Ithaca Blog has been getting copious hits by people searching for info on Wildfire Lounge, the new restaurant in the old space of the Lost Dog Cafe, on S. Cayuga St.
We will have a chance to provide knowledge and insights after tomorrow, when we will visit the place, not only to meal up, but also to see a show created by Natasha Pickowicz, the talented writer and energetic promoter who apparently will soon leave Ithaca.
Natasha's niche has been presenting emerging musicians in appreciative settings for not much admittance fee, reflecting her own DIY sensibility, enthusiasm, and knowledge and love of music.
The headliners tomorrow are actually pretty much emerged. Richie Stearns will grace the stage, playing, we gather, experimental and new rather than old-timey stuff. Matt Valentine and Erika Elder, who have worked and toured nationally with acts such as Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth, purvey what Ms. Pickowicz describes as rural blues/psych rock/free folk. The duo has an affinity for Michael Hurley, which is enough for us.
Admittance is $5. Doors open at 8 and the show is scheduled for 9.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
New Gimme Coffee Opens On Green Street
Gimme Coffee has opened a new shop on Green St., in a space leased from TCAT.
TCAT solicited a coffee shop to accommodate bus patrons at its Green Street terminus, where every bus starts, stops, or passes.
Until now, there was no inside space accommodating commuters at Green Street.
The coffeeshop is located between the library and Urban Outfitters, across the street from the new Cinemapolis.
Hours are 7 am - 9 pm.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
TCAT solicited a coffee shop to accommodate bus patrons at its Green Street terminus, where every bus starts, stops, or passes.
Until now, there was no inside space accommodating commuters at Green Street.
The coffeeshop is located between the library and Urban Outfitters, across the street from the new Cinemapolis.
Hours are 7 am - 9 pm.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Gas Drilling Rally & Hearing, Thursday 19 November
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation holds a hearing tonight on proposals for chemical drilling for gas deposits in our region.
The hearing is at the State Theater, at 7 pm.
Doors open at 6 pm for persons who wish to sign up to speak.
Organizations against the drilling urge citizens to arrive early, claiming that industry representatives have packed other hearings, to keep opponents out.
Shaleshock, a local grassroots group opposing the drilling, will hold a rally on the Commons before the hearing. The rally starts at 4:30 pm.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
The hearing is at the State Theater, at 7 pm.
Doors open at 6 pm for persons who wish to sign up to speak.
Organizations against the drilling urge citizens to arrive early, claiming that industry representatives have packed other hearings, to keep opponents out.
Shaleshock, a local grassroots group opposing the drilling, will hold a rally on the Commons before the hearing. The rally starts at 4:30 pm.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ithaca Hours on Local TV News Tonight
News 10 Now is scheduled to air a segment on Ithaca Hours, the local currency, tonight.
The first showing is at 6 pm. It repeats throughout the night, on a schedule we are not quite aware of.
It was quite a blow to Ithaca when channel 10 became a regional news show rather than local. These days there is a lot more about Syracuse, Binghamton, and even Watertown than us. So we like to alert people when we know of an Ithaca segment.
Of course, we generally only know of them when we appear in them. Part of tonight's segment on Hours was shot here at Small World Music, physical home of Ithaca Blog, and an Ithaca Hours business.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
The first showing is at 6 pm. It repeats throughout the night, on a schedule we are not quite aware of.
It was quite a blow to Ithaca when channel 10 became a regional news show rather than local. These days there is a lot more about Syracuse, Binghamton, and even Watertown than us. So we like to alert people when we know of an Ithaca segment.
Of course, we generally only know of them when we appear in them. Part of tonight's segment on Hours was shot here at Small World Music, physical home of Ithaca Blog, and an Ithaca Hours business.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Ithaca Weekend, Nov. 13 - 15
Fri. 13 Nov.: A band named Hee Haw Nightmare doesn't figure to be scared of Friday the 13th. Neither does eternally intrepid Ani DiFranco. They are at Felicia's at 5:30. She is at the State at 8.
CDs by both these performers are available at Small World Music, in the basement of Autumn Leaves Books, on the Commons.
* * *
Sat. 14 Nov.: 17th Annual Tibetan Cultural Day. Tibetan food, art, and performance. 10:30 - 3:30, St. Paul's Methodist Church, 402 N. Aurora St. For tickets, call 273-0739 or 351-6257.
* * *
Sun. 15 Nov.: Celebration of African and African-American Art. Johnson Museum, Cornell, 1-4 pm. Free.
Enter the Haggis. Off-kilter Celtic, at Castaways, 8 pm.
have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
CDs by both these performers are available at Small World Music, in the basement of Autumn Leaves Books, on the Commons.
* * *
Sat. 14 Nov.: 17th Annual Tibetan Cultural Day. Tibetan food, art, and performance. 10:30 - 3:30, St. Paul's Methodist Church, 402 N. Aurora St. For tickets, call 273-0739 or 351-6257.
* * *
Sun. 15 Nov.: Celebration of African and African-American Art. Johnson Museum, Cornell, 1-4 pm. Free.
Enter the Haggis. Off-kilter Celtic, at Castaways, 8 pm.
have fun -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Gimme Coffee, Mott Street
We recently spent a week in New York City and in order to show off our provincial pride in Ithaca we took our Manhattan hosts to Mott Street, to the Gimme Coffee outpost there.
Gimme's first foray into NYC was a branch in Williamsburg, the first stop in Brooklyn on the L train from Manhattan. It didn't take long for the accolades to come. Entry into Manhattan might not have been inevitable, but must have beckoned big the while.
The Mott Street location is small, like half a subway car. The block is stylish, which means a lot of stores selling expensive things no one needs; the good coffee at Gimme is the exception.
Inside, it looks like Ithaca, with familiar Gimme accoutrements and design, including the fonts on the menu board.
It felt funny to be inside a seeming slice of Ithaca within Manhattan, as if a Wizard of Oz type tornado had swept the place up and plunked it down, far off.
Even the swirl on top of the froth was familiar. Of course, the coffee was great.
Will you go? If you do, we have something else on Mott Street to recommend: the Buddha Bodai restaurant.
The Buddha Bodai is one of those only-in-NY type places: Chinese, vegan, and kosher. A true, and unique, triple threat.
It is all the way down Mott Street, at #5, near the street's southern end. It's a pleasant walk through Chinatown, which burgeons in earnest south of Canal Street.
The restaurant is bright and spotless. The menu is simple, with vegan takes on American-style Chinese food. The food is fresh and delicious. The prices are too low.
We had lunch specials that were so filling, fine and cheap that I don't recall exactly what they included or cost. I just remember great plates of food, excellent hot and sour soup, fortifying tea, and an easy, light exit.
Mott Street also has a bunch of bakeries with pastries that average about a dollar a pop. There is nothing refined about them but the sugar. They are great and we bought what amounted to a few pounds worth for less than a saw.
Mott Street has character and centuries of history that you can feel. We congratulate the Gimme crew on joining it.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog
Gimme's first foray into NYC was a branch in Williamsburg, the first stop in Brooklyn on the L train from Manhattan. It didn't take long for the accolades to come. Entry into Manhattan might not have been inevitable, but must have beckoned big the while.
The Mott Street location is small, like half a subway car. The block is stylish, which means a lot of stores selling expensive things no one needs; the good coffee at Gimme is the exception.
Inside, it looks like Ithaca, with familiar Gimme accoutrements and design, including the fonts on the menu board.
It felt funny to be inside a seeming slice of Ithaca within Manhattan, as if a Wizard of Oz type tornado had swept the place up and plunked it down, far off.
Even the swirl on top of the froth was familiar. Of course, the coffee was great.
Will you go? If you do, we have something else on Mott Street to recommend: the Buddha Bodai restaurant.
The Buddha Bodai is one of those only-in-NY type places: Chinese, vegan, and kosher. A true, and unique, triple threat.
It is all the way down Mott Street, at #5, near the street's southern end. It's a pleasant walk through Chinatown, which burgeons in earnest south of Canal Street.
The restaurant is bright and spotless. The menu is simple, with vegan takes on American-style Chinese food. The food is fresh and delicious. The prices are too low.
We had lunch specials that were so filling, fine and cheap that I don't recall exactly what they included or cost. I just remember great plates of food, excellent hot and sour soup, fortifying tea, and an easy, light exit.
Mott Street also has a bunch of bakeries with pastries that average about a dollar a pop. There is nothing refined about them but the sugar. They are great and we bought what amounted to a few pounds worth for less than a saw.
Mott Street has character and centuries of history that you can feel. We congratulate the Gimme crew on joining it.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Three Seatings for Benefit Latin Dinner on Tues. 10 Nov.
Mary Anne Grady of La Cocina Latina was at Farmers Market this morning buying more garlic for her catering gig this Tuesday.
La Cocina Latina is cooking for a benefit dinner sponsored by CUSLAR (the Committee on U.S. - Latin American Relations)to close the School of the Americas.
The School of the Americas, in Fort Benning, Georgia, is a taxpayer-funded military facility that trains right-wing Latin American forces implicated in brutal killings of civilians - including religious workers, and U.S. citizens.
The annual Convergence on Fort Benning is November 20 - 22. Proceeds from the dinner benefit the action.
Mary Anne Grady is a well-known peace activist - and Latin American cook. Her black beans and chicken are renowned around town. Not to mention her flan.
There are 3 seatings for the dinner: 6, 7:30, and 9 pm. Tickets are $12, or $25 for families, or call Mary Anne at 273-7437 for sliding scale rates. The location is the Oasis Dance Club (formerly the Common Ground), 1230 Danby Road.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
La Cocina Latina is cooking for a benefit dinner sponsored by CUSLAR (the Committee on U.S. - Latin American Relations)to close the School of the Americas.
The School of the Americas, in Fort Benning, Georgia, is a taxpayer-funded military facility that trains right-wing Latin American forces implicated in brutal killings of civilians - including religious workers, and U.S. citizens.
The annual Convergence on Fort Benning is November 20 - 22. Proceeds from the dinner benefit the action.
Mary Anne Grady is a well-known peace activist - and Latin American cook. Her black beans and chicken are renowned around town. Not to mention her flan.
There are 3 seatings for the dinner: 6, 7:30, and 9 pm. Tickets are $12, or $25 for families, or call Mary Anne at 273-7437 for sliding scale rates. The location is the Oasis Dance Club (formerly the Common Ground), 1230 Danby Road.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
We Like That Samurai Sushi, Toaster Oven Or Not
$2.95 sushis make a pretty resplendent lunch, and that's what we had today, as posted earlier.
We will remark upon the salmon skin sushi. We like to try new things, and liked it well enough, though we noticed that a toaster oven was involved in its preparation, which seemed strange. Isn't sushi raw?
We didn't ask, because we didn't want to start anything, plus what do we know? The first time we ever prepared guacamole, we included the skin of the avocado, because the recipe didn't say not to. (We were only 19, but, and figured out the mistake pretty fast.)
on the culinary forefronts,
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
We will remark upon the salmon skin sushi. We like to try new things, and liked it well enough, though we noticed that a toaster oven was involved in its preparation, which seemed strange. Isn't sushi raw?
We didn't ask, because we didn't want to start anything, plus what do we know? The first time we ever prepared guacamole, we included the skin of the avocado, because the recipe didn't say not to. (We were only 19, but, and figured out the mistake pretty fast.)
on the culinary forefronts,
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
More Sushi
Okay. The name of the sushi restaurant on the Commons, next door to us here at Small World Music/Angry Mom Records/Autumn Leaves Books, is Samurai.
We could probably even have guessed that, rather than keep readers waiting after our semi-pro review of the place here last month, where we wrote favorably of this place without knowing its name. It's Samurai. Like a lot of pizza places are Vesuvio.
The timely update today is that Samurai has Wednesday lunchtime specials. About half a dozen menu items are at half-price.
We put in an order for California roll, which we're familiar with, and Salmon Skin roll, which we're not. We didn't even know salmon had skin. But we figured we'd try something new, at $2.95.
we'll let you know -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
We could probably even have guessed that, rather than keep readers waiting after our semi-pro review of the place here last month, where we wrote favorably of this place without knowing its name. It's Samurai. Like a lot of pizza places are Vesuvio.
The timely update today is that Samurai has Wednesday lunchtime specials. About half a dozen menu items are at half-price.
We put in an order for California roll, which we're familiar with, and Salmon Skin roll, which we're not. We didn't even know salmon had skin. But we figured we'd try something new, at $2.95.
we'll let you know -
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Monday, October 26, 2009
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music at the Social Soul of Town
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music is a new entity in town developing the reputation of a place that fun follows around.
Angry Mom and Small World share store space in the basement of Autumn Leaves Books on the Commons. Angry Mom sells choice old vinyl, and Small World sells CDs - the local, hip alternative to Borders, Barnes and Noble, et al.
Small World moved into the space with Angry Mom about two months ago, from an obscure but popular space up West State Street. Since then, it has been nothing but fun in a bustling bohemian scene in the heart of downtown.
In our previous posting here, we mentioned an informal Angry Mom/Small World Music movie night at Cinemapolis this weekend. Formal ones are now in the works, to promote convivial company pursuing the arts, and active social times.
A music series is also planned. The first installment is an "all-vinyl" DJ party at the Loft above the Chanticleer bar, this Friday night.
Vita brevis, ars longa - so plan to meet some fun-loving people through your friendly neighborhood music store this weekend, and beyond.
Steve Burke
for Small World Music
and Ithaca NY Blog
Angry Mom and Small World share store space in the basement of Autumn Leaves Books on the Commons. Angry Mom sells choice old vinyl, and Small World sells CDs - the local, hip alternative to Borders, Barnes and Noble, et al.
Small World moved into the space with Angry Mom about two months ago, from an obscure but popular space up West State Street. Since then, it has been nothing but fun in a bustling bohemian scene in the heart of downtown.
In our previous posting here, we mentioned an informal Angry Mom/Small World Music movie night at Cinemapolis this weekend. Formal ones are now in the works, to promote convivial company pursuing the arts, and active social times.
A music series is also planned. The first installment is an "all-vinyl" DJ party at the Loft above the Chanticleer bar, this Friday night.
Vita brevis, ars longa - so plan to meet some fun-loving people through your friendly neighborhood music store this weekend, and beyond.
Steve Burke
for Small World Music
and Ithaca NY Blog
On Air Guitar, Jimmy Page: "It Might Get Loud" at Cinemapolis
A contingent of friends and acquaintances from Small World Music/Angry Mom Records enjoyed a foray to Cinemapolis this weekend for the new music movie, "It Might Get Loud".
It is, ostensibly, a documentary about the electric guitar. But it is more about three players: Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White. And, beyond that, it is at heart an exposition of creativity: where it comes from, and how it is sustained.
You don't have to be a music lover to enjoy this film. We are not particularly big fans of any of the three subjects. We will admit to getting a kick out of the portrait of Jimmy Page - because he is presented not as 70's rock god, but 70ish rock fan. A scene of him playing an old 45 on his home record player, and air guitaring along with it, with a big boyish smile, said a lot about what inspired him to begin with, and through all the achievements since.
We will sustain some surprise, which we hope we haven't spoiled in discussing this scene, by declining to reveal the record he plays. (But it is a good one.)
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog
It is, ostensibly, a documentary about the electric guitar. But it is more about three players: Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White. And, beyond that, it is at heart an exposition of creativity: where it comes from, and how it is sustained.
You don't have to be a music lover to enjoy this film. We are not particularly big fans of any of the three subjects. We will admit to getting a kick out of the portrait of Jimmy Page - because he is presented not as 70's rock god, but 70ish rock fan. A scene of him playing an old 45 on his home record player, and air guitaring along with it, with a big boyish smile, said a lot about what inspired him to begin with, and through all the achievements since.
We will sustain some surprise, which we hope we haven't spoiled in discussing this scene, by declining to reveal the record he plays. (But it is a good one.)
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Suffer Jets Merchandise at Angry Mom Records/Small World Music
The season is over, but roller derby spirit rolls on in Ithaca.
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music has a big, new batch of great-looking, high-quality Suffer Jet merchandise.
T-shirts in different colors and styles are $20 - $25. Beanies are $20 and brimmed wool hats are $25. Bandanas are $6, 2-paks of lapel buttons are $3, 3-packs of tattoos are $2. There are lunch boxes, travel mugs, and more.
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music is in the basement of Autumn Leaves Used Books, 115 The Commons. Hours are 12 - 8 pm Monday through Saturday, 12 - 6 Sundays.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog and Small World Music
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music has a big, new batch of great-looking, high-quality Suffer Jet merchandise.
T-shirts in different colors and styles are $20 - $25. Beanies are $20 and brimmed wool hats are $25. Bandanas are $6, 2-paks of lapel buttons are $3, 3-packs of tattoos are $2. There are lunch boxes, travel mugs, and more.
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music is in the basement of Autumn Leaves Used Books, 115 The Commons. Hours are 12 - 8 pm Monday through Saturday, 12 - 6 Sundays.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog and Small World Music
Friday, October 23, 2009
For the Fall Classic, Rooting Locally
By defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and advancing to the World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies have done their part to make the Series an all-east coast classic.
Now it is the New York Yankees turn, as they battle the Anaheim Angels for a berth.
The Series would interest us no matter what, but the prospect of such an intensely regional contest as Philly-NY is especially tantalizing, to be sure.
Our friends include strong partisans of either squad. We are already planning where to watch games together, in an atmosphere as of camaraderie, cheer, and occasional slander.
Benchwarmers on the Commons is the favored spot, with multiple screens, comfortable space, good food, pleasant service, and reasonable prices.
Considering the difference a Yankee win should make in their business, we imagine bars throughout the east are making New York Novenas against the Angels this weekend.
may the best team win,
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Now it is the New York Yankees turn, as they battle the Anaheim Angels for a berth.
The Series would interest us no matter what, but the prospect of such an intensely regional contest as Philly-NY is especially tantalizing, to be sure.
Our friends include strong partisans of either squad. We are already planning where to watch games together, in an atmosphere as of camaraderie, cheer, and occasional slander.
Benchwarmers on the Commons is the favored spot, with multiple screens, comfortable space, good food, pleasant service, and reasonable prices.
Considering the difference a Yankee win should make in their business, we imagine bars throughout the east are making New York Novenas against the Angels this weekend.
may the best team win,
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
"Rhythm and Reading": Poetry and Performance at Cornell Tonight
Ithacan music and literature meet tonight at Cornell in a free performance by some large local luminaries.
The music is provided by Richie Stearns and Johnny Dowd. Readings are offered by H.G. Carrillo, J. Robert Lennon, and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon.
H.G. Carrillo is a Cornell graduate and the author of popular, if complexly-structured, novels.
J. Robert Lennon lives in Ithaca. His novel, Castle, was favorably reviewed in the New York Times this year. He is also a musician, and his self-released CDs are available at Small World Music, 115 The Commons.
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon teaches at Cornell. Her most recent book of poems, "Open Interval", has been nominated for the 2009 National Book Award for poetry.
The event is at Barnes Hall at 7:30 pm.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
The music is provided by Richie Stearns and Johnny Dowd. Readings are offered by H.G. Carrillo, J. Robert Lennon, and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon.
H.G. Carrillo is a Cornell graduate and the author of popular, if complexly-structured, novels.
J. Robert Lennon lives in Ithaca. His novel, Castle, was favorably reviewed in the New York Times this year. He is also a musician, and his self-released CDs are available at Small World Music, 115 The Commons.
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon teaches at Cornell. Her most recent book of poems, "Open Interval", has been nominated for the 2009 National Book Award for poetry.
The event is at Barnes Hall at 7:30 pm.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Four Things Visitors Like About Ithaca (And One They Don't)
One of the rewarding experiences in our work for the Ithaca Hours currency system is meeting the many visitors who come to Ithaca to study the system.
As we have mentioned on these pages before, we particularly like seeing Ithaca from a visitor's view, and learning what we take for granted, as well as what could be better.
This past weekend, we had a visitor from Chapel Hill NC, and one from Brooklyn NY. Four things linger in short-term memory of what they really liked about Ithaca. And the one thing they found surprisingly bad.
The good things:
1. the Library Sale. It impressed in size, variety, and in physical quality of the books themselves.
2. the broad recycling and composting options in public places and businesses.
3. the buttered popcorn at Cinemapolis.
4. the little sushi place next door to Autumn Leaves Books. It was our personal first visit. Good quality food at very reasonable prices ($2 cup of miso, e.g.). Our NC visitor went back on her own on Monday.
Monday was also the day of the bad experience in Ithaca, which was: the post office. Our NC guest went there to mail back books she bought at the Library Sale. She stood in line 20 minutes.
It was after this that she went back to the sushi place, to boost herself up.
(Next time we are at the sushi place, which will be soon, we will try to catch the name, and mention same here. Maybe we'll also mention to the owners that they need to trumpet that name a bit more. Usually we notice and retain such critical info.)
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
As we have mentioned on these pages before, we particularly like seeing Ithaca from a visitor's view, and learning what we take for granted, as well as what could be better.
This past weekend, we had a visitor from Chapel Hill NC, and one from Brooklyn NY. Four things linger in short-term memory of what they really liked about Ithaca. And the one thing they found surprisingly bad.
The good things:
1. the Library Sale. It impressed in size, variety, and in physical quality of the books themselves.
2. the broad recycling and composting options in public places and businesses.
3. the buttered popcorn at Cinemapolis.
4. the little sushi place next door to Autumn Leaves Books. It was our personal first visit. Good quality food at very reasonable prices ($2 cup of miso, e.g.). Our NC visitor went back on her own on Monday.
Monday was also the day of the bad experience in Ithaca, which was: the post office. Our NC guest went there to mail back books she bought at the Library Sale. She stood in line 20 minutes.
It was after this that she went back to the sushi place, to boost herself up.
(Next time we are at the sushi place, which will be soon, we will try to catch the name, and mention same here. Maybe we'll also mention to the owners that they need to trumpet that name a bit more. Usually we notice and retain such critical info.)
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
American Electorate Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Barack Obama stood in for the American electorate as the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
The award goes to American voters for repudiating not just the war-mongering of the Bush adminstration, but politicians such as Hillary Clinton, who voted to wage war against Iraq because it was politically expedient.
Americans gave the world a chance for peace by electing someone as different as anyone could be from George Bush: articulate, intelligent, risen from single-parent poverty to the heights of achievement, a Harvard Law School graduate who rejected money for community organizing.
In 2008, Americans realized the opportunity Obama represented for growth and change. In 2009, the Nobel committee realized the same.
The prize is really for Americans, for making the opportunity a reality by electing Obama. For Obama, it's an encouragement- and a reminder, now, to walk the walk.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
The award goes to American voters for repudiating not just the war-mongering of the Bush adminstration, but politicians such as Hillary Clinton, who voted to wage war against Iraq because it was politically expedient.
Americans gave the world a chance for peace by electing someone as different as anyone could be from George Bush: articulate, intelligent, risen from single-parent poverty to the heights of achievement, a Harvard Law School graduate who rejected money for community organizing.
In 2008, Americans realized the opportunity Obama represented for growth and change. In 2009, the Nobel committee realized the same.
The prize is really for Americans, for making the opportunity a reality by electing Obama. For Obama, it's an encouragement- and a reminder, now, to walk the walk.
Stephen Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Friday, October 09, 2009
Suffer Jets Final Bout on Saturday, 10/10
The Suffer Jets, the female Roller Derby team who have taken Ithaca by storm, have their final bout of the season on Sat. 10 Oct at 7:30 at Cass Rink.
Doors open at 7 pm, and there figures to be a crowd. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music (home of Ithaca Blog) are discussing marketing arrangements with the Suffer Jets for their stellar merchandise. We hope an in-store appearance by the team will be part of the fun. Check back for details.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Doors open at 7 pm, and there figures to be a crowd. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Angry Mom Records/Small World Music (home of Ithaca Blog) are discussing marketing arrangements with the Suffer Jets for their stellar merchandise. We hope an in-store appearance by the team will be part of the fun. Check back for details.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Contamination of NY Water: Define, We Guess, Then Prohibit
On the Democracy Now news show today, a representative of the gas industry promoting drilling for natural gas in New York was asked about reports of contamination of water sources in Pennsylvania by the practice.
He said, it depends on your definition of contamination. Not very reassuring.
Maurice Hinchey, Ithaca's representative in Congress, is concerned. He has sponsored legislation, the Frac Act (Fracking Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act), to revoke the gas industry's exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Frac Act would repeal legislation that exempts the industry from disclosing what chemicals it uses in hydraulic fracturing.
That would make it easier to define contamination of the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers. And to prevent it.
In Ithaca, a grassroots group called Shaleshock is at the forefront of citizen activism on issues of chemical drilling of the Marcellus Shale in New York. Their office is on the third floor of Autumn Leaves Books on the Commons. Their website is http://www.shaleshock.org/.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
He said, it depends on your definition of contamination. Not very reassuring.
Maurice Hinchey, Ithaca's representative in Congress, is concerned. He has sponsored legislation, the Frac Act (Fracking Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act), to revoke the gas industry's exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Frac Act would repeal legislation that exempts the industry from disclosing what chemicals it uses in hydraulic fracturing.
That would make it easier to define contamination of the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers. And to prevent it.
In Ithaca, a grassroots group called Shaleshock is at the forefront of citizen activism on issues of chemical drilling of the Marcellus Shale in New York. Their office is on the third floor of Autumn Leaves Books on the Commons. Their website is http://www.shaleshock.org/.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Peter Stampfel at the Spot, 10:30 Thurs.
Late bulletin: Peter Stampfel will be guest performer at a "picking party" after his show at the State Theater tonight. The party is at the Spot coffee shop on E. Seneca St.
Other performers include Johnny Dowd, Richie Stearns, Pat Burke, Steve Selin, et al.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Other performers include Johnny Dowd, Richie Stearns, Pat Burke, Steve Selin, et al.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
Peter Stampfel Update
Regarding our posting yesterday about Peter Stampfel in Ithaca:
It seems one promoter in town has found an outlet for Mr. Stampel: he will appear tonight with Zoe Stampfel at the State Theater, opening for They Might Be Giants.
We're not sure if another, subterranean gig is still in the offing, or if this appearance will be the only one. We are reasonably certain that another promoter is at least trying to set up something small and homey, as described yesterday.
We will stay on the case as best we can, and post new info if and when we get it.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
It seems one promoter in town has found an outlet for Mr. Stampel: he will appear tonight with Zoe Stampfel at the State Theater, opening for They Might Be Giants.
We're not sure if another, subterranean gig is still in the offing, or if this appearance will be the only one. We are reasonably certain that another promoter is at least trying to set up something small and homey, as described yesterday.
We will stay on the case as best we can, and post new info if and when we get it.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog
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