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Preventive Medicine

by Dr. Barry

Vitamin C is Not Just About Treating Your Cold I just finished reading Dr. Thomas Levy’s book entitled “Stop America’s #1 Killer” which is about vitamin C deficiency. Perhaps you know it better as scurvy. Almost all animals can make their own vitamin C, but we humans, bats and guinea pigs cannot.

We must get it from the environment. It’s said that scurvy killed more British sailors than warfare did but this is not a story about historical malnutrition. It’s about you and your risk of vitamin C deficiency. 40% of patients with septic shock had vitamin C deficiency.

The Nutrition Journal reported that up to 87% of critically ill patients with Covid-19 had vitamin C deficiency. Of course vitamin C deficiency is not limited to seriously ill individuals. As reported in the American Journal of Public Health in May 2004 “vitamin C deficiency and depletion were common (occurring among 5%–17% and 13%–23% of respondents, respectively).’’ Based on my experience it’s actually more common than that. Doctors don’t routinely assess for vitamin C deficiency but we probably should give your SAD diet. That’s standard american diet...full of food depleted of nutrients, loaded with trans fats, extra sugars, exotic chemicals and seed oils.

MEAT SLICED Vitamin C is a potent natural antioxidant FRESH and is concentrated in white blood cells –PER ORDER!– 80 times more than in the serum. Vitamin • Yuengling Beer Battered C deficiency at the cellular level has been Haddock shown to be a cause if not the cause for • Shrimp Po’Boy the changes at the arterial level that cause • London Broil • Meatball hardening of the arteries...ie heart Parmigiana disease. The literature supporting • Reuben vitamin C deficiency as a • Mediterranean cause of heart disease Plate • Plus Much More is much stronger than the literature that high cholesterol causes DAILY SPECIAL heart disease. Dr. Levy 1/2 sandwich, bag sites studies that show of chips & a bottled drink people with higher levels of vitamin C have lower incidence of heart disease.

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soluble and allowing HDL to bind it and remove it from the artery wall and transport it to the liver. Lower levels of vItamin C are associated with higher levels of fibrinogen. High fibrinogen levels are associated with increased risk for heart disease and blood clots.

Dr. Levy also reports that patients with the highest levels of vitamin C have lower risks for cancer. So, vitamin C deficiency has been linked to both heart disease and cancer. Do you need more impetus to supplement than that? No article about vitamin C would be complete without a mention of its prior champion, (preceding Dr. Levy) Linus Pauling.

His belief that vitamin C would treat the common cold has been much debated and he further postulated that it would prevent cancer. It’s true he died of prostate cancer but not until the age of 93! Dr. Levy’s book is very heavily and meticulously referenced but it’s an easy and informative read. I highly recommend his prior book entitled Death by Calcium and have just ordered his book on Magnesium so expect more to come.

Until then...get well and stay well.

Vitamin C supplement

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The Write Stuff

by Nancy Roberts

SAND, or Once Upon a Time in the Jazz Age by Doug Brode Illustrated by Rose Mary Moziak – A Graphic Novel – Take a writer, who grew up loving westerns – Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. As he grows up, his taste matures, but he remains fascinated by the culture of the Old West. But now his interests have expanded to culture, philosophy, film, and story-telling. Now add an artist who sees every pencil as an opportunity – and is convinced that with that pencil, a world can be imagined, and rendered for others to see.

Put them together, and you have the possibility of a great graphic novel.

Graphic novels are a step between a comic book and a conventional novel. Merriam-Webster defines the genre as “a fictional story that is Roy Rogers presented in comic-strip format and published as a book.” Since there’s no strict definition, my own definition is that a graphic novel is an increasingly popular way of telling a more complex story than a comic book using text and pictures. A movie, if you will, on paper.

And probably a graphic novel does have a lot in common with a storyboard for a film – which may be one reason a writer like Doug Brode, and an illustrator like Rose Mary Moziak, would find the genre a wonderful way to practice, and combine, their crafts.

Brode has a long history of film critique writing, as well as penning biographical books, books on film genres, and fiction writing; and Moziak, having worked in marketing and advertising, understands how to create a storyboard – a series of drawings that tell the story of film or video piece. And she has a passion for color, style, and capturing the attention and imagination of her viewers.

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Back to Brode’s passion for stories of The Old West. His childhood fascination with westerns featuring “cute” cowboys like Roy Rogers grew into a deep and lifelong interest in the real stories of the people and places of the west as popularized by film and books, the stories told fictionally as Gunsmoke, Cheyennne, and his favorite, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. And so began his dedication to learning more about his heroes, but as they were in real life, as well as reel life.

As part of his study, he was always on the lookout for a western, new or old. And one day he happened on a film called Woman of the Town, in which real life woman, Dora Hand, is being stalked by a young cowboy named Kennedy, who wants her to break off her engagement to the mayor of their western town. One night, he goes out determined to shoot the mayor – but ends up shooting his beloved instead. Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp form part of the posse that goes out to hunt down Kennedy. But what intrigued Brode most about the movie was that rather than opening on a shot of cactus and cattle, the film begins in 1919 New York City. Cars pass by and honk as a pretty young girl reporter knocks on a door of an elderly gentleman, who invites her in. She, Louella Parsons, is there to ask about whether she should bet on the fighter, Jack Dempsey. Seeing Bat Masterson’s memorabilia – he is now a sportswriter – about the room, the young woman asks about his life, and the movie then becomes a flashback to Bat Masterson’s time in the west.

The whole movie is a fictionalized account of real characters, and the concept stayed with Brode. His reading and research quickly taught him that many of the stories we “know” about the people and events in the canon of the Old West are mash-ups of real stories and people. He became curious about why some stories got told and others were ignored, and still others conflated into a legend that never really happened “that way.”

And he realized that there were opportunities for great tales of fictionalized real characters and events that have never yet been explored, or that only happened in the imagination of the person describing them. The Bat Masterson/Louella Parsons possibility stuck with him.

Brode once read a book called Sand, and it, too, remained locked in his imagination.

It was about a young man trying to train a recalcitrant horse. In the process, the young man and the horse both grow in grit, strength and courage: Sand.

A vision for a project began to evolve in his mind. It was an Odd Couple sort of story in which a young, somewhat naïve but adventurous woman is introduced to new ideas by an older, experienced, and likewise adventurous man – and how they each bring out the “sand” in one another through their interaction.

Sound complicated? That’s the writer’s process. An idea catches, and sits in the back of the mind, gradually accumulating details and twists, until one day it’s fully ready and demands to be written.

Brode first did this story as a film script, and when the project didn’t proceed, the idea of a graphic novel was a natural.

In the meantime, artist Rose Mary Moziak had been honing her craft Doug Brode and Rose Mary Moziak all her life. She studied

PAGE 5 • May 2021

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fashion illustration in college, but that was just one outlet. Again, as an artist, she feels compelled to try out every medium, and every opportunity, to show and tell with art.

Her sister, a familiar name to Syracusans, is Christie Casciano. As a news anchor and columnist, Casciano has been telling stories throughout her career, as well, and when she felt a push to write some fiction, she created a children’s story called Puck Hog, now in print in two volumes. It was natural that she turn to her artist sister to illustrate.

Several years ago, all three, Casciano, Moziak, and Brode, were in the green room waiting for interviews on the local TV show, Bridge Street. Brode had a chance to look through Casciano’s book, and was introduced to Moziak’s style – one that he really liked.

So when the time came, she was his choice to illustrate SAND. An enormous amount of time and effort go into creating a graphic novel. In fact, it is somewhat like storyboarding a complex film, but rather than just angles for the shots that will comprise the movie, it includes the dialog, descriptive text, and has to tell the entire story in a series of frames, or panels. And it has to evoke a time and place that are clear and intriguing for the reader – graphic novels appeal at once to our interest in a good story, but also to our eyes. We want to linger on the picture, and let it carry us deeper into the story.

Brode, with his extensive knowledge of history, westerns, his characters, and film, had a natural sense for how to break his tale up into a series of frames, and what action would occur in each. And this was not his first outing. Doug and illustrator Joe Orsak had already teamed up on graphic novel projects like Yellow Rose of Texas, and Virgin Vampires.

Moziak was excited at the possibilities of learning how to channel her artwork – often complex and colorful – into the demands of punchy storytelling. To illustrate this story, Moziak has had to cover street scenes, period costumes, boxing rings, speakeasies, fireworks, gunfights and a variety of characters moving from joy to pain to anger to terror – and more.

The result of their collaboration is a delight. SAND, or Once Upon a Time in the Jazz Age teams a jazz baby gossip columnist, Louella Parsons, up with a tough but gentlemanly lawman of the wild west, Bat Masterson, as they delve into the world of prize-fighting, meet Jack Dempsey, investigate the Klan, exchange their spiritual philosophies, thwart criminals, and visit the speakeasies of the age – and manage to get tangled up in more than a little intrigue.

SAND is published by Sunbury Press, and is available on Amazon and in other outlets for $29.95.

Sunbury Press has made a special arrangement for Central New Yorkers, who can order directly from the publisher at a reduced price. For $10 off retail price, use coupon code SAND at: https://www.sunburypress.com/collections/ douglas-brode/products/sand-or-once-upon-atime-in-the-jazz-age?variant=39267560652893 And, if you want to purchase a second copy of the book to make the order total $35, then free shipping also kicks in!

“The result of their collaboration is a delight.”

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Inside... on the

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by Nancy Roberts Sand, Or Once Upon a Time in the Age of Jazz

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may 2021

VOLUME 43 No. 5

preventative medicine by Dr. Barry . . . . . . . . streaming now by Brian Miller. . . . . . . . . . . . computers by Nancy Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . brew time by Kristin Merrit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tales from the vine by PLR Articles. . . . . . . beauty & fashion by Statepoint. . . . . . . . . . . sounds of syracuse by Chuck Schiele. . . . golf by PLR Articles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . word on the street by Bill McClellan. . . . . . excercise & fitness by Jennifer Nastasi . . . now playing by Brian Miller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . my mind to yours by Debra Merryweather . .

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sports take

by Mike Lindsley Nothing Matters but March for Syracuse Hoops

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business of interest

by Nancy Roberts Bridgeland Auto/Candy Cars

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Sports Take

by Mike Lindsley

Nothing Matters Besides March For Syracuse Hoops It always cracks me up during the regular season when I hear many inside the Syracuse hoops fan base complain about the team. From the game passing Jim Boeheim by to the same stale offense to the 2-3 Zone not working, to horrendous recruiting, to not being able to compete in the ACC, the list is long.

And yet, it just doesn’t matter.

Why? Because Syracuse figures out a way to get into the tournament, blood pressure be damned for the Orange faithful.

Selection Sunday is a day that drags with stress not knowing if Syracuse is in or out based on that “mediocre” season. But they get in. They almost always get in. And then?

No one wants to play them. And they win!

2013-2014 was the first year in the ACC. That Orange outfit started 25-0 but stumbled in the tournament, losing up the thruway in Buffalo to Dayton. So, let’s take it from there (Six Sweet 16s, two Elite 8s, one Final Four and a title happened from 2000 to this point!). Syracuse, by the way, isn’t remembered

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for going 25-0 that year as much as it is for losing to a mid-major from the Atlantic 10 with home court advantage in Western New York.

Syracuse was horrendous in 2014-15, going 18-13, losing to St. John’s at home and went 9-9 in ACC play. There was no postseason, it was just an awful year across the board.

Then, in 2015-16, Syracuse was up and down all year, losing again at home to St. John’s, losing twice to unranked Pittsburgh and once to unranked Clemson, lost the last three and five out of six and finished .500 in conference play. But, they also beat UConn and Texas A&M in the Battle 4 Atlantis and beat Duke.

SU was flat on the bubble, with highs and lows, but got in as a 10-seed and then magic happened.

The Orange beat Dayton, Middle Tennessee State (upset #2 Michigan State

“All that complaining is energy you could spend elsewhere, because it simply doesn’t matter if recruiting is down because of the sanctions or Mike Hopkins not around anymore.”

in the first round), Gonzaga and Virginia in comeback fashion. No one remembered then or remembers now those bad regular season losses. We remember Malachi Richardson with circles around his eyes in One Shining Moment, Tyler Lydon’s tourney blocks in the clutch, Trevor Cooney’s postseason hustle and Michael Gbinije’s March poise. We remember March and the 2-3 Zone. Syracuse went to the Final Four. That’s what we remember.

2017-18? Lost five of eight to end the year and were brutal offensively during several stretches of the season.

No problem. Bubble team. Selection Sunday approaches.

In the Big Dance as a Last Four. Beat Arizona State, TCU and Michigan State. Sweet 16 yet again (fell to Duke in the Regional Semifinal). No one remembered then and no one remembers now the three losses when you scored in the 40’s or the bad turnovers or the zone getting lit up from 3-point land. We remembered and still remember the comeback against Arizona State thanks to Oshae Brissett’s double-double and Pascal Chukwu’s clutch free throws at the end. After that it was stifling defense and big shots against TCU and Michigan State. It’s how you finish, not how you start. March matters. December, frankly, doesn’t.

2019-2020 was shut down from the Corona Virus. Syracuse didn’t look the tournament part for a majority of the season, but it was playing well going into the home stretch when things shut down. The Orange won four of six to close but never truly got a chance to finish as the Louisville game was cancelled and then everything else. Elijah Hughes was amazing all season. Fans chirped mediocrity and complained

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about everything else as usual, but no postseason made the regular season irrelevant in a different way.

And this past campaign? No fans. Constant testing. Constant cancellations. Constant unknowns. But the team battled and was up and down and no one really knew who it was. No big out-of-conference wins (COVID didn’t help the schedule) and losses in three of the first four ACC games which followed a postponed tilt with Notre Dame and a cancelled game with Wake Forest. SU figured it out down the stretch though, winning six of nine, including two big ones against North Carolina and Clemson. 16-9 overall. 9-7 in the ACC. Good enough.

Into the Big Dance the Orange went and they flourished. Buddy Boeheim’s 30-point game and suffocating 2-3 Zone defense against San Diego State and more of the same against West Virginia, although Buddy slacked with 25. Sweet 16. Again. One Shining Moment. Again.

You see how this works? You Syracuse fans are spoiled, flatout spoiled. Every year, just about, you’re in the tournament and make runs in March.

You might have to stress a bunch leading up to and during Selection Sunday, but it’s all worth it when you see the ‘Cuse in the big bracket. And from there, so it goes. Win today, move on, lose today, go home. No one wants to play Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.

Most don’t see a 2-3 Zone during the regular season. They prepare for it, and then can’t beat it. Jim Boeheim is a wizard in March. The offense comes together and someone,

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somehow, turns into a tournament hero time and time and time again. Richardson, Boeheim, Lydon, Brissett, Tyus Battle, whoever.

All that complaining is energy you could spend elsewhere, because it simply doesn’t matter if recruiting is down because of the sanctions or Mike Hopkins not around anymore.

Go complain about something else besides Jim Boeheim’s stale offense during the regular season, because at the snap of a finger guys come through in March. Don’t bother yelling about .500 records in ACC play and the same old defense. Because that same old defense becomes an X-factor in March, something no one wants.

And don’t complain about Jim Boeheim being too old or the game passing him by in December and January.

He knows March. He figures out March. His plays out of timeouts and his 2-3 masterpiece work.

Complain about something else during the regular season, maybe the snowfall?

But remember, like the Syracuse Orange’s regular season, the snow eventually melts, too.

Mike Lindsley is the host of the ML Sports Platter Podcast, available on Google Play, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. He has been in sports media for 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @MikeLSports.

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Business of Interest

by Nancy Roberts

Bridgeland Auto Brokers/ Candy Cars This May, Rob Seniecle will go into competition with himself. Give me a moment, and I’ll explain.

Entering the showroom at Bridgeland Auto Brokers, I was struck by one main thing: it sparkled. I mean, quite literally, gleamed. I’m not sure why that was a surprise, but later, speaking with owner Rob Seniecle, he stressed that one of the many things he focuses on – and it’s right in the company’s tagline, “Clean Cars Cheap,” – is that his cars, and the facilities they sell them out of, be immaculate.

Rob has been involved in the Automotive industry for over 25 years, his end game as an employee for A Franchise Chevrolet dealership was delivering between 60 and 70 vehicles

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per month with his own staff, when 15-20 was a more typical average. He was selling unheard of numbers, and together with his step-father, who had a repair shop and had a dealer’s License, began to purchase the trade-ins at the dealership where he worked, serviced and cleaned them, and put them on main roads in front of local businesses for sale. This led to a small office with a single employee and it started to take flight. He continued to work for the Chevrolet dealership for 6 additional years while he grew his business.

“You’ve seen the guys in the goofy suits?” he asked.

Eventually, working to the capacity that it took to sell so many cars for the Chevrolet dealership while managing what became two locations with twentysix employees simultaneously, became too much. The path of moving on and continuing to grow his own brand became the obvious choice. And, giving credit to his former employer for having been a great role model, he found his talent went far beyond sales. He had a passion for blending creative marketing with his trade, and taking the edge off of what can be an uncomfortable experience for a lot of people by making it fun, and very interactive.

Among the many skills he needed was learning how to buy cars at auction. Another innovative step was advertising them.

“You’ve seen the guys in the goofy suits?” he asked. “We started doing regular thirty-second spots, but then for the last several years we’ve been doing half hour infomercials. They’re fun, but they’re also informative. We do test rides with cars on the lot, introduce people to some of the staff, and have a good time.” A star player in these short episodes, Rob can have fun with the trademarked, offbeat, colorful suits and settings, but at the

Owner, Rob Seniecle

same time really offer insights into depreciation and trade cycling, or his “No Bull Warranty.”

Listening to Rob describe the way warranties work, it’s clear that when he says he has built his business with care, it’s “no bull.” His Extended Service plans are just one of the details about which he’s justifiably proud. “Our vendors complement us on our performance,” he said. Then he took what many business owners would consider a risk and contacted a vendor on the phone – real time, during our visit.

“Top performers,” attested the vendor. “Without a doubt, constantly doing what’s best for the customers. Very proactive, they offer the right price, the right vehicle.”

Rob’s newest venture – that competition we mentioned – is just a few miles away,

PAGE 9 • May 2021

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on South Bay Road. “The name is Candy Cars,” he said. “It refers to eye candy.” The new store is undergoing a complete renovation. “We’re aiming for a first week in May opening, though the remodeling will continue with a complete exterior renovation next year. If Bridgeland is the place with the goofy suits,” he went on, “Candy Cars is going to be the place where they give away all of the free cars!” The marketing idea is that every two to three months, there will be a contest – put together a puzzle race, guess the number of marbles in the home a brand new (pre-owned) car. Each contest will be related to the auto business, and promises to be something you’ll want to follow.

“Candy Cars is going to be the place where they give away all of the free cars!”

At twenty-thousand square feet, the new location is about twice the size of Bridgeland, and backs up on Route 81 for high visibility. “I want to really make the place beautiful, a landmark. Something people will just want to drive by to see. It will be a different location, a different energy, but with the same underlying values, the same ‘pop’ that makes Bridgeland stand out.” And he has plans to continue

the fun and unique marketing strategy, but differing from the Bridgeland brand with videos, “These will be more like music videos, featuring all of the Candy Cars.”

The goal is to make both locations a “must-shop” location when a buyer is in the market for a pre-owned vehicle.

Rob credits his employees with much of the business’s success, and focuses on regular training, and has an appreciation for each one as an individual. “This work is a lifestyle,” he explained. “We work late hours, weekends. We have to enjoy what we do.”

Another value that Rob stresses is being a debt-free company. Still, he dreams big, and is willing to spend what’s needed to attract quality employees, advertise aggressively,

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New Candy Cars building and most of all, buy the right inventory. He has some core business principles that have helped his business thrive. “Happy, well-trained employees, remaining debt free, and owning a good portion of our inventory will help us to weather the inevitable storms as they come.”

With the COVID virus, came what some might have considered a surprise shortage in pre-owned vehicles – but which Rob and his company anticipated. “It’s trickle down,” he explained. Lockdowns closed factories that manufacture the new vehicles, which drove the preowned market haywire, which created the shortage. Fast forward to the new year, and now we are dealing with the same thing because of a microchip shortage needed to complete the vehicles that are once again being produced, caused by a surge in sales of items like Xboxes that share the same Microchips needed for the vehicle. “Absolutely crazy, we had to think ahead, and we doubled down on our inventory which allowed us to stay ahead of the curve,” said Rob. “The pre-owned vehicle market is like the stock market – buy and sell at the right time. We had to be able to anticipate what might happen. It’s a numbers game.”

Buying, he added, is an online game now. “We are a fully digitized company. We know how to maneuver online. We understand and plug in to social media. We constantly strive for efficiency, and are always working to improve the consumer experience.”

Rob’s business success, he said, “I attribute to my passion and my people. When you truly love what you do and do it right…. Nothing can stop you.”

Eye candy at Candy Cars

•

Candy Cars

5400 South Bay Road Syracuse, NY 13212 http://www.candycars.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CandyCarsInc

Bridgeland Auto Brokers

585 St. Rt. 31 Bridgeport, NY 13030 https://www.cleancarscheap.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BridgelandAutoBrokers

PAGE 10 • May 2021

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Streaming Flicks by MILLER byBRIAN debra Merryweather

Oscar Observations This may be hard for you to believe, but I’m a pretty big Academy Awards nerd. I’m the guy who has been trying to talk people into joining Oscar pools ever since I was a teenager. On top of that, every year, I attempt to see every single nominated film. I tell myself that I do this for my job, but in all actuality, I’d probably still do it even if I didn’t cover movies in any capacity. At the end of the day, I love the cinema, and I’m elated to see the best that the medium has to offer. Part of the joy of the award season is discovering a slew of productions I might not normally have seen or heard of.

Even in years where some viewers and pundits have been unhappy with the production or the winners, I have always found the Oscars ceremony engaging.

Admittedly, there was a big concern with inclusivity, one that has been rightfully addressed, though it still has a ways to go. But, if you take a look at this list of the most recent winners, you will certainly see that adjustments have been made, and the cinematic world is much better off because of them.

I have to say, though, that this year’s broadcast left me shockingly underwhelmed. This has more to do with the production itself than the list winners, though there certainly were a few surprises along the way, particularly in regard to the final award of the night.

The night started with the incomparable Regina King (who was nominated for Best Director for her debut film ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI) power walking her way into the ceremony. Once she took the stage, she gave an impassioned speech that boldly ignored any true attempt at comedy, and though lighthearted and celebratory at times, also addressed what we, as a nation, have been facing since the pandemic first hit. After this rousing opening, she began Bed & Breakfast presenting the first award of the night, which was Best Original Screenplay.

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I thought it was odd, in that moment, that King Delicious Breakfasts read anecdotes about each Whirlpool Tubs nominee, who were filmed Fireplaces at their table, nervously chuckling along to what was being said. I found it strange that there were no snippets of footage shown, Intimate Weddings and was befuddled when Bridal & Baby Showers this odd trend continued Family Gatherings as the night rolled along.

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the nominees awkwardly smiling and clapping, but didn’t give the viewers at home an opportunity to get a look at the films they were unfamiliar with. Not everyone is sitting around with a complex spreadsheet like I am, gleefully making their way through each category. The Oscars are not only a celebration of the best films of the year, but also an opportunity for the industry to peddle their product to the public. For categories such as Best Costume and Hairstyling and Makeup, how can you fail to show audiences WHY these individuals received nominations? While I certainly want the nominees to enjoy their moment, it would be far more advantageous to provide visual Regina King evidence as to why the nominees found themselves on the ballot.

I thought that the biggest disservice in this regard were the nominated short films. These three categories (Live Action, Documentary, and Animated) are some of my favorites of the entire night. Each year, these productions are largely anonymous to the masses, yet the brief clips typically shown on Oscar night provide a glimpse into this oft-ignored genre.

“One of the biggest surprises of the night, was Glenn Close delightfully and hilariously doing “Da Butt.”

Even if these snippets are just a few fleeting seconds, they can often be enough to spark interest and make potential viewers seek out the productions in the days following the show.

With the emergence of streaming services, these films are far more accessible than they have ever been before (many of this year’s nominees can be found on YouTube and Netflix) so I simply don’t understand why the Oscar audience wasn’t provided with even a perfunctory glimpse at any of the nominees. If this decision was made on the basis of time, we probably could have avoided the music game played by Questlove and Lil’ Rel Howery, even if that did provide one of the biggest surprises of the night, which was Glenn Close delightfully and hilariously doing “Da Butt” for all to see.

As far as the winners were concerned, there weren’t a ton of upsets, but there were a couple of shocking moments at the end of the night. In breaking with tradition, it wasn’t the Best Picture award that closed out the show. What is generally considered the biggest Viola Davis and Carey Mulligan award of the night went to

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Frances McDormand, best actress NOMADLAND (which also provided Chloe Zhao with a much-deserved Best Director win) but once that was announced, there were still two more awards to go. These were for Best Actor and Best Actress. Prior to the ceremony, I thought that the leads from MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, were destined for Oscar glory. I was floored, therefore, when Frances McDormand took home Best Actress for NOMADLAND. Her performance was remarkable, there is no denying that. Heading into the show, however, the award appeared to be a toss-up between Davis and Carey Mulligan, whose harrowing and savage turn in PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN was an absolute tour de force. To see McDormand take it home was unexpected, but would not stand as the most shocking moment of the night. This dubious honor was saved for last.

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As Joaquin Phoenix took the stage to bestow a statuette upon the winner for Best Actor, it almost felt like a foregone conclusion that Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away prior to the release of MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, would emerge victorious. His transcendent performance served as an encapsulation of his tragically short career, serving as a Anthony Hopkins, best actor powerful reminder of the supreme talent that was taken too soon. My jaw, as well as countless others I’m sure, dropped when Phoenix announced the winner as Anthony Hopkins for THE FATHER. Make no mistake, Hopkin’s performance was riveting. In any other year, I would have assumed he would be the prohibitive favorite. His visceral turn as a man reeling from devastating dementia was incredible. Watching the film, I was utterly convinced that the legendary actor had been afflicted with this horrible disease. Despite this fact, Boseman’s turn just seemed impossible to beat. He was a magnetic, intense, hypnotic force, one that commanded every scene he was in. Whether he was still with us or not, I was convinced from the very moment I saw the film that there wouldn’t be another performance that could top his turn as trumpeter Levee Green. I still feel that way, perhaps more so now than ever, and as the credits on the Academy Awards began to role without a final acceptance speech (Hopkins was not in attendance, nor did he appear virtually) the curtain was lowered on a bizarre broadcast that will likely be remembered for all of the wrong reasons.

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Computers & the Web

by Nancy Roberts

My Semi-Regular Scam Alert Over the years, this column has featured a lot of scam information. I suppose one of the reasons is they make me so angry, but another is that more than once I’ve found myself tempted by them, only to realize (thankfully in time) that the ploy seemed off somehow, and I chose to check into it before acting.

As we’ve all been warned for at least a decade now, we shouldn’t pass on stories or offers to others until we “fact-check” them. While I dislike the term for a variety of reasons, I do honor the act of checking a story or deal before I share it on social media or among friends. More than once I’ve gladly trashed an item shared with me on social media, or sent to me via email, that I discovered was flawed.

Remember the Nigerian princes? I’m not sure what they’re doing now, but that game was so silly it was hard to believe people lost money – and they did – to the scam in which you were contacted by an official sounding email, letting you know that a wealthy person from some African nation had to get his money out of the country as it would be impounded by the government – so he was asking for your help. All you had to do was send him the routing number to your bank, he would move his money to your account, and then you simply had to write him a check for the amount minus

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“The computer scams continue, though it’s safe to say that most of us are a little more aware now.”

your very large share.

Of course.

Then I was plagued, as I’m sure many of you have been, by the IRS calls.

Repeatedly, my phone would ring and I would be told that a warrant was out for my arrest due to not paying my taxes, and that I should return the call to (insert name, usually something like Steve or Todd) immediately to take care of this problem before I was arrested. After ten or twelve of these, a friend and I decided to return one of the calls. I called, and

asked for Steve, to find out what was happening with my taxes. I assumed a very upset voice. After Steve told me that there were problems with my taxes, I began to scream and cry. My friend took the phone and said, “Where are you? I’ll come there right now with the money.” I continued screaming dramatically in the background. My friend play-acted the role of very angry male, insisting that he be given the address, because he didn’t want me upset any further.

After about 10 minutes of this, poor Steve could take it no longer and began to laugh, after which we all hung up and Steve, at least, bothered me no more.

But I couldn’t help but put myself in the position of, say, my mom. She, in fact, did get trapped by a scammer. In this case, her computer started acting up, and she was warned to call a number to restore it – the alert was flashing on her screen that she needed to call the computer manufacturer. She did, and was roped into a monthly payment to maintain her computer security, and fix her problem. But I shouldn’t be smug – I was similarly tricked once and nearly tricked another time. The first time was actually a serious issue. A clever virus was inserted into my computer that leached all the color from the screen. Since I edited video as part of my professional work, this wasn’t good. Nothing I did fixed it, so when the “manufacturer” (when I pressed “help”) was contacted, he could fix it for a mere $200 a month contract. Desperate, I signed up. Oddly, they did fix the problem, and it never recurred – and eventually I was able to disconnect from the scammers. Another time, very clever, after installing a new printer,

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I was automatically directed to assistance for finalizing the installation, and at that point was asked to sign up for a maintenance program and I’d soon be on my way. A few rounds of virus and malware removal finally settled that problem.

The computer scams continue, though it’s safe to say that most of us are a little more aware now, and usually run some protection software to keep intruders off our computers. I did have one show up recently warning me that malware had been detected on my computer, and that I needed to call Microsoft immediately. Fortunately, I didn’t, and ran my malware (Malwarebytes) protection program instead.

I’m half laughing right now, as on my cell phone as I write this, is this text message, from a 716 area code: Dear H.S.B.C. Customer, Please review the unresolved issues on your account: (followed by a Bitly type link; that is to say, a short version of a full, identifiable URL). Well, that was easy as I’m not an H.S.B.C. customer. But we all get many of these, and robo-calls each day. I have one in particular from Alexandria Bay who is determined I’m going to pick up my phone sooner or later. Doubtful. If it’s real, there will be a message.

What’s more amusing is that occasionally there is a message: usually someone coughing or a chair squeaking before the caller hangs up.

Another recent ploy is about “a problem with delivery on an item you recently ordered.” That’s a tricky one, because most of us, between our lifestyles and the pandemic, are likely doing a lot of ordering online, and at any moment there may very well be an outstanding order. Still resisting temptation is always the best policy. If it’s real – and typically, it’s not, you may be sent an email if there truly is a problem with a delivery – a message will be left, and if the caller sounds like a Nigerian Prince, you can safely ignore it.

Another game that’s hard to ignore is when you get a message from a business you actually do have an account with: Netflix, for example, with the notice that your account is on hold and to “click here” to resolve the issue. That is tempting – we can’t be without Netflix, right? But control your thumbs – and go to your account using the conventional means and see if there is anything amiss. If there is, it can be resolved proactively. If not – and likely that’s the case – you can safely trash the text without danger.

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So, as usual, the advice remains consistent, though the tactics and methods may become more sophisticated: • watch for language that sounds “off”’ • don’t provide any critical information when you have responded to a message, text, or email (so, no social security number, no bank information, no credit card data, not even a birth date) • run security software, including network protection if you’re really being bothered on your home network • back up your data frequently • change critical passwords often • use multi-factor authentication where possible (get a one time passcode for entry into something like your bank, or credit card account, to be sent to your phone or an email account) • if in doubt, say nothing and proactively contact the account to see if there is anything to be done And where possible, though it takes your time and energy, report scams. This can help someone else down the road.

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Brew Time

by Kristin Merritt

Creative Cocktails Let’s talk cocktails.

Beer cocktails.

The two may not seem to go together but truly this is not the case! There’s also a long history of beer being combined with spirits, going as far back as the late 1600s that originated in colonial America and continued to be popular into the 1800s. This drink known as “Flip,” was a concoction of beer, sugar, rum, and eggs. First the beer was heated fireside until almost boiling and poured into a jug where it was combined with the rest of the aforementioned ingredients. Then, yet another jug was used to transfer the mixture back and forth, “flipping” the liquid between the two jugs until smooth; hence where the name “Flip” comes from. Lastly, the drink was poured into a tankard mug, and a hot iron poker was taken out of the fire and plunged into the mug causing the liquid to froth and giving the drink an overall slightly bitter, burned flavor.

While this recipe may not seem all that appealing by today’s standards, there are plenty of beer-based cocktails that are tasty, easy to find on a menu or request from your bartender during your next brunch or night out, but also still simple enough to create in the comfort of your own kitchen.

The Michelada is Mexican in origin and is created with a Mexican lager beer, lime juice, sauces, spices, tomato juice, chile peppers and garnished with The Michelada a lime. Like it’s sister, the Margarita, it is usually served in a chilled glass, with

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Hot iron poker being plunged in the Flip its rim dipped in salt. Easy to make at home, a classic version combines Clamato juice (found in your local grocery store), lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce and a dash of chili pepper over ice, and topped off with a Mexican lager, such as Modelo, Corona, Dos Equis or Rare Form’s (Troy, NY) Confetti, a Mexican-style lager, then gently stirred and served immediately. The best part is, that you can play around with the ingredients in order to make it just to your own liking.

A Beermosa is created with beer instead of champagne (Mimosa), mixed with orange juice. A lighter beer or one that has citrus notes fits best with creating a Beermosa, for example a classic Blue Moon or BrewDog’s (Ellon, Aberdeenshire Scotland) Elvis Juice, an American IPA, or Peak Organic Brewing Company’s (Portland, ME) Sweet Tarts Grapefruit & Hibiscus Sour Ale. With this cocktail, you’ll want a 2/3 beer to 1/3 OJ ratio. No need for ice in this drink, just make sure that your beer and juice are both cold before mixing and enjoy right away!

Next up is the Brewed Mary, which is essentially a Bloody Mary, but made with beer instead of liquor. Hopped beers are exceptionally great to add into this drink so that the flavor of the beer isn’t totally lost in the mix, and some recipes even add Guinness! A few excellent IPA options include Stone Brewing’s (Escondido, CA) Stone IPA, Middle Ages Brewing’s (Syracuse, NY) Salt City IPA, or Prison City’s (Auburn, NY) DDH Mass Riot. (Bonus Tip: Prison City serves both Brewed Marys and Beermosas during their AMAZING Sunday Brunch from 11-2!)

Just like the Michelada, you’ll want to pour the tomato mixture into the glass first then top with the beer and stir gently.

Garnish with all the things you normally do with the traditional version; celery, bacon slices, pickle spears, skewers of olives, cheese, pepperoncini, shrimp and more! Get creative!

Lastly, a Shandy makes for a great warm weather cocktail due to its refreshing The Beermosa nature. Sure, you

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Wild Blueberry, a seasonal wheat beer brewed with wild blueberries, combined with lemonade to get the traditional shandy to a whole new level!

Sometimes, it’s easy to get stuck drinking the same old thing day in and day out. Maybe we want to branch out a bit, but don’t really know where to start.

Or perhaps, you’re really into trying new things whenever you can or you’re a home-bartender wanting to create something special. Hopefully, no matter what the situation, this article inspires you to try a few new cocktails!

Cheers!

The Brewed Mary can find Shandy beers already bottled and canned, probably Leinenkugel Brewing Company’s (Chippewa Falls, WI) Summer Shandy being one of the most popular and widely available. However, a Shandy can be created right in your own home. To note, a Shandy is actually a traditional British cocktail that uses a 50/50 ratio of a light beer to a carbonated lemon soda. Usually, you’ll see it made with lemonade here in the United States and ratio of beer to lemonade may vary according to personal preference. The best beers to use are either light lagers, wheat beers, or pilsners. Great Lakes Brewing Company’s (Cleveland, OH) Grandes Lagos, a Mexican-style lager brewed with hibiscus or the famed Belgian Pilsner, Stella Artois, are perfect choices for experimenting with creating your own Shandy. You may even want to get really creative and try Sea Dog Brewing Company’s (Portland, ME) Blue Paw

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Tales from the Vine

by PLR Articlesby Cassandra Harrington

Red Grapes Are Not Just For Jelly Sometimes it is hard to believe that one small piece of fruit can vary so much. Even though there are dozens upon dozens of varieties of red grapes, the following is a short list of what I feel are the major red varieties.

Pinot Noir

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Pinot Noir originates in Burgundy but can also call places such as Tasmania and New Zealand home and is often considered to be the lightest of all the red grape varieties.

Flavors and aromas again can vary but

usually are reminiscent of raspberry and strawberry while having spicy and earthy aromas. Because of the variety of flavors and aromas that can be produced from Pinot Noir, it is important to ask a retailer when first getting involved in this variety because as easy it is to have a stunning bottle it is just as easy to have a bottle that would give you nightmares. It is also important to keep in mind that although Pinot Noir is a low yielding variety it is not always necessary to spend a lot of money to get a nice bottle of wine, you just need to know what to look for (which is where asking comes into play if you are unsure of a particular region or vineyard).

Shiraz/Syrah

Just as Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are essentially the same, Shiraz and Syrah are essentially the same with the differences lying only in their styles and origins. Syrah Pinot Noir grape has much more spice and can be a leaner and elegant Old World style grape, while its brother, Shiraz is a fruitier and more oaky New World star. Syrah has characteristics that range from plum to red currants with a lot of spice while Shiraz is a rich and intense wine that will remind you of raspberry, cedar and earth. Both are quite intense in their own right and sometimes need an acquired taste for these strong, powerfully fruity and spicy wines to be fully appreciated.

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Cabernet Sauvignon is a native to France’s Bordeaux region and aside from being one of the best established in grape growing regions around the world, it is also considered by many (including myself) the ruler of red wines. This is also in part due to their thick

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Syrah grape

skins and high acidity having created some of the best and oldest red wines around. Having an amazing universal appeal, Cabernet Sauvignon has a variety of flavors and aromas. These aromas can vary from leather and mint to fruity such as cherry and plum and contribute to the “full body” feeling that this wine is known for.

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will shed some light on the many varieties of red grapes that are used to produce wine as even a basic knowledge of grapes will greatly enhance your ability to understand and appreciate a bottle of wine.

Merlot

A well known wine, Merlot often runs neck in neck with that of Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is grown all over the world including countries such as Australia and America with it’s origins in France. With flavors that can be on the fence between lightweight and medium bodied, Merlot’s flavors tend to be full of plum fruit with little tannin. One of the more drinkable varieties, Merlot is a quick favorite with people who are just starting to acquire a taste for red wine.

“It’s hard to believe that one piece of fruit can vary so much.”

Zinfandel grape

Zinfandel

Perhaps not as big in many parts of the world, it can definitely be said that Zinfandel (also known as Zin) has found it’s calling in the United States where in the Napa Valley it has had huge success in creating some amazing wines. Zinfandels are known to create wines varying from light bodied to full on power houses to sweet dessert wines and ports. A fact that many people are starting to become aware of is that Zinfandel and Primitivo from Italy are not different varieties but in fact are twins.

While there are many more varieties of red grapes that were not touched upon such as Tempranillo, Grenache and Pinot Meunier, the above list hopefully

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Beauty & Fashion by statepoint

Make a Statement:

3 Comfortable Yet Stylish Shoe Trends to Try in 2021 While comfort will continue to reign supreme for clothing and accessories in 2021, when it comes to footwear, there are a variety of fun fashion trends that make a statement.

The good news is that there’s no need to overhaul your entire closet. And it’s easier than ever to incorporate on-trend pieces into a comfortable and casual outfit.

According to Alyson Stanley, buyer for national retailer Rack Room Shoes, simple clothing choices paired with shoes featuring leopard print detailing, pops of pastel, or silver accents make

getting dressed easy and fun. Whether walking around the neighborhood, enjoying a sociallydistanced event, or leading a Zoom meeting, here are some tips on how to stay cozy and ontrend this year.

Animal Prints

In the past, mixing patterns was taboo, but according to Stanley, it’s now encouraged.

Sneakers, clogs, and casual shoes with animal print accents serve as a neutral accessory that can be mixed and paired with any item in the closet. Nike’s Court Vision Low Sneaker puts a fun twist on cheetah print accents, while the Adidas’ Puremotion Adapt is a stylish slip-on sneaker with a crisscross leopard print pattern.

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“Though many of us are still spending the majority of the day working, exercising and taking classes online from home, clothing and accessories still afford us the opportunity to express our unique style.” says Stanley. “The patterns and color trends for shoes in 2021 can bring joy to everyday outfits for the entire family.”

“It’s easier than ever to incorporate on-trend pieces into a comfortable and casual outfit.”

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Athletic shoes featuring a hint of shine or iridescent details provide a versatile option for those getting their steps in or committing to fitness goals. Because metallics such as rose gold, silver, and gold can mesh with a broad range of color palettes, and design styles, they are “the new neutral.” For those on-the-go, athletic shoes such as the Nike Swift 2 and the Nike Court Vision are selections that offer a touch of silver, gold or platinum detailing.

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This season’s footwear features a palette of cotton candy-inspired shades (think lavender, mint green and bubble gum pink.) The possibilities to incorporate these colors into this season’s outfits are limitless. While you may know Crocs’ classic clogs are surprisingly comfortable and functional, you may not be aware that they now come in many pastel-colored options such as mint, lilac, and a pattern featuring baby blue shade swirled with cloud forms.

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Sounds Of Syracuse

by Chuck Schiele

Seth Horan: The Uncommon Ways of a Bass Master There are novices.... There are recreationalists.... There are students and teachers....

There are experts.... enthusiasts... Fundamentalists....

And then there musicians-from-outer space-good.

Originally from Buffalo – now living in Syracuse for about a decade – I actually met Seth Horan in San Marcos, CA at a house concert that I was playing with my group. The violin player in our group had recommended her touring musician friend for opening the show, since he was passing through town.

I remember thinking that this would be interesting. He’s going to appear as a singersongwriter accompanying himself with bass. Don’t see much of that these days. They said he was great, so I was looking forward to seeing what Seth was all about. He was outer-space-super great. Seth’s approach to bass is not exactly the standard melodic approach. Seth plays the whole band on his bass.... rhythm, melody, countermelody, implied percussions..... oh, and bass lines. It’s a lot of fun to witness as Horan makes for an impressive triple-threat with the inclusion of his writing and composition proficiency and that fact that he’s a helluva singer. While we’re at it, throw in the fact that he’s comfortable at the elevated level of musical prowess that invites taking chances.... we can classify him as “dangerous.”

He’s had a robust career, spending time with labels such as MCA and RCA in his earlier days with a number of groups. It didn’t take him long to move away from the group idea in pursuit of his unique vision. By going solo, accompanying himself on bass as a songwriter-vocalist, he took confidence in the comfort of staying true to his clear inspiration.

With a solid stature in the college market Seth toured heavily Bass master, Seth Horan throughout the east coast in the late 90s only to find himself in Los Angeles by 2001 where he also became an active member in the Los Angeles chapter of the Just Plain Folks Music Organization.

He’s received numerous Fellowship awards for his work in Los Angeles and in Nevada.

On the strength of his performances, Horan was contracted to be Warwick’s first-ever bass clinician and product demonstrator. After two weeks of intensive training in June 2006 at the Warwick factory in Markneukirchen, Germany learning the details of what makes Warwick’s instruments special, he began performing and leading bass clinics both within the US and internationally – traveling to Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, mainland China, and Australia. Most recently, Horan represented Warwick at the January 2008 NAMM show and March 2008 Musikmesse – all this while maintaining a significant tour schedule in the US. Horan by now has also amassed a healthy league of students having seen the future of skype technology potential. He started taking lessons online with the advent of videoconferencing technology.

His story is big. Let’s talk to him.

Chuck Schiele: Hi Seth! We meet again, Brother. Thanks for taking some time to chat with us here at Sound of Syracuse.

Seth Horan: Great to see you, Chuck! Thank you. I’m happy to be part of this.

CS: Please tell us how you came to be a bass player in the first place.

SH: By 6th grade, I had spent time taking piano lessons and trombone lessons. I wasn’t very good at either instrument, and it was because I never wanted to practice. I loved music; I loved performing in school – I just couldn’t bring myself to put in the work on my own. My dad had an idea: Why don’t you play an instrument that’s too big to carry around? That way they can’t make you take one home, and you won’t have to practice?

I was sold. I narrowed potential instruments down to the double bass and the xylophone… and then one day I saw a girl walking home from school carrying an odd-shaped suitcase. I asked her what was in it and she showed me: A glockenspiel; a tiny xylophone. Horror. So, the double bass was my last hope of staying lazy. I went to my middle school orchestra director and told him I wanted

“The whole plan completely backfired, but it was the greatest mistake I ever made, because it was the “right” instrument.” to play the bass. Turns out, double bass was his primary instrument, and he was so excited by this random student asking to play it that he put one in his pickup truck and drove to my house with it that same day. The whole plan completely backfired, but it was the greatest mistake I ever made, because it was the “right” instrument.

Instead of blowing off practicing to do other things, practicing became the thing I would do to blow other things off. Total life-changer. Then, by eighth grade, I had the opportunity to form a band. This seemed like a good way to get the attention of girls, so adding the bass guitar became a fast necessity. The girl-thing didn’t work out at the time, but the bass-thing sure did.

CS: How did you get to this uniquely expressive place as a bass player/songwriter?

SH: I’ve spent many years performing as a solo act – just accompanying my voice with my bass guitar, and adding a loop pedal for certain songs. That wasn’t the original plan, though, for sure. I’ve always tried to express myself on the bass in uncommon ways, but until my mid-twenties, that was only in the context of a band. Creative conflicts happened in every group I was involved with, because some of my former bandmates either couldn’t or wouldn’t play the music I was writing. In order to get my own music out, I had to start performing alone, and at the outset, I really did consider trying to play the songs on the guitar...but it just took away so much of what made the songs special to me, so I stayed where I was comfortable. I’ve dealt with a lot of bias and a lot of funny looks over the years, but it’s been worth it.

CS: Please tell us a bit about your career and some of the highlights along the way.

SH: I was a ‘band bass player’ all through the 90s. Two of the groups I played with went on to get major label record deals (One had a great name, but never had a hit, so no-one’s heard of them. The other had a huge hit, but had a horrible name, so no-one remembers them). Once I went solo, I started getting bits of recognition on the internet; some awards from songwriting groups and indie music sites. I had a record deal with a short-lived independent label, which opened a few doors for me at the turn of the century, but they signed too many artists at once, and went belly-up just a few months after they released my album. Then in 2006 I played at the NAMM Show in southern California, and the head of Warwick Basses was in the audience. I worked with them for the next two years, performing at Warwick clinics around the world. The financial crash in ’08 put an end to that, and I began focusing more and more on my teaching practice.

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CS: You’ve been teaching a long time, now, too...

SH: I have. I’ve been giving informal lessons for as long as I’ve been playing, but I took my first actual teaching jobs at a couple music stores around Buffalo, NY in 1999-2000, right before I got on the road with my solo career. I also gave lessons during my touring years; people could schedule time with me on my off-days and I’d come to their homes and talk bass for a few hours. (One of those students was Jessie Wilson, who went on to start ish Guitars). When I worked with Warwick, I also had a private practice out west, right up until I came to Syracuse in 2011.

The first thing I did when I came here was teach at the Redhouse Rockcamp, and the next was to offer lessons over the internet using Skype. I knew it wouldn’t be a big idea just then, but I figured it would gain popularity over time, and it did. Over the past decade, I’ve been teaching students all over America, and I’ve had students in Canada, England, Germany, Finland, Spain, Australia, and even Abu Dhabi as well. A year ago I migrated over to Zoom, and of course there’s been a paradigm shift with online learning – now even my local students are online until the public health concerns are under control.

CS: Amazing. As a teacher, where is your focus?

SH: The simple answer is, “I focus on the student.” That might seem obvious, but I’ve been kind of shocked to find that many teachers teach individual students no differently than they would teach a classroom – they focus on the material, with the idea that “I’ll cover Unit A today, Unit B next week, Unit C the next, and then give a test in week four” – with no regard for how well the student is getting along. I think that’s insane. I’m not on a deadline, and I don’t give ‘grades’ or offer ‘certificates of completion’. If I introduce an idea in Week One, and the student is having trouble with it in Week Two, then we’re going to stay put and tackle the concept from a few different directions until there’s no more confusion – until the student can actually *use* the concept when they play. And if we don’t move on to the next thing until Week Three or Week Four? So be it.

CS: Similar thing when it comes to the shallow vs deep end in swimming pools.

SH: Everyone learns at a different pace, so no two of my students are ever working on the same thing at the same time. Also, we’re working on improving at music, which is an

“This seemed like a good way to get the attention of girls, so adding the bass guitar became a fast necessity.”

PAGE 21 • May 2021

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art form people tend to feel very possessive of and defensive about. No two students have the same musical goals, or even like the same genres. Some of the songs I work on with one student in order to get an idea across will be completely different than the songs I work on with another. I had one student who told me on Day One: “I am only interested in learning the bass parts to songs by the band Morphine.” Well, the bassist from Morphine played a bass with only two strings on it, he didn’t have them in standard tuning, and he played with a slide. But it’s what the student wanted, so that’s what we did.

CS: Which bass players get your attention, these days?

SH: I feel like I should be answering this with the name of the latest flashy, advancedtechnique player I watched on Instagram...but...

CS: No. I want to know what you think.

SH: I actually haven’t heard a ton of exciting stuff on social media lately; it’s all geared to grab your attention, but that doesn’t mean it’s great. Lately I’ve been doing a deep dive through songs that I feel like I didn’t spend enough time with growing up, so most of the players on the tip of my tongue had their heyday decades ago. Bruce Thomas (from Elvis Costello’s old band, the Attractions); Bernard Edwards (from Chic and a dozen other acts), Colin Moulding (from XTC); Norwood Fisher (from Fishbone); Lee Sklar (mega-session player; too many credits to list). They’re certainly not the flavor of the month, but I think they’ll stand the test of time more than some of the Insta-bassists.

Actually, wait. There is a legacy player I’ve been listening to who’s currently active: Fat Mike from NOFX. Man, that guy can keep time at insane tempos... while singing, no less.

CS: Fat Mike. Quite possibly makes the top 5 best bess player names ever category, eh? Cool.

Okay, Seth, I certainly Celebrating our 87th year appreciate you stopping in 2021, spanning three by to chat with us here at generations, Eddie’s has offered Sounds of Syracuse. How up great food, warm hospitality do we stay in touch with and happy memories to you and your music? thousands of beach goers.

From its humble beginnings as a SH: Anyone who’s seasonal hot dog stand to the interested in trying a bustling restaurant it is today, trial lesson with me can Eddie’s has always provided contact me through quick, friendly service, delicious zoombasslessons.net. homemade food and an Otherwise, I’m slowly unforgettable experience. emerging from my artistic Everyone knows, it wouldn’t hiatus, and when I release be Sylvan Beach in the new music I’ll post it summertime without Eddies! on my bandcamp page (sethhoran.bandcamp.

Visit us at www.eddies1934.com and view our menu online or stop in! com). Cheers!

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Golf

by PLR articles

Golf Specific Fitness Is Underrated Golf specific fitness is mainstream on tour! There is no way around it! To play your best, you’ve got to be in better golf shape! Golf is physical...and requires both dynamic strength and flexibility.

Gone are the days of the 19th hole!

That’s if you want to be top dog in your foursome. Instead of going to the 19th hole after your round, why not do some cool down stretches so you’re ready for the next round?

I’m not saying you have to be a fanatic, but just realize there is a definite “physical component”

to optimal golf performance. The demand on the body to swing a club at upwards of 100 mph and stay in your golf posture is huge.

A golf specific fitness program incorporating golf exercise and golf stretching will maximize your body’s ability to produce awesome power where it counts...at impact!

What is golf specific fitness?

I can tell you it’s not going to a gym and doing a seated chest press. It’s not spending 2 hours everyday beating yourself up.

It’s not lifting heavy weights. But it does require a commitment.

Just like anything else worth achieving.

That phrase, “if it were easy, everybody would be doing it” is so true.

With over 70 million baby boomers who want to enjoy life, be healthier and a big majority of them playing golf... golf specific fitness “kills two birds with one stone.” A fitter, stronger body and an awesome golf game. What better way to spend your quality years?

Golf specific fitness incorporates dynamic strength and flexibility, muscular endurance directly related to your golf swing, balance, coordination, stability and a much improved sequence of timing to produce maximum power through the impact zone.

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Golf specific fitness does not require heavy weights, but improving your golf swing strength is always a goal. Being stronger in your golf swing takes a unique approach that is not accomplished with a general fitness program.

The main focus should be on “rotational” strength and flexibility!

The golf swing is a high-speed rotational movement. The goal for maximum distance is to create a higher level of torque and be able to store and unleash it at the right moment in time.

This requires a major emphasis on core rotational movements with resistance. This is the ONLY way to improve your backswing AND follow through range of motion and power. These movements should be done sitting on a stability ball, standing erect, getting in your golf posture and even on one leg.

It kills me to see a trainer do a bicep curl with a golf client. This will NOT help your golf swing. Just take a look at the position your wrist is in doing a standard bicep curl. It’s turned out very awkwardly (and uncomfortably).

Do you grip a golf club like this? Then why would you do this exercise? If you’re a golfer, you wouldn’t!

How about a seated chest press on a machine?

I’ve seen golfers in the gym doing this one.

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Golf specific fitness will get your body moving powerfully through your golf swing for 18 holes. Your swing will become more consistent. You will add a ton of yards to all your clubs...especially your driver. And your incident of injury will plummet.

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Word on the Street

by Bill McClellan

JUNE 6, 2021 – D-Day Let’s Roll – Let’s Save our City

To keep faith with those that died. Grant me, not only the ability to see right as best as humans can, but to do right as best as humans can be.

We are not talking about light drugs that some can use for decades before the price is paid. We are talking about heavy drugs that quickly destroy entire lives. Families live in great anguish, helpless over the plight of their loved one. We are talking about the permeation of our city of strong deadly drugs. Heroin and its variants are powerfully addictive and encompassing and our city is infected. Those responsible have no fear.

The suffering is incomprehensible. We live in our little bubbles. We must feel outside of them. Real empathy. We must “Want” to end impoverished lives and suffering.

Please refer to my series at “word on the street tablehopping.com” December 2020, and January and February 2021. You will learn how to fix this city and to save many lives in the process. If you read it, comprehending each thought, you will think “this guy is on to something.” All we need is unity, esprit de corps, and leadership. (The designated 15 square block area will henceforth be referred to as “The Village”) This plan will work.

You are currently very elite people yet your goal itself is the crisis. You use your talents

to maintain neighborhood status quo rather than ending crime, abuse and suffering. You have bought in to “drugs are too complicated.” Those four words are one of the greatest failures in thought in American History. It is not complicated. You need a plan that works.

This is it. You will find a process that will succeed if you just firmly decide you “want” this suffering and wrong to end.

The first Village will be a laboratory. Imagine, if there was an instruction on how to workably fix the ills of a city. Key word “workably.”

An instruction where success is carefully designed within. Where would that come from?

Follow me through this paragraph. D-Day June 6th, 2021. Everything you have learned in your research phase is implemented. In 24 hours, dramatic change takes place within the Village.

The drug trade is halted. Street, sidewalk and other infrastructure and beautification are underway. Unique comprehensively designed social work is underway. We have significant current recovery resources. We need to streamline policies, especially accessibility compatible with initial real time addict needs. Residents are informed.

“You will find a process that will succeed if you just firmly decide you “want” this suffering and wrong to end.”

Heavy drugs can quickly destroy entire lives

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Overnight hope is made real. Citizens are in awe. Overnight the 15 square block village becomes a place free of evil and fear. A place where families can call home. You now have a template. More importantly you have laboratory. Just the right size to learn everything you need to know. You are developing the instruction on how to fix your city.

You are fine tuning a template that can be replicated and shared.

Every move you have designed and implemented in the village will be studied in detail. Your goal with each single step is to learn the best methods for not only securing, but “maintaining” your success. You learn how to keep an area completely drug free. That has never been done. Use your initial Village laboratory to study in detail every move that is made in the drug trade. Counter it with 0 tolerance. No dealers. No compromise. Drugs are done in this area. Study every move dealers and users make to outwit you. Users will have to go somewhere else. Until the city is free one village at a time. You will learn how drugs are sold and where they come from. You will learn the deceit and the tricks. After expunging this crud, you will learn how hard-core sellers will still try to poison your 15 square block. You will learn of their alternatives elsewhere to compensate. You will track the origin of local drugs and understand and block the pathways. Your deeds, 15 blocks at a time will also serve to discourage the trade in keeping with your progress. As you evolved into evil you will evolve out of evil. You will study how clinics and hospitals will take over the handling of addicts. Each department will profile the Village the same way applying this thinking to your areas of responsibility. And Flanders field will rise and Salute you for restoring faith with those that died.

The benefits of this plan grow like leaves on a tree. You will be removing the reasons for the large majority of the violence that takes place. Robbery, burglary, muggings, and all sorts of crime will diminish in keeping with your progress through the city as users are forced to turn to Clinics and Hospitals. You will be answering the abuse of woman and “children” that easily parallels the abuse of human trafficking. You will be providing rehabilitation and hope. You will remove the feelings of desertion from citizens and users. The Village will become a place with “Homes” that cannot exist among the current degraded infrastructure, neighborhood dilapidation, fear, violence and drug trade that permeates the area. Neighborhoods will be free of fear and full of welcome. Murder will become rare. All crime will go way down. Domestic violence will ease. Human suffering will be greatly reduced. Residents will see what you are doing and will want to be part of it. Streets will be clean and safe. Small business will rejoice and flourish. You will become beacons for extremely wise leadership and heroes in the eyes of our citizens. And there is a personal reward for the kind of people that will do this well. Preventing and easing great suffering. That reward is the incentive of our finest. All this is just one branch of the tree.

After success in the first 15 square blocks, notify appropriate corporations and businesses and they immediately will watch your progress. Syracuse is a highly desirable area. We are a strategic location and we have resources. Fill the final need. A wholesome city. After success in a few villages, they will start thinking of opening stores and businesses. The potential for big business to locate here is strong with such an effort succeeding and underway. CEO’s are vastly good people. They need to see the deeds

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that show good people are in charge. They will love and want to be part of this kind of sincere effort. They will want to locate in a wholesome area with wise leadership and a clear successful plan to maintain a wholesome city.

I mentioned in a previous article that not one administration has left the city a better place for over 50 years. Each has left it worse off. It appears we have been encased in systemic evil. We can barely move. We know things are not right. We are stymied. Yet we know if we break free, justice and beauty will flourish and evil and fear will die. Yet we can’t seem to find the courage, the strength and the logic that will free us to be the heroes that gives value to White

“You learn how to keep an area completely drug free. That has never been done.”

Crosses. Systemic evil has had us trapped and riddled with complacency. Stagnation is safe and has been our way for so long we fear to try. It is time for true American heroes to rise.

I am seeking Patriots. D-day is June 6th. I hope you have embedded personnel in the Skyline and all of the 15 square blocks. And all departments have fine-tuned plans. And your teams are ready to move. And on D-Day plus 1, 15 square blocks in Syracuse, New York is recognizing that rescue is underway. And American value to our crimson past is underway in our city.

continued on pg 28

Tsha‘hoñ’noñyeñ’dakhwa’

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Dining Out

by Kerilyn E. Micale

Western Ranch Motor Inn After a year of lockdowns and quarantines now is the perfect time to go exploring and try something new! We’ve all seen it driving down the highway on the west side of Syracuse shortly past the fairgrounds, those big red letters that read Motel, or at least, they would if that pesky o would just stay lit! I know I’ve thought to myself “I wonder what that’s all about” and I bet you have too. Well folks I’m here to tell you that below that sign lives one of Syracuse’s hidden gems. It’s called the Western Ranch Motor Inn and it’s unlike any place you’ve ever been, at least in the past several decades anyway!

Let me explain. The Western Ranch Motor Inn is absolutely stuck in the past, and they intend to stay that way! The Western Ranch Motor Inn is a blast from the past, the décor is authentically retro and their menu is full of homemade comfort food. I don’t know how exactly they pull it off with this theme but they absolutely do, it’s the perfect mix of warm and inviting and interesting. The Western Ranch Motor Inn is conveniently located at 1255 State Fair Blvd in Syracuse with easy access from the fairgrounds, I-690, and the Thruway.

Whether you are driving past or stepping into the Western Ranch Motor Inn you might find yourself thinking “Man, this sure looks like the set of a movie.” And if you have had that thought, you might just have what it takes to be a movie producer considering some have felt the exact same way about this location! As of right now,

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Side Salad with Blue Cheese

Clams Casino

Fresh Lake Ontario Lake Perch

Lemon Cake

Mixed Berry Pie

The Western Ranch Motor Inn has been used as the setting for not one but four movies! It was also used for filming a Nike commercial. Not only have famous people come to the Western Ranch Motor Inn to shoot movies, but celebrities have also been known to stay at the motel and enjoy a meal in the restaurant. The star studded list of patrons have included Jeff Goldblum, Whitney Houston, and the band members of Three Dog Night. Since you are reading this I’m going to let you in on a really cool secret, a fifth movie is scheduled to begin very soon!

In addition to their brushes with fame, I would submit that the food that they serve at the Western Ranch Motor Inn should also be famous. This is because pretty much everything served is made in house and using only the freshest ingredients available! This last year has brought a lot of changes in every industry and the Western Ranch Motor Inn has also had to change with the times. They have certainly rose to the challenge without sacrificing service or quality. The tables are safely spaced and everything is super clean! Right now their menu changes from day to day to ensure that only the best ingredients are used.

It is also cool that these daily menus follow a general theme each week: Wednesday is Cans-n-Clams with only the best and freshest little necks at rock bottom prices; Thursday is Steak night, these steaks are cut and aged in house and only the best cuts are used, so be sure to order the prime top sirloin or the black angus rib eye; Friday is Seafood night with amazing specials on fresh, never frozen, fish, so the menu changes depending on what is available each week; and be sure to stop in on Saturday for prime rib, again only using the absolute best meat available. One other cool note about the Western Ranch Motor Inn is that they strive to use only the best ingredients; things are bought local whenever available and when it comes to meat and fish, if it was ever frozen it’s not on the menu! Most items are made in house and they go above and beyond to do things like hand bread their chicken tenders!

They take time to actually make each dish as it’s ordered and you can really taste it!

Kyle and I arrived at the Western Ranch Motor Inn on a lovely spring evening. We were immediately greeted by the cheerful staff and brought to a table in the bar area. We were in for quite a treat because there was live acoustic music that was just about to begin. It had been so long since we had heard any live music it was

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absolutely surprising to realize how much we missed it. While we looked over the menu we couldn’t help but sing along to Heart of Gold and Harvest Moon, even 8 month old Magnolia loved it. As we looked over the menu we had a hard time deciding because we knew that anything we ordered would be amazing. We decided to start our meal with an order of Clams Casino. These little numbers were positively scrumptious. To be clear, they were actually clams casino, not stuffed clams, so the little neck was actually the star of the show! Since we were there on Seafood Friday we both decided on ordering a seafood dish. I decided on the broiled scallops with a side salad and homemade macaroni and cheese. The scallops were sweet and perfectly cooked and seasoned. The fresh and crisp salad loaded with blue cheese crumbles was a delight and the macaroni and cheese was amazing! Kyle ordered the Fresh Lake Ontario Lake Perch, which is an absolute treat that would be hard to find on other menus in town. These fresh filets were hand breaded and cooked to a golden brown perfection and they were so tasty! Kyle paired them with double carbohydrates, macaroni and cheese and French fries! He ate ever last bite! Another awesome thing about Western Range Motor Inn is that they get their desserts from Biscotti’s Bakery in Syracuse.

Kyle couldn’t pass up a slice of mixed berry pie and I just love their lemon cake. We ended the perfect evening on a sweet note!

One tip I can certainly give you is that when you come to the Western Ranch Motor Inn you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu! Be sure to check out their homemade special each and every night! They also feature events like live music, darts, and trivia in the bar. Meals are available for takeout, just give them a call at (315) 457-9236 and be sure to stop in as soon as you can and see for yourself how fun and flavorful it is to be stuck in the Location of four movies past- on purpose!

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June 6, 2021 continued from pg 25 This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The sky has opened. The Gods have made two hundred and six (206) million dollars available to Onondaga County. At the same time an enormous highway project is underway. Eight hundred million (800) has been allocated. Just for the first phase. All kinds of jobs. All kinds of corporations paying attention. The stars aligned. There likely will never be such an opportunity to do so much for our people. All this money and my economic recommendations in my series are additional and still available. This is your opportunity for a shining city we all will be so very proud of. A place where every citizen is proud to call “Home.” Highland street must not be the same after all that money is spent. It is not hotels and lakefronts until neighborhoods are freed and safe and citizens have quality of life.

Take up the quarrel with the foe. To you from failing hands we throw. The Torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Field.

I mailed a letter to every city department. And again, the series is located at “word on the street” tablehopping.com”. January is the 2nd in the series on how to remove the scourge of heavy drugs and fix and beautify the Village. January is the heart of much of the plan. Articles I and III (Dec and Feb issues) in the series are also located at “word on the street tablehopping.com” and are also “vital” to the plan’s success.

The city is currently a place that gives birth to innocence and turns that innocence into human fodder for drug lords and dealers and jails. The suffering of these kids born into

a culture saturated with heroin and other heavy drugs and immorality is unspeakable. Born without a chance. Their minds are tailored by fear and the dangers of the streets.

Under the veneer seen by most of suburbia this city’s reality is full of severe poverty, pain, child abuse of the highest order on every level, degradation, sexual exploitation, and addiction. D-Day, June 6th, 2021. “De Oppresso Liber,” “Let’s Roll.”

True heroism, as the ancients understood, isn’t about strength, or boldness, or even courage.

It’s about compassion.

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Stay Safe and Healthy from our family at Music May 1

KennaDee Allen’s Florence Hotel, Camden

May 1

Symphoria Kids: Peter and The Wolf Inspiration Hall, Syracuse Virtual evenT

May 1

Sharkey’s Cinco Bash Twenty Twenty One • 1-10pm Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

May 4

KennaDee & Brett Falso Angry Mark’s, Hastings

May 4

They Might be Giants • 8pm State Theatre of Ithaca, Ithaca

May 6

Jorma Kaukonen • 8pm Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer

May 7

McCardell and Westers • 6-9pm Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

May 8

Breath In The Music – Miller and The Other Sinners Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool • 6-9pm

May 8

Lucy Wainwright Roche, Daughter • 8pm

May 21

June 17

Al Di Meola • 8pm Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer

May 21

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

KennaDee Sandbar Grill, Bernhards Bay

May 22

June 19

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

May 23

June 24

CNY Jazz Interscholastic Jazz Festival • 3-9pm Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

May 27

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

May 13

Scars N Stripes • 6-9:30pm Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

May 14

Agnostic Front • 7pm The Lost Horizon, Syracuse

May 20

Mark Zane • 6-10pm TS Steakhouse at Turning Stone Casino

May 20

Hard Promises • 6-9:30pm Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Hard Promises • 6-9:30pm Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

July 5

PRIMUS A Tribute To Kings • 6:30pm

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette

May 27

July 9

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette

May 28

July 11

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette

May 29

July 15

JD’s Tavern & Grill, Sandy Creek

Rainbow Shores, Oswego

June 3

August 21

Aaron Lewis • 7-10pm

Aaron Lewis • 6-9pm

KennaDee

Fitz & The Tantrums • 7pm

Old Crow Medicine Show • 7pm

KennaDee

3 Inch Fury • 6-9:30pm

KennaDee

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Rainbow Shores, Pulaski

June 3

Theatre

Farm to Concert Dinner • 5-9pm Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer

May

I and You

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Breath In The Music – Miller and The Other Sinners • 6-9pm

Warrant • 6-10pm

Infinity • 6-9:30pm

May 8 May 9

Born to Run Band • 6-9pm

CNY Jazz Interscholastic Jazz Festival • 2-9pm

June 4

Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer

June 18

Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer

Shawn Colvin • 8pm

Grit & Grace and Custom Taylor Band • 6-9pm

Frank & Esce • 6-9pm

Syracuse Stage, Syracuse Virtual evenT

June 4

June

Dominick’s Sports Tavern, Scriba

Syracuse Stage, Syracuse Virtual evenT

“Master Harold”... and the Boys

KennaDee

June 5

Muriel Anderson • 8pm Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer

June 10

Dangerous Type • 6-9:30pm Skarkey’s Bar & Grill, Liverpool

June 16

Gaelic Storm • 8pm Auburn Public Theater, Auburn

June 16

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers • 7pm Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette

June 4-13

Troilus and Cressida Syracuse ShakespeareIn-The-Park, Syracuse Virtual evenT

October 12-16

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Landmark Theatre, Syracuse

December 7-12 Waitress

Landmark Theatre, Syracuse

February 24-27, 2022 Blue Man Group

March 15-27, 2022 Hamilton

Landmark Theatre, Syracuse

April 5-7, 2022

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show Landmark Theatre, Syracuse

Sports May 1

AHL: Syracuse Crunch vs.

Rochester Americans • 7pm The Oncenter War Memorial Arena, Syracuse

May 1

Rise Of Champions Championship Kickboxing • 6pm Holiday Inn Syracuse, Liverpool

May 4-9

Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders vs. Syracuse Mets • 6:35pm

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June 10

Outdoor Paint Party with Artist Nada Odeh • 6:30-8pm Community Folk Art Center, Syracuse

Thru August 1

Jaleel Campbell: Homecoming Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

Thru August 22

Who What When Where Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

Events May 1

Sunshine Horses 2nd Annual Kentucky Derby Gala • 4:30-9pm Turning Stone, Verona

May 7

Homebrewed Comedy Buried Acorn Brewing Co., Syracuse

MBT Bank Stadium, Syacuse

May 8-9

May 18-23

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Layfayette

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs vs. Syracuse Mets • 6:35pm MBT Bank Stadium, Syacuse

June 8-13

Worcester Red Sox vs. Syracuse Mets • 6:35pm MBT Bank Stadium, Syacuse

Art

Thru May 9

The Floating Bridge: Postmodern and Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

Mother’s Day Picnic

May 18

Tara Westover – Rosamond Gifford Author Series Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse Virtual evenT

May 23

Winery Comedy Tour at Villa Verona Villa Verona Vineyard, Oneida

May-October

City Market • 2nd Sunday of each month Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

May 13

June-August

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse

Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool

Ellen Blalock, Conversations Through Creation

Thru May 14

Steven Specht Solo Exhibition “Emergence” 4 Elements Studio, Utica

May 25

Taste of Syracuse presents Picnics at the Park • Thursdays, 11am-2pm

June-August

Taste of Syracuse presents Picnics at the Park • Thursdays, 11am-2pm Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool

Mid-Century Matters: Understanding the Architecture of an Era

June 19

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Cazenovia

July 16-18

Thru June 6

Epic Wood Carving Mexico Point Park, Mexico

Landmark Theatre, Syracuse

Steak Bake at Thunder Island Thunder Island, Fulton

Glamping Yoga & Self-love Retreat Lincoln Hill Farms, Canandaigua

Thru October 1

Syracuse-Cicero Banff Mountain Film Festival The Canteen, Cicero Virtual evenT

Deadline is may 22nd for the june issue

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Exercise & Fitness

by Jennifer Nastasi Guzelak

Let’s Get Outside For A Warm Weather Workout It’s fair to say that most of us don’t want to be stuck inside a gym on a beautiful sunny day. Yes, even the regulars! Taking your workout outdoors allows you to soak up the sun and add variety to your workout routine. With the right routine and strategy, you can optimize your warm weather workouts and stay fit all season long.

The warmer weather makes it easier to be active outdoors. You can use your backyard, a local park, community recreation center, beach, or even a lake.

Here are a few ways to actively enjoy the outdoors: • Walk with a friend or co-worker on your lunch break

• Go swimming at a community pool or beach • Take up tennis • Ride your bicycle • Try canoeing or kayaking • Take an outdoor boot camp class • Join a beach volleyball league

• Do a sunrise yoga class • Work with a personal trainer that’s willing to take your workouts outdoors • Take a day trip to a nearby hiking spot • Add in squats, lunges, and push-ups while walking along the lake

There are many reasons why outdoor training can be better than a gym workout.

Whether you power up and down a set of bleachers in your favorite park or mountain bike along a remote wooded trail, the distractions of your surroundings take your mind off the work of working out. In addition, studies have shown that physical activity outdoors lowers a person’s blood pressure and heart rate. It also reduces stress, helps with insomnia, and allows for you to get some much-needed vitamin D.

Get Creative

The next time you are at your local park, do a quick survey of what’s around. There will often be pull up bars and parallel bars. There are so many exercises you can do with both, including pull-ups, triceps dips, and l-sit variations. If all you have is a regular park or playground, you’ll need to get a little more creative. Look for a bench or stairs. These can be used for all sorts of plyometric exercises, including box jumps, step ups, push-ups, and more. Is there a big grassy area? This is perfect for exercises requiring a bit more space like sprints, long jumps, walking lunges, and others. Search for any type of bars that will work for pull ups, bodyweight rows, and even dips. Find a level concrete area. This is perfect for jump roping, one of the best outdoor and minimal equipment workouts you can do.

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Try Out Workout Bands

If you’re looking to add some variety to your outdoor workouts, one of the very best ways to do so is to add in workout bands to various exercises.

Bands can make exercises either more or less difficult, depending on what kind of challenge you’re looking for and they’re an awesome way to work on cool calisthenics and bodyweight skills.

Here are some full body exercise ideas using bands: • Squat and band press • Side lunges with a band shoulder press • Bodyweight rows using bands • Squat jumps using bands for extra resistance If you’re into calisthenics, here are some exercises you can make either more or less difficult using bands: • Push-ups • Triceps dips • Pull-ups • Muscle-ups • Handstand push-ups

Schedule It

When you schedule your workouts, they become part of a routine. This is really important for your longterm success. Remember, if it’s important to you, you will make the time.

Enjoy Your Workout

Take the time to find a warm-weather activity that you will actually enjoy. If you look forward to your workouts and enjoy what you are doing you are more likely to stick with it.

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Heat-Related Problems with Outdoor Workouts

Heat-related illnesses can create symptoms including fatigue, cramps, and edema.

Without intervention, they can progress to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Athletes are especially susceptible to heat exhaustion. Some of the signs of heatrelated problems include: • Fast, weak pulse • Nausea • Cramping • Dizziness • Headaches • Weakness • Heavy panting If you feel any of these symptoms, refrain from physical activity, rest, and seek medical attention if necessary. “Pushing through” these obstacles while you’re working out during summer heat can quickly become an invitation for injury or worse.

“There are many reasons why outdoor training can be better than a gym workout.”

In Conclusion

It’s hard to justify training in a dark gym when the sun is still shining outside. So, don’t!

It’s time to turn the outdoors into your personal gym. It’s free of charge and gives you a chance to add variety to your workout.

When is the best time to work out? Whenever you can. That’s the best time. Find something that you enjoy doing, but also challenges you. Rather than have it feel like work, find the pleasure in working out! Good luck to you.

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.

Don’t Skip It

Skipping a planned workout will get you nowhere! The more you allow yourself to make excuses, or skip a trip to the gym the more likely you are to slip back into old patterns. Don’t make it more difficult than it has to be.

You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get a fullbody workout. In fact, you can get a full body workout in as little as twenty minutes.

Stay Hydrated

Make sure you are staying hydrated. Overall, your body is about 65 percent water, so it makes sense that staying hydrated impacts everything from your body temperature to your mood. Dehydration can also impair performance and your health.

Recommended water intake depends on many factors including your age, activity level, and outdoor heat levels. The U.S. National Research Council recommends 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses a day. Alternately, you can divide your body weight in half and drink that many ounces. (If you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75 ounces of water daily.)

Listen to your body! Cramping, fatigue, and other symptoms when you sweat hard during an outdoor workout might mean you are depleting electrolytes.

While they do provide some electrolytes, most commercial sports drinks contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other unhealthy ingredients.

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Now P l ay i n g

NOW

TABLE

by BRIAN MILLER

PLAY

ING

HOPP

ING

Godzilla vs. Kong In April, the cinematic world celebrated the greatest artistic achievements of the year at the 93rd Academy Awards. And, while this should have served as the marquee event of the month, it was the release of GODZILLA VS. KONG that took the world by storm.

Resurrecting a box office that had lain dormant since the start of the pandemic, and giving HBO Max a steaming event even more powerful than ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE, the absurdly delightful culmination of the Monsterverse was the exact type of the over-thetop actioner that audiences needed.

It’s been five years since the events of GODZILLA KING OF MONSTERS. The

kaiju who used to be feared are now revered as saviors, with none more celebrated than Godzilla. When the giant green guy starts stomping all over Pensacola, however, the public perception changes pretty quickly.

What folks don’t know, is that Godzilla is being baited by the Apex corporation whose CEO, Walter Simmons (Demian Bichir,) set into motion a chain of events that may lead to unspeakable catastrophe.

Meanwhile, Kong is still living on Skull Island. An enclosure has been set up to not only protect the mighty monster, but to study

godzilla vs. kong RATED: PG-13 RUN TIME: 1h 53min GENRE: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller STARRING: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall DIRECTOR: Adam Wingard Writers: Terry Rossio, Michael Dougherty

GRADE: B

him as well. The team is lead by the brilliant Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) whose adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle) has befriended the beast, and communicates with him using sign language.

Admittedly, the plot of GODZILLA VS. KONG is ridiculously convoluted. There is A LOT going on, even if most of it doesn’t make any sense. Basically, Apex is looking for an energy source that can be found in what is known as Hollow Earth. It is near the core of the planet, and is an ecosystem that may or may not have produced Kong and creatures like him. Simmons convinces scientist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgard), who then convinces Dr. Andrews, to take a jaunt down to the Hollow, and bring Kong along for protection. The hope is that this energy source can be harnessed to bring down Godzilla, who is still running amok. Meanwhile, Godzilla sympathizer and admirer Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) enlists the help of former

“Its entertainment value is enough to force the viewer to check their brain at the door.”

Apex employee and conspiracy theory podcaster Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) to try to find out why our beloved Godzilla has become so ornery.

This is the set-up that gets us to the point where two of the most famous screen monsters of all time battle it out. And, when they finally rumble, director Adam Wingard certainly delivered the goods. Their first meeting, which takes place in the middle of the ocean, is a rollicking, insane rumble that instantly makes up for all of the confounding plotlines that lead us to this point. As it should, it certainly stands as the pivotal “make or break” moment of the film. Had the sequence been like, say, any single sequence in KING OF MONSTERS (dark, jittery, unwatchable) then it would have been game over. But, as the monsters mash, destroying aircraft carries and creating tidal waves along the way, it is exactly what I hoped to see unfold.

The battle at sea would serve as the first matchup between the two, but it would not be the last. A number of other exciting events take place along the way, including Kong and crew making it to the Hollow Earth, where I expected to see the characters from AVATAR spring up at any moment. Giving this Hollow Earth sequence (or the movie as a whole, for that matter) too much thought will certainly take away from the dazzling impact of its grandiose beauty, its entertainment value is enough to force the viewer to check their brain at the door. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter why they are there, or why

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they are doing whatever the heck it is they are doing. The only thing that matters is that we are there with them, watching the absurdity unfold.

Godzilla and Kong meet up a couple of more times as the movie progresses, and each time the brawls are spectacular. Realism was never going to be the strong suit here, but the effects are phenomenal and you can truly believe that these monsters are working

“And, when they finally rumble, director Adam Wingard certainly delivered the goods.”

The battle at sea is the first matchup

out their issues without any concern of collateral damage along the way.

In theory, KONG VS. GODZILLA was meant to bring the Monsterverse to a close with a satisfying conclusion. After the colossal success of this production, I’m not entirely convinced that we’ve seen the last of these magnificent monsters.

KONG VS. GODZILLA-B

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specific places, during times when people could not know some things that they could know now. Ask yourself how you avoided COVID in 2019. Since 2020, how many of us have suffered common colds?

End of story conclusions don’t require the time and focus necessary to consider multiple simultaneously occurring factors. People develop perceptual styles early in life amid positive and negative reinforcement, looking to others for approval at home, in by debra Merryweather school, in the neighborhood and at work. We depend on our parents for food. At work, we depend on positive salary reviews from our bosses. We ignore their gut feelings when authorities, situations, and accepted practices require it. Many I wrote, and, after the verdict came in in the Derek Chauvin trial, rewrote this people never question why paragraph on April 20. On April 19, I listened to some of defense attorney Eric Nelson’s they do this. closing arguments and then, to MSNBC commentators review of the defense summation Some do. Some change. suggesting it was too long, going “on and on,” and throwing everything and anything at Memoirist Tara Westover the wall hoping something might stick. The summation I heard was a detailed multiwill speak online on May media presentation that combined excerpts of Minneapolis PD procedural text with 18 as part of the Friends eyewitness, expert, and audio and video testimony taken from a perspective facing the of the Central Library passenger’s side of the police car. Nelson’s timeline of events started about 16 minutes Rosamond Gifford Author Series. Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir “Educated,” details her before the young woman whose perspective faced the driver’s side of the police car, early life growing up in a strict, fundamentalist, survivalist Mormon family in Idaho. started filming the single continuous powerful video of George Floyd with Derek Tara’s family life, schooling, religious Chauvin’s knee on his neck. training, and early work experience

The jury has spoken. all take place at home. Tara helps her

The reviewers are reviewing. mother prepare herbs and deliver

Moving on. babies; with her brother, she works Minute by minute, day by day, people repeat practices handed down to them by those sorting metal in her father’s scrap who went before. We don’t all start out in the same place or have access to the same business. Tara’s parents teach Tara not information even if we inhabit the same time and place. The guiding texts in which to avoid danger and injury, but rather many people place their faith reflect interpretations and use wording developed in to accept avoidable injury and pain as

My Mind To Yours

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“End of story conclusions don’t require the time and focus necessary to consider multiple simultaneously occurring factors.”

part of God’s plan.

Tara manages to glimpse possibilities beyond the dangerous environment in which she lives. Spoiler: When Tara’s worldly snowbird grandmother offers Tara the opportunity to travel south and enroll in public school, Tara prepares to sneak away. But on the appointed day, guided by her parents’ isolationist beliefs, Tara stays put. Her grandmother drives away without her.

Opportunity knocks again; Tara applies to Brigham Young University, an institution familiar with home schooled students. At BYU, Tara starts to learn how much she doesn’t know. She’d never heard of the Holocaust.

On trips home, Tara’s returns to a family suffering from injured brains and mis-wired

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THIS MONTH’S

Asparagus Quiche Ingredients

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces 10 slices bacon 2 (8 inch) unbaked pie shells 1 egg white, lightly beaten 4 large eggs 1 ½ cups half-and-half cream ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Tara works sorting scrap metal and helps her mother prepare herbs thinking. After another mishap, Tara seeks professional medical attention for her brother Shawn when she sees exposed brain tissue through a fracture in his skull. The physician tells Tara that Shawn’s brain tissue is fine; the bone will grow back; but also, that it’s the brain injuries you don’t see that cause ongoing problems. Shawn is violent, unpredictable, and self-medicates.

In family arguments and public conflicts, observers observe. Observers develop different perceptions of what they observe based on their differing perspectives relative to the facts. Not all facts are visible. Individual physiology is a fact that isn’t visible. Our own internal homeostasis is invisible to ourselves and others. We are just now learning how neurochemically detailed individuals and shared consciousness is.

Ours is a society geared toward controlling feelings: our own and everyone else’s.

When I first heard about “Educated,” I read a February 29, 2020 review in the conservative publication “National Review.” The reviewer wrote that Tara Westover’s memoir was overly self-focused in dredging up traumatic events and feelings, that “Educated,” was not the right path to healing. The reviewer further wrote that, in telling her story without coming full circle, Tara Westover told her story at the wrong time.

Memoirs are personal remembrances with distinct points of view. Not all ongoing life stories can or should come full circle arriving at finite conclusions about everyone and everything.

Life is ongoing.

Learning and change are lifelong.

Peace.

Directions Step 1 • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place asparagus in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.

Step 2 • Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medhigh heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

Step 3 • Brush pie shells with beaten egg white. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and chopped asparagus into pie shells.

Step 4 • In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over bacon and asparagus.

Pour egg mixture on top of cheese. Place tomatoes on top.

Step 5 • Bake uncovered in preheated oven until firm, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Prep Time: 25 min.

At BYU, Tara learns how much she doesn’t know

from allrecipes

Total Time: 1 hr.

Servings: 12

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