A look at Proposal #1

 

Heading to the polls can be a daunting task. If you are someone who tries to remain nonpartisan and unbiased, it can be difficult to make a decision about “who” to vote for. That voting stress can elevate when you are faced with “what” to vote for.

 

That will be the case this year as voters will be presented with not one, not two, but rather five proposals to vote on.

 

When it comes to ballot measures most citizens receive through the news or their favorite community organization very little in terms of deep analysis of those items. So, too often, they find themselves almost blindly pulling the lever (or, nowadays, filling in the bubble) while assuming the intent and background of the questions posed to them.

 

To help mitigate that fear and uncertainty, this newspaper and this writer will do as we have over my 16 years of column writing: We’ll prepare you to make your decision. Over the next 4 weeks, this column will analyze each of the proposals.

 

It’s fitting that the ballot, and this series, begins with the proposition that poses the biggest headache. Proposal #1 would amend Article III, sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 5a, and 5b of the Constitution of the State of New York as it pertains to redistricting.

 

The redistrictingprocess, which realigns congressional and state legislative districts to mirror population shifts, happens every 10 years and is an outcome of the findings of the most recent US Census. The 2020 headcount has the state losing one of its congressional seats (as population growth in other states surpassed ours) while also showing decent growth downstate with only minor growth in the vaster upstate region (upstate increased by 105,000 people over 10 years while NYC added 629,000 and Long Island grew by 89,000).

 

To address the process associated with redistricting, now and in the future,the proposal will appear on ballots as follows (the numbers added for purposes of this column):

 

This proposed constitutional amendment would (1) freeze the number of state senators at 63, (2) amend the process for the counting of the state’s population, (3) delete certain provisions that violate the United States Constitution, (4) repeal and amend certain requirements for the appointment of the co-executive directors of the redistricting commission and (5) amend the manner of drawing district lines for congressional and state legislative offices. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?

 

Let’s break down each of those stanzas.

 

One: Originally, the 1894 state Constitution, the one we use to this day, provided for 50 senators. Myriad amendments and laws --and a variety of legal battles – in response to population changes have seen that number change often, reaching 63 in 2012. To keep things simple, this proposal is asking to keep it at that number…at least until redistricting comes around in another decade.

 

Two: The 2020 Census came with much drama, something atypical to the counting process, as President Trump had ordered the Census Bureau to not count people who are living in the United States illegally. This amendment would have the state undertake its own census and count illegal immigrants if the federal Censusfails to do so, and then use those counts for the apportionment ofthe state’s senate and assembly districts. This measure would also ensure that incarcerated individuals are counted in their last place of residence rather than where they are jailed.

 

Three: Long ago, New York’s Senate seats were based in part on geography and not just population. Since the US Supreme Court’s “one person, one vote” decision in Baker v. Carr in 1962, the state has used population as the sole decider…but the language of the state Constitution, specifically reflecting that towns and city blocks couldn’t be divided, was never changed. This scratches the old language completely, putting the focus squarely on population.

 

Four: A 2014 amendment created the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC), who would be empowered to develop the new district maps that would be submitted for legislature approval.It’s a 10-member committee that features appointees by the legislative houses’ majority and minority leaders. The current rules ensure that the two co-directors of the commission represent two parties which, as we know, would be Democratic and Republican, regardless of third parties. The proposed change would eliminate the two-party requirement for the directors, allowing one party to manage the process.

 

Five: That same 2014 amendment required that all proposed redistricting maps get approval from 7 members of the commission, including appointees from each majority and minority legislative leader, and must be passed by a legislative supermajority of two-thirds of each chamber. This proposition would keep the 7-person approval but drop the requirement that the new maps be supported by appointees of each legislative leader. It would also drop the two-thirds majority approval down to 60% in both houses, a difference of difference of 5 votes in the Senate and 10 votes in the Assembly, more likely ensuring the passage of the IRC’s proposal.

 

There’s a lot to consider here.

 

Are you still confused and overwhelmed?

 

I am, too, and I wrote this column.   

 

This proposal is one of the worst to come down the pike in recent years (not necessarily in intent, but in presentation). It’s too complex and there are too many parts, some going in entirely different directions. It should have been broken down into independent and manageable proposals. Just consider this likely mess: If a voter finds fault in one or two sections yet really likes the others, what is she to do? Vote “no” on the amendment or “yes”? 

 

What would you do?

 

From the 03 October 2021 Greater Niagara Newspapers and Batavia Daily News

Migraines and the tyramine connection

 

I’ve battled migraines since my senior year of high school.

 

I can still remember the first one. It struck me without warning in biology class. Having never experienced – let alone having not really known about – migraines, it was disconcerting to be unable to see the chalkboard and then have to leave school to battle nausea and head pain all day. No longer unknown territory, migraines aren’t scary anymore but, to this day, they remain just as bothersome as the first.    

 

Early on I traced the primary causes of my headaches to chicken and olives. The sensitivity for chicken was rough, especially for someone who loves chicken wings and lives in Western New York (it’s as if I were damned).  But, I’ve been good – I haven’t had chicken since 1996. Staying away from olives has been an equal test of will and awareness; I am married to a woman of Lebanese descent – they cook everything in olive oil!  

 

I had numerous migraines throughout the years for a variety of unknown reasons, then, about seven years ago, just as I was heading to my fortieth birthday, they increased significantly in frequency and reasons.

 

Maybe it was a body chemistry change. Maybe it was a later-in-life development of allergies. Maybe it was my brain’s mid-life crisis.

 

Whatever it was, I started to track everything I ate every day, keeping a food journal that I still religiously maintain to this day. I found that my new triggers were things I had enjoyed – in some cases, really enjoyed – my whole life. Most cheeses started to give me headaches, which in turn added pizza to the no-eat list (which, with my previously mentioned aversion to wings, makes me the life of any party). Onion rings became taboo. Citric acid in a sports drink wiped me out. A good aged steak is off limits. Those are just a few of my many newfound triggers.

 

I did some research while the frequency of headaches and number of triggers grew and found a common denominator: Tyramine. It comes from the natural breakdown of an amino acid known as tyrosine. When consumed, it can stimulate the release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which can cause blood vessels to constrict. The combination of neurotransmitters and blood flow to the brain both going haywire can cause migraines. 

 

Tyramine is created as foods age. That’s why certain cheeses – like cheddar and parmesan – are migraine catalysts. That’s why bananas are, too (that stringy stuff inside a banana peel is full of it). The list of foods tainted with tyramine is actually quite large and for headaches sufferers it’s very confounding. Even things you wouldn’t ever think of being aged by the standard definition are and end up on the “use with caution” list (onions, citrus, red plums) or “avoid” list (soy products, peanuts, sesame seeds, smoked meats).

 

This magical list, which breaks foods down into 3 categories (the other one being “allowed”) is readily available on the internet. One example can be found at the National Headache Foundation’s website at tinyurl.com/TyramineMigraine

 

The list’s value to migraine sufferers was actually a secondary discovery by the health industry. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies originally produced the list to help people not develop dangerously-high blood pressure while taking certain drugs intended to help with Parkinson’s Disease.

 

The list has been a godsend, as it helped me to manage and keep in check my migraines. Some folks choose instead to take prescription meds to prevent or counter the headaches, but it’s against my personal rules to medicate; I’d rather handle my health naturally. Plus, far too often I’ve heard from fellow migraine victims that the drugs aren’t foolproof. And, the headaches are my body trying to tell me something, so why dupe that warning system?

 

If you are hit with headaches on a regular basis do yourself a big favor and track what you eat and follow the tyramine chart accordingly. By doing so, you can help bring to an end – or at a minimum, cut back dramatically -- an aggravating ailment which can really affect your professional and personal lives.

 

From the 20 September 2021 Greater Niagara Newspapers and Batavia Daily News

Alma Pond: A remote WNY lake to paddle this fall

 

Back in 1928, Herbert Hoover wanted a “car in every garage”. If he were alive today, with that goal realized, his new slogan might be a “kayak in every garage.” Kayaks are everywhere. It seems like everyone has one.

The watersports craze really seems to have picked up its pace in the Covid pandemic. People who are sick of confinement and boredom, or intent on staying away from others have been looking for adventure outdoors and new places to explore.

 

Once you’ve tackled all the usual suspects – the Great Lakes, Oak Orchard Creek, the Genesee River – you might want someplace different, a little off the beaten path, a destination.

 

One of those diamonds in the rough that welcomes kayakers is Alma Pond. Located in southern Allegany County, near the Pennsylvania line, this 86-acre gem offers one of the most beautiful paddling excursions in WNY.

This is especially the case in late-September and early-October when the hills are ablaze with color. During the fall peak, there is something surreal about being on Alma Pond, you might think that you’re on some lake nestled in the Adirondack Mountains the way that the colors are over and around you.

That’s because Alma Pond is situated at the bottom of a deep valley. The elevation of the lake is 1,570 feet above sea level. But the peaks of the hilltops standing over the lake reach 1,900 to 2,100 feet and they do so in a hurry, creating a veritable wall of reds, yellows and oranges. It can give your senses an overload. You will find yourself just floating and staring, mystified by the incredible beauty.

 

Although Route 38 parallels the lake, it’s not a heavily traveled road and you will be treated to relative solitude. The DEC’s launch site is for car-top boats only, so in most cases you will encounter kayakers and canoeists. You might see the rare, small powerboat that is put in at the Alma Rod and Gun Club but they are few and far between and quite considerate – no one is revving their motors and there are no silence-killing jet skis.

That solitude and the miles of forest around the lake allow for some great sightseeing and some truly awesome bird watching. The lake is frequented by fish-catching ospreys which are always fun to watch as they dive-bomb the water. But, the real avian attention-grabbers are the family of bald eagles that call Alma Pond “home”. This year, the pair lost their nest to a storm but they still frequent the lake.

The mammals that frequent this pond can also make for great viewing. Beavers, mink, deer, and bears frequent the southern shore. Who knows, sometime in the coming years, stragglers from Pennsylvania’s growing elk population might even make it here.

 

Plan to bring a camera to snap photos of all those critters -- and bring a fishing pole, too. Despite occasional winter kills that can really set back the fish populations a few years, the lake sports excellent panfish numbers, a few pike, lots of carp (there are even carp tournaments here) and a good population of largemouth bass, some of which exceed 20” in length  -- a real trophy in WNY. There is plenty of structure to fish, because lily pads are plentiful and so are the stumps left over from the flooding of the valley. Even now, 80 years after the creation of this manmade lake, they still stand.

Alma Pond is located on County Route 38 in Allegany County in the town of Alma, which is southwest of Wellsville. It is 20 minutes away from the village of Wellsville and just 10 minutes away, by back roads, from Trout Run Campground, which is a popular destination for out-of-town campers.

The DEC owns 3,000 feet of shoreline along the lake, so you could put your boat in most anywhere along the roadside, or you could use the designated hand launch which has parking for 10 cars and a nice built-up and braced dike from which to picnic, sightsee, or fish.

 
When launching your kayak at the DEC site, you can head west, which goes to the wide open valley and can show a good sunset, or you can head east, with its narrower valley and unsettled wilderness-like setting. Anyway you put it, you won’t be disappointed…Alma Pond offers a real treat for kayakers, anglers, and nature lovers.

 

Get out on the water this fall. WNY autumns are beautiful, yet too brief…don’t let them pass you by.  

 

From the 13 September 2021 Greater Niagara Newspapers and Batavia Daily News