Richard Bona at the Basel Jazz Festival

Richard Bona, jazz vocalist and bassist born in Cameroon, recently played at the Basel Jazz Festival in Switzerland. With band members from New York, New Hampshire, Cuba, Columbia, and Surinam; his band is as eclectic as the music it plays: from reggae to African to jazz to son montuno.

To get the full story on how the concert unfolded, and to listen to the entire show, Please CLICK HERE.

The Orange Going Green?

As part of NBC Universal's Green Week, Syracuse University and the University of Notre Dame will battle it out to see which university can achieve the greatest carbon footprint reduction.

The Fighting Irish and Orange will meet each other on the turf Nov. 22, but beginning immediately and leading up to the game, SU students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans can take NBC Universal's Green Your Routine challenge to see which campus can take the most action in support of the environment. The winning university will receive $10,000 towards making its campus more eco-friendly.

Tune in to WAER on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2:30 PM to listen to the game, and root on your team, so that the Orange can go Green!

SU students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans are invited to participate in the Green Your Routine challenge. To participate in the carbon rally, visit the Be Orange Think Green team website: CLICK HERE.

To find out more about NBC Universal's Green Week (Nov. 16-23), during which more than 200 hours of environmentally themed programming will be aired, CLICK HERE. For more information on SU's sustainable initiatives, CLICK HERE.

Who do you think will win the game this Saturday? What do you think SU should do with the funds if the Orange wins? What kinds of sustainability projects should be taking place throughout Syracuse? Let you voice be heard, click on "Comments" below.

Beajoulais and Beyond at Lemon Grass

Please join WAER on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, from 4:30-8:30 PM at Lemon Grass for a night of decadence, extravagance, and exceptional food!

Chef Max, owner of Lemon Grass, will be preparing an extraordinary eight-course meal paired with complementary wines from the Beaujolais province of Burgundy, France.

Beaujolais Nouveau Menu

Roasted Young Chicken
Marinated in our famous yellow curry, cream of coconut, slow roasted.
Served with sweet chili and herb vinaigrette.
(Vegetarian will replace with fried white tofu)

Wanton Vermicelli with Forest Mushrooms Salad
This dish became famous very quickly, field greens, wild mushrooms,
wanton vermicelli, crisp garlic, fresh herbs and nuts.

Roasted Baby Rack of Lamb
Served with our famous Lemon Grass's Peanut Sauce and greens of
the day. Additional Full rack of Lamb $10.00
(Vegetarian will replace with gluten)

Tamarind Duck (Best of the Best)
The most successful entrée since our restaurant has been open.
Served with an Orange-Tamarind sauce.

Filet Mignon
Sautéed sliced filet mignon with fresh garlic, high proof whisky,
hot pepper, and cinnamon basil.
Served with a bunch of crisp cinnamon basil on the top.
(Vegetarian will replace with shredded brown tofu)

Fish of the Day
Served with chili tamarind, greens, and sprig of cilantro.

Shrimp in Green Curry
Served with cinnamon basil and chili peppers.

Coffee and Dessert

This eight-course meal with wine throughout costs $65.00 per person, and
ALL OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT SUPPORT WAER.

Come be a part of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau wine harvest and kick off the holiday season with great friends, fine wine and irresistible dishes. Come with a hearty appetite, and leave with a renewed appreciation for culinary and vineyard delights, and the sincere appreciation of WAER for your charitable generosity.

For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Rebecca Slye by email at raslye@syr.edu, or by telephone at 315-443-4834.

There are only a few spots left, reserve yours now!

Property Tax Cuts in Syracuse?

A few hours after Governor David Patterson announced his plan for massive cuts in funding as a result of the current state of the economy in New York, another hearing was held in Syracuse to discuss a cap on property tax rates. This hearing is the 14th to take place on this topic in the past few months.

At the hearing, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi exclaimed “Property taxes are crushing us here in New York State. We need the State Senate and the State Assembly to take serious action to address the property tax problem we face throughout New York…this is the worst economic crisis in this country since the Great Depression.”

He continued, by saying “There's an old saying that you can't waste a good crisis. Well, we've got a crisis now. It's a real crisis. An economic crisis that's affecting all of us. We should see this as an opportunity to address the property tax problem that we've faced for over a decade now.”

Matt Driscoll, Mayor of Syracuse, disagreed: “If cuts in these schedule payments indeed become a reality, the pressure to increase property taxes to maintain existing service levels will increase significantly,” and William Meyer, Onondaga County Legislature Chairman, backed him up: “In every local government and school district, the property tax is the tax of last resort. Minus all other revenue, we must raise property taxes.”

Who do you agree with? Are the property tax cuts a good or a bad idea, and why? Click on “Comments” below and tell us what you think.

Congress Eyes Auto Bailout

House Democrats led by Barney Frank want to push through an auto company relief plan next week that would provide $25 billion in loans from the $700 billion bailout bill. Treasury Secretary Paulson objects and some House Republicans agree.

All Things Considered, November 12, 2008

To listen to the whole story from this morning's All Things Considered, CLICK HERE.

What do you think about this bailout? Do you support it? If so, why? If not, where else do you think the money should go? Let your voice be heard: Click on "Comments" below.

Jazz stars linked to mental illness

Many of the great names in the jazz world had lives blighted by mental illness, abuse, and drugs, say researchers.

They say that the artistic creativity associated with maestros such as Miles Davis may go hand in hand with an increased risk of mental problems.

Dr Geoffrey Wills, a psychologist from Stockport, Greater Manchester, looked at the biographies of 40 world-renowned musicians.

He found that those he studied appeared eight times more likely to have suffered from drug dependency.

Dr Wills also found that mood disorders appeared to be four times more likely among this group of jazz greats.

The psychologist said that he was not trying to imply that all jazz musicians had such problems, but that they shared the same vulnerability to mental health problems as other creative types such as writers and artists.

Consider your favorite jazz musician or artist. Does this apply? Or is it much ado about nothing?

Transition from Bush to Obama: Not an Easy One

A new executive branch has begun to take shape in Washington, as transition teams from President-elect Barack Obama's staff are arriving at all of the government agencies. Their task is to identify the top issues facing the agencies — and what Obama's top priorities ought to be when he takes office on Jan. 20.

Many people who've been through presidential transitions in the past say the combination of two wars abroad, an economic crisis at home and unparalleled security threats make this one of the most challenging and important transition periods in modern history.

Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen, who was on the Clinton transition team in 1992, believes the transition to Obama has much higher stakes because of the many national security issues involved.

"He and President Bush have very different views on a range of issues, especially related to counterterrorism," Johnsen says. Those issues, she says, include the Guantanamo Bay facility, detainee treatment and interrogation practices.

"We need to start now, during the transition, making sure the country is moving in the direction President-elect Obama wants to take the country," Johnsen says.
Obama's team has two-and-a-half months, and counting.

Morning Edition, November 6, 2008

For more about this, and to listen to this entire segment on Morning Edition, please CLICK HERE.


What do you think are some of the fundamental policy differences between Bush and Obama? How do you think Obama is going to change things? What kind of change will he bring? Is this a good or a bad thing? Let your voice be heard: click on “comments” below.