Now that the temperature has dropped, I can post…
I find Indian summer to be deeply confusing and problematic, a jumbled disappointment for the most part. The hot weather seems way too hot, the shock of going from summer’s freedom to “civilization” all too much. And having a birthday during back-to-school week is just […]

Someone please remind me again why New York has such a ridiculously late primary? Overnight, it seems the campaign signs have magically sprouted from people’s lawns like so many mushrooms. It is also amusing to cross the town line from Geddes to Camillus and see the signs instantly change from Ryan vs. Magnarelli, […]

This weekend I got a chance to finally watch God Grew Tired of Us, the much-lauded documentary film about three young men from Sudan, known to the world as “The Lost Boys,” who were resettled in Pittsburgh and in Syracuse. It’s not a “great” film, but that’s only because there’s so much to this […]

I know it’s not funny, but it is: while CNY’ers ramp up to enjoy the NYS Fair, Long Islanders this month get to go to the Catastrophe Readiness Fair. (Like the House of Hazards, but hopefully better?)

Usually the New York State Fair isn’t terribly controversial, but this year we’ve got problems with tobacco (they want to ban it) and signage.
The background around the sign, in brief: The Fair entered into an agreement with a private businessman for a $750,000 state-of-the-art marquee sign, but because of where it was built, it […]

Some years ago, Hart Seely (who writes for the PS) put together a collection of Donald Rumsfeld quotes re-imagined as free verse. Maybe it’s not just for fun that one can do this; maybe one can really get an insight on what so many people seemed to find inoffensive, or even attractive about […]

• I’m all for Upstate pride and chest-beating, but isn’t the flap over Spitzer not attending Governor’s Day at the Fair maybe a little overblown? (I’m referring to the front-page item in today’s Post-Standard.) It seems Spitzer is going to be on vacation that day. It’s not like he’s not coming at […]

This story from the Los Angeles Times about blogging and journalism has gotten a lot of attention over the weekend. (You can even head over to Rochester Turning to see ongoing complaints about this issue.)
However, I am not here to talk about that story today. I’m here to talk about a person known […]

Here in Syracuse and in other gently decaying remnants of the Rust Belt, we bemoan the slow decline of our cities and neighborhoods. However, looking at what’s happening in the Sun Belt, where wild growth in the housing market has been fueled by easy credit, gives one a different perspective. Click on for […]

This letter in today’s Post-Standard about the CNY Regional Market caught my eye. The writer is upset about the non-locally-grown produce at the Market and suggests that non-local items should be labeled as such.
Coincidentally, the NYT today ran a story about locally-grown produce in a corner of Michigan renowned for its fruit farms, and […]