November 29, 2006
In this issue:
Ithaca Community News is a free, now weekly newsletter that zooms to your inbox every Wednesday. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to elizabeth@ithacanews.org with "Unsubscribe ICN" in the subject heading. Editor and Publisher: Elizabeth Bauchner. Founded by
Ithaca Community News home page: http://www.ithacanews.org
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Want a free Ithaca Community News bumper sticker? White lettering, green background, union made in America. Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope to ICN, P.O. Box 874, Ithaca, NY, 14851.
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NOT OFFICIALLY NEWS
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The Ithaca-Arcata Exchange: ICN has been offering free bumper stickers for a few weeks now, and has received three requests so far. One of the requests came from a woman in Arcata, CA, who lives one block from where I used to live before moving to Ithaca in 2000. I wrote her back and she said she moved to Arcata from Ithaca in 2003. Small world? Or is Arcata-Ithaca a common exchange? Reply to elizabeth@ithacanews.org.
Ithaca in the Encyclopedia of New York State: http://www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/encyclopedia/entries/ithaca.html
Volunteer for Cayuga Bird Club Christmas Bird Count: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/cayugabirdclub/cbccbc.html
Last year’s count: 86 species, including the first Cackling Goose: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/cayugabirdclub/cbcresults2006.html
Ithaca Had Second Highest Gasoline Prices of any place East of Utah, on November 28, according to: http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx
GUIDES to Ithaca:
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ICN NEWS
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Articles and news briefs on the ICN site:
Ithaca College to Host Week of Action for Burmese Refugees in Ithaca:
http://ithacanews.org/news.htm?newsID=158
Barbara Lifton Listens to Community Speak on Racism:
http://ithacanews.org/news.htm?newsID=157
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Happy Holidays! Ithaca Community News would like to thank all the local businesses who have sponsored or donated to ICN this past year:
For advertising inquiries, email Elizabeth elizabeth@ithacanews.org
ICN would also like to thank Ryan Curtis for ongoing support. He designed the ICN logo, business cards, and poster for the fundraising concert last March. He also took photos of Grassroots for ICN. For graphic design info: ryanbcurtis@gmail.com. An all-around artist in various mediums, you can also check out his paintings at Alternatives Federal Credit Union and Gimme! Coffee throughout December.
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Pledge Drive Update from Elizabeth: Thanks to everyone who has donated money to the pledge drive or sent checks. ICN is still a long way away from reaching a goal of $15,000 for the year. Someone wrote last week to inquire where the money goes. The short answer is that about two-thirds of it will go toward my salary, with about a third of that going toward web site maintenance, software, Internet service, licenses, fees for events I'm covering without a press pass, PO Box, freelance writers, graphic design work, and other smaller overhead expenses, like business cards and the like.
The long answer is what exactly is involved in producing ICN.
It takes me about 25-30 hours to write, edit, format and send the newsletter, and about 10-15 hours per week to cover events, write the news stories and features for the web site and edit submissions from others. I would do more if I had more time, so I occasionally pay freelance writers to cover events I can't attend but think are so important they just have to be covered.
I'll be honest: I'm not trying to get rich. Eventually I hope to earn a living wage at this. ICN is a non-profit, free news source under the umbrella Social Ventures, Inc. I am the only staff person, and I've invested my own money and time into it for the past year. If you think it's a valuable service—and judging from the contents of my inbox I think hundreds of you do—please consider making a pledge today. ICN can meet the $15,000 goal if just 125 pledge $10 per month. Of course, donations in any amount are much appreciated.
And hey, check out a few facts: ICN currently has over 8,100 subscribers to the newsletter. In October, the web site averaged 505 unique visitors per day, and so far in November the web site has averaged 531 unique visitors per day. By unique visitors, that means 531 separate IP addresses surfing over to ithacanews.org. We now have readers in 76 different countries! That means, of course, that news of the Ithaca activist-progressive community is spreading far and wide. Let's keep it going.
You can donate online via PayPal, or send a check to ICN, P.O. Box 874, Ithaca, NY 14851: http://ithacanews.org/donate.htm.
If you are local business, you can advertise as a way to show support: http://ithacanews.org/adpolicy.htm.
Thank you for all your support!
Elizabeth elizabeth@ithacanews.org
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NEWSLETTER SPONSOR. Have you tried TCAT? It's a clean, comfy, affordable ride ($1.50 to any TCAT destination; less for seniors and kids; free for children 5 and under). Call us at 277-RIDE or visit the TCAT website at http://www.tcatbus.com to see if a TCAT bus goes where you're going. All buses equipped with bike racks and wheelchair ramps or lifts. Be kind to the earth and give it a try!
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR AD HERE?
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THANKS TO THE DONORS WHO HAVE DONATED IN THE PAST.
http://www.ithacanews.org.
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ITHACA LABOR NEWS
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The Tompkins County Worker's Center is encouraging holiday shoppers to support businesses who are Living Wage Certified: http://tcworkerscenter.org/employer/
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Ithaca Breastfeeding Update: Last week, ICN informed readers of a woman who was kicked off of a Delta Airplane for breastfeeding her toddler. Delta has issued a statement:
"Delta Air Lines supports a mother's right to breastfeed her baby onboard our aircraft. We regret the decision to remove the passenger from Flight 6160 as it was not in keeping with Delta's high service standards, and we are coordinating with Freedom Airlines to ensure that they deliver the level of service we expect for all of our customers."
Delta Airlines is also contemplating officially supporting the Breastfeeding Promotion Act which is currently before Congress.
ICN asked readers if they have ever been told to leave a place in Ithaca for breastfeeding, and received these responses:
From Toni Sunderland:
"When I first moved to Ithaca in 1980, I went to the lounge of the Women's Community Building looking for a warm and comfortable place to sit and breastfeed my infant daughter. Though I did so quietly and inconspicuously, I was asked to cease or leave. I left without protest, much to my regret, but I was amazed and enraged that a place with that name could deny a woman (and a child) one of the most basic necessities and comforts of mammalian life. I have never been able to erase that moment from my mind, even now, when entering what currently seems to be a comfortable and welcoming place."
Toni adds: "I am thankful that now the WCB is home to the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance, to a sweet and welcoming library that features books by and about women, and to La Leche League meetings; i.e., it is now honoring women and their breasts!"
ICN also heard from Barbara Behrmann, a local author and breastfeeding advocate. She told me about an incident last summer at the Ithaca College pool where a mother was told that nursing violated two rules: no public exposure and no food at the pool. Soon after, Behrmann says, a similar incident happened at Cass Park Pool.
Read Behrmann's article on the topic here: http://www.breastfeedingcafe.com/Articles/Article-SummertimeNursing.htm
Behrmann also clarifies the law for those of us in New York State, which is currently the most progressive pro-breastfeeding state in the union. In short, breastfeeding is a civil right, and moms have the right to nurse their babies (or children!) anywhere they have the right to be.
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News from Women's eNews:
In this week's Cheers and Jeers, the American Association of University Women is celebrating its 125th anniversary and still fighting; meanwhile 58 million girls around the world do not attend school regularly: http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=2973
Female ministries are beginning to tackle a fact that activists say African American churches and the U.S. government alike have failed to adequately acknowledge or address: Black women are contracting HIV faster than any other group of women: http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=2974
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ITHACA SUSTAINABILITY
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Tompkins County Committee Endorses Sustainability Program
An effort to develop sustainable practices in Tompkins County government has gained key support from a committee of the county legislature.
The Legislature’s Government Operations Committee, meeting on Wednesday, November 15, endorsed the program by unanimous vote, recommending that the County Administrator formally appoint the Tompkins County Sustainability Team and that the team be charged with developing an action plan to promote sustainable practices by Tompkins County government.
If the resolution passes next month, the working group will be charged with developing sustainable practices for county government including:
More info: Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair, Government Operations Committee, 273-8169.
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Looking for alternative ways to celebrate the holidays other than mass consumption?
Visit the 2006 Alternative Gift Fair this Saturday, December 2, from 11:00 am-4:00 pm, at St. John's Episcopal Church, 210 North Cayuga Street. The Fair offers holiday shoppers a way to honor friends and family while supporting charities and non-profit organizations in a festive atmosphere. This year, 30 organizations are participating. More info: http://www.ithacaaltgiftfair.org/.
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You can also check out Sustainable Tompkins Celebrating Signs of Sustainability, Thursday December 14, at the Annex of the Unitarian Church, 306 N. Aurora St. 6:00-9:00 pm. This is a holiday gathering and celebration of progress towards a more sustainable community. They'll begin with a potluck dinner including donations from GreenStar's sustainable catering menu, and live music courtesy of Rick Manning and friends. Dessert is provided along with a new slide show "Signs of Sustainability -- 2006 Year in Review." Come to visit with friends, join in an alternative gift making activity, or be the first to try out the new "Weaving a Web of Sustainability" game. Family-friendly. FREE. More info: Gay Nicholson, 607-533-7312, gaynicholson@aol.com, http://www.sustainabletompkins.org.
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Another great gift to give that supports a local non-profit is the Family Reading Partnership's 2007 Read to Me Calendar. The Family Reading Partnership is working hard to create a culture of literacy by ensuring that every child born in our community receives a book at their well-child checkups and when entering kindergarten. What could be a better gift to our community than a culture of literacy?
The calendars are available at The Bookery, Cornell Orchards, and some other businesses. More info: http://www.familyreading.org.
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The History Center is also offering historical photos for sale:
http://antthc.brinkster.net/souvenirs/photo_sales/default.php
Purchasing photos for loved ones who love history helps to support the History Center's educational programs. All the historical images are available in two sizes: as a matted and captioned print, and as a framed piece. The mats are cut from an off white museum quality mat board, and framed in a simple black wood frame.
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ITHACA WAR AND PEACE REPORT
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ICN would like to ask the Ithaca community to take a moment of silence for Malachi Ritscher, a Chicago anti-war protester who committed suicide Friday, November 3 in Chicago by dousing himself with gasoline and torching himself near the Kennedy Expressway during rush hour. His suicide note states, in part:
"Many people will think that I should not be able to choose the time and manner of my own death. My position is that I only get one death; I want it to be a good one. Wouldn't it be better to stand for something or make a statement, rather than a fiery collision with some drunk driver? Are not smokers choosing death by lung cancer? Where is the dignity there? Are not the people who disregard the environment killing themselves and future generations?"
"Here is the statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our country. I will not participate in your charade - my conscience will not allow me to be a part of your crusade. There might be some who say 'it's a coward's way out' - that opinion is so idiotic that it requires no response. From my point of view, I am opening a new door."
Read the whole thing here: http://www.savagesound.com/gallery99.htm
Ritscher was also a huge part of the Chicago music scene. The Chicago Reader music blog pays respects to him, with many blog posts from friends and people who question his actions.
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This weekend, local anti-war protesters will present Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2, at the GIAC Gym, corner of Albany and Court Streets, Ithaca, 7:00 pm. This play tells the story of three young Muslim men, recently released from Guantanamo after four years of torture and abuse. Recommended for ages teen and up due to some disturbing info. Afterward, stay for a discussion with Attorney Gita Gutierrez of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Professor at Cornell Law School, who represented former detainee Mozzam Begg (one of the characters in the dramatic reading).
More info: Mary Anne Grady Flores, 273-7437, mgrady@lightlink.com.
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The Perry City Friends (Quakers) to host a "peace potluck," Saturday, December 2, at the Perry City
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Local film producer Slawomir Grunberg is proud to announce his latest film, "Saved by Deportation: An Unknown Odyssey of Polish Jews," will premiere at the Washington DC Jewish Film Festival on December 3. The film took seven years to co-produce with Robert Podgursky, and tells the story of seven Jews saved from the Nazi Holocaust—ironically—by Joseph Stalin, who ordered the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Jews from Poland to forced labor camps in the Soviet interior.
"Saved by Deportation" not only tells this story, but it re-traces the path of Asher and Shyfra Scharf, now elderly Chasidic Jews, who traveled more than 60 years ago from Poland to Siberia to the former Soviet states of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
More info on the film: http://www.savedbydeportation.com/
More info on the film festival: http://www.wjff.org/
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Don't let the new Congress forget they were elected by Peace Voters: http://mandateforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=181
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FEATURED EVENTS
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Now on the web! Check out the events calendar here:
http://ithacanews.org/events.htm?catID=1
Just some of this week's listings: an AIDS film; Art for Lunch; Crossing Borders; an Evening on Mars; Gay Jewish Writer; Craft Fairs; Bound for Glory and more.
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CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Green Street closing to affect TCAT bus shelter/service:
This coming weekend, the City of Ithaca plans to demolish the overhead bridges and helix portions of the Green Street parking facility. From the evening of Friday December 1, through all of Sunday, December 3, Green Street between Cayuga Street and the “tuning fork” intersection with State Street will be completely closed to traffic. Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) buses will be detoured around the construction area and TCAT’s Green Street bus stops will be moved.
TCAT buses that ordinarily wait for riders on Green Street alongside the Public Library will instead be located on South Cayuga Street between Green and Clinton – in front of the Holiday Inn.
For more information on the Green Street detour and temporary relocation of the bus stops, call 277-RIDE (7433) or visit http://www.tcatbus.com.
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Cornell is revising its Campus Code of Conduct—which defines appropriate behavior and disciplinary actions required when rules are broken—and campus administrators are requesting feedback from the Cornell community: http://www.assembly.cornell.edu/CJC/KrauseReport.
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The Hangar Theatre is announcing regional auditions for its 2007 Mainstage Season. Adult auditions for the Hangar’s two musicals—"Disney’s Beauty and the Beast" and "Hair"—will be held on Sunday, December 10, with an open call from 3:00-5:30 pm in the Dillingham Center on the Ithaca College Campus. The Hangar is seeking strong singer/dancers for both musical ensembles. Actors should arrive promptly at 3:00 pm, prepare 32 bars of a song in the style of each show, bring sheet music, a current headshot and resume, and remain available for a dance call following. No appointment is necessary.
The Hangar is a small professional theatre that casts both Equity and non-Equity actors. Auditions are open to adult actors (college-age and above) who can provide their own residence in Ithaca this summer. More info: Hangar Business Office, (607) 273-8588, artistic@hangartheatre.org, or http://www.hangartheatre.org.
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CLASSES, LECTURES, SUPPORT GROUPS
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Now on the web! Check out the calendar here:
http://ithacanews.org/events.htm?catID=8. Just some of this week's listings: Class on climate change; workshop on AIDS; Sephardic Cooking Demo; Finger Lakes Permaculture weekend course; a class on saving energy and more!
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YOUR LETTERS
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On Shared Roadways:
I have been living above the Buttermilk Falls area of Ithaca/ Newfield for the past year and a half and I don't have a car so I often ride a bicycle down Sand Bank road and turn onto Rt. 13/34/96 just south of the city limits and I always ride in the roadway because there is a big yellow sign that clearly says SHARED ROADWAY with a depiction of a bike. I hope that this means I have I right to ride in the roadway despite many taunts from motorists ("Get on the sidewalk punk!" and honk honk honk).
Perhaps the city of Ithaca could send a small crew to trim what looks to me to be box elder trees (not endangered) which sort of hide the two yellow signs. Also, on the roadway, at least the part that I share, is seriously strewn with gravel, broken glass, various hardware and auto parts and pitted with holes that make riding a bike somewhat treacherous the whole way into town.
Why don't I just get on the sidewalk? Go check it out--there isn't really a consistent sidewalk along that route. Why doesn't the city of Ithaca do more for its bike riders? How about a parking garage for bikes? They get rained on too.
Happy trails! Paul Holloway
---[REPLY]: Hi Paul,
Thanks for your letter encouraging drivers to be more aware of shared roadways. However, I believe the area you are referring to falls within the Town of Ithaca's jurisdiction. Try calling the Town of Ithaca Public Works Department to ask about road maintenance where you ride. The phone number is (607) 273-1656.
Copyright Ithaca Community News. View online at www.IthacaNews.org.