Making Bets on Kentucky Derby Day

Most of the time it is probably just as well that there is no Off-Track Betting in Tompkins County, but it certainly takes some of the mickey out of Kentucky Derby Day.

Cortland County, however, has OTB, in a couple of colorful locations that make for quick, entertaining road trips.

In New York City, if I remember correctly from my well-spent youth, OTB offices have to be a certain distance from bars, lest carefree drunks get wacky. Apparently this is not a concern in Cortland. In Cortland, one OTB is adjacent to a restaurant/bar - with a doorway connecting the bar and the betting parlor - and another is IN a bar, at the St. Charles Hotel.

I visited these two locales at Kentucky Derby time last year.

The St. Charles Hotel is a trip. It is not a luxury hotel. In fact, although there were a number of rooms evident in the large building, there was no explicit hotel activity. I didn't notice a desk, nor a registrar, nor a lobby where these things would be.

But there is a bar. It is a bar in that they serve alcohol. Beyond that, it looks like a rec room. And there is not an OTB parlor per se. The bar itself takes the bets. You make your bets on a weird machine that is part video screen, part ticker-tape. Then you take these slips to the bartender, who takes your money and giffs you bets.

The other location I visited is in a parking plaza on Route 13, next to a restaurant called Uncle Louie's. It is a bona fide OTB location, with televisions, harsh lighting, folding chairs and tables, and papers all over the place. Patrons do not have to go very far for drinks. In fact they do not even have to, say, walk out a door to the outside and then use another door. It's all connected.

We did not have anything in Uncle Louie's, but it seemed a repectable enough place, and the food we saw at tables looked edible. We intend to sample the fare this Friday, when we go to make our bets for this year's rose run. We will also check out the bocce courts. Yes, bocce courts. We will bring our bocce hats.

Both of these places are about as far from the pageantry of Churchill Downs as you can possibly get. On the other hand, they are as close to the action as you can get, around these parts.

They are both also rather removed from the kind of public emporia one finds in Ithaca. Cortland and Ithaca have to be two of the farthest apart, close places you could ever find. For the curious and easily entertained, it is worth experiencing.


Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Hey, George Tenet: You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

George Tenet, ex-director of the CIA, has written a book he is promoting in the media like crazy - really like crazy, with a pronounced lunatic air to his demeanor - about his tenure in the Dick Cheney administration, and the lies that led to the war in Iraq.

Tenet is screaming about being scapegoated as the source of bad intelligence. He says that the administration intended to go to war no matter what the intelligence said, so he is innocent, and he is railing against his portrayal as a guilty party.

But he is a guilty party. He knew the intelligence did not justify war, but he went along with the deceit. He signed on to the whole program. When Colin Powell lied in front of the United Nations, Tenet literally sat at his right hand.

Now he is complaining that he is being singled out for his dishonesty, and cheated of his reputation. Well.

As the saying goes, you can't cheat an honest man.

If Tenet had done what he knew was right, and acted truthfully, this wouldn't be happening to him.

And of course, much more importantly, the war in Iraq might not be happening. The 3,000 American soldiers killed there need not have died. The countless Iraqi lives that have been taken or ruined might still be intact. We might have retained the respect of the world, instead of creating cynicism and hatred the results of which are chilling to contemplate.

We are sorry for your troubles, George. Too bad you didn't think better of yourself, and of your responsibilities. It is entirely too bad.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Another Contest About Buildings

Last week's contest asked for the height of the Empire State Building in the scale model of New York City from the 1964 World's Fair, which is still in place in Flushing Meadow Park, with the model built on a scale of 1 inch of NYC to every 100 feet.

The answer is, 15 inches.
Think how small King Kong would be.

The winner was Blake, who sensed a trick to the question, but there was none. Blake wins a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music.

This week's contest has to do with a big building in Ithaca. It was built on the Cornell campus circa 1915, and at the time had the largest pillarless room in the world. It housed a concert 30 years ago that is in the local news this month. What is it?

A randomly-selected answer will win a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music, one of the smallest pillarless rooms in the world, at 614 W. State St., down the driveway. Send your entry directly to Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Thanks, and good luck -

Steve Burke

April 28 & 29 Weekend Activities

There's a wide range of music to hear this weekend: rock, jazz, sacred steel, classic pop, old-timey, and blues.

The classic pop is the Laura Nyro Tribute Show at Kulp Auditorium in Ithaca High School, Saturday at 8 pm.

Rock is the Splendors, at the Rongo, Saturday at 9 pm.

Jazz is Hank Roberts, Wingnut, and Tsar at the Chapter House, Saturday at 10 pm.

Old-timey is the Hogwashers at Maxie's, Sunday at 6 pm.

Blues is Paul Rishell and Annie Rains at Bound For Glory, Anabel Taylor Hall, Sunday, 8:30 pm.

Sacred steel in the Campbell Brothers, at the Chapter House, Sunday at 8:30 pm.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Presidential Prediction: In 2008, The Greatest Comeback in American History

In 2008, Al Gore will win the presidency as an independent.

What held Gore back in 2000 was not any other candidate, but the orthodoxy imposed on him by the apparatus of the Democratic Party, and the corporate sponsors of the two-party system.

In his wildly popular and influential film, "An Inconvenient Truth," people saw not the Al Snore of the Democrats, but the real Gore: intelligent, compassionate, visionary, and capable of great leadership.

Gore's new status and popularity will make possible a massive grassroots campaign. People will be eager to support and elect a qualified candidate free of the politics of the trough.

By winning the presidency as an independent, just eight years after losing it in a cataclysmic charade of debased two-party politics, Gore will achieve the greatest comeback in the history of American politics, and the most significant.

One further prediction: in a dramatic gesture of conciliation, not to mention good humor, Gore will name Ralph Nader as his running mate.

You read it here first (I imagine) -

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Pudgie's Pizza: That's No Good

Once in the New York City subway I saw a woman rooting through a garbage can. She extracted a styrofoam cup with a lid on it, and shook it. There was something in it. She bent back the lid and put it to her mouth.

I quickly said, "Hey, lady, don't - ", but it was too late. She took a sip. And then she made a face, and spit out whatever she had tasted.

"That's no good," she said to me.

And that's what I'm saying to you about Pudgie's Pizza.

I didn't have time to make lunch today, and I'm the only one where I work, so I can't leave. I needed a place that delivers. I looked in the phone book, and saw a coupon for Pudgie's Pizza.

The coupon was for a special deal on Tuesdays: buy one, get another for a dollar. I thought, that'll take care of mealing for a while. And it's valid only Tuesdays. Must be fate.

Ordinarily, as a true blue New Yorker, I shun chain pizza with great disdain. But they were offering a deal, and I was in a hard place. So I figured, how bad could it be?

Like that woman in the subway figured.

It is no good. It is not even pizza. It is donuts placed in the shape of a pizza, from the taste of the crust.

And lest you get too pudgy eating it, they refrain from ingredients very much. Like, cheese. There was some on there, I eventually noticed with my glasses.

There was also a little sauce on there, with a loose interpretation of sauce, like is the stuff inside packets of ketchup sauce?

I am, naturally, deeply ashamed of this culinary lapse, but confess it, that I may be forgiven. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa for ordering imitation pizza.

Next time I will put up the "Back in 5 Minutes" sign, and ankle it over to Sal's for two hot slices with Napolese roots.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Activities, April 21 & 22

Saturday 21 April is the biggest day for local music in memory - like a local festival, spread out over town. The roster:

El Caminos at the Pourhouse in Trumansburg, 7 pm.

Radio London at the Common Ground, 7 pm.

CROWMarley & Son at Roosterfish Brewing in Watkins Glen, 8:30.

Mudbone at the Rongo in T-burg, 9 pm.

Hubcap at the Lost Dog Lounge, 10 pm.

Boy With a Fish at the Chapter House, 10 pm.

Also on Saturday, the Cornell Folk Song Society presents Cosy Sheridan, at 8 pm in 165 McGraw Hall. Opening act is local a capella duo, A Glass of Water. Tickets are $17 at the door, $15 in advance at Small World Music and other locations.


Sunday 22 April: Richard Shindell at the Night Eagle Cafe in Binghamton, 8 pm. Shindell is maybe the second-greatest living singer-songwriter in America. In a rare central NY appearance.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Empire State Building Contest

A scale model of New York City, called the Panorama, was built for the 1964 World's Fair, and still exists at the Fair's site.

The scale of the model is one inch to 100 feet.

So how tall is the model's replica of the Empire State Building?

A winner will be randomly selected for a gift certificate to Small World Music. If Small World Music was as big as New York City, the gift certificate would be for $12,000.

Send your entry directly to Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Thanks and good luck!

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

News Flash: The Vast Majority of People Are Sane, Sensible, and Kind

Despite, or to accompany, the news in the world media recently (the horror at Virginia Tech; the idiocy of Don Imus), we would like to present the news that the vast majority of people in the world are sane, sensible, and kind.

- the Vermont state senate today voted for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

- a carpenter at Cornell University donated his time before work this morning to hanging a back door on the new home of the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance.

- the Alternatives Federal Credit Union in Ithaca has a program for low-income people called the Individual Development Account. If the individual saves $1,000 in the course of a year, the credit union contributes $2,000 to the account.

- a young mother in Wegman's today was exceedingly patient with a 2-year old.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Beloved Writers: Last Week's Contest

Last week, with the death of Kurt Vonnegut, we asked for names of writers people felt a happy compulsion to read. Here are the replies:

Paul Auster
Samuel Beckett
Richard Brautigan
Lydia Davis
Philip K. Dick
Hermann Hesse
James Joyce
Vladimir Nabokov
Ayn Rand
J.R.R. Tolkien

.... but, no Jorge Luis Borges, Anton Chekhov, Robert Heinlein, or Franz Kafka.

Randomly-selected for a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music is John J. (who likes Beckett).

Thank you to all who sent entries.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Grateful Dead Day in Ithaca, May 8

The Dark Star Orchestra, an extraordinary tribute band that performs entire Grateful Dead shows song for song, will be at the State Theater on May 8 to re-stage the legendary Dead show at Cornell's Barton Hall, thirty years earlier to the day.

Ordinarily the Orchestra does not announce in advance the concerts they will re-stage. The May 8 show will be a special staging of a show regarded by Dead fans as one of the best of the band's thousands of performances.

The State Theater will further honor the historical connection with special artwork evoking the 1977 Barton Hall show, and artifacts from the show, including original posters, ticket stubs, and newspaper reviews.

There is a rumor that mayor Carolyn Peterson will offically declare May 8 "Grateful Dead Day" in Ithaca.

For more information, see the State Theater's website, www.stateofithaca.com.

In a strange coincidence, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, longtime cohorts of the Grateful Dead, are appearing at Castaways tonight. On this date in 1971, the two bands played a concert together at SUNY Cortland.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Dalai Lama at the State Theater in October

The Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan people, will visit Ithaca on October 9 and 10, and will make three public appearances: at Cornell's Barton Hall, the State Theater, and Ithaca College's Ben Light Gym.

The Barton Hall lecture, "A Human Approach to World Peace," is scheduled for Tuesday 9 October, 2 -4 pm.

The State Theater will host "Prayers For World Peace," a multi-denominational event, on Wednesday the 10th, from 10:30 - noon.

The Ben Light Gym event, a lecture on Buddhist texts, is scheduled for 2 - 4 pm on the 10th.

Tickets will be required for all events. Details will be announced at www.namgyal.org.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

New Ithaca Hours Directory Available

by Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Hours, the local currency system, has issued its new annual Directory of businesses and members that accept Hours.

Ithaca Hours is cash money - in paper currency, like dollars - bolstering the local economy by providing an alternative to dollars for people to spend on goods and services.

Members join for ten dollars (or its equivalent, one Hour), and receive a listing in the Directory, and two Ithaca Hours, worth twenty dollars, to spend.

Over $100,000 worth of Hours are in circulation in Ithaca, providing money to spend locally, allowing dollars to be saved for other purposes.

Local currency systems strengthen local economies by never leaving the region. Part of every dollar spent at a Wal-Mart, for example, is guaranteed to leave forever. Local money stays.

Acceptance of local currency can provide a significant advantage to a local business competing with chain stores, or Internet sales.

Local currencies help individuals earn money, by offering goods and services for which dollars are not 100% necessary.

The Directory offers cheap advertising for individuals and businesses. Hours prints 5,000 of them, and circulates them throughout the county year-round.

Hours' 2007 Directory might be its last one to identify itself solely by calendar year, as the rhythms of Ithaca life usually keep it from publication until March of the year.

The Hours organization explains that it begins work on the Directory in October, but the holiday busyness of November and December customarily distracts members from renewing their annual memberships. Then in January many Ithacans are away, with schools closed. That leaves February for the finishing touches. Therefore, look for the next Directory to be identified as "March 2008 - April 2009."

Hours also prints the Directory in its entirety on its website, www.ithacahours.org. The fluidity of the website allows Hours to update its listings constantly, unlike the Yellow Pages, which updates just once a year.

Weekend Contest: Reading List

We wrote a brief piece yesterday on Kurt Vonnegut, noting that for young people in the 60's and 70's, he was that rare thing, someone you read not because you had to, but because you wanted to.

We thought, too, that Vonnegut was special in that you would seek out his other books after reading your first.

So our weekend contest is really not a contest, but a call for comments. Was Vonnegut this way for you? Was someone else?

We will select a respondent at random for a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music. Send word directly to Small World at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Paul Wolfowitz's World Bank Fight Against Corruption, But Not Necessarily All Corruption

by Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

When Paul Wolfowitz needed to leave the Bush administration, with the Iraq policy he helped design at the State Department flaming behind him, George Bush essentially kicked him upstairs, nominating him as president of the World Bank.

Wolfowitz was received at the World Bank with general disdain for his lack of managerial ability, diplomatic experience, and empathy for the poor, which the World Bank at least purports to have.

One of Wolfowitz's first actions was to cut off aid to a number of projects where he sensed corruption. He said that no World Bank funds would go to feckless administrators who would use them for personal purposes.

If so, Wolfowitz needs to stop drawing a paycheck. It was revealed this week that he secretly authorized a raise and a promotion for a World Bank worker, Shaha Riza, identified as his girlfriend.

The raise increased Ms. Riza's salary from $132,660 to $193,590. The promotion transferred her to a position at the State Department, Mr. Wolfowitz's previous employer, that is categorized as diplomatic, so Ms. Riza pays no taxes.

Mr. Wolfowitz at first denied any involvement in the matter, until a memorandum surfaced that he wrote, instructing a vice president of human resources to comply with the terms of the promotion.

Calls for Mr. Wolfowitz's resignation are growing.

Weekend Activities, April 13 - 15

Friday the 13th: Tarbox Ramblers. They bill themselves as dark (but danceable), which is maybe an apt attribute for Friday the 13th. Rongovian Embassy, 8:30 pm.

Saturday: Alash perform their exotic, if not downright otherwordly, Mongolian cowboy throat-singing. Saturday at 9 pm at the ABC Cafe, and Sunday 2:30 at the Community School of Music and Arts. Advance tickets are $10 at Small World Music. Special prices at CSMA for families and children. Call Small World for information: 256-0428.

Laurence Juber, lead guitarist for Paul McCartney's Wings, and veteran of many notable studio sessions (including work for the Monkees!), is at CSMA at 8 pm. A presentation of the Guitar League, of Syracuse. Tickets are $24 at the door, $20 in advance from Small World Music.


Sunday: The Hogwarshers, up-and-coming old-timey band, are at the ABC for brunch, 11 a.m.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Kurt Vonnegut

by Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Kurt Vonnegut, the author and Cornell alumnus, died yesterday of injuries sustained in a fall. He was 84.

Vonnegut's breakthrough novel, "Slaughterhouse-Five", published in 1969, is a classic of its era, and of anti-war literature. Like his other work, it is an innovative blend of satire, science fiction, and social commentary.

The stalwarts of Vonnegut's readership were the young, who were captivated by the distinct but gentle anarchy in his literature and philosophy of life. Vonnegut wrote books young people read not because they had to , but because they wanted to.

Vonnegut was a prolific essayist and speaker about social issues. One of his last public appearances was at St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan last year, at the 85th birthday celebration of his fellow Cornellian, Father Daniel Berrigan, the antiwar and nonviolence activist.

In an interview in 2005, Vonnegut talked about the mix of hope and bleakness he found in life.

... What makes being alive almost worthwhile, for me, is music, and all the saints I meet, who can be anywhere. By 'saints' I mean people who act decently, in a strikingly indecent society. Their acts of kindness and reason. On a very local level. A human level. You know, I walk down the street to buy an envelope. I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And see some great-looking babes. And a fire engine goes by, and I give them the thumbs-up . . . if this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

Cornell's Ride Board

by David Makar
for Ithaca Blog


I went to Massachusetts and Maine this past weekend to visit friends and celebrate Easter. I carpooled to New England and back with a group of Cornell students. I posted an ad on Tuesday night at about 6:30pm on Cornell's "Student Ride Board" website (http://www.cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/RideBoard/). By 7:30pm I had recieved two phone calls and two emails requesting seats in the car. Felix, my Jetta, only comfortably holds four total people. The two emailers were looking for roundtrip rides and the two callers were looking for one-way rides. It all worked out and by 7:30 the plan was set.

For the next two and a half days I received calls and emails requesting information on availability of seats. I had to say no to everyone else, but at one point, I thought about renting a 10 person van and taking everyone with me. I don't know if all of those other people ever made it to Boston this past weekend.

The Pros and Cons for the Ride Board:

• Pro: Helping the Environment by cutting down on number of cars
• Pro: Helping the Environment by filling a car instead of driving alone
• Pro: The passengers help to pay for gas, tolls, and other expenses the driver sets
• Pro: You have someone to talk to if you want, which might be better than driving alone
• Con: You might have to go slightly out of your way to pick people up in Ithaca (I had to drive 10 minutes to Collegetown and then back by my house - both on the way to Boston and on the way home. This added about 40 minutes to my total driving time).
• Con: You might have to go way out of your way to pick people up in Boston/DC/NYC/etc (I had to drive from Blackstone, Mass - near RI - to Newton to pick up the return riders. This added about 60 minutes or so to the trip home.
• Con: Your passengers might have to stop to go to the bathroom every hour (mine didn't)
• Con: Your passengers might talk on the phone for five hours (one of mine talked for about 30 minutes, but it was an entertaining conversation about college admissions)
• Pro: You leave on time. Usually when I travel by car and don't have a set departure I am 15 minutes to 3 hours behind as I rationalize about doing more work before going. Knowing that 3 perfectly good strangers are waiting helps you to be much more on time.
• Con: They might not like your music (though they might have an ipod)
• Pro: You might meet someone new!

Finally, the Student Ride Board group is its own community. I drove east with three people. One of them had been a rider with each of the other two - so they already knew a little bit about each other. It seems likely if you are going on a common ride (Boston, NYC, Philly or DC) you will probably get riders who know each other.

I didn't profit from the trip, but the gas and tolls were paid for. I told my friend Joe about the Ride Board and since he has an alternative fuel car he might be able to make a small profit on his longer distance trips from Ithaca.

Cornell's Ride Board: http://www.cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/RideBoard/

Ithaca Craig's List Ride Board: http://ithaca.craigslist.org/rid/

Details cross posted at Dryden is Home.

Dutch Army Tries Non-Killing Path for Peace in Afghanistan

by Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog


As American troops advance into Afghanistan to combat an expected spring offensive by the Taliban, Dutch troops avoid hostile territories in the region - for the same purpose.

"We're not here to fight the Taliban," a Dutch commander said last week in the New York Times. "We're here to make the Taliban irrelevant."

Rather than hunt the Taliban, the Dutch are luring Afghans away from Taliban influence with projects to improve their living conditions, and a presence to support their security.

The policy does not preclude all fighting. Dutch forces have fought the Taliban directly. But they avoid sweeps or raids that will destroy civilian property, or cause citizen deaths.

The Dutch forces say they have built a network of contacts in Taliban-controlled regions. They have suffered no combat-related fatalities.

As of March 2007, approximately 400 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan. Seven NATO soldiers - -six Canadian and one American - were killed in Afghanistan in a roadside bombing on Easter Day.

Weekend Activities, April 7 & 8

With the holiday weekend, there might be less call for frolic this weekend than usual. But rest assured, it is there if you want it.

Saturday: The Cornell Folk Song Society presents musician and folklorist Jeff Warner at McGraw Hall, 8 pm. A lot of singing, playing, stories, and fun. Tickets are $17 at the door, $15 in advance at Small World Muisc and other locations.

Billy Eli at the Rongovian Embassy. Billy Eli is a singer-songwriter and guitarist in the Steve Earle mode, and very talented. We heard him for the first time on WVBR's Nonesuch program last Sunday, and were mightily impressed. With Eric Aceto at 10 pm.


Sunday: Really kind of a quiet night, with the holiday and all, but Steve Selin and the Yellow Peep Band will be making a euphonious, stringed racket at Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 W. State St., starting at 6 pm.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Food Contest Prize

The randomly-selected winner of last week's contest, asking for a favorite Ithaca comestible, was Elizabeth, who receives a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music.

We got lots of replies that constitute an excellent menu. Including:

- Dim sum at Thai Cuisine (the recommendation was to go with 3 - 5 others, and order everything).

- Midnight Rider at Gimme Coffee (coffee with a shot of espresso).

- Vodka a la rigatoni at Lost Dog Cafe.

- Breakfast burrito at ABC Cafe.

- Breakfast special "The Coach" at Hal's Deli (with mini-potato pancakes).

- Vegan pizza at Pizza Aroma.

- Pumpkin ginger cheesecake from Sarah's Patisserie.

- Peanut noodles from Macro Mama's (available at Farmer's Market, or at GreenStar).

- Flatbread from Just Desserts.

- Flan from La Cucina Latina.

- Brownies from ABC Cafe.

- Apples from Little Tree Orchard.

- Whitefish salad from Ithaca Bakery.

- Mocha chip ice cream from Purity.

- Sweet potato fries at Maxie's.

- Ithaca Soda Company Root Beer (available at Finger Lakes Beverage on W. State St., and on the menu at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC).

Thanks to everyone who entered. New contest coming soon.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Author Jeremy Scahill in Geneva - But Not Ithaca

Jeremy Scahill, a producer for Democracy Now and the author of a new book on Blackwater USA, the military contactor, will appear in Geneva on 17 April to discuss his book, but Ithaca will not be on his itinerary.

Scahill will appear at Albright Auditorium on the Hobart and William Smith campus. Admission is free, but tickets are required, as space is limited.

In Ithaca, tickets are available at the Bookery 2 bookstore in the Dewitt Mall.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Food: Farmers Market Opens This Saturday

Quite a number of replies to our Ithaca food contest this week (see previous posting) mentioned foods available at the Farmers Market. So we thought we should mention that the Market opens for the season this Saturday.

The forecasted cold might diminish attendance. On the other hand, shopping for Easter dinner could enhance it.

Make the trek and get some good fresh food and support your local stewards of the land.

See you there -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Food: Weekly Contest for First Week of April

The answer to last week's question - how long do scientists say we have until we reach the "tipping point" of global warming, at which point it becomes irreversible? - is, ten years. This is why the town of Woodstock has voted to reduce net carbon emissions by the town to zero within ten years (see earlier Ithaca Blog posting).

Winners were Eileen T. and Jim L., both of Ithaca. They win $10 gift certificates to Small World Music.

This week's contest derives from a bit we heard on NPR this morning, about a British magazine article on 50 foods one should eat before dying, or something like that. Slightly morbid and excessive, we know, so we decided to adapt the proposition a bit for this week's contest activity:

Name a food that you get from a particular place in Ithaca that you think a visitor to Ithaca should definitely sample - or, for that matter, other residents should relish (so to speak).

Need an example? How about the chocolate souffle cake at Just A Taste?

We will randomly select, from among all entries, a winner for a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music. Send your entry directly to Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Entries will be accepted all week, and winners announced next Saturday (7 April). Then we think we will go out and review and report all the entries for Ithaca Blog. Tough work, but someone's got to do it.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Activities, 30 March - 1 April

The State Theater has a slate of shows celebrating the unusual but entertaining: a cappella singing, tap dancing, and David Sedaris.

Friday's show is Acappellooza. Hosted by Ithacappella, from Ithaca College, the show brings together collegiate a cappella groups from throughout the northeast. Tickets are general admission, $12 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and students.

Saturday is "Walking in Time: the Annual Finger Lakes Tap Dance Festival". General admission tickets are $19 in advance, $13 for seniors and students.

Sunday is David Sedaris, the author and National Public Radio essayist. General admission tickets are $37.50, but he sold the place out last time, and probably will again.

Other shows:

On Saturday, the Crossing Borders concert series presents singer and guitarist Marta Topferova, at 8 pm at the Community School of Music and Arts. The New York Times writes of Ms. Topferova, "... a Czech singer whose heart is in Latin American music. She dips into styles from across the Caribbean and South America - Cuban son, Venezuelan joropo, Puerto Rican bomba - plays the cuatro, and sings with an elegant longing in her voice." Tickets are $12 in advance, available at Small World Music, and $15 at the door.

On Sunday, Carrie Rodriguez returns to Castaways at 8 pm. Ms. Rodriguez was here a few years ago when "Red Dog Tracks", the CD she made with Chip Taylor, was riding high. She's back fronting her own band, without Mr. Taylor, but with Richie Stearns, who contributed to that CD.

Enjoy yourself -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Change at the State Theater: Director Leaving

Matt Joslyn, director of the State Theater, announced today he is leaving for a job in Ohio, where his family resides.

Matt's tenure at the theater was brief, but accomplished. He brought a wide variety of acts to the theater, and reached out to multiple segments of the community to create for the State a status as an Ithaca institution, but very much a living one.

The big names at the theater in the past year included Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, the Indigo Girls, David Bromberg, George Carlin, the official Broadway touring production of "Wonderful Town", Lewis Black, Jeff Dunham, and the Roche Sisters.

Two weeks ago, on St. Patrick's Day, the State hosted a benefit concert for local peace groups which drew over 1,000 people, and local congressman Maurice Hinchey spoke from the stage.

Matt's gracious personal presence at the shows created a feeling of warmth and inclusion that will will tough to replace. We will miss him, but are happy for his opportunity to work closer to his family.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

"Embedded Journalist" Bob Woodward at Ithaca College, 18 April

Washington Post staffer Bob Woodward will speak at Ithaca College on 18 April in an event open to the public.

The college has not yet announced ticket details for the event, which is likely to draw wide attendance.

Woodward is famous as the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who exposed the Watergate conspiracy for the Washington Post with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein.

In recent years, Woodward has generated controversy as a so-called embedded journalist within the Bush administration, trading high-level access for detailed but uncritical best-selling books, and frequently withholding newsworthy information from the public (and his employer, the Washington Post) for use in his books.

Most recently, Woodward has voiced rigorous partisanship for his contacts within the Bush adminstration in comments on the trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice in the investigation of the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. Before the trial began, on the Larry King show, Woodward said,

First of all, this began not as somebody launching a smear campaign . . . I'm quite confident we're going to find out that it started as a kind of gossip, as chatter . . . I don't see an underlying crime here.

The trial showed that there was indeed a smear campaign launched by the White House, that it was not innocent gossip, and that it was criminal. Lewis Libby was convicted on four of five counts and faces thirty years in prison.

It would almost feel better to think that Woodward was so wrong because of diminshed capacities, instead of diminished integrity, but it seems clear that he has gone from investigator to apologist. He went on to say, about the substance of the Plame case,

They did a damage assessment within the CIA, looking at what this did that Joe Wilson's wife was outed. And it turned out it was quite minimal damage.

Easy for him to say, as Plame's career ended, and her covert work (and likely her contacts) were exposed. And for what?

Woodward's complacency is difficult to accept - but simple to understand, ironically, when thinking back to the famous phrase from Deep Throat about the Watergate scandal: Follow the Money.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Contest for the Week of March 23 - 29

Our contest this week relates to our Ithaca Blog posting for Saturday 24 March, and the topic of global warming.

According to scientists, how many years does the world have "before reaching an irreversible tipping point"?

We will consider an answer within 20 % of the timeline a correct answer.

Because we like to reward not only expertise, but attempts, we have two prizes: one randomly selected from the correct entries, and one from the incorrect.

Winners receive a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music, your home for tunes hot and cool. (See information about SWM, and a lovely drawing by Todd Saddler of our building, in the pdf links in the Ithaca Blog sidebar.) Send your entry to the store at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com. Entries will be accepted all week, and the winners announced on Friday, 29 March.

Good luck!

Steve Burke
for Small World Music and Ithaca Blog

Woodstock Aims for Zero Emissions in Ten Years

Woodstock, New York has a reputation for progressivism that is tough to match. It must also be hard to live up to, but the town is trying. Last week, the Woodstock Town Board passed a resolution to reduce net carbon emissions in the town to zero, within a decade.

The basic idea is both to reduce emissions and to create clean power, reaching zero emissions by the town creating more power than it uses.

Like the public library here in Ithaca, the town hall in Woodstock has solar energy panels on its roof. The town plans to install them on other public buildings, and on the town's large public parking garage.

On the reduction side, the town plans to increase recycling programs, improve the efficiency of town vehicles, and create incentives for home-owners to use solar power.

Although the Woodstcok resolution passed unanimously, no one is saying it will be easy, or particularly feasible. The feeling of this famously idealistic and creative town is that the real failure in life is not to confront problems and pursue dreams.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

March 23 and 24 Weekend Shows

Friday: the big event tonight is the benefit concert at Castaways for the Cayuga Nature Trail. The show has a compelling gimmick: all Beatles songs, covered by local bands. You have to be a real sour square not to love the noisy, nutty, happy Beatles, I once read (I was seven, I think).

The show includes Hubcap, Plastic Nebraska, Joe Crookston, Five2, Jaime Notarthomas, and others. Mary Lorson will be there and plans to perform "Cry Baby Cry", which alone will be worth the price of admission, which is of course goes to a good cause. Tickets at the door are $15. Doors open at 8 pm and the show will start at 9.

Saturday: the Roche Sisters are at the State Theater. The Roches were quite a revelation when they first hit the big time almost 30 years ago: great harmonies, great songs, artistically liberated, and funny. They are reunited as a touring and recording trio after a long hiatus. Highly recommended.

GrassRoots Festival Early Bird Tickets On Sale Now

Spring is officially here, and summer seems tantalizingly close with the availability of GrassRoots Festival tickets, on sale now at Small World Music and other locations.

In the past few years, tickets were available on 15 February. Printing problems delayed them until now for the 2007 festival, which goes from Thursday 19 July - Sunday 22.

Early Bird tickets are an especially good value this year, as their price has not increased, but advance sale tickets and at the gate prices have. Early Bird tickets are available through April, and are $65 for the four days. Advance sale tickets will be $85, and at the gate $105.

Tickets for individual days, and Youth tickets, are available only at the gate.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Author Jeremy Scahill to Ithaca?

Don't make plans just yet to go to Geneva on 17 April to see Jeremy Scahill, author of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" (see prior Ithaca Blog postings).

The Bookery 2 has made an inquiry with Scahill's publishers for an appearance at the Dewitt Mall bookstore on 18 April.

Stay posted to Ithaca Blog for developments.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

New Book on Blackwater

Jeremy Scahill, a reporter for the Nation magazine and radio's "Democracy Now!", has a new book on Blackwater USA, the private military contractor and security firm that acts as an army in Iraq, for billions of dollars in taxpayer money, without Congressional scrutiny.

"Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" was released last month, and has reached the best-seller list for non-fiction books.

Scahill will be appearing in Geneva in April for a reading.

Ithaca Blog has made inquiries to local bookstores to see about the possibility of Scahill coming to Ithaca.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

The Temptation of War, and Our Protection Against It

The temptation of war is understandably extreme for the Bush administration and those aligned with it.

It doesn't cost them anything, and it brings a lot of money.

The military itself is volunteer, made up of the working class. So the rich don't suffer or die or have their families sundered.

The current war is paid for not with increased taxes, as every previous American war was, but with increased debt, which the working and middle classes bear inordinately, and will for decades.

The war has already cost $500 billion. It will cost at least that much again, experts say, before it is over, with debt service, and for care for veterans afterward. (They don't speculate on how difficult it might be for the neediest actually to get that care.)

40 percent of all expenditure for the war goes to from the public sector to private contractors, such as Halliburton and Blackwater.

And, of course, the fundamental reason for the war is to control oil. If it was to nullify Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, we would have been back a long time ago.

With war so profitable for the powerful, it is a challenge to prevent it from happening unnecessarily, or under false pretenses.

That is why it is important for the current Democratic leadership in Congress to consider impeaching the president, who created this war with willful manipulation of facts.

The current war is an atrocity, of course. It is also a fearsome precedent, if its creation goes unchallenged.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Concerted Efforts for Peace in Ithaca

The crowds at the rally for peace on the Ithaca Commons and the peace concert at the State Theater on St. Patrick's Day were heartening.

Harsh weather threatened the Commons turnout, but 600 people, undaunted by the cold and snow, gathered for an end to the war.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey spoke to the crowd. Hinchey has been a forceful opponent to the war since the beginning.

Mr. Hinchey stayed for the Karan Casey concert, where he made brief remarks to the crowd of over 1,000. He received warm acknowledgement from the crowd for his leadership. (Before taking the stage, Mr. Hinchey expressed amused doubt at the suggestion that the crowd would stand for him. In fact, many did.)

Like our congressman, Ithaca as a community has shown great leadership for American principles of peaceful foreign policy, and law-abiding government at home. Let us continue.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Can Fall Creek Pictures Bring Back "God Grew Tired Of Us"?

It must have been a contractual point that had "God Grew Tired Of Us" in and out of Fall Creek Pictures in one week. Certainly it is not a reflection on the quality of this award-winning documentary, nor its ability to draw an audience (given time for word of mouth to spread), nor its importance.

"God Grew Tired" tells the story of the war in the Sudan, which orphaned thousands of children, who fled hundreds of miles on foot, in journeys lasting years, to asylum in a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. 3800 of them were selected for refugee status in the United States, and the film tells the story of three of them. One of the featured men is John Bul Dao, who came to Syracuse.

The film documents - not overly graphically - the horror of the war in Sudan, and the attendant horrors of genocide and deprivation, mass starvation and rampant disease. It also documents - again, in a gradual revelation - the mental and emotional challenges of survival, beyond the physical ones.

The challenges of survival abate somewhat in America, of course, but not entirely.

First, there are the challenges of a new and perplexingly modern country (before coming here, the men never, as one says, "used electricity", worrying about its possible complexity). Then there is the problem of money, when even with steady jobs and substinance living, the men find they can barely make ends meet, which they never expected in this land of riches. And then there is the harrowing loneliness of a society where people scarcely speak to one another - much less dance or sing together, as in the homeland the men knew.

John Bul Dao worked and went to college in Syracuse, and today is a leader for peace and humanitarian work. It is startling to think of a man with such a story here in central New York. But then it makes you think of the story of each of us, and the struggles behind each individual life to become better and more free. It makes you think about your neighbors, and speaking to them.

We hope that Fall Creek Cinema or Cinemapolis, its sister cinema, will bring the movie back for more people to see.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

St. Patrick's Weekend in Ithaca

Maybe it's because Ireland has suffered so much itself from foreign occupation and oppression that it is sensitive to issues of peace and justice. Maybe it's also part of the Irish character. The Irish are famously inimical to authority, especially when the authority is ill-used, as is usually the case. Ireland is one of the few European countries never to colonize nor occupy another.

This weekend in Ithaca, St. Patrick's Day becomes a rallying point for mass efforts for peace.

On Thursday and Friday, Cornell Cinema is showing a documentary on the Camden 28, the anti-Vietnam War activists who were acquited of criminal charges for destroying draft records in 1971. Ed McGowan, one of the defendants (and an Ithaca resident, and fiddler for the local Irish band, Traonach) will speak at the Thursday showing.

On Saturday, Karan Casey, the great Irish singer, performs a benefit concert at the State Theater for local peace groups. (See prior postings on Ithaca Blog for background and many details.) Tickets will be available at the door for $17, and in advance for $15 at Small World Music. Small World Music also has tickets available for senior and youth rates. Call 256-0428 for details.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Mealing Up: Restaurant Serendipity at Ithaca Ale House

We don't solicit free meals from restaurants for reviews like the Ithaca Times, and to be quite frank we don't want to get that fat, eating out all the time. So we don't really review restaurants at Ithaca Blog, so much as mention them occasionally, and then it tends to be ones we know and like already, not new ones we set out to explore.

But this past weekend we went out to a new one, by default: the Ithaca Ale House, and we liked it nicely enough to want to mention it.

The default part comes because we were supposed to meet friends last Saturday at one of our favorites, the Lost Dog, around the corner from the Eileen Ivers show we were going to at the State Theater. But the power went out in the neighborhood, and the Lost Dog was closed. So we had to scramble. Everywhere was jammed, with normal Saturday night trade, plus more from the restaurants that had been struck by unlighting.

Ithaca Ale House was the first place we found that could seat us in sufficient number (five) right away. So that was the place.

And it is a good place. At first glance it seems a lot like Benchwarmers, with a large sandwich and burger menu. And actually that was good enough for us that night. But they do have a number of specials that are more ambitious. One of us had one, a scallops dish, that had the trappings of fanciness, like a very, very large plate, and sauces laid out on it like a painting.

All the dishes were quite satisfactory, and the service was fast and pleasant. We told them we needed to get to a show on time, and they made sure that happened.

Befitting their name, by the way, and as you can imagine, they have a long list of beers, from sour to sweet, and the ones we tasted were fresh and good.

Ithaca Ale House is on Aurora Street, between Hal's Deli and Viva Tacqueria, in the old Wownet Cafe. Remnants of that tenant can be found in the many electrical outlets for internet use that was part of that place's raison d'etre and business plan, before there were computers everywhere on Earth.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Contest: Free Karan Casey Tickets for St. Patrick's Day

Our giveaway last week for the Karan Casey show was received so nice, we will do it twice.

We won't even ask a cute, leading question to promote the show. We will just give away the goods in a business-like manner. Send in your request for consideration to win (two tickets, Karan Casey Band, State Theater, Saturday 17 March), to Small World Music: sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Last week's winner was K.C., who fantasizes someday seeing Karan Casey's band at Taughannock in the summer. Congratulations, to KC, and thanks to all enterers.

Good luck! -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Weekend Activities, March 9 & 10

Friday 9 March: Before he was famous, Bob Dylan traveled to England to meet Martin Carthy, and hear him play. He came back with a headful of ideas that would drive him soon to fame, and a pocketful of songs from Carthy's repertoire to borrow and adapt with glee ("These tunes I am a-changing," he might have said). Tonight, the legendary Mr. Carthy is in Ithaca, with his wife and daughter, both accomplished songsters, too. At Kennedy Hall at Cornell, 8 p.m. Tickets $17 at the door, $15 in advance at Small World Music.

Saturday 10 March: Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul have held the Irish chair at GrassRoots Festival a few times, but they have substantial jazz and world influences, too. They are both virtuosic and rollicking. At the State Theater, 8 p.m. Special discount on ticket prices - practically 2 for 1 - if you also buy a ticket for the St. Patrick's Day show at the State, with Karan Casey.

After Eileen's show, you'll still have plenty of time to catch Boy With A Fish and Mary Lorson at the Chapter House. 10 p.m.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Now It's Courtside R.I.P.

The Courtside health club on East Hill will officially announce its closing today. The closing is scheduled for this Sunday, 11 March.

Rebate information for members will be posted on Courtside's website.

The closing comes three months after the planned closing of the City Health Club in downtown Ithaca, and its subsequent turnaround. City Health's planned closure spurred action from members, staff, investors, and others for an emergency plan to keep the club operating. It remains open today.

A similar turnaround for Courtside seems unlikely, with the short notice between the announcement and the planned closure.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Karan Casey on the Cover of the Pennysaver

Well, it was a paid ad, not an article. But it was a kick to see Karan Casey on the cover of the Pennysaver yesterday.

The peace groups sponsoring Karan's benefit concert are trying to reach out to new audiences. It will be a big effort trying to fill the State Theater. The show was originally scheduled for Kennedy Hall at Cornell, for significantly less rental. But the State Theater was vacant on St. Patrick's Day, and the organizers decided to undertake the challenge of making the show work there, to maximize the impact of the message for peace.

Ithaca Blog's giveaway of two tickets for the show is still underway. Check the posting from last Friday, and get in to win!

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Libby Found Guilty: Why It Happened This Way

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, ex-chief of staff for Vice President Cheney, was found guilty today on four of five felony counts of lying under oath in the investigation of the Valerie Plame case.

In 2003, the Bush administration leaked the identity of Ms. Plame, an undercover CIA agent, to the press in retaliation for criticism by her husband, Joseph Wilson, of the administration's justification for war in Iraq.

Mr. Libby was not charged as the original or sole source of the leak. No one was, although the investigation revealed that Libby, Karl Rove, and Richard Armitage of the Bush administration all provided information to journalists about Ms. Plame's identity.

Why didn't the prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, charge anyone with the original offense under investigation?

Because that case hinged on intent, and intent is a tough thing to prove.

Almost anything is tough to prove in court, beyond a reasonable doubt. Murder is hard to prove. Look at O.J. Simpson. Look at John Gotti. Simpson was acquitted. Mob guys historically go down not for their real, most serious crimes, but for ancillary crimes you can prove, like income tax evasion.

Successful prosecution of a serious crime usually requires a confession, a witness, or an informer.

No one in the Bush administration was about to confess.

So Fitzgerald investigated, and interrogated, and waited for someone in the conspiracy to trip, by lying under oath. Libby tripped.

Once that happened, the prosecutor's goal is to turn the person caught in a lie into a witness. He offers immunity for testimony against the bigger guys who ran everything.

Libby didn't bite. Why would he? If he turns evidence, his professional career is ruined for all time. His livelihood depends on patronage.

If, instead, he takes his chances with a jury, he might easily win. Even if he loses, it's just a temporary blip in his career. He does 18 to 36 months in a playpen, and when he gets out, he gets taken care of. That's happening already. Republicans have raised millions of dollars for him: a lot more money than he would ever earn otherwise.

So, today, he is found guilty, and justice is served, at least technically. Fitzgerald didn't get to try the cases he wanted. But he tried the case he could, and he won.

And he brought to light the facts of the administration conspiracy. Today, Fitzgerald said, "It's not the verdict that justifies the investigation. It's the facts."

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Contest: Win Karan Casey Tickets!

This week's quiz question: How can you have a better St. Patrick's Day than to spend it at the State Theater with Karan Casey's band, at a concert to benefit local peace work?

Post a reply to that question here at Ithaca Blog, or send one to Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com, for a chance to win two tickets to Karan's concert on Saturday, 17 March. The winner will be randomly selcted from all entries.

The winner of last week's contest was E.R.W., who reckons that "Scooter" Libby is guilty as charged for perjury and obstruction of justice on all 5 counts. ERW identified himself as a lawyer, and characterized his response as an opinion, not a prediction. "You can never tell, with a jury", he said.

Congratulations to E., who won a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music, and thanks to all who entered.

Luck of the Irish to you this week.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Journal's No Opinion Page

The Ithaca Journal has to be the only paper in the country with a No Opinion policy on its Opinion page.

Granted, it's not a strict policy. The Journal is happy to offer opinions on less consequential matters. But on important issues, they offer paralysis.

The current example is the school bond vote. It's a big issue. Should the school district spend $98.4 million to upgrade facilities? The vote is next week.

The Journal's stance? It's too important an issue for them to have an opinion. They really said that.

They said the same thing in the very important election for district attorney last year. You may remember, the differences between the two candidates, liberal Democrat Gwen Wilkenson and conservative Republican George Dentes, could hardly have been more pronounced. But rather than offer any guidance, the Journal took a pass. They said their responsibility is to present facts, and let readers make up their own minds.

Well, no. Presenting facts is half a newspaper's job. Presenting opinion is the other. Then the readers evaluate the facts, and the opinion, and they make an informed vote. Readers count on their newpaper not only to report, but to evaluate, and to endorse, and to offer all those things for scrutiny.

Like the d.a.'s race, the school bond issue is immensely important to this town, and is hotly contested. In such situations, you can count on the Journal to duck.

Is it because they don't want to offend anybody? Hardly. They offend people a fair amount.

It's that they don't want to back a loser. If they can't tell who's going to win, they say nothing. And you are out of luck looking for responsible opinion leadership in your town.

Maybe there is hope for change, if readers wrote demanding leadership from them. Then they might realize the damage they do to their own credibility by dodging the issues we count on them to analyze.

Or maybe they just don't care. They are the only daily newspaper in town.

But there are other media these days. Such as this weblog. Ours is a modest enterprise, to be sure. But there seems to be room to grow into the shoes the Journal refuses to fill.

For the record: we support the bond proposal.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Concert for Peace: Karan Casey at the State Theater, March 17 - An Interview with Ellen Grady

Irish singer Karan Casey brings her band to the State Theater on St. Patrick's Day, Saturday 17 March, for a benefit concert to end the war in Iraq and illegal procedures in the military prison in Guatanamo Bay. Ellen Grady of the Ithaca Catholic Worker, one of the sponsors of the concert, spoke to Ithaca Blog.

Ithaca Blog: The Ithaca Catholic Worker has sponsored an annual St. Patrick's Day concert for peace for a number of years now.

Ellen Grady: Since 1997, almost every year. The first one was with Solas, when Karan was with them. When she left, she did the shows with her band. Not every year. Some years she couldn't, and we had Lunasa, and Sharon Shannon. And one year Solas, with their new singer, Deirdre Scanlon.

IB: Any particular reason behind the Irish connection?

Ellen: Well, at first it was just a personal connection. The idea for the shows was actually Karan's. Coming from Ireland, the history of living under oppression is not that distant. You know what it means. You can hear it in Karan's songs.

IB: What are the goals of the concert?

Ellen: They change from year to year. In general, we're speaking out against war and militarism. This year, the focus is correcting the situation in Guatanamo, where hundreds of people are being held without habeus corpus, without being charged with anything. We're speaking out, saying this is not what America is about, what the Constitution provides for. We're doing a lot of work with the Center for Constitutional Rights.

IB: Have you had any contact with legislators?

Ellen: We talk to politicians all the time.

IB: Talk?

Ellen: Well, you know, letters, phone calls, e-mails. Office visits. We've gone to all our elected representatives offices in Washington.

IB: Their response?

Ellen: Maurice Hinchey has been great. He's been great on the war since the beginning.

IB: Have you invited him to the concert?

Ellen: We haven't, I don't think. Not specifically. Maybe we should. That's a nice idea.

IB: A lot of times you hear`the phrase "compassion fatigue" about activist issues. Is the concert series a response to that? The idea of doing good while having fun, listening to music and celebrating?

Ellen: What they're doing, the Bush administration, is hurting America. Is saying no, is taking away from life-giving activities. We didn't have a concert last year, when members of our group were being sentenced for their anti-war activity. We didn't have a lot of energy. This year, we didn't either! But when Karan called us, and offered to do this show, and on St. Patrick's Day? You can't say no to St. Patrick's Day.

IB: And on a Saturday.

Ellen: And on a Saturday!


- Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Solomon Burke at State Theater

The State Theater hosts its first performance by a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when Solomon Burke, "The King of Rock and Soul", appears this Thursday, 1 March.

Mr. Burke was a contemporary and colleague of Ray Charles at Atlantic Records in the 1950s and '60s. Like Charles, Burke was a crossover artist who had chart-topping hits in soul, blues, rock, and country.

Burke was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and won a Grammy for his subsequent album in 2002. He has a new album, "Nashville", that features duets with some of the greatest female talent in country music: Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Patty Loveless, and Gillian Welch.

Burke's songs have been covered by the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, among many others. Tom Waits calls him "one of the architects of American music."

Mr. Burke will appear on the Late Night with Conan O'Brian on NBC on Monday, 26 February, before his State Theater performance. The following week, Burke performs at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City.

The Ithaca Calvary Baptist Church Choir opens the show in welcoming this legendary figure to Ithaca.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Contest: "Scooter" Libby

This week's contest asks for a response to the question, " 'Scooter' Libby: innocent or guilty?"

You can predict, opine, or comment in any way. Every response will be eligible for the weekly prize, a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music. You can post a reply to this posting, or you can reply via e-mail to sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

The randomly-selected winner to last week's contest was Catharine, who recognized Bob Dylan as the author of a quoted piece of verse - from his song, circa 1978, "Changing of the Guards". Congratulations to Catharine, and thanks to all who entered.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Ithaca Weekend, Feb. 23 & 24

Friday: Is it coincidence or by savvy design that Teachers' Lounge plays at Castaways the week of the "Ithaca Loves Teachers" promotion? T.L. does an early show, at 5:30.

Hank Roberts and Thousands of One come to Castaways later, for a 9:30 show - a very special show, a benefit for Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles, which has re-opened in a new home at 530 W. Buffalo Street. Suggested donation is pretty low, at $5 - $10.


Saturday: the biggest show biz event of the weekend is comedian/ventriloquist/puppeteer Jeff Dunham at the State Theater. Dunham (with his suitcase contingency) has made numerous appearances on the Tonight Show, among other broadcasts, and tours the country pretty busily. 8 p.m.

Many good local musicians are performing tonight: Sera Smolen and Tom Mank at the ABC Cafe, Five2 at the Blue Stone Bar and Grill on Aurora Street, and Joejo at the Chapter House. All three are simultaneous starts, at 10 p.m.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Quick Guide for Visitors to Real-Life Ithaca

With a few hundred teachers visiting Ithaca for the "Winter Recess" promotion, Ithaca Blog offers now a quick tutorial on some nitty-gritty Ithaca offerings the official brochures might not cover. Not in any particular order, not even alphabetical. Sorry, teach. No extra credit for us.

Drinks: Maxie's is always an attractive and friendly place for a good drink, but this week even moreso, as the loosely New Orleans themed nightspot celebrates Mardi Gras. Maxie's is on the corner of W. State and S. Fulton Streets.

Coffee: Gimme Coffee is possibly the best, and definitely the most up-to-date-Ithacan in character. There's one branch in the 500 block of West State Street, a block east of Maxie's, and another at the corner of Cascadilla and N. Cayuga Streets. Ithaca Bakery is an Ithaca institution, with 5 branches, at last count, with good coffee, and good deli-style food.

Music store: Small World Music (sponsor of this site) features local and world music, as well as rock and pop, blues, jazz, folk, bluegrass, gospel, and other styles - the kind of music you hear at festivals; the new releases you hear on NPR, for example. Located at 614 W. State St., down the driveway. Between Gimme Coffee and Maxie's, now that we think of it.
Special offer: mention this posting, and Small World Music will take 20% off any purchase this week.

Pizza: Pizza Aroma is the most NY style, and the best. Never gloppy, always folds, with a good cornmeal-flecked crust. Good selection of varieties, including vegan. The proprietor, Mauricio, is our pal. He's from El Salvador and you can catch up on international soccer or Spanish-language soaps on his new TV. At the corner of Green and S. Cayuga Streets.

Library: If you are a library-interested kind of person, Ithaca has a splendid one, befitting a college town, which is open every day. It's right across the street from Pizza Aroma.

Bookstore: The Bookery is the hometown bookstore that fastidious locals love. It's in the Dewitt Mall, which also has a branch of GreenStar natural foods co-op (the main branch is on the West End, at the corner of Fulton and Seneca), and the renowned Moosewood Restaurant, home of many a visitor photo-op.

Radio: WHCU-AM, 870 has an old-fashioned local news show each morning from 6 to 10 a.m. It's fun, if a little heavy lately on the regional high school sports results. WEOS-FM, 88.1 is the hippest of the NPR stations, with Amy Goodman at 9 a.m., after Morning Edition, which broadcasts from 5 to 7 a.m., and re-broadcasts from 7 to 9. WICB-FM, 91.7 has locally-made specialty music shows each morning from 10 until noon.

Restaurants: Maxie's is always good, but so is Just A Taste, on the other side of town, on N. Aurora Street, with an inventive menu with a ton of great choices, and a good wine list, with flights available. The dessert of choice is the warm chocolate souffle cake, mit schlag. Trust me.

ABC Cafe is a hip joint half way up the hill to Cornell, on Stewart Av., just off Buffalo (the Cornell side). Great vegetarian and vegan items, and a different ethnic menu each night, and a great breakfast, too. Beer and wine available. And they take 100% Ithaca Hours, the local money. You can find out about Hours, if so inclined, with a Directory (2007's is imminent; 2006's can still be found around town), or at www.ithacahours.org, or by visiting Small World Music, unofficial HQ of the community cash.

Viva Tacqueria has good, cheap Mexican-style food, and a lot of tequilas. At the corner of E. State and N. Aurora Streets.

You probably didn't come to Ithaca for french fries, a hamburger, and sports TV, but if you did, Benchwarmers on the Commons is pretty good for such indulgences.

Diner: The State Diner is the quintessential small town 24 hour diner. All-day breakfast. In the 400 block of West State Street.

Gifts: You can find nice, affordable gifts on the Commons, at 10,000 Villages and Habitat, and just off the Commons, at Handworks, an artists' co-operative.

Have fun -

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Contest

With teachers arriving in town for Ithaca's "Winter Recess" tourism promotion, we thought we would have an erudite contest asking for the author of a piece of verse. Here it is:

"Gentlemen," he said, "I don't need your organization;
I've shined your shoes, I've moved your mountains and marked your cards.
But Eden is burning - either brace yourself for elimination,
Or prepare your hearts with courage for the changing of the guards."

Is it:

A. W. B Yeats
B. Robert W. Service
C. Bob Dylan
C. George A. Strong

A winner will be randomly selected from correct answers for a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music, your hometown CD shop and center of enjoyable erudition. Send your entry directly to Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Thanks, and good luck!

Steve Burke

P.S.
Last week's winner was Paula of Ithaca, who knew that chicory is the featured special ingredient in New Orleans-style coffee. No one submitted a correct answer about the beignets, which are customarily served in an order of three in New Orleans. Congratulations to Paula, and thanks to all who entered.

Red beans and ricely,
Steve

Weekend Activities, 16 - 18 Feb.

The best events for this weekend are the ones we presaged with advanced heads-up in last week's listings: The Red Hot Bluegrass Series at the State Theater, which features Sam Bush on Friday night, Jerry Douglas on Saturday night, and a family show on Sunday afternoon.

And on Sunday, Po' Girl at Castaways, and Viuex Farka Toure of Mali at the Haunt.

Toure got an exceptional review in the New York Times this week for his performances at Joe's Pub in Manhattan last weekend. Ithaca Blog highlighted this, his first American tour, in two postings last week.

Have a good time -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Blog and Small World Music Welcome Teachers

Ithaca Blog and Small World Music welcome the hundreds of teachers who will visit Ithaca this week for the nationally-recognized "Winter Recess" promotion (see previous Blog entry for details).

We'd like to make an inviting welcome, by offering a 20% discount on everything at Small World Music. See our link on this site for information about our funky little CD store.

Our hours are 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Welcome to Ithaca! We hope you will stop in and say hello.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

"Winter Recess": Ithaca Invites Teachers on Vacation

Eighty percent of New York teachers will be on winter vacation next week, and Ithaca is sponsoring a citywide tourism promotion to attract them.

The promotion, "Winter Recess", has discounts for teachers at dozens of hotels, restaurants, and shops, and 75 special events, most of them free.

The events range from the decidedly educational, such as a tour of Cornell's Mars Exploration facility, to the decidedly recreational, such as spa and winery visits.

The promotion for vacationing teachers has been recognized in the national press as the first of its kind. Organizers have reported a large response, and expect 700 or more visitors.

For more information, see www.ithacalovesteachers.com.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Media, the Truth, the Nazis, and Your Neighbor

It seems unfathomable that in this age of so much media, with its capacity for instant worldwide communication, it is harder and takes longer than ever to get the truth about politics.

The Watergate affair of the Nixon administration unraveled in a little over two years, from the commission of the crime, to the cover-up, through its unveiling in the media, to the congressional hearings, and the resignation of the president.

By comparison, it is almost 4 years since the Bush administration manipulated intelligence information to lead us into war in Iraq, and conspired criminally to discredit its critics, and so far only one official has been charged with a crime, and we are still in the midst of the trial.

Hillary Clinton is campaigning for president as a candidate of towering intellect and vast knowledge of the workings of Washington. Yet when asked about her vote for the war in Iraq, she says she didn't know enough at the time to vote against it.

She didn't? Everyone I know did. So what was Hillary reading? Or not reading?

It might be that the profusion of the media works against the truth. It provides that many more outlets to propagate lies. It makes it infinitely easier to drown out the truth, and to further crooked aims.

Fifteen years ago, I left journalism school in a bout of disillusionment of the willingness of the media to put forth the truth. A teacher said to me, "Look, if you want to find out the truth, don't talk to a journalist or a politician. They have too much to protect. Talk to your neighbor."

And this story might not be true, but I heard it, and it is at least instructive. In the 1960's, a Nazi official in jail for war crimes was talking about the Third Reich, and its success at deceiving the German citizenry with its propaganda. He said, wistfully, "If we had had television?... There would have been no stopping us."

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Contest: New Orleans Coffee, and/or Beignets

A lot of people noticed that George W. Bush didn't even mention New Orleans in his 2007 State of the Union address. They say he doesn't like to dwell on things.

When he went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina - a good long time after - he didn't stay in the city. He stayed on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf. It was safer that way, for him.

Well, we love and care about New Orleans, and with Mardi Gras arriving in less than two weeks, we thought we would make NOLA the subject of this weekend's quiz.

It's about the cuisine - one little part of it, but an important part. Louisiana coffee is unique for a particular ingredient used in the brewing. What is it?

Here's a second shot at profiting from New Orleans knowledge. When you order the unique New Orleans deep-fried dough pastry called the beignet, how many do you typically get? This is New Orleans, chere, where they dearly love to commit eating, so be assured the answer is not one.

Answer either question and you're eligible for a randomly-selected $10 gift certificate to Small World Music. Send your reply to sworldmu@twcny.rr.com. We send a reply to all entries, so if you don't get one, maybe try again by typing in our address on an email message. We have had some technical troubles, now and again, with our link. Or phone it in to Small World Music at 256-0428.

Small World Music is running a Mardi Gras special, with $2 off any NOLA, or LA, record or compact disc. You'll find Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, Boozoo Cavis, Keith Frank, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Geno Delafose, Allen Tossaint with Elvis Costello, and others, including some nice compilations.

Bonne chance -
Steve Burke

Shareeka Epps, "Half Nelson" Actress, in Binghamton Presentation, 17 Feb.

Shareeka Epps, who made her highly-acclaimed film debut this year in the Oscar-nominated "Half Nelson", will be at a special screening of the film in Binghamton on Saturday, 17 February, at Spool Mfg., a new art space in Binghamton (actually, in outlying Johnson City).

"Half Nelson" is an inner-city drama set (and actually shot) in Brooklyn, where the 17-year old Ms. Epps was born. She now lives in Binghamton, where she attends high school.

This year, Ms. Epps will be featured in "Neal Cassady", a film about the Beat Generation figure, and "Alien Vs. Predator 2".

The screening of "Half Nelson" is part of a presentation that will also include art showings and music at Spool Mfg., a renovated warehouse which Binghamton residents hope will start an artistic renaissance in the area.

Spool Mfg. is located at 138 Baldwin Street in Johnson City.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Entertainment, This Weekend (and Beyond)

It's cold outside, but things are heating up in a lot of local music venues.

Saturday 10 Feb. brings a Bob Marley Tribute Show for the master's birthday, with a bevy of local musicians, including Richie Stearns and Pat Burke. It's a benefit concert at Castaway's, at 8 p.m.

The Mofos will bring hi-octane, premium volume rock to the Chapter House at 10 p.m.

Sunday 11 Feb. : The Hogwarshers play that real good old-time music at Maxie's, starting at 6 p.m. (In the same vein, the Chicken Fried String Band play at Maxie's, Tuesday at 6 p.m.)

Jennie Stearns appears at Felicia's Atomic Lounge, with everybody's buddy Johnny Dowd. 7 p.m.

Bound For Glory favorites Small Potatoes return to the venerable Anabel Taylor Hall venue for three free sets, starting at 8:30.

And a heads-up on some big shows next week:

Wednesday 14 Feb.: The Tarbox Ramblers play "dark, danceable, primitive blues" at Castaways, at 8 p.m.

Friday through Sunday, Feb. 16-18: The State Theater presents Red Hot Bluegrass, a 3-night extavaganza featuring Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Sproutin' at the Roots headlining successive nights, all with special guests.

Sunday 18 Feb. : Vieux Farka Toure, son of and successor to Malian superstar Ali Farka Toure, brings a special benefit performance for African relief to the Haunt at 7 p.m. See previous posting on Ithaca Blog for the full story on the tour, and Vieux Toure's own incipient stardom.

Po' Girl, with members of the Be Good Tanyas, come to Castaways at 7:30. They play and sing old-timey, cajun, country, jazz, and what-all, and they do it to rich acclaim.

Enjoy yourself -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

The Biggest Loser: Weighty Choices

It might surprise a lot of people in our non-televisioncentric town, as it did us recently, that there is a hit show on mainstream, network TV with the ungenteel title, The Biggest Loser. It doesn't have to do with personalities. It has to do with bodies. It's a weekly program where you watch obese people compete to lose weight.

A freak show? A race to the bottom in base TV programming? An abhorrent aberration?

Perhaps. But also immensely (sorry) popular.

The show is actually not as gross as it might be. It has a veneer of self-help boosterism, which can actually make it seem redeeming at times, if you don't stop to think about it too much, which of course is not a helpful practice with almost any TV viewing.

The show is a phenomenon, which actually is not so surprising when you consider its vast potential constituency. Recent government figures indicate that 127 million Americans - almost two-thirds of the adult population - are overweight.

Americans spend over $1 billion dollars a year on non-prescription weight-loss products that are not approved for safety or effectiveness. Today it was announced that a government-approved product is about to hit the market.

It's a pill called Alli, and it claims regular use can lead to weight loss of 5 to 10 percent.

Alli works by impeding the absorption of fat in the intestines, thus blocking calories.

One problem is that it also blocks nutrients. Thus, users are told to take a multi-vitamin supplement.

Another problem is the unfortunate side effect of "occasional loss of bowel control." We will let you imagine the details and ramifications of that.

There is also the problem of potential abuse. If the recommended dosage can help you lose 10%, why not double it and lose 20%?

Our society seems to have this idea that no problem is too tough for television and pills. But of course, dependency on television and pills is often the precise problem.

Obesity does have what is called a familial component - that is, not quite genetic, but influenced by family traits. But lifestyle components are important.

At the center of this is television, with game shows about the obese for the sedentary overweight, with orgiastic commercials for pizza, tacos, and soda.

It would be great if viewers took the title of the show personally. We are losers to succumb to such junk, and to revel in quick fixes. One key to real-life winning is the key to the front door, and a long walk outside. Maybe to the library, for something healthy for our minds that doesn't cost any more than TV. And when you get back home, if you hear somebody saying "Open the door, it's Domino's" - that's not a greeting, it's a threat!

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Fighting Malaria: Ithaca Concert by Vieux Farka Toure

The recent spate of media attention to political and health crises in Africa is certainly good, if sometimes seemingly a bit artificial, with celebrities such as Gwenyth Paltrow and Sarah Jessica Parker featured in ads declaring, "I Am African."

Vieux Farka Toure is African, and is coming to Ithaca on a concert tour to promote a major health effort that is intensely personal to him: the fight against malaria, the leading cause of infant mortality in Africa.

Vieux Farka Toure is a guitarist from Mali, the African nation recognized as the ancestral home of blues music. He is the son of Ali Farka Toure, the legendary guitarist who, more than anyone, made clear the connections of Malian music and its American cousin, with his historically authoritative and powerful playing.

Ali Farka Toure died in 2006. Vieux Farka Toure is now continuing his father's legacy with his first solo release and tour. Part of Toure's work is to bring attention and financial support to the fight against malaria, which plagues his homeland, and his hometown of Niafunke.

Niafunke is a familiar name to fans of Ali Farka Toure, who named an album after his town. (He also famously, if facetiously, promoted his town after winning his first Grammy award, and declining to travel to the U.S. to receive it. He said, "I don't know what a Grammy means, but if someone has something for me, they can come and give it to me here in Niafunke, where I was singing when nobody knew me.") Vieux Farka Toure is working with UNICEF to provide every pregnant woman in Niafunke's region with a treated mosquito net, considered the most effective preventive measure against malaria.

A schedule quirk in Toure's tour left him with an open date between appearances in Toronto and New York, which he is filling with an appearance at the Haunt in Ithaca on Sunday, 18 February.

Music fans will have a rare exposure to a powerful tradition of which Toure is now perhaps the most important proponent. His playing is respectful of its roots, both historical and immediate, but authoritative and moving on its own.

Showtime is 7 pm. Tickets are only $10 in advance, or $12 on the day of the show. Advance tickets are available at Small World Music, 614 W. State St., and at the Ithaca Guitar Works in the Dewitt Mall.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Cartoon Terrorism Scare: the Difference Between Boston and New York

Turner Broadcasting System agreed to pay a million dollar fine to the city of Boston for a marketing stunt involving cartoon figures which ignited fears in the city of a terrorist bombing campaign.

Electronic icons of cartoon figures put in public places to advertise the Cartoon Network show, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", set off a scare that led to closings of an interstate highway, subway stations, bridges, and parts of the Charles River.

Meanwhile, the same campaign ran in New York City, where there was not a single call to 911. Turner Broadcasting said that the majority of the icons placed in New York were apparently stolen.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

John Edwards, Running Hard and Fast for President

It's easy to see why Hillary Rodham Clinton is considered the favorite in the Democratic race for the 2008 presidential nomination, if money and recognition are the criteria.

But if the benchmarks are strong positions and straight talk, it's hard to see why it's not John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who ran for the vice presidency for the Democrats in 2004.

Senator Clinton's gift, or curse, of equivocating are familiar enough to have been bitingly lampooned on television's Saturday Night Live last week. The show had Senator Clinton explaining her record on Iraq:

"If we knew then what we know now, that you could vote against the war and still become president, I would never have pretended to support it."

Sen. Clinton has yet to take any leadership towards ending the war, and has even said that additional military action in the Middle East, against Iran, "should not be taken off the table."

Meanwhile, Edwards has repudiated his vote for the war, and has called on Sen. Clinton to do the same. He has called "meaningless" current nonbinding resolutions against the war, which are supported by Senator Clinton and the other leading Democratic contender, Senator Barack Obama. Edwards is calling for a complete withdrawal from Iraq in 12 to 18 months.

On another major issue, Edwards appeared on "Meet the Press" last week and described a plan to provide health insurance for the almost 50 million Americans who do not have it. Edwards says he would raise taxes on people making more than $200,000 a year to help pay for the plan.

The New York Times, covering the first steps of Edwards' campaign, comparing it to his run for the vice presidency under John Kerry, says "his campaign voice is different, at times angry and more impatient." Edwards says, "I just find it easier to be more candid now."

In an era where political caution has been so costly, even deadly, Edwards might run long and well on candor.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Scene, Feb. 2 - 4

There's a lot to do in town this weekend besides watching a football game. (Although, if you plan to do some of that, see our contest posting for this week, and enter to win by thinking of two numbers).

Friday 2 Feb: The Katherine Aelias Band play an early show at Castaways, at 5:30. They have a new CD called "Ripped at the Seams". They're followed at 8 pm by Exit Clov.

Out west in Trumansburg, the El Caminos play a western garage kind of rock. Their CD, "Business In the Front...Party in the Back!" features songs such as "Folsom Prison Blues" and a couple of Fred Eaglesmith covers, and the originals talk about Nascar, big belt buckles, Weber grills, Iris Dement, Fox News, peace in the valley, and other poignant elements of life. At the Pourhouse, 7 pm.

Saturday 3 Feb.: The biggest event of the weekend not involving tackling or kicking - but, rather, dancing and healing - is the Benefit Concert for the Ithaca Free Health Clinic at the State Theater, with the Horseflies, the Sim Redmond Band, Thousands of One, and Trevor MacDonald, a veritable surplus of local musical riches. Tickets are $10, or one Ithaca Hour. The show starts at 8 pm, but doors open at 7, to allow for schmooze time. Now that's an Ithaca event.

Sunday 4 Feb. Maxie's is conceding defeat to the Superbowl, and closing early on Sunday (no TV on the premises, which usually is a blessing). But they will party early, with entertainment at brunch, featuring old timey music by Richie Stearns, Pat Burke, and Steve Selin. 11 am - 2 pm.

The only thing the Irish love nearly as much as music is sport (well, the only other thing), so Kilpatrick's is also avoiding conflict with the ballgame, by presenting the great local Irish band, Traonach, at 5 p.m. They do, however, have TV there, if you end up staying for one last song, or one for the road. In the Hilton Hotel, 130 E. Seneca St.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Super Bowl Contest

Believe us, we have problems with football: the commercialism, the hype, the violence. Especially the violence, and if you don't, check out the current NY Times article, "Dark Days Follow Hard-Hitting Career in N.F.L.", which tells of brain damage and other serious health problems among N.F.L. veterans still in their 30's.

We think it is incumbent on the league to alleviate the violence. It can be easily done with simple rule changes, which would enhance rather than detract from the game.

Whatever its folly, the Superbowl is a powerful national hypnotic, with its mix of athleticism, now-or-never competitiveness, bookmaking opportunities, corn chips, and commercials with monkeys.

Shamefully or not, we personally are not immune. So our contest this week invites your prognostication. Our weekly contest usually does not involve strict adhesion to right answers to win, but we think for this one it shall. The closest prediction to the outcome of the game wins a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music, 614 W. State St, down the driveway, next to the new home office of the Ithaca Breast Cancer alliance.

You can post your answer publicly here, if you are bold, or you can submit it in private to Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com. We send receipt verification to all entries, as we have had some technical problems receiving some, so if you don't get one from us, try typing in our address rather than using this link, or phone us at 256-0428.

Thanks and good luck!
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Molly Ivins, Rest in Peace

A great writer is lost to us with the passing of Molly Ivins, the liberal Texas journalist and author. Ms. Ivins waged a public battle against breast cancer for seven years. She was 62.

Ms. Ivins was a clear-eyed and caustic critic of conservative politicians in her home state and nationally. But her writing was devoid of sanctimony or hectoring. Instead it was filled with common sense, passion, and humor.

Ms. Ivins worked for a time for the New York Times, which she eventually left, declaring it "a great newspaper, but No Fun." She wrote for scores of periodicals over the years, and authored six books, but her professional and spiritual base was the Texas Observer, the biweekly paper founded in the 1950's to provide, according to its motto, "Sharp Reporting From the Strangest State in the Union."

Ms. Ivins worked until the end. Last autumn, she gave a speech at the University of Texas and could barely speak above a whisper. She implored the students to use their abilites to make a difference in the world. She was impatient with apathy. "Politics is not a picture on a wall or a televison sitcom you can decide you don't much care for," she said.

Molly Ivins ended one of her last columns, "Stand Up Against the Surge", with these words:


We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on January 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

Thank you, Molly Ivins.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

National Attention for Local Currency: Ithaca Hours in Communities Magazine

It's a fair bet that, world-wide, more people outside Ithaca than in Ithaca know about Hours, Ithaca's own money.

Total number of people, we mean. Not percentage-wise.

Hours has been featured on ABC News, on the BBC, in Forbes magazine, Harper's magazine, and in journals and on radio throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Still, a local currency is valuable to the extent that local people are familiar with it. So let us share some recent national publicity for Ithaca Hours: excerpts from an article that appears in the winter edition of Communities magazine. The theme of the edition is Helping Your Local Economy Thrive. The article is simply titled, Local Currencies. It is used by permission of its author (myself!). - SB

# # #

Ithaca is a small town in central New York. Located far from the financial hub of New York City, Ithaca is closer to northern Rust Belt and Snow Belt cities ravaged by rising energy costs and vanishing jobs. Underemployment is a perennial problem in Ithaca, where a large workforce in a competitive work environment translates into low wages.

Ithaca Hours was planned as a local money to build the town's economy without depending on scarce dollars. The idea was to create a completely new revenue stream to promote jobs and trade. Dollars could be saved for other purposes.

Ithaca Hours is a member-based organization. Anyone is welcome to use Hours. But members sustain the system with an annual fee of $10 (or its equivalent, one Hour). This fee brings each member an annual disbursement of two Ithaca Hours, worth $20. With about 500 members currently, this constitutes a flow of $10,000 worth of new money into the local economy each year. Since its start in 1991, the system has put well over $100,000 worth of currency into circulation.

Members are listed in annual Directory that acts as a Yellow Pages for the goods and services they offer. Hours prints 5,000 Directories and circulates them throughout the area all year. The Directory is also online (www.ithacahours.org), so new entries can constantly be added, unlike the Yellow Pages.

At first, the Hours system consisted primarily of people trading services. Businesses questioned accepting a currency they couldn't use for expenses such as utilities, taxes, and goods purchased outside the community.

But as membership in Hours grew, businesses saw the advantages of reaching a large group of people with money they were eager to spend.

Hours are a particular advantage in competing with chain stores which do not accept local currency. While not devoid of chain stores on the fringes of town, Ithaca is one of the few cities in the region today with a healthy and attractive downtown.

Businesses can make sure they do not amass more Hours than they can use by setting their own acceptance policies. Most accept a limited percentage of Hours per transaction. But some aggressive businesses accept 100% Hours, for a very distinct competitive advantage.

Local currencies demonstrate what economists call a multiplier effect: because they do not leave their locality, they increase local activity. For example, an Hour spent at an independent book or music store will soon be spent at another local business, while a percentage of each dollar spent at a Borders outlet will soon leave the community for the company's corporate headquarters.

Hours makes interest-free loans to members wishing to start or build businesses. The system also makes regular grants to charities and community groups.

Besides its economic utility, a local currency builds community spirit and pride. Hours users find that the act of spending them leads to conversation and comraderie, something a Visa card generally doesn't do. Local currencies such as Ithaca Hours show the power of ordinary people to solve even the toughest problems (not enough money!) with creative action, taken together.

Stephen Burke

Ithaca Free Clinic Concert: The Show Goes On

The benefit concert for the Ithaca Free Clinic will go on this Saturday, 3 February.

The show was jeopardized because its original venue, Club Euphoria, has been denied a liquor license and will close.

The show will relocate to the State Theater.

Some of Ithaca's most prominent bands will play to benefit the Free Clinic, which is celebrating its first year of providing free health care in its clinic on S. Fulton St. Scheduled to perform are the Horseflies, the Sim Redmond Band, Thousands of One, and Trevor MacDonald.

Doors will open at 7 pm and the music will start at 8. Tickets are $10, and Ithaca Hours are accepted.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog