DE-PROFESSIONALIZATION OF CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS

In the first wave of incendiary downsizing in 2010 Broome County clinical social workers were encouraged to take a $10,000 pay cut and go work for a private non-profit agency who had just been anointed as a certified OMH outpatient clinic. Our local senator approved of this as two clinicians would also move to the state GBHC Children’s Clinic at higher pay. There was a delay in service since the building and psychiatrist were not ready. Three years later OMH proposes to close inpatient children’s services that are a critical continuum of services and waste your tax dollars spent on that refurbished building. There continue to be wait times at the other agencies. There was never a wait at the Clinic.

Clinicians were not involved in any of the planning. There was not a ‘plan on paper’, nor public hearings, nor consultant study, rather there were a lot of smoke and mirrors and vagueness. Is this the way most men seek employment? There is an underlying gender effect since most social workers are women. The new mantra is that a clinician should be able to ‘pay for their position’. Do you hear others with higher salaries being told that? Or to give up their benefits? And to have a defunk union is a worse slap in the face.

About Us:
Triple Cities Makerspace, Inc. is a collective work and collaboration space that aims to bring together hackers, makers, artists, creatives, geeks, and technology enthusiasts. We have a space and are holding weekly meetings. Please feel free to stop by a meeting and check it out; we are looking for new members.
If you are a creative person, regardless of skill set or age, we would be glad to have you.

website at www.tcmakerspace.com and check out facebook page.

Strategies and Ideas, Guided By Public Input, To Be Displayed At First Friday

BINGHAMTON, NY– Today, city officials announce that over the last five months, more than 4,000 city residents have been engaged through Blueprint Binghamton and provided critical feedback and thoughtful input into the city’s future. The successful citizen participation campaign provides city planners a wealth of information to help guide Blueprint Binghamton, the city’s first major update to its Comprehensive Plan in more than ten years.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the enthusiasm and insight we received from the community,” said Tarik Abdelazim,

Seems like everyone wants our opinion about Binghamton and Broome Co. Notably, blueprint binghamton

have been surveying residents for a new 10 year strategic plan. Broome County is also looking to revise its Comprehensive Plan, although they have not yet tried to engage citizens.

But there is a homegrown effort that has sprung up in a few places in the most blight ridden neighborhoods, targeting feedback from children. To see the first round of stickers and chalked messages go to this previous story: I want in binghamton
Later messages included: “A restaurant or art gallery,” “Help Getting Artists Noticed”, and an “excited message from a stage hand union member, ‘I have an incredibly good idea for this building.'” See attached photo with the ideas for a “2nd hand guitar school” and music school for kids.

Previously, some children debated between “an arcade” or “an ice cream store” with some voting for a “Sweet Frog” the new yogurt store on the southside.

The “I want ____in my neighborhood” is an urban planning device that was created by a young planner in New Orleans and shared by a group called Neighborland. See neighborland.com.

The Happiness Project has issued two new images in the series of vintage photos posted on vacant buildings. The life-sized black and white images are of people who appear to be spontaneously “happy.” One is of “Maggie and Aggie” Long and shows an older woman leaning into her beloved granddaughter who is holding a doll. The other new poster is of a suffrage rally and is from the Library of Congress collection. Pictured are Rose Sanderson with the trumpet, and also, Elsie McKenzie (L) and Elisabeth Freeman (R); all three are clearly excited and having fun.

The anonymous project organizers are careful to post only on boarded up buildings or with permission, and in a temporary way. “This is as much about re-populating abandoned buildings as it is about art and history,” according to a statement sent to the Binghamton Bridge. On some of the same buildings another project has appeared asking people for their opinion. The stickers “I want _______in my neighborhood.” give residents a way to let others know how they would prefer their neighborhoods to look. (See related story on this site.)

The Happiness Project has captured some attention from residents as well as nationally, especially as a topic of conversation on the Facebook site, “I’m from Binghamton.”

The Happiness Project also requests vintage images that include more diversity in race, age, etc. The Binghamton Bridge will act as a conduit for messages: email binghamtonbridgeATgmail.com.

An urban planning device that was created by a young planner in New Orleans and shared by a group called Neighborland has come to Binghamton. Stickers that say “I want ____in my neighborhood.” and Chalkboards that say, “What do you want to see here?” are on four boarded up buildings in Binghamton NY. (Eldredge St., Upper Chenango St., Court and Carroll Sts, and Court St near RiverRead Books).

The feedback has been immediate. Some of the stickers say, “A bigger pool that is open on weekends.” “An ice cream store.” “Jobs.” “Parks for kids.” “A monorail.” “A chance to escape poverty.” “Dreams to Come True.” “A garden.”

Human/Nature

Human/Nature pairs the murals of Judy Salton with the 3-D clay figures of Karen Kuff-Demicco for a month long exhibit at the Cooperative Gallery JUne 7th through June 29th, 2013. The Artists’ Reception is Saturday June 8th from 12-4 pm when an English tea will be served and the artists will be on hand for discussion.

They will give talks with the theme “Human/Nature in Art Throughout History” Third Thursday June 20, at 7 pm. There will also be a Closing Reception with a movie from 1-4 pm.
The title of our show groups two words with distinct meanings. The noun “human” means a person; a bipedal primate mammal. As an adjective, it pertains to humans or their characteristics. “Nature” is a noun meaning either the physical world (non-man made) or the basic essence or behavior of a person or thing. Putting these two words together as the theme of this show allows us to explore their meaning and implications from different directions and raises several questions. What is a human? What is nature? What is the nature of humans? What happens when humans confront nature or nature confronts humans? What is inherent in human nature is the question that has stimulated my work.

All of my pieces in the show are an investigation of a condition or emotion related to human nature. I have not tried to cover every human emotion or trait, I am not sure that is possible. I have used faces, the human figure, and animals from nature to comment on human/nature. For example, “Voice from Within” portrays a single person listening and reacting to a voice that is giving advice. This voice is internal and derived from memories of external words that could come from a variety of influences: parents, authority, friends, evil, a ghost, or even from herself. It could be judgmental or supportive. She has a choice of reactions. This pieces explores what drives decision making; what motivates human actions.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The City of Binghamton was honored for its commitment to sustainability. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand presented the city with a 2013 Environmental Quality Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency Friday.

Binghamton was the only New York State municipality to win the award. Gillibrand actually nominated the city for the award because of its accomplishments in areas such as climate protection, energy efficiency, smart growth and sustainable development.

“I think it is setting an example for other cities in the state about how a vision and a plan and sticking to it really can make a difference. And our mayor has worked very hard on trying to reach long term goals every single day by investing in those goals,” said Sen. Gillibrand.

“This is a great day for Binghamton and it’s a great day for sustainability because we all know that if we are going to continue to progress as a country and as a world we need to embrace these principles because that’s the only way we are going to sustain our planet, and I believe, it will also sustain many, many jobs, and sustain our future,” said Mayor Matt Ryan.

Gillibrand and city officials also celebrated Arbor Day by planting trees in Binghamton’s Fairview Park.
The city says it encourages citizens to get involved with programs such as the Shade Tree Commission and the Citizen Pruner Program.

Topic of Binghamton Community Lab

BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Community Lab will host a mixer and discussion for anyone who is interested in investing locally. There is a self-pay dinner at 6:00 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16th, at the Lost Dog Café Violet Room, 222 Water Street in Binghamton. This event is free and open to the public.

Stimulating job creation and innovation and addressing community needs by nurturing a strong local economy that is less dependent on importing goods and services, and by advocating for and promoting independent locally-owned businesses, services and products, has been an area of focus for Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition, Binghamton Rising, and the Binghamton Community Lab since 2010.

The purpose and format of this meeting will be to expand the group of interested local investors, quickly review some of the most promising models based on the work and research of Local Economist Michael Shuman, and mostly to engage in a facilitated conversation about how to move from the concept phase to planning and implementation.

The Binghamton Community Lab is a gathering place for citizen investigators to create and support improvements that will grow a healthier, wealthier and stronger Binghamton region. The series, held regularly on the third Tuesday of each month will be facilitated by David Sloan Wilson, SUNY distinguished professor of biology and anthropology at Binghamton University and founder of the Binghamton Neighborhood Project, and David Currie, director of the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition.

For additional information, contact Hadassah Head at hhead1ATbinghamton.edu.

Remember “Miss Rumphius,” the Lupine Lady? The children’s fiction book by Barbara Cooney (Puffin 1982) recounts the story of Miss Alice Rumphius, a woman who sought to make the world more beautiful by spreading lupine seeds in the wild. Flash back to New York in the 1970s and meet Liz Christy and her Green Guerillas group, who took to beautifying crumbling Manhattan neighborhoods by tossing “seed grenades” into abandoned lots. The first seed grenades, a term coined by Christy, were made from controversial ingredients: condoms filled with local wildflower seeds, water, and fertilizer. They were thrown over fences onto New York City’s wastelands in order to “green up” neglected urban land. Seed bombing, as it’s known today, is definitely punk, but it’s also a cheap and effective way for you, me, and everyone we know to transform an eyesore into a resource.

The seed bomb growing method has been practiced globally for centuries. The idea germinated in Japan with the ancient practice of “tsuchi dango,” which translates as “earth dumpling.” The idea was re-invented in the 20th Century by the Japanese farmer and philosopher, Masanobu Fukuoka, an advocate of Do-Nothing Farming and author of the classic, “One-Straw Revolution.”

Today seed bombs are wrapped in compost and clay, which protects the seeds while providing needed moisture, nutrients, and structure for seed germination and growth. The seed bomb protects seeds from being eaten by wildlife, so few seeds are needed when compared to broadcast seeding. As much as 80 percent of broadcast seeds, those scattered on the surface of the soil, can be lost before germination.
Read the complete article here http://www.good.is/posts/pimp-the-pavement-a-brief-history-of-seedbombing?utm_medium=tdg&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=readon&utm_content=Resistance%20is%20Fertile%3A%20A%20Brief%20History%20of%20Seedbombing