" Some of obesity is genetic, some is poor eating and exercise habits and SOME is very likely from exposure to hormone-mimicking chemicals in our environment, which would help explain why more Americans, in our "advanced" society are fatter than people in some developing countires. Our "laissez-faire" approach to business has let corporation do whatever they have wanted with our environment until relatively recently. Now we have this ineffectual regulatory system which really only serves to channel activists and people who complain into long burdensome legal processes which find in favor of corporations more often then not. What a mess. Meanwhile we and our children and pets are all exposed to all kinds of terrible things, more than half of which haven't yet made it through the bureaucratic boondoggle to be officially declared dangerous. "

" Why not put camp sites in the wooded area adjacent to Owasco CC....that would allow the park to become a family place and bring more outside-the-area money here for the Legislature to waste.
Then develop the Island as a water park. "

" Hello Citizen-we here on this site NEED TO KNOW,
who IS in charge of the Emerson?
who Handles the events?
please give us all and informative story this week-more than a paragraph long on info? thanks! "

" I wanted the Giants to win--only because sadly I am Dolphins fan and I didn't want their '72 record to broken!
Before I get slack on the Fins-I am a girl not really interested in football-I pick my teams according to color and designs. Before the animal activist came along I loved it when the dolphin would jump out of the tank when the Fins scored-so they became my fav.
My second choice now is the COLTS only because of Tony Dungy (the coach). He truly got an unfair boot from the BUCS-had the Colts been in the Super Bowl with the winning streak, I would have caved and wanted this deserving coach to have his glory!
Mr. Dungy is the "measure of a man" I received his book "Quiet Strength" for Xmas, I plan to start reading it this week. "

" Emerson park is a precious resource. It may have lost its luster over the years, but the city needs to be careful how the resource is managed. The City seems to have done alright by the park over the years - given the economic realities.

There are already some commercial properties that border the park, but for some reason they don't seem to fare very well. The Green Shutters seems to be a going concern again, but I'm no expert.

What are the City's goals for the park? Is there someone who is responsible for organizing activities at the city parks?

IMHO:
Hosting activities that people want to see seems like the best way to generate interest in parks. The more people who go to (& enjoy) the park, the more support there will be for keeping the park well maintained.

BTW: What happened with the Tomato Fest last year? Was there was some kind of flap over charging or paying vendors/performers?
"

" When I lived there the kids & I (with friends) spent everyday at Emerson in the summer. Thats when the "island" had rides and the consession stand open. I had a great boss who let me switch to nights so I could have DAYs at the PARK with the kids all summer. When we visited we always picked up the cousins and headed to Emerson for a picnic & swim. Strange yet true, the last time the cousins were there was a year ago May when WE were there! Cousins spend their summers at the YMCA or Casy Park pool.
The family says it's the parking prices, the kids playground needs work, it's not as clean as it used to be, and the water is disgusting??? "

" Now Karl lets not pick on McD's for obesity is NOT the fault of the business. That comment ranks up there with "idiotic lawsuits". IF obesity is not genetic then its Human error and laziness. We as a whole society seem to be in a HURRY-so we choose the lazy unhealthy ways to stuff our bodies. WE also choose the TV to exercise our eyes, possibly our arms with Wii, but we don't use our time outdoors or wisely exercising.
One of the highest calorie dish is a Chinese salad-how many obese Chinese people do you see? That is genetics/metabolism.
Not everyone is obese. I happen to have a thin/petite 9 yr old, 48 lbs 50 inches tall, her idea of a buffet is fruits & veggies. However she does like donuts, chips, and Mcds! Her DR. last year gave her "enhancing hunger" medicine-haha-she ate ice cream every night, well she gained a pound in a year. I told the Dr she is like I was who was like my mom was. My graduation year my mom wore a size 3, I finally broke 100 lbs when I got pregnant at 20. I ate alot of Mcds-should I blame them because I DIDN'T gain weight? "

" How about those Giants?!??!! Was that a great game, or what? They are fiesty and scrappy and tough -- and they had the heart to win, not to mention knocking "Mr. Perfect" until he was throwing garbage passes. I am ver proud of the hard work and courage that brought the Giants to the world championship.

(Worth staying up until 10:45 PM when I get up ever day at 4 AM)

Meanwhile -- Don't be a bonehead, Steve -- we all know Angmom has a vision problem -- and you notice she's made the adjustment. You're being unnecessarily mean.

Deep breath now, Super Bowl behind us, Super Tuesday ahead. "

" I SEE ANGMOM3 IS STILL YELLING! "

" CM - I liked your ideas regarding Emerson Park. Let's see if we can keep this going. We have this wonderful resource right in our own backyard. I'm sure there are many others that can offer some positive, creative input. How about everyone?

On an unrelated subject - GO GIANTS! "

" WHo the hell is the IDIOT calling for another McDonald's ANYWHERE, much less near a public park??? What a PUTRID IDEA!!
McDonald's is as much a public health hazard as is smoking. After they finally ban cigarettes for good, I'd like to see them force McDonald's to serve healthy, real food instead of the composite/engineered garbage they give away for next to nothing and contribute to the ever-growing obesity problem by doing so! "

" Emerson park should be used more for community gatherings. During the summer there should be weekly lowcost/free exibits, bands for all ages, craft fairs,etc. "Weekends at the Park" should kick off fall with back to school events,fire prevention, child safety info events. Winter should include how to have fun in the snow, mini tracks for skiing, something for all ages to either watch or have fun. Early spring would be a great time for teaching conservation, having school kids come out and aide in planting of flowers or trees and then watch them grow throughout the year.

There is a park not far from us,every weekend there some sort of learning or just plain fun for families-NO alcohol allowed! "

" I agree w/u ANGMOM3, McDonalds at the lake is just plain tacky. But the idea of utilizing the area is a good one and just letting it sit is wrong. I just dont understand why there isnt a hotel there. They were there b4 in hx. With MGR and the weddings, that place would surely make a go of it. Havent they spent enough in studies to equate what a hotel would actually cost to build? "

" Angmom -- good to see you back. Was hoping the criticism a while back hadn't driven you off. (Hey, seriously, look into that method to make your font appear bigger on your screen -- I understand and sympathize that you are suffering loss of vision, but it is awfully difficult to read all caps).

BTW, I agree with you completely regarding fast food. Yuck.

A few days ago, puzzled1, who says s/he graduated from SCCS in the late 80s, wrote in about an incident at a basketball game. Since my kid attends the same school, I asked around about it, since puzzled1's message was cryptic at best.

First person I asked said he thought there was a girl's basketball game Thursday, which didn't match up with puzzled1's comments about a "he" basketball player.

Next person I asked told me the son of my farmer fella's neighbor got beat up by a player from Union Springs (I'm not saying that happened, just that it is what's being said on the grapevine).

But that also doesn't make sense in light of the best I could make out of puzzled1's post, which seemed to be saying some SCCS player was out of line and only not getting in trouble because his parents were sucking up to SCCS administration.

I should think there'd be a story in a kid getting beat up (if that's what happened) at a local high school basketball game. Right now it is a vague and unconfirmed rumor.

Now you have my curiosity. Was anyone at the game in question and can clear things up -- in comprehensible English?

Thanks from a SCCS mom who graduated elsewhere in the early 80s "

" McCain is just plain scary. A hundred years of war is fine with him? Easy enough to say if it isn't your own sons and daughters killing, dying, committing suicide, being permanently injured and mentally messed up. "

" IN MY OPINION, THERE ARE ENOUGH FAST FOOD RESAURANTS IN CAYUGA COUNTY, THEREFORE NO NEED FOR ANY MORE, ESPECIALLY AT EMERSON PARK. IF ANYONE DOES BUILD A BUSINESS IN THAT AREA, IT SHOULD BE SMALL AND TASTEFUL, ALTHOUGH,
PERHAPS LEFT AS IT IS. "

" Damage?

I don't see any damage. If you have an axe to grind, submit a letter to the editor and put your name to it. "