I never knew what they meant when they said, “It’s political.” But leaving business management and entering the world of communications, where I often follow government, I’ve caught on. Not that there isn’t a degree of politics in business, yet if one is in small business in CNY and successful, they are often focused more on, well, taking care of business. There isn’t a lot of time for positioning for power, or looking to control the game board, as one is often too busy operating said business. Time outside the operation at hand would take away from one’s product and matters of importance to customers and employees.

Presently, New Yorkers have a wonderful example of politics in action...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: ellen leahy,city eagle,wondering about,ny politics

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Since I wrote this column, I met the creator of Waterfire and need to set the record straight on a couple of items that I was told on the street about the event.

First it didn't start as a project connected with RISD, instead Barnaby Evans is a graduate of Brown.
It started as the 10th anniversary celebration of First Night in Providence, which is an event we have celebrated here in CNY. First night was started to celebrate New Years Eve in a family fun, alcohol free environment. It starts on New Year's Eve and goes across midnight intot the New Year.

So on the very first Waterfire, there were only 10 fires - today there are almost 100 and these were set above a frozen river. Want to know more? Read on:

I am a Waterfire Groupie...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: Waterfire,Providence, Rhode Island, ,celebrated art school, Rhode Island School of Design,Syracuse’s Creekwalk,Pro’s riverwalk,Art-in-Motion, a partnership of Imagining America, Open Hand Theater,Syracuse Stage,Barnaby Evans

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Last Friday a longtime customer of Dominick’s Restaurant was suddenly invited to Shifty’s for a supposed Happy Hour. After spending an exhausting day visiting his accountant and surgeon (having a bone scan because of a knee replacement that hasn’t performed properly). He decided to make the stop for a momentary diversion, perhaps a happy half-hour. So, he turned around and proceeded back into our fine city with his Rottweiller, China, riding shotgun.

Dominick’s and Shifty’s are located across the street from one another on Burnet Ave. Dominick’s has a lot of parking real estate, while Shifty’s relies on street parking. This probably makes for a strained relationship, because, well, you know how we all feel about parking in Syracuse, or the lack of free and easy parking...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: Dominick’s Restaurant's dilemma,Burnet Ave. syracuse, burnet restaurants syracuse,shifty's syracuse,ellen leahy syracuse, city eagle syracuse

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After 30 years I lit up a cigarette before the 2009 holidays. It was the first of several. I don’t feel taken over by tobacco just yet, although I can definitely see it on the horizon if I were to continue. It gets on your mind and clings to it. Or is it in my DNA?


That first 2009 inhale was 25 years ahead of time, as I have always planned to re-engage in the act of smoking if I made it to old age. With all our “Just Say No,” “Quit,” “Stop Smoking” that includes very gruesome images of black lungs and more, no one ever mentions just how delicious an experience smoking can be.


It’s like riding a bike; all the familiar features come back. I was struck by how the tobacco really didn’t taste as good as I remembered...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette,smoking again,ellen leahy syracuse

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At last count, I figured I have resided in 25 different abodes. This number includes where I was conceived and grandmother’s house, but doesn’t include extended stays at other relatives or in vans or campers or boats or on catering jobs.

Currently, I’ve been living on an apple farm, where we don’t have access to cable TV. The recent switch to digital television, which we had to gather with converter boxes, has limited some of our channels and expanded others. Oddly enough we can’t get WIXT channel 9 upstairs at all, or if it rains, downstairs either. The good news is that we now get four Public Broadcasting (PBS) channels.

Last week, my PBS delivered two very different but equally compelling documentaries...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: WCNY,TV PBS,Marvin Gaye,Young@Heart,Ellen Leahy wondering about

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I desperately needed a cup of coffee. So much so that after circling Armory Square for parking, and finally finding a spot across from the MOST, I entered Starbucks intending to cut through to the local roaster, Freedom of Espresso. But my need was so great; I found myself in a line at Starbucks and stayed. Also, as a former restaurateur, Starbucks is one of the chains I actually admire. It does try to engage in the local neighborhoods it occupies, serves a quality product, is innovative and pretty consistent, too.

Anyway, there was a young African American man in front of me in line who was acting all kinds of edgy. I thought, coffee ain’t gonna help that...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: computer literacy, Starbucks coffeeSyracuse literacy,Armory Square,Freedom of Espresso

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U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd celebrated a milestone before Thanksgiving. He is the man with the most hours in the Congress...

CATEGORY: Government

TAGS: Byrd,President Bush,Mission Accomplished,Gulf of Tonkin,U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd

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