f/k/a . . .

Sloan Carafello, a 29-year-old resident of Schenectady, died Saturday afternoon, June 7, 2008. May he rest in peace, after ending what must have been a very troubled life, by jumping out of a sky-diving plane without a parachute.

See “Man dies after leap from plane: Schenectady man hits house in jump without parachute” (Albany Times Union, June 8, 2008); “Police say jumper’s death suicide” (Albany Times Union, June 9, 2008); “Man leaps from plane, dies: City man didn’t wear parachute” (Schenectady Sunday Gazette, June 8, 2008); “Plane jumper called ‘quiet’ resident of Y” (Schenectady Daily Gazette, June 9, 2008); “Man jumps from plane with no parachute, dies” (Associated Press, June 8, 2008); “Jumper’s death ruled a suicide” (CapitalNews9, June 9, 2008).

Here’s a news video clip with a good summary, including an interview with Bob Rawlins, the owner/pilot of the plane and the Duanesburg Skydiving Club, from WNYT.com, Channel 13 in Albany, NY. “Skydiver jumps to his death,” June 8, 2008. [Frankly, I don’t much like the look on the anchor woman’s face at the end of this national FoxNews video of the event, called Bizarre Death. ]

update (June 10, 2008): “Probe of fatal leap from plane finds pilot issue: FAA says sky-diving club owner lacked required commercial license for carrying paid passengers ” (Albany Times Union, June 10, 2008) Bob Rawlins has a private pilot’s license and an FAA-approved license to pack parachutes, but not the commercial license needed to have paying passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration says it is unlikely that Rawlins’ lack of proper credentials contributed to the tragedy.

The basic facts of Sloan Carafello’s death:

• Carafello had called a number of time and asked to be allowed to ride on the plan as an observer, saying he wanted to take photos for a school project. On Saturday, he rode his bicycle to the Duanesburg Airport, about a dozen miles from his home, a room at the Schenectady YMCA.
• After the three skydivers jumped (a student, a videographer and the instructor), witnesses said Carafello followed with no diving gear, and the pilot was not able to grab him to stop him.
• The videographer filmed as Carafello fell and Carafello took pictures of himself while falling through the air, according to the pilot. Police have the video.
• He fell 10,000 feet onto a house near the Duanesburg Airport, and died of massive trauma. State Police have ruled the death a suicide.
• Carafello’s co-workers, in the seafood department at the Eastern Parkway Price Chopper in Schenectady, told the Times Union that he asked them frequently in recent months, “If you had to die, would you rather jump off a building or jump out of a plane without a parachute?”

(Sch’dy Daily Gazette, photo by Bruce Squiers) This is the tar-covered damaged roof, where Sloan Carafello landed and met his death. The home is located on Duanesburg Road in the town of Dunanesburg, a mostly-rural town a few miles from Schenectady and about a dozen miles west of Albany.

Beyond the note of sadness that I would normally feel about a news item like this, I’m particularly touched by Sloan’s story, because I’ve learned that he lived in a single-occupancy room at our downtown YMCA, just a block and a half from my home. He was one the 182 men who stay on the fourth floor of the YMCA at 13 State St.

Unfortunately, many of my neighbors, and their Stockade Neighborhood Association, very much resent having the Y program located at the edge of our residential historic district (although no one ever points to actual crimes or disturbances caused by these down-on-their-luck men, who are trying to get their lives back together). The Association is very upset that the Y might not remove the program when it moves its gym and pool to a new, distant building.

I hope the struggling young man did not feel that hostility, as he rode his bike or strolled through the neighborhood, with his ever-present backpack and blue parka. It sounds like he bothered no one while living his solitary life.

According to today’s Gazette:

• YMCA Residence Director Louis Magliocca, described Carafello as “Real quiet. . . . His name never came across my desk as an issue there.” And, Carafello never missed a rent payment since his arrival at the YMCA. Carafello, unlike many of the residents, did not come to the YMCA because of a substance abuse problem.
• The Y staff reported no issues involving Carafello on Friday or Saturday. Magliocca said state police told him they searched Carafello’s room and did not find a suicide note.
• According to Sloan’s former landlord, who also runs the boxing gym where he frequently worked out, he was a loner and did not have any friends. Although he may have family in the Troy area, none have been mentioned in any news report so far. update (June 10, 2008): Today’s Albany Times Union reports: “Ryan Carafello, Carafello’s twin, on Monday said the family does not blame Rawlins in any way for his brother’s death. He said his brother was an ‘independent individual’ and that no one else could be held accountable for his suicide.” Ryan also said his family had always loved Carafello and opened their arms to him, but his brother chose to be a loner.

In today’s Times Union, we are told that “Sloan Carafello didn’t talk much. Not when he was at work stocking fish at Price Chopper, and not as a passenger in the sky-diving plane from which he leaped to his death in what State Police are calling an apparent suicide.” The story adds:

“The people who had contact with Carafello in his final moments were still shocked by his death on Sunday. They struggled to understand the silent guy whose life ended when he hit the roof of a house on Duanesburg Road. . . .

” . . . He boxed at a gym nearby and worked out frequently, said James Commarto, the gym’s owner and Carafello’s landlord in Schenectady before he moved to the YMCA. Commarto said Carafello never had parties and kept an immaculate apartment. . .

“Commarto said Carafello previously told him he hadn’t talked to his family in years.”

I have no answers and nothing profound to add. I wish Sloan had not decided to kill himself. If he was determined to do so, I wish he had done it in a way that did not traumatize so many others. But, most of all, as I said at the head of this posting, I hope Sloan Carafello will rest in peace. May we improve our ability and our willingness to help other troubled souls like Sloan Carafello.

update (June 10, 1 PM): An obituary in today’s Albany Times Union tells a story of a young man with many interests (e.g., hiking, travel, photography, oil painting, Bob Marley music, reading biographies) and many loving family members. He was born in 1979, in Catskill, NY; was the son of Jerry E. and Orlinda Reid Carafallo; and had three siblings, including a twin brother, Ryan. Funeral and burial information are included in the obituary.

Personal note: As a twin myself, my heart goes out to Ryan, as I try to imagine what the loss of my brother in any manner — but especially in this manner — would feel like.

afterwords (June 145, 2008):  “Long Story Short” (Life Obscure, June 13, 2008) is a particularly thoughtful weblog posting about Sloan by a young woman called Waven.

summer’s end—
riding a borrowed bicycle
past the graveyard

……………….. by paul m. - from finding the way

staring
back up the open eyes
of the suicide

….. by George Swede - Taboo Haiku (2006) -

autumn evening –
yellow leaves cover
the plot reserved for me

An obituary
circled in the newspaper–
pale winter moon

My small family gone–
ants crawl on their graves
in the pale autumn sun

…… by Rebecca Lilly -
“cold autumn dusk” - Shadwell Hills (Birch Press, 2002)
“autumn evening” - A New Resonance 2; Modern Haiku XXX:2

news of his death
the cigarette smoke rises
straight up

……… by DeVar Dahl - New Resonance 3

Do you remember when you could easily see a baby in its stroller — and could tell whether a baby was actually in a stroller without getting a search warrant? [The little cutie on the far right below is my big sister Linda, in 1949. I don’t know the two other kids.]

. . . . . . . . . . .

A news story with a happy ending over the weekend out of nearby Abany, NY, reminded me of those days and of my occasional bemusement as baby strollers have been super-sized over the past few decades — turning into vehicles that their owners could only transport with vans or min-wagons, or buses. See “Teen saves baby who fell under bus” (Schenectady Daily Gazette, May 31, 2008); and “Teen: ‘I don’t feel like a hero’: Boy who grabbed baby from beneath bus receives thanks” (Albany Times Union, June 1, 2008); plus a video from CBS-6-Albany). As the TU reported yesterday:

“Amanda Hoffman of Bertha Street was trying to get Anthony, her 5-day-old baby, and a stroller on the bus by pulling the stroller up the stairs of the bus.

“Unknown to her, the baby fell out of the stroller, hit the blacktop and rolled underneath the bus tire, police spokesman Detective James Miller said.”

Luckily, fourteen-year old Tyler Purvis-Mitchell, “saw the baby underneath the bus in front of a wheel. He quickly grabbed the baby as the bus was about to take off.” The infant received only a cut on his forehead and some scrapes, and was released from Albany Medical Center Hospital later that afternoon.

. . . . . . . .

How did this happen? According to the Times Union:

“During an interview at her home Saturday evening, Hoffman said she knew something had dropped out of the stroller, but thought maybe it was a bottle. A strap on a car seat inside the stroller may have been loose or not snapped, she said. She said the teen acted quickly to save Anthony, a dark-haired, 7-pound baby born just May 25.”

Well, I have nothing particularly deep to add to the reactions you are probably having to this tale. One more example of bigger not necessarily being better — and of the importance of an ounce of prevention. Best wishes to Anthony Hoffman for a long and interesting life. And, thanks to Tyler Purvis-Mitchell for his quick thinking and action.

update (June 17, 2008): Tyler Purvis-Mitchell was honored today in a ceremony at our NYS Assembly in Albany. See “Teen hero honored by state Assembly” (CBS6Albany.com/WRGB, June 17, 2008), which notes that “A resolution was presented on the floor of the State Assembly this morning to celebrate Purvis-Mitchell’s heroism.”  And concludes, “Tyler humbly said he did not expect to be a hero, nor did he ever imagine he would be recognized for saving a life.”

sleepless . . .
the baby’s age
in days

children’s ICU–
a tissue box beside
the pay phone

I smile at her
smiling at the baby
smiling

… by John Stevenson from Some of the Silence (Red Moon Press,1999)

A headline in the print edition of this morning’s Schenectady Daily Gazette got me thinking about the words “synecdoche” and “Schenectady” (and, eventually, serendipity). The Gazette headline was “Kaufman’s debut as director plays off name of Schenectady: ‘Synecdoche, N.Y.’ screened at Cannes Film Festival” (May 24, 2008). The Associated Press article by David Germain is running under various headlines across the nation and world, typically “`Malkovich’ writer Kaufman makes directing debut” (May 23 & 24, 2008). The online version of our other local newspaper, the Albany Times Union, today captioned the AP story ‘Synecdoche’ has some local ties.”

“Synecdoche, New York” Cast at Cannes [Lionel Cironneau /AP] From left, British actress Samantha Morton, American actors Michelle Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener. For more on the movie, see the May 23rd Cannes Festival Clip of the Day, which features the film; and its Cannes Festival details/synopsis page.

The Cannes Synopsis: says the main character Caden Cotard (who directs plays) is worried about the transience of life, and directs his cast “in a celebration of the mundane.” Thoughts of transience and the importance of everyday occurrences and objects are also celebrated in haiku, of course, but the movie probably has no particular attraction otherwise for haiku lovers such as myself, beyond our natural intellectual curiosity. On the other hand, reviewer Wendy Ide, in The Independent, notes that “At times it feels more like a suicide note than a movie.” So, maybe it will appeal to the haiku crowd that likes “Japanese Death Poems.” (examples at Salon.com)

For now, not having seen the movie, I’m going to stick to the words synecdoche and Schenectady, etc.

The City of Schenectady, NY, plays a part in the movie, because the main character lives in Schenectady as the movie opens (see the Cannes Synopsis; and see reviews at the Cinematical weblog, and Times Online and The Independent). It is possible that the character’s bleak life and struggle to find meaning also mirrors the fortunes of the struggling City of Schenectady, which was the once-thriving home of GE. Of course, Schenectady may also play a part merely because Kaufman was looking for a title that plays off his synecdoche theme.

The word synecdoche means “substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa.” As the American Heritage Dictionary explains, giving examples:

synecdoche: n. A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword). [read its etymology here;]

It would be great if lots of people get to know the synecdoche concept, thanks to this movie — particularly, if it gets them to think about why we choose to use a particular word in a particular situation, instead of a more precise word or phrase. So far, that does not seem to be what is happening. The emphasis has been on the much more superficial issue of how to pronounce the word. This being a holiday weekend, I’m going to stick with superficiality.

According to the AP, the director and cast were flooded with questions at Cannes about the film’s themes and its title — especially how to pronounce it. Director-screenwriter Charlie Kaufman said that with Synecdoche, NY, “People will learn to pronounce another word, and that’s always good, right?” Judging from the reaction in the media and in cyberspace, that outcome might not be as easy as Kaufman thinks. For example:

• At the Canadian media giant Macleans, Brian D Johnson’s piece is titled “Can you pronounce ‘Synecdoche’?” — but he never offers an opinion on how to say the word.
• Meanwhile, in her film review “Synedoche, New York” at The Independent, Wendy Ide says “Synecdoche, New York is a defiantly uncommercial movie - it’s infuriatingly enigmatic, philosophical and nobody knows how to pronounce the title.”
• Seeing the problem, at snarckerati, Kirsten Anderson wrote “Say What? Synecdoche” (May 23, 2008), and has a lengthy piece on the meaning and pronunciation of synecdoche.

The Playlist went even further to prove the difficulty in saying the word synecdoche. In “Cannes: You’re Not The Only One Who Has No Clue How To Pronounce The Title Of Charlie Kaufman’s New Movie” (May 21, 2008), the weblog’s Rodrigo Perez laments:

It’s called “Synecdoche New York,” but no one, including everyone at the current Cannes Film Festival knows how to pronounce it (see video below). It sounds silly, but you know if they keep that title it will be a hurdle for audiences . . . “

After looking closely at the title and its connection to Schenectady, The Playlist concludes: “Intellectually playful to be sure, but not exactly all-inclusive cinema. We hate to be the first to heavily imply, ‘hey, Kaufman, change the film title,” but just sayin’… I mean, we are in a recession, right? Buyers are nervous.” To prove the point, Playlist says:

Watch the YouTube clip: No One Knows How To Pronounce The Title Of Charlie Kaufman’s New Movie

Does Charlie Kaufman help us to pronounce his title? Kaufman told the press at the 61st annual Cannes film festival that:

“The key is also that it sounds like Schenectady, which is the city that it’s a play on. So if you know how to pronounce Schenectady, then you just take out the `kuh.”

Now, I’m no expert in the pronunciation of “synecdoche,” but I do know how to pronounce Schenectady, where I have lived for 20 years. One thing I know for sure: Taking the “kuh” out of Schenectady does not get you the pronunciation of synecdoche. We’ve gotten pretty bad in blurring the sound of lots of our vowels, and Schenectadians have the strange habit of splitting a word so that the last syllable no longer starts with a consonant (e.g., saying “splitt-ing,” instead of “split-ting”). But, we’re not yet equating the sound of “doche” with “tady,” and how to say “-doche” is not all that obvious.

YourDictionary.com shows (skə nek′tə dē) as the pronunciation of the word Schenectady (which comes from a Mohawk Indian word meaning “on the other side of the pines?). The American Heritage Dictionary‘s entry for Schenectady concurs:

SYLLABICATION:	Sche·nec·ta·dy
PRONUNCIATION:	sk-nkt-d

As I always tell people who wonder how to say or spell Schenectady, “It sounds just like it looks, and spells just like it sounds.” I can’t quite say that for synecdoche.

Nevertheless, the film’s star Hoffman did a better job than Kaufman explaining the pronunciation of synecdoche. According to the AP story:

“`Sin-NEK-doh-kee,’” Hoffman said. “Once you know it, it’s hard to forget it, actually.”

Maybe the AP reporter transcribed Hoffman’s words incorrectly, but I wonder just why the word is pronounced as if it had two n’s in a row in it — ending its first syllable and beginning its second. I therefore decided to look elsewhere for the definitive pronounciation (in American English) of the word synecdoche.

• Playlist tells us: “BTW, It’s pronounced sin-eck-duh-kee, kind of like Schenectady. A synecdoche (si-nek-duh-kee) is “a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, as in ‘50 head of cattle’ for 50 cows.” [Note: two different pronunciations in two successive sentences.]

• In a Reuters/Yahoo piece, “Kaufman defies convention with ‘Synecdoche’“, Bob Tourtellotte explains: “New York is the easy part. Synecdoche, for the record, is pronounced “sin-ek-duh-kee” with the accent on “ek,” and people familiar with the U.S. town of Schenectady, New York, should have little trouble saying it. The rest might need help.”

• Dr. Goodword — at alpha Dictionary — says “synecdoche (no, not Schenectady)” is pronounced “si-nek-dê-kee.”

They don’t really clarify the issue for me. What about our major dictionaries?

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition. 2000) tells us:

SYLLABICATION: syn·ec·do·che

PRONUNCIAATION: s-nkd-k

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says

Main Entry: syn·ec·do·che

Pronunciation: \sə-ˈnek-də-(ˌ)kē\

That’s confusing to a non-lexicographer like myself, even looking at a pronunciation key. Beyond the arcane symbols, why doesn’t the pronunciation jibe with the syllable break?

Something tells me, we better listen to the word synecdoche being pronounced, if we really want to master the sound of the word. Try

• OneLook.com’s U.S. pronunciation (female voice) of synecdoche
• The American Heritage Dictionary version (male voice) of synecdoche
• The Merriam-Webster Dictionary version of synecdoche (male voice)

I hope this helps anyone who wanted to lean how to say the words synecdoche or Schenectady. Somehow, I can’t explain why I was willing to spend so many hours of a beautiful holiday Saturday writing this piece. Talk about a bleak life in Schenectady.

Where’s the Serendipity, you ask? My reward, if any, surely includes the serendipitous discovery of a woman who combined the words Schenectady and Synecdoche online several years ago.

It’s Rebecca Moore Howard, an associate professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University. In addition to hosting a Dictionary and Scrabble Word Find, Prof. Howard is proprietor of the weblog Upstate, which has the tagline: The Blog Formerly and Fetchingly Known as Schenectady Synecdoche.

Indeed, the editor of this weblog — which is called f/k/a because our many alter egos kept retiring, revolting, or just changing its name — was amused to discover that Upstate was originally called StepAside. However, from the posting “It’s only temporary! (I think),” on March 11, 2005, until its “fond farewell” on December 8, 2007 — it was dubbed Schenectady Synecdoche, with the tagline: “Concerning authorship, intellectual property, plagiarism, and anything else I feel like talking about.”

It seems that Prof. Howard was having trouble with her webserver in March 2005, when she decided to change its name, and told her readers:

[H]ey, it gives me an excuse to use the blogtitle that I’ve decided is actually a lot cooler than StepAside, anyhow. I do realize that I don’t live in Schenectady, but on the other hand, I’ve spent the night there, so that should count. Nobody was understanding what I meant by “StepAside,” anyhow. In case you’re wondering, it was a play (a rather obscure one, I now realize) on the “senioritis” bloggername: stepping aside is what everybody can’t wait for fossilized senior faculty to do. I like “Schenectady Synecdoche” better (especially since I pirated it from Collin): it means absolutely nothing, but it’s funny as — heck.

By the way, Prof. Howard is co-editor of the recently-published “Pluralizing Plagiarism: Identities, Contexts, Pedagogies” (2008), which has a really cool cover. Since she admits she “pirated” the name Schenectady Synecdoche from someone named Collin, I shall get in touch with Prof. Howard to try to find out where and when Collin used the phrase.

Meanwhile, I have decided to change the category of posts here at f/k/a that deal with Schenectady and Capital Region items from “Schenectady Stuff” to “Schenectady Synecdoche” — since the topics covered are both overinclusive and underinclusive of the concept Schenectady. I’m sure Prof. Howard agrees this is not plagiarism, even if it might fit her definition of piracy.

p.s. If you came for haiku, today, please scroll down our main page, or click on our Guest Poets Index Page. If the spirit moves me, and I find nothing more exciting to do this weekend, I’ll add a few haiku to this postscript tomorrow.

And, please don’t forget to save fuel by driving no more than 55 over the Memorial Day weekend.

. . . Lamb No. 2735: birth to burger . . .

There’s a fascinating special story in today’s Albany [NY] Times Union. Written by restaurant critic Steve Barnes, “Farm to market: A lamb’s short life, from country meadow to dinner table” (May 22, 2008) tells the life story of Lamb No. 2735, who was born June 6, 2007. In an interview this morning with radio host Don Weeks, at 810WGY, Steve said he felt that omnivores have a moral obligation to understand where their meat comes from. He stressed that Lamb No. 2735 had as idyllic a life and death as can be expected in this country. There is an online photo gallery, and a separate article about the slaughtering process, which in this instance “strives to be humane.”

Today, at Steve’s Table Hopping weblog, he says:

Times Union photographer Luanne Ferris and I spent 11 months following a lamb from Elihu Farm in Easton, Washington County. We were there the day he was born (when farm owner Mary Pratt was holding him at right), then periodically checked in for almost a year. We watched him grow, followed him to the slaughterhouse, witnessed the butchering, took photos when one of his legs became the centerpiece of a family’s Passover meal, and I ate a spectacular tasting menu featuring the lamb at J.T. Baker’s New Cuisine in Greenwich, which regularly buys Elihu lamb.

On his 9-month birthday, No. 2735 weighed about 120 pounds and was ready to go to market in time for the high demand around Easter and Passover. Barnes notes that he was “still just a pip compared to his father, Max” and explains that Elihu Farm “names its few mature rams, but its hundreds of ewes and lambs must be kept track of by number.”

I learned a lot about the life, death and marketing of lamb from this story. I eat very little red meat, but agree with Steve Barnes that omnivores need to understand how meat gets to their table.

mountain wind
the stillness of a lamb
gathering crows

clearing mist
the white legs
of lambs and goths

winter mountains
the whiteness of water
beside the ewes

…………………………………….. by Matt Morden
“mountain wind” - New Resonance 2
“clearing mist” & “winter mountains” - Morden Haiku

late spring walk
flattened grass
where the ewe was sheared

……… by paul m. from called home (Red Moon Press 2006)

cloudless sky
the baaing
of penned sheep

………………. by Carolyn Hall
- The Heron’s Nest (Valentine Award 2005, Special Mention)

  I on’t get me wrong:know well — and firsthand — the joy of seeing the Mohawk River from your own home or backyard. What I do not know is how two men in their 60’s could be so selfish and reckless that they (allegedly) had three hundred trees clear cut — on property owned by the NYS Canal Corporation — in order to improve the view of the Mohawk River from their homes. According to our local news media and police, that is exactly what Brian Gain, 67, and Raymond Tannatta, 63 (of the Schenectady suburb of Niskayuna) did recently in order to improve the view of the River from their Middle Street homes, near the Rexford Bridge. See “Two Arrested for Illegally Cutting Trees” (Fox News 23, May 15, 2008), which includes a before-and-after video clip).

As Fox News 23 reporter Jeff Saperstone told us last night:

“Large, lush trees bordered the Mohawk River coastline last year. Now looking at that same coastline, one man says, “…it’s just empty.”

“. . . . FOX23 News spoke with several concerned neighbors, who did not want to go on camera, but they told us they are very disappointed those trees came down because it ruins this very nice natural landscape. Photos given to FOX23 by those neighbors show a number of trees that no longer stand. In some of the photos you can see bald eagles, red foxes and other creatures that call this place home.

“The fear here is that because there are no trees left on the cliff side, any kind of rainstorm could cause a mudslide of sorts thus filling in the lagoon beneath the cliff.”

[photo of the Mohawk R. at the Schenectady Stockade — about a mile from the Niskayuna despoilation — by D.A. Giacalone, May 2008]

According to Capital News 9, “Gain and Tannatta are charged with third-degree criminal mischief, making a false written statement, along with the violations of illegally cutting trees, causing damage to canal property and occupying canal property without a permit. . . They were issued appearance tickets for the Town of Niskayuna Court on May 28.” Today’s Schenectady Gazette online gives a comprehensive report on the story, in “2 accused of cutting trees on state land” (by Steven Cook, May 16, 2008). The Gazette tells us:

“State police investigated after receiving a complaint about three weeks ago that there were trees in the river. They soon realized the land behind the houses had been clear-cut, with about 300 trees taken down and left where they fell.

. . . . “The people who allegedly did the actual cutting are expected to face environmental conservation law violations for leaving the trees in the river, [State Police Zone Sgt. Mark] Phillips said. They were brought in believing the land belonged to the nearby homeowners.

. . . “If they are found guilty, they could face fines of $250 per tree, Phillips said. That would be in addition to any penalty on a criminal mischief conviction.”

The Gazette article notes that “A judge could also order them to restore the property to its prior state.” The tragedy, of course, is how impossible such a restoration would be (at least in my lifetime). In addition, I believe that damages should be assessed using a multiple many times more than a fine per tree. The overall marring of the landscape and scenery is far greater than the sum of the trees gone.

I wish the Niskayuna Zoning Board could have read Mr. Tannatta’s mind, when it granted his request for a zoning variance (scroll to item #6) to build on the lot at 832 Middle Street in 2005. In the Channel 23 piece, one of Tannatta’s neighbors says, “We are sure our neighbors are good people who just made a selfish choice.” Frankly, I am not quite so sure. Right now, I am too angry at Gain and Tannatta to even attempt to find a haiku or two to end this posting.

If my “neighbors” in the white house across the River from me in Scotia ever get the notion to cut down the trees blocking their view of the Mohawk, they better worry about a citizen’s arrest and a nice lawsuit.

On a cheerier ending note, check out the lovely photos I took earlier this week at the Albany Tulip Fest; they’ve been added at the bottom of our May 9th posting “tulips-R-us.”

After revealing last week that our Central Library would close in a few weeks for up to 18 months as part of its expansion project (see our prior post, where we are collecting links to relevant articles, Letters), Schenectady County officials apparently saw the signs of public outrage on the wall and trembled. They announced yesterday that they will be seeking bids on two alternative renovation plans that they believe “can limit closings to a matter of weeks, which could be staggered or broken up to minimize patron disruption.” See “Library construction plans change: Facility will not close July 1; county seeking new bids” (Schenectady Daily Gazette, by Tatiana Zarnowski, May 10, 2008); and “Plan reduces library closure: Schenectady County officials adjust plan to limit service disruption” (Albany Times Union, May 11, 2008)

update (May 23, 2008): See the Daily Gazette article, “Library addition project shelved: Work to involve only heating, electrical systems” (May 23, 2008) — “The systems replacement work will likely result in some short-term closures at the main branch this summer, said board President Esther Swanker.”

The TU reported this morning that: “Susan E. Savage, Schenectady County Legislature chairwoman, said in a prepared statement contractors are being asked to respond to both the original bid specifications and two alternate bids meant to lower costs and shorten the period when the main branch will be closed.” The article explained that:

“One alternate plan focuses on replacing major systems in the building including removing asbestos, installing a new heating and air-conditioning system and improvements to the first floor.

“The second alternative focuses on using the upstairs of the facility to house library programs, eliminating the need to change the basic footprint of the building. The second-floor space is now used for administrative space and book storage.”

Of course, such minimal disruptions would have been incorporated into any reasonable construction plan from the start — to respect the needs and desires of the public and in line with the usual practices of contractors. So, I’m not about to fall all over myself praising the County for their quick, survival-0riented responsiveness to the will of the people. (Nor fall for Legislator Gary Hughes’ attempt to let us know the was “concerned” — but impotent? — from the start.) Bernard Allanson, who has to work with Library and County officials as the president of Friends of Schenectady County Public Library, was a bit more diplomatic than I feel like being today. The Gazette reported that:

“Allanson said then he thought the Legislature pushed the original project through without public discussion. On Saturday, he was encouraged to hear officials were backing off.

“ ‘I would say that the public has had a significant impact on the Legislature. I applaud the Legislature for listening,’ he said.”

I wish Chair Savage had put her prepared statement on the County website, so we could read it directly. The Gazette tells us that “construction won’t happen until the end of summer at the earliest, since officials have postponed the deadline to seek the additional bids. They had planned to review bids May 22.” Naturally, I am quite pleased that the Central Library will probably be able to stay open with only the normal occasional closings and reduced hours that are expected during a major construction.

Clearly, we need to continue to be wary, as the new bids are solicited and reviewed — to remember just how cavalierly (savagely?) officials were willing to damage our community in order to save a few dollars, while being totally oblivious about the need for and impact of such a lengthy closing. Our County leaders need to understand that the public is willing to pay a premium, if necessary, to assure minimal disruptions in the vital services and role that our Central Library plays in the life of this community.

Despite our relief, I hope many concerned citizens will attend the County Legislature’s May Meeting Tuesday at 7 PM, to let them know that their first approach was totally unacceptable — both the lack of public input and the lack of respect for the Library and its users — and that our leaders are, at best, on probation and will be monitored closely by the Library’s friends.

Many thanks to all the members of the public, including the Friends of Schenectady Public Library, who quickly and effectively put pressure on County officials to reverse their disastrous plan.

p.s. It is not all sturm-und-drang in Schenectady County this weekend. I want to express my love and gratitude to Mama G. on Mother’s Day.

spring sun
warm on my back
mother’s day

Sunday morning –
humming a tune
my mother taught me

…………… [Schenectady’s] Yu Chang from Upstate Dim Sum

And, to show you this lovely view from my backyard last night (May 10, 2008), looking across the Mohawk River from the Schenectady Stockade across to Scotia (click for a larger version).

(larger) Lawrence the Indian (of pink flamingo fame) is decked out again this Spring in tulips, in his traffic circle, at Front, Green and Ferry Sts., in Schenectady’s Historic Stockade District. Read more about Lawrence here. (Stockade tulip photos by D. Giacalone, May 2008) Many thanks to Stockade resident Jennifer Wells, of Stockade Lawn and Gardens, for all the “pro bono” work she does planting and caring for flowers and decorative plantings throughout our neighborhood.

update (May 10, 2008): This cheery tulip display called to me while I was strolling up N. Ferry St. this afternoon. Located behind 14 N. Ferry, it simply couldn’t be ignored. [larger here]

………………………………………. click to see them in context:

first-date stroll
April tulips
still closed tight

.. by dagosan

A couple blocks away, in Riverside Park along the Mohawk River, slightly-past-peak tulips sway in the wind while overlooking the Isle of the Cayugas (larger).

blustery day
one tulip
keeps his head

………….. by David Giacalone, Simply Haiku, Autumn 2007, vol 5 no 3

[larger; uncropped]

come on,
you’ve got to see the . . .
!!! decapitated tulips !!!

….. by dagosan

Missed already. The First Reform Church tulips we showed you (along with our cherry blossoms) on April 24, 2008 (larger), have already lost their heads and have been replaced.

Despite their transient nature, tulips and their spirit live on in haiku. Here are a bed-full by members of the f/k/a family of poets:

darkening clouds
I press cold earth
on tulip bulbs

………. by Laryalee Fraser - The Heron’s Nest X:1 (March 2008)

shuttered room;
I enter
with tulips

…. by paul m. - finding the way (Press Here, 2002)

trespassing –
three tulips
in an unkempt yard

eighth day of rain
dandelion clocks
taller than the tulips

….. by dagosan

(orig.)

sudden storm
the tulips
brim over

… by matt morden from Morden Haiku (May 8, 2006)

Arlington
the tulips
wide open

….. by Carolyn Hall - The Heron’s Nest Vol. VII -

- haiga: poem by David Giacalone, photo by Arthur Giacalone, at Highland Park, Rochester, NY.

. . . Albany [NY] will be celebrating its 60th Annual Tulip Festival this weekend, May 9 - 11, 2008, in Washington Park. The Festival has “over 200,000 tulip bulbs blossom[ing] into a sea of colors just in time for Mothers Day.” Friday evening (tonight, May 9) will introduce “Night Fire, a unique art-installation of the elements involving local artists and community partners to create a special 60th anniversary ceremony.” Read about Night Fire in “Artwork of fire, water for city’s 60th Tulipfest: Burning steel sculpture in Washington Park Lake will be center of “Night Fire” event” (Albany Times Union, Feb. 5, 2008); and “Festival flambe” (TU, May 8, 2008).

. . . . . . update (May 10, 2008): At the Times Union photogallery, you’ll find impressive photos of the Night Fire windmill burning and the resulting steel tulip. (purchase them at the TU Online Store.) Even better (6 PM): Here’s a two-minute video clip from WRGB.com, Channel 6 in Albany, which includes Night Fire burning, plus some gorgeous tulips.

Click this link for some great TU readers’ photos of the Albany tulips in Washington Park.

. . .

-Haiga: poem by david giacalone; photo by Arthur Giacalone; orig. posted at MagnaPoets Japanese Form, May 22, 2007.

sunny morning —
pink tulips in bloom
on the preschool’s walls

.. by Billie Wilson - Haiku Harvest (Spring 2001)

- don’t forget our f/k/a Mother’s Day Haiku Collection (originally posted May 10, 2007).

preview (May 10, 2008): Some time soon, we’ll feature lilacs again. They inspired dagosan today at his little weblog.

post-script (May 12, 2008): I see that Prof. Ann Althouse is proud of the blossoms (and flower boxes) in her Brooklyn neighborhood, too.

update (May 14, 2008): I joined Elizabeth and Barry last night for a quick trip to the Albany Tulip Festival at Washington Park. A lovely spring evening held many delights, and ended with a feast across from the Park at El Loco Mexican Cafe. Here are a few shots I snapped:

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update (May 11, 2008): See our post “outcry earns a reprieve for Schenectady’s Library” (May 11, 2008), which explains new plans by County officials to ask for alternative renovation bids that hopefully would reduce disruptions in service at the Central Library.

Despite our relief, I hope many concerned citizens will attend the County Legislature’s May Meeting Tuesday at 7 PM, to let them know that their first approach was totally unacceptable — both the lack of public input and the lack of respect for the Library and its users — and that our leaders are, at best, on probation and will be monitored closely by the Library’s friends.

Many thanks to all the members of the public, including the Friends of Schenectady Public Library, who quickly and effectively put pressure on County officials to reverse their disastrous plan.

Update & Notice (May 10, 2008): County Legislature May Meeting: Members of the public will have the opportunity to speak their minds about closing the Library during its renovation on Tuesday, May 13, at 7 PM, at the County Legislature’s monthly meeting (held at the County Office Building, 620 State St., 6th Floor). However the May Meeting Agenda does not contain any resolution concerning the Library expansion project, and no formal action can be taken on that topic. The agenda is quite lengthy, so there will be a long wait before the floor is opened to the public for general comments.

Compromise Plan: It appears that County leaders (e.g., Kathy Rooney the County Manager, Susan Savage, Legislative Chair, and Gary Hughes, chair of the Legislature’s Library Committee) have heard the public outcry and are working on a compromise plan that would improve the way the Library’s current building is used (e.g., putting public space on the 2nd floor), and replace the operating systems, without changing the current shell of the building, and in a manner that will greatly reduce the period(s) in which the building will need to be closed. I have no idea how the Legislature could be accepting bids — or contractors crafting their bids — on the project before the revised plan is adopted.

Rally Against Closing the Library: (May 12, 2008, Monday, 8 AM): The Rally has been canceled, due to the news about alternative plans that would avoid a long closing. I’m betting it is merely postponed, as we will very likely need to nudge along our “leaders” on this project long before the construction is over.

Original Posting:

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.” . . . Upton Sinclair, US novelist, investigative journalist & socialist politician (1878 - 1968)

There are times when the inane actions of our local “leaders” or our justice system here in Schenectady County [NY] leave me merely amused or bemused — affectionately shaking my head, as I often do over the foibles or feeble-mindedness of relatives and friends. But, there are other times — as with my sustained objection to sex offender residency restrictions — when I am truly outraged by the combination of duplicity, incompetence and high-handed arrogance that leads to inexplicably dreadful decisions by our so-called civil servants and political leaders.

The totally-unexpected announcement last week (after years of “planning”) that our Central library would shortly have to close for 18 months, due to the expansion and reconstruction of the building, clearly calls for outrage rather than bemusement.

See “Library to shut during project: Trustees: Closure will make expansion quicker, cheaper” (Schenectady Daily Gazette, by Kathleen Moore, May 1, 2008).

As I have already left rather tart Comments online about the closing in response to this, and this, and that Gazette article, I shall attempt to be more dispassionate in this posting, despite my frustration.

At the bottom of this posting (under the fold, if you are reading this from our homepage), I’ve listed the major articles, editorials and Letters to the Editor about the library closing that have appeared in the Daily Gazette since the “plan” was announced publicly five days ago. I’ve included particularly illuminating quotes from each piece. In addition you can find continuing coverage and comments about the library closing at Schenectady’s Virtual Internet Community, and the Rotterdam NY Internet Community website. The f/k/a Gang will attempt to keep that list up to date as this story unfolds.

Want to express an opinion to our elected or appointed officials? Click here for the Schenectady County Government website, and here for contact information on our County Legislators. Library contact information is here.

Members of Friends of the Schenectady Public Library have responded quickly and forcefully to this crisis. See, e.g., “Library closure plan draws fire” (Daily Gazette, by Michael Lamendola, May 6, 2008); and “Speak out against plan to close Sch’dy library” (Letter to the Editor, Daily Gazette, by John Karl, May 6, 2008). The Library has attempted to diminish the importance of the closing by noting that while 1400 people use the Central Library every day, a mere 10% of that “traffic” comes from the downtown 12305 zip code, where the Library is located. (Their implication, I guess, is that since the others are driving to the Central Library, they can just drive to a nearby branch. For the record, I live a mile from the Central Library and go there almost every day. It will cost me about $2 in gas to go instead to the nearest non-tiny branch.)

In an Op/Ed piece on Sunday, Phil Sheehan did a good job showing how bogus those numbers are. See “18-month library shutdown a major disservice” (Daily Gazette, May 4, 2008) However, even if the 1400 average daily traffic number is accurate (measuring all those who come to the Library, and not just those who use their card), it is an impressive number. Fourteen hundred people is 1% of Schenectady County’s population, which was 144,000 as of 2005. One percent of our population goes to the Central Library every day.

How important is the Central Library to the Schenectady County Public Library system? SCPL has ten branches/locations. Nevertheless, according to the Library’s 2007 Annual Report, last year (using my math and their numbers) the Central Library accounted for:

• 44% of total circulation to Patrons
• and 42% of total circulation to other libraries
• 55% of all Adult library volumes; and 32% of the more widely spread juvenile volumes

• 71% of all Reference services provided
• 83% of all Adult Programs offered, and almost 92% of all attendees at adult programs

• In addition, there were 152,606 visits to the Central Library’s Technology Center in 2007 (averaging over 430 persons per day).

Clearly, as should be obvious even without culling the statistics, the Central Library plays a key role in achieving SCPL’s Mission, which is:

“. . . to satisfy our community’s educational informational, cultural and recreational needs by providing free and open access to a comprehensive range of materials, services and programs.”

As “citizen” Library Trustee John Karl aptly noted in voicing his opposition to the closing: The operation of the Central Library “is the most cost-effective and efficient service in the whole county.” Deciding to close the vital heart (and lungs and brain) of the County’s library system is such a bad idea that even a cynic has a hard time imagining what was going on in the minds of the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for the idea. I’m willing to believe that Library Director Andy Kulmatiski was told “endorse, fight for, and implement the 18-month closing or lose your job.” (Thus, as Upton Sinclair predicted, making it hard for Andy to “understand” the uproar of his staff and the community.) But, for the life of me, I can’t even guess what motives could possibly be behind such lousy policy coming from our County Government.

Despite the failure to reverse similar lame-brained and force-fed schemes concocted by our “leaders” (particularly Susan Savage, the Chair of the County Legislature), I’m hopeful that a combination of political courage (there’s gotta be one Democratic on the Legislature with a little backbone) and public outcry will somehow bring about a far more palatable solution.

In closing, some schadenfreude: This book might make you feel a little better about our plight in Schenectady County: It’s Nancy Alonso’s Closed for Repairs, with 11 short stories about conditions in Castro’s Cuba.

my children
don’t want to stop
historical market

… by Tom Clausen - Upstate Dim Sum (Vol. 2008/1)

Some Upstate Dim Sum might be your best bet for local (haiku) culture, if the Central Library does close (and even if it stays open). UDS is a “biannual anthology of haiku and senryu,” published by the Route 9 Haiku Group, which is comprised of four well-known haiku poets who live in Upstate New York. Two of the members, Hilary Tann and Yu Chang are professors at Union College.

The newest issue of Upstate Dim Sum (Vol. 2008/1) came in the mail this afternoon. Here are three poems each from Yu and from Hilary:

old farmer
his gift to his widow
a blueberry field

mid-October
choosing a warm spot
to wait for your call

late night ice cream
our cat licks
around the spoon

….. by Hilary Tann - from Upstate Dim Sum (Vol. 2008/1)

end of the storm
sunlight returns
to the kitchen

Indian summer
chocolate kisses
on my cheek

white chopping board
beet greens
in a pool of red

………. by Yu Chang - from Upstate Dim Sum (Vol. 2008/1)

- - Below [click “more” if you are on the f/k/a homepage] you will find links to articles and opinion from the Schenectady Daily and Sunday Gazette, and other source, concerning the closing of the Central Library, along with excerpts from the pieces. –

(more…)

. . . Last week, the corner where I live had the blahs. Even with a blue sky, it seemed like a black-and-white, colorless world.

cloud-covered twilight
she resets the printer
to grayscale

…… by dagosan

Over the weekend, however, we got color.

All it took was the arrival of our cherry blossoms.

(large)

Like my former adopted hometown of Washington, D.C., humble little Washington Ave. in the Historic Stockade District of Schenectady, NY, has a few splendid days dominated by cherry blossoms.

the wiggle
of a bee’s behind—
cherry blossom

. . . . . . by Laryalee Fraser

As you can see, the Washington Avenue cherry-blossom trees are rather young, but they already make a big splash and promise much more as the years go by. Here are a couple photos I took this afternoon; you’ll find a few more below the fold.

Washington Ave. looking northward from Union St. (larger)

distant thunder
a few cherry blossoms
float to earth

just blossoming
we meet under
the cherry tree

. . . . by w.f. owen

This tree stands in front of the Schenectady County Historical Society at 32 Washington Ave.

cherry blossoms
the tug tug tug
of baby’s hand

morning mist
a bent back sweeps
yesterday’s blossoms

. . . . . by roberta beary

update (April 24, 2008): Many thanks to our venerable (well, old) and very popular local morning radio personality Don Weeks, for posting a few of these f/k/a photos at his 810WGY webpage. See “Cherry Blossoms in Schenectady” (810WGY.com, April 24, 2008)

- for information on cherry blossom festivals in Washington and Vancouver, and many more cherry blossom haiku, see our 2007 posting and our 2008 sequel.

- click “more” to see more blossoms under the fold -

(more…)

(large) This photo of the Mohawk River was taken at the end of my block of Washington Ave. in Schenectady, NY, back in March. Unless we’re having a flood or ice floes are backing up, the Mohawk is rather placid around here, and virtually no one is likely to think “let’s surf!” However, less than 20 miles east of us at Waterford, NY (see the Google Map), anesthesiology resident Dr. Jef Field of the Albany Medical Center can often be found river-surfing in the churning waters of the Mohawk, near where it empties into the Hudson River. See, for example:

by Lori Van Buren /Albany Times Union

by Lori Van Buren /Albany Times Union

As explained in the Albany TU article “An unlikely spot to catch a wave: Doctor finds place to pursue favorite sport far from the ocean” (by Jimmy Vielkind, April 9, 2008; via John D. at Nobody Move!), Dr. Field — a 35-year-old Virginia Beach, Va., native who now lives in Bethlehem, NY — says “Rivers are kind of like my ocean in the mountains” and outdoor thrill-seeking is his “natural high.” (But, lucky man, he also gets that high from his work.)

Wearing a neoprene wet suit and using a turquoise “platypus” board that is custom-designed for river surfing, Field was photographed on a day when the Mohawk River was quite high (14 feet) and flowing at 20,300 cubic feet per second. Here’s how reporter Vielkind described the scene:

“He stood on a path between the old Champlain Canal and Goat Island, just north of a hydroelectric dam. Field surfs between a 30-foot cliff and a cement diverting wall on the Mohawk as it tumbles into the Hudson.

“He walked upstream, about 30 yards from the “standing wave” created by a cataract, and slid into the water. . . . He spun around and slid into the frothing wave, then swam upstream.

“Suddenly, he rose above the froth and, with knees bent, began gyrating while riding the wave, left and right, up and down. He flashed a two-fingered V.

“After about a minute, the wave got the best of him. He was swept about 30 yards downstream, where he stood up in a quieter stretch on the other side of the wall and slowly walked upstream.” [enlarged versions of the above photos can be accessed from the article]

Field doesn’t seem a bit worried about the dangers involved in surfing this section of the Mohawk. As for any long-term health risks, he notes that he’s not drinking this river, and insists that “Something else is gonna get me first.” [For more information, see the website of The World River Surfing Association]

in what’s left
of our footprints–
some of the wave

. . . . . by Gary Hotham from- snow on the water: RMA 1998; South by Southeast V:2

arabesque
where the wave
withdraws
. . . . . by jim kacian, from Chincoteague

Why Lawyers Should Surf, by Tim Kevan and Michelle Tempest

Dr. Field’s joy in surfing and talk of “natural highs” naturally reminded me of the book Why Lawyers Should Surf: Inspiration for Lawyers at Work and Play, by (ex)barrister Tim Kevan and psychiatrist Michelle Tempest (see Tim’s description, and our prior post). And, it made we wonder if their companion volume “Why Doctors Should Surf: Inspiration for Doctors at Work and Play” was finally available.

It also reminded me that I’ve been wanting to escape my Green-Eye Monster and tell you about Tim Kevan’s current status: His popular The Barrister Blog (see our praise for it) was originally captioned something like “law, politics, and surfing.” However, it’s now called The (ex)Barrister Blog and has the envy-invoking caption, “retired young and gone surfing.” In the weblog’s sidebar you’ll find this cryptic explanation:

The (ex-)Barrister Blog is written by Tim Kevan who was a barrister for ten years before retiring to live by the sea, go surfing and write a novel for Bloomsbury Publishing.

I may be too old and worn out to take up river or ocean surfing. But, I’m still willing to accept a nice advance to write a novel or a memoir. Meanwhile, I’m not going to hold me breath waiting — especially since I want to shout out a very big congratulations to Tim, while hoping novel-writing will come as easy to him as all his many other adventures and professional ventures. Given Tim’s wit and insight, I’m looking forward to reading his first novel and telling f/k/a’s readers about it.

the view west -
a splash of red
on every wave

. .. by matt morden - Morden Haiku

on the beach
the tracks of two
lounge chairs

. . . . . by John Stevenson from Quiet Enough

p.s. If you’re into cyber-surfing, and want to painlessly learn about Virtual Law, I suggest heading over to Blawg Review #156, at Virtually Blind. Host Benjamin Duranske — whose new book Virtual Law: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Virtual Worlds (ABA, April 2008) was just released — structures his post as a set of questions and answers on virtual law. He covers “the basics, and will illustrate the answers with links to a number of legal blogs, covering both real-world and virtual world legal issues.”