and adultery are punishable by slavery. Oh, yes, there are slaves in Utopia.

They are prisoners of war or criminals, and while all enjoy more or less equal material goods, the administrators get the best of everything (sounds like a song I’ve heard before). People are free to travel within the island’s many city states, and everyone must work at some trade for a minimum of 6 hours a day.

While scholars argue whether More wrote Utopia as a real ideal or a form of satire, the term “utopian,” and later “dystopian” came to live with us in literary and social terms, and we refer back to it again and again in politics and in literature – and movies have capitalized on futuristic dystopias where all the rules of historic or even modern life are off the table.

During this election year especially, many have been referring to books like Nineteen Eighty-Four, or Brave New World, and it has been my habit to re-read at least one of these books or one of their kind each year, if for no other reason than to check on how we’re doing, and remind myself of the ways in which we were warned societies can peak and fall, or change so subtly their inhabitants “never saw it coming” until it was too late.

One thing that has struck me as I see them referenced is, depending on what our political persuasions, how differently we will interpret these books. First, we have to distinguish between a real stab at a “utopia,” versus a satire – sometimes a book intending to depict a horrible future is seen as a perfection, and vice versa. Then we have to place it somewhere in history, and some place, so that we can understand the circumstances under which the author was living, and why certain aspects of life might be seen as perfectible in one way or another, or as dreadful in the extreme while its inhabitants had to insist it was a modern wonder.

Pre-Utopia, Plato’s Republic was the original Western version of a Utopia. Through a series of discussions, Socrates leads his students through a discussion of human needs, wisdom, justice, social interactions, and finally the part that political discussions of today are likely to reference, the four unjust constitutions: timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. He argues that a society will decay and pass through each government in succession, eventually becoming a

tyranny, the most unjust regime of all. The starting point is always with the philosopher-king, or the just tyrant. He rules all, but he does so benignly. When he dies, however, unless he is replaced by another such, the social structure breaks down and enters civil war, replaced by a timocracy, or rule of the “spirited,” the warrior generals; the energetic and powerful (think of the American Revolution). Over time, as this class accumulates wealth, these are replaced by the oligarchs. These people have inherited their wealth and sequestered it, and are now an elite class. Eventually, “the masses” revolt, and establish a democracy. In a democracy, maximum freedom prevails, but the oligarchs will continue to claw their way to the top through their personal power and achievement – always leaving their less blessed brothers behind.

With democracy, though, comes the threat of mob rule, and for fear of both that, and the rule of the oligarchs, a clever tyrant can once again grab power. With luck, he might be some day replaced by a philosopher-king.

But the question raised repeatedly is whether we are in the oligarchy, the timocracy, the democracy, or perhaps taking the turn that neither Plato, nor Socrates envisioned, entering into the brave new world of socialism/communism.

In the 18th century, a number of satiric works were written, along with some serious pieces, depicting adventures like those in Robinson Crusoe, who shipwrecks with

continued on pg 20

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PAGE 20 • December 2020 • TABLE HOPPING You Topia continued from pg 19 nothing on a desert island, and has to re-invent a means of surviving, eventually freeing a cannibal tribe’s prisoner (but not without first having to decide whether or not the cannibals are sinners - they are not, for they don’t know any better), and thus now having his own slave. Eventually, he “frees” his slave and they become companions, Crusoe having instructed Friday (the slave) in English and converting him to Christianity.

Writer James Joyce sneeringly comments on Robinson Crusoe “He (Crusoe) is the true prototype of the British colonist. ... The whole Anglo-Saxon spirit in Crusoe: the manly independence, the unconscious cruelty, the persistence, the slow yet efficient intelligence, the sexual apathy, the calculating taciturnity.” While nobody is specifically calling out Robinson Crusoe these days, the question of the inherent value of Western culture is certainly in play, with some defending it as an all-in-all worthwhile culture, and others sure it is the embodiment of all that is most base in human nature.

In 1872, Samuel Butler wrote Erewhon, which is simply “nowhere” spelled backwards (though some have speculated that it also means “here now”). This novel, while rarely cited and certainly not in reference to politics, should be – it was one of the first to inquire into the implicit threat in Darwin’s theory, and the ultimate meaning of creating machines (the industrial revolution) whose labors could replace those of men. Could, wonders Butler, machines develop consciousness – and more alarming, could they replicate themselves?

The utopian life enjoyed by the humans depends upon the work of the machines – but what if the machines revolted? Today, as we become more and more dependent upon our devices, and they become more and more independent of us, this is a question to be asked again, some 150 years later.

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Looking Backward, by Edward Bellamy, was published in 1887, and while it is rarely read, or even heard of today, in its day inspired clubs and even socialized attempts at commerce and living. In the book, the hero falls into a hypnotic sleep and awakens in the year 2000 (already in our rear-view mirror) to find himself in a Utopia, including drastically reduced working hours for people performing menial jobs and delivery of material goods to the door. Everyone retires with full benefits at age 45, and may eat in any of the public kitchens, while the productive capacity of the United States is nationally owned, and the goods of society are equally distributed to its citizens. Aside from the “credit card” everyone has, there is a cable telephone, and most alarming in terms of “how did he anticipate that one?” is Bellamy’s notion that criminals, rather than being punished, are considered ill, and are treated medically. I remember when reading this one, the one argument that finally made a little sense to me when pondering why anyone would take one of the menial jobs required to keep such a society moving was that the nastier and dirtier a job was, the fewer hours one was required to work. Still, the question remains out there: is the attraction of more reward greater than the attraction of fewer hours – and how does such a society account for our unequally distributed talents, gifts, and energy?

Maybe we’re going to find out.

In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, everything is perfect: engineered, sanitary, citizens are engineered in artificial wombs to be limited to their planned station and to be content with it, and raised in communities; the family doesn’t exist; sex is free and unfettered and largely sterile; learning (programming) occurs in sleep and everyone is rewarded with a little drug vacation thanks to something called Soma. Thanksgiving has been limited to 10 guests and Christmas has been called off – that part is a bad joke, of course. But Huxley was concerned with the “de-naturing” of human life – removing it from the aches, pains and natural joys that nature is heir to. Even so, his brave new world ranks people into Alphas through Savages – the Alphas being the most perfect of people, and the Savages, having been born naturally, with all the imperfections that implies, and who live on the reservation, will age disgracefully and die. If a “regular” life and death become abnormal, and you were living in a state of constant placation, what could be more attractive than the dangerous and ugly world of nature? Every so often, as the evening entertainment is chosen from the literally thousands of options (heaven forbid it be a book, a scrabble game, or some ensemble music), having eaten the prepared dinner and while the dishwasher attends to the final cleanup, I find myself wondering – did I take my Soma yet today?

Finally, 1948’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell. Of all of the books and imaginings of the future or alternative lifestyle, it is perhaps this book that is most often cited when we wonder about what a “new republic” would bring. Doublethink: can you hold two conflicting ideas simultaneously in your mind and not become confused or disturbed? Thought Police: if you are guilty of “wrong think,” and you make the mistake of presenting the wrong think on social media, can the Thought Police be far behind?

The Two Minutes Hate – just put the wrong candidate’s picture up on the telescreen and watch how quickly the hate bubbles up. I guarantee it won’t take two minutes.

The Memory Hole actually exists, if not in reality then in effect: if something happened, and we no longer want it to happen, we simply erase traces of it from social media (Big Brother) and poof – it’s gone. And even if you find it again, it will be Thought Crime, because it’s Fake News/Faux News/doctored/photoshopped. The protests are peaceful, there are only good people on my side, and if you don’t destroy the article upon finishing, you can be un-personed – at MiniLove, the Ministry of Love.

“For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated and their manners to be corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them.”

-- Thomas More, Utopia, Book 1

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Word on the Street

by BILL MCCLELLAN

TO: MY FRIENDS AND OFFICIALS A Little Long but as Vital as you will ever Read PRELUDE: I am asking you to help me. Please follow my next few columns. I am deeply hurt.

This is about a young girl. My good friend for 7 years. And my efforts to save her. And keep her alive. I am all in, to pursue this until she is well.

This girl was recently on her death bed due to drugs and then beaten by their purveyors. I want them. Miraculously, she is alive. She deserves a life. Her and her plight have become my charge.

This must all end. This is about victims. So young.

So much suffering and lost life. And minds stolen from young Moms and Dads of babies. So dirtbags can get money. My goals are strategic and targeted: To save this girl, to give her 1-year old daughter her Mom. To revive techniques from my past to fight those that poisoned her and her peers. To show the city a system (in the next two columns) that will save life and give you chills, as you understand the workability. If you follow this column for the next few months, we can put into place rehabilitative systems to give this girl a chance. And address the cruel element that thrives on other’s suffering.

That is what I am asking for.

Together, there is much we can do. Table Hopping comes out in the first few days of each month. I can be reached at w173@aol.com or friend me on Facebook and we can communicate through messenger. Others can read this column by Googling: Word on the Street TableHopping.com. It is a direct connection. Please let our friends know.

TO: The County Executive, the Mayor, the DA, the Sheriff and the Chief and the Sheriff’s Department and Corrections and the Police Department and my friends in Politics, from Congressional Candidates to Mayoral Candidates and Judges and Attorneys and Social Workers and to my friends everywhere. This is also directed to the same officials, Brother and Sister leaders in Oswego County as they will be a major player in her case. My britches are not too big. This is about genuine deserved compassion and justice. I have some real talents and knowledge from my past. For some reason we do not effectively use these things in civilian life. If you read this column and the next two, I hope that chills are yours and we accomplish amazing and decent and good things.

I know I am largely engaging with the legal arena. Please know I seek no favor and absolutely no impropriety. All that I say is with compassion and truth.

A little about me: I was born in Hyde Park, N.Y. My father worked for Franklin D. Roosevelt. I still have a letter from Eleanor to my dad. I had a great start in life. Alcohol took out my dad and mom, all the way, and later me. I am recovered now for nearly 40 years. I served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Green Berets. I never fought. Just

This is about genuine deserved compassion and justice.

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the luck of assignment. But trust me, my boys did fight and I would fight for anyone of them as I am going to fight for this young girl.

I am motivated by the suffering of a deserving young lady, consumed by heroin. A young lady not old enough for much life experience, yet what she has experienced, has been permeated with terror, that when known, would break the heart of our strongest. This column is a brief Compendium of her plight and what I seek to do to save her and her child from a life without a mother. As you go on you will understand my care and why she is deserving. I am giving birth to an attentive effort to put in place in every conceivable way, procedure, intervention and process, short and long term, to restore her value for life. She has a desire for happiness but her confidence that this is possible is completely shattered. This entire matter is gravely urgent to her survival and requires a thinking that only our best can offer. And I know without doubt that you are the best. We are also are going to go after some drug dealers. continued on pg 22

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To: My Friends and Officials continued from pg 21 I am designing a plan to work on lowering the number of drug dealers. There are too many, too cruel that will destroy you over ten or twenty dollars. The culture is hideously violent. Over peanuts. They rule over our sick like czars in hell. A city our size, that is manageable, does not have to tolerate this infection. There will be more on this soon in this column. Few know this city like I do. I have a background and I learned well. I have effective ideas. And I will be calling on you. Please read my next few columns. And please get through this one. It will break your heart but you will see.

Next month I will offer a plan that will work, to rid a severely degraded section of the city of this heartless cruelty.

Addiction is complex but there is much healing avenue. Emotional triggers.

Restoring self-value. Showing a workable path exists. And more. Emotional triggers that a few of you helped with, way back in the day, pulled me out of alcohol nearly 40 years ago. Within the disease of addiction, one undergoes a series of emotional triggers that collectively bring them to recognition. All this junk, like “they have to do it themselves” is more salve for guilty consciences than truth. Because it negates or retards one’s responsibility to get the addict to where they have the desire. One should not allow their life to be unreasonably disrupted nor should they enable, but to give up may remove the emotional trigger you may find, to pull, that brings them back.

Herewith a brief recent history and this is just a small part of a 7-year saga. This is the life in the world of heroin and molly. My friend has been incarcerated 7 times for substance abuse difficulties since she was 18. She is in jail now. Right now, jail is all that will keep her alive. We have no facilities designed for confinement rehab. That is the missing link. Each time she is released she quickly goes right back. Heroin is a “GodAwful” mind sucking drug. Two times ago she became pregnant. She told me she was worried about her baby’s mind because she could not stop. She said she would be better off in jail. She found a way for that to happen and she had her baby in jail, and today she has a healthy precious one-year old daughter. That is true love, and true compassion. When she was released after this she began using right away. I see the paradox. She insured her baby’s health yet still could not stop. Within the complex realm of heroin addiction, she did what she could. This addiction is heinous and straight out of the bowels of hell. Her love for her daughter is enormous. At times she becomes delusional and sees her baby in trees and windshields and cannot get to her. The stories are beyond tragic. She has called me freezing in the snow, along the highway near Auburn, lying helpless on the ground by a dumpster behind the dollar store on Butternut and Lodi with the lowest of low trying to get sex from a girl with swollen hands and ankles that could not walk. They left. This time it was peaceful.

Beyond Heartbreak: She was released from jail in the spring of 2020 and by fall (just two months ago) she wound up with infected organs. Likely from a used needle.

The infection ate through and punctured a lung. She had a hose draining the blood.

Infection had spread to other organs. Her heart was weak. The hospital fought for her.

When she stabilized enough, they did emergency open heart surgery. They opened her chest and replaced a heart valve. She was released in just over 3 weeks. It was way too soon for her. The same night she was using. The last two weeks I have been trying to get her off the streets. When I found her, she refused to leave the drug area. She wanted a fix at all costs.

She had lost hope. She became reckless. Safety meant nothing. Danger meant nothing. She was ready to die. You cannot imagine how helpless

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you are rendered. I thought of forcing her to CPEP, but the wrestling could kill her. And not being related I could not authorize CPEP. Finally, I worked with a family member and set up a process where we might be able to get her into CPEP. She had become completely delusional. I had to buy her phone from drug dealers. (another despicable story of cruelty) Probably the ones that beat her. I had a knife and a box cutter pulled on me over the weekend. I managed this without hurting them. I will tell you those stories later. These creatures that she was with as I found her, thought they owned her. In the last week they pulverized her face. When I heard this, I intensified my effort to find her. How she is alive I just don’t know. I spent last Saturday and Sunday searching non-stop trying to find her again. I called her phone contacts and call log, then I recalled that the convenience stores know her. I found the store where she was arrested on Nov. 14th. I had called the Police during the knife incident. I explained her medical condition. They knew what was going on and it was time. They literally saved her life. When this is all calmed down, I will be doing another column about heroes in these dark and dangerous streets. Every single day. Lots of these kids are alive because of Cops.

My friend was born in 1994 into a broken family with a mentally ill Mom and mental illness in the family history. Her parents were estranged.

She has never had the smallest break, not even a decent place to stay. Growing up in the midst of mental illness and drug abuse she suffered great neglect and abuse and the gift of beauty in these conditions was a curse that invited sexual abuse on several fronts. She had a daily unspeakable childhood. She has been on her own since she was 14. She is able to present with normalcy when she is completely sober. I hope for you to envision her. When sober, a young, beautiful, petite, smart, strong willed and artistic. An absolutely lovely young lady. Her sweetness in her plight is heartbreaking, to see someone so fragile and alone and deserving and so broken.

Today she is broken, recklessly suicidal, severe weight loss, facial features drawn tight by heroin, beaten by ruthless drug dealers with no heart or regard for humanity. Her eyes and face blackened and discolored by the fists of scum. She is recklessly brave, and when threatened, the streets have taught her, and she instinctively fights back. This tiny little girl faced three drug dealers. And they had no problem beating her face already blackened two days before by some other vermin.

I want you to know that there is explanation and mitigating circumstance that makes all that has happened the product of her experiencing childhood abuse and the resulting mental illness, the complex affects of mental illness in the family mixed with heroin addiction. Her mental condition needs comprehensive review. I have looked at her charges. Each time she was under the influence of heroin, hallucinating or having a mental departure from reality. I have seen her, functional yet in this complete departure from reality. She is a victim. When you know her you adore her? Sober you could not imagine she would do any of these things. And she would not. She has no predisposition to any of these charges. When you comprehend her experience, you weep.

This girl can be saved. And her baby can have her mom. This can be done. I am not trying to get her off. At this time that would likely be a death sentence. Drug Court is not viable. She cannot follow rules when free. “Yet”. And tragically we have no mandated confinement rehab option. That is a tragic shortcoming in our system. She has been in jail 7 times, 6 months at a time. Imagine if that were mandated rehab. The greatest failing in our system is this nonsense that one must want to be sober on their own. That is not true. You do not enable but you provide help, you teach, you encourage and you love. You rehab. You provide the path for them to see, for them to return.

This is my hope for the near future. She is justifiably extremely and with complexity, very physically and mentally ill. A fair compassionate sentence of course is hoped for.

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Long enough for rehabilitative options to take hold as best as can be determined.

Something compatible with her needs.

Without a confinement rehab option, jail is the only avenue available that will save her life for the near future. That is happening. Jail will provide the safety for her to regain health she needs to live.

That alone will provide the few months of healing for her heart valve and her chest bones and punctured lung and beaten face, as her proceedings move forward.

She needs to be monitored for infection.

Her doctor told me it can recur simply by finding a temporary dormant spot in any of the infected organs or areas.

The drug dealers need to be dealt with.

Before she gets out, I hope for them to feel some justice. She will have time to heal. Then compassion and justice are the goals. Jail is the only structure and the only safety she has known since recognition. That is wrong with no matching words. I am hopeful proper authority (The Judge or District Attorney) may design her incarceration.

If one clearly has a severe substance abuse problem then their entire incarceration might be designed around mandated counseling and rehabilitation. Then I believe a specially designed probation would massively protect or cause recovery. At least if we could parallel this as close as the law allows. By that I mean, if she uses, she should be violated. Then, and this is the key element, she should do 30 days, not big time, and try again. And this procedure should be indefinite until success or unredeemable failure. Along with mandated times for probationary monitoring, this thinking with a recurring 30 days that would get old quick, may at this point in recovery cause recovery. Using would be just too difficult, and with substantial rehabilitative efforts already achieved potential success is maximized.

Of course, the goal while she is in jail will be to cause a workable recovery mindset prior to her release. I will find every innovative way there is, and I will use every influence I have, to get rehabilitative thinking, friendships and self-worth building measures to her inside. This girl can and will be saved. And her baby will have her mother, and one day she will be ever so thankful that good people saw the invasion of evil in innocence and came to her aid.

I will be designing ways to help her throughout her incarceration. She loves Demi Lovato and Staying strong (365) days. She has a love for Hope. She has such a good chance. Let’s be careful not to overly punish her. Few have already been through more. I got her this Demi Lovato Call ahead book on hopeful sayings while in the for hospital. I will get her another. She lost Take-Out her belongings. She likes adult coloring books. And word scramble books. And she loves the world of beauty. She tries in such innocent and beautiful ways. She wants Rt. 11 LaFayette • 315.677.3986 to be ok. We will find the bridge. I will find measures to help her and give her strength Homemade Luncheon Specials Daily and where my friends can help, I will ask.

I am all in with this girl. Next month: “The Fridays - Full Dinner Menu PLAN” ◆ Haddock ◆ Prime Rib ◆ A Prison Guard at Jamesville who had seen me often in recent years, once asked ◆ Steak ◆ Seafood ◆ me: When do you give up? My answer to her was: Until they make it, or until they An assortment of nightly dinner specials! die.

My deepest thanks, Bill

Jail is the only structure and the only safety she has known since recognition.

That is wrong with no matching words.

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Exercise & Fitness

by JENNIFER NASTASI GUZELAK

Your Holiday Weight Loss Goals DON’T Have to Wait Until Next Year Are Americans officially writing off the end of the year when it comes to their health?

2020 has definitely been an uphill battle for us all. It’s no surprise that many of us have abandoned our weight loss efforts and turned to food and alcohol for comfort!

It seems many Americans are taking a “start again in January” attitude when it comes to their health and fitness goals. In fact, according to a new study, as many as 45 percent of Americans say they’re postponing any resolution to eat clean or lose weight until after the festivities. So, are the rumors true? Have you thrown up your arms in a cloud of despair and abandoned ship?

For many, no matter how strict their diet, all bets are off as soon as the sweet potato casserole comes out of the oven on Thanksgiving Day. During the six-week stretch between Turkey Day and New Year’s, most of us fall off the weight loss wagon and completely lose our way.

Did you know that the average American consumes 4,500 calories and 230 grams of fat on just Thanksgiving Day alone? Studies tell us that the average American gains at least 2 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. The problem is, most people don’t lose this extra baggage. Therefore, holidays (no matter the time of year) can be one of the biggest contributors to our total annual weight gain.

Let’s be honest with each other. It’s been harder than ever, even for the best of us to stay committed to our health and fitness goals during these unprecedented times.

We’ve dealt with the novel coronavirus for over 8 months and now we have a long, dark winter ahead of us.

Step on the scale once or twice a week during these indulging times to keep yourself on track

The average American consumes 4.500 calories and 230 grams of fat on JUST Thanksgiving Day alone!!

We need a plan! After all we’re in this together. We need to enjoy the holidays, but also find a way to stay motivated to make healthy food choices and stay active. Here are a few tips to help you reach your holiday weight loss goals.

• Limit your dessert intake. Desserts are everywhere during the holiday season. Instead of taste-testing everything in sight, focus on your favorites and limit your portions.

• Step on the scale. Stepping on the scale once or twice a week during the holiday season can help keep your weight in check, allowing you to take action before you’ve completely fallen off the weight loss wagon.

• Don’t show up empty handed. Holiday parties can be a common setback in the battle against holiday weight gain. You can maintain control over what you eat by simply bringing your own healthy dish to share with others.

• Get your Zzzs. Sleep deprivation is quite common during the holidays and can contribute to weight gain. When we’re tired we tend to be hungrier, consume more calories, and exercise less.

• Eat balanced meals. Holiday meals are typically rich in carbs and low in protein. It’s important to include some protein with every meal, as it promotes fullness and helps with weight maintenance. Eating protein with meals also helps reduce calorie intake by reducing hunger and appetite.

• Don’t skip meals. Eat your normal meals at their regular scheduled times. You will be less likely to overeat if you keep yourself satisfied throughout the day.

• Go easy on the alcohol. Sorry guys, but alcohol can increase your appetite and lower your resolve to resist overeating. Many holiday drinks have as many or more calories than a dessert.

• Exercise daily. Thinking about going to the gym burns between zero and zero calories. Even if you only have the time to fit in twenty minutes a day, it’s better than doing nothing at all.

• Be active with family and friends. Sedentary activities, such as sitting on the couch, are common holiday traditions for many families. When this is accompanied by eating excessive amounts of food it’s a recipe for disaster. Get outside and enjoy seasonal activities the whole family can participate in.

• Learn to manage stress. Stress associated with the holidays can be a huge trigger for people with little or no self-control. Make sure you carve out some “you” time each day.

The key to reaching your holiday weight loss goals is to stay active and keep your eating to the holiday, not to the holiday season.

PAGE 25 • December 2020

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• Watch your portion sizes. When the holidays arrive, it can be easy to overindulge. Those who eat larger portions tend to gain weight more easily than those who do not. The best way to overcome this is to control portion sizes or use smaller plates.

• Draw the line. During the holiday season, many people have an “I’ll start tomorrow” mentality, which can end up prolonging unhealthy habits. If you’re serious about controlling your weight, it may be helpful to draw the line, set limits for yourself, and stick to your health and fitness goals.

Measure Your Waist to see if you are at risk.

Your waist circumference is a clue to whether you’re at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. It’s easy to do and all you need is a tape measure.

• Start at the top of your hip bone, then bring the tape measure all the way around your body, level with your belly button.

• Make sure it’s not too tight and that it’s straight, even at the back. Don’t hold your breath while measuring.

• Check the number on the tape measure right after you exhale.

For your best health, your waist should be less than 40 inches around for men, and less than 35 inches around for women.

In Conclusion:

Be kind to your palate and your body this holiday season by practicing a mix of healthy habits and tasty indulgences. While staying on top of your weight goals can feel daunting during the holiday season, it is possible to keep things in check!

The key to reaching your holiday weight loss goals is to stay active and keep your eating to the holiday, not to the holiday season. I wish you joy, love, good health and happiness this holiday season. Let us hope that 2021 is better to us all!

I have been a personal trainer for over eighteen years and I absolutely love what I do. I honestly feel that I have one of the best jobs out there! The most rewarding part of my profession is helping one of my clients succeed at reaching their personal fitness goals. Making a difference in someone’s life makes it all worthwhile. I am currently certified by the National Sports Conditioning Association, Apex Fitness Group, and the International Sports Science Association.

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Sports Take

by MIKE LINDSLEY

Q and A with BallNine’s Catherine Gierak I recently chatted with Catherine Gierak from BallNine, an up and coming baseball platform with great content and writers. We talked Yankee baseball, how to fix the team, 2021 projections and covering the game from Australia! Follow Cate on Twitter @nyy_cate and visit the crew at www.ballnine.com.

ML: I hate the way the Yankees are constructed for the playoffs. I’ve written about this annually. What needs changing immediately, non-pitching, for 2021?

CG: In my opinion, the Yankees need to do the following: 1. Balance the lineup – The current lineup is stacked with righthanded hitters who hit for power – Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Luke Voit. They need a lefthanded hitter in there, preferably a contact hitter.

2. Find a fix to the shortstop problem. Gleyber Torres is a liability at shortstop. He was a shortstop in the minors, and did well, but it is evident from watching him this year that he is not one in the majors. Having already had two stints on the IL for a hip

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strain is also concerning for someone who is now an everyday shortstop. But what is the answer? Torres is better suited to 2B. But where does that leave DJ LeMahieu, assuming (hopefully) they bring him back? Gio Urshela is at 3B and Voit is at 1B. Do they trade one of these players, or a player like Miguel Andujar for a shortstop? In an ideal world, I would trade for Francisco Lindor who has outstanding defense and is also a switchhitter (cue the outrage).

3. Find a fix to the Gary Sanchez problem.

It’s become clear that Sanchez is not the best option for everyday catcher going forward. His production at the plate is Gleyber Torres inconsistent, he has poor plate discipline, has trouble stopping pitches behind the plate and yields too many passed balls.

The Yankees have the option to exercise two more years of control over Sanchez via arbitration, or they could non-tender him and let him walk. JT Realmulto is available via free agency and would be the ideal replacement, but whether the Yankees would be willing to pay for him remains to be seen.

4. Reduce their reliance on analytics. The analytics nerds will disagree with me here, but the truth is, the Yankees rely on analytics too much during games, and it often leads to bad decisions being made. Like the pitching plan which resulted in Deivi Garcia being pulled early in Game 2 of the ALCS. Or Mike Ford, who hadn’t had a hit since August, pinch-hitting for Kyle Higoshioka in the bottom of the 8th in Game 5 of the ALDS. The analytics recommended that a lefthander face Diego Castillo. continued on pg 28

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Q and A with BallNine’s Catherine Gierak continued from pg 26 But it didn’t take into account that that lefthander’s bat was cold, and had been for awhile. Aaron Boone needed to manage with his gut there, and go with the hotter bat, either stay with Higoshioka (whose defense was also needed in a tie game at that point) or pinch-hit Clint Fraizer instead.

5. F ocus on strength and conditioning. This is something I have talked about for the past three seasons, and will continue to talk about. The Yankees have too many injuries each year. We need to ask the question why. Why do players get injured running bases? It shouldn’t be happening. I question whether the strength and conditioning programs are appropriate, and whether they are tailored to each player, which is crucial.

ML: How does the Yankee pitching staff look for 2021? Trevor Bauer chase?

CG: At the moment, with Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ all entering free agency, the Yankees are going to need to sign or trade for a SP this offseason. They currently have Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery and barring any unforeseen setbacks, Luis Severino will be back in the rotation in June/July (Clarke Schmidt and possibly even Domingo German could fill this spot in the meantime). Garcia looks very promising and they will likely look to him to fill a spot as well. With respect to Bauer, I personally would love to see him in pinstripes, and have said this for a long time. His intense focus on perfecting his pitching is something I have always admired. And while it can be argued that he’s had an erratic career statistically, his 1.73 ERA this year and 2.21 ERA in 2018 shows what a great pitcher he can be.

ML: Are you a Brian Cashman fan?

CG: To be honest, while I am critical of Cashman, I admire him for his tenacity in a role that wouldn’t be easy. He’s survived 23 seasons as GM, through the transition from old Yankee Stadium to new Yankee Stadium and from George Steinbrenner to Hal Steinbrenner and with that came a difference in spending philosophy. Cashman has made some impressive moves over the years, including trading for A-Rod, Nick Swisher, Gleyber Torres and Voit, plus signing CC Sabathia, Mike Mussina and LeMahieu and keeping Judge and Severino. But he has also made some bad moves, including signing Kei Igawa and Jacoby Ellsbury and trading for Javy Vazquez, Brandon Drury and Sonny

Gray. All that tells me is that he is human.

And that he makes mistakes. Would another GM do a better job? I’m not entirely convinced there are very many that could. That said, I do wish he would lessen his over-reliance on analytics!

ML: How did you jump on with BallNine?

CG: I have been a contributor to BallNine from the beginning. I was asked

by Chris Vitali, the founder and EIC, if I would like to write for the Card Vault, and I accepted. BallNine is unlike any other baseball website out there. The content is different and varied. It’s truly a unique website.

ML: You live in a land down under!?

What’s that like watching MLB and being Giancario Stanton such a fan?

CG: Honestly, it’s become easier as time has gone by. I have MLB TV and access to every MLB game (without blackouts). I watch practically every Yankees game. The time difference means that I usually have to get up during the night, but it’s something I have grown accustomed to. I have also developed friendships with people who I met via Twitter, and I interact with them, and my Twitter followers, during games. I never feel alone watching them.

ML: Thanks for the time.

CG: You’re welcome. And thank you!

Mike Lindsley has been in sports media for 20 years and hosts the ML Sports Platter Podcast, available everywhere PODS are found. Follow him on Twitter @MikeLSports.

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Queensrÿche • 3pm, 5pm, 8pm The Tower at Turning Stone, Verona

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All events are subject to change during these times.

Please check the listings on the venue’s website and/or their facebook to confirm dates and times.

An Erie Canal Odyssey: The Photographs of Frank Forte

Thru January 2

A Legacy of Firsts: The Everson Collects

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

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Portal: The Window in American Photography

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

Thursday, December 10Sunday, December 20 It’s A Wonderful Life Redhouse, Syracuse VIRTUAL EVENT

Thursday, December 10Sunday, December 20 The Polar Express

Thursday, December 10Sunday, December 13 Disney on Ice • 11am, 12pm, 3pm, 4pm, 7pm Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse

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Saturday, December 5

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Now P l ay i n g

by BRIAN MILLER

NOW

TABLE

PLAY

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HOPP

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Run The decision to craft a thriller featuring a minimalist cast is always a gamble. By focusing on a small handful of characters, this type of film relies on storytelling, direction, and the performances of a select few in the hopes of ramping up the tension and holding the viewer’s attention. The argument can be made that this is the goal of any movie, but when there aren’t many characters gracing the screen, the margin of error shrinks dramatically. While there is plenty to be said for bombastic ensemble productions like THE AVENGERS, I’m often more impressed when a film like EX MACHINA can feature three main characters and little more.

Hulu’s latest original film RUN stars Sarah Paulson (AMERICAN HORROR STORY, AN AMERICAN CRIME) and dynamic newcomer Kiera Allen as a mother and daughter who share an incredible bond. After starting life prematurely, Chloe Sherman (Allen) has endured a myriad of medical afflictions.

Bound to a wheelchair, she has found a way to overcome hemochromatosis, diabetes,

asthma, and a heart arrhythmia and has her eyes set on college. Because of the constant care her mother Diane (Paulson) needs to provide, Chloe has been homeschooled her entire life. Displaying a great deal of intelligence and ingenuity, she has her heart set on leaving home and attending the University of Washington. Each day she ecstatically waits for the mailman’s arrival, hoping that today will be the day her dreams come true.

Diane promises to let Chloe know the second anything arrives, and urges patience as the days march steadily onward.

Chloe and Diane appear to have a healthy, loving relationship. Diane is encouraging and supportive, doting on her daughter and assisting whenever she is needed. She appears to put Chloe’s needs above her own, and will seemingly do anything to keep Chloe safe, happy, and feeling loved.

While there are a number of minor characters and performers who make fleeting appearances in RUN, the majority of the film is set amidst the confines of Chloe and Diane’s home. Though Diane appears to have devoted her life to keeping Chloe safe and happy, Chloe begins to have suspicions that her mother possesses sinister secrets that lurk beneath her polished veneer. As she begins to tentatively poke and prod, Diane subtly seems aware that something isn’t right. While she has seemingly valid explanations for questionable situations that arise, Chloe becomes steadily more

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convinced that something nefarious is afoot.

RUN relies on a number of typical thriller tropes, but they are executed in a way that entices and entertains. Co-written by Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian and directed

by Chaganty, it mashes up elements of Stephen King, Hitchcock, MOMMY DEAREST and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. It delivers a number of nailbiting sequences whose absurdity can be gleefully overlooked. This is, without question, the result of the performances by Paulson and Allen, who makes her feature film debut. As Diane becomes increasingly unhinged, Chloe grows Though Diane appears to have devoted her life evermore astute and to keeping Chloe safe and happy, Chloe begins resilient. Allen, who is to have suspicions that her mother possesses afflicted by a disability sinister secrets that lurk beneath her polished herself, and has been using veneer. a wheelchair for a number of years, makes the most of her opportunity. As Paulson effectively projects a panicked descent into madness, Allen captures the strong, defiant, brilliant, and resourceful nature of the tortured Chloe. Though the whole cat-and-mouse routine has been done countless times before, when executed properly, it can be delightfully effective. That is certainly the case here. RUN can be over-the-top at times, and if you get bogged down by trivialities like logic and disbelief then this may not be for you. But, if you were engaged by the likes of Annie Wilkes in MISERY, then you’ll likely find yourself engrossed here. Predictable at times yet shockingly original in others, RUN is a brisky and breezy thriller that will grab your attention until the very last frame.

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Chloe and Diane appear to have a healthy, loving relationship. Diane is encouraging and supportive, doting on her daughter and assisting whenever she is needed.

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Computers & the Web

by NANCY ROBERTS

Sounds Like I’m not sure when I first learned about the theremin, but at some point in my young life I learned that to make that spooky, wavering sound/music you heard in the early fright flicks, the sound artists would use a device called a theremin.

I saw a demonstration of one, and it operated with what appeared to be magic. The operator stood by an odd looking electronic device and simply waved his hands around in what appeared to be a pattern, and the device began to sing an eerie song.

What I had never heard until recently was the inventor, Léon Theremin, might have been a KGB defector who was recaptured and taken to the Soviet gulags where he was forced to work on other electronics projects. Well, I still don’t know if all that’s true, as some of it remains in dispute. What is true is that his work in the 1920s fed into Robert Moog’s work on the Moog synthesizer, which debuted in the late 60s, and eventually led to sampling and the electronic music we take for granted today.

Here’s the whole story.

While all instruments are played by a musician, and in that sense you are right in saying the musician is part of the instrument, for no instrument is that statement more true than the theremin. While the musician never actually touches the theremin – another distinguishing characteristic – the theremin operates because of the instrument’s ability to sense proximity. The performer’s hand acts as the grounded

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plate (the performer’s body being the connection to ground) of a variable capacitor in an L-C (inductance-capacitance) circuit, which is part of the oscillator and determines its frequency. As the thereminist moves his hands in proximity to two metal antennae, the distance from one determines the pitch (frequency) of the sound that’s produced, and the distance from the other controls the volume (amplitude). The closer his hand to the pitch antenna, the higher the note; the further from the volume antenna, the louder the note.

In the early part of the last century the newly formed Soviet government was sponsoring research into proximity sensors. This is simply a device that, by one means or another, senses the presence of a target – perhaps it’s the vibration of heavy machinery, it might be a motion sensor, on a mobile device, or even a roller coaster. Russian physicist Lev Sergeyevich Termen (known to the West as Leon Theremin) invented the theremin, and began demonstration of it worldwide. He relocated to the United States, and granted commercial production rights on his invention to RCA. The stock market crash of 1929 interfered with RCA’s introduction of the Thereminvox, but that didn’t

stop some performers from becoming taken with the instrument, and theremin artists like Clara Rockmore and Lucie Bigelow Rosen toured successfully showing it off.

The next part of the story remains somewhat in the shadows (a perfect place for such an instrument). In 1938, Theremin either left the United States to return to his homeland, or was captured by KGB-type agents and returned to the Soviet Union where he was put to work in the Sharashka laboratory prison camp in Siberia. About 30 years later, he reappeared, having worked on devices the Soviets were trying to develop in an effort to spy on the United States.

In any case, you should watch him playing his instrument on an old recording and see if you can feel the Russian musical influence, along with the sounds of sci-fi and horror we’ve come to associate with it. https:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o If you wanted a theremin today, you might go to Moog for a kit. After the Second World War, the theremin was relegated to Bob Wood type films, but a persistent interest in it remained among hobbyists. One of them was Robert Moog, who began building theremins when he was in high school. After publishing a number of articles about them, he began to sell kits for assembly by the buyer. Eventually, his fascination with theremins led to Moog experimenting with and building his own groundbreaking Termen on his Theremin instrument, the Moog synthesizer.

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Theremin kit

The Moog operates on more sophisticated electronics – voltage controlled oscillators, amplifiers, and filters, envelope generators, noise generators, ring modulators, triggers and mixers – all of which are used to create and “shape” sound, and which can be configured using patch cords (think of the old telephone operator and her two ended plug used to “connect” a call.) The synthesizer was played using musical keyboards, joysticks, pedals, and ribbon controllers. Sounds can be recorded and then layered on to one another to create rich music mixes and providing the sounds, or sound-alikes, of many instruments, voices, and assorted other noises.

The Moog was introduced in 1964, and in 1968 a bestselling album of Bach compositions was released, arranged and played on the Moog synthesizer by Wendy Carlos. Eventually, groups like the Doors, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and even the Beatles got into the act, and Moogs hit their stride in the progressive rock era of Yes, Tangerine Dream, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

So now you know. The next time you’re curled up with your favorite bad 50s Sci-Fi thriller, and you hear that creeps-up-yourspine sound that tells you the beast is on its way – it probably is. It was a proximity sensor, after all.

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Carolina Eyck (born 26 December 1987) is a German- Sorbian musician specialising in playing the Theremin, an electronic instrument. Her performances around the world have helped to promote the unusual musical instrument.

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Preventive Medicine

by DR. BARRY

Tis the Season Well, the coronavirus continues its wrecking ball ways with our lives both personally and professionally and it’s certainly had a big effect on our holidays. With that in mind I am not going to nag you this season about too much eggnog...too much Netflix bingeing... or too little exercise. I am not going to spend this column on advice for getting through the holidays which are always a stressful period for some people even in the best of times.

Maybe having so many events cancelled or prohibited will give those people more time to focus on what’s important or at least to de-stress. What I am going to write about is some Christmas gift suggestions that you might not have thought about. Don’t expect ugly sweaters, exercise videos or a tin of muffins on this list. Obviously, gym memberships and season tickets are off the table right now as well.

First , why not give the gift of information and have it be the gift that keeps on giving. I am talking about getting your friends and loved ones a health newsletter. For years I have given a subscription to my friends and family to Reason the libertarian magazine just to give them a different perspective but at this point in our lives I worry more about their health than their political leanings. Sure, you can go to Cleveland Clinic or

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Give the gift of good health with a heart scan this season!

Harvard Health Letter but may I suggest you take a little walk on the wild side and try Dr. Sherry Rogers newsletter and get a completely different perspective on your health and healthcare from the regular medical establishment. And you can order it digitally so no worries about the mail, etc. It’s available from Prestige Publishing on the net. Dr. Rogers looks at your health from a molecular level instead of a body organ level to get to the real heart of illness. If your mitochondria aren’t happy you aren’t happy and your corner doctor really doesn’t know how to evaluate that. Of course , you know that you need to measure insulin resistance and your essential fatty acid Omega 3:6 ratio and your triglyceride/ HDL ratio etc and Dr. Rogers covers all of this each month.

Next, if you really love someone get them a heart scan. Heart disease is the number one killer in America and often strikes without warning. Most people just don’t think about their health until something goes wrong. Your family member or friend’s heart and health are too important for that. Get them a Calcium Score. Not a stress test...that type of heart test will only be abnormal when it’s the end of the line. Get them a Cardiac Calcium Score. This is a 120 dollar scan done right here in town and measures the calcium in a patient’s heart arteries. Many studies have shown a very good correlation between the amount of calcium in your arteries with the likelihood of having a heart attack or sudden death in the future. NASA uses it but the vast majority of local cardiologists prefer the old fashioned but high tech stress test even though the calcium score can show you about possible heart trouble building up years and years before things get to stenting or bypass. I say make this a gift because typically insurance will not cover this test yet even though it’s been around for 20 years. Watch the documentary “Widowmaker” for free on youtube and decide for yourself. If you want to

First , why not give the gift of information and have it be the gift that keeps on giving.

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THIS MONTH’S

Check out NOOM or a number of other fitness or diet apps to keep yourself accountable and do something good for you! keep your gift giving local, why not give the gift of Optimism by setting your friend or loved one up with Tim Smith’s Smile Therapy. This is an internet service that starts each day with an uplifting quote, sentiment or story. How you start your day determines your day and who doesn’t need a little positivity first thing in the morning. It’s another gift that keeps on giving. Mr. Smith is a local guy and a positive force in the Universe so check out his website for yourself or someone you care about. . Let’s finish off high tech and personal. Why not get something for yourself. Why not treat yourself to the possibility you can change something in yourself.

I have had multiple patients tell me that they changed something about themselves..some habit or activity ..using the Noom app on their phone. There are a variety of apps to help you change yourself whether it’s to stop smoking or to lose weight. You use that phone for many questionable or unimportant things..why not harness its potential to really make a positive impact on your health. You never know until you try so what’s stopping you from trying ? Until next column and next year….Get Well and Stay Well..

from allrecipes

Ingredients

Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti

1 lb. uncooked spaghetti 1 tbsp. butter 3 tbsp. white wine 2 tsp. parmesan cheese, grated Directions

3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped 1 pinch salt & pepper to taste 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

Step 1 • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Step 2 • In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat; add wine, cheese, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Step 3 • Increase heat to medium high and add shrimp to saucepan; cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp begins to turn pink.

Do not overcook.

Step 4 • Divide pasta into portions and spoon sauce on top; garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, if desired.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 8

PAGE 36 • December 2020

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