Cornell Basketball Clinches Ivy Championship, Gains Tournament Berth

Cornell's men's basketball became the first team in the nation to secure a spot in this year's NCAA tournament, clinching the Ivy League championship with a home win over Harvard last night.

Harvard has not won a road game this year. The Crimson lead by 5 points early, until Cornell tied at 11, then went on a 34-9 run the rest of the half.

Cornell played its bench for much of the second half. All 15 players on the active roster played at least 4 minutes in front of a full house witnessing basketball history at the Newman Center.`

Cornell is undefeated against Ivy League rivals, with two road games to go. On Friday 7 March, Cornell plays at Penn, attempting to end an 18-game losing streak there.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

What's Doing, Feb. 29 - March 2

Friday 2/29: Richie Stearns, Pat Burke, and Steve Selin play happy hour at Felicia's. The configuration is a preview of the new Evil City String Band (with bassist Ben Gould, who does not appear tonight), which is meant to be a permanent thing, with a CD out before long. 5:30 pm.

Saturday 3/1: Gadje plays gypsy music at the ABC Cafe, 10 pm. Across the street, at the same time, J-san and the Analogue Sons are at the Chapter House.

Sunday 3/2: Dan Zanes brings his "Woodstock for kids" to the State Theater, 3 pm. Adults $20, kids and seniors $15.

Aro Veno plays a midday show at the Common Ground, from 3 - 5 pm, featuring material from her new CD, Barefoot in the Grapes. At 5:00, there is a special $5 linguine and meatballs dinner with salad and soup.

The Hogwarshers at Maxie's, 7:30 pm.

Have a good weekend -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Cornell Basketball Season: Chance to Clinch This Weekend

Undefeated in the Ivy League, Cornell's men's basketball hosts Dartmouth on Friday and Harvard on Saturday with a chance to clinch the league championship.

Cornell is poised to become the first Ivy League champion other than Penn or Princeton in twenty years.

Harvard is an accredited school located in New England. Among its graduates is George W. Bush, who completed an advanced program there.

Dartmouth is reportedly a United States college, although no one has ever seen it or can name any of its faculty or graduates.

Both games are at 7 pm. Tickets are only $6 and available by phone from 254-BEAR. Seating is general admission.

Steve "Sportsbeat" Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Starbucks' Espresso Taste Test

We stopped at Starbucks this morning, after a trip to the post office, mostly to see if the baristas were sporting armbands (see yesterday's I.Blog post). They weren't. We were a little disappointed, actually.

We figured as long as we were there, we would check out their operations.

An old rule in quickie restaurant reviews is that the plainest thing on the menu will tell a lot about a place.

We decided to try the espresso, which is not as plain as coffee, except in Italy, where it is favored over cups of coffee, because it is faster to drink (hence the name). It requires a little expertise to make, and has a certain lore about it, and important details to its presentation.

For instance, when you order it to stay (really the only way it should be ordered, since to-go espresso will be stone cold before long), do they serve it the way they should, in a proper porcelain shot cup? Or in a dimwit giganto paper cup?

We are happy to report that we were served the drink properly, in a standard espresso cup, on a saucer.

It looked right, and tasted fine as we threw it back. No bitterness and no burnt taste. That's good; but we thought, after leaving, that the taste was actually pretty negligible. Two blocks away, the drink was a dim memory.

The reason for the worldwide Starbucks closing yesterday was to provide a refresher course for the baristas and managers in product, serving, and overall Starbucks experience. Company chiefs said they were concerned about "watering down," which was probably not meant literally. Ironically, though, that's a literal description of what we got.

It is a tough thing to have both surprise and sameness as corporate goals. We will bet on sameness at Starbucks in the end.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Coffeehouse Doings and Goings Downtown

We're sorry to note the closing of Juna's coffeehouse on the Commons. Juna's was a locally-owned place that took a hit when Starbucks came to the Hilton hotel, about 500 feet away.

Meanwhile, Starbucks is closing world-wide for three hours this evening, for a franchise seminar of some type. A newspaper in England speculated that it was to teach them how to make coffee.

Some time back, the Onion satirical newspaper ran a piece about Starbucks that emerges now as comically prescient. They had Starbucks closing early one day, shuttering its windows, to prepare for "Phase 2" of their organizational mission. Baristas would appear the next day with logo armbands and a robotic but purposeful demeanor.

Does life follow art? We'll know tomorrow. If you go for a look, note that the Starbucks here has two egresses, in case you need to escape.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett

We normally don't post on Mondays, but there have been a lot of hits on our site for John Hiatt-Lyle Lovett State Theater Review, so we will try quickly to oblige.

If you missed it, of course, you missed it. The show was a complete sell-out: within days of its announcement.

There was a big sense of anticipation to the night. The proceedings were a little more refined than normal, perhaps reflecting the status of these stars. It wasn't quite hushed (there were calls for requests, and shouts of love), but you got the feeling no one wanted to miss a word or moment.

Lovett and Hiatt sat knee-to-knee on a well-lit stage. They alternated songs, not chiming in much together, although Hiatt sang harmony on three or four of Lovett's numbers, and played lead on a few.

The interchange came mostly between songs, when they conversed. Lovett informally adopted the role of emcee, with questions for Hiatt about his life, upbringing, and work. Hiatt talked about an overweight childhood, stealing a Ford Thunderbird at age 14 (inspiration for a well-known song), his early career opening for John Lee Hooker, John Hammond, and others, when he hitchhiked between gigs to save money, his big break playing Fender Telecaster for Ry Cooder's band in the early 1980's, and sleeping in the bed the Dalai Lama slept in, at La Tourelle last night.

Lovett spoke some about his father, his Lutheran upbringing, his own worst misstep as a child (letting a cow out of his uncle's barn), early days in Texas and introduction to Nashville as a star in the late 1980's, and an early influence: a music teacher who came to Texas from Ithaca. Lovett said it was his first trip to Ithaca, "and I hope not my last."

It was a charming performance. Both men seemed impeccably humble, despite their stardom. Their conversation was introspective but engaging. They were funny. They were nice.

Seeing Lovett sing live, and unadorned, added a large dose of personality and soulfulness to his music. His voice is fine, but ordinarily does not convey much emotion, at least not of a revelatory type. Last night there was heart to the well-shaped notes.

Hiatt, on the other hand, has a gutteral but wailing voice that makes the ordinary sound eerie. His guitar playing is forceful and filled with feeling. Towards the end of the show he left his heart, one felt, with a lover's song pleading and promising faith. It would make a perfect wedding song, if it wasn't so real.

They finished their encore with the prison worksong, "Ain't No More Cane." They played for almost three hours, without a break. The set list of their last show, in Albany, was considerably less. It was the aura and the ambience of the State Theater that brought more, we think. Maybe, too, the Dalai Lama's bed.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

What's Doing, Feb. 22 - 24

Fri. 2/22: Some of the scarcest real estate in town is space at Felicia's Atomic Lounge when there is first-rate happy hour music, like tonight, with Chad Crumm and friends. 508 W. State St., 5:30 pm.



Sat. 2/23: Ithaca modern old-timey music abounds tonight, with the Chicken Chokers at Castaways at 9 pm, and Boy With A Fish at the Chapter House at 10.

The Nields bring their sisterly harmonies and catchy folk-rock tunes to Goldwin Smith Hall at 8 pm for a Cornell Folk Song Club show. Discounted advance tickets at Small World Music.


Sun. 2/24: Plenty of cash and luck might score you a spare ticket outside the State Theater for tonight's Lyle Lovett - John Hiatt show, long since sold out. (Just thought we'd mention, two consecutive sells-out for the resurgent State, after Taj Mahal last night.)

If that's not happening, Juge Greenspun is, at Maxie's, 7:30.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Wegman's Celebrates 20 Years in Ithaca

Wegman's supermarket, the bulwark of big-time food retailing on S. Meadow St. , is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Ithaca this week.

Wegman's started in 1916 in Rochester as a family operation called the Rochester Food and Vegetable Company. It remains family-run and privately-held, with 70 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.

The company has been recognized for retailing excellence by the Food Network cable channel, which named it "Best Grocery Store" in 2007. For six consecutive years, Wegman's has appeared in the top 10 of Fortune magazine's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list.

Longtime Ithacans can recall food shopping in the days before Wegman's as drab and occasionally disgusting. It was a must, for instance, to open all packaged meats once home to check the flip side for grayness.

A business recruiter in Ithaca told us this week that a visit to Wegman's is a recommended stop for job candidates from cities such as New York and Boston.

The store will celebrate tomorrow, Saturday 23 Feb., with cake and a DJ in the store from 2 - 4 pm.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Taj Mahal at State Theater, 21 February: Tickets Going, Going,...

There are still some tickets available right now for Taj Mahal's show at the State Theater tonight, and they might hold some for sale at the door, but it looks like it will be a sell-out for the legendary blues guy.

The State has featured some remarkably renowned artists of late. The Lyle Lovett - John Hiatt show sold out within days.

Take a look at the State's website to check upcoming shows, and not get shut out. There will be a large rumble soon for the upcoming Los Lobos show.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Lunar Eclipse Tonight, Wed. 20 Feb.

A full eclipse of the moon occurs tonight, beginning at 8:43 and peaking about 2 hours later.

It should be readily observable, if the night is relatively cloudless. There is a chance of snow in the northeast that could obscure the sight.

The moon will fall into the shadow of the Earth. It will not disappear from sight, but will be visible by the light of the Earth's atmosphere, in reddish hues.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Cornell Basketball in Spotlight

Usually, basketball in central New York means Syracuse. This year, the Orange have to make room for the Big Red of Cornell, who are attracting attention with undefeated conference play so far in the Ivy League.

A Cornell championship would be the first in the Ivy League by a team other than perennial powerhouses Penn and Princeton since 1988 (when Cornell won).

An article in today's New York Times notes that Cornell always has the most grueling travel schedule in the league, due to geographic remoteness. This past weekend, the Big Red had road games on consecutive nights at Harvard and Dartmouth.

The Times article should interest even non-sport fans in Ithaca. The on-line version features a slide show presentation, with details about life at Cornell in particular and Ithaca in general. The team stops at Aiello's in Whitney Point for lunch, for example. The paper reports that the team eats "$348 worth of chicken Parmesan."

Cornell's next two games are versus Ivy rivals Yale and Brown, at home. Yale is this Friday, and Brown this Saturday, at 7 pm. Tickets will be scarce, but the game is broadcast on radio on WPIE 1160-am.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Welcome, Teachers, to Ithaca - and to Small World Music

This is "Welcome, Teachers" week in Ithaca, with about 2,000 teachers expected to spend vacations here, enjoying the large promotional campaign put on by our town and Chamber of Commerce.

Education and tourism are important in Ithaca. So is music. So we wish to join the festivities here at Small World Music by offering 10% off all purchases to Ithaca's esteemed guests.

Just identify yourself as part of the campaign when you come visit. Small World Music is open 11 am - 6 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. We're at 614 W. State Street, six blocks west of the Commons, down the driveway.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Free Calendars from Putumayo Music at Small World Music

The ides of February is Calendar Liberation Day at Small World Music, via Putumayo World Music, our music company friends who have sent us a load of promotional calendars which we are giving away, along with some music sampler CD's from Putumayo.

It's a nice calendar. It's how we found out today is Nirvana Day (see previous post).

Come in and get yours. Small World Music is at 614 W. State St., down the driveway. Hours are 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sundays and Mondays.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Lots of Local Music, 15 - 17 Feb.

Lots of big names in local music perform this weekend.

Fri. 2/15: They hardly need more publicity for this gig, as they pack it past capacity regularly, but Burke and Bone play Felicia's Atomic Lounge at Happy Hour. 508 W. State St.



Sat 2/16: In what's billed as a Valentine's Day Show at the Lost Dog on S. Cayuga St.: Sim Redmond Band, Richie Stearns, and Crow Greenspun. 7 pm.

Donna the Buffalo with Keith Frank and band at Castaways. 8 pm.

Overnight sensations Candypants and the Sutras, at the Chapter House, 10 pm.



Sun. 2/17: Keith Frank at the Rongo in Trumansburg. 6 pm.

Mustard's Retreat at Bound for Glory at Anabel Taylor Hall. First set at 8:30 pm.

Have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Jimmy Breslin's New Book, "The Good Rat"

It is a great occasion for any reader, particularly New York readers, when Jimmy Breslin writes something new. His new book, The Good Rat, was released this month. It's a true story of the demise of the Mafia and changing times in the streets of New York.

The saying goes that change is the only constant in New York. No one gets it right like Breslin, who has been writing the life of the city for four decades.

For "Sopranos" fans lamenting the end of the TV series, this book could help, although what it really does is show the contrivance of the show, where stereotyped scenes and weird turns of plot were deemed necessary to provide drama. Breslin shows that the deepest dramas in life come from the most mundane circumstances, with desperation at the root. He relieves the tension with humor that is both deadpan and sparkling.

The Good Rat is available at the Bookery in the Dewitt Mall, a great local outfit that accepts local coin, Ithaca Hours.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Feb. 15: Happy Nirvana Day, and Weekend Contest

Today, 15 Feb., is celebrated by Buddhists as Nirvana Day, commemorating the death of the Buddha at age 80, as he reached Enlightenment: the end of rebirth, and beginning of peace.

Ironic, isn't it, that yesterday the Western world had St. Valentine's Day, a tribute to longing and desire as flames of life, while today Buddhists celebrate the exact opposite, the cessation of desire, as the source of happiness.

Well, it strikes us as ironic, anyway. It also strikes us as ironic that the Bee Gees and Missing Persons both had songs called "Words", but the songs are very different.

Here's our weekend contest. Tell us your preference, Valentine's Day or Nirvana Day. Desire or none. Bee Gees or Missing Persons. Cheesecake or cannoli. We don't care what it is. Enlighten us. No kidding.

We'll select a random entry as winner of a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music. Post a reply here at Ithaca Blog, or write Small World Music at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

If Music Be the Food of Love: Valentine's Day Sale at Small World Music

"If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it...", says Duke Orsino in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

We second that emotion, as that other great poet, Smokey Robinson, says. So at Small World Music, through Valentine's Day, we are offering Ithaca Blog readers 10% off all purchases.

Duke Orsino was a guy who liked a bargain. He continues,

"O spirit of love! how quick and fresh art thou,
That, notwithstanding thy capacity
Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,
Of what validity and pitch soe'er,
But falls into abatement and low price... " (emphasis ours)

... Sounds like he's talking about us. And again, when he concludes,

"... it alone is high fantastical."

We hope to see you soon.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Valentine's Day Tip for the Unattached

Here's our once-a-year foray into the realm of lonelyheart's blogging.

Valentine's Day: worst day of the year for the unattached. Right?

Wrong. Day of biggest opportunity.

Here's the simple gimmick: on Feb. 14, wear black. Black slacks, black pullover, black jacket.

At work, at the bar after work, at any place conducive to conversation, you are now wearing a calling card that announces your situation, and your intention to improve it.

You say good morning to the office superstar, or good evening to the most fascinating-looking person in the bar, and mention that they are not wearing black on Valentine's Day, which means they must be attached. Black on Valentine's Day, you explain, is the uniform of the bereft. Say "of the losers" if you think self-effacement will help. You congratulate them on their status and wish them luck.

The rest of the script is up to you.

If you want to invite us to the wedding, great.

Be good & have fun -
Dr. Love
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Shows, Feb. 8 - 10

Fri. 2/8: Scythian was a hit at GrassRoots Festival, with an exuberant, multicultural sound reflecting a new style of Celtic music, of the modern immigrant (not emigrant) Ireland. Tonight at Castaways, 9 pm.



Sat. 2/9: Colleen Kattau, another GrassRoots favorite, and Kelly Birtch, an extraordinary guitarist, perform for the Crossing Borders series, Upstairs at Pancho Villa, 602 W. State St., 9 pm.

Kaplan-Shaw Blues Trio play both original and classic blues. At the Rongo in T-burg, 9 pm.



Sun. 2/10: At ABC Cafe's brunch, keyboardist Michael Stark, recent Ithaca Times cover boy. Performance starts 11 am; go earlier for a seat.

Jennie Stearns returns to Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 W. State St., 7 pm.

Johnny Dowd, Kim Caso, and Richie Stearns get together for an evening of down-home helter-skelter at Maxie's, 635 W. State St., 7:30 pm. (Richie was just here at Small World Music, read this, and suggested instead, "hillbilly helter-skelter." Your call. )

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Amy Goodman Interview in Progressive Magazine

The current issue of Progressive magazine features a cover story/interview with radio journalist Amy Goodman, the first we have ever seen. It is well-crafted and informative, and not fawning, which is probably a difficult stance, as Ms. Goodman is unequivocally the bravest, most scrupulous and principled, and simply best journalist in America.

Ms. Goodman hosts Democracy Now!, a fiercely independent radio and television news show. "Speaking Truth to Power" and "The Exception to the Rulers" are mottos and guiding tenets of the show, which has aired since 1996.

The powers that Democracy Now! fights are not just corporate and political, but other media. As she says in the Progressive interview,

The media act as megaphone for those in power ... In the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, the Democrats joined with Republicans in authorizing war. The media overwhelmingly presented that point of view, the pro-war position, even though most people in this country were opposed to the war.

When other media cover, for instance, the issue of waterboarding, they interview career politicians who speak in semantics and give rationales for what common sense says is a deplorable and ineffectual practice. Ms. Goodman, instead, interviews a victim of the practice:

On Democracy Now, we've just interviewed Henri Alleg, the French journalist who was in Algeria, now in his eighties, who describes waterboarding as if it were yesterday. Because when you yourself are tortured, you never forget. He described what it meant to feel like he was suffocating, not "simulated drowning" but actually drowning.

Ms. Goodman has made two public appearances in Ithaca, to overflow crowds, most recently at Ithaca College. On the air she gives the impression of a hard-working and well-prepared journalist. In person, speaking rather than interviewing, she imparts an aspect of actual genius, not just for her command of facts and her ability to interpret and explain, but for a dissident view of politics and society - as Newton and Einstein had dissident views of physics, Darwin of biology, Picasso of painting, Miles Davis of music, James Joyce of literature, etc. - that can only come from genius (as an attribute, not an accolade), and can cause revolutionary change.

Democracy Now can be heard in Ithaca weekdays at 9 a.m. on WEOS, 88.1 FM.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Lynne Jackier, Drop-In Center Leader, Voted Peacemaker of the Year

A letter from Will Fudeman to the Journal on Monday reminded us of an item we meant to note in Ithaca Blog: the Peacemaker Award that went this year to Lynne Jackier, the longtime ( now emerita) director of the Drop-In Children's Center.

The award is presented annually on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by the Community Dispute Resolution Center.

We re-print here a lightly edited version of Will's letter. Will mentions a fundraising effort for the Drop-In Center which Small World Music happily supports:

In her brief comments after receiving the Peacemaker Award from CDRC at the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Jan. 19, Lynne Jackier directed our attention to the teachers who work with young children for low salaries and the uncertain finances of the Drop-In Children's Center which she worked so hard to create.

We can support the Center by making tax deductible donations to Drop-In Children's Center, 506 First Street, Ithaca NY 14850.

We can also purchase the double-CD, "Families Are a Rainbow" - with songs for families from many Ithaca-area musicians. The set includes great performances from Radio London, Mamadou Diabate, Fe Nunn, Mbusi, the Horseflies, Joday Kessler, Tom Knight, Jeremy Werbin, and others. It's an ideal gift for families all over.

The album is available at Ithaca Guitar Works, Small World Music, and from the Center.

Please choose to support the center, which supports families and young children in our community.

Let us note that the full purchase price, $19.95, for the 2-CD set goes to the Center in its entirety.

For our farther-flung Ithaca Blog readers, please note that we are happy to fill mail orders. Postage will cost an additional $2. Residents of New York state will also need to include $1.60 NYS sales tax. Write to us at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com, or phone Small World Music at 607/256-0428.

Thanks for the reminder, Will, and congratulations, Lynne.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Obama Landslide in City of Ithaca

Barack Obama won a landslide vote in the city of Ithaca in the Democratic presidential primary, with over two-thirds of the vote over New York senator Hillary Clinton.

Voter turnout was exceptional, with almost 50% of registered Democrats voting.

Ithaca Blog will attempt to reach Obama campaign coordinators in Ithaca to discuss what the overwhelming victory might mean for Obama's campaign strategy.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Tuesday Evening, 5 Feb.: There's Still Time to Vote

There's an old cynical bromide about voting that says don't do it, it only encourages them.

Like most cynicism, it doesn't help anything, except a lazy conscience. The applicable bromide, we think, is vote, and let them know you are paying attention.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Happy Mardi Gras

We are certainly on proverbial New Orleans time by wishing everyone a happy Mardi Gras day as it is technically almost over. Nonetheless: laissez les bon temps roulez, cheres.

If you ever want to leave the U.S. without a passport, just go to New Orleans. We'll never forget entering the New Orleans' Louis Armstrong Airport for the first time, and hearing not regular airport muzak around us, but "Hey Pocky Way" by the Neville Brothers.

The Big Easy can also exist as a state of mind. We can help provide the accoutrements for that at Small World Music, where we have New Orleans music at 10% off this week. Professor Longhair, the Nevilles, Irma Thomas, Balfa Toujours, Keith Frank, Louis Armstrong, all them cats and kittens.

Red beans and ricely,
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Another Pedestrian Hit on Court and Washington Streets

Yesterday a pedestrian in the crosswalk at Court and Washington Streets was struck by a vehicle and hospitalized with head injuries. Last year a man was killed by a vehicle at the same intersection.

The intersection is not a particularly busy one. The cause seems to be a rampant hurriedness and lack of care by drivers in the city in general, as we wrote in a posting in Ithaca Blog last week. We called for more diligent enforcement of traffic laws by the police, a call we are sorry to have to repeat so soon.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Goings-On About Town, Feb. 1 - 3

Friday 2/1: The Small Kings play street-corner-style rocking jug and folk music at Uncle Joe's, 302 W. Green St., 6 pm.

Alash Ensemble Throat Singers from Tuva in a free show at Barnes Hall at Cornell, 7:30 pm.



Saturday 2/2: Ani Difranco at the State Theater. Selling out fast. 8 pm.

Lou and Peter Berryman write and sing funny songs. Very literate and entertaining, and should definitely be seen. The Cornell Folk Song Club presents, at Goldwin Smith Hall at Cornell. Advance tickets available at Small World Music.


Sunday 2/3: Folk singers Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen challenge the NFL in a free show at Bound For Glory, Anabel Taylor Hall at Cornell.

Foul Weather Thwarts Chicken Meals

The inclement weather has lead to the cancellation of today's chicken meal benefit for Love Know No Bounds, the New Orleans relief group (see yesterday's Ithaca Blog posting).

The event is re-scheduled for next Friday, 8 February.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

For Pedestrian Safety: Enforce Traffic Laws

The Ithaca Times runs a thoughtful piece this week about growth in Ithaca, the attendant increase in vehicular traffic, and increased danger to pedestrians.

The problem is real. But it isn't complex.

The solution is simple: enforce traffic laws against speeding, and running red lights and stop signs.

Cars and pedestrians could co-exist if drivers were less hurried and more careful. They're not, for two main reasons:

1. Traffic patterns in town, especially with the lack of co-ordination of traffic signals, make driving downtown not just slow, but frustrating to the point of road rage. Thus, angry drivers speed through town, and through red lights, all but oblivious to the incidental reality of pedestrians.

2. Traffic laws are not enforced, so you will not punished for this kind of illegal and unsafe driving.

Reason 1 is hard to change. But Reason 2 is easy, and changing this situation will change the other.

Think about how many times you have done 40 in a 30-mph zone in the city (no? - how about on Rt. 13?), or barreled through a red light (intersection of State and Fulton?). How many tickets have you gotten? How many would it take to change your behavior?

Right. Me too. Not many.

A few months ago, two blocks from Small World Music, a pedestrian got hit at the intersection of Seneca and Fulton by a driver who was speeding on Seneca to try to make the ill-timed light, and made a left from Seneca into Fulton without signaling, all the while looking up at the changing light, never glancing at the pedestrian in the crosswalk. I know because I was the pedestrian.

Enforcing the traffic laws is an important role for the police department. It shouldn't be arduous. It should actually even be profitable.

The Times article gave the phone number for Tim Logue, transportation engineer for the city, for comments on these issues: 274-6535.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Fried Chicken Meals to Benefit New Orleans, Friday 1 Feb.

With Mardi Gras looming, you can help relief efforts for New Orleans this Friday, Feb. 1, by helping yourself to a southern-style fried chicken lunch or dinner from the Teen Program at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, in association with the relief group Love Knows No Bounds.

The carry-out meals are available at lunch from 11 - 2, and at dinner from 4 - 6, at GIAC, on the corner of W. Court and N. Albany Streets. The meal-up consists of fried chicken, rice and beans, vegetable, roll, and brownie. The cost is $8, or 3 for $20.

Delivery is available at lunch time for orders of 6 or more. Call Sean Norman, 279-5030.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Political and Musical Bandwagon: 10% Off all Rally Musicians' CDs at Small World Music

At Ithaca Blog, we do not necessarily feel fully committed to the candidacy of Barack Obama. We are still hoping for an independent run by Christopher Walken.

But we are greatly in favor of political activism in general, and admire the efforts of the local musicians behind the rally and concert for Senator Obama at the State Theater on Friday 1 February.

Ithaca Blog has gotten many site visits about the rally. So many, in fact, that we wonder if there is a misapprehension that Sen. Obama is appearing. For the record: Sen. Obama is not appearing.

It is planned as a great night of local community activism and music. We are climbing on the bandwagon this way: with an offer of 10% off all CDs by the musicians performing at the rally. They are: Sim Redmond Band, Samite, Richie Stearns, Hank Roberts, Jeb Puryear, Uniit, Kevin Kinsella, and Crow Greenspun.

We hope to see you soon.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Kennedys Welcome Obama to the Family

Everyone remembers the famous insult to Dan Quayle by Lloyd Bentsen when the two ran for vice president in 1988 and, in a televised debate, Quayle compared his relative youth and inexperience to that of John F. Kennedy in 1960.

Bentsen said:

Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.

Yesterday in the New York Times, Caroline Kennedy essentially said that Barack Obama is a Jack Kennedy, in an opinion piece called "A President Like My Father."

In formally endorsing Obama, she writes:

It isn't that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that might not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country - just as we did in 1960.

Ms. Kennedy cites Obama's record of advocacy for the poor, and his ability to inspire, particularly the young.

In the closest allusion to her father, she writes,

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it.

She concludes,

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president - not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Within hours of Ms. Kennedy's endorsement, Senator Edward Kennedy also formally endorsed Obama, despite years of friendship and political alliance with Hillary Clinton. Both Kennedys will appear with Obama today in Washington at a rally at American University, where President Kennedy gave an historic speech on peace and disarmament on 10 June, 1963.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Musical Riches This Weekend

The State Theater presents a powerhouse doubleheader over two nights, Friday and Saturday.

Friday: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the legendary vocal group from South Africa, sing spiritual songs that are simple and real, and work songs that are inspiring and uplifting.

Ladysmith made their first major impact in the U.S. refining - if not defining - the sound of Paul Simon's "Graceland" in 1986, with the hit songs "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" and "Homeless." The ensemble has performed for Pope John Paul II, and accompanied Nelson Mandela when he received the Nobel Prize for peace. Showtime at the State is 8 pm.

Saturday: Indy star Neko Case. Ms. Case disdains labels of alt-country rocker or power-pop chanteuse for, in her words, "a rock and roll Six Flags of fun." Her 2006 release, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," has won wide praise.

Ms. Case is fronting her own band, after long collaboration with others, most notably the New Pornographers. Saturday's show at the State is her first appearance in Ithaca, though she has shared bills in Europe with the Johnny Dowd Band, and JDB's drummer Brian Wilson played on "Fox Confessor." The 8 pm show opens with Eric Bachmann, founding member of the 90's band Archers of Loaf.

It's probably also not too late (nor too early) to get tickets for the State's third big show of the week, guitar icon Richard Thompson, on Wednesday the 30th.

Other shows:

Friday, Billy Eli at the Pourhouse in Trumansburg.

Saturday, Thousands of One have a CD release party at Castaways.

Sunday, the ABC Cafe has Kelly Birtch at brunch (11 am), and Jairo van Lunteren with the Piano Creeps at 9:30 pm. Local Irish greats Traonach appear on Bound For Glory, in Anabel Taylor Hall , a free show starting at 8:30 pm.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Congressman Jim Walsh, Republican from Syracuse, To Retire After 10 Terms

Next time you think voting and other political action might not mean much, remember this day: the day Congressman Jim Walsh quit.

Representing a wide swath of central New York, Walsh has been as strong a shoo-in incumbent as you'll find. Just three years ago, he won re-election with 91% of the vote.

In 2006, however, he was challenged by Dan Maffei, an ex-aide to Patrick Moynihan and Charles Rangel. The margin of victory this time was razor-thin, at 3,400 votes, and not determined until ten days after the election.

Until that race, Walsh was in lockstep with the Bush administration across the board, including the war in Iraq. The election sent Walsh a message. He moved away from Bush on the war, and actually opposed the surge last year.

But it was too little too late. Maffei will run again this year, and Walsh saw the handwriting on the wall.

"I've never seen anything like it," Walsh said of his change in fortune. "There was a real tide in the country, and it was tough to buck for all of us. It was very anti-war, and very anti-President Bush, in upstate New York. Two years ago, I had no opponent. Go figure."

We admire Mr. Walsh for his candor in stating his reasons for retirement. (There was, of course, some of the usual balderdash about wanting to spend more time with his family.) Perhaps the attendant frankness was meant as a wake-up call to his party. It also serves as an affirmation for political activists. Your voice matters.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Grace Lee Boggs on Barack Obama - and Us

Today on Democracy Now, Amy Goodman interviewed Grace Lee Boggs, the 92-year old political activist and community organizer.

Ms. Boggs spoke of the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King - which, 40 years after his assassination, are strikingly pertinent in this time of war, eroding civil liberties, and impending economic crisis.

Ms. Boggs sees promise in the candidacy of Barack Obama. But on her web site (http://www.boggscenter.org/), she warns against too much faith in leaders in our political system, infested as it is with corporate dollars. She writes:

The new energies being unleashed by Barack Obama hold great promise. In his person and prose Obama embodies the achievements of the movements of the 20th century and the hope that we can become the change we want to see in the 21st century.

To build the movement for change will not be easy. The challenges we face demand profound changes not only in our institutions but in ourselves. To become part of the solution, we must recognize that we are a large part of the problem.

That means we can't leave it all to Obama. Instead of being followers of a charasmatic leader, we must be the leaders we've been looking for. This is the best way to make Obama less vulnerable to corporate funders and lobbyists.

* * *

We have to create the momentum for these changes at the grassroots level. Instead of being seduced by Wal-Mart's low prices, refusing to acknowledge that these bargains exist because multi-national corporations outsource U.S. jobs to Chinese sweatshops, we need to create local sustainable economies that not only reduce carbon emissions, but provide more opportunities for our young people to be of use. Instead of viewing success in terms of more consumer goods, we need to devise more ways to live simply and cooperatively, thereby not only making it possible for more people to simply live, but also discovering positive and even joyful ways to grapple with our own increasing economic hardships.

Obama can become a great president only if we become a great people. We must grow together.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

"Barack the Vote" Concert and Rally, 1 Feb., State Theater

A stellar amalgam of local musicians perform at the State Theater on Friday 1 February in a benefit concert for Barack Obama.

"Barack the Vote" features the Sim Redmond Band, Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo, Richie Stearns, Hank Roberts, Kevin Kinsella, Uniit, Crow Greenspun, and what is billed as "a special guest performance" by Samite.

There is a suggested donation of $10, taken at the door; there are no tickets per se.

Doors will open for a rally at 6 pm. The concert will start at 7.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Sale on Sounds of "Light In Winter" at Small World Music

Ithaca Blog's home base, Small World Music, is a little removed from the center of action of the Light In Winter festival here in our West End location, but we want to invite visitors (and residents) to take the 6-block trip west of the Commons and the State Theater to find music of festival performers Hugh Masekela, Cyro Baptista, Water Bear, Reggie Carpenter, et al., as well as performers you might see around town this weekend, such as Richie Stearns, Gabriel Tavares, Kevin Kinsella, and Bill Staines.

Mention this posting, and get 10% off all purchases.

Small World Music is at 614 W. State St., down the driveway. While in the neighborhood, check out the other great businesses within a block or two: Gimme Coffee, GreenStar Coop, Sparrow's Wines, Finger Lakes Beverages (fancy beer & soda), Maxie's restaurant, Tuff Soul clothes, and Taste of Thai Express.

Small World Music is open 11 am - 6 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sundays and Mondays.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog & Small World Music

Weekend, 18 - 20 January

As usual but even moreso, there's too much fun in Ithaca this weekend, focused on the big Light in Winter Festival, but with platesful more around town and campi as college life resumes.

Light in Winter is bringing back a couple of big international bands from recent GrassRoots Festivals: Hugh Masekela, the South African superstar who was the bust-out act last summer (at age 64 or so), and Cyro Baptista & Beat the Donkey, from Brazil and other locales, who were the heroes of the 2006 Festival with inspired music and costumed, prop-filled, slightly lunatic merriment after the worst day of rain (and washed-out performances) in GrassRoots history. It was also, of course, the day of greatest resurgence, with Baptista leading the charge.
Masekela performs at Cornell's venerable, refurbished Bailey Hall on Saturday, 8 pm. Baptista plays amidst similar grandeur downtown at the State Theater, Sunday at 8.


Friday night, Castaways hosts reggae legend Clinton Fearon, a founding member of the Gladiators. Kevin Kinsella, erstwhile frontman for John Brown's Body, opens with what we believe to be a committed new band. Break a leg, Kevin.



Saturday night, local heroes Gabriel Tavares and Richie Stearns get together at the Lost Dog at 8 pm, and the Butane Variations fire up at the Chapter House at 10.



Sunday night, folk music great Bill Staines returns to open another season for Bound For Glory at Anabel Taylor Hall. First set for the free show starts at 8:30, but you will need to arrive early for a seat for this one, no matter what else is going on in town. Bill will get the love.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Alex Haley, Ithaca's Chronicler of Dr. Martin Luther King

Ithacans can take local pride on Martin Luther King Day in the contribution by Alex Haley, the late author and native of Ithaca, to the historical literature on Dr. King .

Mr. Haley conducted the longest interview ever given by Dr. King. The interview was published by Playboy magazine in January 1965.

The piece serves as a contemporaneous account by Dr. King of his work, not as an historic enterprise which would inevitably recast society, but as a daily struggle with tactics, alliances, and inspiration, without sureness of success or even safety.

The interview can be read online in a setting unbefitting of its status, shall we say, in the archives of the website of Playboy magazine. It is also available in printed anthologies of Alex Haley's work.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Rain and the Coffeehouse

The answer to our quiz about whether people patronize coffeehouses more, less, or no differently on gloomy, rainy days (as it was last Friday, the day of the quiz) is, according to Gimme Coffee barista Sid: differently, but the same.

Differently in that fewer people visit, but those who do visit longer. So although the traffic is lighter, it is more robust, to use a couple of coffee terms. The result for the coffeehouse is that the dollar volume of business is about the same, rain or shine.

The randomly-selected winner of a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music is Jeremiah, who did not actually venture a guess, but rhapsodized poetically about the beauty of rain, and its ability to bring people together. It reminded us of John Lennon's paean on the subject, circa 1967.

Everything's the same,
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithaca Hours on Google Video, from Italy

Even those of us who help run Ithaca Hours, and do a lot of business with Hours, are surprised sometimes at the extent of interest in our local currency around the country and the world.

The latest instance (a long one) is a video posted by a group of filmmakers who visited Ithaca from Italy last month. As they continue work on the final product (they say preparing the Italian subtitles is the hardest part), they are posting rough footage on Google Video.

Part 1, up now, is an interview done here at Small World Music, with the president of Hours' Board of Directors, who also happens to own Small World Music, and also writes Ithaca Blog, and is also yours truly.

The interview is over an hour, and not even close family figures to watch the whole thing, and I haven't, either. But if you are interested in seeing a bit of what people from rather far off want to know about un esempio di moneta locale complentare, you can check www.video.google.com, and simply search for "Ithaca Hours," or what the filmmakers are officially (as of now) calling "What Is Ithaca Hours?"

Future installments will feature GreenStar Co-op, ABC Cafe, and Alternatives Federal Credit Union.

- Stephen Burke

Weekend Quiz: Rain and the Desire for Coffee

We resurrect a moribund Ithaca Blog tradition today with a weekend quiz.

We thought of the question this morning on the way to work. It's rainy and lousy and we decided to stop at Gimme Coffee, down West State Street from Small World Music, for a Midnight Rider, you know, a little treat for ourselves beyond the barbaric coffee we personally brew.

We wondered, does the coffee shop do better business on rainy days, with people who think like us, coming in specially to treat themselves? Or does business suffer when it rains? Or, does the rain have no effect?

Ponder and respond and you become eligible for a $10 gift certificate to Small World Music, selected at random. Every entry is eligible, not just correct ones, because it is not quite a right and wrong kind of question, although we did get a pretty definitive answer from Sid at Gimme, which we will reveal on Monday, along with the contest winner.

Post a response here, or send it to Small World Music, at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com.

cheers
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Big Music All Around Ithaca in January

We had some visitors from Queens last weekend who marveled at all there is to do in Ithaca, particularly in music.

What are you talking, we said, compared to New York?

They said yeah but, in New York there is schlepping. Here, yous have it all very nice in one nice neighborhood (our city being the equivalent of a small city neighborhood, I suppose).

They're right. We have music at the Lost Dog, Castaways, the ABC, the Haunt, the Chapter House, and most splendidly the State Theater. Our guests loved the idea of eating dinner at Diamonds, Moosewoods, or any of another dozen restaurants, up until 5 minutes to show time, then strolling a block to the big venue.

So you shouldn't miss out, here are some of the big shows playing in town through January.

Spider John Koerner, with the Chicken Chokers. Castaways, Thursday 10 Jan.

The following are all at the State:

GrassRoots Festival sensation Cyro Baptista and Beat the Donkey, Sun. 20 Jan.

South African legends Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Fri. 25 Jan.

Neko Case, Sat. 26 Jan.

Why isn't Richard Thompson as venerated as Eric Clapton? Because he's funnier? A rare opportunity to see this great guitarist and creative force, Wed. 30 Jan.

At Small World Music, we have recordings by all these fine people (CDs and LPs), including some hard-to-find things, and some used inventory in good condition at nice prices. Come see; you won't be sorry.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Politician's Work is Never Done, or At Least Not Done Well

The political strife and violence in the Middle East has galvanized George Bush's rapt attention, or at least reached his awareness. The White House announces that he is taking his first trip as president to the region, to see what the heck the hubbub's all about.

He's in office seven years, with one to go.

He spends a lot of time on his bike and treadmill, they say. His heart rate is reportedly 48 beats per minute, which is very low, although one suspects it might actually be much lower, as blood is necessary in the head for brain function.

You or I could never be guilty of waiting seven years on our job to start some of our most important work, because we wouldn't stay hired a fraction of that time.

Actual work is not a big requirement for politicians in our system. The other night in the New Hampshire debates, the candidates were asked to cite something - anything - they accomplished in office. Ex-Senator John Edwards said he helped write a bill for health rights, although as Hillary Clinton noted, the bill didn't pass. Senator Barack Obama said he helped sponsor legislation to forbid politicians from sitting down when they eat meals with lobbyists. No kidding, that's what he said when asked for a political achievement.

Because politicians are indebted to corporate sponsors, their actual job is not to make big things happen, but to keep them from happening. This is why all the talk about change, lately, is actually quite pertinent, although none of these candidates is talking about real change, because it is not in their interest, by any means.

Try to think of something positive (don't even think about monumental) that any current politician has achieved. What have New York's senators done to stop the war in Iraq? They made it possible in the first place, because it was the easiest thing to do, and it would at least make money for people they knew, and they didn't know anyone who would have to fight. What has our current president ever done? What did the previous one ever do? Clinton tried to implement health care, but when that proved difficult, he stopped.

Al Gore became a leader only after he left electoral politics. That shows something fundamental is wrong with the system.

Fundamentally, it's money. Things won't change until we change a system where money and the status quo always come first, and working for the interests of ordinary people comes last.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Wegman's Quits Smoking

Ever get a funny feeling walking through the supermarket, with all the advertising about health, and then walking past the counter where they sell cigarettes, to kill you?

Well, it won't happen anymore at Wegman's. This week, the supermarket chain announced it is quitting the tobacco business, ending cigarette sales at all its stores.

Not because the business isn't profitable, but because it isn't right.

The company will also start smoking cessation programs for its employees.

Wegman's is a privately-owned, regional chain with more latitude for such decisions than corporate chains. (See our previous posting on the value of independent businesses.)

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Corporate Takeovers of "Natural" Companies: Bert's Bees Sold for $1 Billion

American consumers who want to buy from small, principled businesses have to be pretty nimble these days. Bert's Bees, the Maine maufacturer of natural health and beauty products, is the latest such business to sell out to a corporation: to the bleach company Clorox, for almost a billion dollars ($913 million).

Colgate-Palmolive recently paid $100 million for Tom's of Maine, the pioneering maker of natural toothpastes and deodorants.

Multinational food giant Unilever bought the Ben & Jerry's ice cream company in 2000. The founders are no longer involved in the company's daily operations.

Cascadian Farms and Muir Glen are makers of organic frozen and canned products now owned by General Mills.

Perhaps the local food movement that has developed in recent years ("local is the new organic") will extend to sellers as well as growers, as this trend of corporate takeovers continues. Part of the issue in the "small is beautiful" movement has always been about control, not just about quality, of food and consumer goods.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Anti-War Censorship in the ABC TV Debate

Don't expect to hear any strong talk about getting out of Iraq on the Democratic debate on ABC tonight. Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, the two candidates advocating the most rapid end to the occupation, have been excluded.

The ostensible reason is that the two have insufficient followings. Still, it seems important to have at least one representative of an anti-war view that is held by a large number of Americans.

Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the four invited candidates are all beneficiaries of campaign money from the Disney corporation, owner of ABC.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Sign of Change in Iowa

In our Blog entry yesterday, we cast a jaundiced eye at the willingness of Iowans to vote for anyone but a mainstream Protestant white man, no matter what they said to pollsters.

We said we would be surprised to be wrong. With the Republicans, we were right. The Democrats surprised us. Happily so.

Obama's triumph came from a huge turnout of devoted partisans. That's great. Those voters made history. They showed a desire for change, and a willingness to work for it.

Can idealism and activism actually defeat prejudice and old power structures this year? The vote in Iowa is a sign of change.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Predictions for Iowa: Edwards and Huckabee

Our prediction for the winners of tonight's Iowa presidential caucuses: John Edwards and Mike Huckabee.

Our rationale? Simple. They are the most prominent mainstream Christian white guys.

A few years ago, when it seemed possible that Hillary Clinton and Condoleeza Rice could be the 2008 Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, Dave Chappelle had a joke. "Do you know who the winner of that election would be? Ralph Nader. By a landslide."

Right now, the polls say the Iowa races are too close to call. That's because there aren't a lot of people in Iowa who will tell a pollster they are unlikely to vote for a woman, a black, a Mormon, or an Italian Catholic from New York City. Sorry, Hillary, Barack, Mitt, and Rudy.

We won't mind being wrong, but we will be surprised.

See you tomorrow!

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Working, Not Just Wishing, for a Happy New Year

We had a brief time away from Ithaca Blog for the holiday, and also from Ithaca, and got some perspective on what is especially good about our town, and how to maintain it.

The main thing, probably, is to get involved. Ithaca is flush with innovative organizations that improve the quality of life in this town and serve as a model for others. They all would benefit from your involvement:

- the Cancer Resource Center provides free services and support to people with cancer or recovering from cancer. They also have information and services for cancer screening and protection. The environment is low-key and friendly. They are located at 612 W. State Street.

- Loaves and Fishes transcends the idea of a soup kitchen in providing high-quality meals free of charge every day in a community setting at St. John's Episcopal Church. The setting is not one of a charity so much as a gathering spot and resource center where people are welcomed to take care of their needs, but also to explore, with others, how they can help themselves, and others. It is a potent environment. A simple first step to finding out about it is to go eat there. We guarantee you will be impressed.

- Ithaca Hours is a local currency system that circulates, to date, over $100,000 in local money to help individuals bring more money into their lives, by working for local money which they can spend with other people and businesses. Hours publishes a directory, a "local yellow pages" (it is also on line, at http://www.ithacahours.org/) of hundreds of participants who do artwork, healing (Cayuga Medical Center is a member organization, among many others), construction, landscaping, painting, Internet providing, financial and other professional services, website production, yoga instruction, and much more.
Prominent participating businesses include GreenStar Coop, ABC Cafe, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, Ithaca Bakery, the Bookery, Lightlink, Small World Music, Sparrow's Wines and Liquors, Finger Lakes Beverages, Maxie's, Ithaca Guitar Works, and others - local businesses that realize that a local currency helps them compete with out-of-town chains. You can join and get listed in the directory for $10, for which you will also get 2 Ithaca Hours, worth US$20, to start. So you make money right away, and get involved with one of the world's leading independent currency systems, creating a new vision of money, based on sharing, not scarcity.

- the State Theater is a beautiful and venerable theater in the heart of downtown which is probably the finest venue for popular music between New York City and Toronto. Even in wintry, school-recessed January, they're presenting major acts: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Neko Case, and Richard Thompson (and in Febrauary, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt; and Medeski, Martin, and Wood). You can contribute by buying a ticket, being wowed in an environment that is both palace and living room, and doing it often.

- Love Know No Bounds is a grassroots group that is not only bringing very real relief to stricken neighborhoods in New Orleans, but working to create an official Sister City relationship between Ithaca and New Orleans' 7th Ward.

- Ithaca has a vital downtown that is the envy of upstate New York. Every time you come downtown to eat or shop, you are supporting municipal health and combating car culture and its sprawl.

So it's not necessarily all work. But it works like work. Come outside, and get involved. Good fortune to you, and us all, in 2008.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

New Year's Eve Festivities in Ithaca

Note from December 2008: engine searches for "ithaca new years" and the like have been leading to this page rather than the current one, in 2008. Check there for current info.)


It's still a week away, but we have been getting a lot of inquiries about New Year's Eve action in Ithaca. Here's what we know.

Felicia's Atomic Lounge gets the ball dropping early with a two-hour program of live show tune performance. From 6:30 - 8:30. After that, it's drink specials and whatever can happen in a room full of drinking people after two hours of show tunes. No cover.

The Sonic Planet radio program hosts a performance by gypsy band Gadje at the ABC Cafe, followed by a DJed dance party that figures to be strong on the big-beat world music. Doors open at 9, and Gadje will play at 10. There wil be food and drink available. Admission is $5, or one-half Ithaca Hour.

The Sim Redmond Band will be at Castaways, with Kevin Kinsella. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 9 pm.

Maxie's rolls up the carpet in the Breeze Room to make room for dancing, to DJ music. No cover charge; age 21-plus after 11 pm. The restaurant also has a special NYE Prix Fixe menu. Call for information and reservations: 272-4136.

In Trumansburg, Mudcat and Blue Sky Mission Club play at the Rongo. $5 cover. 9 pm.


cheers -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Activities, Dec. 21-23

Fri. 12/21: Urban Horse Thieves are the bill for a Christmas party at Micawber's. 6 pm.

DJ Nicky Wood brings his Ultimate Dance Party to Pancho Villa, 602 W. State St. We were at a private party with Nicky as DJ last week and people got wacky. Showtime 9 pm.




Sat. 12/22: Jsan & the Analogue Sons at the Chapter House, 10 pm.




Sun. 12/23: It was misreported in some media as occuring yesterday, but the Burns Sisters Holiday Show is Sunday, 3 pm, at the Lost Dog Lounge. Another show has just been added for Sunday evening, starting at 6 pm.


Jairo Van Lunteren at Felicia's Lounge, with guests Johnny Dowd and Jeb Puryear. 7 pm.

And don't forget, music fans, Small World Music is open every day between now and Christmas.
614 W. State St., down the driveway, 11 am - 6 pm.

Have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Extra Days Open at Small World Music

For our faithful I. Blog readers who are also faithful Small World Music shoppers (or thinking about it), we want to let you know that Small World Music will be open every day from now through Christmas, foregoing our usual Sunday & Monday closed days.

If you need music for the holidays, we are much more accessible than the mall (there will be a non-stop traffic jam on Triphammer Road from now through late Monday), and of course much more rikki-tik, in every way.

Pull into the driveway and park a few leg-lengths from our front door. Park on the street and you are still just 90 feet away. There is plenty of good music inside. We are also directly across the street from Finger Lakes Beverage, a very nice beer and soda store, if those things are on your shopping list.

We hope to see you soon. Open from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Steve Burke
for I. Blog and Small World Music

Preserve Your Downtown: Shop There

The director of the Ithaca Downtown Partnership, Gary Ferguson, writes in this week's Ithaca Times, "There 's a generation of people, many in their 20s and 30s, who grew up without a downtown in their lives."

We're fortunate, having one here. It's filled with great shops and restaurants, surrounded by ample parking structures, and centered by a pedestrian mall which frequently hosts entertainment and community events.

Ferguson describes Ithaca's downtown as a rarity in our region, and the envy of other cities. He notes that "Out-of-area visitors are the fastest-growing segment of the downtown marketplace. People from greater Rochester and the Binghamton areas are coming to Ithaca with increasing frequency. Why? It is not because they seek traditional national retailers. They have plenty of those. Rather, they seek the experiential shopping and unique quality that our Ithaca shops have to offer."

At a time when even venerable locales such as Times Square and Harlem are losing their identities to national corporate businesses, Ithaca is still Ithaca. Help keep it intact, with your presence and support.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Tidings of Comfort and Joy Verifiable

Don't worry if you feel happy at the holidays. It turns out to be normal.

Despite occasional warnings from health professionals about the stresses of gift-giving and get-togethers (and the cinematic image of jittery Jimmy Stewart careening towards the Bedford Falls bridge on Christmas Eve in "It's A Wonderful Life"), studies show that suicide rates approach an annual low in December.

Researchers speculate that nearness to loved ones counters not only whatever stress the holidays might hold, but also the ancillary ailment of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a depressive syndrome brought on by the short days of winter.

So don't hesitate to turn on your love light for friends and family this season. You're doing them quantifiable medical good. Yourself, too.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Send a Truckload of Relief to New Orleans for Xmas

Love Know No Bounds, Ithaca's grassroots volunteer group bringing relief to post-hurricane New Orleans, is sending its ninth truckload of materials and workers to the city's Seventh Ward this holiday season.

The group is soliciting help with a fundraising concert Sunday, 16 Dec., starting at 2 pm, at the Haunt.

Participating musicians include Richie Stearns, Hubcap, Chad Crumm, Burke and Bone, Vitamin L, Jairo van Lunteren, and others.

Admission is $10 and all proceeds go to the continuing relief effort. Part of LKNB's work is to establish a long-term, sister city relationship between Ithaca and the Seventh Ward. Information is available at www.renew-orleans.org.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Those Low Prices at Wal-Mart

The National Labor Committee reports that Christmas ornaments sold at Wal-Mart come from a Chinese manufacturer with 12- and 13-year old workers who are brought with false promises to urban factories from remote rural areas, systematically cheated of wages, and used on overnight shifts of 10 to 15 hours, 7 days a week.

Meanwhile, in the United States, a California court ruled that a case alleging bias towards women workers at Wal-Mart can go forth as a class-action lawsuit covering more than a million women claiming over a billion dollars in illegally withheld wages and benefits.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Less-Hard Times at the Holiday Post Office

We do many mailings at all times for Small World Music at the post office on Tioga Street, and realized yesterday that at Christmas time many novice mailers are there, having a bad time. So here are a few tips for better post office trips.

1. Leave early rather than hurrying. Actually, this applies always. Hurrying takes a maximum of one-third off your time. Maximum. Usually much less. And hurrying creates stress, occasional injury, and feelings of hatred which, although situational, can become habitual.

2. Carry your postings in a large bag that you can carry on your shoulder or back, rather than by hand. It keeps you from having to hold them in your arms on line, which is likely to be a long time. Last night, the line at closing time was 30 minutes long - no lie. And it leaves your hands free for tip #3, which is ...

3. Bring something to read. Yesterday I knocked off two sections of the Sunday NY Times, showing the guy in front of me how to fold the Times in eighths, like the subway strap-hanger I was for years, which enables you to read the big broadsheet with only one hand. Of course, the post office does not lurch, so this is not really necessary. But it's good to stay in practice.

Follow these simple tips, and you will have an okay and productive time, and appreciate the hard work of the mail clerks, rather than yelling at them, as one woman did, for not staying open as late as Fed Ex. Don't do that, it's gauche.

Peaceful holidays -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

#1 Shopping Tip: Small World Music

We're not neutral, but we wouldn't be helping anybody if we didn't recommend our humble CD store, Small World Music (physical home of Ithaca Blog, at 614 W. State St.) as a unique and bargain-laden spot for holiday gifts.

Minding money is a must at holiday time, no matter how gleeful a giver one might be. Here's how we expressed it in an ad in GreenLeaf, GreenStar Co-op's monthly newsletter:

Music is your affordable choice for holiday gifts with emotional content! Books are solitary, candles burn away, but music is shared, and lasts. Small World Music has the newest releases, hard-to-find items, gift certificates, everything you need, including prompt special ordering. Everything always below list price. Plenty of good, used inventory, too, at bargain prices. Two blocks from GreenStar, 614 W. State St., Tuesday - Saturday 11 am - 6 pm. 256-0428.

We are also pleased by brief praise in this week's Ithaca Times holiday shopping section, which said,

It's easy to forget Small World Music, because it's so tucked away, but it's your best bet when searching for music that falls in the category of world/folk/jazz/rock.

That's a pretty big category, we reckon, but we should note that we have lots of new, mainstream music, too, such as Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Madeline Peyroux, and Amy Winehouse, and old favorites such as Charlie Brown's Christmas.

There's more information about Small World Music in sideboard ads here on Ithaca Blog. We hope to see you and to help you towards a happy holiday.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog and Small World Music

Senator Al Franken

We prefaced yesterday's posting about Brad Pitt and his new project to build houses in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans with the requisite remark about the widespread silliness of celebrity culture in the U.S., before going on to describe Mr. Pitt's admirable use of his resources.

Today we note another exception to the rule of celebrity vapidity, with the announced candidacy of Al Franken for Senator in his home state of Minnesota.

Mr. Franken is a renowned comic writer and performer, with a long personal history of political activism leading to this candidacy. Unlike Stephen Colbert's candidacy for president, which Mr. Colbert hopes to have sponsored by Doritos, Franken's is serious.

Of course, some observers disparage Franken's suitability for public office, based on his career. But Franken is intelligent (a Harvard graduate) and articulate. He is also funny, and we don't see why that should be disqualifying. If anything, it should be requisite.

One wonders why Mr. Franken's critics are not concerned instead with traits such as greedy, arrogant, mendacious, calculating, hard-hearted, or soft-headed, which one finds rampant among politicians.

I once saw a picture of Al Gore at a party balancing a broom on his chin. If he had done such nifty parlor tricks on the campaign trail in 2000 - or, maybe, had Al Franken writing some of his material (I mean, speeches) - he might have picked up some of the class clown votes which were crucial to Bush's win.

We wish Al Franken success.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Brad Pitt Announces Housing Effort for New Orleans

It's not usually worthwhile paying much attention to celebrities, but it is in the case of Brad Pitt and New Orleans.

This week, the actor announced a project to build affordable, environmentally-advanced housing in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where many remain homeless even on the verge of the third Christmas since Hurricane Katrina.

The project, called Make It Right, commissioned 13 architectural firms to design 1,200-square-foot housing that can be built for $150,000 a unit, with green elements to reduce upkeep costs, and architectural features to respond to threats of flooding.

Mr. Pitt, with longstanding affection for New Orleans and an interest in architecture, has pledged $5 million to the project, and is soliciting support from philanthropies, businesses, and the public.

The project website, http://www.makeitrightnola.org/, has opportunities for contributing by "adopting" a low-flush toilet, a tree, a solar panel, a portion of a house, or a house, or by buying merchandise such as clothing and bags for Christmas giving.

Locally in Ithaca, the group Love Knows No Bounds provides development help to the Seventh Ward of New Orleans, and welcomes involvement and donations: http://www.loveknowsnobounds.org/.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Music, Nov. 30 - Dec. 2

Friday 11/30: Vienna Boys Choir sing holiday music at the State Theater, 7:30 pm.

Jennie Stearns and Mike Stark at the ABC Cafe, 9:30 pm.


Saturday 12/1: Will Fudeman and Friends play folk music for WVBR's "Crossing Borders" series at Pancho Villa Upstairs, 602 W. State St, 8 pm.

The Settlers at the Chapter House, 10 pm.


Sunday 12/2: Kevin Kinsella, who just stopped in here at Small World Music to pick up his special order CD (Brenton Woods), hung a poster for his 7 pm Sunday night gig with Hank Roberts at Felicia's Lounge, and we complimented each other on our Christopher Walken haircuts.

Mary Lorson with Steve Gollnick at Korova's on the Commons, 7 pm.

Folk music luminary Cliff Eberhardt closes the season for Bound For Glory at Anabel Taylor Hall at Cornell. First set is 8:30. Get there early for a seat.


Have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Breslin on Impeachment of Bush

Yesterday we wrote a quick piece about impeding illegal wars in Darfur and other places by prosecuting our own, by impeaching Dick Cheney and George Bush.

Today we quote a recent column on the topic by Jimmy Breslin, who wrote "How the Good Guys Finally Won," a 1976 book about how impeachment inquiries exposed crimes by the Nixon administration, and led to the president's resignation.

People, particularly these politicians, these frightened beggars in suits, seem petrified about impeachment. It could wreck the country. Ridiculous. I've been around this business twice and we're all still here and no politician was even injured. Richard Nixon lied during a war and helped get some 58,500 Americans killed and many escaped by hanging onto helicopter skids. Nixon left peacefully. Mike Mansfield of Montana, the Democratic Senate majority leader, said on television that the Senate impeachment trial of Nixon would be televised and there would be no immunity. That meant Nixon would have to face the country under oath and if he lied he would go to prison. He knew he was finished as he heard this.

It opens with the appointing of an investigator to report to the House on evidence that calls for impeachment. He could bring witnesses forward. That would be all you'd need.

Say impeachment and you'll get your troops home.

As we wrote yesterday, no crime on the scale of Darfur, or Iraq, is possible without lies. End the lying and you end the crime.

The Democratic leadership now is against impeachment (it is "off the table," in Speaker Pelosi's famous phrase), as Cheney and Bush will be gone soon anyway. That's not the point. Political expediency has no place in the discussion. We're talking about stopping illegal wars around the world.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Aid Darfur: Impeach Cheney and Bush

An Ithaca Blog reader wrote about Darfur, as we described the situation yesterday, as familiar: a country rich with oil, a government killing and displacing people to control it.

The point is well taken.

We have an opportunity - and a responsibility - in the U.S. to show that political leaders who kill and displace innocent people for money are punished. That means impeachment proceedings against Richard Cheney and George Bush, Jr., who lied this nation into such an incursion in Iraq.

Lying is the thing that makes crime possible, and perpetuates it. The U.S. wouldn't be in Iraq without the willful and knowing lies of the current administration.

Lying is also generally the thing that gets criminals caught. It's hard to catch someone in the act of a crime. It's not as difficult to show a lie. The old saying in Washington is that it's not the crime that undoes you, it's the cover-up: that is, the necessary subsequent lying to prop up the initial deceit.

Another old saying among criminals is that it's not illegal if you don't get caught. Our own criminal politicians, who have created a situation in Iraq parallel to the one in Sudan, need to get caught, for this kind of violence to be illegal, hopefully, everywhere.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Aid for Darfur from Ithaca, on November 30

200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million violently displaced in Darfur, in western Sudan in Africa, in a governmental campaign for control over oil.

China is a major trading partner of Sudan, buying 60 percent of Sudan's oil, and has actively interfered with peace efforts.

The United States has offically declared the situation genocidal, and has initiated economic sanctions.

In California, a U.C.L.A. student named Adam Sterling started a campaign for a bill requiring California to divest from companies that benefit Sudan. The bill was passed into law.

In Ithaca, recent efforts are not yet overtly political or legal, but for relief and awareness. The Northern Light Learning Center, an educational and home-schooling organization, is sponsoring an Ithaca Benefit for Darfur Refugees on Friday, 30 November at the Women's Community Building from 6 to 8 pm.

The event will feature a speaker from the Genocide Intervention Network, music by cellist Hank Roberts, and food donated by local stores and restaurants.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the Women's Community Building and at Juna's Cafe on the Commons.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ben Nichols' Legacy

Ben Nichols, mayor of Ithaca for three two-year terms from 1989 - 1995, died Saturday at the age of 87.

Ben's earlier career was as a professor of engineering at Cornell.

Beneath the avuncular look of a rumpled academic, Ben was a renegade politician who attracted national attention as Ithaca's Socialist mayor: a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Ben took on many causes and all opponents, including Cornell University. When, after long negotiation during Nichol's tenure, Cornell refused the city's proposal for funding commensurate to what other Ivy League schools pay their cities in lieu of taxes (as tax-exempt entities), Ben responded by slowing down city services to Cornell for building inspections and permits. No choice, he said.

He didn't blink. Cornell did. They soon announced, at a lavish press conference, their new and much enhanced contribution to the city.

Ben lost his campaign for a fourth term to Alan Cohen in 1995, when the term of office for mayor went from two to four years. Ben was twice Cohen's age and Cohen showed a good deal of surface vitality. Still, the margin of victory was just 58 votes. Think about that the next time you think people's votes (matched with activity) don't count, and Ben would probably consider it sufficient legacy.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Thanksgiving Weekend Music

Friday 11/23: There are two exceptional get-togethers of local bands tonight at two welcoming venues downtown.

At the Chanti-Loft, above the Chanticleer tavern on W. State & S. Cayuga Streets, Richie Stearns, the TalkToMes, and Fisher Meehan perform (in that scheduled order) from 8 pm until past last call.

At Castaways, the Tuff Soul clothing shop presents a benefit for Ithaca Community Radio, working to bring Ithaca its own community radio station. The Crow GreenSpun Band, the Settlers, and DJ Bob are on the bill. 9 pm.


Sat. 11/24: Mr. Gratitude himself, Johnny Dowd, performs at the Chapter House. 10 pm.

Have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Two Thanksgiving Tips

1. If you are leaving town tomorrow, and will need coffee, all branches of Ithaca Bakery/Collegetown Bagels are closed, but Gimme Coffee is open. IB/CTB used to open for a.m. traffic on Thanksgiving, and close in early afternoon. They've quit that, but that's what Gimme now does. Gimme will be open from 7 am til 2 pm.

2. It's recycling week, but there's no recycling (nor garbage) collect tonight. They do it early in the morning, you know. And tomorow is Thanksgiving. BUT if you are leaving town and not returning for a few days, you might want to set your stuff out tonight so it can be picked up Thursday, as service will move back a day.

Capish? Those are the important things, besides driving safely. Have fun.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

On-line Slime in the Journal

Earlier this month, we wrote a piece on the malice in the Ithaca Journal's on-line "Storychat" feature, its effect on the Journal's reputation and value, and its toll on individuals and the community.

Today, Lynne Jackier wrote a letter on the subject to the Journal. We reprint it here.

When the Ithaca Journal launched the forum attached to the online version of the paper called "Storychat" I wrote a letter urging the Journal to require posters to use their real names. I was concerned that anonymous posting would create a culture of name-calling and ugly ranting that would debase the cultural climate of our community. Now that this experiment has been up and running for a while, it is clear that my concerns were not unfounded.

A number of posters log on almost every day to make anonymous personal attacks on people in news stories and ridicule by name community members who are brave enough to submit a signed letter to the editor. Although it is possible to report egregious comments and have the post removed, there is no cure for the overall sense of being dipped in slime that the majority of the posts elicit.

There was a recent Journal editorial pondering why there were so many uncontested elections recently. I predict that even fewer people will be willing to take leadership roles or express themselves publicly if the current "Storychat" paradigm continues. It infects the public discourse.

The Journal is not serving our community well by allowing these posters the protection of anonymity while they attack other community members by name. If people who want to express strong or controversial opinions know that they will be identified with those opinions, they might be more thoughtful about how they express those opinions. It is time for the Journal to require all "Storychat" posters to use their real names online.

We wrote a brief, related on-line posting to the Journal:

The Journal has excellent standards, professionally applied, for its letters, where "needless invective" and personal attacks are deemed unfit to print. Why not the same requirements for all readers' comments - namely, those in Storychat?

The editor's note to Ms. Jackier's letter says "there is no practical way" to enforce such standards on-line, which is obviously untrue. The Journal staffers who check the letters could check the comments in a fraction of the time.

Thank you to Ms. Jackier for a letter that is forthright without being disrepectful.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Music, Nov. 16 - 18

Fri., 11/16: Burke, Burke and Bone play country blues and rags at happy hour at Felicia's Atomic Lounge. 5:30 pm.



Sat., 11/17: Miriam Aziz, from Brussels, plays a mix of gypsy, jazz, folk, and rock music, and sings with a clear voice reminiscent of Annie Lennox. She performs at 8 pm at the Crossing Borders series upstairs at Pancho Villa Restaurant, 602 W. State St. Guest performers are Ithaca's Rich Depaulo, and Patti Witten.

There's a twin bill, of sorts, on the two sides of Osmun Place at Stewart Avenue: Dutch rocker Jairo Van Lunteren, of the Splendors, at ABC Cafe, and old-timey players The Butane Variations at the Chapter House. Both at 10 pm.


Sun., 11/18: GrassRoots Festival favorites The Avett Brothers bring their foot-stomping sound - part punk, part pop, part old-time - to the State Theater. With Will Hoge, the excellent singer-songwriter ("brilliant hooks and lusty joy," says All Music Guide). Tickets only $16.50 in advance ($21.50 day of show).

Have fun-
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

A Brief and Less Consequential Appreciation of Norman Mailer

We suspect that Norman Mailer was read much more by men than women, with his purported enmity to (or at least genuine unappreciation for) feminism, his frequent incivility to women (which escalated at least once into criminal violence), and the general beastliness of his public persona.

We further suspect that in fact he was not really read all that much, by anyone. The majority of his books were hugely idiosyncratic both in subject and style.

But he wrote a couple of historically great ones: "The Naked and the Dead," in fiction, and "The Armies of the Night," a non-fiction account of American politics during the Vietnam War.

We read both in adolescence, which is probably the best age for appreciating Mailer, or at least for first contact.

No one else has mentioned it - why would they - but Mailer created the word "fug" (and its grammatical derivatives) in "The Naked and the Dead" to replace a word he could not get past that era's censors, that he felt was crucial to the veracity of the dialogue of the soldier characters in his book.

We were adolescents. It was the 1970's. We loved it. We loved it more when we found out it was the source of the name of one of our favorite bands, from the Lower East Side. Apparently the Fugs loved it too and found it too funny to not steal.

Audacity to the point of absurdity, frequently, was part of Mailer's style. But so were passion and intellect. He was both a patriot and an anarchist, and we will miss him for that.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Borders Installing TV Screens For Ads In Stores

Bookstores used to be places of refuge for people interested less in television than, say, books.

That is changing at the Borders chain, which is installing two 37-inch flat screen televisions in each of its stores to show original programming and advertisements.

The chain's partner in the program is a company called Ripple, which has similar arrangements with Jack-In-The-Box restaurants and Jiffy Lube.

George L. Jones, chief executive of Borders, described the move as "part of a master plan" to deliver access to its "highly educated, more affluent" customers to advertisers such as Ford, which will advertise its hybrid vehicles in the store.

Claiming that the average Borders customer spends an hour in the store, Jones said, "It's becoming more and more difficult to reach people. Newspapers are not as effective as they used to be. Television is not as reachable as it used to be. This becomes an attractive option."

The televisions are currently in 60 Borders stores and will be in 250 more by the end of February.


Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Arlo Guthrie in Ithaca, Tuesday 13 November, State Theater

Christmas is the holiday for songs - most other holidays don't have many, if any. Thanksgiving has one indirect but distinct one, for folk music fans: "Alice's Restaurant," by Arlo Guthrie.

On his website, http://www.arlo.net/, Guthrie says of Thanksgiving, "We get sales for one day a year," and after touring in the weeks before the holiday, "I get to go home to the farm."

It's a small tour, with only seven dates, culminating in an annual show at Carnegie Hall.

This year, Ithaca is one of the dates, with a show at the State Theater on Tuesday, 13 November.

Guthrie is known as much for his politics and humor as his songs, and even when his subjects are serious, he conveys a sense of ease that could almost give whimsy a good name. He is as funny in performance as most comics, almost without trying; definitely without trying too hard.


Guthrie has spoken about the large-scale counterculture events of the 1960's as almost beside the point, the point being that people should be at home, active in their communities and country, every day. The message is well understood in Ithaca, and Tuesday night will be a good celebration of it.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Tinariwen and Others, Weekend of Nov. 9 - 11

Friday, 11/9: An indy rock multi-bill at the Haunt, with Middle Distance Runner, from Washington DC; local band Upstate Escape; and headliners Mobius Band. Tickets $7. Doors open at 8 pm.

Saturday, 11/10: In the friendly confines of the State Theater, a double-bill of African headliners from the GrassRoots Festival, Tinariwen and Viuex Farka Toure. 8 pm.

Tinariwen met in a Saharan refugee camp in the 1980's. They sing songs of non-violence and ethnic pride that are rooted in traditional desert music, as well as the blues sounds of Mali, with modern rock and roll influences. The Financial Times of London says, "They are not only the best world music, but the best rock and roll band in the world, full stop." They have recently toured with the Rolling Stones. This weekend Tinariwen was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition, which is available for streaming.

Viuex Farka Toure is the son of one of Tinariwen's strongest influences, the late Malian guitar great Ali Farka Toure. Like his father, Viuex Toure demonstrates the ancient African rootes of blues music with hypnotic mastery.


Sunday, 11/11: The Glenn Miller Orchestra at the State Theater. You might think it is ancient and irrelevant, but swing music does just that when presented by a stellar orchestra like this, in a good venue like the State. 8 pm.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

$10 U.S. Gets You 40 Ithacan, Wed. 14 Nov., at Ithaca Hours Meeting

Ithaca Hours, the local currency system, holds its annual membership meeting on Wednesday, November 14, with a special offer.

Come to the meeting to start or renew a membership and receive double the annual membership benefit.

Ithaca Hours issues a local money for Ithacans to earn, and to spend with other people and at participating businesses.

Annual membership costs $10, or one Ithaca Hour. Members normally receive an annual benefit of two Ithaca Hours, worth twenty dollars. But sign up at the annual meeting and receive four Hours, worth forty dollars.

The Hours organization offers the premium to encourage people to come and meet one another, and to learn about the system. (The organization itself benefits from enrolling a lot of people in one shot, and from disbursing benefits in person, rather than by mail.)

Free desserts are provided by member businesses such as ABC Cafe, Ithaca Bakery, Maxie's, Juna's Cafe, GreenStar Coop, Eve's Cidery, Macro Mama's, and others.

Ithaca Hours started in 1991 and has about 600 members. There are over 10,000 Hours in circualtion in Tompkins County, worth over $100,000 U.S.

The currency is known around the world. Most recently it was mentioned in an article in the New York Times as one of Ithaca's most positive community features.

The Hours organization was visited this week by community organizers from New Orleans hoping to aid post-Katrina restoration by building a community currency system modeled on Hours.

Hours' annual meeting is 6 - 7:30 pm, Wed. 14 Nov., in the Borg Warner Room of the public library on E. Green St.

For more information, see the Hours website at http://www.ithacahours.org/.


Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

What Makes Ithacans Not Run? The Journal's "Storychat", For One Thing

Today is Election Day, but just another day in Ithaca, where there are no contested races. Common Council members, the mayor, and the town supervisor are all Democrats running unopposed.

The Ithaca Journal examines the issue today. One obvious factor is the strength of the Democratic party in the city. The Republican party is practically non-existent here. In the presidential election of 2000, Ralph Nader outdrew George Bush in Ithaca.

The Journal seems to think that low pay for public officials is debatable as a factor, although to us it seems clear. The mayor makes around $50,000 a year. There are guys at Sears who make that. Common Council members make around $10,000 a year, which a diligent panhandler could do.

The Journal also mentions the idea of "fear." Elected officials anywhere need thick skin, but particularly in a small town.

One thing a politician hopes for is a fair press, and for the most part they get that here, with the notable exception of the "Storychat" feature in the on-line Journal, which provides a daily forum for invective and ridicule from anonymous lamebrains.

Check the very story in question to see. Commenting on today's Journal story are scholars such as "cowinmyunderpants," "LoyalOpposition," et al., who comment on what "sux" about Common Council, and make disparaging remarks about council members by name, although managing to misidentify their subjects.

We think the Journal has a professional and civic duty to verify and publish the identities of its on-line contributors, as it does with letters to the editor. It would go a long way to cleaning up the level of its on-line discourse, which is generally abominable, and to improving the political climate in town, which might in turn lead to more candidacies.

The Journal says it's a serious issue. Is it serious enough for them to change something rank that they control?

We would like to suggest that all interested parties write to the Journal about this issue.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Weekend Music, Nov. 2 - 4

It's a big weekend for the creme de la creme of local bands, including a trifecta by the Chicken Chokers.

Fri. 11/2: The Chicken Chokers at Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 5:30. Happy hour drink & hot dog specials.


Sat. . 11/3: "The Chicken Chokers Unplugged" at the Pourhouse in T-burg, 7 pm.

The Horseflies at Castaways, 9 pm.

Mary Lorson and Saint Low at the Chapter House, 10 pm.

Kim and Reggie Harris are a folk duo focusing on the music and history of African-Americans. In a Cornell Folk Song Club show, 165 McGraw Hall at Cornell, 8 pm. Tickets $17 at eh door, $15 in advance at Small World Music.


Sun. 11/4: You say you haven't had enough? You say you want more? Chicken Chokerpalooza continues its weekend-long assault, at Bound For Glory in Anabel Taylor Hall at Cornell. First set, 8:30 pm.



Have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Ithacan Plans to Put Blackwater on Trial

Peter Demott of Ithaca is part of a group that was arrested last month for a non-violent protest at the headquarters of Blackwater USA, the military contractors, against killings by Blackwater in Iraq.

The protestors plan to use their trial to subpoena Erik Prince, Blackwater's owner, for testimony about Blackwater killings and subsequent cover-ups using U.S. taxpayer money.

A news article in the New York Times reports, "Employees of Blackwater USA have engaged in nearly 200 shootings in Iraq since 2005, in a vast majority of cases firing their weapons from moving vehicles without stopping to count the dead or assist the wounded."

Last Christmas Eve, a drunken Blackwater employee shot and killed a bodyguard of one of Iraq's two vice presidents. He was clandestinely removed from Iraq by Blackwater within 36 hours. A State Department official suggested paying the slain bodyguard's family $250,000, but another said that such a high payment "could cause incidents of people trying to get killed by our guys to financially guarantee their family's future." Blackwater paid $15,000 to the dead man's family.

The State Department has paid Blackwater over a billion dollars for its activities.

On September 16, Blackwater employees in a moving convoy fired on a public square, killing 8 civilians. Outraged Iraqi officials called the shootings "cold-blooded murder" and called for the expulsion of Blackwater from the country.

Demott's group hopes to engage Blackwater in the company's first legal proceeding.

In the face of increasing public scrutiny, Blackwater has hired a bi-partisan collection of highly-placed Washington lawyers, lobbyists, and public relations specialists.

In the past, Blackwater has retained Fred Fielding, the present White House counsel, to help handle lawsuits filed by families of slain Blackwater employees.

Demott's trial is scheduled to begin on December 5.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog

Earth Sweet Earth: Environmental Action This Weekend

Ithaca is often awash with earth-cleansing ideas and actions, but especially this weekend, with a local effort for the national "Step It Up" campaign, and a celebration of the tenth "America Recycles Day," both on Saturday 3 November.

Step It Up is a national campaign for federal action on global warming issues. This Saturday the organization is co-ordinating 1,400 events across the country. In Ithaca, local activists and politicians will speak at a rally at Tutelo Park, on Route 13A at Bostwick Road, from noon until 3 pm.

America Recycles Day is from 10 - 4 pm at the Shops at Ithaca Mall (the mall formerly known as Pyramid). There are representatives of many environmental groups, music and entertainment, and a wide range of activities for children and adults , including Halloween pumpkin smashing for composting, worm composting, confidential document shredding, t-shirt re-fashioning, and more.

For more details, see http://www.stepitup2007.org/, and http://www.recycletompkins.org/.

Stephen Burke
for Ithaca Blog