SamPratt.com

Ends & Odds

1. A Claverack firefighter brought the above image to this site’s attention: a satellite view of the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys. (The Mohawk runs vertically, the Hudson horizontally, with Albany near the top center of the image about 1/3 of the way down.)


2. Alan Chartock bids farewell to the glossy regional lifestyle magazine Berkshire Living, which is closing, and offers some thoughts on the state of the publishing industry at his blog.


3. Hudson Democratic alderman nominee Tim Rodgers is rumored to be withdrawing from the 1st Ward race, and considering other options, with ward resident David Marston likely to enter it.


4. Tortillaville, the popular tacqueria and gathering spot in Hudson’s 300 block will be reopening for the season on Memorial Day weekend.


5. Photographer Peter Donohoe is exhibiting his photographs of barns and farmsteads at the new Vanderbilt House in Philmont, and holding a reception on Thursday the 26th from 4–6 pm.


6. In anticipation of their upcoming Media issue, the Columbia County quarterly Our Town held an afternoon-long photoshoot last Sunday with Johannes Courtens and area media figures (media defined very broadly here) from author Bill Kennedy to comic Tom Davis. The issue is being guest edited by former Esquire scribe and noted songwriter Jake Brackman; Harper’s/GQ writer Dave Gargill is tackling the state of NYC publishing; and Yours Truly will have a long piece about the state of local media.

Quotable Alinsky

Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.

 — SAUL ALINSKY (IN RULES FOR RADICALS, 1971)

Tu(n)esay: Act II

Notes about Freedom by Act II, from the soundtrack of the madcap Swedish movie Slim Susie / Smalla Sussie. Very Gilbert O’Sullivan. Also don’t miss this ridiculous gem (the song starts around 1 minute in) or this more rueful one.

Typo Phile: The Corporate Washroom

Some typos are more charming than others... This one’s from the unisex restroom at Chopstick, the new cheap-but-flavorful Thai/Japanese/Chinese eatery in Catskill.

Typo Phile: Death and Typos

An article in today’s online edition of The Register-Star about a fatal motorcycle accident is, sadly, replete with typographical errors:

• The deceased’s first name appears as Afred instead of Alfred.
• His street address is given as Dear Haven not Deer Haven.
• Eyewitnesses is oddly rendered as two words.
• And the key word brake appears as break.

Impressively, however, succumbed was spelled correctly...

Readers and the family of the 25-year-old man who died both deserve better; a clean copy of his obituary, from The Poughkeepsie Journal, can be found here.

(Previous installments of this occasional site feature can be reviewed here.)

Saturday Art: Sol Lewitt

This installation can be seen at The Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, which among other things has a terrific collection of Hudson River School paintings.

Quotable Martial

A novice always behaves with propriety.

 — MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS (1ST CENTURY A.D.)

Sirota gets it

Writing in Salon, David Sirota makes some telling points along similar lines as my Monday piece, The Banality of Evildoers... Thanks to all the linkers for the traffic.

Lo, how the mighty have fallen

Once influential and stealthy, American Freemasons have taken lately to advertising heavily on sports radio to drum up new members. The ads, featuring “Ben Franklin,” can be heard and seen here.

Ripped from the blogs

Rather than ripping off other people's headlines, The Register-Star might want to do a bit of actual investigative work on the Rodgers-Cheddie fracas, rather than just waiting around for police blotters and press releases to roll across their desks.

What, for example, was Cheddie's role (if any) in screwing up Rodgers’ arrangements with his 1st Ward landlord? By several accounts, this was a lot like somebody letting the air out of a coworker's tires, then complaining to the boss that the person was late to work... all so they can get the other person's promotion.

Word also is that Rodgers may have already found other nearby accommodations, overcoming the previous alleged interference.

Not so curious, after all

A letter entitled “Curious” in today’s Register-Star asks: “How come I do not see any war protesters now?” The author, David Scott of Hudson, then suggests that war protests are “really about who is president, and not the lack of peace in the world.”

The only curious thing here, however, is how Mr. Scott has managed to remain unaware of the weekly anti-war protest in Hudson.

Since the Fall of 2001, Martin Baumgold and others (such as Bruce Frishkoff) have gathered every Saturday afternoon for two hours at the southwest corner of Hudson’s 7th Street park—to protest against war and for peace.

While these protests began during the Bush administration, they have (contrary to Scott’s assertion) continued regularly since Obama was elected.

Meanwhile, any simple Google query on “peace protests” or “war protests” will quickly lead the searcher to similar groups, both local and international, which have continued their efforts well after Bush left office—for example, United for Peace & Justice.

Tu(n)esday: Empire of the Sun

01 We Are The People (remix)

NOTE: There are a zillion remixes of Empire the Sun’s We are the People—most of them crappy techno aimed at the lowest common denominator of club kids. The dub-ish, echo-ey version above is by far the best I’ve found, but the DJ responsible remains a mystery.