ICN Newsletter Archive

 In this issue:

• Not Officially News
• ICN News
• Editorial
• Ithaca Labor News
• Ithaca Sustainability
• Ithaca War and Peace Report
• Featured Events
• Calls for Submissions/Announcements
• Classes, Lectures, Support Groups
• Your Letters

Ithaca Community News is a free, bi-weekly newsletter that zooms to your inbox every other Wednesday. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:ebauchne@twcny.rr.com with "Unsubscribe ICN" in the subject heading. Editor and Publisher: Elizabeth Bauchner. Founded by Paul Glover.

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NOT OFFICIALLY NEWS
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Back by popular demand: John Cleese appointed Provost's Visiting Professor:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/May06/Cleese.fc.html

Latest Ithaca Music on Radio Free Ithaca: http://www.radiofreeithaca.net/

Ithaca Atheists Meet: http://atheists.meetup.com/89/

Ithaca Skeptics Meet: http://skeptics.meetup.com/9/

Ithaca Bushimpeachers: http://impeachbush.meetup.com/343/

Ithaca Frenchspeakers Meet: http://french.meetup.com/241

Ithaca Daschund Lovers: http://dachshund.meetup.com/118

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ICN NEWS
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What's new on the ICN web site:

Erin Brockovich visits Ithaca to help South Hill residents:
http://ithacanews.org/news.htm?newsID=93

Profile of a Musician: Jhakeem Haltom:
http://ithacanews.org/profiles.htm?newsID=94

Ithaca Paraprofessionals to hold rally June 10:
http://ithacanews.org/news.htm?newsID=95

Guest Commentary: Help New York Naturopathic Doctors:
http://ithacanews.org/op-ed.htm?newsID=96

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ICN is going to publish a well-being directory in August. This summer, ICN is branching out beyond the Internet to publish the print "Ithaca Well-Being Directory." It will be a small booklet with information on where to find alternative and holistic health care practitioners, healers, herbalists, good, healthy food and more. Advertising costs less than other regional directories and offers more for those who pick it up.

Look for copies distributed around town in August! For advertising rates, please email elizabeth@ithacanews.org.

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Last poll: Is Ithaca Still an Enlightened City?

Results from 61 votes:

• Of course! 31 votes
• I don't know, maybe: 6 votes
• Don't think so: 10 votes
• No way: 14 votes

New poll: Should South Hill residents sue Emerson?

Surf to http://www.ithacanews.org to vote.

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EDITORIAL: Diversity is not just a feel-good word
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Last week, I attended the First Annual Diversity Roundtable, sponsored by the Tompkins County Diversity Consortium, and held at the Hilton Garden Inn. The Diversity Consortium is a coalition of local governmental, educational, and civic groups working together to make Tompkins County a more inclusive place for all of its citizens.

The idea behind the Diversity Roundtable was for the Consortium to show the community ways in which our county leaders and agencies are working on diversity issues, and ways we can improve. Lynette Chappell-Williams, Chair of the Roundtable, told me the goal of the conference was to "broaden the discussion and to see where we can share resources."

The Roundtable began with keynote speaker Ayanna Epps, who is a conflict resolution mediator with the Department of Justice. She spoke about diversity within a business model and how businesses and communities function in similar ways. There was also a panel presentation by some of the leaders in our community, and several break-out sessions designed to get people talking about the issue of diversity.

For me, the first sign that this was going to be a long day was during the keynote address. Epps first made the case that we need to honor diversity in our businesses because businesses are the lifeblood of the community. Fair enough. But when she went on to offer up all the various dollar figures of how much each racial, ethnic and gender category spends on consumer goods, she lost me. So now we need to honor diversity because African-Americans have a lot of spending power?

There's something deeply unsettling about viewing diversity through the lens of capitalism, as though it's only in our best interest to be inclusive because of how our money flows. Sorry, but I happen to think that people are valuable because of their unique contributions to society—their ideas, their talents—and not because of how wealthy they can make some [mostly white] corporations. 

Has diversity simply become a feel-good word we can use to pat ourselves on the back every time an African-American is promoted in the corporate world? I am not trying to diminish the importance of true inclusiveness in the business world. I am very much in favor of Affirmative Action, of businesses taking steps to recruit, train, and promote people of color, and for our country to implement real policy changes that create a more financially equitable society. It's just that something real gets lost in the discussion when we focus exclusively on business matters and forget the hearts and minds of who we are really talking about: people.

Malcolm X was instrumental in explaining the notion behind so many white people's good intentions, that too many think they need to raise African-Americans up to their standards, as though Caucasians have the market on morality and the good life. Quite the contrary, there is much that white people can learn from people of color. Sometimes whites just need to shut up and listen.

I have to admit I'm tired of endless talking about the issue. I want to see some real policy changes, not just in our businesses and schools, but in our communities, in our relationships with each other, and in our hearts and minds. I am fairly certain that most attendees at the roundtable conference feel the same way, and that many of the attendees are working for real change. But I don't think we're going to see real change until people start talking about the flip side of diversity: racism. 

White people need to stop acting like they know what people of color need and want, and start listening. I am not sure exactly what the process for that kind of open dialogue would be, but I do know this: it needs to start with discussions about race and racism, and it needs to be open, honest and real.

Equality is not about all of us being the same; it's about all of us having our unique needs met, and being able to celebrate our differences in ways that remind of us of our common humanity. Before we can pat ourselves on the back for celebrating diversity, I think we need to experience some healing from racism, both personal racism that we've experienced in our lives (whatever color we are), and institutional racism that has kept so many from achieving their goals and living their dreams.

To that end, I've been participating in an open dialogue about racism, held every Tuesday in Ithaca in a downtown home, called Unraveling Racism. The group is relatively new and so far still in its initial learning stages. One thing I hope to see happen is a larger group form out of this weekly discussion, where we get into the heart of who we are and who we aspire to be as a human family, and to find ways of demonstrating that commitment to diversity in some real and tangible ways, including business, government and education, but mostly in our everyday lives, and in our personal relationships with our neighbors and friends.

For anyone who's interested in the meetings, please contact Caleb or Sareanda at 277-1799.  

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NEWSLETTER SPONSOR. Visit artist Mary Michael Shelley at the Ithaca Farmers' Market, where she carves on Saturdays, May through September, 9 AM to 3 PM. Mary's low relief carved and then painted artwork has been described as self-taught or folk in style. Another way to see Mary's work is at http://www.maryshelleyfolkart.com where you can sign up to get her email newsletter. Perhaps you might travel to Fenimore House (Cooperstown, NY) or Women's Rights National Historical Park (Seneca Falls, NY), each of which has one of her diner carvings on display this summer. Thirty-four years of making art and still going strong!

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NEWSLETTER SPONSOR. At the ITHACA BAKERY and COLLEGETOWN BAGELS, we feed customers more than food. Independent and family-owned, we are in and of Ithaca. Ithaca's diverse, fluid population — folks from all over America and the world  beyond — stops by at our counters. Our six locations serve all kinds of customers (our favorite people!) who enjoy an abounding array of tempting, top-quality food, ranging from international cheeses; ever-evolving entrees, soups and salads; irresistible pastries and cookies; to outstanding artisan breads and the best coffee and bagels you can buy. To find out about all we have to offer, visit our Web site http://www.ithacabakery.com.

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR AD HERE? Ithaca Community News accepts advertisements from local businesses who meet our advertising guidelines. See
http://www.ithacanews.org/adpolicy.htm. Reach over 8,000 subscribers who share your values!

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THANKS TO THE DONORS WHO HAVE DONATED IN THE PAST. Ithaca Community News accepts donations in cash or Ithaca HOURS. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 874, Ithaca, NY. 14851. Donations are tax deductible if made out to Social Ventures, INC. Donations can also be made from home page, via PayPal. http://www.ithacanews.org.

ICN would like to thank William Meyer for donating $500.

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ITHACA LABOR NEWS
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Ten Thousand Villages available to speak to groups about fairly traded oriental rugs. Between now and August, members of the Ten Thousand Villages staff and board are offering to give presentations about "fair trade," the oriental rugs and the Pakistani people who make them, to community groups. To schedule a presentation, contact Mike Westlund, Manager at the Ten Thousand Villages store at 256-0616 or Patrick McMahon at pqmc@aol.com or 351-4760.

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ITHACA SUSTAINABILITY
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Sustainable Tompkins Monthly Gathering June 8, 6:00-8:30 pm, Cooperative Extension, Conference Room B, 615 Willow Ave. This month's topic: INTERGENERATIONAL LEADERSHIP: A PATHWAY TO COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY. Meeting will begin with a potluck and sharing. Participants are encouraged to bring people of all ages. This is a chance to get to know - and collaborate with - others who also wonder how best to engage in crucial issues and hopeful solutions that directly affect ALL of us. More info: Elan Shapiro, 275-0249, or elansla@ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us. Sustainable Tompkins is a coalition of citizens, community organizations, elected officials, educators and professionals from diverse fields, all working to promote a more sustainable community. http://www.sustainabletompkins.org

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Community Water Rights Protection Workshop, June 9-10, at the Rural-Urban Center, 208 Broadway, Montour Falls. Learn how to protect our local water resources from corporate control. Water resources in the Finger Lakes are being targeted by large corporate water companies for privatization of municipal water services and for mining bottled water. The workshop is designed for the general public to learn what can be done to prevent corporate control of water resources and services in the Finger Lakes. Sponsored by the Finger Lakes Progressive Coalition and the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club.

The workshop will be led by two nationally-known activists on community water issues, and will be held the evening of Friday, June 9 and the day of Saturday. There is a suggested donation of $10 on Saturday. $5 charge for lunch on Sat.

The workshop schedule is at: http://www.ecobooks.com/fingerlakeswaterworkshop.html. Contact Rachel to reserve a space: 607-569-2114 or email rachel@ecobooks.com

Learn more about Food and Water Watch:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/waterprivatization

Learn more about the Alliance for Democracy Defending Water for Life Campaign: http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/water

Learn more about the Sierra Club Water Privatization Task Force:
http://www.sierraclub.org/cac/water/

Learn more about the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club:
http://newyork.sierraclub.org/fingerlakes/

Learn more about New York Democracy Schools:
http://www.ecobooks.com/FLdemocracyschool.htm

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Build An Urban Ecosystem, Sunday, June 11, 111 Monroe St. Presented by the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute, this monthly skill share series takes place in the Northside neighborhood. FLPI will demonstrate quick and easy ways to transform urban lots into healthy, yielding ecosystems. The event includes a discussion of design strategies as well as plenty of hands-on activities. Topics: Permaculture in the City, Urban Composting, Garden Primer, and Urban Design.

In the evening there will be a community potluck and an open discussion titled "Taking Down Fences" where neighborhood residents will gather to discuss their dreams for creating a cooperative city. We will first give a short presentation on designing neighborhoods, followed by a Town Hall style meeting with open discussion. All are welcome.

Cost is $25 dollars for workshop. Ithaca's Northside residents can attend for FREE. The potluck and discussion is FREE.

Potluck will be held upstairs of Autumn Leaves, 115 The Commons. Registration required. Please register online or send name, address, phone, and email to register@fingerlakespermaculture.org. http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org

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FOREST GARDENING with DAVE JACKE, June 17 and 18, at the Cayuga Nature Center. Presented by The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute. Dave Jacke is coming to the Finger Lakes to offer an inspiring and practical workshop on the vision, ecology, design, and stewardship of forest gardens: perennial polycultures of multipurpose plants in small-scale settings. Dave Jacke (http://www.edibleforestgardens.com) is a well respected teacher and designer who recently released "Edible Forest Gardens," an extensive two-volume book on the subject. More info: http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org

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TCLocal (formerly TCRP) will host a short presentation about our diminishing energy resources and what the Tompkins County community can do about the problem on June 22 at 6:30 pm at Ithaca College in the Center for Natural Sciences, Building  #23, Room 112. Directions http://www.ithaca.edu/directions.php. After the presentation, they'll show the newly released Community Solutions film, "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil." Parking available at the nearby Park School of Communication. More info: Bethany Schroeder 277-3545, or nidus@pinax.com.

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ITHACA WAR AND PEACE REPORT
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Unique Eyewitness Report from Baghdad TONIGHT

An American lawyer will present a personal, unique view of life in Iraq at an open gathering at the Unitarian Church Annex, tonight June 7, 7:30 pm. Beth Pyles, of Parkersburg, WV spent 5 months since last fall in Iraq, with the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT). She lived outside the comparative security of the Green Zone as she worked with Iraqis whose family members had been imprisoned, often by US forces, and helped them to locate their relatives and to make contact with them. She also had conversations with the US military as they shared their views on what's happening in Iraq and in their own lives.

During the gathering she will discuss such matters as:

• What's it like living among ordinary Iraqis?
• How does one deal with the daily violence?
• How can there be a role for nonviolence among all that violence?
• What did she see and hear that's never on our media?
• What was it like working there while 4 members of CPT were held captive?
• How did the death of one of the captives affect all the others?
• What does CPT think about the soldiers who saved the lives of the other three?
• What is CPT doing in Iraq anyhow? Aren't they making life worse for the US soldiers?

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Student Activism and Politics: Then and Now. The Cornell University Class of 1971 is hosting two reunion events that are open to the public on June 9. A panel discussion of "Student Activism and Politics: Then and Now" from 10:00-11:30 am will include activist Father Daniel Berrigan, Professor Donald Downs (author of Cornell '69), and Cornell Professors Frederik Logevall, and Richard Polenberg and Paul Sawyer. From 1:00-2:30 pm, the film "Investigation of a Flame" will be shown by its producer/director, Lynne Sachs and by Father Berrigan. It is a documentary portrait of the Catonsville Nine.

Q & A time will follow both events, which will be held in Kennedy Hall, at the David L. Call Alumni Auditorium, Tower Road and Garden Avenue on the Lower Ag Quad of the Cornell Campus. Limited parking is at the lot at the north end of Tower Rd. or at the Field House lot. Admission is free; attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and stay for both events.

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This week, Congress will vote on an amendment to close the School of the Americas/WHINSEC. Rep. McGovern (MA) will introduce an amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriations bill to cut funding for the SOA/WHINSEC.

Activists for closure expect a close vote and need as many people as possible flooding the offices of the House of Representatives with calls in support of a YES vote on the amendment. Visit the Legislative Action Index for more information: http://www.soaw.org/legislative.

More info:
http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1317

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MEETING: June 20, 7:30 pm, Kahin Center, 640 Stewart Ave., Cornell West Campus. (Take driveway downhill to building with covered entranceway, in front door. Parking allowed evenings.) More info: 273-3009, http://www.ithacaamnesty.org/.

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Michael Franti is coming to Grassroots! Franti is an outspoken musician, with highly politicized lyrics. His music is a blend of hip-hop, rock, punk, reggae-inspired funk. He's a man who walks his talk, having traveled to Iraq, Israel and occupied Palestine to see for himself the human cost of war and make a documentary film.

Stay tuned to ICN for more Franti coverage... And, to whet your appetite, check out his new single, "Yell Fire":

http://www.spearheadvibrations.com/pop3.html

Lyrics from Yell Fire:

A revolution never come with a warning
A revolution never sends you an omen
A revolution just arrived like the morning
Ring the alarm, we come to wake up the snoring

They tellin' you to never worry about the future
They tellin' you to never worry about the torture
They tellin' you that you'll never see the horror
Spend it all today and we will bill you tomorrow

Three piece suits and bank accounts in Bahamas
Wall street crime will never send you to the slammer
Tell all the children in the arms of their mommas
The F-15 is a homicide bomber!

TV commercials for a popping pill culture
Drug companies circling like a vulture
Am-Iraqi babies with a G.I. Joe father
Ten years from now is anybody gonna bother?

Yell Fire!

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FEATURED EVENTS
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Art at the Johnson Museum: Treasures on Paper: Alumni Gifts to the Collection, June 8-August 6. Many of this year's Cornell Reunion classes have been actively involved with the formation of the Johnson Museum's collection of prints, drawings, and photographs, and this exhibition highlights those generous gifts. Works include prints and drawings by Kiki Smith, April Gornik, John Buck, Roy Lichtenstein, and Susan Rothenberg, and photographs by Robert Frank, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Michael Kenna. The museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 am-5:00 pm. Admission is free. More info: 255-6464, or http://www.museum.cornell.edu. Located at Cornell.

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FREE TASTING NIGHT: The Ithaca Bakery offers free samples of featured dishes from its Theme of the Month, 5:30-7:30pm June 8. Call 273-7110 for details.

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June 9-24 CSMA Gallery presents "Portraits in Transition: Nature and nurture, culture and consciousness," an exhibit of provocative self-portraits by young art students from Ithaca High School. Opening reception on June 9, 5:00-7:00 pm. Community School of Music and Arts, 330 E. State Street, Ithaca. More info: info@csma-ithaca.org;
http://www.csma-ithaca.org.

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Muevete Latin Dance Party. Finest Latin Music and Hottest Latin Videos with SalsaAmigos DJs Suave and Maikel, June 9, The Haunt, 9:00 pm-2:00 am. Free Salsa dance lesson 9:00 pm. $5 cover 18+. More info: info@salsaamigos.com, or call 315-637-0117 or 607-227-8959. 

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Garden Conservancy's Open Days Garden Tour June 10. From 10 am to 4 pm there will be a tour of four private gardens in Tompkins County. Admission to each garden is $5.00, and tickets may be purchased at each garden. Photos and directions to each garden are on the web, http://www.ccetompkins.org (click on the link to Community Beautification). More info: http://www.gardenconservancy.org Proceeds benefit the Tompkins County Community Beautification Program and the Garden Conservancy.

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Author Lamar Herrin will reading from his new memoir, "Romancing Spain" in the Atrium of the Dewitt Mall, 215 N. Cayuga Street at 4:00 pm June 10. Join us for a reception and celebration following the reading, downstairs at Bookery II. The book will be on sale at a special 10% discount and Mr. Herrin will be available to sign copies. The Bookery is located at 215 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca. More info: 273-5055,
http://www.thebookery.com.

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Australian Guitar Picker Tommy Emmanuel 8:00 pm June 10, at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, 330 E. State Street, in downtown Ithaca. Advance tickets are $18 for Guitar League members or $22 for non-members and can be purchased on-line at http://www.Tix.com. Tickets will be sold at the door for $26. More info: 315-689-6242 or rward1@twcny.rr.com.

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The Tompkins County Board of Elections is scheduling demonstrations of some of the new voting machines that may be certified for use in New York. Though the State has not certified any machines yet, we can at least see what some of the manufacturers are offering as possibilities. The demos will take place at the Ithaca Town Hall, 215 N. Tioga St. (the old Post Office) from noon to 4 pm on June 14 and 20. More info: http://www.votetompkins.com or 274-5522.

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Join the The Sparkle Kids Action Network at Bookery II. Bring your kids and defy gender! The Sparkle Kids will decamp at Bookery II, June 15, to kick off their Chorus of Crayons tour. Join them for a gender-defying coloring book-making workshop, as well as fun, prizes and antics from three solo acoustic troubadours. Coloring book workshop will begin at 6:30 pm. Music will begin at 8:00 pm. The Bookery is located at 215 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca. More info: 273-5055, http://www.thebookery.com.

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Open support meeting for people in support of changing State Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. St James AME Zion Church, 116 Cleveland Ave, Ithaca. June 15 7:00 pm. Free Pizza, Drinks, and Company. Celebrate the Circle of Recovery students! Learn the history! Plan the future! Gino Bush, 277-3439, or Workers' Rights Center, 269-0409.

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The Annual McGraw House Health & Services Fair for Senior Citizens will be held on June 15, 10:00 am-1:00 pm. McGraw House, 221 South Geneva St, Ithaca. The Fair will showcase many of Tompkins County's services and programs designed to support a healthful and fulfilling life for retirees. Some 20 organizations and services will provide info. There will be blood pressure screening, hearing screening, and tours of McGraw House. The Fair is free and open to persons of all ages. More info: 272-7054 or http://www.mcgrawhouse.org.

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OAR (Offender Aid and Restoration) Annual Meeting June 17, 2:00-3:30 pm. Town of Ithaca Hall, 215 N. Tioga St, Ithaca. Keynote Speaker: U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey. Invited Remarks: Gwen Wilkinson, Tompkins County District Attorney. Additional comments regarding our local community justice/transition for inmate service delivery system: Tim Joseph (Chair, To. Co. Legislature); Leslyn McBean-Clairborne (Chair, To. Co. Public Safety Comm). Reception before and after formal program. OAR's 30th Anniversary Meeting will highlight the agency's 30 years of working with a truly underserved population: "the incarcerated and their families" and review the prospects for a community re-entry program serving the jail population.

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The following two free concerts will take place at Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 West State Street, Ithaca. Jennie Stearns and the Fire Choir, June 11th, 7:00 pm. Liz Stahler and Nathan Duprey. June 18, 7:00 pm. More info, 273-2219 or http://www.atomicloungeithaca.com.

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Beauty and the Beast Storytellers present The Hidden Feast at Bookery II, June 18, 1:00 pm. Martha and Mitch of Beauty and the Beast Storytellers will tell The Hidden Feast, a fantastic story in their newest book. Book signing after. The Bookery, 215 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca. More info: 273-5055, http://www.thebookery.com/

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16th annual Ithaca Dance Camp, June 22-25. The Ithaca Dance Camp is an annual weekend retreat in the beautiful Arnot Forest. Each year, about 80 people gather to dance, sing, cook, eat and live together in community. Children's activities as well. More info: Saoirse McClory, 272-9088, saoirsem@hotmail.com. Deadline for registration is June 9.

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CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Books Thru Bars of Ithaca is having a garage sale and requesting donations. Please donate articles in good, clean condition for the sale: Books, Appliances, Clothing, Furniture, Artwork and more. The sale will be June 17 at 1105 Highland Road, Ithaca, from 8:00 am-3:00 pm. Proceeds will support our work to mail books to people in U.S. prisons. Established in 2001, Books thru Bars of Ithaca is a volunteer-run community organization that sends books to prisoners free of charge from its library of donated books. During the past two years, over 3,462 books were mailed to 1,284 prisoners. More info: Books Thru Bars of Ithaca (BtB) Second Floor, Autumn Leaves Bookstore, 115 The Commons. http://www.btbithaca.org, 257-3156 or email booksthrubarsithaca@yahoo.com.

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Help Southside Community Center by purchasing raffle tickets! Here is what you could win: One night stay in Toronto with theatre tickets; August Moon Spa Gift Certificate; Night Stay including full breakfast at the American Grille at the Hilton Garden Inn Ithaca; One Night Stay at the Courtyard by Marriott **Each ticket is $20 and there will only be 100 tickets sold on a first come first served basis.** To purchase a ticket please contact one of the following individuals before June 21, 2006: Chana Perkins, 273-4190 or at the Center, 305 S Plain St, Ithaca; Stephanie Adams, sadams@ithaca.edu, Nicole Eversley Bradwell, neversley@ithaca.edu. The drawing will be held at our annual Juneteenth celebration at the Center at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 24.

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Jolie Rickman’s SPANISH FOR ACTIVISTS CAMP! Fifth annual camp to be held July 1-3 in Truxton, NY (on a beautiful land trust 30 mi. from Ithaca). Escape the red, white and blue and get out into the green to declare INDEPENDENCE FOR ALL OF THE AMERICAS! Space is limited. To sign up, 646-245-9931, or s4a@riseup.net.

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During the month of June, Borders Books and Music will be sponsoring a book drive for Tompkins Learning Partners, Inc. This unique drive works by having store patrons select an ornament from the store's "Giving Trees". Each Giving Tree is decorated with ornaments that also lists the name and price of a book that Tompkins Learning Partners needs for use by the agency's tutors and students. The cost of the book is added to the customers' purchase and Tompkins Learning Partners will then receive the book from Borders. Tompkins Learning Partners is an agency that utilizes trained volunteers to teach 150 to 200 adults each year that need assistance in learning to read, write, speak English and use computers. The agency has proving this assistance to county residents for more than 25 years. More info: 277-6442 or http://www.TLPartners.org.

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CLASSES, LECTURES, SUPPORT GROUPS
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Save Energy, Save Dollars, TONIGHT, June 7, 6:30-8:30 pm. Learn about low-cost and no-cost ways to save energy and reduce your energy bills. Also learn about programs that can help you afford energy-efficiency improvements with low-interest loans or incentives to qualifying households. Each participating household will receive a free energy kit. The workshop is free, but class size is limited and pre-registration is required. More info: 272-2292 or crf11@cornell.edu.

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Finger Lakes Land Trust's 2006 Talks and Treks series will host a series of interactive educational talks, workshops and field activities meant to engender a love of the land and a will to conserve it. June 10 and 17 walks and workshops, more info: http://www.fllt.org.

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Parents Apart Class. Teaching separating or divorcing parents to help their child/ren deal with the emotional experience of separation. June 12, 6:00-9:00 pm and June 19, 6:00-9:00 pm (class is two sessions). Call Community Dispute Resolution Center at 273-9347 to register or for more information.

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Smoking Cessation Group to begin June 13. Contact Monica, 269-0149 to reserve a seat. Meetings at Autumn Leaves on the Commons, 6:00-7:30 pm. Group size will be limited to 12 and is free of charge, though donations are welcomed for space availability.

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The next meeting of the bereaved parents support group will be on Tuesday, June 13, 5:30-7:00 pm at Hospicare on East King Road in Ithaca. This is a peer-run group serving parents or grandparents who have lost a child or grandchild. For more information about the group, please contact Carlo Troise at 255-9470.

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A workshop on "Legal and Financial Planning for Caregivers" will be presented by Joy Blumkin on June 13, Noon-1:30 pm at the Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca. The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in the topic. Bring your brown bag lunch if you wish. More info: Caregivers' Resource Center at the Tompkins County Office for the Aging, 274- 5492.

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Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County is offering a free money management workshop called Making Ends Meet. June 14,12:30-2:30 pm or 6:30-8:30 pm, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca. Attendees explore numerous strategies, techniques, and tools for managing and maximizing their resources. Information is provided about the One-on-One Program available to households who may be interested in individualized instruction. The workshop is free and open to the public. Refreshment and door prizes, plus all attendees are given a money management tool kit. Advanced registration is required and the class is free. Class size is limited. Call 272-2292 to register or email cap58@cornell.edu.

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Breast Cancer 101, a two-session educational program of the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance, will be held June 14 and 21. This program is designed for people diagnosed with breast cancer and/or those who support and assist them. Session 1 focuses on breast cancer diagnosis and treatment basics and Session 2 on wellness strategies and coping with side effects of treatment. The June classes are scheduled for Wednesdays, June 14 and 21, 5:00-6:30 pm at the Women's Community Building. Registration is required. Call IBCA at 277-0960.

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Lecture on Radiation Oncology and Local Program. American Cancer Society's Tompkins prostate cancer education and support group, Man to Man, will meet Wednesday June 21, 5:00-6:30 pm at Lifelong, 119 W. Court St, Ithaca. This month's speaker will be Dr. Gregory Hare, Radiation Oncologist with Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca. Dr. Hare is up to date on the latest developments in radiation oncology and on the radiation medicine program at Cayuga Medical Center. More info, call Towhee Shutka, 786-0820 Ext 306.

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YOUR LETTERS
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