Tonight at 6:30, parents, teachers, and community members are gathering at Onteora High School to watch and discuss "Race to Nowhere," a provocative recent documentary about overachievement and the culture of American education. From a new blog called Phoenicia, NY:
Sponsored by the Phoenicia and Woodstock PTAs and the Onteora Middle School PTSO, there will be a moderator led discussion between an invited panel of speakers after the screening and audience members are invited to participate.
Onteora Middle School PTSO member, Keiko Sono, writes:
“This is a documentary that would question the educational system as it stands, and therefore, is controversial. It is only distributed through grass roots screenings such as ours in local communities. It is not available on Netflix or for sale on DVDs. As a condition for screening, panel discussions are required, and it is this combination that has spawned many town-hall meeting type events throughout the country. Read more
Yesterday's two public hearings on the proposed regulation of natural gas drilling by the Delaware River Basin Commmission had a good turnout. According to PoconoNews.net, about 500 people showed up at the meeting in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, while the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports that 250 attended the hearing in Liberty.
Of the first 45 or so people to speak at an afternoon hearing in Honesdale in Wayne County, only five opposed drilling. Supporters said the regulations are cumbersome, have not balanced economic concerns with environmental ones and take away the rights of private property owners.
WNEP-TV, which aired a segment on the hearings which you can watch above, rounded up a few of the pro-drilling contingent's critiques:
Inside the auditorium, many of the comments were against the regulations, saying they are too tough on gas drilling companies.
"You have the audacity to claim that your proposed regulations prevail over our commonwealth, disregarding our own laws," said Carol Woodmansee of Lake Como.
"They would impose 500 foot setbacks from any stream, no matter how small. This is not reasonable," said Amber Stahl of Honesdale.
"We need natural gas now, to invigorate our economy," said Michele Stahl.
U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey didn't appear at either hearing, but his office submitted a letter to the DRBC that calls for bringing more public hearings to New York:
While the scheduling of three public hearings is a positive step in ensuring that communities throughout the Basin have a full opportunity to comment publicly on this important topic, this limited number of public meetings needs to be expanded and the comment period extended by an additional 90 days based on the importance and complexity of this issue. I would therefore reiterate my earlier request to the Commission to urging it to consider additional public hearings in New York State and other areas that will be impacted by the final regulations for natural gas drilling so that those in Sullivan County who cannot be here today have an opportunity to comment publicly.
If you could build your dream cabin in the Catskills, what would it look like? For architect Peter Gluck, it would be the cube cottage pictured above, which is designed to hold 10,000 books, a desk, a beautiful view, and not much else. From an article on Freshome.com, which also has lots of luscious photos:
This unusual building accommodates over 10 000 books belonging to the architect and his wife, a scholar of Japanese history. You can look at the incredible looking studying refuge as a 20 feet cube filled with knowledge. While the ground floor has no windows as it was especially developed for storing books, the upper level is open towards the inspiring natural environment. The large windows offer panoramic views of the surrounding forest and contribute to creating a charming retreat, perfect for studying and relaxation. There is plenty of space within the beautiful studio, enough to shelter a comfy sofa, work spaces and bookshelves. Could you imagine a better office?
On Wednesday, several of her photos, including the one above of Tina Weymouth and Grandmaster Flash in 1981, were unveiled as part of an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. "Looking at Music 3.0" explores "the influence of music on contemporary art practices," with a focus on New York in the 1980s and 1990s -- Levine's photographic heyday. It runs until June 6. For more info, check out Levine's Facebook event and her online photo gallery, where she's hawking limited-edition prints of the above photograph.
George Divine in Stamford has built an enormous, ice-reinforced igloo in his backyard. It's so impressive that the Mountain Eagle has written an article about it:
The four walls of the snow fort received a layer of blown snow from dad’s snowblower and the fort had a roof.
“I started blowing the snow onto it and the next thing I knew it was covered,” said Divine.
From there he began scraping out the inside and doing some reinforcement.
He also used the garden hose to help solidify the structure.
Of course, everyone thought the whole project would be down the tubes once the two days of rain came along in mid-January.
“I thought it would get washed away, but it actually made the walls and roof harder,” said Divine. Read more
The Catskills Center for Conservation and Development is looking for an artist to host in a rustic cabin in the middle of the Platte Clove Nature Preserve in Hunter this summer. Perks of the center's artist-in-residence program include a telephone, a drawing table, access to an outhouse, and a short walk to Plattekill Falls. The application deadline is April 1. The full press release is below.
Catskill Center Accepting Applications for Platte Clove Artist-in-Residence Program
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development is accepting applications for the 2011 Platte Clove Artist-in-Residence Program. Painters, writers, sculptors, photographers, and composers from across the country have participated in this unique residency set in a remote location amidst the dramatic mountain scenery of the Platte Clove Preserve. Read more
Flickr user Laura McCarthy snapped this photo (and a bunch of others -- see slideshow below) last weekend while hiking the Black Dome range trail in Greene County. Photo used with permission.
About $110,000 in contributions will keep Foothills operating for several months, said Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller, who last year took the helm of the struggling center.
"I'm quite confident it can continue operations," Miller said Tuesday. "But we have a lot to do on the programming and fundraising side."
The funds will pay bills for four or five months of expenses, including payroll and utilities, Miller said. Meanwhile, efforts continue to raise money for the long-term, respond to audits, develop community support and finish the main stage and theater.
But Foothills isn't out of the woods yet: Read more
Yesterday, word got around that the organizers of the indie music festival All Tomorrow's Parties have decided to move their three-day rock concert from the Kutshers resort in Monticello to a new venue on the Jersey Shore.
The festival's organizers tried to pin the blame for the move on Kutshers, telling the New York Times on Tuesday that the old resort had become too decrepit to host them.
But today, Adam Bosch of the Times Herald-Record published a leaked email sent from an ATP official to Kutshers that shows there was another reason for the festival to abandon the Catskills for Jersey. Apparently, ATP is in about a million dollars of debt, some of it owed to Kutshers itself: Read more
