Chronogram - February 2009 by Chronogram

Scribner Hollow

Make your reservations now for our Romantic Valentine’s Day Getaway

is the perfect spot for a “Mountainside “ Mountainside destination wedding! We can accommodate 25-225 guests in our newly remodeled, Richly re-imagined Banquet area

magical panoramic views

spectacular service

The Prospect Restaurant for an exceptional gourmet dining experience

Prime June and September 2009 dates are available. Call us at 1.800.395.4683 and ask us about exclusive use of the property for your event!

Marvel”

Share the magic—hold your wedding at Scribner Hollow Lodge

Your wedding is a time of celebration and joy, to be shared with friends and family from near and far. Enjoy this special event at Scribner Hollow Lodge. Scribner Hollow has just finished a 12 month, $500,000 renovation project that has richly re-imagined our interior. We offer an exquisite setting, with an atrium entranceway and our magnificent Sunset Deck overlooking the valley and mountains. Our extensive grounds provide perfect settings for the ceremony. Your guests will particularly appreciate the fine accommodations of deluxe guestrooms, fireplace rooms and suites, and amenities such as The Grotto, a warm, underground cave-like spa with indoor pool, waterfalls, and jacuzzi/Roman spa. Our restaurant, The Prospect, offers exceptional gourmet dining and panoramic views. Our many awards include Hudson Valley Magazine’s “Best Restaurant in Greene County 2003 and 2005,” and The Wine Spectator Magazine “Award of Excellence” for 8 years in a row. The the newly remodeled restaurant and banquet areas have unparalleled views of the Catskill Mountains. Each wedding at Scribner Hollow is a unique custom-made event. Share the magic with your friends and family by turning this exceptional property into your private resort for the weekend.

Fireplace Suites • Balconies • Outdoor Pool • Tennis • Indoor Pool & spa

Route 23A, Hunter, NY 12442 www.scribnerhollow.com 518/263-4211 • 1-800-395-4683

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM 1

Chronogram ARTS.CULTURE.SPIRIT.

CONTENTS 2/09

NEWS AND POLITICS

GREENE COUNTY SUPPLEMENT

15 WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

56 WAKING VAN WINKLE

Senator Al Franken, violence at Chuck E. Cheese, the danger of romantic comedies, and other news you may have missed in the mainstream media.

18 CAN BARACK OBAMA SAVE AFGHANISTAN? Vanni Cappelli reports on the critical juncture in US policy toward Afghanistan and what are some of the ways the new president can strategize a way forward.

22 BEINHART’S BODY POLITIC: A MEDIA GUIDE TO WAR CRIMES

Erika Alexia Tsoukanelis lets herself get lost in Greene County.

LODGING 58 HUDSON VALLEY HAVENS Anne Roderique-Jones profiles eight hotels and inns with staying power.

Larry Beinhart on the TV series “24” and the Bush policy on torture.

WHOLE LIVING GUIDE COMMUNITY NOTEBOOK 24 FULLY WIRED Peter Aaron tours the state-of-the-art Experimental Media Performing Arts Center at Rennselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

68 MORE THAN SURVIVING Lorrie Klosterman reports on living and thriving with serious illness.

72 FLOWERS FALL: HAPPY NEW YEAR Field notes from a Buddhist Mom’s experimental life. By Bethany Saltman.

WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS

BUSINESS SERVICES

52 MINISTERING TO YOUR NEEDS

46 TASTINGS A directory of what’s cooking and where to get it. 61 BUSINESS DIRECTORY A compendium of advertiser services. 73 WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY For the positive lifestyle.

Kelley Granger talks with priests, rabbis, and interfaith ministers about how to choose the wedding officiant that’s right for you.

2 CHRONOGRAM 2/09

JENNIFER MAY

Brothers from an Irish Planet: Malachy, Alphie, and Frank McCourt. BOOKS

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM 3

Chronogram ARTS.CULTURE.SPIRIT.

CONTENTS 2/09

96 PARTING SHOT

ARTS & CULTURE

A mixed-media assemblage from Elisa Pritzker’s Lonely Hearts Club series.

28 MUSEUM AND GALLERY GUIDE

THE FORECAST

32 MUSIC Peter Aaron profiles man of the world Angus Martin. Nightlife Highlights by DJ Wavy Davy, plus CDs by Betty MacDonald Billie Holiday Tribute. Reviewed by Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson. The Crossroads Band Heading South. Reviewed by Michael Ruby. Kat Larios Bathos in Aqua. Reviewed by Sharon Nichols.

36 BOOKS Nina Shengold profiles the McCourt brothers —Frank, Malachy, and Alphie — who are appearing at the Woodstock Memoir Festival this month.

38 BOOK REVIEWS Kim Wozencraft reviews Descartes’ Bones by Russell Shorto. Susan Krawitz reviews Foreskin’s Lament by Shalom Auslander.

42 POETRY Poems by Peter Belfiore, Brendan Blowers, Douglas Carlsen, Jill Christmas, Margarita Delcheva, Alan Dequais, Bonnie Enes, Andrew Higgins, Dave Kennedy, Stephanie Minerly, Chancellor Page, Cynthia Poten, and Matthew J. Spireng.

81 DAILY CALENDAR Comprehensive listings of local events. (Daily updates of calendar listings are posted at Chronogram.com.) PREVIEWS 79 Elder statesman of Americana Willie Nelson performs with Asleep at the Wheel at the Palace Theater in Albany on February 15. 80 Jan Larraine Cox talks with director Kelly Reichardt about her latest film, Wendy and Lucy, which will be screening in late February at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck. 85 The Lehman Loeb Art Center exhibits “Faith and Fantasy,” a show of outsider art from the considerable holdings of its permanent collection, through April 26. 87 Anne Pyburn talks with veteran, author, and playwright Larry Winters, whose play “Nothing Means Nothing” will be staged at Unison in New Paltz this month. 89 Ronnie Spector talks with Peter Aaron about her new one-woman show, “Beyond the Beehive,” which she’ll be performing at the Bearsville Theater February 14.

PLANET WAVES

44 FOOD & DRINK

90 THE DELICATE SOUND OF LIGHTNING Eric Francis Coppolino on Obama’s inauguration chart. Plus horoscopes.

AMBER S. CLARK

Peter Barrett immerses himself in the murky waters of the sustainable fish movement and finds out from the experts what fish are eco-friendly to eat.

The upper concert hall entrance at EMPAC. 4 CHRONOGRAM 2/09

COMMUNITY NOTEBOOK

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM 5

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Untitled chris metze | mixed media on board | ” x ” |  Sylvia Boorstein & Shambhala Sun

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This month’s cover image is somewhat atypical of Chris Metze’s recent work. The thin color-test strip is there, yes, as well as the cartoonish elements (note the “South Park”esque hooded figure standing under what looks like a golf tee in the top-right quadrant of the painting), and the brown horizontal sweep like an angry mark of redaction.What’s not here is the idea of landscape you get from many of Metze’s paintings, the sense of looking down on the world from above.To stand in a room with Metze’s work is like looking down during a cross-country plane journey, noting the fields of color as they pass beneath—the sandy wheat, the green forest, the orange dust, the pale blue water—and the indicipherable patches that call us to wonder. On a recent visit to Metze’s Woodstock studio, it was interesting to note a copy of famed aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Earth From Above on a drafting table, open to a photo much like a Metze painting—a block of muted desert brown bordered by soft blue. Metze says that leafing through Arthus-Bertrand’s work is like strecthing before exercising. And although he doesn’t work from photographs, like Arthus-Bertrand, Metze uses color in a compositional capacity. To Metze, color is an object within the work, a thing in and of itself, a block of three-dimensionality trapped in two dimensions. On top of this, sometimes literally, he has started adding actual bits of industrial detritus—twisted bits of metal from decaying crab traps and the like. “I love things that are manufactured and aged—the manmade element that’s decaying,” Metze says. Also of note: All of Metze’s paintings are untitled, based on his belief that the experience of his work should be completely open to interpretation. “I don’t want to lead the viewer down a specific path,” says Metze. “The more I explain it, the more I take away from it. It loses a bit of its magic.” Recent work by Metze is being exhibited through February 7 as part of the “New Beginnings: 2009” group show at the Fetherston Gallery in Seattle. Portfolio: www.chrismetze.com. —Brian K. Mahoney

How Do You Mend a Broken Heart? ^ŽŵĞƟŵĞƐ Ăůů ŝƚ ƚĂŬĞƐ ŝƐ ŇŽǁĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ͞/͛ŵ ƐŽƌƌǇ͘͟ Ƶƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ ĂůƐŽ ƟŵĞƐ ǁŚĞŶ ǇŽƵ ŶĞĞĚ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ŵŽƌĞ͘ Our heart care specialists provide a full array of screenings, ƚĞƐƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶǀĂƐŝǀĞ ĚŝĂŐŶŽƐƟĐ ĐĂƌĚŝŽůŽŐǇ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ŬĞĞƉ ǇŽƵƌ ŚĞĂƌƚ ŚĞĂůƚŚǇ͘ /Ŷ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶ͕ ŽƵƌ ǀĂƐĐƵůĂƌ ƉŚǇƐŝĐŝĂŶƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ the area’s highest caliber vascular care. &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ Žƌ ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶƐ ƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐ ƉƌĞǀĞŶƚĂƟǀĞ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞƐ͕ ƌŝƐŬƐ Žƌ ĚĂŶŐĞƌŽƵƐ ƐǇŵƉƚŽŵƐ͕ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ǀŝƐŝƚ ƵƐ Ăƚ our FREE Heart Healthy Event, February 21, 2009 at the Hudson Valley Mall, Kingston, NY from 7:30am - Noon. Call 334-3182 or on the web at www.hahv.org. ŶĚ ĂůǁĂǇƐ͕ ŵĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŽ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐ Ăůů ŚĞĂůƚŚĐĂƌĞ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ with your primary physician. Ɛ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŇŽǁĞƌƐ͕ ǁĞůů͕ ŝƚ͛Ɛ Ă ůŝƩůĞ ŽƵƚ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ĞǆƉĞƌƟƐĞ ďƵƚ ǁĞ ĐĂŶ ƚĞůů ǇŽƵ ŶŽ ƉƌŝŽƌ ĂƉƉƌŽǀĂů Žƌ ƉƌĞƐĐƌŝƉƟŽŶ ŝƐ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ͘

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EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Brian K. Mahoney bmahoney@chronogram.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Perry dperry@chronogram.com SENIOR EDITOR Lorna Tychostup tycho56@aol.com BOOKS EDITOR Nina Shengold books@chronogram.com HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITOR Lorrie Klosterman wholeliving@chronogram.com POETRY EDITOR Phillip Levine poetry@chronogram.com MUSIC EDITOR Peter Aaron music@chronogram.com PROOFREADER Candy Martin

CONTRIBUTORS Emil Alzamora, Peter Barrett, Larry Beinhart, Peter Belﬁore, Brendan Blowers, Douglas Carlsen, Vanni Cappelli, Jill Christmas, Eric Francis Coppolino, Jan Larraine Cox, DJ Wavy Davy, Margarita Delcheva, Alan Dequais, Bonnie Enes, Hillary Harvey, Andrew Higgins, Annie Dwyer Internicola, Roger Gilson, Kelley Granger, Dave Kennedy, Susan Krawitz, Jennifer May, Stephanie Minerly, Sharon Nichols, Chancellor Page, Cynthia Poten, Anne Pyburn, Fionn Reilly, Anne Roderique-Jones, Michael Ruby, Bethany Saltman, Jan Simon, Sparrow, Matthew J. Spireng, Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson, Erika Alexia Tsoukanelis, Kim Wozencraft, Ion Zupcu

PUBLISHING FOUNDERS Jason Stern & Amara Projansky PUBLISHER Jason Stern jstern@chronogram.com ADVERTISING SALES ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Shirley Stone sstone@chronogram.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Maryellen Case mcase@chronogram.com SALES ASSOCIATE Eva Tenuto etenuto@chronogram.com SALES ASSOCIATE Mario Torchio mtorchio@chronogram.com SALES COORDINATOR Jennifer McKinley jmckinley@chronogram.com ADMINISTRATIVE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Amara Projansky aprojansky@chronogram.com; (845) 334-8600x105 BUSINESS MANAGER Ruth Samuels rsamuels@chronogram.com; (845) 334-8600x107 PRODUCTION PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Teal Hutton thutton@chronogram.com; (845) 334-8600x108 PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Mary Maguire, Eileen Carpenter OFFICE 314 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401 (845) 334-8600; fax (845) 334-8610

MISSION Chronogram is a regional magazine dedicated to stimulating and supporting the creative and cultural life of the Hudson Valley. All contents © Luminary Publishing 2009

SUBMISSIONS CALENDAR To submit calendar listings, e-mail: events@chronogram.com Fax: (845) 334-8610. Mail: 314 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401 Deadline: February 15

POETRY See guidelines on page 42. FICTION/NONFICTION Fiction: Submissions can be sent to ﬁction@chronogram.com. Nonﬁction: Succinct queries about stories of regional interest can be sent to bmahoney@chronogram.com. 8 CHRONOGRAM 2/09

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Quality Dental Care NEW PALTZ, NY

In ﬁnding a dentist

it’s important to make the best choice. Dr. Schwartz is a knowledgeable, caring, and experienced professional. He LISTENS to your concerns and does a thorough diagnosis of any problems. Then we DISCUSS options and COMMUNICATE with you until you are satisﬁed with any plan of treatment or maintenance. We are a small ofﬁce in a small town. But we offer a level of treatment that you would expect in a large city. Dr. Schwartz is a graduate of NYU College of Dentistry. He continues to pursue additional training at dental education centers across the nation in such subjects as periodontics, orthodontics, implantology, and surgery. Dr. Schwartz has been at this location for eleven years. You will see the same dentist every time. You will notice that the dentist spends more time with you and takes more of a personal interest in your care than just about any other health professional you’ve ever met! We provide general dentistry including family care, implants, artistic cosmetic dentistry, surgical and non-surgical periodontics, extractions, root canal, and other services.

MARLIN SCHWARTZ, DDS 845 255 2902 www.schwartzqualitydental.com 10 CHRONOGRAM 2/09

The science behind environmental solutions

FREE PUBLIC EVENTS More Than a Beast, but Much Less Than an Angel Friday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m. Burning fossil fuels. Creating sprawling cities. Growing chemical-dependent crops. Humans are driving global environmental change. Join Dr. William H. Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute, for a lecture on critical and effective steps that the Obama administration can take to improve the global environment.

Ecosystem-based Management: A Public Review Saturday, February 28th at 2:00 p.m. Participate in a review of the N.Y. Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Council’s ecosystem-based management draft report, aimed at protecting the state’s marine and freshwater resources. Comments will shape the final report, to be presented to the governor in March. Please RSVP for this event.

Both events will be held in our auditorium at 2801 Sharon Tpk. in Millbrook, N.Y. For more information or to RSVP for Feb 28th, call (845) 677-7600 x121.

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LOCAL LUMINARY EILEEN MCADAM LEADING LIGHTS OF THE COMMUNITY “Radio is my fourth career,” Eileen McAdam says with a laugh when asked about how she got started with her tape recorder. McAdam is the director of the Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley, which she launched in 2007 to audio document the history and culture of the Hudson Valley, from Troy to the Battery in Manhattan. The evolving project seeks to capture the sense of place here in AMBER S. CLARK

the region, and McAdam, along with Jim Metzner (whom many will know from his “Pulse of the Planet” series on NPR), has already recorded a good bit of oral history already. The sounds and stories are available via an interactive map on their website where visitors can click on a city or town and hear what the project has documented thus far in their community. The project's website archive contains a wide array of audio, underscoring both the uniformity and diversity of the experience of living in the Hudson Valley, then and now. Some highlights from Sound and Story's website include: Department of Environmental Conservation naturalist Tom Lake catching eels in the Hunter''s Brook tributary of Wappingers Creek, the sound of the collected fish splashing in the net. The story of professional clown and juggler David Sharps, who transformed an abandoned boat into the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge in Brooklyn, and the rinkety-dinkety clank of his one-of-a-kind kinetic sculpture ball machine. The tale of Elsie May Warden’s blueberry picking and childbirth on a hill in Lomontville, as recounted by neighbor Jane McClure. Betty Carey of Beacon recalling the frigid night the Newburgh-Beacon ferry got stuck in the ice in the early 1950s. The trilling of a dawn chorus of toads in early spring along a roadside in Stone Ridge. “Part of our mission is to highlight some of the really unheard-of stories in the Valley,” says McAdam. “StoryScape,” a short radio program featuring stories from the project, narrated by Jim Metzner, can be heard on alternate Fridays (this month on February 13 and 27) at 10:35am on WAMC. The Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley is also soliciting stories and sounds of the region from the general public, looking to further their documentation project of the region. The project can be contacted through its website, www.soundandstory.org. —Brian K. Mahoney

How did the project start? Five years ago, Jim Metzner took me on a field trip for a class he was teaching at Vassar. He gave me a tape recorder and a headset and a microphone, pushed the red button for me and said, “Go record!” I was hooked. It was the first time I had ever done any recording and I just fell in love with it. I began recording some of the old farmers in my neighborhood in Stone Ridge and other people I knew. One day I said to Jim, “I’d like to take these recordings and make them into short audio clips and post them online with a map so that the people of Stone Ridge could listen to each other’s stories—especially since we have so many newcomers to the area.” And Jim said, “That’s a great idea! Let’s start a nonprofit!” It just took off from there. What have been some of the unexpected or extraordinary things you’ve uncovered in your work? They’re all extraordinary in their own way because they’ve all happened to people living here. One of the fun things [about my job] is that I get to do a lot of recording on site. So I went out on a sturgeon research boat this summer with the Department of Environmental Conservation, and we caught about five sturgeon for tagging. At one point, there were these five 200-lb. sturgeon in our boat. I’ve also talked to a lot of old time fishermen, and we’ve done stories on sturgeon and crabs. A lot of people don’t know there are crabs in the Hudson. There’s the story of a man who’s now 96 who has been in the US for many years, but in his youth, lived in Austria and was a resistance fighter. He didn’t talk about it for many years and just started talking about it a few years ago. And some of the stories are simple. I spoke to the chief engineer for the Mid-Hudson Bridges, and he talks about how he is responsible for the bridges that span that Hudson,

and the work that he does. It’s fascinating when you start to ask people about their lives. For instance, he particularly likes suspension bridges, and he’s climbed up to the top of suspension bridges all over the world as part of his work to keep our bridges safe. What do you view as the significance of the project? Stories connect us to each other. As well, they keep us connected to the place we live. The more you’re connected to that place, the more likely you are to be a better steward of that place and want to take care of it. We live in an area that has changed very rapidly and will continue to change, and there are a lot of people who come here who don’t know anything about it. In fact, I was talking with someone who does some of her own interviewing up in Woodstock who is new to the area. She told me, “I can’t tell you how much more connected to the area I feel now that I’ve gone out and talked to people about what this area used to be like, why they’re here, and the things that they’ve done.” People love stories. Why it is that we love stories so much? I’m not sure what it is. But all of our work at the Sounds and Story Project is audio based—we don’t post the scripts on the website. It really is about the hearing and the listening. You know the story of the man whose wife died, so he used to get up every morning and call his own number to hear the voice of his wife on the answering machine? That speaks to this, about how hearing the human voice connects us. There is something about hearing the voice, how we pick up on subtleties of meaning that you can’t necessarily get in the transcription of it. And don’t forget the sounds either: The sounds of where we live are just as much a part of our memories as out stories, and just as important in evoking a sense of place.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM 11

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Marie-Celeste Edwards and Gail Beverly at Hudson Valley Green Drinks at the Locust Tree in New Paltz on 1/14. Will Nixon reading at Chronogram Poetry Picks at Inquiring Mind Bookstore in New Paltz on 1/11; the crowd at the poetry reading. CHRONOGRAM SPONSORS IN FEBRUARY: HUDSON VALLEY GREEN DRINKS AT CHILL WINE BAR IN BEACON (2/11).

Esteemed Reader Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field, I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn’t make any sense. —Rumi Esteemed Reader of Our Magazine: In the spirit of staying positive I want to express some gratitude to Mr. Bush for preparing the way for the appreciation of simple things—a complete sentence, an open smile, the appearance of concern. Every day I hear a report about the new president that is heartwarming.Yesterday it was a pre-inauguration speech to a conference on climate change, in which he unequivocally committed to renewing real work to reduce our collective carbon footprint (simply acknowledging that climate change is human-caused would have been reason for happiness); the day before he issued new rules opening up presidential records, increasing transparency, and renewing the sense that he is working for us. There is finally the sense that the global emergency is being faced. So, thanks, W, for creating an atmosphere in which the ordinary and sensible can feel special. Isn’t it uncanny how, when we feel most raw and vulnerable, most insecure, a new ray of possibility finds its way into the darkness of that fear. We can’t not acknowledge that these moments are most rife with the potential for change that leads to happiness, wholeness, and harmony, and yet it is difficult to want them. Ironically, the very resistance to that suffering seems to break up the loam in preparation for the moment that new seeds will sprout and break through the crust of psychic inertia. Watching the unfolding of the Israeli “Defense” Force’s recent hideous assault against the Palestinians was heartbreaking. Certainly being a parent makes the reports of mutilated and murdered children more potent. It is as though the biblical struggle of Jacob and Esau relentlessly continues—with the descendants of Esau resenting the stealing of the birthright, and the descendants of Jacob using violence to prevent themselves from facing the fact of their crime. Indeed, the absconding with Palestinian lands, and refusal to give them back, was a repeat of the original theft. It is a macro-example of the unwillingness we all face, to feel the results of our misdeeds and open ourselves to humility and forgiveness. Somehow collective perception of the absurdity of the notion that violence can lead to peace remains elusive. This ignorance reinforces the fact that we live in the darkest of ages. Our delusional Cult of Progress, which has made us unquestioning believers that we live at the time of greatest enlightenment, has led us to worship the false gods of technology. As a result we have handed over our strength to our tools and become so inwardly flaccid that we can’t discern useful from useless, truth from lies. For the means of achievement must be congruent with the desired ends. Only peaceful action leads to peace; only being loving leads to love; only working to manifest positively leads to happiness; and only abundant generosity leads to prosperity. There is a metaphor from a great teacher—Adi Da Samraj, who died last year— that describes a disposition of openness. It is the image of the closed fist and the open hand. The closed fist is the state of the self, contracted, self-involved, suffering uselessly, and avoiding relationship with the world. This disposition requires effort to maintain. We are constantly animating this tightness, however unconsciously. When we aren’t hiding in the defensive confines of the fist, we use it to strike out and smash away apparent threats. The beginning of attaining an open-hand disposition is in noticing that this tension is being held, and in the noticing, allowing it to relax. Being the open hand is to be strongly and resiliently available, in relationship with whatever and whomever arises. It is a position of strength in vulnerability. This humility is one of the qualities that makes the Obama phenomenon inspiring. He even used the open hand image in his inaugural address—“we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” The essence of true leadership lies in the strength of vulnerability and humility, and again, how satisfying it is to see these qualities replace the pathetic arrogance of the Decider. We are alive at a pivotal moment. It is an interstice between the old world and the new. A great collision of values and memes is underway. For those of us fortunate not to be caught in the physical violence of this impact, it is the opportunity to begin to model the mode of the new age. It is a mode of resilient vulnerability, in which we value the hurt of a wounded pride over avoidance and counterattack; in which we are willing to work for a common good, instead of self-interest and protection of egoistic territory; in which we know that we may die at any time, and that all we can do is be as mindful and available as we can in this moment. —Jason Stern

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14 CHRONOGRAM 2/09

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Animal species have been exposed to more than 100,000 new chemicals since the early 1930s and the European Commission has admitted that 99 percent of them are not adequately regulated. Some of the more disturbing chemicals that have been released include “endocrine disrupters,” which interfere with hormones. These chemicals have feminized male species of animals worldwide and there is new evidence that the trend is affecting humans. Research at the University of Rochester shows that boys born to mothers with raised levels of endocrine disrupters are more likely to have smaller penises and undescended testes. Endocrine disrupters have also caused girls to be born at twice the rate as boys in some heavily polluted areas and caused the sperm counts in males of more the 20 countries to be lowered from 150 million per milliliter to 60 million per milliliter over the last 50 years. Dr. Pete Myers, chief scientist for Environmental Health Services, says that the introduction of these and other chemicals into the environment is leading “to the most rapid pace of evolution in the history of the world.” The Environmental Protection Agency set up programs in 1996 and 1998 to test products with endocrine receptors, but the programs have been yet to be implemented. Sources: Independent, Dallas Morning News Chuck E. Cheese family-oriented restaurants are often scenes of altercations involving customers. Law enforcement officials report the number of fights they respond to at Chuck E. Cheese is greater than those in other restaurants and in some bars. Most incidents involve arguments between parents or arguments between children escalating until they involve querulous parents. Seventy percent of the restaurants carry beer and wine, which is said to contribute to the problem. In Milwaukee, armed guards were posted at a Chuck E. Cheese branch to reduce violence. Source: Wall Street Journal Although the price of sending a text message through the four major cell-phone carriers has doubled from 2005 to 2008, the cost of a text message has not changed, and in fact costs the carriers basically nothing. The only cost the wireless companies have to incur is for the centralized storage equipment. The messages are carried as part of a control channel, a bandwith reserved for the everyday administration of the wireless network. Text messages are limited to 160 characters, the maximum amount of information that can be carried by the control channel. The Senate antitrust subcommittee investigated the two-fold increase in text message costs after the cellphone industry consolidated from six major carriers to four during the same period. Source: New York Times The last traditional rural village in Singapore is set to be demolished for urban expansion. The enclave, 28 houses on land the size of three football fields, epitomizes how the city-state looked before wide-scale urbanization started in the early 1960s. Since then, the population has tripled, and 90 percent of Singapore now lives in government housing. Singapore now is the second most highly populated country in the world. The country has been so aggressive about its expansion that it has increased its land mass by one third since 1957 by dumping landfill into the surrounding water. Source: New York Times Al Franken has won the Minnesota senate race after a certified recount that was completed on January 5. The hotly contested election, which dragged on for almost two and a half months after Election Day, was finally decided by only 225 votes, or .007 percent of the votes cast—.006 percent of the eligible voting population. Source: New York Times A study to be published in the next issue of Communication Quarterly suggests that the adolescent viewing of romantic comedies gives an inaccurate view of relationships that might damage relationships in the future. These movies, according to Kimberly Johnson and Bjarne Holmes, the psychologists who led the study, tend to depict relationships as “progressing quickly into something emotionally meaningful and significant. Adolescents [are] using these films as a model on which to base their own behaviors, expecting that in doing so, their relationships will progress in kind, [and] are likely to be left disappointed.” Adolescents are less able to distinguish the difference between reality and the media, and often rely on the media to teach them about romantic relationships against their own limited experiences. Source: Miller-McCune Center for Research, Media, and Public Policy

As a parting gift, the Bush administration seemed to be admit its economic policy of the eight last years had been flawed. In an interview on December 17, President Bush stated that “I’ve abandoned free-market principals to save the free-market system,” when pressed about his announcement to bail out General Motors and Chrysler with a $13.4 billion loan. Earlier in December, Alan Greenspan, whose low interest rates helped push Bush’s free-market policies, admitted that his view of economics was “absolutely, precisely” wrong when questioned about them by Nobel Prizewinning economist Joseph Stiglitz outside the bailout hearing. Source: Harpers Weekly, ThinkProgress.org Venezuela has had to limit the scope of its international aid due to plunging oil prices. The country receives 93 percent of its export revenue from oil, whose price has decreased by two thirds since the summer. One of the first programs on the chopping block is a $100 million annual program that provides discounted oil to 220 Native American tribes in 23 states. The move will increase the cost of heating oil for 200,000 American households. Source: New York Times

—Compiled by Roger Gilson 2/09 2/09 CHRONOGRAM CHRONOGRAM 15 15

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16 CHRONOGRAM 2/09

ION ZUPCU

Brian K. Mahoney Editor’s Note Boldface Names

f I were to say to you that it’s people who make this magazine—both literally and figuratively—you would nod in the affirmative. While you might take exception to the magazine’s industrial manufacture, that this bundle of paper and ink is created by an enormous machine, and that we no longer set type by hand (we have smaller machines that sit on our desks that do that for us), there is little doubt that humans created this document. We created the machines that created the paper, the ink, the programs with all the fonts, the printing press itself. A human hand, powered by an individuated, fiery consciousness, was at the switch the entire time, from the first keystroke of an e-mailed story assignment to the drop of the final magazine. This is not news. We don’t stop the presses for its like. But as I was going over the proofs this month before we went to press the names of people kept jumping off the page at me.The humans—all bearing the arbitrary, parent-given signifying marks that we use to identify each other— that pose in the group portrait that is this month’s Chronogram. And I don’t just mean the contributors (though you can see who we are on page 8); I’m also referring to the artists, foreign policy experts, community leaders, writers, healers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and all those “everyday people” who don’t bear the weight of a title or fit into a neat category in an editor’s compartmentalizing mind. Reading a magazine is a seamless experience for the reader; flipping from one page to the next an organic movement. Which is what we aim for, yet it can often feel like a bricolage in the process of making it, with all the elements scattered across the desks in our office like so many pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. (Does anyone do jigsaw puzzles anymore?) For reasons I’m still unsure of, this month I was able to see past the names themselves—as profile subject, or writer, or interviewee—and engage the magazine as a whole. Like a reader! Here’s some of what I saw: The most stinging rebuke I’ve yet seen committed to paper about Laura Bush’s multimillion-dollar book deal appears in our Books section (page 36). The quote belongs to Malachy McCourt, and I won’t spoil the bad-mouthed fun of it by reprinting it here. Nina Shengold profiled the prolific, profane brothers McCourt—Frank (the Pulitzer prize winner), Malachy (the Green Party gubernatorial candidate), and Alphie (the youngest brother with the dry wit)—memoirists all, who will be headlining this month’s Woodstock Memoir Festival. I e-mailed local radio documentarian Jim Metzner last month after I had heard a piece he narrated on WAMC about David Sharps, a juggler and neoVaudevillian who had turned a waterfront barge in Brooklyn into a floating museum and performance space. The story was part of something called the Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley. I inquired after the venture, and Jim referred me to Eileen McAdam, the project’s director, who is probably out recording as you read this. I spoke with her about her ongoing audio documentary of our region (page 11). Elisa Pritzker is a force of nature in the local artistic community (and beyond the confines of my slim editorial purview as well). Artist, gallerist, curator, cheerleader, and consultant, Elisa has championed the arts and area artists

since founding the Highland Cultural Center. It is my profound pleasure to finally feature Elisa’s work in the magazine. Her Gothic Art Paper appears as our Parting Shot (page 96). Sparrow previews an exhibition of outsider art opening this month at Vassar’s Lehman Loeb Art Center, “Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection” (p. 85), drawn from the 100 works given to the college by alumna Pat Parsons, an early patron of outsider art. Sparrow, who knows a thing or two about being a dark horse himself—he recently finished his fifth run for the presidency, on the Sudoku-for-All Party ticket (funny campaign speeches here: www.sparrowforprez.com)—makes some interesting observations about auto-didacticism in art. You would think, from the way she often manages to appear in our pages, that Puja Thomson was related to someone on the masthead. She’s not, I promise. But the reason we keep talking with Puja is that, not only does she have the sweetest burr of a Scottish brogue that ever did blow our bonny way, but she’s also wise and funny, and down to earth. Puja is an interfaith minister—she spoke to Kelley Granger about how to choose a minister that’s right for your wedding or celebration (page 53). She’s also a cancer survivor and an awardwinning author of a book on how to not only survive cancer, but to thrive through the process, from diagnosis to healing. Health and wellness editor Lorrie Klosterman asked Puja’s advice for our article on living with serious illness (page 68). I don’t ever get to meet the poets we publish. Not that we keep them locked in a subbasement pounding away on rusting old manual Italian typewriters or anything; it’s just that they submit their work directly to Phillip Levine, our poetry editor, who curates the section each month and sends me his final selections in a neat little bundle. Even I, who is an avid reader of poetry, do not always spend as much time as I’d like with the poetry in Chronogram. It’s a piece of cake from an editing angle, so I usually rush off to double check the spelling of Aghan warlords’ names instead (see “Can Barack Obama Save Afghanistan?” by Vanni Cappelli, page 18). Allowing myself the time to actually read this month’s poems, and live with them in my mind and in my mouth for a while, I was taken aback by Cynthia Poten’s “Anybody Knows What Love Is” (page 42). The poem ends thusly: For every day you love, a snowflake Melts on your cheek, and every night a star trembles over the town, keeping watch as you sleep children safe in their beds, mice nibbling in the dark. We are snowflakes. We are children safe in their beds. Even the mice. Don’t forget the mice. Let us save the world, if only for the mice, nibbling in the dark. Get your weekly dose of Chronogram on Tuesday mornings at 8:15 with Brian and Greg Gattine on “The Morning Show with Gattine and Franz.” WDST 100.1FM.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM 17

NEWS & POLITICS World, Nation, & Region

CAN BARACK OBAMA SAVE By Vanni Cappelli

he sudden destruction of the World Trade Center and devastating attack on the Pentagon that claimed thousands of lives on September 11, 2001, traumatically revealed to a complacent America the existence of a radical Islamist terrorist threat based in South-Central Asia, potent enough to breach the country’s historic “ocean walls” of defense. A challenge like no other—the idea that violent attacks could seemingly drop at will from the skies—hung suspended over US foreign policy debates like the sword of Damocles. Amidst national fear and mourning tempered by world sympathy and support, eradication of this threat was held to be as sacred an obligation and existential imperative as defeating fascism was after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. America would “pay any price, bear any burden,” President Bush declared, in the struggle to bring the perpetrator, Osama bin Laden, to justice. This included denying sanctuary to future terrorists by overthrowing the Taliban regime that had sheltered him and his Al Qaeda followers in Afghanistan, and materially and ideologically combating Muslim fundamentalism worldwide. “This generation,” one commentator solemnly pronounced, “will be judged by how it responded to 9/11.” That was a long time ago, in the way things are measured in unsettled and complicated ages. And long before George Bush handed over the burden of national security to President Barack Obama, successive crises ranging from the geopolitical to the financial had far superseded Afghanistan and its region as the onetime “challenge of a generation” in the minds of a deeply insecure American public.Yet more than seven years later, the original challenge of those dark days remains suspended, and many believe that it is still there because the response was suspended as well. President Obama has made awareness of these crises and the need for confidence in dealing with them the opening theme of his administration. “Only a handful of times in our history has a generation been confronted with challenges so vast,” he declared to the throng that gathered at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station as he journeyed toward Washington three days before he was inaugurated. Referring to the nation’s ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he characterized the first as “one that needs to be ended responsibly,” and the second as one that needs to be “waged wisely.” The new president’s choice of words carried with it the implication that the initial “challenge of a generation” had not been met in an effective way. Amidst a critical deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan centered on but not limited to a powerful resurgence of the Taliban, this seems self-evident. What had happened to a task that for a brief but intensely emotional time seemed to be the number one priority of the United Sates of America?

BARACK OBAMA AND AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI WALK AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE IN KABUL, AFGHANISTAN ON JULY 20, 2008.

NEWS & POLITICS CHRONOGRAM 2/09

REUTERS/AFGHANISTAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE/HANDOUT

AFGHANISTAN?

REUTERS/ EDDIE KEOGH

ABANDONING THE HUNT FOR OSAMA The speed and ease with which the Taliban were overthrown created an artificial sense of accomplishment among Americans—a feeling that the great challenge had been dealt with. “Everything But Osama,” a New York Times headline declared in December 2001. The Bonn Conference convened that month to settle Afghanistan’s future, named a new government headed by Hamid Karzai, and vowed that the international community would guarantee the country’s “security and reconstruction.” With the mission supposedly accomplished, the world breathed a brief sigh of relief before turning its attention to Iraq.This left the man who had planned and provoked the horrific attacks of historical proportions free to escape, along with his Al Qaeda followers and Taliban allies, into Pakistan’s Tribal Areas. Pakistan’s military establishment—which had helped create the Taliban and powerfully supported their drive to power before claiming to have become allies against them under the pressure of an ultimatum from Washington—assured the world that they would do everything to help track him down. Amidst the euphoria of “victory,” the role that Pakistan’s military had long played in fostering Islamic militancy in the region was ignored, and its suitability as an ally would come back to haunt US anti-terrorism efforts. With Afghanistan “settled,” the Bush administration launched its highly divisive war in Iraq, claiming that it was a continuation of America’s response to 9/11. The far greater intensity of that conflict, in terms of troops committed, resistance offered, money spent, lives lost, and ultimate public disapproval of the war soon relegated Afghanistan to yesterday’s news. When news from Afghanistan was aired, it was in terms of the progress being made in holding democratic presidential and parliamentary elections, the slow pace of reconstruction, the uncertain development of women’s rights, a corrosive narcotics trade and attendant corruption, and rumblings of a Taliban comeback. Hardly enough to hold the attention of an American nation preoccupied with Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, spasms of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Asian tsunami, global warming, and most recently, a financial meltdown of international scope accompanied by attendant scandals, the proportions of which are so vast that economists predict the world financial landscape and America’s position within it will be forever altered. Yet this neglect of the “challenge of a generation”—or rather, this constant redefining of what that challenge is—has come at a price. While it is true that there has been an absence of any new terror-driven attacks in the US since 9/11, as the Obama administration takes office amidst these myriad crises, the situation in Afghanistan is the worse it has ever been since 2001. The Taliban resurgence has reached the point where they easily operate in threequarters of the country, halting what little reconstruction was going on in many of those areas and stifling any newly established economic life as well. Karzai’s government has largely lost the confidence of the Afghan population, is condemned for being unable to deliver on security or reconstruction, and is widely viewed as being corrupt and linked to narcotraffickers. The international military forces led by the United States are not only derided for being unable to control the rising violence, but resented for having contributed to the death toll with repeated deadly airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians. And all the while, the prime driver of the suspended challenge, Osama bin Laden, continues in his elusiveness, maintaining silence or issuing new calls for jihad, as he sees fit. President Obama, who opposed the war in Iraq, has called Afghanistan “the central front in the war on terror,” a fight “which never should have been abandoned,” and has vowed to pull the country and the international mission there out of its downward spiral.To address the immediate, critical question of deteriorating security, he has resolved to send in up to 30,000 more American troops, doubling the American military presence there. The introduction of the troops is already the focus of heavy criticism in both Congress and the press, and the strategy they will implement remains nebulous. THE GREAT BLACK HOPE Against this backdrop, many in the international relations community have begun to wonder if the situation in Afghanistan is even salvageable at this late date. While the incoming Obama administration brings with it an aura of hope—almost unrealistically so—to a world impatient with the “no negotiation with terrorists” dogma of the unpopular Bush administration (despite its admitted success in preventing further attacks upon American soil), questions arise: Does the Obama team indeed have a comprehensive strategy for turning things around that goes beyond the introduction of more firepower? What should that strategy be, and how much of it should depend on dealing with the south-central Asian region as a whole? With eight years now passed since 9/11, is Afghanistan still a matter of vital concern to America and the West? And even if it is, can Obama succeed in rallying support for continued American involvement there when the war-weary public has other matters on its mind? Indispensible to answering these questions is a critical look at what went wrong in the first place, captured in the work of Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist whose books Taliban and Descent into Chaos are some of the most widely read accounts of the country and its region. 2/09 CHRONOGRAM NEWS & POLITICS

“The Bush administration never had a comprehensive strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan beyond capturing Al Qaeda militants,” Rashid said. “The Taliban resurgence was ignored for too long, the safe havens for the Taliban leadership in the Tribal Areas and the city of Quetta in Pakistan were not properly addressed, and there was too much mollycoddling of General Musharraf, the Pakistani military ruler at the time. There was a lack of a common regional strategy. Also ignored was the rebuilding of the infrastructure to allow the Afghan economy to stand on its own two feet, economic development, and a regional agreement involving all of Afghanistan’s neighbors to stabilize the country. As a result, today the Taliban, al Qaeda, and their allies such as the Kashmiri militant groups present a dire threat to the United States, Europe, and, of course, South and Central Asia directly, as seen recently by the massacre in Mumbai.” Indeed, Bush’s determination to invade Iraq is usually cited as the main reason for the neglect of the Afghan front. Yet, even devoting attention, effort, blood, and treasure does not guarantee success, especially in the absence of a viable plan that addresses the critical issues: What Afghanistan is, how it got to the point where it became a haven for terrorists, and its basic viability as a state. WHAT IS AFGHANISTAN? Founded in the 18th century as an empire forged by the Pashtun ethnic group through their conquest of neighboring ethnicities, Afghanistan’s geopolitics have always involved the dual dynamic of maintaining internal cohesion while staving off outside bids to conquer it. The first part has usually been accomplished without major turbulence by co-opting the Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara, and other ethnic groups into the Pashtun-dominated state by a carrot-and-stick policy. Rewards for loyalty were combined with light governance, alternating with a use of force against rebels when necessary. This method’s historic success belies the cliché that the country is “ungovernable,” and experts such as Rashid have stated that some form of federalism combined with solid army and police forces is key to a peaceful Afghanistan in the present circumstances. Dealing with predatory neighbors is a more difficult problem. The Afghan empire itself fell victim to aggression in the early 19th century when the southeastern half of its core Pashtun lands was conquered by the Sikh empire. These lands were later annexed by British India and ultimately handed over to its successor state in the region, Pakistan, never reverting to Afghan sovereignty. This geopolitical division of the Pashtun is central to the current situation, for it is a major reason that the Pashtun-dominated Taliban are able to seek haven amidst one branch of their prime constituency and launch attacks into Afghanistan—while offering nanawati (“sanctuary”) to Osama bin Laden. Subsequent attempts by Great Britain in the 19th century and the Soviet Union in the 1980s to conquer the rest of the country came to grief, giving rise to the related cliché that it is also “unconquerable.” Successful subversion, however, is another matter. It was Soviet infiltration of the Afghan army that enabled them to launch a coup that brought Communists to power in Kabul in 1978, but the populace’s revolt against the regime brought on the disastrous Russian invasion. Ever seeking an edge in the Cold War, the United States materially supported the Afghan mujahideen resistance fighters in alliance with Pakistan, their whole operation based in the Tribal Areas. Pakistan’s military rulers, however, had their own agenda. Having long used violent Islamic sentiment to forestall political and social change at home and confront India over the disputed state of Kashmir, they hoped to install a fundamentalist proxy regime in Kabul in order to gain what they called “strategic depth” in that struggle once the Soviets left and America lost interest in the region. Though both superpowers eventually cooperated in this way, Afghan resistance was more problematic. It was only after a decade of destructive civil war and warlord rivalry that the Pakistanis were finally able to put their Taliban candidates for the Afghan throne into power in the late 1990s—an achievement that was reversed by America’s initial response to 9/11. STABILIZING AFGHANISTAN Any plan for stabilizing Afghanistan must take these complicated internal and regional dynamics into account. Whether these problems are intractable is the subject of much debate. 20

NEWS & POLITICS CHRONOGRAM 2/09

“My growing worry is that, as currently constituted, Afghanistan simply lacks the natural DNA for enduring, viable nation-statehood on its own,” said Whitney Azoy, a longtime expert on the country who was until recently the head of the American Institute for Afghan Studies in Kabul. “‘On its own’ is the key phrase here. Let’s remember how it came into being, as an exercise in Pashtun expansionism—but this effort would not have lasted without outside support from the powers who subsidized and ratified it as a buffer state: Great Britain and Czarist Russia in the 19th century, the US and the USSR in the 20th. When one of the guarantors decided that the buffer status no longer served its interests, chaos followed. In the current situation, the question is ‘Who will pay the bills and guarantee the state into an indefinite future?’ Certainly not Afghanistan, which has never done so.” While not denying that this devastated land is in need of guarantors, Ahmed Rashid is more optimistic about the country’s internal prospects. “The emphasis should be on rebuilding the ‘minimalist state’ that existed for 200 years before the Soviet invasion,” Rashid said. “In this arrangement the Afghan government provided for internal conflict management and civil peace, while not posing a threat to any of its neighbors.These two basic aims should now include the rebuilding of the infrastructure—sufficient electric power, roads, water, investment in agriculture, and the rebuilding of minimalist state institutions— army, police, a justice system and bureaucracy to increase government capacity. The internal strategy should call for a ‘representative’ government, which is inclusive of all ethnic groups and factions rather than the Bush aim of trying to create a Western-style democracy. Economically, it is wrong to say, as some have, that Afghanistan produces nothing. It is a crossroads of trade for Central and South Asia and the Middle East, and it has large reserves of minerals, oil, and gas. But its infrastructure was never sufficiently developed by the Bush administration to get a minimal self-sustaining economy started up.” As important as these enduring realities of Afghanistan are, they are greatly exacerbated by the severity of the situation at hand. Whatever ultimate plan the surge is meant to effect, the hard fact is that there are imposing obstacles to its tactical success, however wise newly elected President Obama’s ultimate strategy is. DEFINING AFGHANISTAN’S “INSURGENCY” The first is the considerable strength of the Afghan insurgency at this point. “Taliban” is too simplistic a term to describe it. Disappointment at the failings of the process initiated at Bonn and the traditional Afghan propensity to back political forces that seem to have the advantage in any given struggle has led many other groups and individuals to take up arms against the coalition consisting of the Afghan government and its international backers. They range from followers of veteran fundamentalist warlords of the anti-Soviet struggle—such as Gulbaddin Hekmatyar and Jalaluddin Haqqani—to narcotraffickers to unemployed men who are simply guns for hire. More ominous is accumulating evidence that the Pakistani military establishment and its main intelligence gathering agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), continues to support the Taliban and their allies.The hide-in-plainsight existence of the Taliban leadership, including, apparently, its supreme commander, Mullah Omar, in the city of Quetta, has been cited for years as proof that Pakistan was not serious about this new alliance with the US, which only came about in the midst of world condemnation of its pro-Taliban stand and as the result of an American ultimatum. Numerous indications over the last several years that Pakistani agents were involved in supplying weaponry, logistical help, and even advance notice of coalition military actions obtained from the Americans themselves in intelligence briefings to the insurgents from the Tribal Areas added to these suspicions. Although whether this is a result of the central policies of the country’s military-security services complex itself or only the work of “rogue elements” has been disputed. The accusations reached a climax last July when American intelligence intercepted communications between known ISI agents and the Haqqani network, which proved that these Pakistani operatives had aided the later in their devastating suicide bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul that killed 58 people last July. Another pitfall is the growing the hostility of the Afghan population at large towards the coalition due to civilian deaths stemming from airstrikes and other military actions, reports of human rights abuses inflicted on detain-

ees, and failed economic promises. This negativity is not limited to rural traditionalists or committed fundamentalists, but can be found even among the most progressive segments of society. “Over 85 percent of Afghans are living below the poverty line and don’t have enough to eat,” said Malalai Joya, a former member of the Afghan parliament who won international notice for her strong stands on women’s rights and blunt denunciations of warlord abuses that eventually led to her expulsion from the legislative body. Addressing the view of international forces in terms of equivalence with her traditional foes, she continued, “While the US military spends $65,000 a minute in Afghanistan for its operations, up to 18 million people out of a population of 26 million live on less than $2 a day. As soon as possible, the US and NATO troops must vacate our country. With the withdrawal of the occupation forces, we will have to face one enemy instead of two.” THE DEBATE OVER OPTIONS In the face of such an intractable situation, it has been said that the greatest obstacle facing the planned US surge of troops into Afghanistan and any ensuing foundation it is hoped the surge will lay toward stabilizing the country is the limited window of opportunity on hand. The perfect storm of Afghan impatience with the international presence, the weakness of the Karzai government, and the relentlessly rising violence of the insurgency may soon create a security vacuum so vast that the ensuing chaos would be blamed on America’s intervention after 9/11 by the native population. Only a policy that improves these conditions dramatically can restore a level of goodwill that will enable the coalition to pursue the goals the United States set out to achieve when it toppled the Taliban. In the broadest spectrum, the strategic options being discussed in government, the military, and among analysts are: 1) withdrawal, 2) comprehensive surge, and 3) containment. A growing chorus of skeptics, the most vocal of whom are NewYork Times’ columnists Thomas Friedman and Bob Herbert, Professor Andrew Bacevich of Boston University, and Vermont’s Senator Bernie Sanders, has questioned the rationale behind the surge, calling it an “escalation without a plan,” and hinting that it could lead to a Vietnam-style quagmire. Although they do not form an organized lobby group and have different emphases in their criticisms, they raise concerns such as the possible destabilizing effect continued American military operations in Afghanistan could have on Pakistan, the historic resistance of Afghans to foreign occupiers, and the fact that Al Qaeda, the original target of the United States after 9/11, is now based in Pakistan. In an indication of just how much the conception of the “challenge of a generation” has shifted due to recent events at home, some of them have bluntly stated that money slated for use in a surge of troops not only would be better spent, but required, to deal with the financial crisis. At their most extreme, the arguments of these critics argue for a phased withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan to match the one scheduled for Iraq. Such a demand is the focus of an organized campaign called Get Afghanistan Right, which is being led by Katrina vanden Heuvel of the left-wing magazine The Nation. With diplomacy as the keynote of this school of thought, the line of thinking posits that the termination of a provocative American military presence can pave the way for a variety of multilateral negotiations among regional powers such as India, Pakistan, and even Iran to provide the sort of consensus that has allowed Afghanistan to live undisturbed in the past. The internal problems of the country would be dealt with by a combination of targeted economic aid and technical assistance to build civilian institutions. Countering these objections, Ahmed Rashid said, “Critics have concentrated on the military surge, whereas what Obama plans to carry out is a more ‘comprehensive surge,’ which means more troops, but also a surge in plans for development, reconstruction, and setting out tougher objectives for the Afghan government to follow, such as the holding of free and fair elections in October, combating waste, corruption, lack of decision making, and an end to criticism of international forces by the Karzai government. Moreover, the US troop surge under General Petraeus will follow a new counterinsurgency strategy that will concentrate on securing populated areas and providing security so that development can take place, rather than a single-minded obsession of going after Al Qaeda. Obama cannot lay out an exit strategy as demanded, before even undertaking this outlined stabilization strategy, which

has been entirely lacking for eight years.” In this view, President Obama will be merely following the logic of his opposition to the Iraq war, and implementing the “security and reconstruction” paradigm laid down at the Bonn conference, which Bush failed to follow through on. But even Rashid feels that at this late date and with the situation so critical this approach is not sufficient, because it is centered primarily on internal conditions in Afghanistan. In his essay “From Great Game to Grand Bargain,” written with longtime Afghan specialist Professor Barnet Rubin of the Center on International Cooperation of New York University and published in the November/December 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs, Rashid argues that American strategy must also seek compromise with those insurgents who are willing to negotiate, and address regional rivalries and insecurities. The key to any regional “grand bargain,” the authors state, is Pakistan. “Unless the decision-makers in Pakistan decide to make stabilizing the Afghan government a higher priority than countering the Indian threat, the insurgency conducted from bases in Pakistan will continue. Pakistan’s strategic goals in Afghanistan place Pakistan at odds not just with Afghanistan and India, and with US objectives in the region, but with the entire international community.Yet there is no multilateral framework for confronting this challenge.” Pakistan can be brought on board as a guarantor of Afghan stability, they state, by assuring Pakistan “that the international community is committed to its territorial integrity,” greater international diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute in Kashmir, and with economic incentives such as aid and actions to encourage trade between the country and America and Europe. Addressing the particular concerns of other regional players such as India, Iran, Russia, and China would be part of this “grand bargain” as well. Recognizing their proposal as “audacious,” the authors conclude by stating, “without such audacity, there is little hope for Afghanistan, for Pakistan, or for the region as a whole.” One final line of thought, which is still a minority, views Pakistan as the source of the region’s troubles, an intractable force for instability and violence with which no bargain can be made. It concludes that the country’s continued support of the Taliban and lackluster performance against Al Qaeda, epitomized by its inability or unwillingness to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, are proof that it will never cooperate in stabilizing Afghanistan. This group sees a containment strategy similar to the one employed during the Cold War against the Soviet Union as the only approach that can stop Pakistan’s support for militant groups that attack Afghanistan and India. Openly labeling the country a state sponsor of terror, raising economic sanctions against it, and working with the Indian and Afghan militaries to counter the activities of such militants are the main points of this strategy. “Afghanistan could survive into the foreseeable future as part of a regional security arrangement that, among other things, puts the screws to Pakistan,” said Whitney Azoy. “Such a security arrangement would have to be engineered by the US. The key would have to be a restoration of cooperative relations between America and Iran. With the US on tolerable terms with both India and Iran, Pakistan could be contained.” Even a cursory look at the Afghan situation immediately brings on the realization that any thread taken up leads on to other parts of a complex labyrinth of issues, and that solving one challenge involves confronting another. There can be no clearer indication of this than Rashid’s, Rubin’s, and Azoy’s proposals to involve Iran in their quite different approaches to solving the seemingly intractable problems of Afghanistan and its region, since that country is involved in a host of other controversies, from its nuclear program to support for anti-Western militants in Iraq and Lebanon and Gaza. The clarity of 9/11 and its unitary challenge is a thing of the past, as use of the plural “challenges” by President Obama in his speeches shows all too well. So long after that traumatically bracing day, Barack Obama’s greatest challenge regarding Afghanistan will be making the case to a stressed American public—primarily concerned with economic salvation—that Afghanistan is still their fight. Whatever course of action he chooses, Obama must combine swift, tangible successes on the ground with a mobilization of public opinion behind his policies in South-Central Asia in order to sustain the US presence there. And the ultimate measure of his success will be whether he can prevent a repetition of events that will have everyone declaring once again that Afghanistan is the “challenge of a generation.” 2/09 CHRONOGRAM NEWS & POLITICS

ION ZUPCU

Commentary

Larry Beinhart’s Body Politic

A MEDIA GUIDE TO TERROR, TORTURE, MORALITY, AND WAR CRIMES • Terrorists are going to nuke Los Angeles in three hours. • Agent Jack Bauer has a suspect who knows where the bomb is. • If Jack Bauer tortures the suspect, he can force him to say where it is, get there in two hours and 59 minutes, stop the bomb, and save 10 million people. • What should, what must, Jack Bauer do? That’s a no-brainer. Clip the electrodes to his balls and turn on the juice. I don’t know how many people have actually watched “24,” but there’s not a person in America who is not familiar with the “ticking-bomb” scenario. It sounds so darn logical that it’s hard not to buy into it. A remarkable number of people have. Dick Cheney and Michael Chertoff (head of Homeland Security) are big fans and think they’re directing the real-life Jack Bauers. Justice Antonin Scalia said Jack Bauer should not be prosecuted: “Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles. He saved hundreds of thousands of lives.” Should he be, Alan Dershowitz will be there for the defense! As a drama, the ticking bomb is thrilling. “24” is The Perils of Pauline on crack. As applied to reality, it is a pernicious and deceitful fantasy. The reference point is, of course, 9/11. Before that day, we were soft and naïve. If only we had tortured someone we could have stopped it. And saved American lives! That, of course, is utterly false. We had quite enough information to have prevented 9/11. It had been gathered through normal and legal police and intelligence methods. It was not used due to bureaucratic infighting, ineptitude, incompetence, excess secrecy, and, most of all, the willful and pointed disregard of that information by Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, and George W. Bush. Now, we’re smart and tough. We do torture-lite and outsource the really evil stuff. Has it worked? In October 2001, the FBI put out a Most Wanted Terrorists list. It had 22 names on it. As of 2006, 17 of them were still “at large.” Including Osama bin Laden. Yeah, well, I bet going “to the dark side” stopped a bunch of terrorist attacks. No. None that we know of. Yeah, of course not. When our secret intelligence services secretly foil a secret terrorist plot, it’s gotta be secret! National effin’ Security! Period. Dot. Exclamation point! End quote! No.The Bush administration trumpeted every arrest, capture, or kill it’s ever made: the Lackawanna Seven, the Sears Tower Plot, the Shoe Bomber, Jose Padilla, who was going to use a “dirty bomb.” Each and every one of them sounded like a job for Jack Bauer when they were first announced. Then, somehow, all the “terrorists” caught turned out to be inept losers and the terror plots were on a scale between bull sessions and half-baked. Bush was even willing to disrupt a two-year, 600-man British terrorist investigation in order to get a good headline before the 2006 election, with the result that “the mastermind” escaped after he was arrested and most of the plotters could not be convicted. Here’s a real-life ticking-bomb scenario. It’s 1943. A German soldier has been captured. We don’t know if many of the people we have in captivity today are actually enemies. But we can be absolutely sure this man is part of an 22

NEWS & POLITICS CHRONOGRAM 2/09

organization planning to kill Americans in the immediate future—just hours, or, at most, days away. They have lots and lots of weapons of mass destruction. He represents a country that is committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and has mistreated both POWs and civilians in violation of the Geneva Conventions. So let’s torture the muthafuggin’ Nazi pig plugger! That’s a nobrainer, right? Apparently not. He refuses to give more than his name, rank, and serial number. We say okay and accept the obligation to feed and clothe him, get medical attention, follow his religion, read books, and even have access to a musical instrument if that is his inclination. Why don’t we torture him? It has been against American policy since George Washington fought the British. It is illegal under the Geneva Conventions, to which we were signatory even then. According to US Army Field Manual FM 34-52, “Intelligence Interrogation,” torture does not produce reliable information. How do they know? We have to presume that they’ve tried it and it failed. Most of all, that’s what we were fighting for and fighting as, a country that is committed to the dignity of the individual, even an enemy, and to the rule of law, even in difficult circumstances. Okay, time for a different movie. Judgment at Nuremburg (1961), with an all-star cast including Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell, Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, Marlene Deitrich, and Richard Widmark. The men on trial are interesting. They didn’t run the death camps, plan the Final Solution, run wars of aggression, or even fill the top ranks of the Nazi Party. They were judges. Men who simply put the legal veneer on the laws of genocide and oppression, which were national policy. It is hard to say that today’s terrorists are either more evil or more fearsome than the Nazis and the German Wehrmacht.Yet these men were kept in decent condition and had real trials. They could meet with their attorneys, confront their accusers, and all the rest. Burt Lancaster plays a judge who, before the Nazis, had been a highly esteemed jurist, an internationally recognized scholar of the law. He explains how he came to be a functionary of the Nazi regime: “Above all, there was fear. Fear of today, fear of tomorrow, fear of our neighbors, fear of ourselves.There are devils among us. Once the devils will be destroyed, your miseries will be destroyed. What about those of us who knew better? We who knew the words were lies and worse than lies? Why did we sit silent? Why did we take part? Because we loved our country! What difference does it make if a few political extremists lose their rights? What difference does it make if a few racial minorities lose their rights?” It is a perfect description of the American mentality after 9/11. It is a perfect description of the fantasy represented by “24.” It is a perfect description of the lawyers who came up with the legal theories that created a class of people who were beneath the law, like Jews and Gypsies once were, that evaded the Geneva Conventions, legitimized torture, and said that “I was only following orders” would be a legitimate defense against war-crimes charges. Those lawyers are Jay Bybee, now a federal appeals court judge; John Yoo, teaching law at UC Berkeley; and Alberto Gonzales, recently the Attorney General of the United States.

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COMMUNITY NOTEBOOK

TOTALLY WIRED EMPAC by Peter Aaron photos by Amber S. Clark

ennselaer Polytechnic Institute’s neck-breakingly massive EMPAC building looms out of the November mist like the gleaming, glasswalled craft of some far-flung future planet.Visible through the imposing edifice’s high windows is the curvaceous, wood-skinned hull of the 1,200seat concert hall. Inside the 220,000-square-foot, $200 million complex the sci-fi sensations continue. In one of the two cubelike studio spaces, both of which are reconfigurable as traditional black-box theaters or “clean” installation sites, a team of students and producer-engineers have set up a remotely linked recording console to capture the music of a chamber group in the neighboring hall. Above the blinking lights of the mixing board and a few nice-touch lava lamps, a large four-way-split video screen displays the musicians from different angles. In a distant corner of the building is its remaining performance environment, a 400capacity secondary theater, which is abuzz with a crew positioning programmable lighting rigs and setting up for another event’s rehearsal. All four main spaces are lined with custom-made, dimpled convex and concave acoustical panels that further accent the structure’s space-station ambience. It’s utterly inescapable, the sense that one has crossed over into whatever impossibly advanced world it is that birthed this mammoth mothership. Actually, it was the Troy college’s directors and British architectural firm Grimshaw—plus a generous anonymous donor—who conceived the futuristic center, which, when it comes to being a bespoke incubator of truly cuttingedge performing arts, is quite literally a world all its own. In fact, for the site’s featured artists and their audiences one could say that EMPAC (an acronym for Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center) represents a far better creative world than the earthly one they leave on the other side of the portal. This completely wired facility was designed from inception to completion to be the most acoustically perfect and infinitely adaptable facility of its kind, “a place and 24

COMMUNITY NOTEBOOK CHRONOGRAM 2/09

program where the arts, science, and technology will challenge and transform each other,” according to EMPAC’s promotional material. “[EMPAC] is totally unique, there is no other place like it,” says German-born Johannes Goebel, who is the center’s director as well as a composer with architectural experience. Within the walls are miles and miles of fiber-optic cables linking all of the spaces and allowing the transmission of the highest-definition audio and video signals and data from one area to the next; additionally, any or all of the spaces and all of the equipment in each of them can be controlled from a single computer. And the acoustics and sightlines in each self-contained venue are beyond flawless. “When we were thinking about the design, we knew we had to focus on having the best quality when it comes to seeing, hearing, and [the performers’ ability to move] in space,” Goebel says during a tour of the concert hall. “Some people might ask why it’s so important to put so much money and effort into something like getting the acoustics to be as perfect as they can be and doing whatever we can do to make the spaces as silent as scientifically possible. To them I would say that they should step back and take a look at the world, to consider just how much noise there is in it, and to think about how distracting that can be. So we’ve done things like eliminate the noisy overhead ventilation systems theaters always seem to have, and instead we’ve fitted ultra-quiet air ducts under each of the [concert hall] seats, to keep everything as silent as can be.With the design of the hall and the sound-diffusing ceiling and walls, it’s like having a blank canvas. It’s really unbelievable if you haven’t experienced it before.” As if on cue, a cellist on the stage at the opposite end of the huge, vaulted room bows a line. The clarity is astounding, as if she’s playing one row over. EMPAC opened in October 2008 and immediately embarked on its dizzyingly diverse mission of programming a rich and varied selection of artists, both widely known and obscure, whose work has benefited not only from the site’s

ABOVE (L-R): THE STAIRS UP THE EAST SIDE OF THE MAIN SPACE; INSIDE THE STUDIO AT EMPAC. OPPOSITE: EMPAC VIEWED FROM THE SOUTHEAST.

sound-and-sight-complementing design but also from the endlessly enhancing possibilities of its lablike, technologically assisted infrastructure. Since its debut, EMPAC has presented the likes of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; the Wooster Group collective’s interactive panorama film There’s Still Time…Brother on floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree wall screens in blackbox Studio 1; Scottish artist Billy Cowie’s 3-D holographic video installation In the Flesh; a dance party with DJs Madlib, J. Rocc, and Juiceboxxx; Voyage, a piece by Japanese collective Dumb Type combining sounds, dance, text, and projected images; a rare poetry reading by avant-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor; and numerous other innovative productions. “But [EMPAC] is not just a place for performance or display,” Goebel says. “It’s also a place for research, for artists to work out ideas, to try out concepts before they present them to the public. So we also have several artists in residency at any given time who are here to develop certain projects that may or may not end up being presented on site. These projects might be being worked on here for presentation somewhere else in the world.” One such body in residence is digital arts trio the OpenEnded Group, which is currently ensconced at EMPAC to woodshed Upending, a collaboration with composer Maryanne Amacher set to premiere at the center in 2010. “[Working on the piece at EMPAC] has been totally ideal for us,” says the collective’s Paul Kaiser. “What we do straddles the line between installation and stage production, so in the past we’ve had to compromise our art due to the limitations of the other spaces we’ve shown in. But EMPAC is built to be adaptable to whatever we’re doing—[at EMPAC] we don’t have to work the audio or video aspects around the layout, like we would at a traditional theater or museum space. Instead, the technology can be customized to suit our ideas. Plus it’s great to be able to work with a staff that not only understands the possibilities of the technology but that also very much appreciates the kind of art we do.”

Perfectly embodying the inventive synthesis of creativity and state-of-theart science among the faculty is Kingston’s Pauline Oliveros, who has taught at RPI since 2000. In October she conducted a workshop on her revolutionary Deep Listening artistic practice and performed in a duo with Cecil Taylor in the concert hall. “[The concert] was really special, not only because it was the first time Cecil and I had played together, but also because of the hall itself,” says the renowned composer and musician whose influential career stretches back over 40 years. “I’d say it’s the best-sounding venue I’ve ever played in.” (The performance was recorded for an upcoming DVD release.) “But besides [EMPAC’s] being great for the artists, the students and the audiences just get so much more out of [the productions] than they might with those of a ‘normal’ venue,” Oliveros adds. “Having an environment that’s ‘tuneable’ to the artists’ needs just really makes all the difference as far as the final results are concerned. And it’s so wonderful that that the artists and the technicians get to hang out together, to get to know each other and really work together on the projects.” Legions of fatalists worry loudly that meaningful art is being steadily supplanted by the perceived soulless, byte-crunching heart of the new technology. But like no other institution before it, the center makes another case: that the interface between art and science is just that, a current that flows both ways. Besides utilizing technological innovation to the advantage of the art it nurtures and presents, EMPAC is keeping firmly in place the personal essence at the core of all creative endeavor. Within its wired walls and hivelike halls breathes the soul of a very human machine. Phillipe Parreno and Douglas Gordon’s postmodern documentary Zidane: A 21stCentury Portrait screens in the EMPAC Theater on February 27 at 8pm. Multimedia artist Cathy Weis performs her Electric Haiku: The Bottom Fell Out of the Tub, Calm as Custard in EMPAC’s Theater 1 on February 6 and 7 at 8pm. www.empac.rpi.edu. 2/09 CHRONOGRAM COMMUNITY NOTEBOOK

Simon Draper Habitat for Artists Goes Indoors

Through March 2 Chris Albert Richard Bruce Sharon Butler Ryan Cronin Kathy Feighery Marnie Hillsley Matthew Kinney Grace Knowlton Sara Mussen Steven Rossi Todd Sargood Matthew Slaats Lynn Stein Dar Williams Grey Zeien Donald Kimmel and the Flying Swine Live Theater

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ARTS & CULTURE CHRONOGRAM 2/09

FEBRUARY 2009

ARTS & CULTURE CHRONOGRAM

Matt Siber, Cheese, 2006. From the exhibition “Site Seeing: Explorations of Landscape” through March 29 at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. GALLERIES & MUSEUMS, page 30

2/09 CHRONOGRAM ARTS & CULTURE

ART BRUT

Group Exhibition

galleries & museums

February 21-April 18 Opening: Saturday, February 21

Ann Street Gallery 104 Ann Street Newburgh, NY 12550

6—9 pm

(845) 562-6940 x 119 www.annstreetgallery.org Hours: Thur – Sat 11am-5pm Or by appointment

Art Brut: Group Exhibition Outsider art that refers to works by those outside of mainstream society. William Yost, “Toots”, Mixed Media, 13 ½” x 21 ½”

THE CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK

REGIONAL PORTFOLIO REVIEWS

Arthur Tress, Bride and Groom, 1971, from the exhibition “Taking a Different Tack: Maggie Sherwood and the Floating Foundation of Photography,” through April 8 at the Alice and Horace Chandler Gallery of Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz.

museums & galleries

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2009 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: 59 TINKER STREET WOODSTOCK NY | 845-679-9957 | WWW.CPW.ORG

ALBERT SHAHINIAN FINE ART 415 WARREN STREET, HUDSON (518) 828-4346. “The Luminous Landscape.” Gary Fifer, Arnold Levine, Robert Trondsen. Through March 31. “Olga Poloukhine, Iconographer: Into the Depths.” Through March 31.

THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM 258 MAIN STREET, RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT (203) 438-4519. “Huma Bhabha: 2008 Emerging Artist Award Exhibition.” Through February 8. “Karen Davie: Symptomania.” Through February 8. “Lars Fisk: Trash Bags.” Through February 15. “Peggy Prehiem: Little Black Book.” Through February 8.

ANN STREET GALLERY 140 ANN STREET, NEWBURGH 562-6940 EXT. 119. “Art Brut: Group Exhibition.” Outsider art that refers to works by those outside of mainstream society. February 21-April 4. Opening Saturday, February 21, 6pm-9pm.

THE ART AND ZEN GALLERY 406 MANCHESTER ROAD, POUGHKEEPSIE 473-3334. “Tim Grignon.” Acrylic paintings. Through February 28.

ARTS UPSTAIRS 60 MAIN STREET, PHOENICIA 688-2142.

Ê-ÌÀiiÌÊ vÌÊ ÀÌÊ >ÃÃiÃ Pre-School–Adult Ê* Õ} ii«Ã iÊEÊ,i`Ê Êv ÀÊÓää Visit our website for info on exhibits & special events

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“Revolution.” Group show. Through February 10.

ASK ARTS CENTER 97 BROADWAY, KINGSTON 338-0331. “Generation Gap.” Exhibit tries to answer: are there any dissimilar sensibilities among artists under 30 and over 60 years of age? February 7-28. Opening Saturday, February 7, 5pm-8pm.

BARRETT CLAY WORKS 485 MAIN STREET, POUGHKEEPSIE 471-2550. “Jeep Johnson: Glass and Kathleen Heideman Ceramics.” Through February 14.

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES CHRONOGRAM 2/09

many minds, one world Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection

Now accepting applications for Fall 2009 Pre-k through grade 12 Financial aid available

February 13 – April 26, 2009

ADMISSIONS INFORMATION SESSIONS

Howard Finster Jesus Saves–Angel, 7/9/1992, 1992 C o l l e c t i o n o f T h e Fr a n c e s L e h m a n L o e b A r t C e n t e r, Va s s a r C o l l e g e ; g i f t f r o m t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f Pa t O ’ B r i e n Pa r s o n s

Tuesday, March 3, 7pm For grades 7 through 12 Tuesday, March 24, 8:30am For pre-K through grade 12 For more information call 845-462-7600 ext. 201 admissions @poughkeepsieday.org 260 Boardman Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 www.poughkeepsieday.org

THE FRANCES LEHMAN LOEB ART CENTER VASSAR COLLEGE (845) 437-5632

http://fllac.vassar.edu

museums & galleries

Poughkeepsie, NY

Consultations by Gail Petronio Internationally Renowned Psychic Over 20 years Experience Sessions In-Person or By Phone

845.626.4895 212.714.8125

www.psychicallyspeaking.com gail@psychicallyspeaking.com

9 ATTEND RHINEBECK WOMEN’S CIRCLES 2009 EVENTS JAN 13, MAR 3, MAY 5, JULY 14, SEPT 8 AND NOV 10, 2009

2/09 CHRONOGRAM MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

BAU 161 MAIN STREET, BEACON 440-7584.

“Dark.” Through February 8.

THE BEACON INSTITUTE

SCHOOL OF FINE & PERFORMING ARTS

THEATRE

845.257.3844 www.newpaltz.edu/museum Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. & Sun. 1-5 p.m. Admission is free and open to all. Wheelchair accessible.

Fresh Dance McKenna Theatre February 5 – 8

“Top to Bottom- The Hudson River.” Photographs by Ted Kawalerski. Through March 1.

BETSY JACARUSO STUDIO 54 ELIZABETH STREET, RED HOOK 758-9244.

As Bees in Honey Drown Parker Theatre February 26 – March 8

“Red Hook Pastel Group.” Through February 28.

Taking a Different Tack: Maggie Sherwood and the Floating Foundation of Photography January 24 – April 8, 2009

Tickets Call the Box Ofﬁce at 845.257.3880, or order online at www.newpaltz.edu/theatre

CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY

Eva Watson-Schütze: Photographer February 14 – June 14, 2009

MUSIC

“Photoshop 101.” February 19-March 29.

Sponsored by the Department of Music (845) 257-3872 Tickets: available at the door one half hour prior to performance.

Opening Saturday, February 21, 6pm-8pm.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Bradford Graves: Selected Works February 14 – June 14, 2009 analog catalog: Investigating the Permanent Collection February 14 – June 14, 2009 Opening reception for all Spring 2009 exhibitions: Friday, February 13, 2009, 5:00-8:00 p.m. (Snow date: February 20, 2009, 5:00-8:00 p.m.)

Public Programs Gallery Talk with Beth E. Wilson on Taking a Different Tack: Maggie Sherwood and the Floating Foundation of Photography Thursday, February 19, 7:00 p.m. Family Day at the SDMA Saturday, February 28, 1:00 p.m.

Ongoing Docent-Guided Tours of Taking a Different Tack Sunday, February 1, 8, 15 & 22 2:00-3:00 p.m.

museums & galleries

199 MAIN STREET, BEACON 838-1600.

SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART

Virtuosi-in-Progress Winners Recital Parker Theatre Tuesday, February 3, 8 p.m. Free of charge Electric Brew McKenna Theatre Tuesday, February 10, 8 p.m. $10 General Admission, $8 Seniors/Staff, $3 Students

“Winter Solstice 2008.” Through February 28.

622 WARREN STREET, HUDSON (518) 828-1915. “Contemporary Women Painters.” Through February 15.

CENTER FOR CURATORIAL STUDIES BARD COLLEGE, ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON 758-7598. “The Greenroom: Reconsidering the Documentary and Contemporary Art.” Through February 1.

CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT WOODSTOCK 59 TINKER STREET, WOODSTOCK 679-9957. “America The Gift Shop.” Installation by Phillip Toledano. Through March 30. “Site Seeing: Explorations of Landscape.” Group show. Through March 30.

DONSKOJ AND COMPANY

Harlem String Quartet McKenna Theatre Tuesday, February 17, 8 p.m. $10 General Admission, $8 Seniors/Staff, $6 Students

93 BROADWAY, KINGSTON 338-8473.

Faculty Jazz Ensemble McKenna Theatre Tuesday, February 24, 8 p.m. $10 General Admission, $8 Seniors/Staff, $3 Students

FLOOR 1

“Memorial Exhibition Honoring Dirk Zimmer.” February 7-28. Opening Saturday, February 7, 5pm-8pm.

17 EAST MAIN STREET, BEACON 765-1629. “All You See Is Crime In The City.” The artwork of Cahbasm. Through February 7.

GALERIE BMG 12 TANNERY BROOK ROAD, WOODSTOCK 679-0027.

For a complete listing of current exhibitions and public programs, visit: www.newpaltz.edu/museum.

For a complete listing of arts events:

“Regional Redux: Tom Chesnut, Taylor Gillis, Michael Marston.” Through February 16.

GARDINER LIBRARY 133 FARMERS TURNPIKE, GARDINER DCHORNY@EARTHLINK.NET. “Nature’s Artwork.” Local images by Hardie Truesdale. Through February 26.

GCCA CATSKILL GALLERY

Love Thyself...

398 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL (518) 943-3400. “Outside the Lines 2009: Greene County Youth Exhibit.” February 28-April 11. Opening Saturday, February 28, 2pm-4pm.

GCCA MOUNTAINTOP GALLERY 5348 MAIN STREET, WINDHAM (518) 734-3104. “Landscape 2009.” Through February 14. “Psychic Landscape.” Group Show. Through February 21.

Delicious, Healthy Food Vitamins, Supplements, Homeopathic Remedies & Holistic Body Care

“Textile Art by Katharina Litchman.” Through February 21.

THE HARRISON GALLERY 39 SPRING STREET, WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS (413) 458-1700.

HawthorneValleyFarm.org 327 Route 21C, Harlemville, NY (Just 1.5 miles off Taconic State Parkway - Harlemville exit) Monday to Saturday 7:30am – 7pm, Sunday 9am-5pm (518) 672-7500 ext. 1

“John Terelak, David Lussier, George Van Hook.” American impressionists. February 7-28. Opening Saturday, February 7, 5pm-7pm.

THE HAT FACTORY 1000 NORTH DIVISION STREET SUITE 4, PEEKSKILL (914) 737-1646. “For the Love of Art.” Works by modern and contemporary artists from the Hudson Valley. February 15-March 15. Opening Sunday, February 15, 2pm-5pm.

HUDSON OPERA HOUSE 327 WARREN STREET, HUDSON (518) 822-1438. “From the HOH Studio.” Through February 14. “Marking Time.” Artists from the NYFA Mark Program. February 21-March 28. Opening Saturday, February 21, 6pm-8pm. “The Hudson Valley 2008 Inaugural MARK Artist Collective.” February 21-March 28. Opening Saturday, February 21, 6pm-8pm.

HUDSON VALLEY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART 1701 MAIN STREET, PEEKSKILL (914) 788-0100. “Origins.” Use of primal materials such as clay, fiber, wood, aluminum, stone, and soil as mediums. Through July 26.

HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 80 VANDENBURGH AVENUE, TROY (518) 629-7309. “The Oatman-Lail News Hours Collages.” Michael Oatman and Thomas Lail. Through April 4.

JAMES W. PALMER ‘90 GALLERY AT COLLEGE CENTER OF VASSAR COLLEGE 124 RAYMOND AVENUE, POUGHKEEPSIE 437-5370. “Teen Visions 09.” An exhibition of work from The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft. Through February 6.

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES CHRONOGRAM 2/09

JOHN DAVIS GALLERY 362 1/2 WARREN STREET, HUDSON (518) 828-5907. “Paintings by Dale Emmart.” Through February 1. “Paintings by Kristin Locashio.” February 5-March 1. Opening Saturday, February 7, 6pm-8pm.

KAATERSKILL FINE ARTS HUNTER VILLAGE SQUARE, HUNTER (518) 263-2060. “Heat Wave.” Show explores each artist’s interpretation of warmth. Through February 22.

KARPELES MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY MUSEUM 94 BROADWAY, NEWBURGH 569-4997. “Six Generation Gould Family Art Exhibit.” Through February 28.

LA BELLA BISTRO 194 MAIN STREET, NEW PALTZ 255-2633. “Moments Caught.” Pastel and oil paintings by Dorothy Hellerman. February 21-April 17. Opening Saturday, February 21, 4pm-6pm.

MARIST COLLEGE ART GALLERY

339 NORTH ROAD, POUGHKEEPSIE 575-3000 EXT. 3182 “Tradition/Invention: 5 Emerging Artists.” Through February 26.

MARK GRUBER GALLERY NEW PALTZ PLAZA, NEW PALTZ 255-1241. “Winter Heat: The Nude.” Through March 4.

Top to Bottom THE HUDSON RIVER

Photographs by TED KAWALERSKI

MEZZALUNA CAFE 626 ROUTE 212, SAUGERTIES 246-5306. “Fire and ice.” Paintings by Naomi Blum. Through February 28.

MILDRED I. WASHINGTON ART GALLERY DUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, POUGHKEEPSIE 431-8610.

GALLERY HOURS

Weekdays Saturdays 2nd Saturdays Sundays

9–5 11 – 5 11 – 8 12 – 5

“Student Showcase.” Through February 13.

845.838.1600 Ext. 16 or info@bire.org

ORANGE HALL GALLERY “Hybrid Visions.” Exhibition of hybrid instruments and collages made from recycled objects and images by Ken Butler. Through February 13.

199 Main Street, Beacon NY 12508

www.bire.org

“Lyrical Abstracts.” Multi-media collages by Gesine Ehlers. Through February 13.

PEARLDADDY GALLERY 183 MAIN STREET, BEACON 765-0169. “Marlene Parillo, Storypots and Tapestries.” Vessel sculptures and mixed media quilts. Through March 8. RIVERWINDS GALLERY

museums & galleries

ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, MIDDLETOWN 341-4790.

172 MAIN STREET, BEACON 838-2880. “Beacon Teen Reflections.” Annual show by the art students at Beacon High School. Through February 9.

SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART SUNY NEW PALTZ, NEW PALTZ 257-3858. “Analog Catalog: Investigating the Permanent Collection.” February 14-June 14. Opening Friday, February 13, 5pm-8pm. “Bradford Graves: Selected Works.” February 14-June 14. Opening Friday, February 13, 5pm-8pm. “Eva Watson-Schatze: Photographer.” February 14-June 14. Opening Friday, February 13, 5pm-8pm.

83 Main Street New Paltz, New York 12651 Art Store 845.255.9902 Fax 845.255.1016 Web www.mannysart.com

Mon thru Fri 10 am to 6 pm Sat 10 am to 5 pm Sun 12 pm to 4 pm

“Taking a Different Tack: Maggie Sherwood and the Floating Foundation of Photography.” Through April 8. Opening Friday, February 13, 5pm-8pm.

UNISON ARTS AND LEARNING CENTER 68 MOUNTAIN REST ROAD, NEW PALTZ 255-1559. “Learning 2 Look.” Works by Duzine 2nd graders. Through February 1.

“PRESIDENT BUSH TORTURED ME.”

UNISON GALLERY WATER STREET MARKET, NEW PALTZ 255-1559. “Works by James Stamboni.” February 1-28.

Poems by an activist.

Opening Friday, February 6, 5pm-7pm.

VAN BRUNT GALLERY 460 MAIN STREET, BEACON 838-2995. “Simon Draper’s Habitat for Artists.” Group show. Through March 2.

WALLKILL RIVER SCHOOL AND ART GALLERY 232 WARD STREET, MONTGOMERY 457-ARTS.

www.lilywarren.com

“Seniors Paint the Town Exhibit.” February 1-14. Opening Saturday, February 7, 5pm-7pm.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

Music BY PETER AARON

MAN OF THE WORLD Angus Martin

here’s a potted plant in the back corner of the Black Swan in Tivoli, some kind of floppy-leafed, tropical-jungle affair. “It’s a banana tree,” says Michael Nickerson, the club’s affable owner. “One of the bartenders found it over the summer and nursed it back to health.” Despite the Bard student-populated venue’s reputation for welcoming warmth, however, on most January nights this bit of south-of-the-equator vegetation would, naturally, be very much at odds with the larger environment. It just doesn’t quite fit the bone-rattling wind, sub-20degree freeze, and hard, icy snow just outside the front door. But tonight is not a typical winter eve at the Black Swan. This particular occasion is the release party for Le Demimonde, Angus Martin’s sophomore album on Kingston’s Soluna label, and for the event the thin-trunked botanical specimen is pretty much the most perfect backdrop one could ask for. Actually, after a few minutes of tonight’s brand of music it begins to feel like the lone, four-foot-tall plant could use some company back there—say, a few fronddrooping palms or some cocoanut trees stocked with twittering macaws. Set up just in front of said shrub is Martin, on vocals, piano, guitar, and accordion, and his band—percussionist Reginald Jacques, bassist Josh Levine, and drummer Peter Barr—who are lightly coaxing up a balmy, meandering groove that transforms the snug Irish pub into a sun-drenched beachside cafe. The buoyant sambas, bossa novas, sons, cumbias, and other Latin-derived tunes hold sway over the jammed, tiny dance floor; so much so that, eventually, even your notoriously sober music editor can hold back no longer, stepping in to move as one with the fray (yes, it’s true, and there are many witnesses). “That’s one big thing that has always struck me about Angus’s music: Everyone who hears it just can’t resist it,” says Soluna producer and engineer Kale Kaposhilin. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a college kid or a grandparent, right away they just love it. Even Zac Shaw [drummer of infamous Kingston sludge-punk duo Dead Unicorn] is a huge fan.” And the fact that Martin sings in several 32

MUSIC CHRONOGRAM 2/09

photos by Fionn Reilly

languages—and rarely in English—sure doesn’t seem to be off-putting to the shuffling student bodies in Tivoli tonight, either. Le Demimonde features lyrics in Spanish and Haitian Creole, as well as English and French. “Actually, French is my first language,” says Martin, 38, who grew up in Marin County, California. “My mom is French and my dad is American, and we just always spoke French at home.” His jazz-loving father and classical pianist mother also introduced him to music, and at a young age he began studying blues and jazz piano, learning the rudiments of pop songwriting from Beatles and Bob Dylan records. After attending an experimental “hippie” high school and spending a few years as a landscaper in New Mexico, Martin enrolled at Bard “to get as far away from the West Coast as possible,” he recounts with a laugh. At around the time he came east, however, Martin experienced another turning point. On a whim he bought a used copy of the self-titled 1973 LP by Brazilian bossa nova god Joao Gilberto, and from there the sultry sounds of Latin music came flooding in. “That record just opened up a whole new world to me,” he recalls of the legendarily influential album, which features the sparse, hypnotic sound of only Gilberto’s voice and acoustic guitar and Sonny Carr’s minimal percussion. “I’d had no idea such deep beauty existed. It was like how hearing something like Bach or the Clash for the first time must be for others.” It’s here, however, that Martin’s musical globe-trotting really begins. While at Bard he also “fell in love with Italian,” studying the language and at the behest of his teacher transferring to Bologna to immerse himself further. “I took classes there, spent a few years traveling around Europe, drinking coffee and playing music,” he says. “Then I lived in Prague for a while, before I moved back to the US and spent some time in Wyoming, which was definitely a big a change.” Martin moved next to Seattle, where he studied Spanish, and, eventually, came back East once again, this time to New York. “When you live in a lot of different places and you don’t have a lot of money, you end up living in areas

ANGUS MARTIN AT THE BLACK SWAN IN TIVOLI.

where there are a lot of immigrants,” explains Martin. “In Seattle I lived in an Ethiopian neighborhood, and in NewYork where I lived was mainly Caribbean. [In immigrant areas] you’re always the outsider, ‘that white American guy.’ But it’s cool because everyone knows you and you get to know everyone else. So I’ve been able to learn a lot about other cultures and other music by living in those places, and I’ve met and played with some amazing musicians and made a lot of friends that way.” In New York, Martin played in popular six-piece outfit Los Acustilocos which released one album and performed at such prestigious Manhattan venues as Carnegie and Merkin Halls and the 92nd Street Y. With Martin in close proximity again, Kaposhilin approached him about making an album for the fledgling Soluna. “I worked on an album by Los Acustilocos and Angus’s songs just really stood out. I knew we could make a really good record together,” Kaposhilin remembers. “So we ended up working on that first one over the span of about two years at Station Hill Studios in Germantown.” The resulting disc, Presqu’ile is a lush, gorgeously romantic, low-key set that has managed to be steadily discovered by music lovers since its 2005 release despite the label’s on-the-job learning curve. “Other than online and live gigs, [the label] didn’t really have distribution in place for Presqu’ile when it came out,” says Kaposhilin, who is also a co-founder of the web-development firm Evolving Media Network. “But since then, we’ve redesigned the Soluna website and have worked up a new business model for Angus and our other artists. MySpace has shown that the climate is ripe for the rebirth of the artist fan club, so what we’ve been working on is a system that puts fans in touch with the artist in a kind of ‘patron’ capacity. Fans will be able to sign up as ‘members’ through the site and pay a nominal subscription fee, which will allow them access to exclusive content from that artist—downloads of podcasts and rare tracks, giveaways, artwork, custom projects, journal entries. The idea is to help support the artist between tours and releases while also feeding the fan’s interest for news and new music.” One of Martin’s longtime fans is Paul Higgins, who hosts WKZE’s

“Nightshade,” which recently featured a live on-air performance by Martin and his band. “I’d say that if you don’t like Angus’s stuff, then you don’t like music,” Higgins enthuses. “There’s just so much soul in it. It has a kind of nostalgic, Old World feel, but it’s so timeless. It sounds like it could’ve been recorded at any time in history.” The DJ is such a fervent believer that he even hired Martin to play his wedding. “My family is Irish-American and my wife’s family is Haitian, and everybody loved the music,” says Higgins. “Nobody sat for [the] two and a half hours [the band performed].” Indeed, it’s the very concept of cross-cultural confluence that’s one of Le Demimonde’s overriding themes. “The album has a story to it, about different races and cultural identities meeting,” explains Martin, who recently relocated to Marin County, where he lives with his wife and newborn daughter. “Like, the title of [opening track] ‘Le Franglais’ is similar to the term Spanglish; it’s about someone with French and Anglo identities. But the record is also about people of different cultures playing each other’s music, and not doing it in a self-conscious way. We all know this music came from Africa or Latin America, or wherever. I’m not hiding that fact. I think that people of different backgrounds can play each other’s music in their own ways and still be a part of the tradition and community of that music. They bring something else to it and it ends up connecting people, instead of having them feel left out.” Certainly no one at the Black Swan tonight feels left out, judging by the teeming, drink-raising mass on the dance floor. And back in the corner, it looks like even the banana tree is swaying in time to music. It’s not bearing any fruit yet, but who knows—maybe when Martin makes a return visit there’ll magically be some banana daiquiris on hand. “Ah, you know my plan,” says Nickerson. Le Demimonde is out now on Soluna Records. www.vache-espagnole.com. Angus Martin will perform at the Center for Perming Arts at Rhinebeck on February 8. For more information: (845) 876-3080; www.centerforperformingarts.org. 2/09 CHRONOGRAM MUSIC

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Handpicked by local scenemaker DJ WAVY DAVY for your listening pleasure.

THE VIRGINIA WOLVES February 7. The Virginia Wolves, the salon band of Kelly McNally, Adele Schulz, and their invited musical guests, has spent over a year creating the group’s debut album, Curse of the Kill (My Own Label, 2009), and this band-named “manifestival” at the High Falls Cafe celebrates its completion. McNally, whose lead vocals harmonize with Schulz’s French horn, will be joined by Alan Macaluso (electric guitar), Chris Macchia (upright bass), Tommy Be (drums/percussion), and Amy Laber (banjo/dulcimer). Curse of the Kill contains 13 raw, original, pro-peace songs dedicated to McNally’s father, a Vietnam veteran, and the band will send over 200 copies to the troops in Iraq as a message to bring them home. The Wolves used green packaging (McNally also runs eco-friendly Flower Power House Cleaning service), as well as local sources for photographs and disc duplication. The band members are proud to say they personally hugged everyone involved on the album. 8pm. No cover. High Falls. (845) 687-2699; www.myspace.com/thevirginiawolves.

GYPSY NOMADS/THE FERAL THROES February 14. Valentine’s Day can be a tricky night out, sort of like New Year’s Eve with thorns, so you want to pick the right romantic mix for you and yo’ date. Nothing says “in the mood” quite like the sultry strings and rhythms of gypsy, French, and Celtic music wafting through the plush interior of the Muddy Cup coffeehouse. Multitalented Scott Helland, on guitar, and Samantha Stephenson, on vocals and percussion, conjure up a mix of ethereal melodies juxtaposed with free-spirited, raucous jamming. The Feral Throes, hailing from Cambridge, will catch new fans with the throaty lead singing of Aislinn O’Connor driving the band’s harmonic rants (hear how that sounds at www.myspace.com/theferalthroes). 7pm. (845) 255-5805. Call for cover info. New Paltz. www.thegypsynomads.com.

DENI BONET/CURTIS ELLER February 14. Lilith Fair artist Deni Bonet, for the uninitiated, is a singer-songwriter and classically trained violinist who quit the classical world early in her career because she hated having to wear black and sit still. Since then, Bonet has recorded or performed with R.E.M., Sarah McLachlan, Cyndi Lauper, and U2 producer Daniel Lanois. She was also an original cast musician on NPR’s “Mountain Stage.” Curtis Eller, described as “New York City’s angriest yodeling banjo player,” will be joining Bonet at the Rosendale Cafe. 8pm. $15. Rosendale. (845) 658-9048; www.rosendalecafe.com.

THE HARLEM QUARTET

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NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS

February 17. This prize-winning young string quartet—Ilmar Gavilan, violin; Melissa White, violin; Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola; and Desmond Neysmith, cello—performs for the public at the McKenna Theater during a weeklong master class residency at SUNY New Paltz. The four players, all ﬁrst-place laureates of the esteemed Sphinx Competition, have a unique and challenging mission “to advance diversity in classical music while engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire, highlighting works by minority composers.” To that end, they also have a new CD, Take the A Train (White Pine Music, 2008), which features tunes by Billy Strayhorn and Wynton Marsalis. 8pm. $10 general admission, $8 seniors/staff, $6 students. New Paltz. (845) 257-3880; www.newpaltz.edu.

FAT TUESDAY FETES February 21, 22, 27, March 1. Ash Wednesday this year falls on February 25, but that won’t stop a little Mardi Gras revelry from rolling into Lent. Hunter Mountain Ski Center (www.huntermtn.com) offers a New Orleans-themed “apres-ski” event in its main lodge on February 21 with the band Night Train and DJ Pat Del. Also on February 21, Cleoma’s Ghost brings its traditional Cajun duets to Ellenville’s Aroma Thyme; the band also plays Hickory BBQ’s Mardi Gras Brunch on February 22 in Kingston (www.cleomasghost.com). Pawling’s Towne Crier Cafe (www.townecrier.com) heats things up with C. J. Chenier and the Red Hot New Orleans Band on February 22, and Buckwheat Zydeco appears on March 1. Ric Orlando and New World Home Cooking (www.ricorlando.com) always serve up awesome Cajun and Creole cuisine this week, helping us keep the “fat” in Fat Tuesday, but on February 27, you can work it all off when Voodelic hits the restaurant’s stage. Times and prices vary, view full info at each listed website.

DENI BONET PLAYS THE ROSENDALE CAFE ON FEBRUARY 14.

CD REVIEWS BETTY MACDONALD BILLIE HOLIDAY TRIBUTE (MACDEE MUSIC, 2008)

B Before the audience at Unison Arts Center in New PPaltz for this live 2006 recording, Woodstock vocalist aand violinist Betty MacDonald delivers a well-strung sset of some of jazz vocalist Billie Holiday’s most veneerable trademark tunes. Lady Day’s history and heartaache become inspirational rainwater to “I Cover the W Waterfront,” “Lover Man,” and “God Bless the Child.” On this, her third self-produced release, MacDonald aas griot doesn’t sweeten Holiday’s life story. It wasn’t eeasy for an outspoken and sensible African-American w woman to create and survive in the music business in th 1930s, 1930 ’40s, ’40 andd ’50s. ’50 But B t th the those attributes were the warp and woof of Holiday’s endurance. MacDonald’s rendition of “Body and Soul,” unlike Holiday’s, which haunts and drags at the soul, has a wistful feel to it. But, more in synch and swing with Holiday, MacDonald, along with keyboardist Peter Tomlinson and bassist Jim Curtin, do up a medley that includes “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone” (MacDonald brings out her violin for a sweet solo on the last). With every song, MacDonald bends with Billie, shading the difficulties of her time on Earth (1915-1959) with supple notes, notably in Holiday’s composition “Don’t Explain.” MacDonald, who had performed Holiday’s music prior to this concert, elevates Tribute by never focusing on sounding like her, just sounding for her. www.macdeemusic.com. —Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson

THE CROSSROADS BAND HEADING SOUTH (INDEPENDENT, 2008)

T Merando can sing. Man, can he sing. He exTony hhibits flashes of Dwight Yoakam and Raul Malo, yyet retains his own identity. And the rest of the D Dutchess County-based Crossroads Band performs aat his level, providing perfect mainstream country bbackup with flashy but not overdone solos from gguitarist Ben Ribble. The question remains, though, iif the songs are quite up to the treatment they recceive. Composers Merando and keyboardist Claude LeHenaff have, if anything, a surfeit of melodic hhooks—any one of these tunes would sound great oon the radio. Unfortunately, cliche is piled atop clih leaving l i many selections l ti on thi i che, this six-song EP lacking lyrically. “Crazy For Loving” and “Heartbroke and Busted,” both of which benefit from the excellent guest fiddling of Dave Mason, scream with hooks as long as one doesn’t concentrate on the words. “Take That Ride” comes closer to the mark, but—with verses about losing a job and choruses about riding a horse—still misses somehow lyrically. “Red Hot Woman” veers from the country tack by going full-tilt rockabilly and it succeeds on all fronts, lyrically as well as musically, by—oddly enough—staying true to formula. The bones are here for a great little record, but the Crossroads Band should strive to make its lyrics match the high quality of its music. www.crossrdsband.com. —Michael Ruby

Fun, Cool, 2nd Hand Stuff!

KAT LARIOS BATHOS IN AQUA (SAFETY CLYDE RECORDS, 2008)

T There’s a world of difference between trying to be aan eccentric artist and innately being an eccentric aartist. I believe Kat Larios to be weird-wired. Envvision Tracy Chapman, Tiny Tim, and Little Jimmy SScott in some David Lynch/carny-esque scenario aand you’ll have something akin to the musical side oof Bathos in Aqua. This acoustic Kingstonite is a minnor-chord minimalist, relying mostly on freakish w warblings and lone instruments—ukelele, accordioon, guitar, organ—to produce 13 hypodermic tunes w with simplistic strummings and unnerving, repetittive strains. Larios’s sparsely spaced guest artists on this record include Grasshopper (Merc (Mercury Rev) on clarinet, and cellist Jane Scarpantoni (Lou Reed, REM, 10,000 Maniacs). After hearing 20 seconds of track one, this reviewer was riveted. Then came the lyrical doppelganger, sucked screaming from the muse of confusion. Larios is a smacking wordsmith, a madman’s puzzle prophet, offering a refrigerator magnet-poetry acid trip brimming with ill-iteration and tongue-tripping wordplay: “Oh console / fold-out molting / high-end hole / eat-in quarantine” (from “Molting Consultant”); “Gotta rot, go carve a notch / wretched wrist / demolish watch / tick-tock uneven” (from “Gray Area”). Readers, don’t be stupid enough to ignore a paragon of profundity when it’s staring you in the kisser. Kat Larios will play at Muddy Cup/Inquiring Mind in Saugerties on March 14. www.myspace.com/katlarios. —Sharon Nichols

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM MUSIC

Books

FRANK, MALACHY, AND ALPHIE MCCOURT IN MALACHY’S MANHATTAN APARTMENT. OPPOSITE: MALACHY MCCOURT.

DOWN MEMOIR LANE

The Brothers McCourt Come to Bearsville

By Nina Shengold photo by Jennifer May

here’s a little-known tunnel that goes straight from the Upper West Side to Woodstock,” says Alphie McCourt. Angela Sheehan McCourt’s youngest son has just published a memoir, A Long Stone’s Throw. You might say it’s a family tradition: His brother Malachy has two bestsellers under his belt (A Monk Swimming and Singing My Him Song), and big brother Frank is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela’s Ashes, ’Tis, and Teacher Man. All three are slated to appear at the Bearsville Theater on February 15 during the Woodstock Memoir Festival. They’ve agreed to an interview at Rosie O’Grady’s, a congenial eatery near Times Square where the McCourts and an amalgamation of friends meet for monthly lunches, a tradition that started in 1973. Though the core group is 20 or so, the moveable feast “swelled to bursting on the heels of Frank’s books,” reports Alphie. Visiting literati included William Kennedy, Pete Hamill, Mary Gordon, Thomas Keneally, and others; one regular called it “stargazing.” Alphie and his wife had a weekend place in Woodstock during the 1980s. “We’d start to feel better as soon as we crossed the bridge,” he recalls. Malachy’s also lived locally—he wrote A Monk Swimming in Krumville. Frank splits his time between Manhattan and Connecticut. The door swings open, and in blows the force of nature that calls itself Malachy McCourt. The actor, author, Green Party gubernatorial candidate, and “larger-than-life of the party” is nursing a head cold. “I’m renting myself out to

BOOKS CHRONOGRAM 2/09

insomniacs,” he declares. “I’ll give you the full details of my cold, and either I’ll bore you to death or put you to sleep. Either way, I’ll collect a check.” “You could write a memoir of your cold,” Alphie says. It would probably be a bestseller. “Malachy can turn the world on its ear with a phrase,” Alphie observed before his arrival; one senses such praise would be met with derision. At the book launch for Singing My Him Song, Alphie introduced his brother. “When the McCourts are around, everyone expects fun, fun, fun, every minute. I thought, for once let’s not do it that way.” He spoke at length about Malachy’s kindness, how he took care of friends who were sick or in need. When the author got up, he said, “Thank you, Alphie, for that eulogy.” Reverence will get you nowhere. Ask Malachy how he writes, and he says, “On my arse.” He elaborates: “I’m always looking, when I go to readings, for a magic formula that will allow me to write without writing.” “You could try talking,” Alphie says, dryly. “People say, just talk into a microphone.” Malachy shudders. “I can’t. I need the pen in my hand, that symbiotic relationship.” Malachy’s pen has a way with words. A Monk Swimming is a hymn to excess and abandon. In Singing My Him Song, he cleans up his act without losing an ounce of his native joy. “America loves winners, but you need a sense of superiority about losers,”

he says. “Memoir is like going up icy steps: two forward, three back. As long as you’re triumphant at the end, your memoir will be a success.” Malachy’s livid that Laura Bush got a $7 million dollar advance for her memoir. “Who gives a fiddler’s fuck about the wife of the most unpopular president in the history of the US? Where’s the triumph in sleeping with him?” Of his brothers’ books, he opines, “Alphie’s version is right on the button. He has an astoundingly clear memory, and it’s simply and beautifully written.” Alphie looks as if he’s just been eulogized, but Malachy continues. “When Frank wrote Angela’s Ashes, I was amazed by his accuracy and perceptiveness, and more importantly, by the charity he exhibited to those people who were awful to us. He carries no chip.” Frank hasn’t arrived, and Malachy says he’s “off doing something with students” and may not make it.When Alphie notes that Frank hasn’t been to Rosie O’Grady’s for several months, Malachy shrugs, “If he doesn’t come back here, we won’t let him in.” But like his countryman’s Godot, Frank McCourt has a powerful presence even without showing up. The conversation keeps circling back to Angela’s Ashes, the 1996 phenomenon many credit with launching the current memoir boom. “When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all,” Frank wrote. “It was, of course, a miserable childhood: The happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” After deftly acknowledging the story’s familiar outlines, he goes on to make his miserable Irish Catholic childhood gloriously unique and specific. Neither brother read Frank’s work-in-progress. (Malachy states, “That’s a rule of thumb: Don’t show anything to relatives until it’s too late.”) But nobody could have anticipated the spotlight Angela’s Ashes would turn on their lives. “A number of people in Limerick took exception,” says Malachy. “One guy tried to organize a book-burning—he said they’d burn 20,000 copies. I told Frank, ‘I hope it’s the hardcover. That’d add a lot to your sales.’” The objection? “It wasn’t respectable.” Alphie adds, “One of the oddest things was people who said ‘We didn’t have much either, but...’ as if they were apologizing for having food in the kitchen. At one point an English newspaper ran a contest for anecdotes about families who were even poorer than ours. The winner wrote, ‘We were so poor we lived in a hole, in a ditch by the side of the road.’” Malachy thunders righteously, “Ye were lucky to have a hole!” and both brothers laugh. The lunch group trickles in. Today’s celebrants include playwright Patrick Fenton and actress Mary Tierney; filmmaker Teressa Tunney; Malachy’s sons Conor and Malachy Jr. (in town from Bali, where he runs a scuba school); and numerous writers. Mark McDevitt congratulates Alphie on his publication. “There’s no room on the shelves for all these McCourt books. It’s a genre!” Reached by phone in Connecticut, the genre’s progenitor says it’s “very gratifying to read their version of events.”The three brothers recently appeared at Marymount Manhattan College. “Each of us talked for awhile, with a lot of jeering and booing back and forth,” Frank reports. Though he and Malachy once shared the stage in a semi-improvised OffBroadway play called A Couple of Blaguards, Frank doesn’t consider himself a performer. “I put in my 30 years of teaching. Now I just want to sit quietly at the desk and let it come,” he says, adding, “Students are a very tough audience. They’re heat-seeking missiles.” Teacher Man details his career in New York’s public schools, where the onetime dropout flummoxed administrators with nontraditional assignments (“Write a suicide note”) and shared his passion for words with thousands of lucky teenagers. “I loved teaching, but writing is what I was put on this Earth for,” he says. “It was always in the back of my mind while teaching:You should just shut up and write.” But he was “too busy making a living” and lacked the self-confidence to make such a leap. He published his first book at 66, disproving F. Scott Fitzgerald’s maxim that there are no second acts in American lives. Frank’s philosophy, as a teacher and for himself, is “to move from fear to freedom.You can’t ever achieve it, of course—there’s no Fourth of July in the human psyche—but you move slowly toward it, and if you’re lucky, you can feel the shackles falling off.” All over the world, he’s had former students show up at his author events. “It’s very gratifying to have been a writing teacher, so-called, and then to go

out and prove you weren’t talking through the hole of your arse.” His advice to aspiring writers? “Scribble. Don’t try to write, just scribble. If you tell yourself, ‘I’m going to write a book,’ or a play, you’re sunk. Do what an artist does, sketch it out in a very casual way. The most important thing is to sit in the chair.” Told that, Malachy says the same thing; he deadpans, “And where d’you think he got that?” It’s telling that the McCourts’ memoirs bear similar dedications. Alongside a litany of wives, friends, and children appear these words: “To my brothers, Malachy, Michael, Alphonsus. I learn from you, I admire you, and I love you” (Angela’s Ashes); “With much gratitude to the brothers Frank—for opening the golden door and leading the way—and to Mike and Alphie with my love and thanks” (A Monk Swimming); “To my brothers, Frank, Malachy, and Michael, for blazing more than a few trails.” (A Long Stone’s Throw). Which leads to an obvious question: Will fourth brother Mike, a San Francisco barman, ever write a memoir? Frank laughs. “Mike says, ‘I’ll write a memoir when the other fuckers are dead.’” THE WOODSTOCK MEMOIR FESTIVAL February 13-16 Sponsored by the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Golden Notebook, and Authentic Writing Workshops Panel discussions, booksignings, gallery shows, and performances with Suzanne Bachner, Bob Brader, Laura Shaine Cunningham, Martha Frankel, Carl Mateo, Fred Poole, Susan Richards, Wendy Salinger, Bar Scott, Linda St. John, Marta Szabo, Abigail Thomas, Gioia Timpanelli, Janine Pommy Vega, Michael Vietch, Robert Burke Warren, and Judy Whitfield. Featured event: AN EVENING WITH THE McCOURT BROTHERS February 15 at 7pm, Bearsville Theater For more info: (845) 679-2205; www.woodstockmemoirfestival.com.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM BOOKS

Descartes’ Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conﬂict between Faith and Reason Russell Shorto Doubleday, October , 

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n this engaging and entertainingly discursive book, The Island at the Center of the World author Russell Shorto shows his flair for bringing an elegantly conversational tone to the page, whether he is narrating revisionist history of the Enlightenment, delving into the world of science, or navigating the choppy waters of philosophy, religion and the dawn of the age of modernity. Descartes’ Bones tracks the mysterious posthumous journey of French mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes’s skeletal remains over a period of 350 years as they were buried, exhumed, buried again (or were they?), stolen, sold, bequeathed, misplaced, discussed, examined, verified, and even taken for a brief appearance in Japan. Descartes’s most famous utterance—“I think, therefore I am”—has been knocked around and knocked off (“I think, therefore I shop”; “I think, therefore I drink”; etc.) untold times since it first appeared in his Discourse on Method, published in 1637. The discourse, “written not in Latin but in French so that, its author asserted, it could be read by laypersons (French laypersons, anyway), including, somewhat scandalously, women,” laid the foundation upon which would be built the concepts of modern scientific thought: doubt. Exactly how do we know what we know? Religious and state authorities were mortified. What on Earth might happen if the populace actually began thinking about, as opposed to simply believing in, religious dogma and government doctrine? “Philosophers,” Shorto writes, “held real sway in the 17th- and 18th- centuries. They wrote in newspapers, manned the presses that printed their own tracts, thundered in parliaments and councils, debated church leaders, and otherwise molded popular opinion. As a result, the new secularism began to make inroads among ordinary people.” As Descartes’s ideas gained popularity, he came under increasing attack from the established powers. A devout Catholic, he found himself defending his views against accusations of atheism, “a catch-all term for materialism and all it might imply,” arguing, as Shorto explains, that “his philosophy was built on a hard distinction between mind and body, and because he included the soul in the concept of mind, he believed that rather than draining the meaning from humanity he had in fact maintained the separate integrity of the mind-soul while allowing science to work on the physical side of things.” Descartes fled to Sweden, where, in 1650, his body would be buried—for the first time, anyway. The arcane logistics underlying the 1666 exhumation and return of the Cartesian remains to Paris and the subsequent maneuverings by assorted authorities and individuals to utilize the bones toward their own ends, be they political, religious, academic, or financial, form the backbone of the story. That the philosopher’s skull was apparently separated from the rest of his skeleton serves as a perfect metaphor: the originator, in life, of the concept of dualism—the mind/ body problem that even today perplexes philosophers and scientists—had, in death, a skull/bones problem. While unraveling the mysterious and sometime devious circumstances surrounding the multiple exchanges of Descartes’s skeletal remains, the author frequently finds occasion to digress, and delightfully so. The cast of characters includes 17th and 18th century luminaries in the fields of science, mathematics, politics, and the arts. The French Revolution itself plays heavily in the story. Shorto, who divides his time between Putnam County and Amsterdam (Holland, not New York), weaves his way through an impressive array of topics, leaving not a trace of unsightly seam as he wends from one intellectual arena to another, all the while following the evidential thread of the path taken by the philosopher’s skull. —Kim Wozencraft

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM BOOKS

SHORT TAKES You don’t need a leap year to jump for joy. Let this selection of memoirs, essays, cartoons, and tabloid tales by Hudson Valley writers levitate your spirits.

Shalom Auslander

MIHAI GRUNFELD MIH

Riverhead Paperback, , 

MILLROCK WRITERS COLLECTIVE, 2008, $21.95 MIL

Th son of Holocaust survivors, Vassar professor Grunfeld grew up in The the th twin shadows of his parents’ hidden histories and the Iron Curtain. He H writes with coiled-spring power and economy: At a covert seder, his h mother “looks like a magician circling her hands over the yellow lights lig of the candles.” When he and his brother escape to Vienna, a blue plastic cigarette lighter proves an ecstatic symbol of freedom. b

IZZY & LENORE: IZZ TWO DOGS, AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, AND ME TW JON KATZ VILLARD BOOKS, 2008, $24 VIL

Th New York Times bestselling author and co-host of NPR’s “Dog The Talk” details his relationships with two canine stars: his rescued Ta border collie Izzy, whose extraordinary sensitivity prompted Katz bo to train as a hospice volunteer, using Izzy as a therapy dog; and “Hound of Love” Lenore, the irrepressible lab puppy who provided “H her own brand of emotional healing. h

SIPPING FROM THE NILE: MY EXODUS FROM EGYPT SIP JEAN NAGGAR JEA STONY CREEK PRESS, 2008, $14.95 STO

Ul Ulster County resident Naggar was born into a wealthy Jewish family in Cairo. In prose as densely woven and vivid as an oriental carpet, she Ca describes a privileged childhood of tango lessons, rose gardens, and de Passover treats. The Suez crisis of 1956 changed everything; “Our P home became our prison.” This poignant tale of loss and renewal ho eevokes a vanished world.

THE LEFT-HANDED STORY: TH WRITING AND THE WRITER’S LIFE WR NANCY WILLARD NAN THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS, 2008, $18.95

Th collection of 16 essays by Poughkeepsie poet, novelist, and This Newbery Award-winning children’s author Willard opens one inviting N door after another. Who can resist a ﬁrst sentence like “The ﬁrst book do I ever wanted to steal was a slim blue paperback called Stories of Love L and Passion?” Read on!

CARTOON MARRIAGE: ADVENTURES IN LOVE AND MATCA RI RIMONY BY THE NEW YORKER’S CARTOONING COUPLE LIZA DONNELLY AND MICHAEL MASLIN LIZ RANDOM HOUSE, 2009, $24 RA

W What happens when two cartoonists mate? His and hers hilarity. Veteran New Yorker cartoonists Maslin and Donnelly offer more Ve than 200 looks at all that comes after the wedding vows, including th raising a bilingual family (English and Cartoon). Readings at ra Pawling Book Cove, 2/8 at 1pm; Oblong Rhinebeck, 2/14 at P 4pm; Merritt Millbrook, 2/21 at 4:30pm.

THE SUN AND THE MOON: TH TH REMARKABLE TRUE ACCOUNT OF HOAXERS, SHOWTHE MEN, DUELING JOURNALISTS, AND LUNAR MAN-BATS IN ME NINETEENTH-CENTURY NEW YORK NI MATTHEW GOODMAN MAT BASIC BOOKS (PERSEUS), 2008, $26 BA

W When democracy took hold in a young America, one man’s right to write anything was matched only by another’s right to form aan opinion on what was written. Veracity and mendacity were beside the point as journalists exercised their creative muscles b to amaze and entertain. This impeccably researched history is eencyclopedic—no humbug! Reading at Kingston Barnes & Noble 2/21 at 3pm.

Foreskin’s Lament: A Memoir

LEAVING: MEMORIES OF ROMANIA LE

BOOKS CHRONOGRAM 2/09

s a child, Shalom Auslander wondered what residents of Monsey thought as they drove by his family and other Orthodox Jews; a line of blacksuited men, women in long dresses, girls with shiny shoes, and boys wearing suits and yarmulkes, walking to temple for Sabbath services. And then, there was his father. “My father yelled at cars, ‘Slow down!’ he shouted, stepping into the road and waving his arms over his head. ‘Kill a Jew, then you’ll be happy.’” Auslander found life in Monsey insular and stifl ing. His mother was “the doyenne of death,” a decorating magazine-addicted housewife who doted on bad news and misfortune; his father, a Manischewitz-binging bully constantly roaring at his family for any transgression, religious or otherwise. He was an angry man, unrelentingly strict, quick with the fists, and, occasionally, a blatant hypocrite. Essentially, he was a lot like his son’s idea of The Creator. “I believe in God,” Auslander writes. “It’s been a real problem for me.” The list of forbiddens was long, the one of allowables, painfully short. By age nine, Auslander had embarked on a mission to ignore their distinctions, and spent his teens on a secular binge that included Slim Jims, pot, pornography, and shoplifting (a pursuit made easy by the holy aura cast by his yarmulke and payes). His mission was excess, and it even encompassed religion for a while. But in his early 20s, he met a kindred spirit named Orli, and together they sought a way out. The pair married and eventually moved to the land of anything-goes: Woodstock. But exorcizing Auslander’s religious upbringing would take more than cutting off his family and changing location. He found himself unceasingly haunted by an omnipresent being whose desire was not to promote good works, but encourage great fear of getting caught doing bad ones. There’s a fair share of spleen on these pages, but what makes Auslander’s story a standout, both in print and in excerpts that have played on NPR’s “This American Life,” is the way he uses humor to scratch a breathing hole in the thick, suffocating ice of religious fear. “Theological abuse” is one term he and Orli invented for his malady. Others were “spiritually groped,” and “touched inappropriately by an angel.” Acknowledging such feelings about his religion was an act of courage. Writing about them was an even bigger one. “My teachers told me that it is a sin punishable by death from above for a Jew to embarrass the Jewish people, which I am concerned these stories do,” he says. “But I take a deep breath and remember that Aaron Spelling’s doing okay, and if he’s not an embarrassment to the Jewish people, I don’t know who is.” (That Spelling has died since this writing may prove the folly of tempting fate.) Past and present collide when Orli gives birth and the worst possible thing happens: The child is a boy. A boy’s foreskin represents a Jewish Mason-Dixon Line. To the south lies the eight-days-after-birth bris, complete with knifewielding Moyl; to the north are parents with the chutzpah to turn against all they’ve been taught, and make different choices. Though religious struggles remain part of Auslander’s life, isolation does not. Former Orthodox Jews aren’t the only ones who go through life feeling as cut off and discarded as he. “I’ve been thinking about the people in my life now,” he says, “I think they’re all foreskins. A little foreskin nation trying their best to start over, build up, move on.” Amen. —Susan Krawitz

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM BOOKS

POETRY

Edited by Phillip Levine. Deadline for our March issue is February 5. Send up to three poems or three pages (whichever comes first). Full submission guidelines: www.chronogram.com\submissions.

What’s that big thing on the wall, Daddy?

how to make ice

That piece of glass? Yes.

start with a very low ﬂame

That’s a mirror.

stir

Why do you go in there, Daddy?

hardly ever

Why do I look in the mirror?

Yes.

or cross

We look in the mirror to see how others see us.

your eyes

You look in the mirror to measure yourself, Daddy.

—p

—Asher Stern (2½ years old)

MANUFACTURE

HOW PRISONERS LEARN ORIGAMI

At the trains we threw stones wrapped in love messages and telephone numbers.

They start square then two sides meet in the middle open up form a line at the corner and repeat everything over and over

By the yoghurt-and-ﬁsh stand we sold pancakes with roses. No one bought from us more than once. You said birds moved the blades of the mill.

—Brendan Blowers Tossing dough, your hands became the shape of a shape. The motherland was younger than us. There was another town where you were milkman and I was the mill. Where you rubbed knots oﬀ my back and piled them behind us. —Margarita Delcheva

ANYBODY KNOWS WHAT LOVE IS It paints with more colors than all the flowers that ever bloomed. It pounces like a lion cub. It’s the north star, the southern cross the lace on the moon, the secret of chocolate. It’s the February sun glowing in the last icicle on the roof. It’s the blind girl, whose voice is so beautiful birds gather on branches near her window for a sing-a-long . It’s that balmy night when we were young when the roses found a violin to play. It’s a giant eraser rubbing out mistakes. It’s your first train ride, the last midnight swim of the year. For every day you love, a snowflake melts on your cheek, and every night a star trembles over the town, keeping watch as you sleep children safe in their beds, mice nibbling in the dark. —Cynthia Poten

POETRY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

VAMPIRES The dawn opened like a blood blister on a scene more whistler than hopper, an octopus suckling the starboard side of a galleon where crewmates slept or crept from bed to bed, rode the hump and hull of it, suctioned round the seesaw as the light changed complexion. Speaking of love, a midshipman asleep in the pitch was roused with a bite on his neck… there are no dreams with vampires on deck only sidling agreements and moments that lay open to other moments. —Chancellor Page

MINNESOTA I really like Minnesota Or the idea of it It seems like they might have fresh air And not be at all claustrophobic.

DON’T LET YOUR DAUGHTER GROW UP TO BE A POET She writes, sees herself a poet pans for gold looks at the ﬂawed vein under a magnifying glass doesn’t like what she sees refuses to spend time on another weddingbabyshower anniversaryholiaysuicideattempt or stand in the midst of a craziness that whips around a room like a lasso roping relatives together at anyone’s family gathering. At high noon, she turns, steady, steady, aims shoots that prose feeding in the clearing holds the gun’s snout up to her lips blows away the smoke twirls it into her holster meanders over to the kill drags it by the antlers hangs it upside down on the nearest oak and with her jack knife rips it down the middle guts it slices muscle into stew meat slings bloody chunks into a sizzling black iron pot adds water carrots allusions celery metaphors bay leaves potatoes similes bones boils it down into a poem She invites friends for dinner— some will eat only vegetables others will savor whole stew a few will join her in breaking bones sucking out the marrow. She writes it’s the only thing she fuckin’ owns— watch out for that sheet of blank white paper it all gets summed up on blank white paper don’t let your daughter grow up to be a poet sure as shootin’ she’s gonna high-tail it outa town. —Bonnie Enes

—Dave Kennedy

ON ASKING TOO MUCH

A BECKONING CALL

IN EACH NEW HOME

The ﬂicker in your window may have looked to me like the earth opening up her ﬁres. But it wasn’t even a candle, no, it was just your t.v.

Does everyone fear great heights? I jump, knowing little more. No. Only, perhaps, quiet regret, strange, troubling, unease, voiced with inexorable yearning. Sleep.

In each new home, I stood for some time in the basement, tracing the copper pipes, the old cast iron waste, the wires electric, even the old ceramic spindles. I followed each joist to its seat, and sought out the origin of dust, perhaps from powder post beetles or termites. I sought out hollow spaces beneath the bluestone ﬂags, hoping to locate a hidden cistern, or treasure, historic. Once, the water feeds were so jammed with rust, I had to hammer them free. I had to learn the patience of plumbing.

It doesn’t matter, really, if you prefer a pillow to your face and not skin. The gold in the sky wants to bronze you and move around in your bones, but of course you may draw your blinds. Sleep, my love, sleep, if this is your world. Diamonds are buried for ages.

—Douglas Carlsen

GIFTS For Amelie When I hold your little hand in mine as we go on our walk, you, little girl, little granddaughter, who can so quickly turn vigilant, frightened, at a loud noise, say, or a harsh word, or smile in quiet joy at a proffered wildflower, are my bulwark against mortality: yet so it is, the world’s most fragile things protect us even from the edge of doom, prevent the flood of time though we leave soon. —Peter Belfiore

—Jill Christmas

Sometimes it was simply the light that fell across a dining room floor, a built-in cupboard with distorted glass, or a back and narrow stairs. I love one house, the antebellum slave quarters, then filled with mouldering piles of pecans. The house was a four over four, with uncanny dimensions. Another was glorious with detritus, its original inhabitant a famed suffragette, having left her dampened maroon Baedeker’s, advertisements for the Hamburg-America. Cunard Line, Lusitania deck-plans barely impeded the path, back out the kitchen. It was all, naturally, torn down.

THE PAPERGIRL —Alan Dequais

FISHING THE ASHOKAN IN JUNE Water still cold so a flannel shirt was too little in a metal boat and after an hour on the water I begged to be put ashore, swore I was hypothermic, was colder than ever before and no longer cared if fish would be biting any minute. And when finally I fell onto the front seat of the pickup and slammed the door shut behind, even the warmth of that closed cab in the sun was not enough to instantly rouse me from stupor. I lay there loving the warmth like a lizard until the others returned from the water, none suffering as I had from cold, but all as fishless as I was. —Matthew J. Spireng

Last night after the rain I trailed my neighbor through the dark park, watched him tip up wet cans with his foot and inspect the empty pavilion on the hill. He looked into the light of every puddle and each blossom of trash in the brush while I glided among the trees unseen. Then down Abbey Street he wandered, shushing all the dogs with the palm of his hand and it was as if he beckoned me. Beneath the unlit sign of Bea’s Diner, he knelt and scooped parking lot sand into small piles that might cradle votive candles. Crossing East Chapel, he drew into the woods themselves and I lost him there. All night I waited, feeling the dew gather on my arms and the freeway roar, and only a fat opossum came forth with his raw nose and bare tail turning up trash and devouring. Dawn found me disheveled on my front step, the object of a knowing look from the papergirl.

ALMOST WINTER We still have the Echo, which I drive with pruned hands ﬂexing away from the cold skin of the wheel or clenching till my knuckles turn white, and you still ﬁddle with the radio till the sound clashes with the colors of the trees and I clash with you, itching to get away from the cold of the seat and each other, laughing because the tension is so at ease and for a second, we forget we are used to each other, curl our hands, half covered in the sleeves of faded sweaters, and unable to touch the wheel to steer, pull over the car to watch the iced sky rain hot blooded leaves. —Stephanie Minerley

—Andrew Higgins

2/09 CHRONOGRAM POETRY

Food & Drink

Something’s Fishy

IS THAT SEAFOOD SUSTAINABLE?

by Peter Barrett photographs by Jennifer May

hat do we really know about the fish we eat? Even if we are diligent about buying local and organic produce, grain, and meat, does that care extend beneath the sea? Many species are suffering from overfishing. Fish farming can pollute the ocean, and spread disease to wild fish. Regulation and inspections are either lacking or inconsistently applied and enforced. How do we make sense of all this, while helping to protect the oceans, our health, and our Broadway careers? (Apologies and well wishes to Jeremy Piven.) Trying to understand the state of seafood today is a complex, frustrating, and often bewildering endeavor. Another challenge is to try to reconcile the often-conflicting variables of health and sustainability. Yellowfi n tuna is sustainable but contains mercury in sufficient quantity that vulnerable people (pregnant women, children) are encouraged not to eat it. Salmon is very high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but unless it’s wild Alaskan or properly farmed, the environmental cost is steep. The sad reality is that the seafood that falls firmly within both categories is a much smaller set than most of us are accustomed to choosing from, and it is unlikely to change any time soon. Given all this, how can we navigate all the conflicting information and choose our seafood as responsibly as we choose meat and produce? The good news (yes, there is some) is that our desire to be ethical consumers is the solution. And there are people at all stages of the business who are also engaged with these issues and want to help us choose better fish. Carl Rebstock, co-founder of Passionfish, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable seafood, says “the situation is perilous, but with reason for optimism. The world has made real progress in fisheries management over the last several years. Although most wild fish stocks remain overfished, concerted global efforts have helped broadly stabilize the situation—with heartening developments in certain fisheries.” He recommends buying wild fish that carries Marine Stewardship Council certification, which ensures that it comes from a wellmanaged resource, and referring to some of the websites (see box) that provide extensive information on wild and farmed fish from around the world. And,

FOOD & DRINK CHRONOGRAM 2/09

most important, he says, is to “ask questions. Informed consumers telegraph their interest in responsibly run fisheries through the simple act of asking.” Steve Kraus, owner of Gadaleto’s Seafood Market in New Paltz says he tries to carry sustainable or wild-caught fish whenever possible. He describes his customers as “educated” and strives to provide accurate information about the fish he sells. “People do ask, but answers are sometimes difficult; fish is not under continuous FDA oversight, and is wide open to mislabeling and misrepresentation. As the system is currently set up, there’s no clearinghouse for information—so although there are lots of sources, they don’t always agree.” Kraus also attempts to educate his customers, guiding people towards responsibly farmed salmon as an alternative to the seasonal wild Alaskan catch, emphasizing that sustainable aquaculture is going to be the future of much of our seafood, and that it’s important to support the people who are trying to do it right. Kevin Katz is the chef/owner of the Red Onion restaurant in Saugerties. He says that people’s tastes have yet to fully catch up to the new realities; Spanish mackerel, which is very sustainable, was “not very popular” on the menu last summer. “It has gotten a bad rap, but if it’s diamond fresh and cooked well, it’s really delicious; the skin can get very crispy without overcooking.” Katz says that chefs also have some learning to do. “As a cook coming up, I learned to cook the fish that people wanted to eat, so I’ve also had to learn more about some of these more economical and sustainable varieties.” Is the next generation of chefs benefiting from this knowledge? Gerard Viverito is on the faculty of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, and is also a co-founder of Passionfish. He thinks that educating tomorrow’s chefs is an essential component of any solution: “I discuss sustainability on a daily basis in class. The average American consumes 14.6 pounds of seafood a year and 67 percent of that is in restaurants. It is up to us to help consumers make educated choices. They will then go to other restaurants and ask the chef if a product is sustainable, that chef will ask the purveyor, and on up the line. It is an opportunity for a real grass-roots movement.”

ABOVE: PROFESSOR GERARD VIVERITO LEADS A FISH CLASS AT THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA. STUDENTS LEARN THE ORIGINS, NATURES, TASTES, AND BEST USES OF A VARIETY OF FISH, AND THEY LEARN HOW TO FILLET WHOLE FISH. VIVERITO IS FILLETING A PACIFIC HALIBUT, A SUSTAINABLE SPECIES. OPPOSITE: AT THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA, STUDENTS LEARN TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY AND FILLET A VARIETY OF FISHES.

Gadaleto’s Kraus says that the press can also play a role in driving the market towards better seafood. “If the New York Times runs an article on a particular fish, demand for that fish will go up dramatically.” He mentions a recent Times piece about Portuguese sardines—a very sustainable choice—which he has sold out of every weekend since. Katz concurs about sardines; he serves them cured as an appetizer and they are popular. But Viverito cautions that “if everyone started eating mackerel and less-glamorous fish, soon they, too, would be unsustainable.” Barton Seaver, a Washington, DC-based chef, activist, and expert on sustainable seafood, sums it up succinctly: “More people should eat less of more kinds of fish.” In other words, if we control portion sizes (which is a good idea in and of itself) and eat a wide variety of ocean critters, we spread the demand over many fisheries and minimize the stress on a few popular species. Given the complexity and gravity of the ocean-fish situation, one could be tempted to concentrate on local fresh-water fish as an alternative. Unfortunately, the precipitation into our waters of toxic metals—largely from industrial and power-plant air pollution originating in the Rust Belt—has contaminated many of our local fish. In its 2008-09 health advisories for sport fish and game (available online), the New York State Department of Health advises eating no perch, pickerel, walleye, bass, or large perch at all from our local waters, due to high levels of mercury and other toxins. The report recommends eating no more than one meal per week of trout, small perch, and a few others. So local options are limited, though they can still be a relevant part of the picture, and freshwater fishing is a worthy way for those of us who do not live close enough to the ocean to engage directly with our aquatic food supply. Seaver puts us at the helm of the outcome. “Consumers, by establishing relationships with sellers and asking questions, drive responsibility up the chain,” he says. In addition, he says, we need to diversify our taste. “The recent rise in gastronomy has made this movement possible. We’re always looking for the new ingredient: a special olive oil or fancy vinegar. We need to be adventurous with fish as well; there are 584 different kinds of seafood regularly for sale in this country.” Seaver sees the solution as being holistic. “The organic move-

ment would likely have failed if not for farmer’s markets; consumers became connected to their food. Something similar is called for with seafood,” Seaver says. “We need to have a relationship with a resource before we can manage it well. And since fishermen vote, and fish don’t, sustainability must include the viability of coastal economies.” He goes on to observe that while cowboys are integral to our national mythology, fishermen are not. In order to help remedy this injustice, Seaver insists that “it is your patriotic duty to eat domestically farmed oysters; they clean our waterways, support local communities, and they’re sustainable.” Everyone contacted for this article agrees that consumers are going to drive the move toward more sustainable seafood. As with the economy and energy, there are hard choices and more responsibility on deck for all of us. We need to learn more, and to ask for what we want based upon that knowledge. Retailers thrive by providing us with what we ask for. Today’s chefs are ready to amaze us with profound new flavors and varieties. We have unprecedented information available to guide our choices, and to help us cook less familiar things, which we buy and bring home. Fish Forever by Paul Johnson (Wiley, 2007) makes a celebration out of this serious subject, combining authoritative information on a wide variety of species with mouthwatering recipes and an optimistic tone. At the end of the day, it is our love of food that is good—for us and the oceans—that will allow future generations to continue to pull many more meals from the sea. RESOURCES www.passionfish.org www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/outdoors/fish/fish.htm www.fao.org/fishery www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/ www.msc.org www.blueocean.org www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx 2/09 CHRONOGRAM FOOD & DRINK

Open Valentine’s Day

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tastings directory

Bakeries The Alternative Baker

Lagusta’s Luscious

407 Main Street, Rosendale, NY (845) 658-3355 or 1 (800) 399-3589 www.lemoncakes.com

(845) 255-8VEG www.lagustasluscious.com

100% all butter scratch, small-batch, made-byhand bakery. Plus Belgian hot chocolate, fresh vegetable soups and sandwiches (our Goat Cheese Special is an award-winning favorite!). Vegan and sugar, wheat, gluten, dairy-free treats. Cakes and wedding cakes by special order. Lemon Cakes shipped nationwide as seen in Williams-Sonoma catalog. Closed Tuesday/Wednesday. Open 7 AM ThursdayMonday. Located across from the Cinema.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW “RECESSION MENU” ENTREES $13-$20

Home Cooked Meals

Lagusta’s Luscious brings heartbreakingly delicious, sophisticated weekly meal deliveries of handmade vegetarian food that meat-andpotatoes people love too to the Hudson Valley and NYC. We are passionate about creating political food—locally grown organic produce, fair wages, environmentally sustainable business practices—that tastes just as good as that served at the finest restaurants. Let us end weeknight meal boredom forever.

$30 THREE COURSE PRIX FIXE FOR INFO & DETAILS, VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE OR FIND US ON FACEBOOK

Pasta Cafés 948 Route 28, Kingston, NY (845) 340-9800 www.bluemountainbistro.com Gourmet take-out store serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. Featuring local and imported organic foods, delicious homemade desserts, sophisticated four star food by Chefs Richard Erickson and Jonathan Sheridan. Off-premise full-service catering and event planning for parties of all sizes.

(845) 331-9130 www.labellapasta.com Fresh pasta made locally. Large variety of ravioli, tortellini, pastas, and sauces at the factory outlet. We manufacture and deliver our excellent selection of pastas to fine restaurants, gourmet shops, and caterers throughout the Hudson Valley. Call for our full product list and samples. Located on Route 28W between Kingston and Woodstock.

Restaurants Bread Alone Café East Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-3108 Bread Alone Café offers fresh breads, pastries, soups, and sandwiches at three mid-Hudson locations. Also located in Route 28, Boiceville, NY, (845) 657-3328 (headquarters) and Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY, (845) 679-2108.

Catering Terrapin Catering Staatsburg, NY (845) 889-8831 hugh@terrapincatering.com Escape from the ordinary to celebrate the extraordinary. Let us attend to every detail of your wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, corporate event or any special occasion. On-site we can accommodate 150 guests seated, and 250 for cocktail events. Off-site services available. Terrapin’s custom menus always include local, fresh, and organic ingredients.

Delis Jack's Meats and Deli 79 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-2244

tastings directory

Bistro-to-Go

La Bella Pasta

(p.m.) wine bar 119 Warren Street, Hudson, NY (518) 828-2833 www.pmwinebar.com contact@pmwinebar.com Ernest Hemingway once said, “Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.” (p.m.) thinks Ernest was right and wants to share a wonderful selection of wines with you. Focusing on Spanish wines and the food that compliments them, this wine bar breaks the mold of the “pour and snore.”

Barnaby’s Route 32 North Chestnut and Academy Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-2433

Catalano’s Pasta Garden 985 Route 376 Brookmeade Plaza Wappingers Falls, NY www.CatalanosPastaGarden.com (845) 227-7770 CatalanosPasta@aol.com The Catalano Family has been serving the dining needs of Dutchess County since 1991. Offering a variety of traditional Italian favorites among our home-made pastas. Offering fullservice catering for your special occasion at any venue or our banquet room accommodates Up to 50 guests for any occasion.

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Charlotte’s

range Hudson Valley products. Wednesday

Route 44, Millbrook, NY (845) 677-5888 www.charlottesny.com

and Thursday nights, food and wine pairing

“Cozy in winter, glorious garden dining in summer...wonderful food, delightful ambiance...a treasure!” “You’ll really get away from it all while feeling right at home at Charlotte’s...” “Cozy, fire-placed restaurant with tremendous food from a varied and original menu that ranges from devilish to devine.” —Some of our reviews.

menu available. Voted Best Caterer in the Hudson Valley.

Neko Sushi & Restaurant 49 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-0162 Voted Best Sushi Restaurant by Chronogram readers and rated four stars by Poughkeepsie Journal. Serving lunch and dinner daily. Eat in or take out. We offer many selections of Sushi

Gomen Kudasai—Japanese Noodles and Home Style Cooking

and Sashimi, an extensive variety of special

215 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-8811

daily. Parking in rear available. Major credit

Come and experience Japanese Homestyle Cooking served fresh daily at Gomen Kudasai. Our menu features homemade Gyoza dumplings, hot noodle soups and stir-fried noodles made with either Soba or Udon. All of our food is MSG free, GMO free, vegan friendly, organic when possible, and locally produced when available.

rolls, and kitchen dishes. Live Lobster prepared cards accepted.

Osaka Restaurant 18 Garden Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-7338 or (845) 876-7278 Want to taste the best Sushi in the Hudson Valley? Osaka Restaurant is the place. Vegetarian dishes available. Given four stars by the Daily Freeman. Visit our second location at 74

Karma Road Vegetarian Café

Broadway, Tivoli, NY, (845) 757-5055.

11 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-1099 www.karmaroad.net

Sukhothai

Quaint, compassionate, and bustling café-deli with vegetarian/vegan and mainstream fare for everyone. Open 7 days, 8am-8pm. Voted “Best SMOOTHIE in the Hudson Valley.” Stews, curries, wraps, sandwiches, soups, juice bar, wheat free and gluten free desserts. Service with a smile and love in every serving!

516-518 Main Street, Beacon, NY (845) 790-5375 Sukhothai Restaurant, located in Beacon, NY, offers a delicious menu full of authentic Thai cuisine. From traditional dishes, such as Pad Thai and Som Tam, to custom dishes created exclusively by our master chef, our

tastings directory

menu is sure to please any palate. Takeout

Kindred Spirits Steakhouse & Pub at Catskill Mountain Lodge 334 Route 32A, Palenville, NY (518) 678-3101 www.caskillmtlodge.com Kindred Spirits Steakhouse & Pub offers fine food and drink at reasonable prices. Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch and on weekends for dinner. The fireplace pub boasts13 taps and a great wine list. Visit www.catskillmtlodge.com to see our menus and call (518) 678-3101 for reservations.

is also available.

Suruchi—A Fine Taste of India 5 Church Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-2772 www.suruchiindian.com Suruchi offers delectable Indian food in a beautiful, calm atmosphere. All dishes are homemade from fresh ingredients including free-range chicken, vegetarian and organic choices. Menu is 95% gluten free. Dine with soothing music in your choice of regular seat-

Kyoto Sushi

ing or Indian style cushioned platform booths.

337 Washington Avenue, Kingston, NY (845) 339-1128

Wednesday through Sunday dinner.

THE best place for Sushi, Teriyaki or Tempura in the Hudson Valley. Delectable specialty rolls; filet mignon, seafood, and chicken teriyaki. Japanese beers. Imported and domestic wines. Elegant atmosphere and attentive service. The finest sushi this side of Manhattan! Open every night for dinner and every day but Sunday for lunch. Takeout always available.

Terrapin Red Bistro 6426 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-3330 www.terrapinrestaurant.com Sometimes, you just want a really Great Hamburger! Terrapin Red Bistro serves all sorts of comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, quesadillas, nachos, fish ‘n’ chips

La Puerta Azul Route 44 (East of the Millbrook Taconic Exit), Salt Point, NY (845) 677-AZUL (2985) www.lapuertaazul.com BEST Mexican / Latino Cuisine 2008. BEST Margarita 2008. BEST Restaurant Interior 2007.—Hudson Valley Magazine, **** Poughkeepsie Journal. Live Music Friday and Saturday Nights. Check our website for our menu and special events schedule.

and hamburgers. Enjoy the build your own sandwich menu, or find some favorites from the restaurant in a hip, relaxed, casual bistro style atmosphere.

Terrapin Restaurant 6426 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-3330 www.terrapinrestaurant.com Voted “Best of the Hudson Valley” by Chronogram Magazine. From far-flung origins, the

Main Course 232 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-2600 www.maincourserestaurant.com Four-star, award-winning, contemporary American cuisine serving organic, natural, and free-

TASTINGS DIRECTORY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM TASTINGS DIRECTORY

Experience Orthodontics in a Holistic Setting Practicing holistic orthodontics for 25 years Member of the Cranial Academy Fixed braces ∙ Functional appliances ∙ Invisalign Children and adults Insurance accepted ∙ Payment plans

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COPPERHOOD Spa The gift of health and beauty for you or someone dear.

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ur serene landscape, private accommodations and aﬀordable packages will make your wedding at Circle Lodge one to remember.

Amenities include: On-site lodging for more than 300 guests ∙ Seating for 50-500 ∙ Plenty of locations for an indoor or outdoor ceremony ∙ Private lake and beach for ceremonies, dinners and pictures ∙ Gazebo ∙ Heated pool ∙ Cable TV, Heat and A/C ∙ Athletic ﬁelds and much more. Perfect for that special occasion or for the whole weekend. Also perfect for: Corporate Lunches ∙ Team building Events ∙ Theater and Music Rehearsals ∙ Family Reunions ∙ Team Practices ∙ Community Events ∙ Holiday Gatherings

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o book your event, contact: Richard Flandreau (845) 221-2771 rick@campkr.com 335 Sylvan Lake Road Hopewell Junction, NY 12533

Prime dates still available for Spring & Fall 2009 weddings 2/09 CHRONOGRAM TASTINGS DIRECTORY

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The Hudson Valley Resort and Spa. Elegance. Style. Grace. Sophistication. The Hudson Valley Resort & Spa 400 Granite Road, Kerhonkson, NY | 845-626-8888 ext 3010 | www.hudsonvalleyresort.com

CHRONOGRAM 2009

WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS

PUJA THOMSON USES A SINGING BOWL IN A CEREMONY FOR UNA MAJMUDAR AND ANDY ZUGAY.

MINISTERING TO YOUR NEEDS CHOOSING THE WEDDING OFFICIANT THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU by Kelley Granger

nce the dress has been chosen, the venue selected, the cake ordered, and floral arrangements figured out, you’re closer to the decision that should be at the literal heart of a wedding—finding the appropriate officiant to create the ceremony that best fits you as a couple. Most wedding literature provides minimal guidance for finding an officiant, especially when compared to the focus given to the more glamorous aspects of the wedding. But finding the right person is crucial: It sets the tone of the entire celebration and ensures that the words spoken and promises made are tailored to your feelings and beliefs. Before you begin looking for an officiant, sit down with your significant other to discuss your expectations and what type of ceremony you both envision. Consider your backgrounds—will you be bringing a strong religious or cultural foundation to the wedding, or are you planning a service to include two faiths? Do you want to acknowledge a spiritual union without prescribing to a specific belief system? Or would you prefer a civil or nonreligious ceremony? The answer to these questions will be the first criteria to narrow your search. From there, reflect on the people you know who may be a good fit or begin a search. The Internet has many resources for local options, including a search for clergy and ceremony officiants within the vendor section of www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com and the Hudson Valley city guide on The Knot’s website.

Once you’ve found a few choices that seem promising, get in touch. “Take time to discuss ahead of time what the vision for your ceremony is and what your values are and prepare questions to ask an officiant,” says Puja Thomson, an interfaith minister from New Paltz who has been performing ceremonies for 13 years. “Then, after selecting a minister or two to interview, go with an open mind to meet with your first choice. Ask your questions. Notice what questions he or she asks you. Tune in to what you sense; whether you feel comfortable and trusting with the officiant. Do you feel heard? Is your point of view respected? Are you on the same wavelength? You’ll very quickly find out if you’re compatible or not.” If you’re going the traditional route with a religious wedding, do your homework if you’re not using a clergy member that you or your partner knows. “If [the couple is] looking for a sacred moment, they should be very careful to find someone who is genuinely religious and will approach their wedding with the care that it deserves,” says Father Richard Haselbach, an ordained Catholic priest from Carmel. “I would look for seminary training and somebody who approaches you, not like [you are] a business client, but [instead as] someone who cares about your spiritual wellbeing.” Make sure that the candidate takes a sincere interest in you and your significant other, your wishes, and your story as a couple. Ask the officiant to also share their own story to further investigate your compatibility. Through 2/09 CHRONOGRAM WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS

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WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS CHRONOGRAM 2/09

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these talks, you may discover more flexibility than you thought possible. For example, though the Catholic religion says couples must marry within the church, Father Haselbach agrees to do weddings at most any location, frequently participates in interfaith ceremonies and says he is about to help his first gay couple in a ceremony. He is also part of a growing number of priests who have become married themselves—and since leaving what he calls the “corporate” church, is now working with CITI Ministries, an organization that promotes the spiritual services of married priests. While perhaps not the right option for those with certain beliefs, Father Haselbach’s policy of nonjudgment and willingness to help anyone on their path to God has brought him to officiate more than 100 ceremonies per year. Couples may also find themselves charmed by the explanation of how the officiant came to help couples celebrate their marriages. Thomson, who was given the first name “Puja” by the spiritual master Osho in India in 1974, received her name well before she ever performed a wedding. The name means ceremony, worship, or offering—and was a hint of the destiny she would later fulfill as an interfaith minister. Zoe B. Zak, a rabbinical assistant for the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, has another kind of story—she was moved by a couple she met at a Toronto music festival a number of years ago who were very much in love, but the groom was Jewish and his Polish bride was Catholic. “In all of Canada there wasn’t one rabbi who would marry them,” Zak says. “They desperately wanted a Jewish ceremony and were very hurt not to be able to find someone to support their marriage. I learned everything I could about a Jewish wedding ceremony and I went to Toronto and performed this wedding, and it was an incredibly moving experience for me [to be] standing under the chuppah with this couple at this sacred and amazing time in their lives.” Soon after, Zak began receiving requests to do more weddings and began specializing in interfaith weddings. Some rabbis, who cannot traditionally perform interfaith weddings, began referring couples to Zak for their ceremony. She is currently in rabbinical school and has halted her officiating until she is finished. After getting to know your possible officiant and making a choice, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with them to begin preparing the ceremony details. For Thomson, who was ordained as a minister of natural healing and has studied energy work with the Healing Light Center Church for about 15 years, this preparation is essential to a meaningful ceremony. “I ask each couple to fill out a detailed form giving me information, not only about the date, place, and cast of characters of the wedding, but also about themselves—what they appreciate in each other, their value systems (because their vows are going to be based on shared values), religious and cultural backgrounds, and current spiritual perspectives, their wishes for the ceremony, and more,” she says. She’ll then share sample ceremonies with the couple and allow them to alter and add anything they’d like, often within the framework of three main parts: a beginning that may include a welcome, opening prayer, reading, music, or an address about marriage and the couple; the core of the ceremony with a declaration of intention, a reciprocal exchange of vows, and a prayer of blessing; and a finish that may include another reading or song or elements from respective traditions (like a unity candle or the breaking of a glass). Thomson then makes the pronouncement of marriage, sanctions the first kiss, and offers a final blessing. To be legal, she says she is required to do just two things— have the couple exchange vows and pronounce them to be husband and wife. Aside from those, couples have a lot of freedom to carefully construct a unique and personalized ceremony. She recommends Daphne Rose Kingma’s book Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary and Traditional Ceremonies for an Unforgettable Wedding (Conari Press, 1995), a guide that offers advice from the search for an officiant to each segment of the ceremony. Megan Park and Joe Belluso chose Thomson to lead their wedding in Danby, Vermont, in 2000. She chose not to have any specific religious focus during the outdoor ceremony Thomson helped her put together. “We just really wanted to talk about the simplicity of it and to us that’s what it was all about, we didn’t need the pomp and circumstance,” Park says. Throughout the process, she says Thomson was encouraging, helpful, and made the couple feel like there were no rights or wrongs. “Her lovely [Scottish] brogue was very calming. When you’re getting married there are 80 million things to think about, and this was one less. Her presence is just really comforting.” Interfaith couples will find a number of officiants willing to work on their

FATHER RICH HASELBACH PRESIDES OVER THE CEREMONY OF BONNIE JEANNE REGAN AND JIMMY GERHART AT THEIR WEDDING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

ceremony throughout the Hudson Valley. Zak has worked closely with a number of priests to perform Christian-Jewish weddings, Thomson is open to ceremonies from all spiritual paths and Father Haselbach has collaborated often on interfaith weddings—he believes he and a Hindu priest from Albany may be the first in the country to have created a joint Catholic-Hindu ceremony. For these couples, the planning process is only slightly different than it would normally be in that clients meet with both officiants to discuss their options and to blend the various traditions and rituals into one ceremony. Some couples may wish to have a civil ceremony or to ask a friend or family member to officiate for them. At their wedding in December, Shari and Fred Riley Jr. of Modena had the best of both. They asked a local judge, who was also close friend, to officiate at their wedding. “For me, it felt important to have somebody who had some sort of connection to us,” Shari Riley says. “There was a true connection that enhanced the whole ceremony, rather than having a stranger that didn’t know us. I think there was genuine happiness on [our friend’s] part, making the ceremony more genuine.” If you have a friend or family member you would like to have lead your ceremony, information on ordinations is typically easy to come by online, as well as the actual ordination. Zak used www.spiritualhumanism.com to receive her ordination, although her work is coupled with an intensive study and work within a religious community. Any person who plans to pursue ordination should make sure they’re fully aware of the laws and responsibilities pertaining to ceremony officiants. No matter what type of ceremony you’re planning, make sure that you’re comfortable with your officiant and being faithful to your own wishes as a couple. As Thomson says, “A wedding ceremony is the energetic jumpstart for a couple’s marriage. It’s a very sacred and important moment. Honest communication pertaining to the ceremony is important and bodes well for good communication in the marriage.” RESOURCES Puja A. J. Thomson, (845) 255-2278 www.rootsandwings.com Father Richard Haselbach, (914) 804-1944 www.fatherrich.com Zoe B. Zak, (845) 255-6156 www.zoebzak.com 2/09 CHRONOGRAM WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS

WAKING VAN WINKLE LOOKING FOR MAGIC IN GREENE COUNTY By Erika Alexia Tsoukanelis

“DIS VON DON’T COUNT.” U.S. ACTOR JOSEPH JEFFERSON, IN HIS CELEBRATED CHARACTER OF RIP VAN WINKLE. ASSOCIATED NAME ON SHELFLIST CARD IS BENCKE & SCOTT.

GREENE COUNTY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

ust where Route 32 splits into 32A, where Ulster County is about to give up and Greene County make itself known, across from the Big Belly Deli and unapologetic in the early January light, the Ace of Clubs gentleman’s club beckons me. It is closed, of course, as it is not quite noon, and there is nothing to see through the dark, curtained windows. A sign on the door lays down the rules—banning tank tops and weapons alike, insisting all patrons meet a four-drink minimum—and the parking lot has been courteously cleared of snow and ice. I am looking for ghosts. I am seeking mystery. Close to the Greene County trail of Rip Van Winkle, I hope to hook into some magical vision of my own. The sleepy protagonist’s story only became fabulous when he was faced with the phantoms of Henry Hudson’s crew and sipped at their liquor. Forget that Washington Irving had never been to the Catskills when he wrote the classic tale; the origins of the best stories are always based on some enigmatic fact belonging to the collective unconscious. As a descendent of the esteemed author, I believe this link can only serve to better my chances of discovering magic today. I wait in the cold outside the Ace of Clubs. Not a car passes; no face appears at the door. Across the street, the Big Belly Deli stays quiet. But there are miles of exploration to go, so I hop back into my salt-coated RAV4 and proceed to the Greene County line. Palenville is the site of the first American arts colony. So says Harry, a retired truck driver, as he sits at the counter of the Kindred Spirits Steakhouse & Pub, enjoying a refill of coffee. Prints of the 1849 painting Kindred Spirits by Asher B. Durand are on the restaurant’s sign and wall and menus, which explains the origins of the name. The painting depicts 19th-century poets Thomas Cole and William Cullen Bryant discussing something surely mystical and literary on a rocky ledge of Kaaterskill Clove. “Why name the place Kindred Spirits?” I ask owner Kathy Guart, a South American beauty and former registered nurse who came to these parts with her family for the fresh air and the views. I think she might reveal a profound and personal link to the poets who balance on a precipice on every one of her menus, but her answer is simpler, more practical. “Kindred spirits are happy, loving people who take care of each other,” she says. “The way we take care of our customers.” She offers me a coffee as her three-year-old daughter comes out from the kitchen, dressed in pink and dancing coyly at the sight of a stranger. “What’s your name?” I ask the girl. “I don’t have a name,” she says. Harry and I nod, and he tells me of his coming out East after the war in pursuit of a Kingston girl he still sleeps next to at night, six decades later. Greene County used to be farmland, he tells me. Now Story Farm down the road is the biggest farm left around. But Harry doesn’t mind being left around still. “Where else is there to go?” asks a man who spent his working years driving from state to state, coast to coast. I sip my coffee, happy for the warmth of the liquid. Rip Van Winkle might have had liquor as his magical elixir, but black coffee will work fine for me. My story has now been furnished with ghosts. William Cullen Bryant and Thomas Cole speak of iambic pentameter and the Holy Ghost in the back seat of the RAV4, as we glide along Route 23A. We enter Catskill Park. The road narrows and winds. We traverse Kaaterskill Creek. A historical marker along the edge of the road conjures the legendary Rip Van Winkle and reminds me that he was accompanied by his faithful dog, Wolf. I miss my own dogs at this mention, and I wonder if their presence might have increased my chances of finding magic even more. Of course, it would also have made it more difficult to fit my dead poet friends in the back of the car. The ice on the cliffs is magnificent as I head toward Haines Falls, great torrents stuck in arctic mid-motion. I look in my rearview mirror to ask Cole and Bryant for words to describe this natural wonder, but they have vaporized as ghosts are wont to do. I am on my own as I turn into the Mountain Top Historical Society’s lot. There is only one other car here, and, although the center is closed, its doors are open. The car belongs to Mark Batista, owner of Batista Tiles in East Greenbush. He doesn’t live in Greene County. He doesn’t know anything about Greene County. He tells me this politely, seemingly not flustered that I have interrupted his work in the building. There is an alluring scar above his left eye, and I want to ask him about it. Instead, I point to the floor. “Nice tiles,” I say, although there are no tiles down yet, only their foundation.

When the RAV4 finds Peace Village Learning and Retreat Center, I am impressed by its intuitive spiritual prowess. I go inside and meet Sandra. She wears a white sari and a pin on her white cardigan that reads “Om Shanti.” From Edmonton, Canada, originally, Sandra was a manager in a public accounting firm until five years ago, when she retired and came to live the teachings of raja yoga meditation. I ask her if she enjoys the area. “Yes,” Sandra says, eyes round with sincerity. “It is so pure and pristine. It attracts people who are pure and pristine.” As I leave Peace Village and am pulled toward Tannersville, past the Snowed Inn and Grateful Bed, toward the lumbering Hunter Mountain ahead, I wonder if I am being pulled toward a deeper sense of purity. I wonder if I will find my heart more pristine when I finish my Greene County journey, my slate cleaned as if I had slept for 20 years and returned to a world free of conflict and foes. I decide it is possible, and when I see Village Candle, Pottery & Gifts in Tannersville, it seems a stupendous idea to go inside and buy a candle so that I might later light it in honor of my January afternoon epiphany. I leave the store with a soy-wax candle that supposedly smells like Kaaterskill Falls. Like purity itself. Driving through the town of Hunter, I go by the Washington Irving Inn, where tea is served every Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5pm, and I wave at my ancestor’s name as I continue on 23A. When I see flags whipping in the frigid air—representing the United States and New York, Sweden and Italy and Canada, Brazil and Britain and Germany—I steer down the drive they line toward the famous Hunter Mountain ski resort. The main building is cavernous and loud. On the wall, a poster asks what kind of skier I am. Am I cautious and slow? Am I average, preferring a variety of speeds? Or am I aggressive, craving speed and steep slopes? Although I have never strapped skis to my feet, I decide that I am aggressive. I walk boldly behind the counter where skis and bindings are rented and fixed, and I introduce myself with aggressive friendliness to a man whose name tag reads “Chuck.” My poet ghosts may have vanished miles back, but my purpose feels stronger than ever, and now I have purity on my side. Chuck has worked at Hunter Mountain for 10 years, and he serves as a volunteer with the Hunter Fire Department. He is a decent man then. He will want to help me locate a vision. “What is it about Greene County?” I ask him. “What makes it special?” “We all work together,” he tells me. “Also, it’s the bears.They’re everywhere.” Passing the Rip Van Winkle Service Station in Catskill is a good omen. I have strayed from the legendary drunkard’s trail, but he is with me in spirit. I watch for Chuck’s bears as I wander down Main Street in Catskill, but I am too hungry to look for long. I step inside Retriever Roasters, order tea and a croissant, sit beside a thin man in green-striped pants and a sweatshirt that demands “WHY?” in white letters. “You look like a rock star,” I say, finding the courage I lacked earlier when I wanted to asked the tile man about the scar above his left eye. “He is,” says a woman nearby, fresh-faced and sarcastic. “He’s the drummer for the Turtles.” “Well, Turtle,” I say. “Where should I go to find my vision?” The Turtle points me to the store City Lights, and I brave the cold again to make my last inquiry of the day. It is flurrying now, and my fingers are gloveless and numb. I feel the hope burning inside me regardless. The footsteps of Thomas Cole and William Cullen Bryant echo alongside my own. I enter City Lights, and there I meet Natalie the Actress. It’s a marvelous shop, full of light fixtures contemporary and classic, funky and unique. The place glows; Natalie glows as she asks if I need help. Michael Solomon, the owner of the store, has been in business for over 25 years, she tells me. But I want to know about her.What brought her to the pristine Greene County? Her answer is simple: a boy. Natalie was living in Hartford, Connecticut, when she met her future partner online. She moved to Athens two years ago; her satisfaction is palpable. I know now why I needed to venture past the trail Washington Irving set down for his Rip. As usual, the magical vision I seek turns out to be all about love. About connection. Rip Van Winkle missed it in his inebriated stumbling.The Ace of Clubs, where I started my journey, just reaches toward it. The pristine Catskills can only reflect it.The greatness in Natalie’s story lies not in that she is still with the Athens man she met on the Internet, but that she met him at all, that connection happens frequently and perfectly. There is greatness in my connecting with Kathy and her daughter with no name. That I met Harry, Mark, Sandra, Chuck, and the Turtle, and that connecting with them brought me to exactly where I needed to go in Greene County: a magical shop full of light. 2/09 CHRONOGRAM GREENE COUNTY

CHRONOGRAM 2009 LODGING

THE LOBBY OF THE BELVEDERE MANSION

Hudson Valley Havens

he Hudson Valley has long been known as a travel destination for those looking for a break from their hectic lives. It’s not a typical tourist area dotted with motel chains—instead, people come to seek out local business and in return are presented with lodging that suits all personalities. Here, Chronogram profiles lodging choices that are far beyond a room with a view. A great number of restaurants in the region have created a concept that make local and organic de rigueur, and anything less is becoming unacceptable. Many of the resorts below have adopted the same concept. One hotel that was chosen has an accomplished restaurant that has won a slew of best-of awards. Some resorts have sprawling properties that take an entire visit to roam— one even has a maze. Most of these featured also have plush spas, even some that are eco-friendly. Buttermilk Falls, one of the more well regarded properties that manager Dan Reyburn says “is neither b&b, hotel, inn, spa. It’s really just not definable,” has a menagerie of animals that roam the property. Most have stood the test of time—some throughout hundreds of years, while the owners have painstakingly preserved the history, where generations have lived, visited, and created memories. This is about the best of the Hudson Valley’s multiple personalities. MOHONK MOUNTAIN HOUSE WWW.MOHONK.COM

For some, the perfect getaway is not about rest, it’s just about getting away. The Mohonk Mountain House and its 2,200 acres of property with activities around every bend, are ideal for keeping cabin fever at bay. The Victorian castle is perched atop the Shawangunk Mountains, with uncompromising 58

LODGING CHRONOGRAM 2/09

by Anne Roderique-Jones

views of the lake. If that doesn’t float your boat (an activity that is also an option) there’s a head-spinning number of things to do, including ice skating, skiing, hiking, swimming, rock climbing, and golf. There’s even a Victorian maze on the property. It’s rumored that Stephen King has paid a visit to the Mohonk to work on his novels. Activities and daily meals, along with afternoon tea are included, but rather than schlepping it to dinner in cargos and flip-flops, gents are required to wear a jacket. And for those who want to wind down, Mohonk has an eco-friendly spa, with an outdoor mineral pool and spa treatments that will make you feel as if you did nothing the entire visit. BELVEDERE MANSION WWW.BELVEDEREMANSION.COM

Antique aficionados will swoon over the onestop road show at the Belvedere Mansion. Luxurious rooms boasting canopied beds are draped in silk damask, and the fireplaces and antique collection (mostly of the Chinese and European variety) offer the ultimate in neoclassic comfort. The marble bathrooms have claw-foot tubs. But something fascinating is happening at Belvedere—old melds with new in a conglomeration of lodging options. The owner, Patricia Rebraca, offers some interesting tidbits about the Belvedere’s newest addition, the Timbers lodge. “This earthy structure was designed using and inspired by Hudson Valley sources,” she says. The lodge features the modern amenities of a stainless steel kitchen and glassbowl sinks, combined with natural materials of wood beams, sisal, and a rugged stone fireplace. The Timbers was recently christened by playing host to

Anthony Hopkins, who Rebraca says “takes five tea bags in one cup of boiling water to make it strong enough for his liking.” EMERSON RESORT AND SPA WWW.EMERSONRESORT.COM

The East-meets-West theme at the supremely chic Inn at Emerson Resort and Spa is unique from the outdoorsyness of many Hudson Valley resorts. Each Asian-inspired, jewel-toned room of the 26-room of the Inn is equipped with a gas fireplace, jetted tub, and a private deck. There’s also a 24-bottle in-room wine selection. These touches attract celebrities like the Clintons, Bill Cosby, and Victoria’s Secret and Vogue Italia models. The spa at Emerson specializes in ayurvedic rituals drawing from ancient Indian healing wisdom, along with wellness classes for those seeking rest and rejuvenation. Tamara Murray, public relations director, explained that many of the guests love the property because it’s self-contained (though exploring the area’s outdoor beauty is encouraged).You never need to leave the property to visit the spa or restaurant. Also, the Inn at Emerson is adults-only (but not in that freaky-deaky, hedonistic way), so this is the ultimate retreat. If you can’t manage a sitter then you can bring the kiddies (and the pets) along to the Lodge, the more rustic property located across the road. SCRIBNER HOLLOW LODGE WWW.SCRIBNERHOLLOW.COM

To say that Scribner Hollow Lodge is unique would be an understatement.With themed rooms decked out in Southwestadobe, hunting-lodge, classic ski-duplex, and penthouse-suite styles, the lodge seems almost kitschy, but upscale comfort might be more appropriate. What makes the lodge so loveable is the modesty that it maintains. The über-accomplished on-site restaurant—worth a trip in itself— has been made famous by food and wine magazines across the country. A bathing suit should be packed for the equally fascinating grotto, an indoor, cave-like heated swimming pool that spills over with waterfalls, Jacuzzis, and a sauna. (There’s also an outdoor swimming pool.) Wintertime is king here thanks to skiing in Hunter. The lodge has partnerships and ski packages for their guests. This would be the optimum time to book that classic ski duplex. THE RHINECLIFF HOTEL WWW.THERHINECLIFF.COM

Just a quarter mile from the Rhinecliff Amtrak station lies some fascinating musical history. What began as a restaurant in the late 1800s evolved into a boxcar hub where musicians would come to jam. (Miles Davis is rumored to have been one of them.) The dusty dive sadly closed shop by 2003. Five years and $5 million later, James Chapman and his brother David (who often frequented the seedy joint to drink beers and ponder what it might be like to fix the place up) have restored the Rhinecliff Hotel to historic brilliance.They pay homage to the locals by hosting community events, many of which are in the bar. “The bar is the main hangout, but what’s surprising to people is that it’s a relaxed pub atmosphere, and then all of the sudden, some very serious food hits your table,” James Chapman says. The entire hotel maintains this effort. The rooms are fresh and airy with lovely 2/09 CHRONOGRAM LODGING

views. There was a recent article about noise from the train. What did James have to say about the commotion? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rhinecliff was built because this town was once a transportation hub,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We embrace that.â&#x20AC;? They go as far to put earplugs with an endearing note in each room that states â&#x20AC;&#x153;We love trains.â&#x20AC;? THE INN AT STONE RIDGE WWW.INNATSTONERIDGE.COM

There comes a time when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re too old for your summer-share house. Or you simply canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t endure another family reunion at a cramped cabin in the Poconos. The Inn at Stone Ridge is the lodging aspirin to your groupgetaway headache. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked to convert from a traditional b&b to a large guesthouse and are designed for big groups,â&#x20AC;? says Dan Hausprug, the owner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weddings are big here, but anything from reunions to girls weekends is not uncommon.Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wedding, family reunion, or group-getaway weekend, the inn can be rented nightly, weekly, or monthly.â&#x20AC;? Built in 1757 and expanded in the late 1800s, this beautiful Dutch stone mansion lies on 150 acres of grounds.Whomever or whatever brings your group here, know that it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be the average vacation. How refreshing to take a dip in the almost 100-year-old swimming pool, have a bonfire, or visit the fully operating orchard/farm to pick apples, strawberries, pears, and stone fruits. If that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to entice you, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always the tavern.

A hand-picked selection of wine and spirits for everyday or once in a lifetime. Superior customer service with wine tastings every Saturday. Find what your palateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been searching for.

Wine tastings every Saturday starting at noon. 'SPOU 4USFFU t .JMMCSPPL /: t .PO o 5IVST B N UP Q N 'SJ 4BU B N UP Q N t 4VO /PPO UP Q N

1766

History & Romance

BEEKMAN ARMS

â&#x20AC;˘ Choice of 74 beautiful rooms or suites, many in-room fireplaces â&#x20AC;˘ Located in the heart of historic Rhinebeck â&#x20AC;˘ Conference facilities â&#x20AC;˘ The Tavern at the Beekman Arms â&#x20AC;˘ Member : Historic Hotels of America

Delamater House

UNDO EVERYDAY STRESS. Take time for yourselfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at our Aveda Concept Salon. Experience the soothing nature of our plant-derived products for skin, hair, body and life style. Enjoy the calming moment of stress relief before every service and our makeup touch-up afterward. Feel inner peace. Call us today for a hair cut or color.

12 Garden Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572 845.876.7774 Email: allure7774@aol.com

LODGING CHRONOGRAM 2/09

The Beekman Arms has been called Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest operating inn. Built in 1766, the list of powdered-wig-era guests is highly impressive. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Philip Schuyler, and Benedict Arnold all ate, drank, and slept at the Beekman Arms. From the looks of the common areas, like the Colonial Tap Room, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never know much had changedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing. The open-hearth fireplace, overhead beams, and broad-plank floors look as if time has stood still for the last 250 years. Much of the hotel has been updated and renovated.Yet while the owners have modernized, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve maintained the historical colonial relevance, with fireplaces, four-poster beds, cozy quilts, and a decanter of sherryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;revolutionary comforts to lull you to sleep.

WWW.BUTTERMILKFALLSINN.COM

845-876-7077

WWW.BEEKMANDELAMATERINN.COM

BUTTERMILK FALLS INN AND SPA

6387 Mill St., Rhinebeck , New York 12572 www.beekmandelamaterinn.com email: info@beekmandelamaterinn.com

BEEKMAN ARMS

Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa has managed to ditch any real â&#x20AC;&#x153;conceptâ&#x20AC;? and focus instead on putting an obsessive amount of energy into providing guests with the best possible experience. In fact, when you have an inn with antique-filled rooms, a modern, solar-powered spa, and a small meangerie of animals running wild on the propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard not to question the idea behind the inn. Every detail is taken into account. The eggs and veggies for your omelet come from the chickens and organic garden on the property, and the honey in your tea is from the on-site bees. The owners also make their own wax for the spa treatments (that spa boasts a new, glass-enclosed mineral-salt pool). And the animals? Llamas, angora goats, and peacocks roam the 70 acres of lush land here, where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll most likely see more four-legged friends than your fellow guest (there are only 16 charming rooms at Buttermilk Falls, each with their own whirlpool tub). Howâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that for a concept?

business directory

Accommodations Catskill Mountain Lodge 334 Route 32A, Palenville, NY (518) 678-3101 www.caskillmtlodge.com The Catskill Mountain Lodge, celebrating forty years of hospitality, is set on the banks of the historic Kaaterskill Creek in Palenville, America’s first art colony. Accommodations include fireplace rooms, cabins, cottages and a three bedroom house.

Art Supplies Catskill Art & Office Supply Kingston, NY (845) 331-7780 Celebrating 30 years! Art Materials, studio furnishings, custom picture framing, blueprint copies, graphic design services, large format color output, custom printing, personal stationery, legal forms, cards, maps, and novelty gifts. Three locations dedicated to enhancing your creative adventure—voted ‘Best in the Val-

Alternative Energy

ley’ year after year. Also located in Woodstock, NY: (845) 679-2251 and Poughkeepsie, NY: (845) 452-1250.

1774 State Route 213, Ulster Park, NY (854) 658-7116 www.altren.net

Manny’s Art Supply

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Altren Geothermal & Solar Systems

83 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-9902 Since 1962, big-city selection and small-town

Art Galleries & Centers

service have made Manny’s special. We offer a full range of art materials, craft, and

Ann Street Gallery

bookmaking supplies, as well as the best

104 Ann Street, Newburgh, NY (845) 562-6940, ext. 119 www.annstreetgallery.org

selection of handmade and decorative papers

The Ann Street Gallery is a non-profit gallery located in the City of Newburgh, specializing in contemporary emerging and established artists.

north of Manhattan. Manny’s, it’s more than just an art store.

R & F Handmade Paints 84 Ten Broeck Avenue, Kingston, NY (845) 331-3112

Center for Photography at Woodstock 59 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY (845) 679-9957 www.cpw.org Info@cpw.org

www.rfpaints.com Internationally known manufacturer of Pigment Sticks and Encaustic paint right here in the Hudson Valley. Stop in for a tour of our factory, get paints at discounted prices, sign up for an Encaustic or Pigment Stick workshop, or check

Van Brunt Gallery 137 Main Street, Beacon, NY (845) 838-2995 www.vanbruntgallery.com Specializing in the work of contemporary artists of the Hudson Valley. Featuring painting, sculpture, digital art, photography, and video, the gallery has new shows each month. The innovative gallery web site has online artist portfolios and videos of the artists discussing their work.

out bi-monthly exhibits in the Gallery.

Auto Sales Ruge’s Subaru Route 9, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-1057

Beauty

Art Instruction Mill Street Loft 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 471-7477 millstreetloft.org

Androgyny 5 Mulberry Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 256-0620 Located in the Historic Huguenot Street.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Beverages

400 businesses, large and small, primarily in northern and central Dutchess County. We

Coffee System of the Hudson Valley 1 (800) 660-3175 www.homecoffeesystem.com

provide a variety of services, including health insurance; provide opportunities for businesses to promote themselves; and interact with government representatives on behalf of the business community.

Esotec (845) 246-2411 www.esotecltd.com Choose Esotec to be your wholesale beverage provider. For 23 years, we carry a complete line of natural, organic, and unusual juices, spritzers, waters, sodas, iced teas, and iced coffees. If you are a store owner, call for details or a catalog of our full line. We’re back in Saugerties now!

Career Coaching Ann Ruecker, MPA, MA, CPCC— Certified Career Coach AFAK Solutions, LLC (646) 886-2342 www.afaksolutions.com afaksolutions@yahoo.com Come discover your authentic vocation at a

Bookkeeping

deeper level as well as strategizing for your next career or job through resume writing,

Riverview Office Services (914) 912-1202 info@riverviewbookkeeping.com Financial stress can be relieved. With my 20 years plus experience, I may be able to handle your bookkeeping needs in just a few hours each month. Your information can be organized, ready to give to your accounting professional for tax preparation.

interviewing skills, and negotiation techniques. Call or e-mail today for a free assessment and report.

Carpets & Rugs Anatolia Tribal Rugs & Weavings 54G Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY (845) 679-5311

Bookstores

www.anatoliarugs.com anatoliarugs@verizon.net

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Winner: Hudson Valley Magazine “Best Car-

OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

For the Price of Good...Get Great!

EXCLUSIVE AUTHORIZED DEALER

HOME STEREO DESIGN & INSTALLATION SPECIALISTS

NAD Come see why NAD offers you more in Home Theater Quality Level Performance at a Surprisingly Reasonable Rate

549 Albany Ave. Kingston, NY

Mirabai of Woodstock

pets.” Direct importers since 1981. Newly

23 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY (845) 679-2100 www.mirabai.com

expanded store. Natural-dyed Afghan carpets,

The Hudson Valley’s oldest and most comprehensive spiritual/metaphysical bookstore, providing a vast array of books, music, and gifts for inspiration, transformation and healing. Exquisite jewelry, crystals, statuary and other treasures from Bali, India, Brazil, Nepal, Tibet. Expert Tarot reading.

ish kilims. Hundreds to choose from, 2’x3’ to

Building Supplies

Balouchi tribal kilims, Russian sumaks, antique Caucasian carpets, silk Persian sumaks, Turk9’x12’. Kilim pillows, $20-$55. We encourage customers to try our rugs in their homes, without obligation. MC/Visa/AmEx.

Clothing KOSA 502 Warren Street, Hudson, NY

Northern Dutchess Hardwoods and Floor Coverings

(518) 828-6620

19 East Market Street, Red Hook, NY (845) 758-2005 www.northerndutchesshardwood.com sales@ndhardwoods.com

Kosa is a unique indie store specializing in

Northern Dutchess Hardwoods and Floor Coverings is a full service flooring store from consultation/design to installation. We will take you “every step of the way.” We can ship flooring anywhere in the United States! Call or e-mail for an extremely competitive price quote today!

and Brown, Prairie Underground, Filly, Pre-

corahales@kosaco.ne organic, recycled, green, independent clothing and jewelry designers. Our designers work with eco consciousness and style. We carry Stewart loved, Beebop and Wally, Loveheals, Philippa Kunisch, Claudia Kussano, Individual icons, Supermaggie, and many many more...

Pique Boutique & Powerwear 43-2 East Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY www.ihavethepower.us

Business

(845) 876-7722 Pique; (845) 729-3728 Powerwear Piqueboutique@yahoo.com

Rhinebeck Area Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 42, 23F East Market Street Rhinebeck, NY www.rhinebeckchamber.com (845) 876-5904 info@rhinebeckchamber.com We are a professional business membership organization which represents approximately

BUSINESS DIRECTORY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

We are a very unique boutique combining young juniors’ lines of denim including Seven, True Religion, and many more of your favorite designer jeans. In our women’s wear department (Powerwear) we carry jewelry, leather jackets, handbags, belts, boots, shoes and much more. We are also featuring books by the author and owner of that department.

Consignment Shops Past ‘n’ Perfect Resale & Retail Boutique 1629 Main Street (Route 44) Pleasant Valley, NY (845) 635-3115 www.pastnperfect.com A quaint consignment boutique that offers distinctive clothing, jewelry, and accessories, and a unique collection of high-quality furs and leathers. Always a generous supply of merchandise in sizes from Petite to Plus. Featuring a diverse & illuminating collection of 14 Kt. Gold, Sterling Silver, and Vintage jewelry. Enjoy the pleasures of resale shopping and the benefits of living basically while living beautifully. Conveniently located in Pleasant Valley, only 9 miles east of the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

The Present Perfect 23G Village Plaza, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-2939 Designer consignments of the utmost quality for men, women, and children. Current styles, jewelry, accessories, and knicknacks. Featuring beautiful furs and leathers.

Cooking Classes

Graphic Design 11:11 Studio—Kelli Bickman (646) 436-8663 www.kellibickman.net Full service design studio including murals, fine art, illustration, and graphic design by award winning artist. Graphic design includes advertising, editorial, book/magazine covers, sign painting, all aspects of print design/layout. Fine art/murals are tailored to your needs bringing art that will make your life rich with vivid color. Extensive client list.

Health Food Stores Sunflower Natural Foods Market 75 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY (845) 679-5361 natural@hvc.rr.com

Italian Lessons Gabrielle Euvino—Private or Small Group Lessons (845) 339-0023 www.labellalingua.net gabrielle.euvino@gmail.com

Natural Gourmet Cookery School

Unleash your passion for language and learn

48 West 21st Street, New York, NY (212) 645-5170, Fax (212) 989-1493 www.naturalgourmetschool.com info@naturalgourmetschool.com

Italian with author and professor Gabrielle

R is AT ley Val HE

T on om uds ACK pot fr s H B e s Mid he tori AY The f PL c on t true s

o si s’ ME nd muember O H ea m the Theatrdience au

Euvino (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Italian, and other titles). Customized to fit your needs in a dynamic and nurturing setting. All ages and levels. Tutoring and translation

First Fridays of the month, 8pm at Boughton Place, Kisor Road, Highland, NY. Call 845.691.4118 or 845.255.5613

also available.

Jewelry, Fine Art & Gifts

business directory

For more than 20 years people around the world have turned to Natural Gourmet’s avocational public classes to learn the basics of healthy cooking. They come to the Chef’s Training Program to prepare for careers in the burgeoning Natural Foods Industry.

Public shows, school programs and other events. www.hudsonriverplayback.org or call 845.255.7716

Dreaming Goddess

Dating Service Mass Match (413) 665-3218 www.massmatch.com

9 Collegeview Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 473-2206 www.DreamingGoddess.com We carry hand-made jewelry, gifts, and clothing that will touch your heart, uplift your spirits, and heal your soul. We offer various

Dog Boarding

tools that will assist you on your quest for spiritual awareness and help you to deepen that connection. Essential Oils-Herbs-Crystals-

Dog Love, LLC

Incense-Candles-Divination Tools and so

240 North Ohioville Road, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-8254 www.dogloveplaygroups.com

much more.

Personal hands-on boarding and daycare tailored to your dog’s individual needs. Your dog’s happiness is our goal. Indoor 5x10 matted kennels with classical music and windows overlooking our pond. Supervised play groups in 40x40 fenced area. Homemade food and healthy treats.

20 West Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-4585 hummingbirdjewelers.com

Hummingbird Jewelers

Kitchenwares Warren Kitchen & Cutlery

French Lessons Emily Upham—French Lessons (518) 537-6048 uplandvl@valstar.net Learn to speak French—not scary! Private lessons; groups, toddlers-to adults. Tutoring available. All levels, weekenders welcome. Emily Upham: French Interpreter, U.S. State Department and AP French teacher, The Millbrook School.

6934 Route 9, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-6207 www.warrenkitchentools.com Located in historic Rhinebeck, Warren Kitchen & Cutlery is a true kitchenware emporium— where inspired chefs and cooking enthusiasts can find their favorite cutlery, cookware, kitchen tools, and serving pieces for home or restaurant. Knives are our specialty; with over 1000 styles and sizes in stock. Expert sharpening on premises.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Lawyers & Mediators Law Office of Laura G. Shulman, PC 369 Washington Avenue, Kingston, NY (845) 338-7970 lgshulman@hotmail.com I am a divorce lawyer and mediator. I am trained and skilled in divorce mediation, and I also practice Collaborative Law. In Collaborative Separation or Collaborative Divorce, parties agree not to go to court. Lawyers facilitate the negotiation of a separation agreement or divorce stipulation through informal meetings. Clients talk directly about their needs and those of their family.

Pathways Mediation Center (845) 331-0100 www.PathwaysMediationCenter.com A unique mediation practice for couples divorcing or family strife. Josh Koplovitz , 30 years practicing Matrimonial and Family Law, Myra Schwartz, 30 years Guidance Counselor working with families and children. Male/female, counselor-attorney team, effectively addresses all legal and family issues. A one-hour free consultations or visit the web.

Lodging Inn at Stone Ridge

business directory

3805 Main Street, Stone Ridge, NY (845) 687-7036 info@innatstoneridge.com Let us take you back to an era of comfort unparalleled in the Catskill Region of New York. Enjoy our 18th century historic mansion in peaceful Stone Ridge set on 150 acres of lawn including gardens, a working apple orchard and untouched woods. Daily, weekly, and monthly rates available.

Solo performances have included Mohonk Mountain House’s Festival of the Arts, the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck and the Ulster Chamber Music Series. A graduate of the music school at Eastern Michigan University.

Music Deep Listening Institute, Ltd (845) 338-5984 www.deeplistening.org

Music Lessons

Peter and Judith Muir. Lessons in piano, voice, clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone. Groups for young children 2 - 8. Also special needs children and adults.

Pet Services & Supplies

Music Burt’s Electronics 549 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY (845) 331-5011 Good music deserves quality sound! Avoid the malls and shop where quality and personal service are valued above all else. Bring Burt and his staff your favorite album and let them teach you how to choose the right audio equipment for your listening needs.

David Temple, Classical Guitar (845) 758-0174 www.davidtemple.com Classical guitarist and private instructor. Music for concerts, weddings and occasions.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

Upstate Light 3 Water Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-3155 www.upstatelight.com Art reproduction, large-format exhibition printing, film and flatbed scanning. We photograph 2D or 3D artwork in our studio or on location. Quality and expertise you would expect in the city, dedicated personal service you’ll find upstate. By Appointment.

Piano Adam’s Piano 592 Route 299, Highland, NY (845) 255-5295 www.adamspiano.com ADAMSPIANO.com. WE HAVE MOVED! By appointment only. 75 Pianos on display! Kawai and other fine brands. Inventory and prices at adamspiano.com.

Pussyfoot Lodge B&B (845) 687-0330 www.pussyfootlodge.com The Pioneer in Professional Pet Care! Full house-pet-plant sitting service, proudly serving 3 counties in the Hudson Valley. Experienced, dependable, thorough, and reasonable house sitting for your pets. Thank you Hudson Valley for entrusting ALL your pets and homes to us for 37 years.

400 Square, LLC

Agent for North American Van Lines. Since 1924, locally-owned and operated by the Arnoff family, providing exceptional services to families and businesses, moving the ordinary and the extraordinary. Household and business relocations, international shipments, record storage, fine art handling, rigging/industrial services, storage solutions portable, selfstorage, household, commercial/industrial. Secure, experienced, professional.

Fine Print Sales. Modern and Vintage Photography. Custom Sensual Portraiture. Confidential Digital Services. Free Consultations.

(845) 677-5871 www.cpdmusic.com

Moving & Storage 1282 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 471-1504 or 1 (800) 633-6683 www.arnoff.com

15 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY (845) 679-5333 www.photosensualis.com

Center for Personal Development Through Music, LLC

Photography

Arnoff Moving and Storage

Photosensualis

149 Main Street, Beacon, NY (914) 522-4736 info@400square.com 400 Square offers photographic services that include fine art printing, digital retouching, RAW processing and scanning of b/w and color film. We also specialize in portrait, fine art, event and advertising photography. Call for information on pricing of photographic services, session fees or assignment work.

Dan Stein Photography + Imaging 303 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 206-4303 http://danstein.info info@danstein.info Bringing NYC industry quality and experience to the Hudson Valley. Providing photographic solutions individually tailored to meet your needs from portraiture and product photography to events and editorial assignments. Commercial studio and on location services available.

David Morris Cunningham Woodstock, NY (914) 489-1991 www.davidmorriscunningham.com info@davidmorriscunningham.com David Morris Cunningham is a Woodstock, NY-based photographer specializing in portraiture, performance photography, fine art and digital retouching.

Picture Framing Atelier Renee Fine Framing The Chocolate Factory, 54 Elizabeth Street Suite 3, Red Hook, NY (845) 758-1004 www.atelierreneefineframing.com renee@atelierreneefineframing.com Formerly One Art Row, this unique workshop combines a beautiful selection of moulding styles and mats with conservation quality materials, expert design advice and skilled workmanship. Renee Burgevin CPF; 20 years experience. Special services include shadow-box and oversize framing as well as fabric-wrapped and French matting. Also offering mirrors.

Plumbing & Bath N & S Supply www.nssupply.com info@nssupply.com N&S Supply is a third-generation family run business for over 60 years. We take pride in offering the highest quality plumbing and heating products at competitive prices, with service that makes us the best and easiest supply house to deal with. Come see why our service is “Second to None.”

Schools Berkshire Country Day School P. O. Box 867, Lenox, MA (413) 637-0755 www.berkshirecountryday.org Berkshire Country Day School is an independent school serving students in preschool through ninth grade. Founded in 1946, BCD is dedicated to encouraging academic excellence at the highest level, advancing each student’s unique potential for well-rounded development, and fostering responsive and responsible citizenship.

Dutchess Community College Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 431-8000 www.sunydutchess.edu DCC is one of the best community colleges in the state for academic excellence and graduate success. Students transferring to four-year schools do better and graduate at higher rates than students who transfer from other colleges. Classes are offered in Poughkeepsie, at Dutchess South in Wappingers Falls, and other locations.

The Graduate Institute (203) 84-4252 www.learn.edu info@learn.edu

Hudson Valley School of Massage & Skin Care 256 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-0013 www.HVSMassageTherapy.com info@hvsmassagetherapy.com Our graduates have gained a reputation in the aesthetic and massage therapy industry as knowledgeable, qualified, and disciplined workers.

Indian Mountain School 211 Indian Mountain Road, Lakeville, CT (860) 435-0871 www.indianmountain.org

Poughkeepsie Day School 260 Boardman Road, Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 462-7600, ext. 201 www.poughkeepsieday.org admissions@poughkeepsieday.org Poughkeepsie Day School, the pre-eminent co-educational day school in the mid-Hudson area, serves 325 students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Its intellectually challenging, creative curriculum and outstanding teachers recognize each student’s strengths and talents as they become active, independent learners, ready to take up the challenges of the future as global citizens.

Restoration Rescued Relics Restoration (347) 282-0416 omboy@att.blackberry.net Professional wood finishes & restoration to suit your needs. Interior/Exterior. French polish, shellac & wax, lacquer, gold leafing, faux finishing, color matching, stains, touch-ups, bleaching, stripping & refinishing, sanding, staining, antiquing, & minor repairs. New or old wood of any type. 13 years experience. Work done on-site or take away. No job to LARGE or small.

Shoes Pegasus Comfort Footwear 27 North Chestnut Street, New Paltz, NY 10 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY (845) 256-0788 and (845) 679-2373 www.PegasusShoes.com Offering innovative comfort footwear by all your favorite brands. Merrell, Dansko, Keen, Clarks, Ecco Uggs, and lots more. Open 7 days a week—or shop online at PegasusShoes.com.

Snacks Mister Snacks, Inc. (845) 206-7256 www.mistersnacks.com Call Vinny Sciullo for distribution of the finest snacks in the Hudson Valley. Visit our Gift Shop at www.sunbirdsnacks.com.

Spas & Resorts Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa 220 North Road, Milton, NY (877) 7-INN-SPA (845) 795-1310 www.buttermilkfallsinn.com www.buttermilkspa.com Located on 75 acres overlooking the Hudson River. Brand new full service geothermal and solar spa. Organic products, pool, sauna and steam room. Hiking trails, gardens, waterfalls, peacock aviary.

Supermarkets Adams Fairacre Farms Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 454-4330 www.adamsfarms.com Also located in Kingston, NY, (845) 336-6300 and Newburgh, NY, (845) 569-0303.

Roccoroma Food Products

Wholesale Grocers of fine Italian food products, fresh meat and fish to the restaurant, pizzeria, and home. Our wholesale facility is open to the public, no membership is required.

Tattoos

Hudson Valley Weddings (845) 336-4705 www.HudsonValleyWeddings.com www.HudsonValleyBaby.com www.HudsonValleyBabies.com www.HudsonValleyChildren.com judy@hudsonvalleyweddings.com The only resource you need to plan a Hudson Valley wedding. Offering a free, extensive, and online Wedding Guide. Hundreds of wedding-related professionals. Regional Bridal Show schedule, links, wed shop, vendor promotions, specials, and more. Call or E-mail for information about adding your weddingrelated business.

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Portraits of Loved Ones

business directory

99 Railroad Avenue, Goshen, NY (845) 294-1884 www.roccoroma.com roccoromafoods@frontiernet.net

Catskills, the Hudson Valley Resort offers the perfect venue for your event. Breathtaking views, elegant facilities, world-class golf, a delightful spa, attentive hospitality and culinary excellence combine to culminate in an aweinspiring occasion.

Pats Tats 948 State Route 28, Kingston, NY (845) 338-TAT2 www.patstats.com

Web Design Curious Minds Media, Inc (888) 227-1645 www.curiousm.com Coding skills and design sensibility makes Curious Minds Media the right choice for your next project. We are the region’s premiere provider of new media services.

ICU Publish www.icupublish.com info@icupublish.com ICU Publish specializes in intensive care graphic design. On-site personalized consultation and training for both Mac and PC’s, web design, and publishing with customized data base driven websites created with the artist and/or collection in mind.

Weddings Hudson Valley Resort 400 Granite Road, Kerhonkson, NY (845) 626-8888 www.hudsonvalleyresort.com Nestled between the Shawangunks and the

Workshops Wallkill Valley Writers (845) 255-7090 www.wallkillvalleywriters.com khamherstwriters@aol.com Creative writing workshops in New Paltz led by Kate Hymes, poet and educator. Aspiring and experienced writers are welcome. WVW provides structured time, a supportive community and a safe place for you to fulfill the dream of writing your stories, real or imagined. Many writers find the community of a workshop benefits their work and keeps them motivated.

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Writing Services CENTER TO PAGE: moving writers from the center to the page (845) 679-9441 www.centertopage.com Recent clients have sold first books to Penguin and Hyperion. I work with writers nationwide— memoirists, scholars, novelists, poets, and people seeking to develop an authentic writing practice. My role? To mentor, edit, and/ or ghostwrite. Author of The Journey from the Center to the Page, I teach in WCSU’s MFA program and at conferences nationwide.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM BUSINESS DIRECTORY

summer camp almanac

■ DUTCHESS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE SUMMER ENRICHMENT

■ AGES: VARY DEPENDING UPON PROGRAM ■ LOCATION: DCC POUGHKEEPSIE CAMPUS ■ WEBSITE: WWW.SUNYDUTCHESS.EDU ■ PHONE: (845) 4318910 ■ CONTACT INFORMATION: RUSSELL PIROG, ASSOCIATE DEAN ■ EMAIL: PIROG@SUNYDUTCHESS.EDU

■ WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR THE DIGITAL ARTS ■ AGES: 7 - 17 ■ LOCATION: PEEKSKILL ■ TUITION: $151 PER COURSE ■ FOCUS: DIGITAL ARTS ■ WEBSITE: WWW.SUNYWCC.EDU/PEEKSKILL ■ ADDRESS: 27 NORTH DIVISION STREET PEEKSKILL, NY ■ PHONE: (914) 606-7301 ■ EMAIL: PEEKSKILL@SUNYWCC.EDU

SUMMER CAMPS ALMANAC CHRONOGRAM 2/09

The Office of Community Services at Dutchess Community College Aﬀordable, offers a variety of affordable, innovative, and exciting student summer innovative, and exciting enrichment programs on our beautiful campus in Poughkeepsie. Academies offered include: Performing Arts (ages 8-17), and a Piano Institute (ages 5 to adult). We have Mad Science Academies (grades 1 to 6), which include exclusive NASA materials and kits, Red Hot Robot building, and a new Chem Works activity week. In addition, children can participate in Falcon Sports programs in Basketball, Baseball, and Golf (ages 6 to 12). We offer Computer Software Institutes, a Build a Computer program, Lego Robotics (grades 4-10), and Video and Audio Studio Production (grades 6 and up). New offerings include: Green Girls (ages 11 to 14) which teaches girls about environmental awareness, and Drumming and Dance programs (ages 7 to 12). Call 845-431-8910 for a brochure. Compare our programs and our fees and come join us this summer at Dutchess Community College’s Office of Community Services and Special Programs. You may also email Associate Dean Russell Pirog at Pirog@sunydutchess.edu or go to www.sunydutchess.edu.

Get a jump start on college and attend the State of the art equipment , quality Westchester Community College Center for the instruction, and an opportunity for Digital Arts this summer. Starting July 6, kids from fun and creativity. 7 to 17 can create art on the best post-production stations in the Hudson Valley for only $151 per course. The Center offers affordable digital art classes for teens and children in two summer sessions. Programs in the digital arts, digital video, web design and animation, sculpture, cartooning, painting and drawing. State-of-the-art equipment, nurturing instruction, opportunity for fun and creativity. Ages 12 -17: Digital Storytelling, Digital Animation, Digital Video, Graphic Design, Web Design, Digital Audio, Game Design. Ages 7 - 11: Multimedia Storytelling, Digital Art, Stop Motion Filmmaking, Sculpture with Reusable materials, painting and Drawing, Cartooning.

■ THE WAYFINDER EXPERIENCE

■ LOCATION: VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN ULSTER COUNTY ■ TUITION: $300+ DAY $625+ OVERNIGHT ■ WEBSITE: WWW.WAYFINDEREXPERIENCE.COM ■ ADDRESS: 61 O’NEIL ST KINGSTON, NY 12401 ■ PHONE: (845) 340-9880

Earl Mosley’s ■ EARL MOSLEY’S INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVE JULY 5-AUGUST 1, 2009 ■ AGES: 13 AND ABOVE ■ LOCATION: THE MARVELWOOD SCHOOL, KENT, CT ■ TUITION: $2,500, 4 WEEKS, RESIDENTIAL $1,250, 2 WEEKS, RESIDENTIAL $1,500, 4 WEEKS, DAY $750, 2 WEEKS, DAY ■ WEBSITE: DIVERSITYOFDANCE.COM ■ ADDRESS: EARL MOSLEY’S INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, 2 MERRY ACRES LANE, NEW MILFORD, CT 06776 ■ PHONE: (860) 350-6494 ■ CONTACT INFORMATION: STEFFEN COLEMAN ■ EMAIL: SCOLEMAN03@SNET.NET

Institute of the Arts

EMIA’s summer dance intensive enables each An environment where student artists individual to achieve the highest level of excellence can achieve levels of excellence through in a positive collaboration between dancer and positive collaborations. artist in an environment where they can feel safe and motivated. Day and residential students, ages 13 and above, elect to attend either a twoweek program or the full four-week institute, at The Marvelwood School in the rural hills of Kent, CT. Dancers take classes in ballet, modern, African, tap, hip-hop, theatre jazz, yoga, composition, percussion, and repertory taught by an outstanding team of nationally and internationally known artists/teachers and choreographers. In addition to rigorous technique classes and repertory rehearsals, students are encouraged to choreograph their own works or participate in works choreographed by other students. Each week different guest artists will teach classes concluding in weekly student performances for families and open to the community. A variety of activities are woven into each session including the history of dance, the business of dance, dance programs and degree institutions, and tips on body conditioning, safety and health. Students focus on learning from one another, creating a global community of dancers who have the opportunity to experience and share the traditions and the arts of many cultures.

New York Conservatory for the Arts ■ NEW YORK CONSERVATORY FOR THE ARTS ■ AGES: 4 - 18 ■ LOCATION: ULSTER COUNTY ■ TUITION: BASED ON PROGRAM ■ FOCUS: MUSIC THEATRE AND DRAMA PERFORMANCE ■ STAFF/CAMPER RATIO: 1/8 ■ WEBSITE: WWW.NYCA.ORG ■ ADDRESS: 120 SCHILDKNECHT ROAD HURLEY, NY ■ PHONE: (845) 339-4340 ■ CONTACT INFORMATION: RANDY CONTI, DIRECTOR JEANNE REDDING, ADMISSIONS OFFICE ■ EMAIL: NYCA.MAIL@VERIZON.NET

Outstanding programs fill the summer:

My daughter always has a wonderful

Music Theatre Program (June 29-July 24, experience, many opportunities to perform ages 7-15): Four weeks of Acting, Dance & Voice & she just loves the bonding; the classes, the culminate in a fully staged and costumed Musical teaching – it’s all just wonderful!” Performance highlighting the talents of each cast – Marion Tarantina, Parent member in the NYCA Cabaret Theatre. Fairy Princess/Brave Knight Program (July 13-17, ages 4-6): An excellent one week program focusing on story telling of Princesses and Knights introduces the union of drama and dance opening the doors to the world of theatre. Drama Program (July 27-August 14, ages 7-12): Three weeks of acting culminating in a fully staged Performance in the NYCA Cabaret Theatre.

summer camp almanac

■ AGES: 8 - 18

Imagine a world where heroes and villains engage “Be the hero of your own fantasy in a never-ending battle between good and evil, adventure where the success of your where the laughter of faeries is echoed by the roar quest depends entirely on you...” of dragons, where oracles prophesize and rogues slip quietly into the night... Now imagine yourself, within this world, able to choose where to go, who to help, who to fight, and who to save. You are the hero of your own unique story and the success of your quest depends entirely on you... This is The Wayfinder Experience, a unique program that provides one of the most exciting, fun, healthy and positive experiences available for young people today. Using improvisational theatre, a non-competitive combat system and our imaginations we create an interactive fantasy world where campers develop original characters and then assume their identity within this universe. This live-action role play allows them to explore aspects of their own personality by assuming a completely new one, providing an incredible opportunity for self-exploration and personal insight. It’s also incredibly fun! The shared experience of these adventures creates an environment of empathy and trust. Beyond the thrill of being a hero, Wayfinder provides a community for young people to feel truly accepted.

Ulster County’s only Summer Camp devoted solely to the Performing Arts and The Ulster County Youth Bureau’s Community Asset Builder 2008 Recipient is centrally located in the Catskill Forest Preserve only 10 minutes from Kingston and Woodstock off of Route 28A. In ground pool for daily swimming, out-door lunch under a pavilion, and central-airconditioned studios.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM SUMMER CAMPS ALMANAC

whole living guide

More than

Surviving

Living with Serious Illness How would you deal with the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness? Disbelief, denial, anger, fear—and then getting on with living, perhaps more fully than before.

by lorrie klosterman illustration by annie internicola

few months ago I met Melanie Williams by chance at a cafe we both frequent. Her buoyant energy caught my attention and we began to chat. I would never have guessed from her humor and optimism that she had recurrent cancer. I asked if she would share some thoughts with Chronogram’s readers about how she keeps so upbeat and enjoys living—not just coping—with illness. She has kindly done so, and I thank her, along with Debby, Puja, Richard, and Wendy, for sharing herein their insights.

FUN AND THE X FACTOR Melanie Williams, a project manager for IBM, lives in Rhinebeck with her husband. She is a survivor of breast cancer with three metastatic recurrences. “My doctor has always said my attitude is what’s pulled me through,” says Melanie. “Attitude is everything—it really is. The doctors and treatments can only do so much.You are the ‘X factor’—the one who is going to make the difference.” Yes, she was stunned by the original diagnosis, and the news of recurrence. “I could feel myself slipping when I lost that attitude.” But now she knows recurrence is not uncommon over the years. Because stress may be partly to blame, she took her recurrence as a wake-up call. “I knew I needed to work on the life-and-work balance,” she says. “I’ve always been a goal person, so the future was always important in my planning and I wasn’t paying attention to the here and now. In my job I’d gone far too much into my logical, mathematical side, not keeping in touch with the more creative side.” Williams realized she needed to go back to what made her happiest from years ago, even in her teens. “Everybody had a pre-sick moment,” she says. “You have to tap back into that. I draw, sing, play my guitar, go swimming—all those hobbies and the creative side I used to enjoy.” She writes poetry again, dances around the house to ’70s music, listens to opera and the stirring voice of Andrea Bocelli. “There were times when I put headphones on and listened to music that was going to make me cry.” She laughs. “Having emotions stirred in a positive way helps healing.” She praises the movement and exercise of dance, or of just going outdoors for a walk in the fresh air. “It releases stress—a major contributor to cancer—and you feel freer and more positive by getting your body moving, and the blood and the brain flowing.” 68

WHOLE LIVING CHRONOGRAM 2/09

Williams exudes joviality, and says she finds humor in many things. “It’s very important—it raises your endorphins, which helps your immune system. Of course, I wasn’t always laughing, but there a lot of funny things happening if you have the right attitude, even in the chemo room,” Williams says, adding that it helps that she has always been optimistic. “I believe everything happens for a reason, and I still believe that.You’re there [with the illness] because there is something unraveling and you have to dig into that and figure it out. There is something to learn, and I focus on that.” She also knows that anyone can die at any moment, so there’s no reason to put off enjoyment until tomorrow. At the same time, she reads books about true, remarkable recoveries from traumas. “These books will show you that people can survive beyond all expectations,” she says. “So if you tap into that, and understand why they did, you can help incorporate that into your life. Often they had something they really wanted to live for.”

SPIRITUAL MIDWIFERY Therapist Deborah (Debby) Franke Ogg of Shokan specializes in helping people transform life-threatening illness into positive growth and deepened self-awareness. Called by some a “spiritual midwife,” Debby knows the terrain: in 1984 she was diagnosed with end-stage, “incurable” lymphoma. With that dire news, she had the tumor biopsies evaluated by four medical facilities; they concurred on the prognosis, but the recommended treatment varied. When one suggested a wait-and-see approach (because it was unlikely that chemo and radiation would help at that point), Debby began what she calls “a long, sometimes terrifying pursuit of very specific information that would guide me to healing. I thought that if I got myself from dis-ease to disease, it was possible to reverse the disease by understanding what got me there.” That launched her into a multifaceted exploration that drew on psychotherapy, massage, acupuncture, meditation, exercise, yoga, organic foods, and more. Meditation was especially helpful. “Meditation quiets the mind so you can access the information that, I believe, we all can have access to,” she says. “Much comes to you about what’s good for you and what isn’t. To me,

2/09 CHRONOGRAM WHOLE LIVING

Tuesday Evenings New Paltz, New York

Facilitator: Amy Frisch, CSWR some insurances accepted space is limited

(845) 706-0229 for more information

A group designed especially for teenage girls focusing on issues of adolescence: relationships, school, dealing with parents, coping with teen stress, and more. Group sessions include expressive art activities - it‛s not all talk!

it’s direct connection to spirit. It gave me very specific information as to what I needed to heal.” Today, Debby is in remission, and has been for many years without having had chemotherapy or radiation. She skipped those because doctors had no hope that such treatments would save her, but emphasizes, “I feel it’s very important that when there is something that medicine is offering, it needs to be taken.” Her story was the basis for the 1988 feature film Leap of Faith (also called A Question of Faith), directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. Ogg sees her illness as a “diving board into wellness,” and as a therapist helps others who are seriously ill. “I assist people in understanding what lessons have been placed before them that they may not be seeing,” she says, “so they can use those lessons to come to the light. Understanding yourself, how you got there, what areas of discomfort or dis-ease you have been walking around with—in shifting those, you are not as hospitable to disease. Everything is interconnected, so that physiology can be altered by a more comfortable emotional state. Working with the mind-body-spirit connection, you have the whole picture, and everything is possible.” She acknowledges that sometimes the path leads to leaving the body—that is, death. “The path is really the soul’s path, and it must be respected,” she says. “It’s one’s contract with the creator. I help people see how disease comes into the picture and how one can be brought to healing, whether in life or in death.”

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WHOLE LIVING CHRONOGRAM 2/09

Puja Thomson is a cancer survivor and health professional whose awardwinning book, After Shock: From Cancer Diagnosis to Healing (Roots & Wings, 2006), helps others navigate the many hurdles of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. The support of friends who understood her wishes and needs was invaluable in getting through it. “I knew that friends supported me, and were praying for me, and they knew I wanted to consider complementary approaches. That maximized my emotional and spiritual health, not just my body’s health. I would sometimes come out of doctors’ offices with more fear than going in,” Thomson recalls, “especially if I questioned them, and when they quoted cancer statistics. That can feel very scary. Friends were helpful in getting information for me when I was too overwhelmed to do the research myself. They could continue to ask questions and clear things up, so that fear wasn’t brewing.” Thomson’s book is filled with suggestions and encouragement for staying centered, such as through meditation, breathing exercises, guided imagery, music, poetry, and much more. She highly recommends guided imagery tapes and CDs, which she listened to regularly, such as the “Health Journeys” series by Belleruth Naparstek (www.healthjourneys.com). They have spoken affirmations and guided journeys that are specific to different illnesses and treatments. “The affirmations give the body a powerful message to be well, to let go of judgment and blame,” says Thomson, who listened to them before and after surgery. At home, she would sometimes allow herself to drift into a nap in the afternoons in the relaxing “zone” induced by the healing imagery. Thomson also suggests meditation cards as a simple but powerful tool. There are several varieties—such as angel cards, heart cards, goddess cards, and many varieties of tarot—that have words, phrases, or readings that can become a healing focus for the day, instead of getting stuck in negative thinking, which can depress not only one’s mood but also one’s healing abilities. During her illness, and still,Thomson seeks connection to nature and living things and urges others to go outside or bring nature indoors. “Nature is the grounder and the healer,” she says. “I go for walks and get outdoors. I have hyacinth blooming indoors, even now, in winter. Flowers, colors, scents, things that give you pleasure—allow yourself things like that.” Because Thomson is a practitioner in the healing arts, she knows that healers who get sick tackle an additional question: “How can I be a practitioner if I can’t be well myself?” Though she doesn’t blame herself for causing the cancer, she nonetheless used it to become more vigilant about improving her daily life. “I had to ask myself, ‘What am I not doing?’ I had to become more conscious of things I had let slip, like letting my sweet tooth get out of hand, or being less faithful with exercising.”

A SOLDIER TRAVELING Author Richard Boes from Rhinebeck is penning the last volume in a trilogy of books in spite of cancer that, formerly in check, has returned with a

vengeance. He didn’t foresee a trilogy when he finished the first book, The Last Dead Soldier Left Alive (iUniverse, 2007), which blends fiction with a documentation of what his life has been like as a disabled Vietnam veteran. But having recently completed the second, Last Train Out (iUniverse, 2008), to resounding praise, he is under way with In the Valley of Dry Bones. “It’s about right where I’m at, right now,” he says, which is with the cancer that he cedes is going to win. “It ends when I stop,” he says about the chances he’ll complete the book. Boes’s life as a combat soldier put him within death’s reach many times, so he’s seen it all his adult life. “It’s no stranger to me,” he says, and he finds ways to accept it without feeling sorry for himself. “I’m dealing with the reality that the cancer has spread all over, so there is not much of a future. It’s a difficult pill to swallow. Now I kind of try to put it into perspective, that it’s the natural flow of life. When I’m in that frame of mind, it’s easy to accept, and I’m eager to move on.” He realizes that Last Train Out may become very successful, and wishes he could see that. “Sure, I’d like some more years—like 20.” He chuckles quietly and adds, “But my job was to write the book. So instead of feeling sorry that I’m not going to see the success, it’s a blessing that I got to finish it. I try to keep that kind of attitude.” Even though that frame of mind can be elusive sometimes, he finds it again by reviewing the good things. “I look at what I have to be grateful for. It’s hard to be angry or have negative emotions if you’re grateful.” Boes continues his usual activities each day as best he can. “A lot of dealing with this is to keep living your life, continue your routine. I’m a writer, so I try to write six hours a day.” Over the years he has become interested in scripture and finds reading the psalms comforting. “You can kind of pick those up anywhere to read,” he says. “I use a lot of quotes from them in what I’m writing now. I gave one to my father when he was real sick a couple of years ago. He was full of anxiety and scared to die. I found a psalm and wrote it in a letter to him, and I told him he’d been a good man, and had provided well for his family, and that he had nothing to fear. He calmed down a little, and wasn’t so afraid to die.” Later, after Boes’s father passed away, his mother found the psalm in the night table by his father’s bed. Boes says he can’t side with Dylan Thomas’s assertion that one must “rage against the dying of the light” when death is at hand. “I totally disbelieve that,” he says. “It’s macho bullshit. Dylan Thomas fell off a barstool and died. He was a drunk. I don’t adhere to that. I adhere to having a certain amount of dignity and grace.”

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TELLING YOUR STORY Although Wendy Drolma does not herself have a serious illness, she is in training through the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care to be a chaplain. As part of her training she volunteers at Benedictine Hospital as an “active listener,” sitting with patients with serious illnesses so they have someone to talk to. “Active listening is listening with the whole body, mind, and heart, listening with every pore of yourself, really opening up to another person and their story.” Drolma sees a real need for multidenominational or nondenominational listening. “Typically you have priests at the hospital, but most of the people in the hospital are not practicing any one religion,” she says. “The Buddhists are entering this realm with a different perspective on the role of a chaplain, rather than the Judeo-Christian role.” The Buddhist orientation focuses on active listening. A common thread Drolma finds in her work is the power of being heard. “One of my teachers in New York, Trudy Hirsh Abrahamson, says you cannot not tell your story—meaning that everything a person says is part of their story,” Drolma says, adding that some people seem to accept what’s happening to them, “not in a defeated way, but a feeling of it being another part of the story of their lives, while others seem really taken down by it. How people deal with illnesses in a good way seems very related to the people around them.” By listening nonjudgmentally to a patient’s fears and concerns, and whatever they wish to say in the moment, she hopes to bring some comfort. Although she humbly questions whether she is any help, Drolma also has seen that “the healing that takes place is palpable.” Dealing with a life-threatening illness is never easy, but continuing to find ways of having fun, being creative, enlisting the help of friends, connecting with nature, getting exercise, and sharing one’s story are some of the ways to keep illness a facet, not a focus, of life.

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM WHOLE LIVING

Flowers Fall By Bethany Saltman

Yet, though it is like this, simply, flowers fall amid our longing, and weeds spring up amid our antipathy. — Dogen Zenji, Genjokoan

Love is in the Air: Let’s Play Parenting Trivia!

WHOLE LIVING CHRONOGRAM 2/09

9) What aspect of human life was “invented” in the 19th century?

6) What is the most significant contribution John Locke has made to our conception of modern childhood?

A) The belief that all children should have a liberal education B) The belief that children are blank slates full of potential C) The belief that the island can heal all childhood trauma D) The belief that children are born sinners Correct Answer: B.) The belief that children are blank slates full of potential.This is perhaps the most significant shift in thought regarding what we now consider childhood. Prior to Locke and others’ Enlightenment views, children, in the West at least, were treated almost more like animals that needed to be tended and trained, rather than the post-enlightenment, modern conception of children as cute, innocent vessels waiting to be influenced. It was then, around the late 18th century, that children (of a certain race and class, of course) began to be treated as individuals with their own names, middle names, bedrooms, personalities, and capacity to learn. 7) What was the source of the pink-for-girls and bluefor-boys craze, which began in the 1920s?

A) Coeducation. The need to differentiate between genders in the new regime of boys and girls going to school together. B) Coco Chanel. A gender-bending, flapper fashion statement, since pink was originally a color associated with men, and blue with women. C) The first Winter Olympics. Male and female athletes needed different colors for their uniforms. D) The founding of Parents magazine and the first how-todecorate- the-nursery article. Some random freelance writ-

A) The belief in a separate self, otherwise known as delusion B) Jealousy/competition C) Adolescence D) The family vacation Correct Answer: C.) Adolescence. Due to the growing amount of education middle class children were expected to receive, thus more time spent as non-working dependents, as well as the earlier onset of puberty, kids’ sexual and other appetites became unruly. The concept of “adolescence” was coined to describe this new stage in life, helping parents of crazyVictorian teens understand what was going on. 10) What was the biggest difference in toys developed before the turn of the 20th century and after?

(Choose as many as apply.) A) Early toys tended to be homemade, like rag dolls, and later toys were mass-produced, like the doll Patsy. B) Early toys such as marbles and kites were made for group play, while later toys like Lincoln Logs and Crayons were intended for solitary play. C) Early toys were marketed to parents, while later ones were marketed to children. D) Early toys were somewhat static, while later toys began to be tied to popular figures, such as Shirley Temple. Correct Answer: All of the Above. Correct Answer: All of the Above.

Correct Answer: B) and D). Apparently, the Puritans’ concerns with a child’s nature, though believed to be sinful, encouraged a kind of conscious care, which made assault and battery less appealing. And in terms of nursing, as one Puritan minister so eloquently put it, “You will Suckle Your Infant your Self if you can; Be not such an Ostrich as to Decline it, merely because you would be One of the CarelessWomen LivingWhile at Ease.” 72

A) Anorexia Nervosa: mom B) Depression: mom C) Hypochondria: mom D) Delusions of grandeur: grandparents Correct Answer: A.) Anorexia Nervosa: mom. According to one source, mothers’ increasing pressure to maintain a “sunny disposition” in the “modern,” middle-class home,“doting” on their children by preparing meals (gulp), combined with the fact that girls were not encouraged to express any discord in the home, resulted in the refusal to eat as one way to covertly manifest female malaise.

A) Christianity B) Buddhism C) Judaism D) Islam Correct Answer: B.) Buddhism. Oops.

Correct Answer: B) The belief that children are blank slates full of potential.This is perhaps the most significant shift in thought regarding what we now consider childhood. Prior to Locke and others’ Enlightenment views, children, in the West at least, were treated almost more like animals that needed to be tended and trained, rather than the post-enlightenment, modern conception of children as cute, innocent vessels waiting to be influenced. It was then, around the late 18th century, that children (of a certain race and class, of course) began to be treated as individuals with their own names, middle names, bedrooms, personalities, and capacity to learn.

Correct Answer: C) India. Due to the Hinduism practiced in India, children were viewed as one part of a web of ritualistic indulgence and appreciation, as opposed to the more authoritarian attitudes of other religions/cultures. A) Daycare

8.) What mental illness became more common in the middle and upper classes in the 1860s, as families tried harder to be “happy,” and guess whose fault, so says at least one historian, it was?

Correct Answer: C) Adolescence. Due to the growing amount of education middle class children were expected to receive, thus more time spent as non-working dependents, as well as the earlier onset of puberty, kids’ sexual and other appetites became unruly. The concept of “adolescence” was coined to describe this new stage in life, helping parents of crazyVictorian teens understand what was going on.

3) When Colonial Americans swaddled a baby and then placed it on a hook on the wall, this was an early form of:

5.) Of all the “major” world religions, which considered childbirth a “polluting act”?

Correct Answer: B) Buddhism. Oops.

(Choose as many as apply) A) Consider breastfeeding a sin B) Criminalize child abuse C) Encourage child abuse D) Discourage wet nursing in favor of maternal breastfeeding Correct Answer: B.) and D.). Apparently, the Puritans’ concerns with a child’s nature, though believed to be sinful, encouraged a kind of conscious care, which made assault and battery less appealing. And in terms of nursing, as one Puritan minister so eloquently put it, “You will Suckle Your Infant your Self if you can; Be not such an Ostrich as to Decline it, merely because you would be One of the CarelessWomen LivingWhile at Ease.”

A) Conjugal relations B) Between 5 and 6pm, when her infant was colicky C) Weaning D) Childbirth Correct Answer: D.) Childbirth. In the 17th-century US, between 1 and 1.5 percent of all births ended in a mother’s death. And remember, these women had seven or eight babies on average.

Correct Answer: D) Childbirth. In the 17th-century US, between 1 and 1.5 percent of all births ended in a mother’s death. And remember, these women had seven or eight babies on average.

2) The New England Puritans were the first white Americans to:

4) “That evel hour I loock forward to with dread” is an early American woman’s reference to:

er chose pink-and-blue as the color scheme and it stuck. Correct Answer: A.) Coeducation. When boys and girls started attending the same schools regularly, gender distinction became heightened.

Correct Answer: A) Anorexia Nervosa: mom. According to one source, mothers’ increasing pressure to maintain a “sunny disposition” in the “modern,” middle-class home,“doting” on their children by preparing meals (gulp), combined with the fact that girls were not encouraged to express any discord in the home, resulted in the refusal to eat as one way to covertly manifest female malaise.

A) Chinese B) Greco-Roman C) Indian D) All of the above Correct Answer: C.) India. Due to the Hinduism practiced in India, children were viewed as one part of a web of ritualistic indulgence and appreciation, as opposed to the more authoritarian attitudes of other religions/cultures.

Correct Answer: A) Daycare.When mother and dad both had to go out to the fields and babies numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 had not yet been born to watch baby number 1, apparently the hookhang was the best way to keep the kid safe.

1) Of all the “Classical” civilizations, which promoted a mother-child bond most similar to contemporary “attachment parenting” and included breastfeeding on demand, sensitivity to an infant’s individual needs, potty-training “when ready,” and the like?

B) Sleep training C) Time-out D) The doorway jumpy thing Correct Answer: A.) Daycare.When mother and dad both had to go out to the fields and babies numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 had not yet been born to watch baby number 1, apparently the hook-hang was the best way to keep the kid safe.

Correct Answer: A) Coeducation.When boys and girls started attending the same schools regularly, gender distinction became heightened.

t’s February. What better time to ask what we mean when we say “I love you”? It seems that historians agree that parents have always loved their kids, maybe not in the super snuggly way that we love our kids, but in that impossible-todescribe way of just really caring about them. With that said, parental love has taken extremely different forms throughout our history and even now, in different parts of the world. I happen to think this difference is a gift, permission for all us parents to relax and realize there really is no one way to do this crazy job. Having a sense of the big picture, we can, to use the Buddhist term, detach a bit and learn how we came to hold our very dear opinions, rules, and preferences. And of course remembering what other people—parents and kids—have lived through can be very humbling. So instead of a chalky heart inscribed with “Let’s be friends,” I offer this totally random, things-that-makeyou-go-hmmmm…little quiz on parenting trivia. It’s my Valentine to all the good-enough parents out there.

REFERENCES Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood by Steven Mintz (Harvard University Press, 2004) Childhood in World History by Peter N. Stearns (Routledge, 2006)

whole living guide

Dr. Robert S. Exelbert CHIROPRACTOR

The Natural Way to Health Chiropractic is... • An approach to health which utilizes the body’s inherent and natural recuperative powers • A healing science which places emphasis on maintaining the structural integrity of the body Acupuncture Carrie Andress 166 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY (845) 338-5575 / Gardiner (845) 674-3778 A NYS-licensed nationally board certified acupuncturist with NYS certification in Chinese Medicine. Carrie’s advanced training in Pain Neutralization Technique quickly restores range of motion by relieving acute and chronic pain. Her additional training in Acupressure, Cranio Sacral therapy, and Chinese Medicine and nutrition starts your healing process for a variety of diseases and internal disorders including enhancing fertility, and improving GYN complaints.

Kingston, NY (845) 339-5653 www.earthboundapothecary.com Creating health in partnership with nature. We offer Community Acupuncture at a sliding scale of $15-$35, you decide what you can afford. Apothecary specializes in local, organic herbs in bulk, tincture, teas and more. Founded by Hillary Thing, MS, LAc., Professor (Pacific College of Oriental Medicine) with over 11 years clinical experience.

High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts—Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine—Carolyn Rabiner, L.Ac. 87 East Market Street, Suite 102 Red Hook, NY (845) 758-2424 www.highridgeacupuncture.com Offering all five of the professionally practiced modalities within Oriental Medicine—Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Medical Massage, Dietary Therapy and Exercise Therapy—in order to help patients regain healthy balance. Treatment of neuro-musculo-skeletal pain, women’s health, mood problems, digestive problems, asthma, sinusitis, fatigue, and much more. Since 1992.

• A method of health care which is conservative and which does not utilize drugs or surgery

The doctor of the future will give no

Alexander Technique Judith Muir—The Alexander Technique

4311 Albany Post Road Hyde Park, NY 12538

(845) 677-5871 www.JudithMuir.com The Alexander Technique is a simple practical skill that when applied to ourselves enhances coordination, promoting mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Improve the quality of your life by learning how to do less to achieve more. Judith Muir, AmSAT.

medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention

For Appointments (845) 229-8868

of disease.

Attributed to Thomas Edison

Apothecary Dr. Tom’s Tonics 6384 Mill Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-5556 www.drfrancescott.com info@drfrancescott.com The Hudson Valley’s alternative to today’s drug store with a Naturopathic doctor on-site. A natural pharmacy, providing the community with innovative natural medicines with Dr. Tom’s own professional formulations. Specializing in best quality fish oils, probiotics, proteins, detox products, pet remedies. Come let Dr. Tom help you and your pet.

Aromatherapy Joan Apter (845) 679-0512 www.apteraromatherapy.com japter@ulster.net See also Massage Therapy.

Kingston’s own Ice and Bottled Water Supplier

whole living directory

Earthbound Herbs and Acupuncture

style. Support through chronic illness, including relief from the adverse effects of cancer care. NHAI, Oxford, Elderplan. MC/V/D. New Paltz: 218 Main Street. Manhattan: 119 West 23rd Street.

Mountain Valley Spring Water

featuring Leisure Time Spring Water

Arctic Glacier Packaged Ice

25 South Pine St. Kingston NY 12401 (845) 331-0237

www.binnewater.com

A pathway to the extraordinary ...

Art Therapy

Mid-Hudson Acupuncture— William Weinstein, L.Ac.

Deep Clay

New Paltz and Manhattan, NY (845) 255-2070 or (212) 695-3565 www.mhacu.com

(845) 255-8039 www.deepclay.com deepclay@mac.com

Announcing MEI ZEN COSMETIC ACUPUNCTURE at Mid-Hudson Acupuncture. Present yourself the way you wish to be. Feel great inside! Look great outside!® Personalized, unhurried treatment tailored to your specific needs. ALSO: Relief from headache, migraine, arthritis, carpal tunnel, TMJ/TMD, repetitive strain, rotator cuff injury, and stress-related syndromes stemming from the modern life-

Michelle Rhodes, LMSW ATR-BC. Short-term counseling and in-depth psychoanalytic arts-based psychotherapy. Activates creative imagination to enhance healing and problem solving for life transitions, bereavement, trauma, and dissociative disorders. Women’s clay group and individual studio sessions. Children, adults, and teens. Poughkeepsie and Gardiner locations.

10-week empowerment program for men

Richard J. Smith, LCSW lifeworksprogram@earthlink.net

845 417-5060 Gardiner, NY

2/09 CHRONOGRAM WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY

Astrology Planet Waves Kingston, NY (877) 453-8265 www.planetwaves.net Offering a weekly newsletter with news, astrology, and horoscopes. Private astrological consultations by appointment.

Body & Skin Care Medical Aesthetics of the Hudson Valley

julieezweig@gmail.com

166 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY (845) 339-LASER (5273) www.medicalaestheticshv.com

w ww. R o s e n M e t h o d . o r g

Body-Centered Therapy Irene Humbach, LCSW, PC— Body of Wisdom Counseling & Healing Services

71 Main St. New Paltz

Newcomers Winter Special

(845) 485-5933 By integrating traditional and alternative therapy/healing approaches, including BodyCentered Psychotherapy, IMAGO Couples’ Counseling, and Kabbalistic Healing, I offer tools for self healing, to assist individuals and couples to open blocks to their softer heart energy. Ten-session psycho-spiritual group for women. Offices in Poughkeepsie and New Paltz.

30 days for just $30 Drop in anytime to find out how Yoga can create balance, focus and flexibility no matter what your level of experience may be.

Upcoming workshops:

whole living directory

Ayurveda with Linda Lauretta February 8th, 2:30pm-5:30pm Thai Yoga Massage with Karen Chopra March 22nd, 2:30pm-5:30pm

Chi Gung—Tai Chi Chuan

John M. Carroll H EALER, T EACHER, S PIRITUAL COUNSELOR

“ John is an extraordinary healer whom I have been privileged to know all my life and to work with professionally these last eight years. His ability to use energy and imagery have changed as well as saved the lives of many of my patients. Miracles still do happen.” —Richard Brown, MD Author Stop Depression Now “ John Carroll is a most capable, worthy, and excellent healer of high integrity, compassion, and love.” —Gerald Epstein, MD Author Healing Visualizations Visit John’s website for more information

johnmcarrollhealer.com or call 845-338-8420

Connie Schneider—Certified Colon Therapist New Paltz, NY (845) 256-1516 www.hudsonvalleycolonics.com Colon hydrotherapy or colonics is a gentle approach to colon health. A healthy digestive tract helps support a healthy immune system, improving overall health, basics for a healthy lifestyle. Herbal Detox Programs available. See display ad.

Creative Arts Therapy Multi-Dimensional Psychotherapy—Blair Glaser, MA, LCAT, RDT Woodstock, NY www.blairglaser.com (845) 679-4140 Bridge the gap between desire and potential by trying something new: SpiritPlay drama therapy is a powerful and fun-filled group process, and for individuals/couples looking to increase their connection to self and others, Multi-Dimensional Psychotherapy combines traditional counseling with creativity, intuition, spiritual philosophy, and energy work to support empowered living. NY licensed Creative Arts Therapist.

Dentistry / Orthodontics

HAWKS

Holistic Orthodontics—Dr. Rhoney Stanley, DDS, MPH, LicAcup, RD

(845) 750-6488 oldredland@gmail.com

107 Fish Creek Road, Saugerties, NY (845) 246-2729

CHI GUNG, Physical, meditative energy practices for dexterity and fending off degenerative diseases. TAI CHI CHUAN: founded on a combination of Shaolin martial body mechanics and Taoist spiritual alchemy. These practices have brought health, vitality, and youthfulness to my students, some in their 70s and 80s. Requirements: determined practice and the will to persevere.

Experience Orthodontics in a magical setting using expansion and gentle forces, not extraction and heavy pressure. Member of The Cranial Academy, Dr. Rhoney Stanley considers the bones, teeth, face and smile components of the whole. Offers fixed braces, functional appliances, Invisalign. Insurance accepted. Payment plans available.

Chiropractic

Family Therapy Laura Coffey, MFA, LMSW

Mancarella Chiropractic—Dr. Antonio Mancarella 68 West Cedar Street, Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 473-3558

C LASSICAL A CUPUNCTURE & C HINESE H ERBS

Colon Health Care/Colonics

Located near Marist and Saint Francis. Practicing for 21 years. Combining traditional chiropractic therapy with current rehabilitation and core strengthening exercises. Most insurance accepted including Worker’s Compensation, No Fault, and Medicare. Convenient early morning and late evening appointments available.

Rosendale, NY (845) 399-0319 undefinedreading@gmail.com Family Therapist specializing in Narrative Therapy. Practice includes eclectic interventions tailored to suit individual client’s needs. Healing conversations for the entire family, gerentological services for the elderly and support for caretakers. Grief counseling, motivational interviewing for substance abuse, couples work, LGBT issues, PTSD and childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, and performance anxiety. Fee: $25.00 a clinical hour.

Cleaning Services—Nontoxic

dylana accolla Kingston (845) 853-7353 DYL ANA@MINDSPRING.COM

WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

m.s.,l.aC.

Bless Your Hearth—Truly Natural Cleaning Services (845) 706-8447 Soundofspheres@aol.com Experienced, professional, non-toxic cleaning and organizing service. Pet sitting. Home/business blessings. Excellent references.

Gourmet Chocolate Fruit Arrangements Edible Arrangements Kingston, NY (845) 339-3200 www.ediblearrangements.com Over 600 stores nationwide!

Healing Centers Rhinebeck Cooperative Health Center 6384 Mill Street, Rhinebeck , NY (845) 876-5556 We are focused on providing the most comprehensive natural health care in the Hudson Valley. Our professional staff includes: Dr. Thomas J. Francescott, ND (Naturopathic Medicine); Chris VanOrt (ONDAMED); Sequoia Neiro, LMT (Therapeutic Massage); Myrna Sadowsky, LCSW (Psychotherapy); Jana Vengrin, RN, NP (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner).

Holistic Health John M. Carroll, Healer Kingston, NY (845) 338-8420 www.johnmcarrollhealer.com John Carroll is an intuitive healer, teacher, and spiritual counselor who integrates mental imagery with the God-given gift of his hands. John has helped individuals suffering from acute and chronic disorders. Visit Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website or call for more information.

Madhuri Therapeuticsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bringing Health to Balance Alice Velky LMT, RYT (845) 797-4124 madhurihealing@optonline.net

Omega Institute for Holistic Studies 1 (800) 944-1001 www.eomega.org Omega Institute is in its fourth decade of awakening the best in the human spirit. Join us for Winter Learning Vacations in Costa Rica and St. John and keep your eye on our websiteâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;our 2009 Rhinebeck season will be for sale soon.

Ron Figueroa, MA, CHT (845) 399-2098 www.centerforwholelifehealing.com

Homeopathy Hudson Valley School of Classical Homeopathy (845) 255-6141

Suzy Meszoly, DSH/Classical Homeopathy (845) 626-7771 Safe, effective, natural, individualized homeopathic health care for chronic and acute illness. Suzy Meszoly is an internationally trained and experienced homeopath, hands on healer and counselor. Using a gentle approach suitable for newborns, infants, pregnant moms, adults, and the elderly for a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional issues.

Hypnosis Kary Broffman, RN, CH Hyde Park, NY (845) 876-6753 A registered nurse with a BA in psychology since 1980, Kary is certified in Ericksonian

C E N T E R F O R THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE

relax under pressure

Professional Massage and Spa Services by NY Licensed Massage Therapists

Sharon Slotnick, MS, CHT

Salt Scrubs | Sugar Scrubs Mud Wraps | Anti-Aging Facial Parafin Treatment | Sauna

New Paltz, NY (845) 389-2302 Increase self-esteem and motivation; break bad habits; manage stress, stress-related illness, and anger; alleviate pain (e.g. childbirth, headaches, chronic pain); overcome fears and despondency; relieve insomnia; improve learning, memory, public speaking, and sports performance; enhance creativity. Other issues. Change your outlook. Gain Control. Make healthier choices. Certified Hypnotist, two years training; broad base in Psychology. Also located in Kingston, NY.

Integrated Kabbalistic Healing Irene Humbach, LCSW, PC

Dale Montelione Grust, LMT Director 96 Plains Road | NewPaltz, NY

845-255-2188 www.massagenewpaltz.com

When was the last time someone really listened to your body?

(845) 485-5933 Integrated Kabbalistic Healing sessions in person and by phone. Six-session introductory class on Integrated Kabbalistic Healing based on the work of Jason Shulman. See also Body-Centered Therapy Directory.

Life Coaching Shirley Stone, MBA, Certified Empowerment Life Coach Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-2194 www.findingthecourage.com Shirley@findingthecourage.com

Roy Capellaro, PT Integrative Manual Physical Therapy Zero Balancing CranioSacral Therapy 125 Main Street Âˇ Gardiner Âˇ NY 845.518.1070 www.roycapellaro.com

Want to convert fear into courage, stress into power, depression into joy, worry into satisfaction? Consider empowerment life coaching. Get clarity on the life you want plus the tools and techniques to make your dreams a reality. Stop being a problem solver and become a vision creator.

whole living directory

A Yoga-based mind-body approach for ASDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, attention & learning differences; anxiety, depression, chronic pain & immune syndromes. Experience a naturally balanced state of health and harmony with Therapeutic Yoga, Massage Therapy, Reiki and Yoga for the Special ChildÂŽ.

Hypnosis, Hypnobirthing, and Complementary Medical Hypnotism, hypnocoaching with the National Guild. She has also studied interactive imagery for nurses. By weaving her own healing journey and education into her work, she helps to assist others in accessing their inner resources and healing potential.

t *OUFHSBUJOH 5BML #PEZ $FOUFSFE Ç˛FSBQZ t *."(0 $PVQMFT 3FMBUJPOTIJQ $PVOTFMJOH t #MFOEFE 'BNJMZ $PVOTFMJOH t *OUFHSBUFE ,BCCBMJTUJD )FBMJOH t &YDFQUJPOBM .BSSJBHF .FOUPSJOH DPVQMF UP DPVQMF

Victoria Lewisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;My Coach for Creativity (212) 875-7220 www.mycoachforcreativity.com victoria@mycoachforcreativity.com

IRENE HUMBACH, LCSW, PC OďŹ&#x192;ces in New Paltz & Poughkeepsie (845) 485-5933

Are you juggling, bungling or struggling with your â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creative Lifeâ&#x20AC;?? Had enough? Want change? Need a hand? Creativity Coaching may be your answer. Schedule a free phone session to find out. Sign up for free tips and monthly newsletters. Take the first step. Give your creativity the support it deserves.

Massage Therapy Conscious Bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ellen Ronis McCallum, LMT 426 Main Street, Rosendale, NY (845) 658-8400 www.consciousbodyonline.com Ellen@consciousbodyonline.com Offering deep, sensitive and eclectic Massage therapy with over 22 years of experience as a licensed Massage Therapist working with a wide variety of body types and physical/medical/emotional issues. Techniques include: deep tissue, Swedish, Craniosacral, energy balancing, and chi nei tsang (an ancient Chinese abdominal and organ chi massage). Hot Stone Massage and aromatherapy are also offered. Gift certificates available.

applied kinesiology t acupressure t t soft tissue therapy t t cranial sacral therapy t facial rejuvenation t t

t pain t sinusitus t stress reduction t t stomach/gastrointestinal distress t t GYN disorders t fertility t

I recently broke my arm and tore a ligament in my elbow. I wanted to avoid surgical intervention. After a few treatments with Carrie there was a complete resolution of pain, stability, and range of motion. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m grateful for Carrieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts in allowing me to avoid surgery. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mary Tyler, R.N. Kingston

2/09 CHRONOGRAM WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY

Joan Apter

Nutrition Counseling

(845) 679-0512 www.apteraromatherapy.com japter@ulster.net Luxurious massage therapy with medicinal grade Essential Oils; Raindrop Technique, Emotional Release, Facials, Stones. Animal care, health consultations, spa consultant, classes and keynotes. Offering full line of Young Living Essential oils, nutritional supplements, personal care, pet care, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and non-toxic cleaning products. For information, contact Joan Apter.

Madhuri Therapeuticsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Bringing Health to Balance Alice Velky LMT, RYT (845) 797-4124 madhurihealing@optonline.net

High Ridge Traditional Healing Arts Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health: PMS, Infertility, Peri-menopause

é&#x2021;?ç ¸ ä¸č&#x2014;Ľ ć&#x17D;¨ć&#x2039;ż ć°Łĺ&#x160;&#x; éŁ&#x;ç&#x2122;&#x201A; five healing paths

Our tranquil healing space in downtown New Paltz offers individualized sessions to nourish and repair body, mind & spirit. Licensed Massage Therapy, master-level Reiki, Therapeutic Yoga, Ayurveda, Flower Essences, natural & organic oils, herbs and body products; 16 years experience.

Mid-Hudson Rebirthing Center (845) 255-6482

whole living directory

Carolyn Rabiner, L. Ac. Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine 87 East Market St. Suite 102 Red Hook, NY 845-758-2424

Meditation Kadampa Meditation Center 47 Sweeny Road, Glen Spey, NY (845) 856-9000 www.kadampaNewYork.org

7 Innis Avenue, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-2398 www.Nutrition-wise.com Try my cost-effective web-based Health Coaching for $30/month. Nutrition counseling: combining traditional and integrative solutions to enhance well-being. Corporate Wellness presentations and programs for businesses wanting to improve employee productivity. Providing help with Diabetes, Cardiovascular conditions, Weight, Digestive support, Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health, and Pediatric Nutrition. Creating Wellness for individuals and businesses.

Osteopathy Stone Ridge Healing Arts Joseph Tieri, DO, & Ari Rosen, DO 3457 Main Street, Stone Ridge, NY 138 East Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 687-7589 www.stoneridgehealingarts.com Drs. Tieri and Rosen are New York State Licensed Osteopathic Physicians specializing in Cranial Osteopathy. As specialists in Osteopathic manipulation, we are dedicated to the traditional philosophy and hands-on treatment of our predecessors. We treat newborns, children, and adults. By Appointment. Offices in Rhinebeck and Stone Ridge.

Pain Management

www.highridgeacupuncture.com Zen Mountain Monastery

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871 Plank Road, Mount Tremper, NY (845) 688-2228 Offering year-round retreats geared to all levels of experience: introductions to Zen meditation and practice; programs exploring Zen arts, Buddhist studies, and social action; and intensive meditation retreats.

Naturopathic Medicine

-%$)!4)/. $ESIGNĂ¤9OURĂ¤/WNĂ¤&UTURE .URTUREĂ¤9OURĂ¤#HILDREN 0RESERVEĂ¤9OURĂ¤!SSETS

RODNEY WELLS, CFP Ă¤Ă¤WWW MEDIATED DIVORCE COMĂ¤

(845) 876-5556 www.drfrancescott.com I seek to inspire and transform people with authentic and personalized natural health care. Identifying the underlying cause, and offering holistic and natural solutions to challenging health issues and alternatives to conventional drugs. I specialize in: sciencebased detoxification; testing and balancing neurotransmitters and hormones; supporting the adrenals and thyroid.

Ilyse Simon RD, CDN Nutrition Therapist

WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

ONDAMEDÂŽ, FDA-Approved Device (845) 876-5556 FEBRUARY SPECIAL: 50% off initial treatment. Therapists throughout Europe have been using ONDAMEDÂŽ for over 10 years with great success. Patients using ONDAMEDÂŽ frequencies report benefits physically, emotionally, mentally. ONDAMEDÂŽ is a cutting-edge and FDA-approved device for pain management by reducing inflammation, promoting relaxation, smoking cessation, improving circulation.

Thomas J. Francescott, ND

Nutrition

Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN

Pilates Conscious Body 426 Main Street, Rosendale, NY (845) 658-8400 www.consciousbodyonline.com Ellen@consciousbodyonline.com Husband and Wife team Ellen and Tim Ronis McCallum are dedicated to helping you achieve and maintain a strong healthy body, a dynamic mind, and a vibrant spirit, whatever your age or level of fitness. Private and semi private apparatus, and mat classes available. Visit our studio on Main Street Rosendale.

The Centering Studio

318 Wall Street, Kingston, NY (845) 331-6381 www.ilysesimonrd.com

3752 Route 9G @ IXL Fitness (membership not required), Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-5114 www.thecenteringstudio.com

Do you feel fat? Ilyse works with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;stress eatersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and those with chronic eating disorders. A Bastyr University of Natural Medicine graduate, her counseling has a holistic approach. Eating disorders are not about food. Eat what you want and feel good about it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life is not black and white. Living is the full spectrum in between.â&#x20AC;?

Pilates Method in Rhinebeck since 1996. Private and small group classes, non- competitive and non-impact. Working on the apparatus and mats with our caring, creative and certified instructors you will build deep muscle control and proper body mechanics to support you through your day with ease and energy, grace and power.

Psychics Lorry Salluzzi Sensei (845) 688-5672 www.psychic-healer.tv lorrysallu@yahoo.com “Psychic Readings & Reiki Plus Healing” for Upstate is only $1 & includes: Energy Healing, Electronic Acupuncture, Tuning Fork Therapy and mini-psychic reading. $1 per minute, you decide the cost of your session. Reiki I Certification $50, Reiki II $100, ART $100, Master $500.

Psychically Speaking (845) 626-4895 or (212) 714-8125 www.psychicallyspeaking.com gail@psychicallyspeaking.com Psychic Consultations by Gail Petronio, internationally renowned psychic. Over 25 years experience. It is my sincere hope to offer my intuitive abilities and insights as a means to provide awareness of one’s life and destiny. Sessions are conducted in person or by telephone.

insurances accepted including Medicare/Medicaid. NYS-licensed. Experience working with trauma victims, including physical and sexual abuse. Educator on mental health topics. Located in New Paltz, one mile from SUNY.

Dianne Weisselberg, MSW, LMSW (845) 688-7205 dweisselberg@hvc.rr.com Individual Therapy, Grief Work and Personal Mythology. Stuck? Overwhelmed? Frustrated? Depressed? THERE IS ANOTHER WAY! Dianne Weisselberg has over 16 years experience in the field of Counseling and over 8 years of training in Depth Psychology. Sliding Scale fees.

ZEN MOUNTAIN MONASTERY MARCH 1315, 2009

COMMUNIT Y, CHANGE & CHALLENGE

Inspired to Respond: Finding your Activist’s Voice with Peter Forbes co-founder of the Center for Whole Communities

M OV E M E N T & T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

Everyday Freedom: The Instinctual Body with Monastic Joy Jimon Hintz 845.688.2228 Mountains & Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism

WWW.MRO.ORG/ZMM/RETREATS

Irene Humbach, LCSW, PC (845) 485-5933 Body of Wisdom Counseling and Healing Services. See also Body-Centered Therapy directory.

Julie Zweig, MA, NYS Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Psychologists Anton H. Hart, PhD 39 Collegeview Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY www.apapo.org/DrAntonHart (845) 454-2477; (212) 595-3704 antonhartphd@alum.vassar.edu

Emily L. Fucheck, Psy.D. Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 380-0023 Licensed psychologist. Doctorate in clinical psychology, post-doctoral training focused on adolescents and young adults, post-doctoral candidate for certification in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Offering psychotherapeutic work for adults and adolescents. Additional opportunities available for intensive psychoanalytic treatment at substantial fee reduction. Located across from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.

Psychotherapy Amy R. Frisch, CSWR New Paltz, NY (845) 706-0229 Psychotherapist. Individual, family, and group sessions for adolescents and adults. Currently accepting registration for It’s a Girl Thing: an expressive arts therapy group for adolescent girls, and The Healing Circle: an adult bereavement group offering a safe place to begin the healing process after the death of a loved one. Most insurances accepted.

Verbal Body-Centered Psychotherapy, for individuals, couples and families. Julie has 20 years of experience as a therapist, with many areas of expertise. Although Julie also practices Rosen Method Bodywork, this verbal modality does not involve touch. It is termed “body-centered,” as the breath and muscle tension of the client is observed visually to enhance and deepen the work.

K. Melissa Waterman, LCSW Dooley Square, 35 Main Street, #333 Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 464-8910 therapist.psychologytoday.com/52566 My goal is to encourage and guide you to find and live from your own place of joy. I have experience helping with depression, anxiety, trauma resolution, negative thinking, spirituality issues, work and relationship problems.

Kent Babcock, MSW, LMSW— Counseling & Psychotherapy (845) 679-5511, ext. 304 kentagram@gmail.com Each person’s therapy is an organic process of self-exploration and discovery, unfolding uniquely according to our different personalities. Through conversation and reflection, this process can begin at any point. It can focus upon any life struggle or topic, from practical or relationship issues to existential or spiritual concerns. Short- or long-term; sliding scale.

H YPNOCOACHING M I N D / B O D Y I N T E G R A T I O N

whole living directory

Training and Supervising Analyst, William Alanson White Institute. Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Poughkeepsie and Manhattan Offices. Specializing in intensive long- and short-term work with problems of anxiety, depression, relationships, career, illness, gay, straight, lesbian and transgender issues. Consultation by appointment.

New Paltz, NY (845) 255-3566 julieezweig@gmail.com

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H Y P N O B I RT H I N G ® Kary Broffman, R.N., C.H. --

Resorts & Spas Haven Spa 6464 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-7369 www.havenrhinebeck.com

Honor’s Haven Resort & Spa Debra Budnik, CSW-R New Paltz, NY (845) 255-4218 Traditional insight-oriented psychotherapy for long- or short-term work. Aimed at identifying and changing self-defeating attitudes and behaviors, underlying anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Sliding scale, most

1195 Arrowhead Road, Ellenville, NY (845) 210-3119 Natural healing and the modern educational breakthrough of Brain Education, a systemized method that develops brain potentials and enhances brain function, is the foundation of our wellness programs. Offered to you in the luxurious Honor’s Haven Resort & Spa.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY

Rosen Method Bodywork Julie Zweig, MA, Certified Rosen Method Bodywork Practitioner and NYS Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Tarot-on-the-Hudson—Rachel Pollack

New Paltz, NY (845) 255-3566 www.RosenMethod.org julieezweig@gmail.com

Exploratory, experiential play with the Tarot as oracle and sacred tool, in a monthly class, with Certified Tarot Grand Master and international Tarot author Rachel Pollack. All levels welcome. Tarot Readings in person or by phone.

The Rosen practitioner focuses on chronic muscle tension and constricted breathing. With gentle, direct touch; unconscious feelings, attitudes, and memories may emerge, allowing the client to recognize the purpose of unconscious tension. Old patterns may be released, freeing the client to experience more aliveness, well-being, and new choices in life.

Susan DeStefano

Schools Institute for Integrative Nutrition (877) 730-5444; (212) 730-5433 www.integrativenutrition.com admissions@integrativenutrition.com Study at the largest nutrition school featuring live weekend classes in New York City with the world’s leaders in health and wellness.

Smoking Cessation

whole living directory

ONDAMED®

845.255.6482

TAROT on the HUDSON with Rachel Pollack

internationally renowned Certified Tarot Grand Master & Award Winning Novelist

Monthly classes - Rhinebeck & NYC Lectures Workshops Private Consultations Mentoring in Tarot and Writing Telephone: 845-876-5797 rachel@rachelpollack.com www.rachelpollack.com

RAGHUNATH RETURNS!! Tuesdays 8:30 - 10am

Stay warm for winter: PRACTICE YOGA

WHOLE LIVING DIRECTORY CHRONOGRAM 2/09

Tarot

(845) 876-5556 The ONDAMED® protocol has been used worldwide with remarkable results. In just a few visits, patients stop smoking and free themselves of their nicotine addiction. The ONDAMED® can identify energetic disturbances that occur as a result of nicotine. “In only 1-3 sessions, 95% of our clients stop smoking.”

Speech Language Pathology Patricia Lee Rode, MA, CCC-SLP (646) 729-6633 Speech Language Pathologist with over ten years experience providing diagnostic/therapeutic services for children/adults with speech/ language delays, and neurological disorders. Specializing in Autistic Spectrum Disorders, PDD, ADHD, memory, and language related disorders. Trained in P.R.O.M.P.T., and Hippotherapy. Offer individual therapy and social skills groups. Offices in NYC/Rhinebeck.

Structural Integration Hudson Valley Structural Integration 26 East Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-4654 www.hudsonvalleysi.com Ryan Flowers and Krisha Showalter are NY State Licensed Massage Therapists with additional Certification in Structural Integration and Visceral Osteopathic Manipulation. We specialize in chronic pain conditions, structural/postural alignment and function. We are committed to providing soft tissue manipulation that is communicative and receptive to the individual. Free Consultations.

Rhinebeck, NY (845) 876-5797 rachel@rachelpollack.com

Wedding Officiants ROOTS & WINGS P.O. Box 1081, New Paltz, NY www.rootsnwings.com/ceremonies.html (845) 255-2278 puja@rootsnwings.com Rev. Puja A. J. Thomson will help you create a heartfelt ceremony that uniquely expresses your commitment, whether you are blending different spiritual, religious, or ethnic traditions, are forging your own or share a common heritage. Puja’s calm presence and lovely Scottish voice add a special touch. “Positive, professional, loving, focused and experienced.”

Yoga Ashtanga Yoga of New Paltz 71 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 430-7402 www.ashtangaofnewpaltz.com Offering Ashtanga/Vinyasa style yoga classes for all levels seven days a week. This style of yoga is both therapeutic and dance-like. By first warming up the body naturally we can stretch safely, gaining an understanding of how to move from our core. We also offer “Community Yoga Classes” which are by donation.

Jai Ma Yoga Center 69 Main Street, Suite 20, New Paltz, NY (845) 256-0465 www.jmyoga.com Established in 1999, Jai Ma Yoga Center offers a wide array of Yoga classes, seven days a week. Classes are in the lineages of Anusara, Iyengar, and Sivananda, with certified and experienced instructors. Private consultations and Therapeutics available. Owners Gina Bassinette and Ami Hirschstein have been teaching locally since 1995.

Satya Yoga Center Rhinebeck and Catskill, NY (845) 876-2528 www.satyayogarhinebeck.com Join our friendly yoga community for great classes and to meet interesting people. We offer Basics, Gentle, Svaroopa, Anusara, Iyengar, Vinyasa, All Levels, and Yoga Teacher Trainings. We also host special workshops and an inexpensive community class, both in Rhinebeck and at our Catskill location. Make an investment in yourself now!

The Living Seed 521 Main Street, New Paltz, NY (845) 255-8212 www.thelivingseed.com Open to the community for over 5 years. Inspiring movements of inner freedom and awareness. We offer Yoga classes for all levels of students, gentle/beginner to advanced. Including pre- and post-natal Yoga, family and kids yoga, as well as a variety of dance classes, massage, acupuncture, sauna, and organic Yoga clothing. Route 299, across from Econo Lodge.

IMAGE PROVIDED

the forecast EVENT LISTINGS FOR FEBRUARY 2009

Willie Nelson with Asleep at the Wheel

FAMILIAR STRANGER

Fado, the blues-like vernacular music of Portugal, is defined by the characteristic its makers and native aficionados call saudade, a tough-to-pin-down quality that roughly translates as the “vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist.” It’s a bittersweet longing similar to what we term nostalgia in that it carries the mixed happy and sad feelings for lost memories, yet different in that it also contains the knowingly vain hope that what is longed for might someday return. Perhaps the closest America comes to this elusive essence is the magnificently poignant mood of Willie Nelson’s1975 masterpiece, Red Headed Stranger (Columbia Records). In Nelson’s grainy, sweet, warm, and world-weary voice we hear the accumulated collective wistfulness of America’s people as well as America itself; its environment and the physical textures of its landscape. Just close your eyes and listen, it’s all there: the parched, red mesas of the Arizona desert, the high, windy crags of the Rockies; the vast, grassy flatness of the Great Plains; the deserted, streamer-strewn post-Mardi Gras streets; the sad, lonely drunk in the corner of a Brooklyn bar at closing time. Certainly the evocative qualities of Nelson’s singing, along with his immeasurable gifts as a genre-transcending composer (a one-time Nashville songplugger, his hits for others include Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” and Faron Young’s “Hello Walls”), are among what has endeared him to musical luminaries from far beyond his given country idiom. Among the 75-year-old singer’s admirers and collaborators number figures from the

worlds of jazz (Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis), pop crooning (Julio Iglesias), soul (Joe Hinton, who covered his “Funny (How Time Slips Away)”), and rock (Supersuckers, Sinead O’Connor, Tin Hat Trio); avant rocker Carla Bozulich was even moved to record Red Headed Stranger—with guesting by the Stranger himself—in its entirety in 2003. Never one to play it safe as an artist, Nelson has borrowed from all of the above styles for his own music, as well as from the Great American Songbook (1978’s Stardust; Columbia) and even reggae (2005’s Countryman; Lost Highway Records). He’s also the author of three books, the most recent being 2007’s The Tao of Willie Nelson (Gotham Press), a ruminative collection of stories, jokes, adages, and life lessons. Nelson’s newest album is Willie & the Wheel (2008, Bismeaux Records), a collaboration with venerated Western swing outfit Asleep at the Wheel (the band also serves as Nelson’s backing unit for his current tour). In truth, however, Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel had a third esteemed contributor for the album’s sessions: the late Atlantic Records A&R giant Jerry Wexler, who handpicked the disc’s program of Western swing classics. For lovers of truly fine American music, it’s a combination worthy of heaven itself. Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel will perform at the Palace Theater in Albany on February 15 at 7:30pm. (518) 476-1000; www.palacealbany.com. —Peter Aaron 2/09 CHRONOGRAM FORECAST

IMAGE PROVIDED

FILM WENDY AND LUCY

Michelle Williams as Wendy in Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy, screening at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck this month.

A Girl and Her Dog Kelly Reichardt’s sixth film, Wendy and Lucy, stars Michelle Williams as a young woman (Wendy) who sets out for a new life of economic opportunity in Alaska with her beloved dog, Lucy (played by Reichardt’s dog, which is also named Lucy). When Wendy’s car breaks down in a small Oregon town, she is faced with a series of difficult choices in the midst of her emotional and financial unraveling. Co-written with Jon Raymond and based on his story “Train Choir,” Wendy and Lucy is a political road film told in a formal minimalist style, highlighting the plight of the economic underclass. Wendy and Lucy premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was an official selection at the 2008 New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival. Reichardt’s previous film, Old Joy, also co-written with Raymond, was the first American film to win a Tiger Award, in 2007, at the Rotterdam Film Festival. Based in New York City, Reichardt is currently a visiting assistant professor at Bard College. Wendy and Lucy will be screened in late February at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck. Check www.upstatefilms.org for show times.

of our sympathies, though imperfect? Can we meet her without all the details? Who is deserving of our sympathy? Does the American Dream include us taking care of each other? Can our harvest carry us through? This is not a message movie. It’s about one character. It takes place in Oregon, where there are many homeless kids, vulnerable “gutter punks,” like the ones you see at the campfire scene, who travel around together. They ride the freight trains, living like hobos on a frontier adventure. You see that some will survive, others won’t. Michelle Williams is perfect for the role of Wendy. She communicates her predicament in a journey of facial expressions. I was impressed with her art of acting. She’s a master at her craft; she really can finetune. Something always comes through no matter how still she is—no emotion leaks out. The character breathes; she has complete skill. It’s a private process: You tell her what you want and she brings it to you; she can make small adjustments.

—Jan Larraine Cox What gave you the insight to make this film back in mid 2007? It seems prophetic that you had your hand on the pulse of what was really going on in the economy, to the extent that you poignantly portray, a full year before the crash, how a series of choices can play into a downward economic spiral in an individual’s life. Everyone seems surprised, but if you listened to Air America or Bill Moyers on PBS, you could tell what was happening with the credit bubble. Jon and I actually wrote this script right after Katrina, when the gap between rich and poor, so precarious in the first place, widened. I’m not clairvoyant; more people are falling through the cracks. Is gumption and will all it takes? Without the benefit of a financial and social network, can you improve your lot? That’s the kernel we started out with. Wendy’s plight is haunting. Is Wendy and Lucy really about us, our commonality, and our connectedness, and could her dilemma literally happen to anyone who makes a series of ill-fated choices on their journey? The film is really a character study. When you meet a stranger, is that person worthy

FORECAST CHRONOGRAM 2/09

How did you find the security guard, also excellent in his role? He was the only character in the film who gave Wendy encouragement that she’d be okay at pivotal points—for example, when she loses Lucy. He perhaps symbolized that sometimes it takes just one person to make a difference in another’s life. That’s Wally Dalton. He was great, an old hippie writer for “Laverne & Shirley” and Rowan & Martin who also had acting experience. He just happened to come to an open casting call and got the part. How did Bard College support the making of Wendy and Lucy? There was a note of appreciation to Bard’s Film and Electronic Arts program in the credits. It’s an avant-garde program and a supportive environment, where I’m surrounded by colleagues whose work I’m inspired by—like Peter Hutton with his landscape documentary approach, and Peggy Ahwesh, with her nontraditional approach who continue to feed me while I’m working there. And the class size is small—10 students— versus 24 when I taught at NYU. At Bard, the students are asking more in-depth questions that are integrated into literature, politics, human rights, and life.

SUNDAY 1 ART Open Atelier-Drop in and Paint 9:30am-12pm. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Tea and Critique! 12pm-1pm. Get feedback on your latest painting, make a painting at the atelier, and stay for the group critique. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

CLASSES Swing Dance Class Call for times. Various levels offered. $60/class. ASK Arts Center, Kingston. 338-0331. Circus Skills and Juggling 6pm-7:30pm. Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson. (518) 828-4181 ext. 3342. Nerves and Nutrition: Part I: Nutrition and Health Series 7pm-8pm. How to pick a multivitamin. $20. Shades of Green, Inc., Mohegan Lake. (914) 526-8470.

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BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

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The Red Tent and Beyond Call for times. A series of pre-natal and parenting workshops. Shambhala Yoga Center, Beacon. 778-1855.

Wistful Wilderness Elisa Shaw. Duck Pond Gallery, Port Ewen. 338-5580.

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Celtic Session 7:30pm. Traditional Irish music. New World Home Cooking, Saugerties. 246-0900.

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CLASSES Digital Stitching - Panoramas Call for times. Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-9957. Acrylic Painting: Drawing, Transfer & Underpainting 12pm-4pm. Art class for teens. Athens Cultural Center, Athens. (518) 945-2136. Acting II 1pm-3pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

DANCE West Coast Swing Dance Workshop Weekend Call for times. U.S. Open Swing Dance Champion Bill Cameron. Center for Creative Education, Kingston. (914) 475-0803.

THE OUTDOORS Singles and Sociables Ski, Snowshoe, or Hike: Awosting Falls 10am-3pm. Moderate 6-mile trek. Meet at the West Trapps Trailhead, New Paltz. 255-0919.

ART Drop in and Paint! With Watercolor 10am-12pm. $10. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Spirit Readings with Psychic Medium Adam Bernstein 12pm-6pm. $40/$75. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

Swing Dance Jam 6:30am-10am. Beginner lesson at 6pm. $5. Arlington Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie. 339-3032.

Neurotransmitter Testing 6:30pm-8pm. Dr Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tonics, Rhinebeck. 876-2900.

EVENTS

Tune Up Your Frequency 6:30pm-8:30pm. $20/$15. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

Chinese New Year Celebration 1pm-4pm. Dharma Drum Retreat Center, Pine Bush. 744-5712.

MUSIC Bill Staines Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300. Split the Bill 12pm. Acoustic. Taste Buddâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500. Concert of Percussion Music by Steve Reich 3pm. Martel Theater, Poughkeepsie. 437-5902. The Pone Ensemble 3pm. Classical music. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

THE OUTDOORS Roosevelt Estate Trails 11am. Easy walk. Roosevelt Estate, Hyde Park. 462-0142. Family Snowshoe 1pm-2:30pm. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919. Snowshoe and Winter Tree ID 1:30pm-3:30pm. Minnewaska State Park and Preserve, New Paltz. 255-7059.

Handbuilding 10am-1pm. Clay class. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133. Acrylic Painting Studio 1:30pm-3:30pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Belly Dance Class 7:30pm-9pm. Casperkill Recreation Center, Poughkeepsie. (914) 874-4541.

Beginning Art I Workshop 9:30am-4:30pm. $90. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Understanding and Caring for Your Honeybees 10am-6pm. $95. Sustainable Hudson Valley Resource Center, Rosendale. 255-6113.

MONDAY 2

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Our Stimulus Plan for 2009: Buy Local

West Coast Swing Dance Jam 7:30pm-10:30pm. The Muddy Cup, Kingston. (914) 475-0803.

KIDS http: hudson teen theatre project 4:30pm-7pm. Theatre improvisation workshops. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

MUSIC

The Love in that Cabin 4pm. One-woman show about Harriet Tubman. Whittaker Hall, Newburgh. 569-3179.

WEDNESDAY 4 BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Projective Dream Work 6:30pm-8:30pm. $10. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

CLASSES Beginning/Intermediate Oil Painting 12:30am-3:30pm. 4 sessions. $125. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Watercolor Studio 10am-12pm. 4 sessions. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Way 1pm-3pm. 4 sessions. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. African Drum 7pm-8pm. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Reiki Circle 6:30pm-8:30pm. $10. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

kripalu.org

DANCE

THEATER

Widen your Horizons: Stitching Panoramas with Photoshop Call for times. Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-9957.

stockbridge, massachusetts 800.741.7353

Oh, Deer! Horticulture Series 7pm-8pm. $20. Shades of Green, Inc., Mohegan Lake. (914) 526-8470.

Book Discussion Group 1:30pm. Women Who Dared. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

WORKSHOPS

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Advanced Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133.

SPOKEN WORD

Radical Hospitality: the New Sanctuary Movement Welcomes the Stranger in Our Midst 4pm. Rabbi Michael Feinberg. Vassar Temple, Poughkeepsie. 485-8627.

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CLASSES

Virtuosi-in-Progress Winners Recital 8pm. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-3880.

ModFest: Conversations 2pm. Steve Reich and Richard Wilson, composer and professor of music at Vassar College. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie. 437-5831.

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TUESDAY 3

Erick Hawkins Dance Company Call for times. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

Mohonk On Ice Call for times. A skating themed weekend featuring Olympic Gold Medalist Oksana Baiul. $240. Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz. 255-1000.

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KIDS Story Time, Music & Movement 10am. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Kingston : 336-5541 Saugerties: 246-9614 Poughkeepsie: 296-1069 www.MotherEarthStoreHouse.com Use your Rewards Card and 1% of purchase will be donated * to Food Bank of Hudson Valley.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM FORECAST

WORKSHOPS Digital Scanning Call for times. Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-9957. Painting Studio with Yura Adams 5:30pm-8pm. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438. DanceFIT 7pm-8pm. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Community Playback Theatre 8pm. $8. Improvisations of audience stories. Boughton Place, Highland. 691-4118. String of Pearls 8pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821. Sylvia 8pm. Mohonk Mountain Stage Company. $16/$12 members. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

SATURDAY 7

THURSDAY 5 ART

ARTS

Late Night at the Lehman Loeb Call for times. Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Poughkeepsie. 437-5632.

Seniors Paint the Town Exhibit 5pm-7pm. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

Generation Gap 5pm-8pm. ASK Arts Center, Kingston. 338-0331.

The Life Practice of Nonviolent Communication 7pm-9pm. $15/$20. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100. Zikr - Sufi Healing Circle 7:30pm. Woodstock Sufi Center, Woodstock. 679-7215.

CLASSES Portraits and Figures 9:30am-12:30pm. 3-part class. $150. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

DANCE

Acting Class for Adults 6:30pm-9:30pm. Scene study/technique class. $90/month. Dutch Reformed Church, Woodstock. 679-0154. Life Drawing Classes 7:30pm-9:30pm. Studies in life drawing. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

DANCE The Muddy Lindy 8pm-10pm. Casual swing stomp. The Muddy Cup, Kingston. 338-3881. Fresh Dance 8pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869.

MUSIC Sumi Tonooka Trio 7:30pm. Jazz. Howland Cultural Center, Beacon. 831-4988.

THE OUTDOORS Morning Ranger Hike 10am. Franny Reese Preserve, Highland. 473-4440 ext. 273.

WORKSHOPS Workshop on Chamber Music 4pm. Skinner Hall, Poughkeepsie. 437-7294.

FRIDAY 6 ART Works by James Stamboni 5pm-7pm. Unison Gallery, New Paltz. 255-0919.

DANCE Fresh Dance 8pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869.

Open House—Saturday, February 7th

Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre, 8pm. Part of Vassar’s ModFest. Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater, Poughkeepsie. 437-7470.

MUSIC

10:00 am to 12:00 pm r All Grades Welcome

Dan Reed Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300. The Erin Hobson Compact Call for times. Hyde Park Brewing Company, Hyde Park. 229-8277.

The Randolph School PreK through 12th Grade Address: 2467 Route 9D, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 Phone: 845-297-5600 Email: learn@randolphschool.org Website: www.randolphschool.org

FORECAST CHRONOGRAM 2/09

SpiritPlay Open Session 10:30am-12:15pm. Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-4140.

Beginning Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133.

Pastel Studio 6:30pm-9pm. 4 sessions. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

A New Program for 5th & 6th Grades

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

A Gathering of Earthlings 12pm-5pm. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

Home Garden I - Garden Planning 6pm-8:30pm. $39. Business Resource Center, Kingston. 339-2025.

Rethinking Middle School

Paintings by Kristin Locashio 6pm-8pm. John Davis Gallery, Hudson. (518) 828-5907.

Calligraphy I 1pm-3pm. 4 sessions. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Drumming 6pm-8pm. Center for Creative Education, Kingston. 338-7664.

Will my child be known & understood? Will my child be intellectually challenged?

Memorial Exhibition Honoring Dirk Zimmer 5pm-8pm. Donskoj and Company, Kingston. 338-8473.

Slagathor & the Rebellious Funks 7:30pm-11pm. 60 Main, New Paltz. 255-1901. Scott Blum 7:30pm. Acoustic. Babycakes Cafe, Poughkeepsie. 485-8411.

Fresh Dance 8pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869. Freestyle Frolic 8:30pm-1am. Wide range of music spun by eclectic DJ’s. $5/$2 teens and seniors/children free. Knights of Columbus, Kingston. 658-8319.

EVENTS Atlantic Custom Homes Open House 10am-5pm. Atlantic Custom Homes, Cold Spring. 558-2636. Heartbeat Photography: A Wildlife Photography Workshop 10am-Sunday, February 8, 4pm. $75/$60 members. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919. Woodstock Tribute to Bob Marley 7pm. Movies, music and indie vibes. Bearsville Theater, Woodstock. 679-4406.

KIDS Dr. Marmalade 11am. Puppet show. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

MUSIC Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson & The Magic Rockers Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300. Kidtopia 11am. House band Ratboy Junior with a special guest each week. Utopia Soundstage, Woodstock. 331-6949. Open Rehearsal with the Mahagonny Ensemble 11am. Martel Theater, Poughkeepsie. 437-5902. Randy Stern 2pm. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500. Rick Altman and David Oliver in Concert 7pm-9pm. Pine Hill Community Center, Pine Hill. 254-5469. Stephen Kaiser Group 7:30pm. Babycakes Cafe, Poughkeepsie. 485-8411. Phreanix with Robert Hoover 7:30pm-10pm. 60 Main, New Paltz. 255-1901. ModFest Concert 8pm. The Vassar College Women’s Chorus, Madrigal Singers, and Vassar Mahagonny Ensemble. Martel Theater, Poughkeepsie. 437-7294. American Symphony Orchestra 8pm. $20-$35. Fisher Center, Annandale-on-Hudson. 758-7900. Marley Day Celebration 9pm. DJ Ryan Lion and DJ Wavy Davy. Tap Inn, High Falls. 687-9006. David Kraai & The Saddle Tramps 10pm. Rock. Bacchus, New Paltz. 255-8636. The Rhodes 10pm. Cabaloosa’s, New Paltz. 255-3400.

THE OUTDOORS Preserve Singles and Sociables Snowshoe or Hike: Millbrook Ridge 9:30am-3pm. Meet at the West Trapps Trailhead, New Paltz. 255-0919.

The Jesse Janes 8pm. Pop, soft rock. Arts Upstairs, Phoenicia. 688-2142.

Fun on Ice 10am-1pm. Ice skate on the lake. Shaupeneak Ridge, Esopus. 473-4440 ext. 273.

American Symphony Orchestra 8pm. $20-$35. Fisher Center, Annandale-on-Hudson. 758-7900.

Hudson River Snow Shoe/Hike 10am-11am. Presented by Forsyth Nature Center. Kingston Point, Kingston. 331-1682.

SPOKEN WORD Michael Korda: With Wings Like Eagles Call for times. Merritt Bookstore, Millbrook. 677-5857. The Poet’s Guide to the Birds 6:30pm. Readings by poets. Inquiring Mind/Muddy Cup, Saugerties. 246-5775.

Sunday Salon lecture Series 2pm. John Stilgoe on Thomas Cole. Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill. (518) 943-7465.

WORKSHOPS

THEATER

Impressionism Retreat 9:30am-4:30pm. $75. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

String of Pearls 8pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821.

Understanding and Caring for Your Honeybees 10am-6pm. $95. Sustainable Hudson Valley Resource Center, Rosendale. 255-6113.

Barrymore 8pm. $14. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079.

Basic Drawing with Maj Kalfus 2pm-4pm. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Sylvia 8pm. Mohonk Mountain Stage Company. $16/$12 members. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

Intro to Animal Communication & Healing 2pm-4pm. $15/$20. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

MONDAY 9

WORKSHOPS Beginning Photo Workshop 10am-2:30pm. $65. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Intro to Organic Beekeeping: Planning a New Hive for Spring 10am-6pm. Sustainable Hudson Valley Resource Center, Rosendale. 255-6113. Adult & Teen African Drumming 10:15am-11:15am. $5. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438. Family African Dance 11am-12pm. $5. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438. Burlesque for the Boudoir 2pm-6pm. $75. Shambhala Yoga Center, Beacon. 778-1855.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

Balancing Hormones 6:30pm-8pm. Supporting your adrenals and thyroid. Dr Tom’s Tonics, Rhinebeck. 876-2900.

Reiki II Training 10am. The Dreaming Goddess, Poughkeepsie. 473-2206.

Bring on the Love 7pm. Opening the heart chakra. The Dreaming Goddess, Poughkeepsie. 473-2206.

Women’s Full Moon Gathering 7pm. The Dreaming Goddess, Poughkeepsie. 473-2206.

CLASSES

Right Plant for the Right Place: Horticulture Series 10am-11am. $20. Shades of Green, Inc., Mohegan Lake. (914) 526-8470.

Music of Elliott Carter, Bernard Rands, Richard Wilson, and Harold Meltzer 3pm. Part of ModFest. Martel Theater, Poughkeepsie. 437-5902. Zemlinsky String Quartet 4pm. Church of the Messiah, Rhinebeck. 876-2870. Guitar Blues 7pm. Jorma Kaukonen, Robben Ford. The Bardavon, Poughkeepsie. 473-2072. Cassandra Wilson 7:30pm. $34.50. The Egg, Albany. (518) 473-1845.

THE OUTDOORS Elderhostel Program- Healthy Living in the Catskills Call for times. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205. Singles and Sociables Ski or Hike: Guyot Hill 10am-3pm. Slingerland Pavilion, New Paltz. 255-0919. Locust Grove Hike 1pm. Locust Grove Historic Site, Poughkeepsie. 454-4500. A Community Open House/Winter Wonderland 2pm-5pm. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205.

PANEL:

FEB/23 8pm

FEB/26 7pm

WITH THE CAPITAL DISTRICT yOUTH CORAL

Dancing on the Air

FEB/27 7pm

MAR/11 8pm

ALICE PEACOCK MAR/12 8pm

FEB/21 8pm

TUESDAY 10

Divine Light Infusion Call for times. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

Marina Day 12pm. Acoustic. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500.

JON JOSEPH SPOKEN WORD

BASSO MODERNO

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

Piano Festival 2009: Frederic Chiu Call for times. $30/$10 students. Howland Cultural Center, Beacon. 831-4988.

FEB/19 7pm

STATE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Celtic Session 7:30pm. Traditional Irish music. New World Home Cooking, Saugerties. 246-0900.

Drop in Meditation 5:30pm-7pm. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

MUSIC

FEB/13 8pm

FEATURING:

WILLIE NILE

Drop in and Paint! With Watercolor 10am-12pm. $10. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Fresh Dance 2pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869.

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STUCK ON STUPID

Nerves and Nutrition: Part I: Nutrition and Health Series 7pm-8pm. Restoring balance to your muscles. $20. Shades of Green, Inc., Mohegan Lake. (914) 526-8470.

Open Atelier-Drop in and Paint 9:30am-12pm. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

DANCE

FEB/12 8pm

Circus Skills and Juggling 6pm-7:30pm. Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson. (518) 828-4181 ext. 3342.

ART

Acting II 1pm-3pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Pearlssion

Tom LINDSAY AND MICHAEL ECK LINCOLN & LIBERTY

Designing Without Boundaries: Studio Part III: Horticulture Series 9am-12pm. $180. Shades of Green, Inc., Mohegan Lake. (914) 526-8470.

ART

Acrylic Painting: Drawing, Transfer & Underpainting 12pm-4pm. Art class for teens. Athens Cultural Center, Athens. (518) 945-2136.

a man named

CLASSES

SUNDAY 8

Tea and Critique! 12pm-1pm. Feedback and critique. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

A FOOD FOR THOUGHT FILM:

The official ticket sponsor of the linda is tech valley communications. media sponsorship for crumbs nite out by exit 97.7 wext. food for thought copresented by the honest weight food coop.

Handbuilding 10am-1pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133. Acrylic Painting Studio 1:30pm-3:30pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Advanced Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133.

KIDS http: hudson teen theatre project 4:30pm-7pm. Theatre improvisation workshops. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

MUSIC Community Music Night 8pm-9:45pm. Six local singer-songwriters. Rosendale Cafe, Rosendale. 658-9048. Electric Brew 8pm. $10/$8/$3 students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869.

THE OUTDOORS Adult Nature Walk 8:30am. 2-3 miles, transportation provided. Forsyth Nature Center, Kingston. 331-1682 ext. 132.

SPOKEN WORD Three Years After Hurricane Katrina 7pm. Pat Wiswell Travelogue. Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson. (518) 828-4181 ext 5513.

Protecting the environment doesn’t have to be this hard. WaterFurnace geothermal heating and cooling uses the free and renewable energy in your own backyard to reduce your carbon footprint and lower your utility bills up to 70%. Visit us online at waterfurnace.com/greenplanet to learn how WaterFurnace protects the environment, your budget, and your criminal record.

WORKSHOPS Reiki I Certification 6pm. $70/$80. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

WEDNESDAY 11

(845) 658-7116 • www.altren.net

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

SPOKEN WORD

Reiki Practitioner Healing Circle 9:30am. The Dreaming Goddess, Poughkeepsie. 473-2206.

Framing Cole: The Years Before Rediscovery 2pm. $6. Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill. (518) 943-7465.

Healing Group With the Sound of the Crystal Bowls 8pm-9pm. $20/$15. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

waterfurnace.com/greenplanet WaterFurnace is a registered trademark of WaterFurnace International, Inc.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM FORECAST

African Drum 7pm-8pm. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559. Right Plant for the Right Place: Horticulture Series 7pm-8pm. $20. Shades of Green, Inc., Mohegan Lake. (914) 526-8470.

EVENTS Creative Arts Showcase Performances 1pm-2pm. Visual arts performances featuring music, drama, readings and dance. Muroff Kotler Visual Arts Gallery, Stone Ridge. 687-5113. Green Drinks 6:30pm-9pm. Networking for environmental fields, sustainably minded and eco-curious. Chill Wine Bar, Beacon. 454-6410.

KIDS Story Time, Music & Movement 10am. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

An Open Mike for Songwriters 8pm. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438. Feral Throes with Aislinn “Ace” O’Connor 8pm-10pm. 60 Main, New Paltz. 255-1901.

THE OUTDOORS Presidents’ Day Family Weekend Call for times. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205.

SPOKEN WORD 3-Minute Memoir Open Mike 10am-12pm. First Annual Woodstock Memoir Festival. Joshua’s Java Lounge, Woodstock. 679-5533.

THEATER String of Pearls 8pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821.

SATURDAY 14

MUSIC Woodstock, Sing! 7pm. Acoustic group singing. St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, Woodstock. 679-8800. Open Mike 10pm. Oasis Cafe, New Paltz. 255-2400.

SPOKEN WORD Reading Between the Lines: Rethinking Religion: Recent Women’s Novels and American Identity 4pm. Book discussion group. Stone Ridge Library, Stone Ridge. 687-7023.

THURSDAY 12 BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Zikr - Sufi Healing Circle 7:30pm. Woodstock Sufi Center, Woodstock. 679-7215. Gratitude Circle 7:30pm-9pm. $75. The Living Seed Yoga & Holistic Center, New Paltz. 255-8212. Beginning Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133. Acting Class for Adults 6:30pm-9:30pm. Scene study/technique class. $90/month. Dutch Reformed Church, Woodstock. 679-0154. Life Drawing Classes 7:30pm-9:30pm. Studies in life drawing. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

DANCE The Muddy Lindy 8pm-10pm. Casual swing stomp. The Muddy Cup, Kingston. 338-3881.

EVENTS After-Hours Mixer 5:30pm-7:30pm. New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce. Hudson Valley Resort, Kerhonkson. 626-8888. Eric Mintel Quartet 8pm. Jazz. $15/$12 members. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

SPOKEN WORD Poetry Reading 7pm. Featuring Patricia Martin & D. Alex Bird. $3. Bohemian Book Bin, Kingston. 331-6713. Weston Price Nourishing Traditions Potluck 7pm-9:30pm. Marbletown Community Center, Stone Ridge. 687-8938.

THEATER Just for Laughs Call for times. Mohonk Mountain Stage Company. Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz. 255-1000.

FRIDAY 13 ART Opening at the Dorsky 5pm-8pm. “Analog Catalog,” “Bradford Graves,” “Eva Watson-Schatze,” “Taking a Different Look.” Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz. 257-3858.

EVENTS Panel Discussion: What Can I Say? 7pm-9pm. First Annual Woodstock Memoir Festival. $6. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079.

FORECAST CHRONOGRAM 2/09

MUSIC Just 3 6pm. Rock. Steelhouse, Kingston. 338-7847.

ART Landscape in Memory 3pm-5pm. First Annual Woodstock Memoir Festival. Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-9957. Memoir in Art 3pm-5pm. First Annual Woodstock Memoir Festival. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Woman of the Flame Call for times. Women’s mystery retreat. Per Ankh, Kingston, Kingston. 339-5776. Loving Touch for Couples 2pm-4:30pm. $20/$15. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

DANCE Valentine’s Day Poetry Reading 6pm-9pm. By female poets from Skidmore college, with dinner. Pine Hill Community Center, Pine Hill. 254-5469. Sex Songs Dance Party 8pm. $5. Le Rive Gauche, Kingston. 339-2003.

EVENTS Valentine’s Day Brunch 2pm-4pm. With live music. Gomen-kudasai Noodle Shop, New Paltz. 255-8811. 2009 Valentine’s Day Cabaret 7:30pm. Champagne, sweets and song to benefit ASK. $65 couple/$30. ASK Arts Center, Kingston. 338-0331.

KIDS Dog on Fleas 11am. Children’s music. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

MUSIC Eilen Jewell Band Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300. Kidtopia 11am. House band Ratboy Junior with a special guest each week. Utopia Soundstage, Woodstock. 331-6949. Frances Kramer 2pm. Acoustic. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500. The Art of Song Deconstructed 4pm. Diamond Opera Theater. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438. Simply Noted 6pm. Country Valentine’s Day dance. $25. St. Mary’s Hall, Kingston. 338-3972. The Feral Throes 7pm. Americana. Muddy Cup, New Paltz. 338-3881. Stephen Kaiser Group 7:30pm. Babycakes Cafe, Poughkeepsie. 485-8411. Deni & Curtis 8pm. Rosendale Cafe, Rosendale. 658-9048. Sabor Con Colour 8pm-11pm. $5. 60 Main, New Paltz. 255-1901. Eric Erickson 8pm. Gilded Otter, New Paltz. 256-1700. Todd Boyle Acoustic 9pm. Hyde Park Brewing Company, Hyde Park. 229-8277. The Rhodes 10pm. Rock. Keegan Ales, Kingston. 331-2739.

THE OUTDOORS Preserve Singles and Sociables Snowshoe or Hike: Trapps Loop 9:30am-3:30pm. Meet at the West Trapps Trailhead, New Paltz. 255-0919. Love Lives of Animals 10am-11:30am. A walk full of fascinating facts about animals and their mating habits. Scenic Hudson’s Madam Brett Park, Beacon.

SPOKEN WORD Woodstock Poetry Society & Festival 2pm. Featuring poets Josie Peralta, Ted Gill, and Glen River. Woodstock Community Center, Woodstock. 246-8565.

ART OUTSIDER ART

Outsiders Are In The first art was created by outsider artists. Logically, the earliest human to scrawl a serpentine design on stone did not go to art school. For the last millennia or so, however, self-taught artists have been out of favor. Now the Loeb Art Center at Vassar College weighs in on the controversy with “Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection,” which opens on February 13. “Outsider” is often a literal term. Many such artists actually make their works outdoors. In 1976, Howard Finster (1916-2001) was patching a bicycle wheel in Summerville, Georgia, when a voice came to him saying: “Paint sacred art.” Eventually Finster built Paradise Garden, a huge display in his backyard based on the Garden of Eden, which is still a tourist attraction. Finster created album covers for R.E.M. and Talking Heads, and appeared on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show.” “Faith and Fantasy” includes Finster’s Coke Bottle (1989), a painting in the shape of a Coca-Cola bottle, filled with images and such phrases as “The Top Is as High as You Can Go/Endless Circle/Mr. Coke” and “If Any One Has a Better Drink Than Coke They Must Have Kept It for Themselves I Haven't Found It Yet.” Inez Nathaniel Walker (1911-1990) was an “insider” in one sense— she was imprisoned for homicide at Bedford Hills Correctional Center in Westchester. While in prison, Walker began drawing portraits of women, alone or in pairs, with elaborate decorative flourishes. John “Jack” Savitsky (1910-1991), also known as Coal Miner Jack, worked in the mines in Pennsylvania. When Savitsky lost his job in 1959, his son suggested he take up painting, and he responded: “What the hell, why not?” Savitsky documented the lives of miners, but also made dreamy works such as Untitled Adam and Eve (circa 1973) in the current show. “Even though most of these artists have never met—they certainly didn’t go to the same art school!—there are themes that all of them are going to,” Nicole M. Roylance of the Loeb Art Center notes. “Particularly, Adam and Eve come up again and again and again.” The show will be in three sections, based on the themes of religion, fantasy, and everyday life. The emergence of the outsiders connects to issues in the contemporary art world; that is, if a large sack of Vaseline is art, why isn’t a handcarved cane in the shape of the angel Raphael? In fact, outsider art in many ways is closer to the traditions of Western art, which has its roots in Christianity and portraiture. Pat Parsons, co-founder of the Web and Parsons Gallery in Bedford, was an early supporter of self-taught artists. In 2006 she gave over 100 pieces of outsider art to the Loeb Art Center as a seed collection, in the hopes of attracting other donors. More than 50 of the works will be on view in this show. Parsons graduated from Vassar in 1951. The opening reception on February 13 will include the lecture “Through the Lens of Language: Self-Taught Artists from Dubuffet to Today” by Brooke Davis Anderson of the American Folk Art Museum, at 5:30pm. “Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection” will be shown at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie from February 13 through April 26. (845) 437-5632; www.fllac.vassar.edu. —Sparrow Mose Tolliver’s Self Portrait will be exhibited as part of “Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection,” at the Lehman Loeb Art Center through April 26.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM FORECAST

Memoir in Performance 4pm-5:30pm. First Annual Woodstock Memoir Festival. $6. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079.

Writers, Musicians, and Memoir 2pm-5pm. $6. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079.

Word Upstage! 6pm. Potluck dinner followed by regional women writers reading original love poetry. Pine Hill Community Center, Pine Hill. 254-5469.

An Evening with the McCourt Brothers 7pm-9pm. Bearsville Theater, Woodstock. 679-4406.

Spitting in the Face of the Devil: An Autobiographical Theatrical Monolog 8pm-9:30pm. First Annual Woodstock Memoir Festival. $12. Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-9957. String of Pearls 8pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821.

WORKSHOPS Valentine Roses Bouquets 9:30am-4:30pm. Be inspired. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Home Building Seminar 11am-1pm. Atlantic Custom Homes, Cold Spring. 558-2636.

SUNDAY 15 ART Open Atelier-Drop in and Paint 9:30am-12pm. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

String of Pearls 2pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821.

WORKSHOPS Art of Still Life Workshop 9:30am-4:30pm. $80. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

MONDAY 16 KIDS Winter Break Day Camp Call for times. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205. A Girl Scout Winter Wonderland Call for times. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205.

MUSIC Celtic Session 7:30pm. Traditional Irish music. New World Home Cooking, Saugerties. 246-0900.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

David Kraai 10pm. Oasis Cafe, New Paltz. 255-2400.

TUESDAY 17

CLASSES

ART

Acting II 1pm-3pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Drop in and Paint! With Watercolor 10am-12pm. $10. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

DANCE

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

WCS/California Mix 6:30pm-9pm. Beginner lesson in West Coast Swing at 6. $5. White Eagle Hall, Kingston. (914) 475-0803.

Tune Up Your Frequency 6:30pm-8:30pm. $20/$15. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

EVENTS

CLASSES

Hudson Valley Cheese Festival 2009 2pm-5pm. A celebration of great cheeses, fine wines, and culinary talent from the Hudson Valley. $40. Deffebach Gallery, Hudson. (917) 597-9865.

Handbuilding 10am-1pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133.

Imago Relationship Tools 2pm-5pm. Presented by Clayton Horsey, MA CIRT. Courtyard Marriot, Kingston. 679-2282.

FILM Rehabilitation Through the Arts 3pm. Film screening with film maker and a wine reception. $10. Rosendale Theater, Rosendale. 658-8989.

MUSIC Adrenaline Hayride Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300. Lisa Dudley 12pm. Acoustic. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500. Woodstock Memoir Festival 2pm. Acoustic. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079. Trail Mix Concert 2:30pm. $20. Olive Free Library, West Shokan. 657-2482. Saugerties Pro Musica 3pm. Featuring Dennis Mackrel, jazz percussionist. $12/$10. Saugerties United Methodist Church, Saugerties. 246-7802. Morris & Piper and XCalibur 4pm. Mahoney’s Irish Pub, Poughkeepsie. 471-3027. Unplugged Acoustic Open Mike 4pm. $6/$5 members. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559. Willie Nelson 7:30pm. With special guests Asleep at the Wheel. $35-$65. Proctors, Schenectady. (518) 434-1703.

THE OUTDOORS Minnewaska Jenny Lane to Rainbow Falls Call for times. 10 miles. Call for location. 454-4428. Singles and Sociables Snowshoe or Hike: Undercliff 10:30am-1pm. 5 miles. Meet at the West Trapps Trailhead, New Paltz. 255-0919. Van Leuven Cabin Hike 2pm-3:30pm. 2-mile hike. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919.

THEATER

Story Time, Music & Movement 10am. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Diva Call for times. Sofie Krog Theater, Denmark. $15/$12 members. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

MUSIC Open Mike 10pm. Oasis Cafe, New Paltz. 255-2400.

THE OUTDOORS

THEATER

Tea and Critique! 12pm-1pm. Feedback and critique. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

A Transformative Journey Through the Human Energy System 3:30pm-5pm. Inquiring Mind/Muddy Cup, Saugerties. 246-5775.

Howie Mandel 7pm. Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston. 339-6088.

KIDS

Acrylic Painting Studio 1:30pm-3:30pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

A Girl Scout Winter Wonderland Call for times. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205.

THURSDAY 19

Zikr - Sufi Healing Circle 7:30pm. Woodstock Sufi Center, Woodstock. 679-7215.

Art Brut: Group Exhibition 6pm-9pm. Outsider art that refers to works by those outside of mainstream society. Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh. 562-6940 ext. 119.

CLASSES

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

Beginning Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133.

Practitioners at 69 Main Street Open Studio 2pm-4:30pm. Discover the health benefits of massage therapy. Madhuri Therapeutics, New Paltz. 797-4124.

Acting Class for Adults 6:30pm-9:30pm. Scene study/technique class. $90/month. Dutch Reformed Church, Woodstock. 679-0154.

Healing Group With the Sound of the Crystal Bowls 6:30pm-7:30pm. $20/$15. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

Life Drawing Classes 7:30pm-9:30pm. Studies in life drawing. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

DANCE

Tribalantics Fusion Belly Dance Salon 8pm. $10. Woodstock Mothership, Woodstock. 684-5216.

The Muddy Lindy 8pm-10pm. Casual swing stomp. The Muddy Cup, Kingston. 338-3881.

THE OUTDOORS

SPOKEN WORD Gallery Talk with Beth E. Wilson 7pm. Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz. 257-3858.

KIDS

WORKSHOPS

http: hudson teen theatre project 4:30pm-7pm. Theatre improvisation workshops. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Deepening Our Relationship to Spirit 7pm-9pm. $15/$20. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

MUSIC

FRIDAY 20

Harlem String Quartet 8pm. $10/$8/$6. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869.

CLASSES East Meets West 11am-Friday, February 20, 2pm. Cooking with Chef Matthew Locricchio. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Contradance 8pm-11pm. 7pm jam session. $10/$5 students. Arlington Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie. 473-7050.

Freestyle Frolic 8:30pm-1am. Wide range of music spun by eclectic DJ’s. $5/$2 teens and seniors/children free. Knights of Columbus, Kingston. 658-8319.

EVENTS EatLocalFoods Winter Farmer’s Market 9am-1pm. Robin’s Produce, New Paltz. 3rd Annual Mardi Gras 12pm-6pm. Ice carving competition, mask-making workshop, costume contest, food, music, parade. Historic Rondout Waterfront, Kingston. www. krbaonline.org. 339-6925.

KIDS Celtic Heels Irish Dance 11am. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

MUSIC Eilen Jewell Call for times. Club Helsinki, Great Barrington, MA. (413) 528-3394.

ART

Kidtopia 11am. House band Ratboy Junior with a special guest each week. Utopia Soundstage, Woodstock. 331-6949.

Starving Artist Sale 9am-6pm. Works by local artists. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Bob Alonge 2pm. Acoustic. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500.

CLASSES

Stephen Kaiser Group 7:30pm. Babycakes Cafe, Poughkeepsie. 485-8411.

Ballroom Dance Class Call for times. $75. Business Resource Center, Kingston. 339-2025.

EmmyLou Harris 8pm. With Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Buddy Miller. Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston. 339-6088.

EVENTS

THE OUTDOORS

Fundraising Potluck for Clearwater 6pm-9pm. Benefit for Clearwater. Lynch’s Marina, Saugerties. 454-7673 ext. 107.

Preserve Singles and Sociables Snowshoe or Hike: Duck Pond 10am-3pm. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919.

MUSIC

SPOKEN WORD

Tannahill Weavers Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300.

Cartoon Marriage: Adventures in Love and Matrimony 4:30pm. With the New Yorker’s Cartooning Couple. Merritt Bookstore, Millbrook. 677-5857.

An Infectiously Funky Pied Piper of Jazz Flute 7pm. $10. Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh. 569-3179.

SPOKEN WORD

Designing the Home Garden 6pm-9pm. $45. Business Resource Center, Kingston. 339-2025.

The Woodcocks 9pm. Hyde Park Brewing Company, Hyde Park. 229-8277.

Book Signing with Marta Szabo 12pm-1:30pm. Author of The Guru Looked Good. Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock. 679-2079.

African Drum 7pm-8pm. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

Mike and Ruth 9:30pm. Folk, traditional. Babycakes Cafe, Poughkeepsie. 485-8411.

FORECAST CHRONOGRAM 2/09

Starving Artist Sale 9am-6pm. Works by local artists. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Photoshop 101 6pm-8pm. Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson. (518) 828-1915.

West Coast Swing Dance Jam 7:30pm-10:30pm. The Muddy Cup, Kingston. (914) 475-0803.

A Course in Miracles 7:30pm-9:30pm. Study group with Alice Broner. Unitarian Fellowship, Poughkeepsie. 229-8391.

ART

Gratitude Circle 7:30pm-9pm. $75. The Living Seed Yoga & Holistic Center, New Paltz. 255-8212.

DANCE

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

SATURDAY 21

Marking Time 6pm-8pm. Artists from the NYFA Mark Program. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Give a Hoot Owl Hike 6:30pm-8:30pm. Esopus Meadows Point Preserve, Esopus. 473-4440 ext. 270.

WEDNESDAY 18

The Lady with all the Answers 8pm. Mohonk Mountain Stage Company. $16/$12 members. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

Heart Healthy Educational Breakfast Session 7:45am. Center for Preventative Medicine & Cardiovascular health. Holiday Inn, Kingston. 905-2132.

Belly Dance Class 7:30pm-9pm. Casperkill Recreation Center, Poughkeepsie. (914) 874-4541.

Slide Lecture Series 7:30pm. Featuring Tasja Keetman, Britt Brown, and Laureen Griffin. Canaltown Alley Arts Center, Rosendale. 658-9133.

Closer 8pm. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

Mount Beacon Morning Ranger Hike 10am-1pm. Mount Beacon, Beacon. www. scenichudson.org/events.

HV Green Burial Meeting 7pm. Starway Cafe, Saugerties. 340-0220.

String of Pearls 8pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821.

Moments Caught 4pm-6pm. Pastel and oil paintings by Dorothy Hellerman. La Bella Bistro, New Paltz. 255-2633.

Advanced Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133.

SPOKEN WORD

101 Dalmatians 7:30pm. New York Conservatory for the Arts Student Theater Company. NYCA Cabaret Theater, Hurley. 339-4340.

FreeStyle Frolic 8:30pm-1am. Barefoot, smoke, drug, and alcoholfree. $5/$2 teens and seniors/children free. Knights of Columbus, Kingston. 658-8319.

THEATER Undercliff Snowshoe or Hike 1pm-4pm. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919.

THEATER NOTHING MEANS NOTHING LAUREN THOMAS

LARRY WINTERS. HIS PLAY, “NOTHING MEANS NOTHING,” WILL BE PERFORMED AT UNISON IN NEW PALTZ ON FEBRUARY 27 AND 28.

Breaking the Trance of Denial Across eras and cultures, harsh lessons have been considered essential to manhood: physical discipline, emotional suppression, competition. Larry Winters learned well, becoming a United States Marine during the Vietnam War, when that notion of manhood was being widely (and often unkindly) questioned. Fifty-eight thousand young soldiers never came back from that journey. A hundred thousand more have since died by their own hands—and who can count the collateral damage to relationships and dreams? We still live in a nation where conditioning a dog to fight gets you jail time, while doing the same to humans is considered honest work. Now, with two wars in progress, the government still debates whether those who admit to suffering emotionally are “really wounded,” and thus deserving of disability checks and medals. As for Winters, though far from unscathed, he managed to combine introspection and passion and become a psychologist, a journey he chronicles in The Making and Unmaking of a Marine (Millrock Writers Collective, 2007). His new play, “Nothing Means Nothing,” “addresses many of the hidden questions of veterans’ lives.” Within those “hidden questions,” true healing may lurk; Winters offers the outlines of a map and a loving heart to light the path. “Nothing Means Nothing” will be performed on February 27 and 28 at 8pm at Unison in New Paltz. (845) 255-1559; www.unisonartsorg. —Anne Pyburn The Pentagon just decided not to award the Purple Heart to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers, saying that PTSD “is not a wound intentionally caused by the enemy, but a secondary effect caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event.” Dollars and semantics. Did the government “intentionally” send troops into war? Do they “intentionally” hide wounded and dead veterans returning under the cover of night? Does the Pentagon “intentionally” create a network of bureaucratic chaos that no sane human being can navigate, preventing many from receiving deserved benefits? Is it “intentional” that we isolate veterans in VA hospitals and don’t face the results of war in our civilian waiting rooms? Where the hell did those traumatic events come from, if not an enemy? I wonder how many of those Pentagon decision makers would like to personally experience the “secondary effect caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event” and have it discounted?

What should the government do, then, to honor and reward its warriors? Abraham Lincoln said, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” He acknowledged the obligation to heal returning soldiers, which would in turn heal society. This obligation is unending and goes beyond parades, VA hospitals, and military medals. Only when we match our soldiers’ commitment to go to war with willingness to help heal them will we begin to stop their suicides, their self-medicating addictions, their spilling of rage in domestic violence, their self destruction. PTSD: mental illness, or natural reaction to huge, continual tidal waves of soulraping adrenalin? I believe PTSD symptoms are the normal reactions to trauma. The responsibility for the illness needs to be on society, not in the individual who’s been sent to war. PTSD devastates soldiers after they return because we no longer understand that honor is the only way to help them heal. A parade, a pat on the back, and we expect the same person back. When that fails, we become frightened and slap a "mental health" label on or brand them social outcasts. Suicidal impulses, rage, violence, homelessness—these are symptoms of societal rejection, worsened by labeling as inexplicably aberrant behaviors that merit punishment. This trance of denial lets us avoid the unfathomable burden of war guilt. The yoke of taking human life is left on the backs of individual soldiers to carry alone throughout the rest of their lives—then we wonder why PTSD symptoms infect our families, communities, and the whole of society. Veterans’ experiences are the very medicine society needs to wake up to the real cost of its wars. How can an individual be a good sister/lover/parent/friend/child to a veteran? Taking time, tolerating silence, waiting, witnessing the presence of another human being, and staying in the room are the skills needed to speak with a war veteran. It has so much more to do with not speaking than speaking. Know that it is an honor if a veteran speaks to you about war, and please share that you’re honored.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM FORECAST

101 Dalmatians 7:30pm. New York Conservatory for the Arts Student Theater Company. NYCA Cabaret Theater, Hurley. 339-4340. String of Pearls 8pm. $15/$12 seniors and children. County Players Falls Theatre, Wappingers Falls. 297-9821. Awesome 80s Prom 8pm. $40/$60. GE Theater at Proctors, Schenectady. (518) 434-1703. Closer 8pm. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080. The Lady with all the Answers 8pm. Mohonk Mountain Stage Company. $16/$12 members. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

WORKSHOPS Landscape Painting 10am-4pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Drumming for Healing & Transformation 2pm-4pm. $20/$25. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

SUNDAY 22 ART Starving Artist Sale 9am-6pm. Works by local artists. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Open Atelier-Drop in and Paint 9:30am-12pm. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

CLASSES Handbuilding 10am-1pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133. Acrylic Painting Studio 1:30pm-3:30pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS. Advanced Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133. Belly Dance Class 7:30pm-9pm. Casperkill Recreation Center, Poughkeepsie. (914) 874-4541.

KIDS http: hudson teen theatre project 4:30pm-7pm. Theatre improvisation workshops. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band 4pm. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300. Kairos: A Consort of Singers 4pm. Cantata 72, Alles nur nach Gottes Willen. Holy Cross Monastery, West Park. 384-6660.

THE OUTDOORS Elderhostel Program- Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing in the Catskills Call for times. Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville. 985-2291 ext. 205. Singles and Sociables Ski or Hike: Lake Awosting 9am-4:30pm. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919.

SPOKEN WORD

Blind Date

EVENTS 15th Annual Winterfest Call for times. Ashokan Center, Olivebridge. 657-8333.

Closer 3pm. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

WORKSHOPS Beginning Art II Workshop 9:30am-4:30pm. $90. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

MONDAY 23 BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Sound Bath with Singing Bowls 7pm-8:30pm. $15/$20. Mirabai of Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-2100.

Songwriters in the Round

Pink Floyd The Wall 7:30pm. Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston. 339-6088.

Albany Symphony Orchestra: Visionary Heroes with Eliot Fisk

KIDS

THE OUTDOORS

Off Hour Rockers 8pm. Rock. Gail’s Place, Newburgh. 567-1414.

Vito Petroccitto & 4 Guys in Disguise

Turtle Talk 1pm. Learn about habits and habitats. Forsyth Nature Center, Kingston. 331-1682 ext. 132.

The Providers 8pm. Blues. La Puerta Azul, Millbrook. 677-2985.

WEDNESDAY 25 BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

CLASSES African Drum 7pm-8pm. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

EVENTS 1st Annual Progressive Dinner 5:30pm-9pm. Presented by the New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce. $75. Call for location. 255-0243.

MUSIC

Purge 8:30pm. With Surrender The Arms, Dead To Rise, Risk All In Life. The Loft, Poughkeepsie. 486-0223. RK: Roman Klun 9pm. Alternative. Dave’s Coffee House, Saugerties. 246-8424. Double Dynamite 9pm. Hyde Park Brewing Company, Hyde Park. 229-8277. The Rhodes 9:30pm. Rock. Muddy Cup, New Paltz. 338-3881. DJ Lady Verse 10:30pm. Hip hop. Steelhouse, Kingston. 338-7847.

SPOKEN WORD

Steel Magnolias 8pm. Canterbury Theatre Ensemble. $12/$10 seniors and children. The Storm King School, Cornwall-onHudson. 534-7892. Three Phantoms In Concert 8pm. A benefit concert for the Jenna’s Dream Foundation. Paramount Center for the Arts, Peekskill. (877) 840-0457.

THURSDAY 26

Gratitude Circle 7:30pm-9pm. Workshop to guide you in discovering the transformative power of gratitude. $75. The Living Seed Yoga & Holistic Center, New Paltz. 255-8212. Zikr - Sufi Healing Circle 7:30pm. Woodstock Sufi Center, Woodstock. 679-7215. Beginning Wheel 6pm-9pm. Clay class. Women’s Studio Workshop Gallery, Rosendale. 658-9133. Acting Class for Adults 6:30pm-9:30pm. Scene study/technique class. $90/month. Dutch Reformed Church, Woodstock. 679-0154. Life Drawing Classes 7:30pm-9:30pm. Studies in life drawing. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

Tannahill Weavers Call for times. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300.

DANCE

Celtic Session 7:30pm. Traditional Irish music. New World Home Cooking, Saugerties. 246-0900.

The Muddy Lindy 8pm-10pm. Casual swing stomp. The Muddy Cup, Kingston. 338-3881.

MUSIC

ART

Elly Wininger 6:30pm. Acoustic. High Falls Cafe, High Falls. 687-2699.

Drop in and Paint! With Watercolor 10am-12pm. $10. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Tom Jones 7:30pm. $39.50-$59.50. Palace Theater, Albany. (518) 465-3334.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

THEATER

Drop in Meditation 5:30pm-7pm. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

As Bees in Honey Drown 8pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-3880.

FORECAST CHRONOGRAM 2/09

THE OUTDOORS Explore Poughkeepsie History & Architecture 10am. 30 minute showing of locally made documentary film with 2 hour walk through Poughkeepsie. Call for location. 452-5010. Singles and Sociables Ski or Hike: Undercliff/ Overcliff 10am-2pm. $9/members free. Meet at the West Trapps Trailhead, New Paltz. 255-0919.

THEATER Just for Laughs 7pm. Mohonk Mountain Stage Company. $5. Whittaker Hall, Newburgh. 569-3179.

8pm. $17/$12 kids. Palace Theater, Albany. (518) 465-3334.

Closer 8pm. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

WORKSHOPS

An Evening With Edgar Cayce 7pm-9pm. $20/$15 in advance. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

9pm. Hyde Park Brewing Company, Hyde Park. 229-8277.

THEATER

As Bees in Honey Drown 8pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-3880.

DanceFIT 7pm-8pm. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

9pm. Bodles Opera House, Chester. 469-4595.

As Bees in Honey Drown

Open Mike 10pm. Oasis Cafe, New Paltz. 255-2400.

Digital Scanning Call for times. Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock. 679-9957.

Stephen Kaiser Group

Nothing Means Nothing: Larry Winters 8pm. Talk, poetry, readings dealing with issues facing veterans of war. $16/$12 members. Unison Arts & Learning Center, New Paltz. 255-1559.

SATURDAY 28 BODY / MIND / SPIRIT Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy and Meditation 11:30am-1:30pm. Ven. Lama Pema Wangdak. Palden Sakya Center, Woodstock. 679-4024.

8pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-3880. All My Black Children II

Closer 8pm. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080. Steel Magnolias 8pm. Canterbury Theatre Ensemble. $12/$10 seniors and children. The Storm King School, Cornwall-onHudson. 534-7892. Women: Patricia Naggiar 8pm. $12/$10 members. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

SUNDAY 1 MARCH DANCE Forever Tango 7pm. Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA. (413) 528-0100.

EVENTS

DANCE

28th Annual Antique Toy & Train Show

DanceFest 2009 7pm. Performances by local dance schools. $15/$10 children and seniors. New Paltz High School, New Paltz. 256-9300.

10am-3pm. $3. Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson. (518) 828-4181 ext. 5513.

EVENTS EatLocalFoods Winter Farmer’s Market 9am-1pm. Robin’s Produce, New Paltz. Maple Sugar Tours 11:30am-3pm. $7/$5 members. Hudson Highlands Nature Museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center, Cornwallon-Hudson. 534-5506 ext. 204.

Maple Sugar Tours 11:30am-3pm. $7/$5 members. Hudson Highlands Nature Museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center, Cornwallon-Hudson. 534-5506 ext. 204.

MUSIC Chrissy 2:30pm. Acoustic. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500.

Tour the Daniel Smiley Research Center 1:30pm-3pm. $9/free members. Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz. 255-0919.

Buckwheat Zydeco

12th Annual Chili Bowl 3pm-8pm. Rosendale Recreation Center, Rosendale. 658-9133.

SPOKEN WORD

KIDS

4pm. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. 855-1300.

Artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles 4pm. $12.50/$10 members. Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, Peekskill. (914) 788-0100.

Thomas Workman 10:30am. Instruments from around the world. Kingston Library, Kingston. 331-0507.

THEATER

The Dragon King by Tanglewood Marionettes 11am. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

2pm. $16/$14 seniors, faculty and students. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-3880.

MUSIC

7pm-9pm. Community coffeehouse. Pine Hill Community Center, Pine Hill. 254-5469.

Commander Cody and Professor Louie and the Crowmatix

Faculty Jazz Ensemble 8pm. $10/$8/$3. SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz. 257-7869.

MUSIC

TUESDAY 24

James Krueger 7pm. Pine Hill Community Center, Pine Hill. 254-5469.

FILM

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

101 Dalmatians 2pm. New York Conservatory for the Arts Student Theater Company. NYCA Cabaret Theater, Hurley. 339-4340.

6pm. Steelhouse, Kingston. 338-7847.

7:30pm. Babycakes Cafe, Poughkeepsie. 485-8411.

Putting Hope and Sense Back into Foreign Policy 4pm. Frida Berrigan. Friends Meeting House, Poughkeepsie. 485-8627.

THEATER

2pm. Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe, Red Hook. 758-6500.

Jay Ungar & Molly Mason 8pm. American roots. $20/$15 members. Hudson Opera House, Hudson. (518) 822-1438.

Healing Group With the Sound of the Crystal Bowls 8pm-9pm. $20/$15. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

MUSIC

Josh Tyler & Sarah Elia

MUSIC

Community Music Night 8pm-9:45pm. Six local singer-songwriters. Rosendale Cafe, Rosendale. 658-9048.

BODY / MIND / SPIRIT

Acting II 1pm-3pm. $100. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Ballroom Dance Class Call for times. $75. Business Resource Center, Kingston. 339-2025.

11am. House band Ratboy Junior with a special guest each week. Utopia Soundstage, Woodstock. 331-6949.

7:30pm. Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA. (413) 528-0100.

Women’s New Moon Gathering 7pm. The Dreaming Goddess, Poughkeepsie. 473-2206.

CLASSES

Kidtopia

Pre-School Story Hour 10:30am-11:30am. Ages 2-5. Morton Memorial Library, Rhinecliff. 876-2903.

MUSIC

Tea and Critique! 12pm-1pm. Feedback and critique. Wallkill River School and Art Gallery, Montgomery. 457-ARTS.

Manifesting With Group Energy 3:30pm-5:30pm. Sage Center for the Healing Arts, Woodstock. 679-5650.

FRIDAY 27

Bucky Pizzarelli Call for times. With special guests Gene Bertoncini & Frank Vignola. $25. Ritz Theater, Newburgh. 562-6940 ext. 107.

As Bees in Honey Drown

Steel Magnolias 2:30pm. Canterbury Theatre Ensemble. $12/$10 seniors and children. The Storm King School, Cornwallon-Hudson. 534-7892. Closer 3pm. Center for Performing Arts, Rhinebeck. 876-3080.

MUSIC RONNIE SPECTOR DEBRA GREENFIELD

Bad Girl Hits Bearsville As the lead voice of archetypal girl group the Ronettes, Ronnie Spector, who will perform at the Bearsville Theater on February 14, rode her infamous producer and sometime husband Phil Spector’s celebrated “Wall of Sound” to the peak of the charts, belting out such classic hits as “Baby, I Love You,” “Walking in the Rain,” “I Can Hear Music,” and what is perhaps the most uplifting and transcendentally perfect pop single of all time, 1963’s “Be My Baby.” Born Veronica Bennett in Spanish Harlem, Spector and her fellow Ronettes—her sister Estelle and cousin Nedra Talley—worked as stage dancers and backup singers for other artists and made a string of obscure singles before coming to the attention of Phil Spector, who remade the trio's image into gum-snapping New York "bad girls," complete with tight skirts, heavy eyeliner, and beehive hairdos. "Be My Baby" was actually the Ronettes' first effort with their new producer, and became a runaway smash, leading to the group touring with both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. After the heady days of the Ronnettes came to a close, Spector married Phil Spector, and cut a pair of solo singles—including one with the Beatles as her backing band—but spent much of the time under the virtual house arrest of her husband, who insisted she give up her musical career. After finally divorcing, she recorded several tracks with a new lineup of the Ronettes and waxed the Billy Joel-penned solo anthem “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” which features Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Chart success came again in 1986 when she dueted with Eddie Money on “Take Me Home Tonight.” Since then Spector has kept busy as a performer and assumed the mantle of inspirational indie/punk godmother, releasing the acclaimed Joey Ramone-produced She Talks to Rainbows on the decidedly underground Kill Rock Stars label in 1999, covering tunes by Johnny Thunders, the Ramones, and Marshall Crenshaw—as well as the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby," a song Brian Wilson originally wrote for her—and recording with the Misfits and the Raveonettes. Spector will premier “Beyond the Beehive,” a one-woman, multimedia show chronicling her life and career, at the Bearsville Theater on Valentine’s Day, February 14. (845) 679-4406; www.bearsvilletheater.com. —Peter Aaron

“Beyond the Beehive,” sounds like quite an ambitious project. Can you tell us about the show and how the concept came about? Well, I did a similar version of the show four years ago at a college in California, with just me and two other girls on piano and guitar, and the people in the audience just loved it. So I sing my songs and the ones I did with the Ronettes, and I talk about the stories behind the songs, and there’s pictures of me with Keith Richards and Joey Ramone and the other great people I worked with, plus I say things that make people laugh, which I don’t think they’re expecting. They come because they love my voice and they love the songs and they love to look at my body and all of that, but they don’t expect me to be funny. You became a star at an incredibly young age, when you were just a teenager. Obviously, most of us have no idea of what that would be like. Can you talk a bit about those days and how they shaped you as an artist and a person? It was the best time of my life. It really was. Not just with the Ronettes, but even before we were the Ronettes. We played at bar mitzvahs and at the Apollo Theater [as the Darling Sisters], and then at the Peppermint Lounge! But we already had all of our own choreography worked out. Every day after school I would get out my 45s by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Students, the Schoolboys, all of those great doo wop groups, and the three of us would sing along to them in front of the mirror in my mother’s room. We were never “groomed” like the Motown groups were. I never understood what that was about—I mean, of course you want to look good, right? So we knew to do our nails and our makeup and that stuff already. What do you think made the Ronettes’ music stand out at the time? What made it so special in the context of the early 1960s musical landscape? It was really a combination of things; my voice, which was very “innocent” back then, and there was the sound and the production. Plus I was in love with the producer and he was in love with me, too. That never hurts the music. But I was so young when I married him and he took advantage of that to control me and ended up just keeping me from doing anything. Finally my mom came to visit and said, “This guy is a loony, you have to get out of here,” and she helped me escape. Even almost 50 years after the Ronettes' heyday, the group's music continues to resonate with so many different types of people from every walk of life—from punks

to baby boomers to toddlers. What gives the songs their universal appeal? I don't know, but I just got back from playing the UK and every club we played was jampacked. There are kids 14, 15, 16 years old at my shows. Parents come with their really young kids to show them who they listened to when they were kids. They tell them how I was the first "pop" girl, before Madonna or anyone else. Which contemporary artists do you like? Certainly the Raveonettes, with whom you’ve recorded, come to mind, but are there any other young artists whose music reminds you of your own? Do you see any heiresses out there? Not too many, really. I mean, I love other people I’ve worked with like Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen. I like the Raveonettes and Amy Winehouse I love. I do one of her songs, “Back to Black.” I do like some rap, but with so much of it I can’t understand the words. Congratulations on being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. How did that feel for you? What was the experience of the induction ceremony like? I got so nervous [at the ceremony]. I still haven’t felt the impact of [being inducted]. I played with Paul Schaffer and my band, but when [presenter Keith Richards] gave me my award I just got it and ran off the stage. It was really hectic. We did “Walking in the Rain” in the sound check and Sammy Hagar was there, and he came up to me afterward and he had tears in his eyes and was telling me how moved he was—and that was just the sound check! Your most recent album was 2006’s The Last of the Rock Stars (High Coin Records). Have you been working on a follow-up, or are there any other studio projects in the works? That album only came out in England but now we’re working to get it out in America. But I’m writing new songs, too. I recorded a new song called “True” with Keith Richards six months ago. [Sings chorus.] It sounds great! The process of putting the show together certainly must have had you reflecting on your life and long career. Looking back, how does it feel? I tell you, it blows my mind. It really does. It’s amazing, even I can’t believe it. It’s like a dream. I had so much of my career taken away from me for so long and was hidden away for years by someone who was obsessed with me. But this is what I do—I was meant to perform.

2/09 CHRONOGRAM FORECAST

Planet Waves EMIL ALZAMORA

BY ERIC FRANCIS COPPOLINO

The Delicate Sound of Lightning

arack Obama’s inauguration chart is that of a world in transition, or one about to unravel. These may amount to the same thing, necessary aspects of the same process; though if you ask me, this is a dangerous chart. We live in dangerous times and most of us have no clue about the extent or depth of this fact, nor its profound virtue. The time of the regular inauguration is constitutionally fixed, at noon on January 20, after the election. This year it was on a Tuesday—that is, as this is being written, next Tuesday. The Sun is always in the first degree of Aquarius, and Taurus is always rising. In fact, the degree 14+ Taurus has been the rising degree since the second time Nixon was sworn in. The image associated with 14+ Taurus is a man braving a storm. The degree associated with the first degree of Aquarius is “an old Adobe mission in California.” One is a personal symbol, an individual braving a storm; the other is about the legacy we leave behind for the benefit of others. You can look forward to these charts for generations; assuming that the scheduled time is not changed (that’s only happened once, when inaugurations were moved to January 20 by the 20th Amendment), which is unlikely to happen for a while, you can get glimpses ahead at history. We can also look back and see how the astrology reckons with what actually happened—something that, by the way, most astrologers are reticent to do. The question is what these charts really mean; they do seem to mean something. Inauguration charts for both of Clinton’s terms and both of Bush’s terms were dark, suggesting extraordinary controversy and contention. And, with 20/20 hindsight, had we understood Nes-

PLANET WAVES CHRONOGRAM 2/09

sus, we could have predicted a sex scandal for Clinton’s second term. Bush’s charts had death painted all over them; astrologers all wondered whether it would be him. Bush miraculously managed to survive his two terms (despite the curse of the “zero year,” but he’s leaving office as broken a man as Bill Clinton was, though without Clinton’s poise: Bush is trying to convince us that he has left a brilliant historical legacy. I think that this reveals the extent of his hubris: The nation is hobbled by two wars and bankrupt banks, and both industries associated with the American Dream, the home and the car, are devastated. Tuesday’s chart has several distinct features that speak of rapid change in movement that sets in instantly upon the inauguration. Two stand out right away: Mercury is not only retrograde, but it’s also about to change signs to Capricorn. And the Moon is void of course. It’s so close to the end of Scorpio that had the inauguration happened just 24 minutes later, it would be taking place under a Sagittarius Moon with a very different feeling. Also, we know that Pluto is at the beginning of its journey through Capricorn; and that Saturn, the ruling planet of that sign, is being opposed repeatedly by Uranus. These are longer-term symbols of changes to the structure of society, including government, business, and perhaps the nation itself. Finally, there is something that had long confounded me and is now starting to make a lot more sense. Two symbols of the marital partner— the asteroid Juno and a centaur planet called Chariklo—are occupying prominent places in this chart. Indeed, Juno is the most elevated planet in the chart. Now that we know something about Michelle Obama, we

can see that she is likely to have an extraordinary leadership role as her husband begins the task of cleaning up the mess left by eight years of Bush and half a century of an unbridled military-based economy. Let’s look more closely at these chart factors, remembering to keep them in context of one another. Mercury Retrograde The inauguration chart has with retrograde Mercury making an exact interior conjunction to the Sun in the first degree of Aquarius. This is three statements in one: Mercury is retrograde; it’s exactly conjunct the Sun; and it’s about to change signs. I am sure everyone aware of this is wondering what this Mercury retrograde means. Things never go as planned with Mercury retrograde; never is a strong word and I am using it consciously. Things don’t necessarily go badly under Mercury retrograde, but the plan changes. Events and information can be confusing, and it’s difficult to get to the essence of the problem. Retrogrades tend to go particularly poorly if you don’t have a little money stashed away and if you don’t take care of your computer, your car, and other basic technology devices. I checked inauguration charts going back to Nixon in 1969. Mercury is always in Capricorn or Aquarius when the new president is sworn in; more often it’s in Capricorn. It’s only been retrograde twice in that time: when Nixon was inaugurated in 1969, and when Daddy Bush was inaugurated in 1989; both times it was in Aquarius when retrograde. It’s never been in a configuration even close to what we’re witnessing now, with Mercury at the edge of a sign and about to change signs so quickly, so at least that symbolism fits the picture; we are in unique, edgy, and unpredictable days. Mercury rules the chart’s second house, that of values and wealth. It’s about to change signs moving backwards, from Aquarius to Capricorn, which is a good symbol of a recession. But it also speaks to mentality. The president, in part represented by the Sun conjunct Jupiter in Aquarius, is a progressive person who has cloaked himself as a moderate, kind of like George Bush did (Bush was a radical conservative who claimed to be a moderate). The public, for its part, is reticent to express its progressive values, even though it may have them deep down on some personal level. We need to be moving deeper into Aquarius, and we are reluctant to do so. Looked at another way, the money (Mercury, ruler of the second) is going toward the corporations (Capricorn) and not the people (Aquarius). But the money is merely a reflection of values. We are still way too enamored of megamultinational companies for our vittles. We need a national movement of making our own soup, and getting rid of frozen microwavable. The Moon Is Void of Course The void-of-course Moon is one of those things that can drive astrology students nuts, and it has some distinct properties. The easiest way to define it is that the Moon is very late in a sign. More technically accurate is to say that the Moon makes no new major aspects to major planets before entering the next sign. This is true of the inauguration Moon. It’s worth noting that the Moon was void of course for part of Election Day, and that in certain versions of Obama’s many charts (his birth time is not known, despite many claims), it’s also void of course. What I have noticed is that in addition to things not going as planned, unlikely things happen when the Sun or Moon is void. It’s like a little door opens and the usual rules are suspended. If you know this, you can work with it. Awareness is the key, however, and that’s a scarce commodity. The Moon is, however, exactly conjunct a centaur called Amycus, which has a very long orbit of 126 years (about six times longer than

Saturn’s orbit, for reference). Most astrologers would deny that this eliminates the void condition, but you can’t ignore a conjunction if you know about it. Philip Sedgwick suggests that Amycus is about the creation of a long legacy; and also about “doctrines and policies designed to produce a result (policy manuals, creeds), any mechanical device that enables a shift in energy, for instance a clutch for shifting gears, monuments, commandments (as in carved in stone), pictographs, and petroglyphs.” Pluto, Saturn, Aquarius, and Capricorn Barack Obama was elected the very day that Saturn and Uranus—the two rulers of Aquarius—met in an opposition for the first time in 42 years. Two of the largest, most dynamic planets, they will make a total of five meetings through 2012, the second of which is on February 5—just two weeks after the inauguration. What is interesting about Uranus and Saturn is not just that they represent the new and the old; it’s that both are rulers of Aquarius (traditional and modern, respectively), which are meeting in a faceoff that I previously described as pluralist versus fundamentalist. That division is not gone; it was not solved by the election. Indeed, the split may only be beginning. Let’s consider Pluto in Capricorn, which along with its incestuous cousin, Saturn opposite Uranus, speaks to the restructuring of society. I just turned on CNN for one of my three-minute surveys of the news, and the lead story was “Corporate Deathwatch.” Major companies, including two that got multi-billion bailouts in 2008—AIG and Chrysler, along with the New York Times—are on the list of entities that may be chronicled in the obituaries of history. Pluto perched at the edge of Capricorn puts us on notice that the structure of society is changing radically. We only saw the first whispers of this in 2008, though they hardly seemed like whispers at all. We can thank the Cheney-Bush administration for accelerating the process and driving the country $14 trillion dollars into debt—debt which is spread throughout the globe, because governments and corporations on every continent are holding what amount to bad mortgages on the United States itself. We saw a similar version of this story emerge in November 2001, just as Chiron entered Capricorn, as Enron, Worldcom, and Arthur Anderson collapsed in a puff of smoke and broken mirrors. I have written many times that the Chiron-in-Capricorn era, from late 2001 through mid 2005, was a kind of litmus test for Pluto in Capricorn. Chiron will reveal the flaw in any system that, if addressed, will make the system strong and powerful, but if ignored, will cause the system to collapse. I call this theory the Golden Flaw. But it’s not so golden if you do nothing about it, or if you do things that make the situation worse, like plunge the country into a war that costs $8 billion a month. But it may go further. Ridiculous as it may seem seem, there are futurists who are predicting that the United States itself will break up into separate countries, forced into fragmentation by moral divisions and economic degradation. This seems absurd now. Yet remember that for those of us who grew up constantly hearing about the evil empire of the USSR, it was unthinkable that all of Eastern Europe would be rearranged in just a few short years. That is precisely what happened under the Saturn-Uranus conjunction of 1989—and that conjunction has now become an opposition. Dick Cheney and Karl Rove may be wheeled off to their ranches or Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, but they have left a legacy that will last for generations to come. We are the first generation to inherit this legacy, which may include their Trotskyite vision of a new republic arising from the ruins of the old one. They have certainly left us plenty of rubble to work with. 2/09 CHRONOGRAM PLANET WAVES

Planet Waves Horoscopes Eric Francis Coppolino www.planetwaves.net

ARIES

(March 20-April 19)

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, which is why you are always the designated driver of motivation; one expected to put the key into the cosmic ignition and start the engine of the universe. I would propose, though, that you shift your orientation from speed to quality—and that you do this partly in response to the feeling that you’re being observed and scrutinized. You are indeed more visible than ever, which is saying a lot. You are choosing to take a leadership role, which is getting the attention of others in leadership roles, whether it’s helpful attention or not. And while it’s clear that you’re trying to make a name for yourself, this needs to be filed under “don’t worry about it.” I suggest that in support of all your goals and honoring the fact that every move you make counts for extra right how, you be your own most thorough critic and most subdued publicist. Do nothing for the sake of appearances and downplay what you do for other reasons. Rather, ensure that your actions are worth the effort and the expense that is going into them. Work out petty rivalries with a compromising attitude. Remember that your greatest resource is the people around you, which is a reminder to share both responsibility and credit for what you take on. If you’re looking honestly, those nearby will deserve both.

TAURUS

(April 19-May 20)

Now begins a rare kind of journey for you, an extraordinarily conscious journey inward. You possess a passport to realms of awareness that are usually out of your reach. You may also notice that you’re walking through the world in a slightly altered state, as if you’re not 100 percent here, a fact I suggest you take note of, and do your best to counterbalance by grounding yourself. This word, grounding, is overused and under-explained. I would start with space and time; remembering where you are and who you are with at any given moment. Remember that people cannot read your mind, and if you seek their understanding, it’s your responsibility to explain yourself in language they can understand. Then there is inner grounding. What you encounter over the next few months may seem like more than you can handle psychologically, but in reality you’re going to acquire something you’ve been missing for a long time. You’ve exerted prodigious effort toward your worldly goals, and those are going to progress at their own pace. It’s the inner goal of self-recognition and self-affirmation that is the central focus of your charts right now, and, I presume, your life on Earth. In short, you are seeking something that most people will claim is impossible to find; but if you give this process about three months, you may decide you have a different opinion.

GEMINI (May 20-June 21) Mercury has just finished spinning backward, and it’s taken you on a trip from entertaining some high ideals to dealing with the practical matters of a business or partnership situation. Get ready to renegotiate anything you seem to have agreed to during the past few weeks. If you keep an attitude of looking for the opportunity contained within in any sticking point, you’ll be able to accomplish just that. There were moments during the past few weeks when you seemed to arrive at the perfect, mutually beneficial arrangement and you may be wondering where that sense of cooperation went. With Mercury retrograde everything is a work in progress, particularly where human agreements are concerned. This is always true, but things are never quite what they seem under this astrology. I suggest that while you take in the abundant new information emerging from recent discoveries and disclosures that you not drift too far from your original intent, or the spirit of what you agreed to before. Some of the particulars will change. Some of the circumstances are rearranging themselves, and at the moment we are in the middle of eclipses; these, for you, are a reminder to keep a wide perspective. Narrow is not going to work right now, but at the moment, the devil is indeed in the details.

CANCER

(June 21-July 22)

While an eclipse of the Moon later this month is urging you to be careful with your finances, it’s also guiding you directly toward a discovery of some valuable resources that you have likely overlooked. The most important of those resources is something about yourself that you’re forgetting about. Here’s the biggest clue that the astrology is offering. You’re dealing with something in yourself that you view as a flaw: a lack of confidence, an over-active generous spirit, forgetting to take care of yourself before you take care of others; this kind of thing. Inside that flaw is a tremendous strength, concealed by a belief. You keep remembering this, then you keep forgetting. This is the time to remember, and you may remember under some odd or unusual circumstance. It may be how you perceive another person’s struggle that clues you into what you’re really trying to figure out in yourself. Indeed, if you take a bold step and imagine that people are acting out your drama for you in an exaggerated form, and if you give yourself any advice that you feel you might want to give to them, you’re going to arrive at the heart of the matter faster than if you had the help of three therapists. But if you’re going to get the assistance of an expert or advisor, I suggest you choose one, one who is either older than 50 or far more advanced than their years.

PLANET WAVES CHRONOGRAM 2/09

Planet Waves Horoscopes Eric Francis Coppolino www.planetwaves.net

LEO (July 22-August 23) If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having an easy time in your relationships right now, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thank the planets; thank your own wisdom and maturity. Honor your ability to bear witness to what someone else is going through without having to get directly involved. Pay a moment of heed to the old idea that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wise person who can learn from someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mistakes. The circumstances of your life have their roots so far in the past that you might not remember them. Indeed, we barely remember what happened last week, but I suggest strongly that you pay attention and seek to understand the history of the situation. Most of us drag our old stuff around unconsciously, rarely coming to any authentic awareness of what it adds up to, offers as a gift, or cautions about human nature. What youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re witnessing is likely to take some strange twists and turns within a concentrated period of time early in the month; I suggest that you leave your mind open and make no decisions until after a lunar eclipse in your sign and a conjunction to Neptune, all of which are clear after February 11. Until then, so many distortions are possible that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be held to anything you might say, and, for that matter, whatever someone else might say. Drive slowly, and look and listen carefully â&#x20AC;&#x2122;til the mists clear.

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VIRGO (August 23-September 22) Any confrontation can be turned to your advantage: for partnership, for learning, and for resolving old conflicts. Those may be outer conflicts, but the charts seem to point to resolving an inner struggle of some kind involving joining your whole being together as one holistic idea. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that someone is approaching or meeting you face-on and seems to be pushing you further than you seem to want to go, to change faster than is comfortable or express your full power. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve encountered this kind of situation before, perhaps many times before, in recent years, and it would be interesting to hear about the sequence of inner responses youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had as time has progressed. It would be interesting to hear your process of taking on board the inspiration, agitation, or pressure to move forward with long-delayed aspects of your life. You might ask yourself if you invite people to help you along this way; whether you resent their influence; whether you love and crave it; or all of the above. In any event, you appear to be in a situation that is designed to move you forward, and whether sparks are flying, feathers are flying, or brilliant ideas are flying is really up to you. The future has not only arrived, it keeps arriving. And there is a power source of some kind offering itself to you.

LIBRA (September 22-October 23) Creative doorways are opening for you, and they are about to open wider still. From the look of your solar chart, it seems like you have a point of entry into your deeper ideas, artistic impulses, and sexuality. What you may feel you lack is the impulse to do something about it; to keep control over the direction of events and developments. There may be a love interest on the horizon who is distracting your attention from the creative side of this expression, emphasizing the amorous. This person may be serving as a muse, or as a reflection of who you are. Notably, the situation seems to be changing rapidly: If there is someone in your life who has all or most of your attention, their journey seems poised to go inward, which will guide you to do the same thing. If this is a long-term situation, you will need to keep your faith in the process as you and someone else do some very necessary inner work. If this is represents something that has manifested recently, one thing is certain: The events of the next few weeks will set both your life and your creative process in different directions than they might have otherwise. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to you to keep that direction productive and to allow your mind to be set free in the process; which is another way of saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trust yourself.â&#x20AC;?

SCORPIO (October 23-November 22) This must be an emotionally sensitive time for you, though you may not be noticing it that way. I see many different themes, as if there are numerous guests in your emotional house, and you may just be feeling the subtle pressure of their presence, and of all the activity. Yet I have a hunch that as the next couple of weeks progress, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re likely to be filled with the determination to do some early spring cleaning, and get to the roots of all of these different situations. I suggest you be extraordinarily cautious if one of them involves a spouse or long-term live-in partner. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think this person is the problem; to the contrary, I think they are a big part of the solution, or hold certain keys to your own awareness. I am certain (at least looking at your charts) that you are not sure what the real issue is, and as the Sun makes a series of conjunctions, you may decide you have a different theory every day. Make no accusations. Keep them all on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;maybe soâ&#x20AC;? shelf. Most of how you view this situation will depend on two things: whether and how you face your own insecurities; and how you handle a close personal relationship. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Rather than a dialog, have a metalog: Let that which is being discussed to arise as you discuss it.

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2/09 CHRONOGRAM PLANET WAVES

Planet Waves Horoscopes Eric Francis Coppolino www.planetwaves.net

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 22) You are about to start doing the heavy lifting on a mental puzzle that has confounded you for weeks or months. Believe it or not, the factor you’ve been missing is motivation. Few astrologers would call Sagittarians inherently lazy, though I think that you rely on your dragon-styled luck and your easy access to helpful people and situations a lot more than you admit. When that motivation seizes hold of you, you’ll see what I mean. You have all the other factors in place: a large view of the situation; an introspective sense of what you’re going through psychologically and spiritually; and unusual knowledge of the subject area. Now you need to take full responsibility for being the engine. Cultivate careful, precise mental habits. Know when you are wrestling with a closed mind. Be open to the viewpoints of others, but don’t stop with what’s handed to you; research and develop the idea yourself, and take it to the next level. What you are doing at the moment may only seem to have small returns in the bigger world of which you so dearly want to be part. That is surely poised to happen, though in ways you’re not exactly expecting. But if you want your airplane to fly, then make sure you fasten every rivet yourself. Attend to every detail. Don’t expect things to “happen right.” Do the job right the first time.

CAPRICORN

(December 22-January 20)

What a difference one month makes. Three or four weeks ago, you were utterly overwhelmed and wondering how you were going to keep it all together. Today you seem to be collecting the benefits of so much that you went through. Here’s the latest news: Tackle the money thing head on. Money is not about luck. It’s not about deserving the stuff. It’s about drive. You have all the right ideas, resources, opportunities, and experience. You have something that few others possess in such abundance, which is embracing the willingness to change, immediately and as necessary—something that as a Capricorn I don’t suggest you take for granted. Now you need to apply ambition. Not the ambition of the Hollywood kind, but rather that of a truck going up a mountain in low gear. You need to harness the full power of your psychic engine. The astrology says you want to do this fast; I suggest you be slow and methodical and make sure you’re not missing anything obvious. Be particularly critical of what you believe about the world, and prepare to let go of any notion or idea about existence that does not support you and the people around you. When you start to see the results, this will be easier than you think.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19) The Sun’s recent eclipse in your birth sign has left you more determined than ever to be a new person, and perhaps more filled with doubts that this is possible. As the Sun is currently in your sign making a series of conjunctions to planets, you may seem like a different person every day, with different motives and goals and a sense of your personality. This is the trap to avoid: You are one person, with one life. That different “parts” of your psyche may come to the forefront at different times does not mean that you actually different every day; the ego can identify with or model itself after anything it wants to, from Barack Obama to the Victoria’s Secret catalog to “South Park”‘s Eric Cartman to a lover to your mother to whatever you can see with your eyes. In my view, true growth is reaching the stable level beneath all of that, and aligning your “sense of self” with the steady layer beneath the many changes you’re experiencing. All the fluctuation may be there to grant you a license to be inconsistent; and I do see the spiritual value in that, in terms of letting go of toxic self-control. This is all well and good, as long as you’re a person of your word. Speak truly to everyone, keep your promises, and live with your decisions.

PISCES (February 19-March 20)

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You’ve figured out by now that loss has corresponding gain. What you are about to figure out is that you can trust your motives. I know you may have reason to doubt the ultimate aims or intentions of your own highly complicated psychology. You feel the incredible diversity of what a human being is capable of, and in your darkest moments you may recognize that “being a good person” in the way the world defines it is either meaningless or something that you’re not actually capable of. I suggest that you keep your spiritual eyes on this condition of universal potential that you feel; this sense that you’re drawing on a database of the whole human race, all its madness, all its brilliance, and all its doubts. When it comes time to act, to make a decision or to invest your resources (emotional or otherwise); that is, when it comes time to be 100 percent in accord with what is important to you, move with the full confidence of your soul. You do know what is right and you do know what’s required to create the life you want. Certain things may seem way out of reach today; they may seem impossible to manifest, but you know that something else is true. Eric Francis is starting a local astrology class that focuses on personal growth and on learning how to be an astrological writer. For more information, write to dreams@planetwaves.net.

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Gothic Art Paper, Elisa Pritzker, mixed media, 2008 Born in Argentina, Elisa Pritzker has made the Hudson Valley her home for over 20 years, and has helped to shape the evolution of the regional arts scene in that time, first with the Highland Cultural Center, a multidisciplinary arts organization, then through the Pritzker Gallery at Casa del Arte, and through her own work. Pritzker has received two Congressional Service Awards from Rep. Maurice Hinchey in recognition of her contribution to the cultural community. An artist at home in a variety of media, Pritzker has exhibited across the US and the globe. Gothic Art Paper, from her “Lonely Hearts Club” series, will be shown at the Art Complex in Tokyo later this year. In May, Pritzker will exhibit a solo show on environmental themes, “Project Fresh Green,” at the Mill Street Loft in Poughkeepsie. She is represented by the Franklin 54 Gallery in New York City and Vernmissage London in the United Kingdom. Portfolio: www.elisapritzker.com. —Brian K. Mahoney

CHRONOGRAM 2/09

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