Walkable Eastwood » Lonnie

A walk in Rochester’s subway

Lonnie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:29:13 +0000

Did you know Rochester used to have a subway? And that part of it was built right in the old Erie Canal aqueduct that crosses the Genesee River to this day? Well, there’s no more water and there’s no more subway, but on September 19, you can do openly what we did somewhat clandestinely with our friend Peter Monacelli and the director of the Rochester Historical Society, Meredith Keller. They’re getting things ready for the World Canals Conference Community Day, so they found a way in where, clearly, a bunch of other people have found a way in, too. You can click on any picture to enlarge it. Then click your back button to return to this page.

To see a much more complete tour of the subway line with a thorough history, take a look at this great site:

Erie Canal Aqueduct Tour

We learn that Rochester has been developing a plan to re-water the old Erie Canal as it goes through the city. What if Syracuse got its canal back, too? We’d be the Venice of upstate. Well, almost.

A city united through performance art

Lonnie — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:26:58 +0000

The upcoming A-OK Weekend - that’s Acts Of Kindness – is a fabulous opportunity to get to know our city better. If all we do is read about what others in other neighborhoods are doing that weekend, it’s a start. But if we go visit other neighborhoods and get to know some other people, how much better! There are more and more fascinating things going on at the neighborhood level, and one of them I learned about recently.

A couple weeks ago, I was standing around at the Arts & Crafts Festival, dressed up like a flamenco singer, when I happened upon Dan Ward and a fellow who was introduced to me as Dennis Heaphy, of the Heaphy tinsmithing family here in Syracuse. Turns out, Dennis is three things interesting to me:

The resident tinsmith for the Statue of Liberty (read more)
A flamenco aficionado who had just been to the extremely narrow Ñ tapas bar in SoHo (so narrow, its name is only one letter long!) where he had been captivated by the same flamenco dancer, Rebeca Tomás, that we’d gotten to know the previous month.
The same fellow I’d been looking for to make replicas of the speaking tube whistle that neighbor Sig Snyder had given me when we discovered speaking tubes in our walls (they’re all over the city, by the way – you might have one, too, if you live on the second floor of a 2- or 3-family house!)

So a few days ago, Dennis stopped over to discuss the speaking tube. I think eventually he’ll help me put this whole thing together so it works again. But the really important thing I learned while standing out on the front porch is that he’s a singer and songwriter who loves theater and who has composed a song entitled No Matter Where You Put It© for the upcoming Tipp Hill Music Festival on Saturday, September 18.

So tell me folks, isn’t this city becoming cooler by the minute? Don’t forget, we also have the neighborhood-uniting Art In Motion Spectacular coming up on Saturday, Sept 11 at 2 pm in Armory Square.

I encourage anyone from Eastwood to visit other neighborhoods and especially their festivals. Not going to them is like never making it to Niagara Falls even though you live in Syracuse. Such a pity.

Art in Motion Spectacular, Sept 11 at 2 pm

Lonnie — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:53:37 +0000

Art in Motion
A Citywide Performance

Saturday, September 11, 2 p.m.
On the green of the MOST, Armory Square

Featuring puppets and participants from four neighborhoods of Syracuse!

Rain location: Plymouth Church, 232 E. Onondaga St.

Additional weekend events:

“Culture and Community Revitalization: Opportunities and Challenges”
Friday, September 10, 5 p.m.
The Warehouse
350 West Fayette Street, Syracuse, NY

“Community Arts and Revitalization of Downtown Syracuse: Next Steps”
Sunday, September 12, 2 p.m.
also at The Warehouse

For Information: valdepra@syr.edu, 315-443-8590 or
openhandtheater.org see Art In Motion

Support from the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Leadership Projects and
New York Council for the Humanities
Open Hand Theater
Imagining America
Syracuse Stage

Thursday’s anti-fracking rally POSTPONED

Lonnie — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:16:49 +0000

Now that the EPA hearing at the Oncenter has been called off for the time being, it has been decided NOT to have the rally until we know where and when that hearing is going to take place. Apparently the oil and gas people are planning on busing in a whole lot of people, so the attention to security is welcome.

I’ll do my best to keep everyone up to date on this. Anyone who wants to is welcome to contact Stacey Smith at 470-0778 or her email at fishswimmingfreely@yahoo.com. She will have updated information as it becomes available.

Winner takes all in fracking conflict of interest

Lonnie — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:48:59 +0000

If I were to say, “Do you know that some politicians are in it just for the influence that gets them the money?” you’d laugh in my face. Of course you know that. There are two kinds of politicians: those who are in it to serve you, and those who are in it to serve themselves. Alas, New York State is rife with the latter, and one of the most blatant is state Senator George Winner (R-NY). While smiling in your face, he’s been double dipping in deals with both the hydrofracking drilling companies and the landowners who got duped by those companies into leasing out their precious natural resources. Read all about it here:

Conflicts of Interest – New York Style: Senator George Winner’s Shale Play

How did the New York State Senate vote a couple days ago on a moratorium on hydrofracking in this state? Take a look (taken from this site):

S8129B Summary
Suspends hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of natural gas or oil until May 15, 2011; suspends the issuance of new permits for such drilling.
S8129B Votes
Vote: Floor – Aug 3, 2010

Ayes (48): ADAMS, ADDABBO, ALESI, BONACIC, BRESLIN, DEFRANCISCO, DILAN, DUANE, ESPADA, FARLEY, FLANAGAN, FOLEY, FUSCHILLO, HANNON, HASSELL-THOMPSON, HUNTLEY, JOHNSON C, JOHNSON O, KLEIN, KRUEGER, LARKIN, LAVALLE, LEIBELL, MARCELLINO, MCDONALD, MONTGOMERY, NOZZOLIO, ONORATO, OPPENHEIMER, PADAVAN, PARKER, Peralta, PERKINS, RANZENHOFER, ROBACH, SALAND, SAMPSON, SCHNEIDERMAN, SERRANO, SEWARD, SKELOS, SMITH, SQUADRON, STACHOWSKI, STAVISKY, STEWART-COUSINS, THOMPSON, VALESKY
Nays (9): AUBERTINE, GRIFFO, LANZA, LIBOUS, LITTLE, MAZIARZ, VOLKER, WINNER, YOUNG
Abstains (2): DIAZ, KRUGER
Excused (2): GOLDEN, SAVINO

My mother always said that you’re known by the company you keep. Makes me kinda wonder what the other “Nays” are up to. Why on earth would they trade whatever money is to be made today for the ruination of the natural environment for us, our children, our grandchildren? So much of New York’s income is based on its current ability to attract people to its natural beauty. Once the fracking jobs are gone, how are we ever going to get our drinking water and our natural environment back? How are we going to get our health back after exposure to all these chemicals?

What are they in it for?

NYS Senate votes to ban fracking for 1 year

Lonnie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:53:19 +0000

A huge step in the right direction was taken last night by the New York State Senate when they voted to put a moratorium on hydro-fracking for one year so that there might be time for further study.

New York Times
N.Y. Senate Approves Fracking Moratorium

Over two thirds of our Senators, including 28 Democrats and 20 Republicans, voted to pass a bill placing a one-year moratorium on “hydro-fracking” — banning this controversial method of gas drilling while experts study the risks it poses to the purity and safety of our drinking water. These leaders bravely defied the threats of the drilling lobby and stood up for the health of all New Yorkers. They genuinely deserve our thanks. – Working Families Party

Syracuse Post-Standard
Report on Pennsylvania natural gas drilling tallies 1,400 violations

“The issue of hydrofracking has become one of the most talked about issues in Upstate New York. I believe we should take a cautious, deliberate approach as we decide how to proceed as a state,” State Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida) and vice president pro tempore of the Senate, said in a news release today. “I voted in favor of a moratorium on hydrofracking because it will provide us with the opportunity to carefully weigh the potential risks to the environment against the potential economic benefits, to learn from other states, and to make an informed decision on the issue.” – CNY Business Journal

Philadelphia Inquirer
Avoiding America’s next drilling disaster

Our work isn’t done yet!

The State Assembly still has to pass this, in September. We must not let up on the pressure, not one bit. Toward that end, please join my never-joins-anything husband Dave at the rally tomorrow:

SAY NO TO HYDRO-FRACKING

Thursday August 12, 2010

5:30-6:00 pm

Gather in front of Syracuse City Hall

Walk (scooter, bike, skateboard) around the State Office Building

Bring Signs

More information here

Please watch this video

Lonnie — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:17:11 +0000

TAKE ACTION – CLICK HERE – send a message to your legislators

Rally in Syracuse for clean water, air and land

Lonnie — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:00:07 +0000

SAY NO TO HYDRO-FRACKING

Thursday August 12, 2010

5:30-6:00 pm

Gather in front of Syracuse City Hall

Walk (scooter, bike, skateboard) around the State Office Building

Bring Signs

On Thursday, August 12, 2010 over 1,000 people are addressing the EPA in a Public Hearing in Binghamton, NY about the EPA’s 2 year study of the impacts of hydro-fracking.

In unison with that Public Hearing, people in CNY are gathering in downtown Syracuse to:

1. Thank City, County and local municipal governments for their statements raising strong concerns about hydro-fracking. Thank federal representatives for their support of the FRAC Act.

2. Call for a statewide 2 year Moratorium and statewide Ban.

3. Urge NYS Legislators to bring the 2 year hydro-fracking Moratorium legislation to the floor for a vote. (S7592 and A10490) Citizens have been calling for action for months and the leadership is refusing to bring the bills to a vote.

4. Call upon the EPA to conduct a comprehensive study of the cumulative, negative impacts on water, air, land, flora and fauna species, human health and safety and natural, rural and agricultural environments.

5. Call upon the EPA to offer more Public Hearings on hydro-fracking across the state and nation.

For more information, call 315-470-0778

Participating Organizations:

Onondaga Creek Conservation Council
People for Animal Rights
Neighbors of Onondaga Nation / Syracuse Peace Council

Eastwood puppet project in Eagle newspaper

Lonnie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:15:13 +0000

You can learn more about the large street puppet we’re building and how it fits in with the city-wide Art-in-Motion project by reading today’s Eagle newspaper:

Art-in-Motion puppet project comes to life in September

We’re meeting today, Thursday, as we do every Thursday:

4:30 – 6:30 pm
Reformed Church of Syracuse
1228 Teall Avenue, Syracuse, NY‎
Near the corner of Teall and James.
(park in the lot or on the street,
walk around to FRONT door of church)

Come take a look, get your hands into it, walk out again if you don’t feel like it, hang around and watch – all are welcome!

At last! We can recycle #5 plastic!

Lonnie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:36:10 +0000

Just over a year ago, I posted an article about recycling beyond the blue bin. Back then, you had to mail your yogurt containers to Cortland, as there was no pick-up point in Syracuse or in Cortland, for that matter. At last, we can get rid of all those yogurt containers we’ve been saving up:

These containers, like many others, are made of #5 plastic. According to the OCCRA site, you can now recycle these:

Wide-mouth plastic tubs, including:

yogurt cups

butter tubs

Cool Whip containers

cream cheese tubs

cottage cheese tubs

some take-out containers

Check the bottom for a #5 symbol to be sure.

The #5s that go in your blue bin are recycled into new products like other #5 containers, flower pots, buckets, thermal long underwear, reusable grocery bags, etc.

Yaay! No more yogurt containers on the back porch!