Political Season
Olive Democrats are currently deciding on a date for their biennial caucus. August 18 seems the likely date, although a final decision won’t be made on that or a place for another week.
A date had been set for last Thursday, July 14, which was eventually scuttled when it was discovered that no proper advertisements or announcements had been placed about the event.
But no one’s really worried about the delay.
According to both party chairman John Parete and supervisor Berndt Leifeld, there won’t be any changes come November’s ballot. Expect a slate of all incumbents, most of whom have been in their roles for a dozen years or more… and well over 20 on the part of town clerk Sylvia Rozelle.
The ballot, for now, consists of Leifeld for supervisor, Bruce LaMonda and Helen Chase for town council, Rozelle for clerk, Jimmie Fugel for highway superintendent and Vince Barringer for town justice.
Barringer is currently facing some sort of possible state action, brought on, according to sources, by his advocacy on behalf of citizens angry over the recent closure of the town’s “lemon squeeze” short cut over the reservoir, as well as city DEP tickets he wouldn’t hear when such things were still a state issue.
Repeated calls to local GOP officials were not returned as of press time. To date, they have announced Chris Johansen, formerly the town’s leading Conservative, as a candidate for county legislature against Democrat incumbents Peter Kraft and Robert and Richard Parete. Word also has it someone might be facing Fugel for highway superintendent.
“We have a lot of stability in Olive,” said Parete, also concentrating on countywide legislative elections as Ulster’s county Democratic chairman. “The board has some strong accomplishments, too,” he added, noting the senior housing complex in Olivebridge and the pool revitalization accomplished via funding from the City watershed deal’s “good neighbor” funding several years ago.
“Bert is a very frugal guy,” Parete added to his list. “We handled the Large Parcel issue well. We’ve got good candidates and feel good about this election.”

Reservoir Eagles
Eagles seem to be making a slow comeback in the Catskills, with a breeding pair now frequenting the Ashokan Reservoir for several years, and despite the failure of last year’s nest, this year two juveniles have hatched and are on the wing.
Steve Joule, a wildlife biologist and endangered species specialist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), has been monitoring the eagles and said that this year’s nest was built several hundred feet from the last one. “That pair does well when they’re not disturbed, but they’ve had a lot of disturbance from the closing of the road along the reservoir, and that’s probably why they moved the nest.” `
Little eagles stenciled onto the pavement near the Lemon Squeeze mark a buffer zone around the nesting site. A poster urges passersby not to stop in the buffer zone to view the eagles or make loud noises and warns that they may be arrested for trespassing into the woods.
“With proper etiquette, they aren’t disturbed by people passing by,” said Joule, “and this is an experienced pair. They’ve dealt with humans in the past. But last year there were incidents such as kite-flying that chased the eagles off the nest. If the adults aren’t able to incubate the eggs consistently, the embryo dies.” While we think of birds keeping their eggs warm, the eagles also protect their eggs from overheating through exposure to the sun.
In the past, pollution was a major cause of egg mortality, with pesticides leached into the water entering the eagles’ systems through consumption of fish, resulting in eggs that were not viable. “They’re at the top of the food chain, so there can be a concentration of toxins in the eggs,” observed Phoenicia resident and wildlife enthusiast Julie Marcus, who has also been watching the eagles since they laid their eggs in March.
Looking through binoculars from a respectful distance outside the buffer zone, she checks the nest every few days. “One eaglet always develops a little ahead of the other,” she said. “I would see one standing in the nest more, and it would hop over to a branch when the other one was still in the nest. These past couple of weeks, they’ve started to fledge,” that is, leave the nest and become independent. The parents are now spending little time at the nest, but they return to teach the young ones to fly and hunt.
The poster on the Lemon Squeeze explains, “Since the 1800’s, New York Bald Eagle populations declined from over 70 nesting pairs and hundreds of migratory eagles to one infertile nesting pair and only dozens of migratory eagles in the 1960’s. Following the listing of the eagle as a federally endangered species in 1967 and the banning of DDT in 1972, conservation efforts have returned populations in New York to more than 50 active nesting sites statewide.”
Bald eagles are protected by the Endangered Species Act, which establishes primary and secondary zones of protection around a known nesting site, said Joule. In these zones, it is forbidden to change the habitat by removal of trees, a major disturbance to birds that hunt by sight. Whether the land is public or private, no commercial or residential development is allowed, as well as no establishment of power lines, no mining, and no use of chemicals.

County Races
Primaries will be few and far between this political season around Ulster County. To date, the only announced races prior to next November’s election, which will decide the fate of the county legislature, as well as numerous town boards, are a three-way race for the Democratic line for legislature in Highland and a two-way race for the Independence Party line for Family Court judge. Only two incumbent legislators, Teresa Hyatt, D-Ellenville, and Joan Feldmann, D-Saugerties, are not seeking re-election. In the race for Family Court judge, Democratic nominee Anthony McGinty of Rosendale and GOP incumbent Steven Nussbaum of New Paltz are both seeking the Independence Party line when primaries occur in September..

RRA Shifts
After a decade of controversy, the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency’s Board of Directors decided recently to halt its private collection and hauling activities, finally heeding complaints that it was competing unfairly with the public sector. The action came as part of budget deliberations that have been set to conclude on August 17, by which time an estimate of the new change, which effects the trash agency’s revenue stream, should be available. Memorandums available at the recent meeting suggested the change in policy could eliminate up to $160,000 in income, although board members expressed skepticism of the figures provided by longtime RRA head Charlie Shaw.

DEP Alternatives
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is again drilling in search of an aquifer beneath the Hudson River near the Orange/Ulster counties border to supplement the city’s reservoir system instead of the current river pumping station it now uses during heavy droughts. The department had sought to have test wells installed by now, but have so far come up with nothing on the eastern banks of the river. The drilling is to test the feasibility of a technique called “induced infiltration,” in which water is pumped from the aquifer to create a vacuum. This forces river water to flow down through layers of silt, sand, fossilized oyster beds and other material, which agency officials say acts as a natural filter and yields water that requires less treatment than water pumped directly from the river. Drilling is now expected to be completed by December.
Borings of up to 200 feet deep will be drilled from two barges and a platform similar to an oil rig. The $1.58 million study shut down from June 2004 to January 2005 to avoid interfering with fish-spawning.

The Gov’s Plans
Gov. George E. Pataki went to Iowa recently for what associates described as an exploration of whether he should run for president in 2008, reflecting what they called an increased likelihood that he would forgo a bid for a fourth term next year and turn to the national stage. If he ran, Pataki, who supports abortion rights and gun control, would most likely be the most moderate candidate in the Republican field, and would face significant hurdles with a Republican primary electorate that has become increasingly conservative, particularly in states like Iowa. Pataki said in an interview that it was far too early to decide on a presidential race, and that he would make a final decision on seeking re-election around the end of September. His trip coincided with the annual conference of the National Association of Governors. At this point, at least seven governors from both parties are considering runs for the presidency in 2008, reflecting the widespread view in both parties that governors - with their records as chief executives, and without the inconvenience of a detailed legislative voting record - make stronger candidates in presidential races than senators, as demonstrated by Senator John Kerry’s defeat last year.

Maloney Stands
The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court appeals court recently overturned a ruling handed down in July 2004 by state Supreme Court Justice Vincent Bradley and has ruled that town of Ulster assessor and Ulster County legislator James Maloney can hold his two positions without conflict of interest.The unanimous ruling by the four-judge Appellate Division stated that Ulster County Democratic Chairman John Parete, the complainant in the case, did not have the legal standing to bring action against Maloney. Furthermore, the judges said, Parete failed to show Maloney’s situation was different enough from that in a 1978 ruling that found the two positions were not incompatible. Maloney, a Republican, said he’s pleased with the ruling and the fact that it was unanimous. Parete said he may appeal the ruling to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. He has pointed out that since towns with elected assessors, such as Shandaken, are not allowed to allow such officials to hold two posts, the law is unfair as currently exists, and does not acknowledge the move away from elected assessors in recent years. Bradley had ruled that Maloney’s two positions were in conflict because there were at least two instances in which the best interest of the county and the town could be in opposition - one involving the large-parcel tax law, the other involving the property assessment of Hudson Valley Mall.

Terror Science
The American Civil Liberties Union has charged that the Bush administration “has sought to impose growing restrictions on the free flow of scientific information, unreasonable barriers on the use of scientific materials and increased monitoring of and restrictions on foreign university students.” The ACLU said the administration with trying to suppress information on such topics as global warming, mercury emissions and emergency contraception. The White House has replied that times are difficult and terrorists can not be given advantageous information. The Senate, meanwhile, has taken steps to ensure that Congress clearly explains future efforts to restrict the public’s access to government documents, passing a new bill that requires that future legislation containing new exemptions to what records are open for public scrutiny under Freedom of Information Act be “stated explicitly within the text of the bill.” Other legislation aimed at reducing bureaucratic delays in meeting FOIA requests and addressing the issue of government secrecy are also being written.
At the same time, it has been revealed that FBI agents monitored Web sites calling for protests against the 2004 political conventions in New York and Boston on behalf of the bureau’s counterterrorism unit, according to FBI documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, and has pegged the ACLU and several environmental organizations in massive new FBI investigations. The American Civil Liberties Union pointed to the documents as evidence that the Bush administration has reacted to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States by blurring the distinction between terrorism and political protest. FBI officials defended the involvement of counterterrorism agents in providing security for the Republican and Democratic conventions as an administrative convenience, and have denied targeting the groups because of their political views.

Implant Rx?
The government has approved a new therapy for the severely depressed who have run out of treatment options: a pacemaker-like implant that sends tiny electric shocks to the brain. The Food and Drug Administration’s clearance opens Cyberonics Inc.’s vagus nerve stimulator, or VNS, as a potential treatment for an estimated 4 million Americans with hard-to-treat depression - despite controversy over whether it’s really been proven to work.The pacemaker-like implant has been sold since 1997 to control intractable epilepsy, a much smaller market, and consists of a generator the size of a pocket watch implanted into the chest. Wires snake up the neck to the vagus nerve, delivering tiny electric shocks through that nerve and into a region of the brain thought to play a role in mood. The chief risk, according to manufacturers: More than half of patients in the depression study experienced at least temporary voice alterations - a hoarseness or raspiness, or voice ‘’breaks’’ - that seem to persist in a significant number. Other complications include difficulty breathing or swallowing.

Army Questions
Governors meeting in Iowa recently voiced concern about repeated National Guard deployments overseas and called for a national dialogue on the role and mission of the National Guard, expressing frustration with the heavy reliance on Guard units in Iraq and Afghanistan and repeated overseas deployments of state units. Those deployments have separated families and caused a hardship for local communities, over half of the 33 governors in attendance said, while raising questions about the size of the military and the future of the National Guard. National Guard soldiers serve under the control of governors, usually for roles like disaster relief in their home states. But they can be summoned to active-duty Army service in times of national need.
Meanwhile, it is looking like major reductions in U.S. troop levels in Iraq are likely next year, although Pentagon officials have said it is too early to predict the specific size and timing. The Pentagon has said that it is eager to pull some of its 135,000 troops out of Iraq in 2006, partly because the counterinsurgency is stretching the Army and Marine Corps perilously thin as casualties mount and partly because officials believe the presence of a large U.S. force is generating tacit support for anti-American violence.
U.S. commanders expect the insurgency to remain at or near its current strength at least until after a scheduled October referendum on a new Iraqi constitution, followed by December elections for a new government.
Senior Pentagon officials, however, have declined to comment directly on a leaked British military assessment that raises the possibility of drastically cutting British troop strength in Iraq by the end of next year as well as sharply cutting the overall number of U.S. and allied troops by the middle of next year to 66,000.

Stone Walkers
Researchers have good news for walkers: Strolling can help obese adults burn more calories per mile than brisk walking and might even lower the risk of arthritis and injuries to the joints than picking up the pace. Colorado doctoral student Ray Browning and his colleagues studied 20 men and women of normal weight and 20 considered obese as they walked set distances at different speeds. They found the obese people burned more calories walking at a slower pace for a longer time than walking at a faster speed. Now, the medical community believes this new info might be just the incentive needed for people turned off by the traditional advice to take at least five brisk walks, 30 minutes at a time, per week. About 60 million Americans age 20 or older are considered obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Their health care costs amount to about $100 billion a year, according to the American Obesity Association.
At the same time, a separate study has found that when people over 60 walked on smooth, rounded cobblestones for just a half-hour a day over four months, they significantly lowered their blood pressure and improved their balance. Behavioral researchers from the Oregon Research Institute investigated the health effects of cobblestones after observing people exercising and walking back and forth over traditional stone paths in China, where traditional medicine teaches that the uneven surface of the stones stimulate “acupoints” on the soles of the feet. The theory is much like acupuncture, suggesting that distant and unrelated areas of the body are linked together at certain points and can be stimulated to improve physical and mental health.
Although cobblestone-walking is rooted in centuries of Chinese tradition, no controlled scientific studies had been done to evaluate its potential benefits and effectiveness until recently.

Universal!!!
A push for universal health coverage is being rekindled in some states by soaring health care costs and a lack of political support in Washington for federal changes.
Advocates of a single-payer insurance system - where the government would collect taxes and cover everyone - are counting on frustration with the current system to turn the tide in at least one state by the end of the decade.
Advocates of a single-payer system - where the government would collect taxes and cover everyone, similar to programs in Canada and across Europe - have introduced bills in at least 18 legislatures. Some are symbolic gestures, but heated debate is taking place in California and Vermont. In Ohio, a group of doctors, union officials and religious leaders are gathering signatures to get a single-payer health system placed on a ballot next year.
Not since Oregon in 2002 has a state voted on a single-payer health system. Voters there soundly rejected it, as did Californians in 1994. Both times, the proposals came under fierce assault from the medical, insurance and pharmaceutical industries, which launched a battery of television commercials to oppose the movements.
Nationally, the number of uninsured Americans is 45 million and rising, and 16 million lack enough insurance to cover all their medical bills. Meanwhile, health care costs keep rising… an average of 11.2 percent in 2004, the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth.
A single-payer system would be financed through a mix of payroll tax increases and new taxes on personal income. The new taxes would take the place of insurance premiums that many people currently pay for health coverage, and there would be no out-of-pocket expenses. States would use their leverage to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs and other health services. Hospitals and doctors’ offices would be relieved of the hassles and expense of dealing with multiple health insurers.

Married Men…
Married men earn more than bachelors so long as their wives stay at home doing the housework, according to a report Wednesday from Britain’s Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) which found that a married man whose wife does not go out to work but is primarily responsible for the cooking and cleaning earns about 3 percent more than comparably employed single men. Surprisingly, that wage premium disappears if wives go out to work themselves or don’t do most of the housework. Analysis suggests there could be two explanations for the results: A marriage might allow a husband and wife to focus their activities on tasks to which they are most suited. Traditionally, this would result in the man concentrating on paid work enabling him to increase productivity and in consequence his wages. Another explanation could be that marriage may increase the amount of time a man has to hone work-related skills which could trigger higher wages.

Megalopoli!
According to the latest theories, the world is no longer about towns, cities, counties, metropolitan areas or even states. Those traditional boundaries may become even more parochial as our nation of 295 million braces for another 125 million people by 2050.
If current development patterns continue, millions more will settle around metropolitan areas, along interstate highways and near major airports. They’ll form giant urban areas linked by common culture, economy, geography and ecology: Already, ten megapolitan areas have more than 10 million residents or will have that many by 2040, extending into 35 states and including parts of every state east of the Mississippi River except Vermont. They incorporate less than a fifth of the land area in the continental USA but house more than two-thirds of the population. Four states are considered completely megapolitan: Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
“This is how America’s really organized, and nobody’s got a statistic to measure it,” reads one report on it all. “The average American intuitively knows this. They’ve taken a lot of business trips in this space. They’ve taken a lot of family trips in this space. They know that’s where their families are moving or where they have friends and relatives.”
“We’re looking at places the way Asians and Europeans do, cutting across borders,” says Robert Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, a New York non-profit research and advocacy group that works on quality-of-life issues in 31 adjacent counties in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Yaro and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Mass., are researching ways of formally delineating and measuring these regions. The goal: to promote collaboration on transportation and environmental protection between metropolitan areas and across political boundaries.