Shaker Shopping

Shaker shopping to the sweet sounds of Dulcimer Nation Champion, Nina Zanetti. She and her 3-string dulcimer and electronic amp welcomed shoppers to America's First Shaker Settlement this weekend.

Every Christmas season Shaker Heritage Society invites 50-60 local artisans to display their crafts. Nina Zanetti fills the busy hall with arrangements that she and her dulcimer partner Bill Collins put together on CD. She played enough harmonies for me to buy a CD of my own. Others recognize her as the Siena College Biology professor.

Irish inspirations like "Danny Boy" lead to "The Londonderry Air" and appreciation for the Shakers spiritual medley's lead to "Mother's Tongue." There's even a composition in this mix from the 1962 Broadway musical "All American."

Don't Give Up Your Landline Just Yet

The other day an award-winning film producer from the Middle East flew to Albany and hired PilotGirl to help shoot his documentary. A small, low-budget, independent documentary with little cash and little time, but tons of promise for distribution throughout Europe.

I can't disclose the scientists and authority figures we talked to but I can hope the film makes it to America because it impacts anyone who uses a cellphone, computer monitor or wi-fi connection.

As you might have guessed it's about electromagnetic radiation, that invisible stuff we confront every day in our IT world. It's no secret that prominent neurologists have been discouraging cellphone use for years because of a possible cancer connection. Many cancer experts feel there's a direct link between brain tumors and extended cellphone use next to the ear. The FDA does not have enough information to make this claim but the top experts we interviewed concur that this warrants an immediate advisory.

Unlike natural electromagnetic waves (solar and cosmic) the issue has something to do with artificial electromagnetic waves emitting "pulses" that damage living cells in our body.

Like smoking a cigarette, not everybody is affected by EMf in the same way but it does give me pause, wondering how much of a role the cellphone plays in a former colleague's recent diagnosis with malignant brain tumors.

This is very scary stuff and just to be on the safe side of electro-pollution I'm wrapping my phone in a thin shielding mesh material called SKIN-BLOK. Products aimed to help reduce EMf can be found right here in Albany at an unassuming store-front on Madison Ave.

Hedging Bets on Gigawatts

Studs Terkel said “I never met a picket line or petition I didn’t like.”

I like that expression because, on an average, I sign about 3-5 online petitions a month. It's mostly when I need to kvetch about the environment and recycling bottles, cans and newspapers just doesn't seem like enough. That's when I turn to the internet to rant, rave and sign something that I hope makes it to the eyes of a representative in government.

But real changes take thoughtful research, planning, investing and executing, which is why, after hours of listening to 15 technology experts talk about building a renewable portfolio this weekend, I'm taking the plunge back into our risky cesspool of stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

Rather than just encourage thoughtful legislature I'm socking away wee-bits of PilotGirl profits into solar, wind and biogas applications like landfill, waste-water treatment plants and animal/industrial bio waste. Now, doesn't that sound like something you'd want to do on a chilly November Saturday in upstate NY?

20 miles up the road from me is one of only 4 GE Global Division headquarters. It employs over 1500 Ph.D majors churning out solutions to a better planet. President-elect Obama has high demands come January (2.5 million new jobs) but a energy company like GE (like it or not) is well-poised to help achieve that goal.

Given that oil reserves are roughly flat or declining nobody in the panel of 15 experts believes it would be wise to invest in fossil fuels, not when the scientific advances of nano, organic electronics, molecular imaging, sustainable energy and advanced propulsion are within a decade-reach of us.

When Wall Street surged 500 points on Friday after Obama listed Timothy Geithner as a possible Treasury secretary pick, and now, after listening to the pro's preach about the next growth opportunities, well, let's just say "it's time."

And what will I do when I cash out in 2-3 years with my unexpected win-fall? Invest in my own backyard wind turbine and solar panels, of course!

Making Green in Greene, NY

I haven't been able to see much of Greene, NY, a historic community with well-kept homes and antique shops, because I'm on assignment at a major manufacturing facility in Central, NY. Still, I don't anticipate any free time because my crew of 5, 4 from Albany and 1 from Queens, are staying unusually busy touring this corporation for great soundbites, vibrant footage and striking angles.

Having learned that the town was established in 1792, it's no wonder that the plant I'm in has been in business for the last 86 years. The small village of Greene, NY employs over 800 people to built electric lift trucks and the people they hire couldn't be nicer.

Jim, Herb and Dennis escorted me through the industry introducing me to hard-working, lunch-packing blue-collar folk with a lifetime of experience and skill. Every station was well-managed and clean with safety a number one priority. I donned earplugs and plastic eye wear to follow the rules but, unlike several other manufacturing facilities I've been in, this place is free of tom-foolery and tensions.

Free frozen turkeys were given out to all 800 with a handshake by the top brass. How cool is that?

Today is my birthday (can I claim I'm 35 again?) and I'm hanging with my new favorite crew for a few cocktails and great conversation at a favorite Binghamton Italian eatery. I'm psyched to be so lucky to be working this feverishly with such talented comrades. May this year be so fortuitous as to continue indefinitely this way!

Duty, Honor, Country

This is not my photo but a stock photo of the school's graduation ceremonies. Thursday was far less cheery and formal but my crew made the most of the shoot with umbrellas and camera covers. Still, cadets lucky enough to attend four years here are surrounded by beauty, even for a lousy Autumn day.

PilotGirl met up with the producer at the museum for a quick debriefing on the days locations including classrooms in Thayer Hall, exteriors of the new $62 million library and a modernized PE building. When night fell, low gray clouds wafted over the legendary stone church unfurling a dozen stories of hauntings from our tour guide.

Having an assignment at this world-famous campus was a special privilege because I adore Gothic and Romanesque collegiate history and it was founded way back in 1802, originally for military reasons by President Thomas Jefferson.

Sarge, Mutti and me like to make a day out of visiting the museum, the oldest and largest in the country and then paying our respects to the grave sites of Generals Washington, Sherman, Lee, Patton, Bradley and Eisenhower.

Musings on Our Growth Footprint

Reckless urban sprawl, that is sprawl without responsibility, grows no different than terminal cancer. The roads, water lines, sewer lines and electricity are like veins in a human body. After the cancer begins, it recruits new blood vessels to aid in oxygen flow to create more cancerous cells to further branch out into the body and on and on and on. Once cancer or urban sprawl takes shape, it's nearly impossible to contain.

That said I live in urban sprawl. Worse yet, there is an artificially-inflated consumerism that surrounds most development, mine is no exception. The Walmarts, Bed/Bath and Beyonds, Lowes, Staples (actually, I really like Staples) and dozens more big box retailers then generate a phony need, want and desire for 'stuff' nobody would think to buy if it weren't 'on sale.'

None of this progress is organic growth or growth that can sustain the environment indefinitely. It's completely unnatural and unbalanced in favor of profits, consumerism, waste and greed. Some might call this economics, I call it the incremental growth of irresponsible capitalism. In the end, it's the small streams, beautiful wildlife and verdant forests that suffer and this lessens our quality of life dramatically.

Where might all this ideology be stemming from?

Well, one too many green documentaries at midnight under the influence of a cold cappuccino pull at my heart strings but also travel. Whenever I fly over a city at night and see the veins of a 6-lane highway and the uniformity of a treeless development, I think of cancer.

I also think of my step-mom staying vigilant about fighting her cancer despite the odds. I also think of where I live and how many dozens of trees I planted to make up for a reckless developer who mowed everything down to save money.

I think of hundreds of little towns throughout the U.S. benefiting financially from development in the short term but suffering from environmental consequences in the long term. I think of alot of things.

Lastly, I think of Edward Abbey, a passionate environment advocate, who said 'Growth for growth sake is the ideology of a cancer cell.'

Gourmet Meals by College Grads

The girls and I met up at Schenectady County Community College Monday night to dine in style at the Casola Dining Room. It was Stacy's idea and much to our surprise, the dining room was rich in detail with white linen tablecloths, perfect cutlery placement and long stem glassware, just like the table etiquette you'd see in Europe.

From fall through the spring semester, the culinary arts and hotel management students prepare an ever-changing lunch and dinner menu for guests wanting to taste their creations. The students earn their grade through the program and many go onto successful careers in the restaurant business.

Our apprehensive young waiter, obviously a freshman in the program, struggled to uncork the bottle of vino we brought. Alcohol is not served because the students are underage but for a $3 uncorking fee you can bring your own. As our waiter finally poured our toxin, my friends and I could relate to the boy's frustration. Who hasn't waited tables in their early college years and fumbled with a cork screw in public? We paid him no attention and agreed his efforts were commendable and hoped it didn't risk him a lower grade if his teacher was watching.

Upon asking us for our choice of appetizers, Stacy opted for the Ensalade de Nopalitos or prickly pear cactus salad. "Prickly pear"... okay, say those words quickly - "prickly pear" -- am I the only buzz head to think these two words sound hilarious together? I braced myself back from an eruption of laughter. Having to be polite and respectful as to not embarrass my freshman waiter (or my friends) was turning my fine dining experience into a test of maturity.

As Jen often says... "We can't take you anywhere, Sony."

From the entrees, we had our choice of Pozole or southwestern native American stew, grilled breast of chicken adobo with watermelon pico de gallo and chile-rubbed bass. Each description teamed with originality and exotic flavors. Again, these are recipes invented and or influenced by the students in an effort to perfect their cooking and serving skill.

The meal was topped off with a tray of desserts including the infamous "prickly pear cactus" sorbet (God, help me grow up), tequila lime cheesecake and Mexican chocolate cake. We shared the lot with coffee and tea and then waddled back to our cars, happy to know that we shared a 3-course dinner for a mere pittance of $23 each.

For more information on the program and a PDF download of the menu, go to SUNY SCCC. Don't forget to BYO and be on your best behavior.

Local Hike up Windham Mountain

These gentle faces are what greet you just before you park your car and venture up a Catskill hike called Windham Mountain. Well-marked footpaths and gradual climbs make the Catskills some of the best hiking trails in the world.

Two weeks ago the legendary Rip Van Winkle area got socked with snow. Then it melted turning a small trickle into a fast-moving torrent. Upon discovering the sloppy mess and muddy rocks on the north entrance of Escarpment Trail we instead drove to Peck Hollow Road on the south end for a safer start.

Nola, her friend Nina and me fell into an easy hiking pace, just fast enough to keep the heart pumping and slow enough to catch up on our Obama euphoria. It was a warm and sunny day and most of the fallen leaves blanketed the slippery red clay with even more vibrancy.



Nola is the pro-athlete, many times written about here, and Nina is no slouch herself, having climbed in Tanzania and Nepal.

With Nola taking the lead and Nina bringing up the caboose, the 6.5-mile round trip hike went quick. Only a half a dozen hikers interrupted our steady stream of conversation. An enchanted woods with dying balsam and barren spruce trees gave the hike a mystical quality.

Before I knew it we reached the top. Nola pointed to the dizzying summits of Blackhead Range, just parallel to Windham. The cloud level was high enough that we could see Thomas Cole Mt (3950ft), Black Dome Mt (3990ft) and Blackhead Mt (not sure of the altitude).

From the north end of Windham, we had uninterrupted views of the horizon including Hunter Mt in the distance. It had dropped several degrees at the summit so we layered back into our Goretex and gloves. Sitting on a flat rock ledge facing the ridge, we emptied our backpacks, chowing down on breakfast bagels and leftover Halloween candy.

Nola is a 3500 club member having climbed and camped on Windham too many times to count. And Nina is a sister to a famous Hollywood hotshot, someone I promised I wouldn't mention. Between the two of them, I could hike all week and not care how cold it was or how dirty the hiking boots got.

A New Weekend in America

My friend Jenny said it best, "The world is doing the wave this week." And, nobody's arms are flying as high as Mommies raising tomorrow's generation.

After the election, I slipped a kid's book called "Mama Voted for Obama" in Karen's mailbox. Her adopted Korean cutie loves tall buildings, shaking his hips to rap, magic sticks from Brazil, and now, a self-deprecating mutt soon to take office and make everything better - Barack Obama.

Some of the pages from the book include "She didn't vote for a sly fox or a blue ox or a cat named Socks, Mama voted for Obama!" or "She didn't vote for a gorilla or chinchilla or Godzilla, Mama voted for Obama." If only they sold the book for single fathers, Joe the Papa would be getting a copy as well.

A New Day in America

Out of the ashes of the Rove, Cheney and Bush legacy comes the most historical day in America's history by shattering the racial barrier and electing Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States.

This defining moment marks a seismic shift in philosophical thinking. A win that heals the partisan poison in Washington. A defeat that gives hope to millions of Americans of all races. A victory that propels nations around the world to embrace and support the new leadership.

The resurrection of this American dream is a time for the Democrats to shine and the Republicans to do some serious introspection. Americans voted against tax breaks for the rich, military pre-emptive strikes, neo-conservative hostilities and drill, baby, drill. The end of the radical Republican Party as we know it? I sure hope so, I sure hope so.

Waking up this morning I thought to myself... "Did it really happen or was it all a dream?" I rushed to Price Chopper, Stewarts, bookstores and gas stations to mark this historic moment with a headline. But dailies across the country were already gone, sold out in record time in record numbers.

This is a victory for the Democrats but symbolically it belongs to the hearts and hands of millions of African Americans. Most especially a woman referenced by the new President-elect by the name of Miss Amanda Jones. She's 109 years old and daughter of a slave and if you haven't heard her story yet, read about it online at NPR.org As if I haven't wept enough by this win you too will shed saline listening to Miss Amanda Jones.

Zoos, Mercy or Meanness?

The Lincoln Park Zoo, in the shadows of Chicago's downtown skyscrapers is 140 years old and America's most historic zoo. It's free to the public and offers hundreds of varieties of reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals, including this primate from Africa called the Drill. Because of poaching, the Drill is one of Africa's most endangered primates.

That said, I disdain zoos. Yes, they serve a purpose; education, research, reproduction and preservation, but I can't think of any worse torture than keeping a wild animal locked up in captivity for our amusement.

And even though the Lincoln Park Zoo simulates habitats fairly well like big boulders for the lions and rocky pools for the seals, the enclosures are still too small for the bigger species to exercise. As a result, I saw a lot of pacing, walking in circles and sleeping going on. All looked bored, depressed and terribly lonely. This abnormal behavior is called zoochosis and the result of years of confinement.

Better Homes Build Better People

With the weather bright and beautiful, I was tempted to visit the junior-senator-soon-to-be-President's Georgian revival house here in Chicago. Instead, I opted for Frank Lloyd Wright's private residence and workspace. It was a wise decision considering the security that now parades the Obama grounds.

Wright's Prairie style home is 10 miles from the downtown loop in a lush area called Oak Park. It's been restored to it's original appearance from 1909, the year the family of 6 lived and worked there. Before the tour I snapped photos of other kindred Wright homes in the neighborhood.

I think everyone has a little architect in all of us, it starts young, building tree cabins and snow forts. Mine lacked organic elements like the etched glass and overhanging eaves of Wright's brilliance but surely matched his love of nature.

Projecting Poetry in Chicago

Jenny Holzer's work is world renown. For more than 30 years her truisms or series of statements and aphorisms have been listed on street posters, telephone booths, and LED billboards.

This week she debuts the poetry of several other writers splashed across some of Chicago's most beautiful buildings, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Lyric Opera House, the Tribune Tower and the Merchandise Mart building.

On Halloween evening, when the temps were soaring in the 60's, hundreds of people gathered to read prophetic, albeit perplexing words scroll from the steps of the MCA upward along the pillars and out of sight. Her exhibits repeat themselves after 90 minutes so if you don't 'get it' the first time around, maybe it's deserving of another look.

My job is to search out hundreds of vantage points to document the show. I shoot high, low and wherever my fat camera lens fits - that would include climbing scaffolding, atop buildings across the street, from bridges, off the shore of the Chicago River and inside groups of on-lookers.

Power in Numbers on LSD

Yesterday, I took a ride on LSD and saw a dinosaur next to the lake. It's true. I can't make these things up. Of course, the explanation goes something like this...

While walking the waterfront I got tired, hopped a Gray Line Trolley on Long Shore Drive and drove past the Natural History Museum.

That's where I met pocket-protector Charlie, a rubix-cube prodigy and smiling trolley navigator Karey. Both welcomed me onboard, even without a ticket, and rapped about Chicago for 10 minutes.

Charlie has a rare gift. He can tell anybody what day of the week they were born simply by knowing the month, day and year. It's incredible. I offered up my age and within seconds he knew it was a Thursday. He did the same for a dozen more riders fascinated with Charlie's math prowess. Later that evening I double checked his answer and sure enough, bulls-eye, Thursday is was.

Brilliance is found in the most unlikely places. A well-dressed wall street tycoon can't balance a checkbook but a blue collar minimum wage tour op has an IQ higher than than the moon. Go figure.

Later that evening, I sat next to a disheveled homeless man on the number 151 bus, again on LSD parkway, who recited numerology to me. He too needed my birthday to calculate what supposed gifts I possess. Apparently, I'm good at cooking and raising children. Yikes! That wasn't what I wanted to hear. With fabulous cities like Chicago to visit, why would I do or intend to do either in this lifetime?

The night was young so I slipped past the pseudo-mathematician and made my way to the Jenny Holzer projection project at the Museum of Contemporary Art. More on that in the next blog entry.