Saturday, July 08, 2006

Independently Speaking

No, Seeing Greene did not go on strike. We were diverted by other tasks, and then thwarted by technological booby traps. It happened at a most inopportune time, when so much is happening. This promises to be one of the great GreeneLand weekends: **In Athens, the Street Festival, at Riverfront Park and all over town, started at 10 this morning, runs to at least 11 o’c1ock tonight. Boat jaunts, booths (scores of them), car show, parade, street entertainers, carriage rides, music…. **In Hunter, the Mountain Cultural Festival in and around the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Red Barn, today and tomorrow, morning and night. Quilting and lots of other crafts. Wood products fair (exhibition + demonstration). Farming and livestock cultivation. Guided hikes with emphasis on painterly scenes. Mountainfilm Festival imported from Telluride CO. Country music (evenings) from many countries. AND in the foundation's Village Square gallery, luminous landscapes by the extraordinary Thomas Locker are on display. **In Catskill, the Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market at Historic Catskill Point went to early this afternoon. In the evening, again at the Point, The Stylistics give a musical show. And in downtown Catskill, two gallery openings: “Curvature of the Earth” (Josh Bate, Julie Chase, Dina Bursztyn), at The Open Studio (402 Main St); and, across the street at The Wilder (375 Main St, upstairs) “political” works by four artists (John Karch, Earl Lundy, Anne Dunn, Will Wolven), from 5 pm., with funk music after 9. **On the roads, especially this afternoon: HOG rally and parade. Harley-Davidson motorcycle devotees(hundreds of them?) have converged on GreeneLand. A parade is slated to start from rally headquarters, the Friar Tuck Inn, at 1:30 pm. and will hit (engulf?) Catskill’s Main Street later. Expect hundreds of bikes. Keep ear muffs handy. **On Sunday, more of the splendid Mountain Culture Festival. Plus a guided interpretive paddle around RamsHorn-Livingston sanctuary, thanks to the Audubon Society (phone 678-3248 or e-mail lfederman@audubon.org). As well as a concert at the Altamura Center in Round Top where, from 1 pm., Ashley Horn, Erasmia Voukelatos, Bethany Slater, Guadalupe Peraza and Cary Peck will perform violin, piano, oboe and vocal music. (622-0060).

ALSO IMMINENT, warns local Extension ace Bob Beyfuss: “mosquito explosion,” triggered by all that rain.

BACKWARD BOYS? This year’s crop of high school graduates gives fresh evidence that GreeneLand’s boys (among others) lack fitness for leadership. Awards for scholarship and for service went preponderantly to female graduates, again. Of the 10 valedictorians and salutatorians who graduated from our five high schools, seven are girls. At the Catskill and Greenville high schools, both the valedictorian and the salutatorian were girls (Laura Finch and Kayla Valdez; Jenna Lamb and Jessica Gerdsmeier--& CONGRATULATIONS). Among the graduates who ranked in the top ten of their respective classes, about seven, on average, were girls.

HOW COME? That boys lag behind girls in academic achievement and in school service activities is a familiar GreeneLand pattern. And evidently the rest of the country is, so to speak, catching up. Hence the Newsweek cover story (1/30/06) entitled “The Boy Crisis: At Every Level of Education, They’re Falling Behind.” Only 44% of college students today are male, in contrast to 58% in 1975. In lower schools, boys greatly out-number girls in special-education classes; they lag behind girls in writing tests and reading tests (in 4th grade and above). They are twice as likely as girls to repeat a grade. Some commentators offer physiological explanations: boys mature later than girls; their brains develop later; during adolescence, at least, they process information more slowly and inefficiently; they are more rebellious. So how can it be, then, that in times past boys out-performed girls on the same tests of merit? How can it be that in times past females were deemed by respectable authorities to be unfit to manage property, to compete effectively in business, to enter into the professions, to hold office, even to vote? The dears needed male protection from the consequences of their flighty, emotion-clouded impulses….

NO AMBITION? Also indicated about the latest crop of high school graduates is either low ambition or poor qualifications on the part of the top performers (National Honor Society, Advanced Placement courses, A’s). For example, Cairo-Durham’s valedictorian plans to attend Columbia-Greene Community College, along with her fourth-ranked twin sister. What is more, at Cairo-Durham High, LOTS of available scholarships were not applied for.

RESIGNED, abruptly and unexpectedly: Catskill’s chief librarian, Luisa Sabin-Kildiss, and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site’s education director, Amy Bruning. Ms Sabin-Kilduss succeeded long-serving Andy Dancer (who retired abruptly) in 2004). Her interim successor is assistant librarian Jessica Maisano.

OPENED in Catskill: new restaurant, at 12 Greene St, on the creek. It’s NOT a jinxed spot. In the distant past, when it was Harbor Lights for the first time, it was a flourishing institution, superbly situated for dining and drinking. But it has been through many mutations. Here’s hoping it deserves to succeed this time, and does so. Gillie & Mac’s is the name, Eugene & Meredith Carey are the hosts, lunch and dinner are served daily, and the telephone number is 943-6054.

DOCKETED, in the court of Hunter town justice William Simon, for this Thursday (July 13): action of some sort on the drunk-driving charge against GreeneLand sheriff Richard Hussey. A lawyer from the Washington County district attorney’s office will handle the prosecution side, if the much-postponed trial actually begins.

GROWING GRADUALLY: GreeneLand’s resident population. The U.S, Census Bureau’s estimate for 1990 was 44,739; for 2000, 48,195; for 2005, 49,682. Accordingly, our resident population now tops 50,000. But those numbers are deceptive. From them you’d never guess that our builders are over-booked, our materials suppliers have been swamped with orders (the new Home Depot did as much business in its first six months as had been projected for the full year), our banks have been lending mortgage money at a record clip. Much of the explanation has to do with a big influx of second-home buyers and builders. They don’t get counted officially as GreeneLanders. If they were included, perhaps we’d be 47th instead of 50th in population among New York State’s 62 counties.

DINNER + MOVIE. A new program, launched last Wednesday (7/5), offers dinner at Bell’s CafĂ© plus an Independent movie at the Community Theatre in Catskill. First film offering was “Grizzly Man,” a documentary about the life and death of an eccentric ursalogist. (We just made up that word, to denote student of bears). Coming this Wednesday is the gripping “Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,” starring and directed by Tommy Lee Jones (with GreeneLand’s own Levon Helm in the cast). The movies start at 7:30 pm. Dinner service begins at 5, and--in light of the first session--meal reservations are strongly recommended (943-4070). Moreover, after the movie (adults $6.50; kids $4), Bell’s will serve dessert+coffee or cheese+wine. (For copious notes about the independent movie that was just made in and around Catskill, stay tuned to Seeing Greene).

BUT ALSO. “Be Careful,” says a warning on the container of Enchilosa noodles, “when Serving Children.” --“Douglas fills a niche that has fallen by the wayside” says a story in Business Weekly of the United Kingdom. (Recorded in the World\WideWords web site). -- “…presented by HOCA & Catskill Chamber of Commerce,” say Calendar items in Catskill’s daily newspaper, when in fact HOCA is the Chamber.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHY ISN'T THE TRIAL FOR SHERIFF HUSSEY BEING DONE IN ANOTHER COUNTY?

WHY WOULD IT BE MOVED TO THE BACK WOODS?

NO OFFENSE TO HUNTER JUSTICE WILLIAM SIMON, BUT WHY DIDN'T IT GO TO COLUMBIA COUNTY?

IT JUST SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER PLOY TO PROVIDE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO A COMUNITY LEADER IN GREENELAND. WHY SHOULD THE SHERIFF BE TREATED DIFFERENT THAN OTHER TAX PAYERS IN GREENELAND. ONLY EXCEPTION IS THAT BECAUSE OF HIS POSITION HE SHOULD BE TRIED OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY.

Anonymous said...

THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY IN GREENELAND HAS BEEN COVERING UP HIS DRUNKEN DRIVING EXPLOITS FOR YEARS!

THEY WOULD HAVE COVERED THIS ONE UP EXCEPT THAT THE COMPLAINANT TOOK VIDEO COVERAGE OF HIM.

OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UP LIKE THE CHEWENS DRUNK FEST!

BUT: THERE WAS NO VIDEO TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH.

EXCEPT: There is the fact that a three law enforcement agencies responded and probably has the event recorded on their blotters. As long as it was not doctored or altered afterward!

BUT: The ambulance records indicate the DJ Victim was transported and the Columbia Memorial Hospital had to treat and provide 6 stitches after his teeth was knocked out!

BUT: Just like the Hose 1 Five Gang, the Greene County DA's Office did not find anything that warranted prosecution after the thorough law enforcement investigations failed to find anything:

Funny if it was a GreeneLand Commoner we would be sitting in jail!

Whats the common denominator that motivates the Greene County DA's Office to prosecution Dick?

Be labeled as a scumbag because of a Lack of money, lack of position in the community, or what?

Anonymous said...

Your right, because if you hold a token position as Village Trustee you afforded the rights of a god fatha

Anonymous said...

Kistinger running for legislature?

Hee, Hee, Hee. Talk about sinking the ship. Running him they hit a mine. The ship is going down with Deyo, Prest and Valentine.

Anonymous said...

man this site sucks compared to seeinggreenefire!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Check out seeinggreenefire.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

viva truth detectives

Sherlock said...

I am curious why someone would slam your site Dick while promoting SeeingGreeneFire.

They are entirely two different sites. With two entirely different agendas. Granted some of your readers are probably glad to get rid of the Fire House ramblings.

I'm very suspicious of the comment to begin with. As it sounds like someone is trying to encourage you to attack SeeingGreeneFire.

I, like most of your other dedicated readers check the SeeingGreene site on a daily basis in hopes of catching your latest insights around GreeneLand. And I admit that I sometimes feel like an addict waiting all week for my next fix.

To put down your site is uncalled for, especially since you are responsible for waking up so many voices in GreeneLand. SeeinGreeneFire simply followed in your foot steps and utilizes its site in a Political Satire format to expose what it feels is the good old boy abuse of power and hypocritical double standards that are used against our fellow GreeneLanders so often by certain egotist that have managed to get into and stay in power.

SeeingGreeneFire may be considered by some to be unworthy of reading, but to others it has been the only means available to vent action against our political enemies. Interestingly, every means that we have used on the site, we have learned first hand from our opponents under handed dealings in the past. The only difference is that we have taken it to a higher standard of play.

Anyway Dick , I for one; hope that you keep doing what you've been doing because the SeeingGreene site is great! Keep up the good work, Shirlock

Anonymous said...

I cant belive that they actually admitted on the Shirlocks seeingGreeneFire blog to bid rigging while denyiing it!

Shirlock was right all along!

check out what Shirlock got them to admit!

Anonymous said...

Are the republicans for you?

Haven't raised minimum wage in nine years but raised their own salary 7 times in past nine years.

Won't cap gas tax.

Won't share sales tax.

Haven't kept promises that they made when ran last time.

Run Kistinger who has been arrested 3 times. With Kistinger on the line, Dorothy, Deyo and Valentine, the republican ship has hit a mine.

Cotten
Lennon
Dombrowski
Shanley
Smallwood
Van Slyke
Gardiner

Anonymous said...

It's a shame to see some of the same vile as previously; I suspect Mr. May will again have to bar comments in the near future. I had hoped the fire folks would be satisfied having thir own site to say such things.

Mr. May, you have the community's thanks for doing what you do. Maybe someday the commenting public will afford you - and us - the curtesy of respect for such a valuable public forum.

To those who should know better-
One can make any point one chooses, without resorting to slander and libel - if one has the strongest weapons of all: honesty, integrity and respectability. The Rant Squad no doubut lays claim to what they present as honesty, but your venom impeaches you on the other two.

BTW, I take no sides here; I have scant acquaintance with people on either side. But as an outside observor, hate and spite do not afford you any credence.

Anonymous said...

Bid rigging? Is that the slander you talk about? What specifically do you find objectionable in the comments. Maybe you might want to set the record straight?

Anonymous said...

Don't even bother trying to reason with the people from the other site. I wish they would just stay over there instead of trying to cover this site with all of their "problems" also.

Anonymous said...

All the work the legislaters do, and all the "crap" that they take........what are they up to now? $5,000? $7,000? a year? Then people have the nerve to post negative remarks about them? You should be happy you have a good republican team that is working so hard for your county. I personally, would never do it, can't imagine that paycheck is worth the aggrevation!

Anonymous said...

Our "good republican team"

Won't cap the gas tax.

Won't share sales tax.

Anonymous said...

Our "good republican team"

Good if you are a "good old boy"!

Anonymous said...

Our "good republican team"

Good if you are a "good old boy"!

Anonymous said...

Karen is that you defending the team that won't cap the gas tax and won't share sales tax?

Anonymous said...

How much would capping the gas tax actually save and how much would we lose on it? I thought that it would only save a few pennies a gallon? I would rather spend the extra 20 cents filling up, then losing the county thousands of dollars. If anyone knows what the estimate is on how much per gallon and how much the county would lose I am curious.

Anonymous said...

People in this county became Republican to get jobs and all. With the State and congress going Democrat we'd better get some Dems in the County Legislature so we have a voice in the state.

Anonymous said...

WHAT WE REALY NEEED IS MEN AND WOMEN WITH HONESTY AND INTEGRITY! I NOTICED AT THE rEPUBLICAN CAUCUS THEY DEECIDEED THAT WASN,T GOOD ENOUGH AND THEY CHOSE A PROVEN RECORD OF CRIMINAL RECORD AND DRUGS TO REPRESENT THEM!

Anonymous said...

WHY IS ABUSE OF POWER IN POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NOT WORTH DISCUSSING HERE AS WELL AS SEEEINGGREENEFIRE?

i GUESS YOU THINK THAT i LIKE PREACHING TO THE CHIOR WHILE YOU STICK YOUR SMUG NOSE IN THE AIR AND LET IT HAPPEN!

Anonymous said...

the county shouldn't cap the gas tax.

about half - maybe more - of all gas sold in Greene County is sold at the New Baltimore rest stop on the Thruway - gas sales paid almost entirely by out-of-county residents.

that's revenues that we lose with a cap.

Anonymous said...

Check the 2006 County budget, and you will see that the Legislators make $12,500/year. The majority and minority leaders get $1,000 extra (i.e. $13,500 total), and the Chairman gets another $6,750 ($19,250). This is straight salary, without the health insurance buyout, mileage, etc.

Anonymous said...

Dick,
Previously, I had posted a comment on this site. I do have to confess, I have checked the firemens site from time to time, should I say pretty much from "morbid curiosity", however, my question to you is....how can I post a remark on this site, and then see it on that site? The same exact remark that I posted here? I did not think that the two sites were related, and I am hoping I am not wrong.