wMelissa's AP stories
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wSaturday, March 05, 2005


Feb. 17, 2005
Three dead crows test positive for West Nile
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Three dead crows found this week in the mid-Hudson Valley tested positive for the West Nile virus, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Thursday.

While there have been thousands of crows found with the virus in New York, this is only the third time infected crows have died during winter, state officials said.

"We normally think of West Nile as a disease of the warm months," said state DEC wildlife pathologist Ward Stone, adding crows can have the disease in any season.

Officials received a call through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "dead bird hot line" (1-866-537-BIRD) about a large number of crows dying near a roost in Poughkeepsie. Of the 26 crows state technicians found Monday, three tested positive for the virus. Toxicology reports have not determined if the virus killed them.

Stone said the state is running tests to determine the precise cause. One possibility, he said, is that some of the crows could have developed resistance to the virus and lived months longer before succumbing to it. Or the virus could have changed and become less pathogenic.

Another possibility is the virus was passed to the crows by something besides mosquitos, the usual summertime carrier. The birds may have ingested the carcass of an infected animal.

Stone said insects other than mosquitoes could have transmitted the disease _ such as ticks or biting flies, which can live through a mild winter burrowed in crows' feathers.

Investigators have returned to the roost _ on the eastern side of the Mid-Hudson Bridge partially surrounded by a highway _ to look for more dead birds. Stone said they are also widening the search to other roosts.

West Nile spread from Africa and other countries and reached the New York City area in September 1999, and 10 New Yorkers have died from the illness that's since spread across the country. Statewide cases in birds dropped to roughly 200 in 2004, down from 1,367 the year before.

The infection can cause symptoms including swelling of the brain. The elderly are at highest risk of serious illness or death if they contract West Nile.

Before the Poughkeepsie crows, only two other birds in the state have been found infected in winter. One crow infected died when it was hit by a train in central New York, and a red-tail hawk died in Westchester. Both cases were reported almost five years ago.

Stone said the new find does not pose an elevated risk to humans.

"There is no way to get the virus from the crow to people because mosquitos have little activity" at this time of year, he said. "We need to understand this virus better than we do. It's going to be with us a long time."

___
On the Net:
New York State Department of Health, http://www.health.state.ny.us/
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, http://www.dec.state.ny.us/

posted by Melissa at 7:46 PM


wWednesday, January 05, 2005


Babies welcome at special screenings
BY MELISSA MANSFIELD=
Associated Press Writer=

RHINEBECK, N.Y. (AP) _ Monte Romero sat on his mother's lap, looking up at the movie playing on the big screen and chomping on popcorn. After a few moments, he rubbed his eyes, hopped back out into the aisle and went exploring. The 2-year-old stopped and shouted, "Go!" while pointing to the screen, then returned to his mother.

Nobody shushed him. No rolled eyes or piercing stares accused Monte's mother Marika of ruining "Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst" by bringing along a toddler.

"See why you can't bring him to the mall?" Marika said, scooping him up onto her lap again. "He gets very excited."

The Romeros were at a "Bring Your Own Baby" movie at Upstate Films. Joining small movie houses and national theater chains, the Rhinebeck theater has begun to show special screenings just for parents and children.

The first-run films are the same ones the theater offers the rest of the week. Patrons can pick up a bottle of ginger ale or root beer, a homemade cookie or popcorn with real butter. When the movie starts, the lights dim, but do not turn off entirely. The soundtrack is loud enough to hear, soft enough for babies to sleep through.

Marika Romero recalled bringing Monte to a recent screening of "Ray," about music legend Ray Charles, at a regular theater. She hoped he would sleep if he got bored.

"Once the first band started, he went `Drums, mama! Drums!'" she said.

The two spent the rest of the movie outside with the carpet sweepers.

"I do miss the big screen," she sighed, as she waited for the matinee to start.

Upstate Films has shown three "Bring Your Own Baby" movies so far, with hopes of continuing the program through the next year. Parents pay regular matinee admission; the babies get in for free.

"The people who come are really happy," said Steve Leiber, who co-founded the nonprofit arts organization with his wife Dede in 1972. There is no one to say `Shhhh ... be quiet.'"

Leiber heard of other theaters with matinees for moms, and wanted to try it. "It gives us a chance to get the people who were movie goers," before they had children.

Midwestern chain Kerasotes Theatres holds "Matinee Movie Magic for Moms (and Dads)" weekly at four of its 75 theaters, featuring a stroller valet outside the theater to help accommodate the new parents.

Loews Cineplex Entertainment launched a program called "Reel Moms," three years ago, and now operates in 20 cities. Loews spokesman John McCauley said "the moms are also able to be very current, seeing the latest movies."

Many of the moms who contact the company say they feel isolated after having children and it helps to interact with other new parents in a social setting.

"We get to bring moms together, going through the same life stage," he said.

Carrie Gonzalez, who brought her 8-month old daughter Ellie to see "What the Bleep Do We Know?" in Rhinebeck, said she and her husband, "used to go (to the movies) every week, and we don't make it out anymore."

On this day, about two dozen moms and a dad chose between two documentaries: "What the Bleep Do We Know?" a story involving quantum physics, and the Patty Hearst picture about the Symbionese Liberation Army.

"I don't necessarily want to see Aladdin," said Tara Shafer, a Rhinebeck mom who brought her 22-month-old son Reid Curran. She prefers the types of movies shown at the independent movie theater, located 105 miles north of New York City.

Bridget Doxsee and Nicole Swander, both 30, arrived at Upstate Films together, toting diaper bags and their babies bundled up in carriers. Doxsee, with 5-week-old Ella, and Swander, with 5-month-old Ethan, get together most days.

Doxsee admits she used to be annoyed with parents who went to adult movies with unruly kids.

"A regular movie? No, I wouldn't do that," she said, as Ella let out a tiny cry.
___
On the Net:
Upstate Films: www.UpstateFilms.org
Loews: www.EnjoyTheShow.com

posted by Melissa at 7:44 PM


wMonday, January 03, 2005


Jan. 2, 2005
Unique community challenges residents to make do with less
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) _ When Laura Beck and Greg Pitts realized their marriage was falling apart, one thing was clear: They would work together to maintain a loving, supportive environment for their young son, Ethan.

In June 2002, the couple had moved from Austin, Texas, to EcoVillage at Ithaca, an "intentional community" in central New York where environmentally friendly neighbors share space, meals, chores and generally look out for each other.

Today, with divorce bringing its own distinct challenges, the couple continue to live in separate homes in the community and Ethan divides his time between them. With neighbors knowing their struggles after a 16 year relationship, that makes for some awkward encounters but Beck accepts it.

"Being in the community gave us a chance to be honest," she said as she sipped a cup of tea.

Moving out was not an option when talk of separation started.

"This is all (5-year-old Ethan) knows," his mother said. "The community, they kind of hold Ethan through it. It's an extended family ... It's a constant."

Like thousands of intentional communities around the world, people come to EcoVillage knowing they will be more than homeowners and neighbors, understanding that change in a community of environmentalists means trimming the fat _ making do with less and ignoring traditional beliefs.

"I see it as a challenge," said Michelle Nolan, who has lived in EcoVillage for eight years.

"This place has a way of making it easier on people to do the right thing, environmentally speaking," she said. "When you are ready to raise the bar a little bit more for yourself, someone is always there to share information and give support."

Descended from communes, hundreds of these alternative communities are developed annually and many more go unreported, said Laird Schaub of the Fellowship for Intentional Community, a Missouri-based advocacy group.

More than 100 adults and 60 children live in EcoVillage's 60 homes, which are clustered together in two existing neighborhoods on a hill overlooking downtown Ithaca. The houses, which cost between $120,000 and $185,000, surround a sandbox and gardens where black-eyed Susans grow near mint plants and rhubarb. Cars are parked on the periphery and gravel paths snake through to front doors.

When the community was designed in 1991, residents integrated some old ideas about community-oriented housing and sustainable living. After five years of public forums and meetings with architects and environmentalists, the first residents moved in.

Families fill a single 108-cubic foot Dumpster with garbage each week, about a quarter of the amount typically generated for a development of this size. Everything else is composted on site or recycled.

"People are searching for a better way of living on the planet, and we are an example," said Liz Walker, a co-founder and director of EcoVillage.

Once construction of a third neighborhood is completed, 80 to 90 percent of the village's 175 acres will remain open space.

In general, Americans reject a commune starting up next door, but once a community is in place for a couple of years members become part of the "local social fabric," said Tim Miller, a University of Kansas religion professor and author of "The '60s Communes."

"Established societies tend to fear the 'different,'" Miller said. "Intentional communities are not the norm, and are therefore inherently suspect."

In EcoVillage at Ithaca, the common house serves as a meeting place, with shared laundry facilities, a full kitchen and a dining room where residents can gather for four weekly meals.

The neighboring West Haven Farm produces enough crops on 10 acres to feed 1,000 residents every week. With a bountiful tomato harvest, the community dinner one night included homemade hummus with tomato chunks and quinoa taboule, a wheat-less grain salad with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Linda Glaser and her daughters, 6-year-old Elisheva and 9-year-old Tzipora, sat down at a table with their neighbors, the girls munching on rice cakes with jelly. Before moving to EcoVillage, the Glaser family had been living _ unhappily, Glaser said _ in the suburbs of West Orange, N.J.

Glaser, wearing a T-shirt with the slogan, "Democracy is not a spectator sport," said there can be no better place than EcoVillage to raise children because of the focus on family. Children don't have to cross streets to play and Glaser said she hasn't once hired a baby sitter because neighbors trade tasks with each other.

"Sixty households full of mothers and grandmothers," Elisabeth Harrod said, "... you can't get away with anything."

Adults are required to work two to four hours a week on a team, each of which is responsible for chores such as cooking, maintaining outdoor spaces and cleaning the common house.

If someone wants to use Harrod's car, he or she only needs sign it out and get the keys. In return, Harrod might ask for a gallon of milk or that the neighbor fill the tank.

In Los Angeles, Eco-Village gives a discount to renters who don't own a car.

Lois Arkin got rid of her car in 1999 and discovered that many of her social interactions were connected to it _ from costs and repairs to traffic and parking. More reliant on bicycles, the Los Angeles community turned one apartment's kitchen into a bike-repair shop.

Many homes in the Ithaca community have energy efficient utilities, including smaller ovens.

Though 68-year-old Sara Pines at times wishes she had her own washer and dryer, she had a stronger desire to live in a community that appreciated her. She cleans the common house refrigerator weekly as one of her chores _ and in exchange gets her lawn mowed and snow shoveled.

Pines believes her neighbors help her avoid many problems seniors face.

"When I observe the loneliness and isolation of many seniors, I feel sad," said Pines, founder of Friendship Donations Network, a nonprofit organization that distributes food and unused items to the needy. "I wanted to be in a community that appreciated me for who I am, what I do and how I can contribute."
___
On the Net:
http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/


posted by Melissa at 1:28 PM


wSaturday, November 13, 2004


Nov. 11, 2004
World War II veteran finds himself in painting
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Jean Muth skimmed the newspaper Sunday when a listing about a World War II exhibit caught her eye. Along with the museum's hours was a shot of a featured painting, depicting sailors playing poker aboard the "Lucky Lizzy."

She examined the picture closer. There, on the right side of the painting _ much to her surprise _ was her husband, Frank, sitting slightly above the other sailors.

Frank Muth took a look for himself, then asked his wife, "Are we going to go?"

And so, with his USS Elizabeth C. Stanton blue leather memory book tucked under his arm, Frank and his wife of 57 years went Thursday to the Albany Institute of History and Art to see his likeness in person.

"They were walking around, looking for it," said Jake Landry, who was at the institute recording veterans' oral histories for the New York State Military Museum.

"What a special moment," Landry said, referring to when the East Chatham couple finally discovered the painting, called "On the Fantail."

"You almost can't believe it," Jean Muth said as she stood among the many current and former military members who packed the museum on Veterans' Day.

Frank, still sturdy at age 81, pulled out snapshots from his adventures on the cargo ship, matching up former bunkmates with the other sailors in the painting. Calling them his "motley crew," Muth pointed out one man with a short beard also in the painting.

Within his envelope of photographs, Muth took out one of men piling into a small boat, almost identical to another painting by Mitchell Jamieson titled "Invasion Craft." The grim painting shows the same dark scene, and another painting "Red Beach at Gela" reminded Muth of another picture in his Stanton book, of a large ship burning.

"We were on the other side," he pointed when a man asked about Muth's view of the engulfed ship.

Jamieson was one of eight Navy artists sent to serve alongside fighting men and record their visions. Some of their works can be seen at the institute through Feb. 13.

Muth doesn't remember anyone snapping pictures of him and his buddies while they relaxed off of Algers, waiting to head to Sicily, as the painting's caption explained.

In the painting, done in oil, some men sit on wooden boxes, others on the ground or leaning up against a rail. Though Jamieson's description says the sailors were playing poker, Muth contends, "I wasn't playing, I was watching."

At the time of the painting, Muth said he was about 20 years old. He joined the Navy with a friend when he was 19 while living in Philadelphia.

"I knew my number was coming up," he said, adding that he wanted to avoid being drafted into the Army. Instead, Muth, who was a 2nd class motor machinist by the time he left the service, worked in the engine room of the "Lucky Lizzy" for three years, visiting many corners of the globe.


posted by Melissa at 8:18 PM


w


Nov. 2, 2004
Some college students have trouble casting ballots
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ A steady stream of students made their way to the polls Tuesday at the State University of New York at Albany, but not everyone had an easy time delivering their vote.

Some students who showed up at their designated polling place found that their names were neither on the voter-registration rolls nor on any lists of recently purged voters. Meanwhile, some students who planned on voting by absentee ballot, like Joseph Rubino of the Bronx, complained their ballots had never been received.

The students were to be given paper ballots, but one of the three polling areas on campus ran out and turned students away.

"It's a huge disappointment for us," said Joseph Stelling, project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group, which helped register over 2,000 voters on campus.

"What's a further disappointment," he said, "is that there is a polling place on campus turning students away instead of giving them their paper ballots. This is totally unacceptable. We can't let this stand."

It could not immediately be determined Tuesday why, or how many, students had been removed from the voter rolls. SUNY spokesman David Henahan said he was unaware of the problem at SUNY Albany, and added that no difficulties had been reported on other campuses.

Rubino ended up going before a judge in Albany and getting a court order to vote.

"It was a huge hassle, but everything pretty much worked out in the end," he said.

Students weren't the only ones who encountered problems Tuesday.

Joanna Markenssinis, a campaign finance analyst for the state Board of Elections in Albany, discovered that she was erroneously removed from the voter rolls.

Markenssinis insisted she was registered and told poll workers in Coeymans outside of Albany, "I am not going to be deprived of my right to vote today." She was then given a paper ballot, and was told she could not use the machine to cast her votes.

"If I had been elderly, if I had been a young person voting for the first time, if I were handicapped, or a woman of color, I would have been so intimidated that I would have turned around and walked out and I would not have voted today," she said. "Fortunately I'm one of those people that open their mouth."

Last week, Albany County purged from the rolls 22,000 people whose whereabouts could not be confirmed. It was unclear Tuesday whether Markenssinis was among those purged then.

For the most part, though, voting went smoothly across upstate on Tuesday.

State Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daghlian said he was unaware of any problems with the old-style voting machines being used for one last time during this year's balloting. The state is expected to switch to electronic machines by 2006.

Turnout, meanwhile, was reported to be heavy.

In the Albany suburb of Colonie, for example, poll workers reported that about a quarter of those registered had voted by 11 a.m.

"If this pace continues, two-thirds to three-quarters of this district will come out to vote," said Peter Lattanzio, a poll worker at Colonie's community center.

Daghlian also said early voting looked "pretty busy" statewide, but could not say whether the trend would hold throughout the day.


posted by Melissa at 8:16 PM


w


Oct. 29, 2004
Companies gear election-themed products toward public
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Howard Glassman shrugged his shoulders. There was no more Participation Ale.

"That's it for four years," he said as he tended the bar at Valentines, a music club, talking about a special brew made for the presidential election by Burlington, Vt.-based Magic Hat.

With politics on a lot of minds, companies have introduced election-themed products, like Participation Ale, with hopes that consumers will become more involved.

"We'd like to bring political discussion back to the pub," said Shelly Williams, a Magic Hat spokeswoman whose official title is minister of fermentation elation relations. "In the olden days, the tavern was where this sort of thing happened, over a pint of ale."

Some bars have given out promotional products, such as pins with 11.02.04 and an Uncle Sam figure on them. Others are handing out political quizzes with 30 questions on topics from abortion rights to gay scoutmasters to bilingual classrooms.

A few blocks away from Valentines, at Ben and Jerry's, customers can show their political preferences _ or not _ with the Election Confection Sundae. The sundae consists of Primary Berry Graham and vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce, graham cracker crumbs and a choice of "electable" chocolate toppings. Democrats can choose chocolate donkeys, Republicans have elephants, Greens have sunflowers, Progressives have moose and for those who don't want to affiliate _ a cow, for "peace, love and ice cream."

Most who order the sundae go for the cow. "A lot of people get that one because they don't want to tell us their politics," said Becky Claydon, who has been scooping for four years.

She said there have been some people more upfront about their preferences. "There have definitely been customers who were very into politics and liberal, and very excited about it," she said.

Ben and Jerry's will not be using its chocolate to forecast the election's outcome, however.

"The concept wasn't about projecting the election results by what we find in our scoop shops," said Chrystie Heimert, public relations director for the Vermont-based company. Instead they wanted to remind people that voting can be fun. "As (founder Jerry Greenfield) has always said, `If it's not fun, why do it?'"

So far, "Elephants are overwhelmingly more popular in North Carolina, and cows in Vermont," according to Heimert.

National convenient store chain 7-Eleven is counting each vote. Coffee and tea drinkers can choose their hot beverage cup according to their presidential preference, and daily results are posted on the company's web site.

The company points out the lack of scientific polling, but contends that the 2000 results were close to the real deal. Customers can choose from President Bush, Sen. Kerry or a "Third Party/No Opinion" cup.

Interested parties can see the national tally (which has the President in the lead), or the results by state and metro area.

This poll may be measuring who the population wants as its commander in chief, or simply which political party drinks more java.

___
On the Net:
http://www.magichat.net
http://www.benjerry.com
http://www.7-eleven.com/7-Election/


posted by Melissa at 8:14 PM


w


Oct. 23, 2004
New exhibit examines private vs. public space
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

TROY, N.Y. (AP) _ Down a long dark hallway, Vito Acconci peers out of a black and white television set. He lies on the floor as he taunts the viewer, his face taking up much of the screen.

"Why don't you come in here with me," he pleads, then takes a drag off a cigarette and sings along with unrecognizable background music.

The 33-minute loop of Acconci's "Theme Song" is part of Space Invaders, a new exhibit at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. The show presents works that demonstrate how the boundaries between private and public terrains are becoming increasingly blurred.

For another Acconci piece, the artist went to the Jewish Museum in New York City for 52 days, picked a visitor, and invaded their personal space. "I'm standing beside that person, I'm standing behind that person, closer than the accustomed distance. I crowd that person until he/she moves away," his piece explains.

"He uses his body to the full maximum to invade the viewer's space," curator Gretchen Wagner explained why she chose Acconci. Wagner is a curatorial assistant of the Tang Museum at Skidmore College.

After an incident at a nearby mall where a man was arrested for wearing a T-shirt that read "Give Peace a Chance," Wagner wanted to explore how people are prohibited from expressing themselves in a privately owned place that's very public.

She also wanted to show how "as a culture, we let ourselves blatantly expose our private lives" with things like reality television.

Artist Rosemary Williams' piece "CEO Views" offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of the most powerful business executives in New York City. Her exhibit shows the "most privileged views of the city" enjoyed daily by the executives and explores how those views differ from the ones seen by the rest of the population.

Her piece, shown on four televisions, consists of both filmed views and personal reflections by the powerful as they share tidbits about their professional and personal lives.

Andrew Senchack, president of Keefe, Bryette and Woods, for example, compares his Broadway view with his former "seascape," and Bob Catell of Keyspan talks about the World Trade Center, which used to be in his panoramic of the city.

In "Hudson River Sampler," meanwhile, Christopher Cassidy shows off on screens situated above sinks in both the men's and women's rooms footage of the Hudson River. In the men's room, footage focuses on the source of the river, near Lake Tear-of-the-Clouds, while the women's looks south from Battery Park.

Cassidy, an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond, said he attempted to "place" the viewer. "To have them think about the place they are _ if they are washing their hands _ as being in the middle of the river."

Another piece in Space Invaders, State of Sabotage's "Embassy," questions the very idea of location. With green leather chairs and a metal and faux wood desk with stacks of forms, the exhibit looks like a model of a regular embassy. However, the passport applications will enable you to become a citizen of the "State of Sabotage."

Without a permanent definitive landmass, the state grows with every new member, adding the member's apartment or home to the size of the nation.

At the arts center, 10 miles north of Albany, for 30 Euros and a photo, visitors can apply for citizenship until the exhibit closes on Nov. 21.


posted by Melissa at 8:12 PM


wFriday, September 24, 2004


July 23
Upstate school district sues state for 'adequate' funding
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The Utica City School District filed a lawsuit against state leaders Friday, a move aimed at ensuring the district gets its fair share in light of a court order that funding for New York City schools be made more equitable.

"We're asking the court to declare that the educational aid formula violates the New York State Constitution," said attorney Donald Gerace, who is representing the district.

After a suit filed by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity resulted in a court mandate that the state change school aid distribution in New York City, Utica officials said they felt the need to file a similar suit in state Supreme Court, Albany County, to seek more funding for their schools.

"We've used the same arguments as the CFE case. Our circumstances are dire," said Utica schools Superintendent Daniel Lowengard.

Without an increase in funds, Lowengard estimates the elimination of 190 positions, and class sizes in the high 30s.

Utica spends more than $3,500 per pupil less than the state average for regular students and close to $5,000 less per special education student, which make up 15 percent of the school's population.

"It's become obvious through the inaction of the governor's office and the state Legislature they want to have a judicial remedy to the state's education crisis," said Gerace.

Seventeen other school districts have expressed interest in joining Utica, according to Robert Biggerstaff of the New York State Association of Small City School Districts, which serves two-thirds of the state's urban students outside of New York City.

Other suits are being prepared in Buffalo, Syracuse and other communities seeking enhanced education funding.

Gov. George Pataki and legislative leaders say they still hope they can reach agreement on a plan to comply with the CFE ruling by Aug. 2, the day the Legislature next expects to be in session in Albany.

Todd Alhart, a Pataki spokesman, said the governor advanced a multiyear plan to help high-needs districts like Utica that would provide billions of dollars in additional aid and demand greater accountability and performance in every school. Alhart blamed the Assembly for the stalemate.

Calls to the state Education Department, which was named in the suit along with the state Board of Regents, Pataki, legislative leaders and other officials, were not immediately returned.

Of the 9,400 students in Utica, about 50 miles east of Syracuse, 44 percent are minorities and 14 percent speak English as a second language. Seventy percent of students are in free or reduced-cost lunch programs.


posted by Melissa at 9:47 AM


w


July 22
Pataki troubled by Berger allegations
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Gov. George Pataki on Thursday called the Justice Department probe of former national security adviser Sandy Berger "troubling," adding the case may have significantly impacted the Sept. 11 commission's final report.

"To find out that national security documents dealing with Sept. 11 were wrongfully removed, supposedly inadvertently, and then wrongfully destroyed, supposedly inadvertently, raises real questions as to what was in those documents and why they were removed," the Republican governor said.

Berger, who served in the Democratic Clinton administration, allegedly removed highly classified terrorism documents and handwritten notes from a secure reading room during preparations for the Sept. 11 commission hearings.

Pointing to Thursday's release of the Sept. 11 commission's report, Pataki said during a news conference at the state Capitol that "there may have been information that may have changed that report significantly."

The documents in question discussed the 1999 plot to attack U.S. millennium celebrations and recommendations for dealing with the al-Qaida network.

The Government Reform Committee, the main investigative committee in the Republican-led House of Representatives, announced Wednesday that it too will look into the Berger allegations already being probed by the Justice Department.

"There must be a thorough investigation," Pataki demanded. "You have to wonder why that happened."

When questioned further as to why Berger may have taken the papers in question, the governor said he had an idea, but refused to elaborate. Pataki also said he has never had access to classified documents of a similar nature.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said he wants to see any paper trail between the Justice Department and the White House because of "the questionable timing" of leaked news revealing the Berger probe just days before release of the Sept. 11 commission's report.

Also Thursday, Pataki praised the Sept. 11 commission's recommendation that homeland security aid be doled out by Washington on using a "threat-based" standard instead of on a per-capita basis. Pataki and other New Yorkers have argued that since New York is a proven target for terrorists, security costs are higher here than virtually anyplace else in the country.


posted by Melissa at 9:46 AM


w


June 18
Exhibit opens telling story of Route 22
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

TROY, N.Y. (AP) _ It starts in Manhattan, then snakes north, following close to the New York-Vermont line. Through Patterson, Essex, West Chazy, Route 22 stretches 350 miles from New York's City Hall Park to Montreal's Mount Royal Park.

Benjamin Swett found himself driving up that highway one day, armed with a camera. The trip, and the many that followed, resulted in "Route 22: An Autobiography of a Road," which opened Friday at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy.

"When I started out, I had this idea that this ribbon of concrete would be the link between places that were radically different," said Swett. He found the towns and cities were linked, culturally and historically in ways other than their coordinates.

"Not until I began to look more deeply into the life of this road did I begin to see how, despite so many surface anomalies, different points along the road are connected in deep and often surprising ways," he said.

Historical markers for the Revolutionary War stand at the sides of the road in anonymous towns _ towns that Swett said "look as though they may have gone through some more recent battles themselves."

Swett photographed people _ from a father and son hauling an engine out of a pickup-truck in Crown Point, to bundled up children playing with a toy rocket _ and their landscapes, which varied from a ferry terminal in Essex to Great Meadows Correctional Facility in Comstock to Fort Ticonderoga.

Gina Occhiogrosso, gallery director, found herself drawn to Swett's work because of his process.

"Photography can be detached, but he stopped to talk to the people," she said, looking at a photo of Daphne Kingsley in Whitehall.

The striking portrait, with a smiling college sophomore standing in front of graffiti she painted as a teenager in Whitehall, looks like it could have been taken yesterday or 20 years ago.

"These towns, they once had a bright future," Swett said, captivated by Whitehall. With the emergence of the Thruway and Northway, roads like Route 22 became secondary, and commerce moved toward the traffic centers.

"My pictures don't always show the rosiest of things," explained Swett. An empty J.C. Penney parking lot at Champlain Centre North stares back, hopeless, on the gallery wall.

Another Plattsburgh photo captures six young men in front of a bodega called Munchies, home of the two-for-a-buck-hotdog. Some are smiling, some are not.

Nearby, 13-year-olds Brenna Miller and Amanda Darrah, working as junior docents at the Kent Delord House, look at the camera without expression.

But there are some "rosy" photos. You can almost hear the music glimpsing inside the Knitting Factory nightclub, just blocks away from where Swett believes Route 22 originates.

He believes when Broadway splits at City Hall Park, to the left is Route 9, and to the right begins Route 22. In Plattsburgh, 315 miles north, the two roads intersect again, before Route 22 becomes Canadian Route 219.

"I decided to keep going because it's all the same road," Swett said about continuing on Route 219. "Geography doesn't know national boundaries."

Swett has compiled 60 photos and expanded captions into a book, which will be on display with the exhibit through August 29.
___
On the Net:
www.TheArtsCenter.cc
www.benjaminswett.com


posted by Melissa at 9:44 AM


w


May 14
Residents watch new ship's journey to the lake
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

TICONDEROGA, N.Y. (AP) _ They pulled out the lawn chairs and waited.

The women sitting at Betty Mason's front yard were excited about the parade _ the police escort, the emergency response vehicles, and the main attraction, a 115-foot-long tour boat on its way to Lake George.

"This is fantastic," said Mason, 66, smiling and looking up at the Adirondac as it was pulled _ slowly _ by her home Friday morning. "I hope all the kids have a chance to see it. It's too bad they couldn't let school out," though a local Catholic school, St. Mary's, did bring children to the site on Thursday.

Although the originally planned eight hour trek through town had expanded to three days, residents of Ticonderoga didn't focus on the closed roads and minor detours. The hulking vessel, which since Wednesday has been carried on back of a specially equipped truck, was expected to launch into Lake George Friday evening.

"What this town needs is a little excitement," said Jean DiFebbo, 77, as she stood at the end of her driveway. The moving crew didn't have to uproot her mailbox, like they did a neighbor's, to squeak the boat by.

"It may have tied up the town for a few days," said Fred Fuller. "But it will give them something to talk about for 40 years."

Fuller, who has lived in the village for 72 years, told the diners at Burleigh's Luncheonette on Main Street about the Adironac's passage through town on Thursday. "It came within feet of the Burleigh House," he explained, hands gesturing the difference. "And there were so many people watching."

The yards, normally dotted with patio barbecues, swing sets, tulip beds and dandelions, also hosted dozens of visitors armed with cameras who wanted to see the operation for themselves.

Edna and Pete Busier decided Friday morning to head 80 miles north of their home in Saratoga Lake to watch. "We didn't want to be sitting next week having coffee and thinking 'wish we saw the boat,' so we came up," Pete Brusier said.

"Most people are treating it like a holiday and parade _ sitting on lawn chairs, waiting for the boat to go by," said Deanna White-Neale, driver of the "Wide Load" escort truck. "This isn't something you see everyday, or every decade."

The Adirondac wasn't the first ship to "drive" through the town. In the 1950s, the Ticonderoga _ another vessel serving Lake George passengers _ made the four mile journey from Lake Champlain to the boat launch.

Mason remembered that spectacle. "I was standing on that corner," she said, pointing just across from her home. "It came up in sections."

"With all the money they spent to make this boat, you'd think the painting crew could've finished the job," joked Kenny Otley, 34, with his fellow EMS workers on standby. Because the more common spelling is Adirondack, someone affixed a paper "K" after the gold painted name, causing many snickers.

After arriving from New Jersey Thursday evening, Maria Robbins, 47, was surprised Friday morning when she went out to run errands and saw the Adirondac coming up her dead-end street.

"It's kind of holding things up," she said, watching the ship inch along Black Point Road. "But it will be nice once it gets in the water."

As temperatures hit the 80s for the third day, the crew of movers, builders, telephone and cable representatives still kept in high spirits.

Joe Nicholas, of Nicholas Brothers Inc., joked with onlookers, "Touch it (the boat). Everyone else in Ticonderoga has!"


posted by Melissa at 9:36 AM


wWednesday, April 28, 2004


April 9
Collection of Italian ceramics starts six city tour
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) _ It's hard to imagine eating dinner off of a work of art.

But during the Italian Renaissance, artists started painting ceramic plates, plaques and jars that were colorful, detailed, beautiful _ and functional.

A large collection of these works, called maiolica, started a six city tour Friday at Vassar College's Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, giving visitors a glimpse into 16th century upper and middle class life.

"Very few maiolica wares are so outlandish that we cannot conceive of their use," said Jacqueline Musacchio, assistant professor of art history at the college. Most maiolica, tin-glazed, clay-based wares that go through three firings in a kiln, have shiny surfaces that lack visible wear. Since cutlery was only used in ceremonies, hands and bread couldn't leave such marks.

Musacchio said the more intricate plates were often used as serving dishes at slightly fancier special occasions than when hosts pull out today's "good china."

While middle class homes had simpler, white glazed maiolica plates, the wealthy held collections of the bright orange, blue and purple pieces. Muscular figures portrayed in stories of mythology or classical history stand, stuck in time on these plates. Because of the painting process, where the paint is baked into the clay, the colors are as rich today as they were in the Renaissance.

The "Marvels of Maiolica" exhibit also features five apothecary jars, used in pharmacies for holding dry ingredients. The golden yellow and dark blue inscriptions and scenes on the jars do not indicate what could be found inside _ instead the names of herbs and drugs were attached to the parchment lids.

A photograph hung near Francesco Xanto Avelli da Rovigo's Plate with The Sinking of the Fleet of Seleucus, shows that Xanto signed, dated and inscribed his work, an elaborate piece that depicts a scene from the third century History of the World.

Documentation surrounding these ceramics come from a manuscript called "The Three Books of the Potter's Art," by Cipriano Poccolpasso. Some pieces in the collection at Vassar, 65 miles north of New York City, were part of larger sets. The Moor's head at the top of Xanto's Seleucus identifies it as one of 37 commissioned by the Pucci family of Florence.

Not all the works on loan from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., have serious religious scenes or deeds of famous families.

A gold and blue dish from Deruta, circa 1520-25, depicts a donkey attacking a wolf, with the inscription "See, people, to what the world has come when the ass, if he wants to, can eat the wolf." In the gallery caption, Musacchio wrote, that the piece promised a "lively banquet with few conversational lulls."

To complement the maiolica, Patricia Phagan, curator of prints and drawings, created an exhibit from the permanent collection at Vassar to explore Renaissance printmaking. The black and white engraved prints and woodblock show scenes similar to those on the maiolica.

"Maiolica designers worked a lot from prints," said James Mundy, director at the center. The prints will not travel with the maiolica exhibition.

The maiolica will continue to be displayed through June 13. The collection will then be moved to St. Petersburg, Fla., Pittsburgh, Pa., Grand Rapids, Mich., St. Peter, Minn., and Cincinnati, Ohio.

___
The exhibit schedule:
April 9, 2004 _ June 13, 2004, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Sept. 25, 2004 _ Jan. 2, 2005, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jan. 22, 2005 _ April 3, 2005, Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sept. 22, 2005 _ Jan. 1, 2006, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Feb. 6, 2006 _ March 19, 2006, Hillstrom Museum of Art, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn.
April 7, 2006 _ June 18, 2006, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio.

posted by Melissa at 8:18 AM


wThursday, March 11, 2004


March 1
Motorcycle memorabilia goes on display
By MELISSA MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ When Ken McGuire was teased about his small-engine 1967 motorcycle's reliability, he took it as a dare _ and drove 2,300 miles to California in 2001 to prove he could.

Now the Bultaco Metralla MKII is part of "Designs Through Time: Motorcycles Past, Present and Future," an exhibit at the Albany Institute of History & Art.

McGuire, 54, and two other members of the Spanish Motorcycle Owners Group arrived on the Pacific Coast 15 days after they set out. Along the way, he said, they got two reactions: apathy from those who didn't understand the significance, and complete awe.

"They would see our New York license plates and we would be riding in Iowa," the Troy-based attorney said. The 1974 Montessa Rapita and 1970 Ossa Wildfire that accompanied him are also on display.

"For collectors, the biggest pleasure is seeing the bikes used and seeing other people taking pleasure in seeing the bikes," he said.

Some of the two dozen motorcycles, along with posters, photographs and memorabilia, sit just feet from the institute's green and blue glass pieces and Scottish paintings.

Jim Prosper, collector of Wagner and Indian motorcycles and related items, filled one room with three bikes and showcases of matchbox covers, medallions and fishing reels that were given away in promotions.

The crown of the exhibit is his 1910 red Wagner that has never been seen publicly before. Prosper recently finished the six-year restoration of the track-racing bike at his Vermont home.

"They have no brakes, no clutch, and a kill button, and would go on tracks bigger than football fields," Prosper said. The machine could go 95 miles an hour.

Dick Daley, exhibit curator, believes Prosper's bikes were "restored better than when they came off the assembly line."

Prosper also showcases artifacts from flea markets and garage sales, including a shift knob with the picture of someone's girlfriend and an advertisement with Clara Wagner saying, "Women Can Ride Wagner Machines as Easily as Men," boasting a 364-mile trek through Illinois and Indiana on her own motorcycle.

A 1922 poster shows the winners of a 24-hour endurance race. "460 miles through the drifting burning sand of the Mohave Desert, with the temperature hovering around 117 degrees," it says on one side of the two smiling winners and their companions, with "24 hours winding through dangerous mountain passes on the rim of the world" on the other.

Other artifacts trace the fascination with motorcycles and racing, their documented history less precise.

An early 1970s Yamaha has the number 233 attached to it, ready for an upcoming race in New Hampshire. Max Stratton, 30, owns two BMW motorcycle dealerships and lent bikes from his showrooms.

Mark Cintulla finished restoring his 1958 Harley Davidson in May, after 9 years of work. He rides it often, has its image tattooed on his bicep, but is happy to have it in the exhibit.

McGuire is likewise thrilled. "I love sharing my toys with everybody," he said.

"When you're riding a motorcycle, you're not driving in a car," McGuire added. "It's an absolutely magical way to travel." He enjoys the smells you would miss in a car, and the views.

The exhibit runs through June 6 in Albany, then heads to Mobile, Ala., and in September to Lubbock, Texas. After that it goes to Daytona Beach, Fla.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Midland, Mich.

___
On the Web:
www.albanyinstitute.org

posted by Melissa at 9:54 AM