Letters to the Editor

5/22/2008

Dear Editor,
I have enjoyed reading your Times for years now and have not entered the steady stream of opinion shared in this section – that is, until now.
Upon reading the letter from Mr. Mocarski regarding the “Gay Day”, I must respond - to provide our community with facts surrounding the National Day of Silence held recently at the High School. The event is a national, non-violent student protest against the way in which gender non-conforming and gay, lesbian and bisexual students are silenced by ubiquitous anti-gay language and, sometimes, by exclusion, harassment, and violence at school. It is a student-initiated civil disobedience, although resources are available from the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, GLSEN, for any club who request them.
The day is not for celebrating the attributes of gay people, or to celebrate a lifestyle. It is for treating them as human beings. There is no “Lifestyle” to celebrate. That is a stereotype. Gay people are as diverse in their lives as any other group in our society. To imply that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are all promiscuous or that their relationships are all fleeting and shallow is to perpetuate stereotypes and to encourage disrespect. Lumping LGBTQ issues – Americans who are born different - into your immoral “can of worms” including abortion, drug addiction and pedophilia shows a real lack of understanding Mr. Mocarski. I hope you have a chance to discuss this with your gay friends and they can enlighten you.
Promoting public awareness is not flaunting. It is a day to bring attention in opposition to meanness and rudeness, and to put an end to homophobic bullying and violence at school – which is a serious problem nationwide.
I want Onteora to know that I honor non-violent youth activism like the Day of Silence and I am grateful to the brave openly LGBTQ students who participated, to the terrified ones who can’t be out, and to the courageous heterosexual students and faculty who are willing to risk being lumped and targeted for standing up for what’s right. Way to go!
James Gedge
Shokan, NY

Dear Editor,
I’m willing to bet John Mocarski’s, letter to the editor has achieved an unexpected bonus for him: now he has fewer gays in his life that he can consider friends. John seems to believe that “GAY DAY,” otherwise known as the Day Of Silence, or DOS, forces a gay “lifestyle” (whatever that is supposed to mean?), on the unwilling an unsuspecting students and faculty of our fair school system. Had he taken the time to research DOS, he may of discovered that it is precisely because of people like him, with his bigoted, prejudicial attitude, that children think it is ok to chastise and bully kids that are different from what he and his ilk think they should be. This year’s DOS was dedicated to Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student from Oxnard California who was killed by another student simply because of his orientation. Sadly, he was not the first, sadder yet, he will not be the last.
John is careful to establish that he is neither a religious zealot nor homophobic, just before he launches into absurdity. He assures us he is a liberal Catholic, with gay friends and family members, and that he is tolerant of gays that have made that choice. He asked why choosing to be gay, and having a day to celebrate it, is so different from choosing to be Christian and not having a day to pray. Apparently, John is unfamiliar with the many religious holidays that schools close completely for Christians to celebrate. He asked about the poor souls who are “forced” to participate in this observance. They don’t have to, John; it is a voluntary event for those who wish to show support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and otherwise different students. No one makes anyone else participate, unlike Christian holidays when those who have not chosen this belief are forced to observe them anyway.
John reminds us again of all his gay friends, and how he loves and tolerates them because they aren’t “flaunting” their gayness. He does not realize that for some, it’s not flaunting, it’s who they actually are as people. Now if you want to talk about flaunting, try watching TV, reading a magazine, or walking through a public school, or anywhere else for that matter, without seeing heterosexuals flaunting their “lifestyle.” He seems to think it is “GAY DAY” type events that bring tragedy and suffering to gays. That Lawrence King must have been celebrating and flaunting his gayness when he was killed in cold blood. Maybe he thinks that the Stone Wall beatings and riots were also the result of gays shoving their “lifestyle” down the throats of others. I don’t know any gays with “lifestyles,” myself, but I know plenty with lives.
He wonders if other days of choice will be next: “Abortion day, Drug addiction day, Pedophile day,” the latter of which he is quick to point out is not being associated with being gay, even though he refers only to it as a “lifestyle” of choice.
I submit to John that the most damaging lifestyle to date, is choosing the lifestyle of a closeted, religious-zealot-homophobe, and trying to mask it with ‘common sense.” The only “common” part of his letter was the all too familiar attitude about people different from himself. Moreover, the only “sense” he made, was when he stopped writing his ignorant, ill-informed, pious, diatribe.
Grow a set, John. If you have a “moral objection” to gay people, that is your CHOICE, but at least have the guts to admit it openly. You could learn a thing or two about courage and conviction from some of those “flaunting” kids.
Jerry Free
Phoenicia, NY
Dear Editor,
On behalf of Onteora High School’s Diversity Club, I’d like to thank all those who attended our benefit for Alex and James Leshkevich at New World Home Cooking on April 10th. The silent auction was a huge success and we raised over $5,000. I’d also like to recognize the following businesses and individuals whose contributions made this event possible, and successful beyond our expectations:
Arlene Natalie Spool, Barbara O’Brien & Levon Helm, The Bear Café, Bistro To Go, Candlestock, Chez Grand Mère, Chris Grady, Dale Wolfield, Dennis Yerry, Diane Godfrey, Donna Bryan, Donna Jan, The Emerson, Erin McGurgan, The Flower Nest, The Garden Café, The Gilded Carriage, Gisianos, The Golden Notebook, Hair Pizazz & Nails, Jean Turmo, Janet Briggs, Judy’s 1⁄2 Off Cards, Loominus Handwovens, Mariah Lopez, Melissa Lovaglio, Nancy Caigan, Oriole 9, Pegasus Footwear, Peggy Smith Hottum, Pleasures, Polly Law, Pondicherry, The Red Onion, The Reservoir Inn, Richard Morris, Robert Cruickshank, Shieks, Style Fabrics, Sue Barthel, Sunflower Natural Foods, Sweet Heart Gallery, Tails of Woodstock, Tischler Dental, Transcend Dental, WDST Radio, Wild & Sweet, Woodstock Chimes, Woodstock Golf Course, Woodstock Home, and Woodstock Meats.
Sincerely,
Taylor Sears
Onteora High School

Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to an article published in your last issues of the Phoenicia Times and the Olive Press entitled “Heavy Handed.” I found it surprising that this incident was reported in your paper when I do not believe there was any reporter from your paper at the event in question. There was no coverage of the actual “Meet the Candidates” forum. This is an event that is sponsored by the Onteora PTA District council and the event is run entirely by volunteers with the League of Women Voters as the moderators.
Regarding the incident reported in your papers, I would like to comment on some of the points made in your story. Ms. Hyman did approach PTA members and report that literature was being distributed in the parking lot. The Police officer in question then accompanied a PTA member to the parking lot and the people distributing the flyers were told to stop. They were then told to collect all the flyers from the cars which they did. They were informed that they must be held until the end of the forum. The League of Women Voters’ rules state that campaign literature can be distributed after the forum. A table is set up in the hallway outside the event for this purpose and the flyers are placed on this table.
I was present at the table when the incident over this campaign literature with Ms. Hyman occurred. She was obviously upset after seeing this campaign literature. She threatened to sue myself and another volunteer. I explained that we were simply volunteers and that the literature should remain on the table. She then became extremely belligerent and continued so with the police officer when he stepped in only after she threw a piece of literature.
I was shocked to learn that Ms. Hyman is a Town Councilwoman from the Town of Hurley. As an elected official she should know how to act at a public event and respect the volunteers and the law enforcement officers in the town that she is a guest in. In my estimation the officer in question did not harass Ms Hyman but she acted in a totally inappropriate manner.
As for the comment in the story that “such a policing role, unseen at Onteora events in the past, might have been best handled by a sheriff’s deputy to avoid the look of partisanship.” Whoever made that comment surely has not been involved in Onteora School Board politics for very long and has not lived through many other controversies in this district as I have. It is ludicrous to accuse a police officer of partisan behavior when he was just doing his job. The next time you choose to publish a story it should not be based on comments like this which certainly can cause divisiveness between the towns. Please stick to objective reporting of the facts.
Mary Ann Shepard
West Shokan, NY
Editor’s Note: As editor, I was present for the Meet The Candidates event, and the incident in question. The matter was reported in a classic “he said/she said” format to preserve objectivity. The final statement was recorded and presented because we’ve found, over time, that the presence of peace officers at local political functions tends to be more divisive than helpful.

Dear Editor,
As a Woodstock resident and parent of two Onteora School children, I am deeply concerned about the recent decisions of the Superintendent and School Board and the resulting impact on our district’s future. I took the time to read the Budget Advisory Committee’s report and recommendations and have several questions that I would like answered.
First of all, the document can only be seen as anti-teacher and anti-student as every piece of information reported is used to justify the need to cut instructional positions, salaries and benefits for the district. This should not come as a surprise, though, as the members of the committee were chosen for their business expertise and ability to analyze a budget. Apparently, the Board was asked to submit names of individuals to examine the budget and they could only come up with five names. It is quite a coincidence that they all share the same philosophy in regards to what is best for the future of the district. In all of this information, nowhere is there a discussion about transportation or administrative costs. In fact, the “declining enrollments” argument, that has been jammed down our throats, does not seem to apply to administrative positions and costs, only to those of teachers.
The more I hear about declining enrollments, the more I question how these numbers were arrived at and how dependable they are. At last month’s Kindergarten orientation/registration, 119 students signed up. Last year, 85 signed up at the orientation, but 113 entered in the fall. Conservatively, this represents an increase of 32%. If the same percent of increase is experienced this year, we’ll have 157 new kindergartners in the fall. How, then, is this a decline? Moreover, how can this committee classify this as a “Freefall” decline, which is how it has been characterized in the report?
I was recently stunned when I learned that our district “projects” enrollment by looking at the statistics for live births in Ulster County. I would like to see the breakdown, by grade, of where each child in the system was born as this must be considered when “projecting” future enrollments.
I believe that “Declining Enrollments” is your buzz word that drives the agenda to implement your vision of this district. It is not based in reality and, instead, serves as a justification to consolidate the district, cut instructional positions and salaries, and, inevitably, undermine the education of our children. If I didn’t know any better, I might believe that this tactic was taken straight from our federal government’s use of the term “weapons of mass destruction” to steer public policy and justify pre-emptive strikes as a tenet of foreign policy. Just because we hear it over and over again, it doesn’t make it a fact.
This study must be revisited and seen for what it is: an attempt to pit taxpayers against teachers on the basis of salaries and benefits. Unfortunately, for many in today’s struggling economy, benefits and decent wages are unattainable and our administration’s answer is to cut back on these expenses because the average taxpayer does not currently enjoy them. These benefits and wages, however, are the very incentives that attract the best educators to teach and live in districts such as ours. The report talks about increasing employee contributions into the benefits package and eliminating current lifetime benefits for retirees. These are not the kind of incentives that will attract the newest and brightest educators to our district.
Finally, as all the members of this Budget Advisory Committee are obviously familiar with fiscal matters and cost-cutting measures, I would like them to take another look at the Budget History from 2001-02 through 2007-08, which they so admirably supplied to us, and compare the increase in teacher salaries and positions to those of administrator’s salaries and positions. If enrollment is “Freefalling”, how come administrative costs are not?
Paul Boulay
Shady, NY

Dear Editor;
As a boy raised in Olivebridge beginning 82 Yrs ago I concluded that Woodstock was the cultural and intellectual center of the universe. While reading the Phoenicia Times of May 8. 2008 I realized that Olivebridge has always hosted the best and brightest. The letters to the Editor from Woodstock were undecipherable while those from Olive were clear, concise and comprehensive. In tandem with those attributes Olive writers were far more logical and compassionate [emotional].
The editorial in this issue is confusing at best. The editor suggests that the "kid" [Adam Pollack] have a place at the table just for being a kid. The term "kid" here is patronizing, condescending and insulting. I understand that we are all eligible no matter the age if we meet the 18 year old criteria and do not exceed 104 years. What is the OCDS election rule based on demographics? There is none. Only the United States Constitution provides that President and Vice President candidates be from different states.
I must inquire as to what is wrong with Logic for some, Emotion for the Times editor and both for the rest of us? Logic and emotion, while being unrelated, can certainly co-exist within the same context, debate and discussion.
Glenn T. Anderson
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
There is a huge need in schools across the nation for stability. It is common place for children to go to counseling, therapy and psychologists both through and outside of school. Unfortunately, depression is very highly common and its symptoms can be deadly.
Tampering with the stability of a child’s elementary school impacts every child’s mental and emotional stability. Who is going to be responsible for the reprehensible damage caused to hundreds of children by the closing of their beloved home school?
Child Protective Services accepts calls on their 800 hotline for “educational neglect”. Law offices take cases seeking financial compensation against establishments contributing to the emotional and mental abuse of children.
Save Our Schools! Save Our Children!
Lori Grutyius
Shokan, NY

Dear Editor,
You've seen those adorable youngsters playing baseball at Rick Volz and Andy Lee fields. Little League is a great organization that our town financially supports. In fact, all four towns in our school district have a line in their annual budget specifically for Little League.
What most people don't know is that when boys age out of Little League, they can continue playing in Onteora Babe Ruth, a league for 13-15-year-olds who live within our school district. Unfortunately, all the community support drops away for these bigger boys. Babe Ruth gets by with few resources; not one of the four towns of the Onteora School District contributes annually to Babe Ruth. For the past 16 years, Babe Ruth has had to share the only regulation-sized field in the region - a single, bedraggled baseball field already reserved for the three middle school and high school teams.
This is an at-risk age, when some boys get into trouble or give up on sports because they can't make the school team. Onteora Babe Ruth accepts everyone - including home schoolers. It's designed to promote health, teamwork, skills, and competitive play. It provides an opportunity for boys to learn from men - their coaches - who model respect and encouragement.
The big news? This year Babe Ruth parents and coaches got permission to renovate the old softball field at Davis Park in West Shokan. The fields have been rolled and mowed. There is new fencing. Six tons of infield clay dirt were trucked in. Last weekend, on opening day, all three Babe Ruth teams played on their magnificent new field.
Now Babe Ruth has to raise $6,000 to pay back a renovation loan. Davis Park is a beautiful facility that will serve Onteora boys for many years to come. It features bathrooms, a covered pavilion with picnic tables, a barbecue, and bleachers for the fans. We are seeking and would be grateful for contributions of any size. Please mail tax-free donations to Babe Ruth Little League, Inc., PO Box 786, Woodstock, NY 12498.
If you build it, the money will come.
Gail Bradney
Bearsville, NY

Dear Editor,
I recently returned to Bellearye Mountain for the first time in 18 years. I first skied the Old Peekamoose Trail in December of 1931, almost two decades before the ski center was built. As an adult, I worked at Highmount Ski Center in its early years and was a builder of and major stockholder in Plattekill Ski Center in Roxbury. In the early 196os I came from private enterprise to Belleayre, rising up through the ranks from Ski Patrol to the post of Superintendent.
Growing up, we had thousands of hotel rooms including the 400-room Grand Hotel, and two golf courses in Shandaken and one in Middletown. All of those hotels, ski centers (Belleayre, Highmount and even Shayne's, all on the Belleayre access road), golf courses and other related businesses were built before we had state.of-the-art septic systems, before we had any pesticide or pollution control, before we had any regulations from either New York State or New York City. Yet the waters of Birch Creek and the Esopus remained pure eneugh to drink unfiltered and were always known for their superb trout fishing.
Before Belleayre, there was only summer business and once unemp\oy-ment insurance became available, everyone in the region - hotel workers, golf course staff, contractors and their employees and others in the community - took advantage of it for about 20 weeks a year. But summer business declined and the need to create some sort of winter economy became critical. Seven years of studies were done in the Catskill Region to prove what everyone locally already knew. In the entire Catskill Region, the best place to ski - the place that naturally got the most snow, and held the snow for the longest period of time - was Belleayre Mt.
The State of New York recognized the need to allow its citizens to use the Catskill Forest Preserve for recreational purposes. The state also understood the need for economic development in the region. So the legislature (in two consecutive years) and then the people of the state (in the third year) passed a constitutional amendment to create Belleayre Mt. Ski Center, which at that time, was limited in size to a maximum of 20 miles of slopes and trails. The people of the state reaffirmed this decision by passing a second constitutional amendment in 1987, calling for the expansion of Belleayre Mt. to 25 miles of slopes and trails.
Belleayre served very well as both a recreational use area for the people of the State of New York and as an economic catalyst for the region - and it still does. The need for it to continue in these missions can only be questioned by people who are so rich that they don't need affordable skiing opportunities, or so wealthy that they don't need jobs.
When I started at Belleayre, we had just 6 permanent "year 'round” workers. Today there are 100. In the winter timet upwards of 600 people can work there instead of collecting unemployment insurance.
These are great jobs - career track jobs and people should be pushing for more of them not less. During my visit to Belleayre in the first week of April I made a thorough, unescorted tour of the entire mountain. I talked to both old and new employees, to people who have skied Belleayre for 50 years, to those who are new to the area and also spoke with some local business people. I saw people I skied with and people I worked with and I saw their children and their grandchildren. They are the heart and soul of Belleayre and it is heart and soul that keeps Belleayre out front.
I truly don't know much about Superintendent Tony Lanza. I've only met him briefly a few times. But I do know he has surrounded himself with true professionals and his crew has done a remarkable job of bringing Belleayre into the 21st century while at the same time, hanging on to the history and tradition that have drawn people there for 58 years. The area has been well preserved and well managed. If Hunter and Windham are suffering, it isn't because of what Belleayre is, it is because of what they are not.
In the last decade, those areas stopped being ski centers and turned into real estate kingdoms. They basically provide skiing as an amenity to people who can pay a starting rate of $500,000 for a condo. They've invested millions and millions of dollars in new hotels, houses, time-shares and condos, with real estate sales which recently have run in the range of $1 million or more for lots not even a single acre in size. So they are doing well in their real estate missions and Belleayre is doing well in its mission - which is not to create a profit for owners but to serve as an economic catalyst and to let families of modest means have the opportunity to ski.
Everyone should be clamoring to grow Belleayre, not to shrink: it - because as we can see in the rest of the region, if you don't grow, you die. What is making Belleayre successful now is not pricing or unfair competition, it is people - the people who work there and the people who ski there. It's quite amazing that a state-run area is run with such a passion for perfection.
I was at Belleayre on Sunday, April 13. There were many people skiing including members of my family. People were raving about the great conditions there while Hunter and Windham were both closed because of a lack of snow. I heard through the grapevine they were complaining that Belleayre had made too much snow. If they had any complaint, it should have been about the geographically ideal location that allows Belleayre to hold its snow so long into the spring season. I think Tony Lanza and his crew were doing what the State of New York was paying them to do, which is to run a ski center the way it should be run. .
As I left the area, it gave me a feeling of great pride knowing that Belleayre Mountain is still doing what it's always been best known for - serving the public by providing the best skiing conditions possible on well groomed and maintained trails. It's the way it should be. The people of the Central Catskills and the State of New York should be proud of the fact that they have a both a gem and a treasure ($) in their back yard. Four generations of my family have skied Belleayre. If my grandkids get with it I hope to see the fifth generation there before its too late.
Robert A. Munro
Highmount, NY

Dear Editor,
Under a Memorandum dated May 10, 2005 from Phil McNamara, DNC Director of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, and Joe Sandler, DNC General Counsel, the rules and regulations were set forth in very clear language.
Both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton agreed to abide by these rules and regulations.
When the popular vote did not go as Senator Clinton expected Senator Clinton no longer wished to abide by the DNC Rules and Regulations and wanted the Rules and Regulations changed to her advantage.
Senator Clinton now wishes to benefit from her non compliance and gain an advantage with regard to the States of Florida and Michigan and the counting of their delegates.
One thing is absolutely clear - what ever solution the DNC fashions, it must be delegate neutral. Senator Clinton should not be rewarded for her non compliance and Senator Obama should not be discriminated against because of his compliance and respect for the DNC Rules and Regulations.
The task is not an easy one but if the solution is not delegate neutral it will create serious problems for the Democratic Party.
It is offered that it is time to move beyond the history of the 16 years of influence of the Clintons on the DNC, and that the page be turned and the DNC move on to the future of the Democratic Party.
H. Clark Bell
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
The Do-Nothing Congress is "thinking " of making the Iraqis pay" for the war deficit. This is first time in history where the victim of war is charged by the belligerent nation. Oil is the means of exchange.
Should Congress take this action it will not result in lower prices at the pump Big Oil says because this goes against free market rules of capitalism.. Americans are in reality paying many time over the price for Iraqi oil. The current price is over $3.58 per gallon, plus war dollars spent, includingthe price of over 4,000 patriot soldiers forever dead, the ongoing pain and suffering of over 15,000 permanently newly disabled veterans.. This simply is "highway robbery.." It is an insult to memory our patriotic dead as well as the thousands of innocent Iraqis citizens who lost their lives.
Our policymakers in Congress are literally talking out of both sides of their mouth. These leaders cannot completely "do- nothing" they are taking our minds off of the real issues which are the war and the failing economy, and giving lip service to American people.
Iraq is simply imperialism at it highest global stage. Congress knows the man responsible for the war is heading back to his ranch. Bush already handed half of the spoils of the Iraqi war to our British allies who have already left the green zone of Baghdad. All that is left is Congress and the people running for President. One thing we can do is this fall is throw every Senator and Congressman who voted for the war, the occupation or the serge in Iraq out of public office. Next we should tell everyone running for the Presidency right now we want the U.S. out of Iraq today and not in a 100 years. We want our strong and healthy economy back with gas prices rolled back to a reasonable price. .
Our nation is suffering the lost of honored dead. We should not use their deaths as a reason to kill more of our youth. The war idiots in both the Pentagon and Congress need to hear from us. We are already " knee deep "in the big oily, with General Pretorius saying " let's push on." Go to your nearest corner with a sign saying "Out Today Not A Hundred Years From Now!"
Tom Siblo
Saugerties, NY

Dear Editor,
With the 8th Annual Women’s Health and Fitness Expo completed for another year, I find myself overwhelmed by the number of community members who came together to make this event happen. Community involvement, dedication and volunteerism are the driving forces that have allowed the Women’s Health and Fitness Expo to grow to be the event it is today.
This year the Expo was fortunate to have, along with the many volunteers, a part-time staff: Wendy Lamb as Expo Coordinator and Assistants Laura LoPresti and Amanda LaValle. Victoria Langling, with the help of her regular employer Markertek, recently came on board as Volunteer Coordinator. Liz Neporent, long time supporter of the expo, helped to obtain and coordinate speakers for this year's event. Numerous other volunteers from teens to seniors handed out flyers and helped spread the word to their community groups. Several organizations distributed flyers, including The Jewish Federation of Ulster County, The Alzheimer’s Association, The Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, The Kingston Chamber of Commerce and numerous others. Promotional media production was made possible with the help of Christine Baldelli and Matt Deakin of Lilypod Media, Ron Kuhnke of K-Town Studios and Lee Kalish of Positive Feedback. Also, thanks to our media sponsors, including Daily Freeman, WDST, Chronogram and The Community Guide.
The day of the Expo, Laurie Kelly, Executive Director of UARC in Kingston was invaluable in organization of registration and admissions. Vindora Wixom, Director of ASK, personally directed the “VENUS CHALLENGE” in which local artists displayed artistically designed torsos that were auctioned for the benefit of the Women’s Health and Fitness Foundation and the artists. The League of Women Voters were back once again, as well as nursing students from the BOCES and Ulster County Community College.
Such local involvement, with over 150 booths, seminars, workshop, fitness and cooking demos, businesses, hospitals, community and non- profit organizations, demonstrates a sincere commitment to building a healthier community. Sponsors contributing to the Expo this year were Markertek, MVP Healthcare, Medical Associates of the Hudson Valley, Ulster Savings Bank, Mid-Valley Cardiology, Hudson Valley Urology, Northern Dutchess Hospital, Benedictine Hospital, Kingston Hospital, River Radiology, Adam’s Fairacre Farms and many more.
The goals of the Expo are so inspiring that family and friends of those involved inevitably join the cause. My own husband, Dr. Craig Moss and my daughter, Jessica have helped in many ways from fundraising, working onsite at Tech City and distributing flyers to volunteering the day of the event. My colleagues at Medical Associates of the Hudson Valley, Dr. Craig Moss, Dr. Marc Tack, Dr. Michael Sheran and Dr. Charles Kutler, as well as all the Medical Associates of the Hudson Valley staff, have supported the Expo since it’s inception. and continue to be a part of the event
This major undertaking is nurtured and guided by the dedication of The Women’s Health and Fitness Foundation Board. The support of Adele Reiter, Joyce Lieblich, Dr. Jane Ferguson, and Marc Braunstein and many members of the supporting board, have enabled both the EXPO and the Foundation to grow and develop.
Thank you to all who have worked endlessly to make the 2008 Expo a success. We could not have done it without you and sincerely thank you for joining us in building a Healthy Hudson Valley!
Debra Karnasiewicz, M. D.
Director, Women's Health and Fitness Foundation
Kingston, NY

Dear Editor,
We would like to add some additional information to Paul Smart's April 24, article on possible cases of mumps at the Woodstock Day School. Two suspected cases of mumps in students attending WDS were reported to the Ulster County Department of Health by their personal physicians. Per New York State Public Health Law, WDS cooperated with the Ulster County Department of Health and excluded close contacts of these cases with no documented immunization history.
Diagnostic testing ultimately proved that neither of these students had mumps. Immediately after the Ulster Health Department informed the school of this, any students still excluded from WDS returned to school.
So, there was no mumps illness present at all at the Woodstock Day School.
James Handlin, WDS Headmaster
Jacqueline Kellachan, WDS Trustee
Saugerties, NY

Dear Editor,
Since 2003, the Phriends of Phoenicia has been a small group of volunteers dedicated to Main Street Beautification in Phoenicia. We plant and tend the public gardens in town, we help maintain Simpson Park, and we pick up litter throughout the spring, summer, and autumn. You enjoy our gardens across from the Post Office, at the Bridge Street entrance to the hamlet, and in Simpson Park. Last Fall, we planted a new garden along The Boardwalk in Phoenicia.
We are a separate group from the Flower Project, with its hanging baskets and planters, for which we can thank Ted French and SHARP. They do water our flower gardens, fortunately.
If you do enjoy these gardens, would you like to make a small donation for the flowers? We are totally self-funded; we raise the money for the flowers we plant. If many of you could donate just ten dollars, even five dollars, it would be a great gift to your town. We started this group because we wanted to make Phoenicia more beautiful and we love to garden, not because we are good at raising money!! You can send a donation to Phriends of Phoenicia, PO Box 278, Phoenicia 12464.
Also, would you like to be a "special projects" volunteer? Sometimes we need extra people for a specific, occasional project. It could be a job like raking leaves, planting flowers, planting bulbs, or filling in for a member who is on vacation. Just give us your name and phone number and/or email, and we will contact you when we have a project, to ask if you are available. You can call 688-7314 to sign up as a special projects volunteer.
We know there are many people who would like to help make Phoenicia more beautiful, and we look forward to your support.
Elizabeth Holland Kern
Phriends of Phoenicia

Dear Editor,
The Shandaken-Allaben Hose Co. would like to thank everyone who supported our firehouse this year by attending our pancake breakfast.
The last one of the year we usually donate all the proceeds to a good cause, this year we donated our proceeds in memory of: Chance Heinz-Frano to the Shandaken Dog Kennel and in memory of Kalie Herdman to her family.
We hope to see you back in the fall when we start our breakfast again.
All the members of the
Shandaken-Allaben Hose Company

Dear Editor,
It’s never too early to start thinking of the Phoenicia Library plant sale! This year’s fair and plant sale will be held on Saturday, June 7. Now is a good time to start dividing perennials and potting up groundcovers, shrubs, houseplants, and herbs for the sale. Label the plants with their names, and we will help them find a happy new home. You can bring your plants to the library on Friday, June 6. Or, if you need to have them picked up, we can arrange that.
So gardeners and plant lovers, please help us out. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Library Fair. It’s always a lot of fun and a great opportunity to pick up some new plants. It’s all for a wonderful cause: the Phoenicia Library.
Veronica Rowe
Phoenicia Library volunteer

Dear Editor,
Recently my daughter Erica's fiancé Scott passed away suddenly. He was 33 and they were due to be married on July 5, 2008. When my wife Karen and I returned home after a week of sadness, grief and confusion the following words were in my heart:
We're a lot like tadpoles. Gestate in water then morph into air breathing creatures. Our first act upon completing our transition is to gasp for air. Coinciding with our initial breath is an occurrence with little or no fanfare but yet just as profound; the first grain in the hourglass of our lives tumbles through the vortex to who knows where. Our hourglass is a mystery running concurrent with the days of our lives. We know of it but little else so we pay it no heed. Have we been given an abundant hourglass full to the top so as to span a long lifetime or less of a cache? We can only ponder for we have no way of knowing. The only thing we know for certain is when that last grain passes through our hourglass what we call life ceases. With the passing of the last grain comes a reflective pause; a final gasp if you will. Within that gasp comes an understanding of all the unanswered questions about the meaning of life with all its nuances, complexities, joy and pain. The final gasp and the final grain bring Blessed Peace. Following the passing of the final grain and with the final gasp begins the first moment of the transition to the next phase. We know not how long or the process to reset the hourglass, it matters not. What matters is it resets and the journey begins anew. So don't weep too much for those whose time has gone for we all have our last grain and we all make the transition and we can look forward to playing catch up with those who have gone before and now dwell on the other side.
We can't take material things with us so let's all take something more precious…take all the Love we've accumulated…Love transitions Time…what could be a better gift to share on the other side than the timelessness of Love?
Bob Nielsen
Boiceville, NY

Dear Editor,
The State of the Economy: There might be some change on top of the dresser at the back, and we should check the washer and the dryer. Check under the floor mats of the car. The couch cushions. I have some books and CDs I could sell, and there are a couple big bags of aluminum cans in the basement, only trouble is that there isn't enough gas in the car to get around the block. I'm expecting a check sometime next week, which, if we are careful, will get us through to payday. In the meantime with your one—dollar rebate check and a few coins we have enough to walk to the store and buy a quart of milk and a newspaper. On second thought, forget the newspaper.
Louis Jenkins
Duluth, MN