March 14, 2013 - WestchesterGuardian.com

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Page 6 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013CULTURAL PERSPECTIVESThe World According to Film, Part 1Continued from page 5ings. I was so surprised by the artistryof those films, to the point that theyeventually became for me, a means toexplore life during that transitional period.I remember becoming the onlyadolescent in my high school whocared about Ernst Lubitsch, director ofthe Greta Garbo’s classic, Ninotchka”,said Rick who started to pull out booksthat spoke about cinema as a serious artform.“There was particular writer aboveall that captured my attention: AndrewSarris, the American film critic forNew York’s weekly newspaper, VillageVoice, and the Film Professor at ColombiaUniversity. Sarris brought manyauteurs’ theories, especially from Truffaut’swritings about studying films notonly for stories but also for their miseen-scèneand their visual aspects. He alsofascinated me by his own writings andhow he did not separate art from entertainmentwhile reviewing a film likeThe Birds by director Alfred Hitchcock.I discovered how Hitchcock, like manyother American filmmakers of classicWesterns for instance, had lot of thingsto say while providing thrilling stories.For instance, in the book Hitchcock/Truffaut in which Truffaut interviewedHitchcock, The Master of Suspenserevealed how he was influenced by theRussian Fyodor Dostoyevsky who exploredthe human shadow and the thinline between guilt and innocence”.Segreda went on to receive a degreein Radio and TV production ata two-year community college, thenjoined Manhattan College to studyEnglish literature, but switched to Religionbecause he was going through apersonal crisis. “I wanted to understandthe meaning of life and I thought religionwould provide more answers. Thisgave me some historical insights aboutRay Harryhausen (now 92) is Rick Segreda’s original hero.the theology that shaped Western cultureand the difference between theintellectual grasp of life and the experientialgrasp of life”, he explained.After graduating in 1988, Rick didnot want to stay in New York and decidedto see more of the world. “So Istarted by the West Coast. I had semiintentionsto continue major film studiesin one of California’s universities butonce I arrived there, I fell in love withthe beach and decided to forget aboutthe stress I went through during mycollege years in my quest for answersto life”.Rick did not even try to pursuea career in film because he developedthis fear of failing in the presence ofcompetitive rivals. “The way my oldNew York classmates who venturedin TV or cinema talked about theirachievement made me feel very small.For years, I worked in secondary jobs:social services, hotel, and housing forpeople with psychiatric disabilities, doinganything but that related to film inorder to pay my bills. I was fired fromjobs because of my lack of focus and mypersonal unhappiness. The people whofinally hired me were owners of fishfactories in the State of Washington. Ifound myself alongside mostly illegalimmigrants tearing the intestines ofhundreds of dead fish, day by day forminimal wage”, he recalled.Read Part 2 in the next edition.Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sherif Awad is afilm / video critic and curator. He is thefilm editor of Egypt Today MagazineECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTGovernor Cuomo Announces $1.5 Billion TIFIA Federal Loan for Tappan Zee ProjectALBANY, NY -- Governor AndrewM. Cuomo announced on March 8,2013, that a $1.5 billion TIFIA loanfor the bridge project to replace theTappan Zee will move to next stage ofthe U.S. Department of Transportationloan process. This financing will lowertolls on the bridge below all prior projections,though the state continues toseek additional financial support for theproject.“This is another important stepforward for the new NY bridge project,one that will help keep tolls affordablefor motorists,” said Governor AndrewCuomo. “Today’s action is also amplifiedby the fact that under design buildthe selected bridge plan came in $1 billionunder the expected price, maximizingthe impact of this major financialsupport.”In addition to the potential fundingfrom this TIFIA loan, New YorkState continues to seek additional financialsupport to reduce costs fromfederal, state and local sources and willbe using the Toll Task Force to identifyalternative financing sources and keeptolls low.U.S. DOT will conduct a creditreview of the project prior to finalizingthe TIFIA loan. As part of the nextstep of the TIFIA process, New YorkState is required by U.S. DOT to pay$100,000 for financial advisors to reviewthe project.The Governor previously directedthe State Thruway Authority to forma Toll Task Force to find alternatives,revenue generators and cost reductionsthat reduce the potential toll increases.The Task Force will examine aNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo (R), with advisor Brian Conybeare, standingin front of a model of the new design. (Image courtesy of @NYGovCuomo)series of options to keep tolls low oncethe final financing on the project hasbeen established including expandingdiscount programs, seeking financialmechanism that lower the cost of creditand borrowing,Before speaking to the police... callGeorge WeinbaumATTORNEY AT LAWFREE CONSULTATION:Criminal, Medicaid, MedicareFraud, White-Collar Crime &Health Care Prosecutions. T. 914.948.0044F. 914.686.4873175 MAIN ST., SUITE 711-7 • WHITE PLAINS, NY 10601and ensuring that any increase in tollson the bridge goes solely to the bridgeand regional transportation.The new New York Bridge projectis the largest transportation designbuildproject to date in the UnitedStates and one of the largest constructioncontracts in New York State history.Under the design-build process,engineering and construction firms joinforces to compete for a single contractthat covers both design and construction,and bids are selected based on thebest value offered. Through this process,the final selected proposal from theTappan Zee Constructers offered thelowest cost and the shortest constructiontimeline to complete the new NewYork Bridge project.Over the last decade, there were430 public meetings, 150 conceptsand $88 million spent on figuring outhow to replace the Tappan Zee Bridgewithout any substantial progress madeon building a new bridge. In just thelast year under Governor Cuomo, thebridge project received federal approvalof the environmental impact statement,reached a project labor agreement, andreviewed and selected a contractor forthe new bridge. Construction on thebridge is now expected to begin in thenext few months.The new New York Bridge toreplace the Tappan Zee will includeeight general traffic lanes plus emergencylanes and extra-wide shouldersfor immediate express bus servicewhen opened and will be transit-readyfor all modes including bus rapid transit,light rail or commuter rail.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013Page 7EDUCATIONSpecial Message from theArdsley School DistrictARSDLEY, NY -- A reminder thatthe Ardsley Board of Education ishosting two more community budgetworkshop meetings on Tuesday eveningMarch 12th at 7:00 p.m. at theArdsley Middle School auditoriumand on Tuesday evening March 19th at7:00 p.m. at the Ardsley High Schoolauditorium. The Board encourages allcommunity members to come to theseworkshops to engage in discussionsabout the 2013-2014 school budget.The Board is looking for your feedbackand input.Somers Student Services Manager Matthew Carr Discussesthe State of the Somers School DistrictBy RICH MONETTIState testing in Somershas its student bodyconsistently in “goodstanding” and on parwith other school districtsof equal size and demographics.Of course, that doesn’t exempt thedistrict from all the excessive resourcesand angst devoted to this mandate.Nonetheless, Somers is doing morethan simply standing by and makingthe best of the much maligned system,according to Matt Carr, Human ResourcesStudent Services Manager ofthe Somers School District .The Somers School District hasresolved to be extremely discerning inselecting and evaluating the most relevantdata to student success. Devotinga great deal of time and resources topinpointing the appropriate data, MrCarr advised, “We hope to then put allour efforts in the right place so we candeliver instruction in the best possiblemanner for students.”Additionally, the process has beenStudent Services Manager MatthewCarr.preempted by a good deal of pre-assessmentto distill a baseline level of data tofurther improve the desired outcomes.“What good is testing if you don’t haveanything to compare it to,” noted Carr.That said, Somers is saddled with ateacher retirement system that has seenan increase in expenditure of 37% thisyear, while the tax cap has created a newchallenge of its own. In the midst of thebudget process, Mr Carr said, “We’remaking adjustments and making surewe’re complying with the governor’smandated tax limit.”Encompassed within that paradigm,are the mandates required withregard to special education. “We makedecisions on special ed that are bothfiscally sound and are a right fit so studentswill succeed in the environmentthat’s chosen,” said Carr.Somers has also taken great stridesin making sure the opportunities areavailable for students who wish toextend beyond the New York Staterequirements. Disciplines in science,technology, engineering and math initiativesstands out most prominently.Somers is at the cusp of incorporatingrobotics and electronics into their curriculum.Mr Carr said, “Students willgain college credits through RochesterInstitute of Technology.”But Somers aims to keep the 21stContinued on page 8www.citycarting.netCommercial • Industrial& Residential ServicesRoll-Off Containers 1-30 YardsHome Clean-up ContainersTurn-key Demolition ServicesDEC Licensed Transfer StationDEP Licensed Rail ServeTransfer & Recycling ServicesLicensed Demolition ContractorLocally Owned & OperatedRadio DispatchedFully Insured - Free EstimatesOn Site Document DestructionSame Day Roll Off ServiceIf You Call By NoonCity Carting of Westchester • Somers SanitationB & S Carting • AAA Paper Recycling • Bria Carting • CRP Sanitation800.872.7405 • 8 VIADUCT RD., STAMFORD, CT • 203.324.4090ONE FREE ADULT ADMISSION WITH THIS ADPRESENTS THE 31 ST ANNUAL SPRINGWESTCHESTER COUNTYWESTCHESTER COUNTY CENTER198 Central Ave, White Plains, New YorkOVER 150 EXHIBITS FOR ALL YOURHOME IMPROVEMENT & LIFESTYLE NEEDSPARTICIPATING SPONSORS:TICKETS: Adults $10, Seniors $8, 12 & Under FREE!NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. NO COPIES. NOT FOR RESALE. LIMITED TO ONE PER PARTYMARCH TH THSPECIAL HOT TUB & SPA SECTIONFEATURING SPECIAL PRICING ON:Guardian
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March 14, 2013 - WestchesterGuardian.com

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