Judges Kirk and Lesli Van Zandbergen were so impressed with the entries to the Bob Johnston Photography Competition that they found it hard to choose. So they awarded a Best of Show, 4 Judge’s Choice, and 19 Honorable Mentions. The winning photo is “Long Way Down” by Bill Baburchak. The two Judge’s Choice awards in Black & White go to “Notes on Hard Times” (pictured) by Nancy Basmann and “Southern Belle” by Sandra Kirker. Judge’s Choice awards in Color Photography go to “Tree of Life” by Mike Ricciardi and “Caught It” by Barry Biddle.

The Bob Johnston Photography Competition runs from January 3th to January 18th, 2014 when the People’s Choice Award will be announced at the Closing Reception. Visitors to the Show will be able to vote for their favorite photo among the 110 entries. Forty seven photographers entered this competition, “which is a sign of how many quality photographers there are in the area,” according to William Bay, of the Two Rivers Photo Club which is co-sponsoring the event with the Cooperative Gallery 213 State St in Binghamton.
The Honorable Mention Awards go to the following photos: “Awakening” by Fred Schum; “In the Eyes of Storm” by Scott Michael Anderson; “All Alone” by John Mullen; “Peaceful Bird” by Jeanne Van Buren; “Rooftops of Prague” by John Rehak; “Death of an Oak Leaf” by Dan Harendza; “Anxiety’s Sunrise” by Scott M. Anderson; “Stairwell of the Press Building” by Bill Bay; “Flaming Hair” by Karissa Salton; “In the Garden” by Mary Lou Shapinas; “Clarity” by Troy Townsend; “Golden” by Sandra Kirker; “White Birch Dreams” by John Mullen; “Untitled” by John Fabiano; “Hip Hop Man” by Nancy Basmann; “Park at Your Own Risk” by Debra Rockefeller; “The Gatekeeper” by Pete Kofira; “Eye of the Beholder” by Bernice Lewis; “The Wonder of the Sea” Fr. Jim Dutko.

Today, the Center for Technology & Innovation honors Robert B. Garner, IBM Almaden Research Center, and Donald P. Seraphim, IBM Fellow, retired, as recipients of the inaugural 2013 F. V. “Fritz” Johnson Leadership Award for their work to demonstrate a mid-20th c. IBM Endicott computer system in action to TechWorks! visitors. See the IBM 1440 team’s progress at http://ctandi.org/ibm%201440.html
See attachment for more info.
With 2014 just hours away, many of us will be making resolutions to enrich our lives and legacies in the coming year. With your help, TechWorks! visitors of all ages will experience innovation in action – past, present, and future.

The Center is the only institution actively preserving upstate New York high tech advances in avionics, computing, energy, flight simulation, and vehicles – technologies that changed the way the world does business and won the race to the moon. Without your help, these advances will become at best a footnote in history. With your help, they can inspire future generations of inventors and entrepreneurs. All gifts will be recognized in the TechWorks! dynamic donor wall – a terrific way to honor your colleagues, your parents, and your own efforts to make better, safer, smarter world.

For a tax-deductible gift that leverages a 200% match from New York State and qualifies for the IBM and other corporate Matching Grant programs, you can

make a secure on-line donation at http://ctandi.org/donate.html or
send a check to the Center for Technology & Innovation, 321 Water Street, Binghamton, NY 13901.
Thank you for your consideration and very best wishes for the New Year,
Susan Sherwood, Executive Director & Roger Westgate, Board President

The latest edition of Broome County’s Latino Newsletter thanks to Nilsa Mariano. Download here.

Painting Large workshop by Judy Salton at Cooperative Gallery 213
https://vimeo.com/79582318

Binghamton is not Boring expo 2013
https://vimeo.com/80267602

“Down the Rabbit Hole” exhibit at QuarterYellow Studios
https://vimeo.com/81298196

“The Poetics of Space” exhibit of photos at The Bundy Museum
https://vimeo.com/82473235

“Home For the Holidays 2013” display at Roberson
https://vimeo.com/82503103

The Susquehanna Group of the Sierra Club Honors Augie Mueller with the Lynda Spickard Environmental Award. January 21, 2014, at Central United Methodist Church, 17 Nanticoke Ave , Endicott. A potluck dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m., followed by the award program at 7:30 p.m.
Augie Mueller, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Binghamton University, has been a strong advocate for bicycling in the area for more than 40 years. We will hear some of his personal stories about bicycling and what it has meant to him. He has led the bicycling community in numerous capacities: promoting more bicycling lanes and bicycle safety and providing reconditioned bicycles to youth.
A presentation follows on bicycling opportunities and what improvements have occurred during the last 40 years. The public is invited to join Augie in an evening to celebrate bicycling as a way of life.
For more information, e-mail lauffer.scott@email.comp;

The Susquehanna Chapter of the Sierra Club meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tues., December 17 at
Central United Methodist Church, 17 Nanticoke Ave., Endicott
The topic is: “Relaxing of NYS Regulations on Dairy Farms – Threats to Our Water So We Can Have More Greek Yogurt,” with speaker Erin Riddle.

Recent media attention highlighted Gov. Cuomo’s attempt to change the regulations for CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), raising the threshold requirement for a permit from 199 animal units to 299. As a result, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter filed a lawsuit challenging NYS’s decision as a violation of the Clean Water Act.

But what are CAFOs, how adequately are they regulated, and what impact do they have on public health, local democracy, local food systems, rural economies, and animals? Riddle will offer some observations in response to these questions and some potential solutions.

Riddle was born on a small dairy farm in Salamanca, Cattaraugus County, NY, and has since lived in several cities across the state. She chairs the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter (SCAC) Farm & Food Committee, serves on the SCAC Executive Committee and the Susquehanna Group Executive Committee. In addition, she is coordinator of the SCAC campaign to pass a mandatory GMO labeling law in NYS. Currently she is finishing up a Ph.D. program at Binghamton University and teaches at Elmira College.

The public is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Scott Lauffer at: lauffer.scott@gmail.com.

Mark Urban, a local videographer who has been documenting the Dept. of Public Art activities has produced a new video of the second air brush school taught by Bruce Greig. Watch it here:

Bruce Greig airbrushing workshop #2 from Markeee on Vimeo.

A very short video promoting the video competition entitled: “Really…?! Abortion Stigma Busting Video Competiton, deadline Jan. 6, 2014.

When President Bill Clinton vowed to put 100,000 more cops on the streets, it was a very popular program. But did it result in safer streets and towns? Not according to at least one study that looked at the issue:

“Some criminologists find no evidence that the new cops did anything to lower the level of mayhem. A study by John Worrall and Tomislav Kovandzic of the University of Texas at Dallas, published this year in the journal Criminology, concluded that “COPS grants had no discernible effect on serious crime.” A 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office disagreed, but said the effect was very small. About 95 percent of the decline in crime in the 1990s, it said, was attributable to other factors.” (http://reason.com/archives/2007/11/12/do-more-cops-equal-less-crime)

Calling for more police is still popular politics whether there is evidence for it or not. It plays on the fears of voters– fear of outsiders, people different from ourselves. That allows us to be manipulated by politicians who promise a safer Binghamton. But guess what? Crime prevention is more about the economy, jobs, education, people who care about young people.

Funding for Lights Made Possible By New York State Community Capital Grant Secured By Assemblywoman Lupardo

Mayor Ryan: Walnut Street Park Represents What We Can Achieve When Community Partners Come Together For the Common Good

BINGHAMTON, NY—Today, Mayor Ryan, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, City Council President Teri Rennia, and community partners unveiled new improvements to Walnut Street Park, which includes the installation of lights. Walnut Street Park is part of the Design Your Own Park project, a collaboration between the Binghamton Neighborhood Project, the City of Binghamton, and the United Way of Broome County to empower neighborhoods and restore outdoor play at a citywide scale.

“I’m proud that we have taken yet another step to provide our community with a safe and thriving city park,” said Mayor Matt Ryan. “This project represents what’s possible when residents, businesses, community groups, and city hall forge a partnership and seize an opportunity to improve our community.”

The most recent improvement to Walnut Street Park includes the installation of lights, which was made possible by Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, who secured a $100,000 New York State Community Capital grant. Part of that grant has gone towards covering the costs of the lights, as well as providing funding for other DYOP projects. The addition of lights at Walnut Street Park will help enhance safety in and around the park.