MAJOR CHANGE!!!

As of today, Friday, December 22, 2006, the [ithaca Forward] Blog will only be available by a bookmarked link on www.ithacaforward.org, doing a search on blogspot or by going directly to it at www.ithacaforward.blogspot.com.

Why is this happening?
Next Interactives, headquartered right here in Ithaca, has been working relentlessly on building [ithaca Forward]'s new website. The time has come to launch this new site. [iF] and Next have spent almost half a year researching, testing, surveying and listening in the hopes to create a website that will help you become more engaged in our community.

If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions, please let us know at ithacaforward@gmail.com. If you have signed up previously on the Blog, you will need to re-register on the new site to receive emails. If you are not our list, we encourage you to sign up so that you can receive up to the minute updates and special offers.

This new site is in its beta testing period, so expect some bugs. We should have them worked out over the next few months. Thank you for your patience!

-[iF]

First Fridays New Years Eve Party

Looking for a fun event that also goes to a good cause? Need a place to wear that great dress or dust off your tuxedo? Here's the event for you: First Friday's New Years Eve Casino and Charity Ball.

All proceeds go to Mrs. Denise Lee's Science and Math Saturday Academy.

The event will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn, Downtown Ithaca, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

There will be complimentary hors d'oeurves and champagne toast, and $15 buys you admission and casino chips.

A cash bar will also be available. E-mail firstfridaysofithaca@upstatevibe.com or call 255-3976 for more information.

Sick of living a boring life?

Click on:
http://www.coe.cornell.edu

You will be introduced to world class outdoor programming at it its finest. From white water kayaking to rain forest tree climbing to team building...it is all yours to explore. As members of our community, we emplore you to take advantage of these resources that Cornell has at our disposal. Do it.

December Business After Hours

It's not your father's Chamber any more! For those of you that have missed out on these business networking events in the past, you will not want to pass this one up. The Business After Hour Events attract business people from all over the region from various industries, age groups and demographics. This month's Business After Hours will be taking place at one of Ithaca's most historic landmarks The Station- also home to one of its newest businesses, Chemung Canal Trust Company. Bring your business cards to register to win some great prizes.

Wednesday December 13th, 2006
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Chemung Canal Trust Company
806 West Buffalo St.
Cost: $6.00

Pre-registration is encouraged but not required: https://secure.data3m2.com/tompkins/?t=112&ID=142&m=12&y=2006

If you have yet to visit the Station, be sure to get the full tour and the complete story behind the bank's multimillion-dollar conversion of the Old Lehigh Valley Train Station to a modern, state-of-the-art banking facility. You can also learn about upcoming activities of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, which the bank is pleased to support.In addition to its use as a bank, the Station offers community space for meetings and other small gatherings. Chemung Canal Trust Company, started in 1833, currently operates in Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties. The Cayuga Waterfront Trail is co-sponsoring this event. Imagine a trail that follows the lakeshore and Inlet from the Chamber to Treman Marina. The Cayuga Waterfront Trail will be a six-mile park linking our community's most valued waterfront destinations including the Ithaca/Tompkins County Visitors' Center, Stewart Park, the Ithaca Farmers' Market, Inlet Island, Cass Park, and Allan H. Treman State Marine Park.

Health Savings Account Information Session

Take more control of health care expenses while investing in your future with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Established by recent federal legislation, HSA's are individual trustee accounts set up to allow for payment of qualified medical expenses tax-free. If you are a small business owner, HSA's can complete your health insurance puzzle by offering tax-free savings, financial security against major illness, and freedom to take your account with you. Topics to be discussed include:- What an HSA is and how it can help you lower your health insurance premium.- How an HSA can provide you with the flexibility all your health care needs.- How your employees can benefit from an HSA.

Friday December 1st, 2006
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Ithaca Downtown Holiday Inn

to register online for this event: https://secure.data3m2.com/tompkins/?t=112&ID=143&m=12&y=2006

Strengths-Based Development Seminar with David J. Pollay

The Momentum Project is a positive Psychology Leadership Development Workshop for Business that is focused on helping leaders and their employees bring out their top strengths. David J. Pollay will put on this workshop that helps business professionals tap the three principle contributors to an individual's happiness and success in life: increasing positive emotion, engaging signature strengths, and contributing to activities of great meaning. The workshop is based on research of the cutting edge field of Positive Psychology.

Tuesday December 5th, 2006
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Ithaca Downtown Holiday Inn

To register, visit: https://secure.data3m2.com/tompkins/?t=112&ID=144&m=12&y=2006

About The Speaker: David J. Pollay is a member of the International AIESEC Alumni Hall of Fame and a former National Committee President of AIESEC in the United States. David is the president of the Momentum Project and is the director of the Young International Leaders Organization (YILO) in Applied Positive Psychology. He is the principle researcher on the AIESEC International Leadership Strengths Research Project. David completes his Master's Capstone Research Thesis in Applied Positive Psychology in August 2006 at The University of Pennsylvania. He has a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.

LCA Announces their Holiday Party

THE LATINO CIVIC ASSOCIATION OF TOMPKINS COUNTY Invites you and your guests to their annual HOLIDAY CELEBRATION for 2006!

Saturday, December 16, 2006
8:00 pm - 1:00 am
Clarion University Hotel (Ithaca)
One Sheraton Drive (off Triphammer Rd.)

Advance RESERVATIONS are REQUIRED
$12.00/person (LCA members)
$15.00/person (non-members)
$15.00/person (at door)
Please mail the enclosed reservation cardwith payment before December 4, 2006
(Sorry, no refunds after December 10, 2006)
For information call: 277-3886, 319-0698 or 277-8699

Effective Networking Seminar & Silent Auction

Shopping and networking?!

Ms. Jacque Tara Washington, MSW, will offer an interactive session on, “How Effective Is Your Networking?” Ms. Washington will share her experience in effective networking in this one-hour interactive workshop, “How Effective Is Your Networking?” The workshop will use role-play to explore self-awareness, confidence, positive interactions, and objectives during a networking opportunity, as well as follow-on networking.

“How Effective is Your Networking?” & SHRM Foundation Silent Auction
8:30-10:30
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2006
Clarion Hotel, Ithaca, New York
PRESENTER: Jacque Tara Washington, MSW

http://shrmtcweb.web.aplus.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/flyer12-061.pdf
RSVP By December 12th to: RSVP@SHRMTC.ORG

Grown & Sexy Thanksgiving Bash!

Ok, so here you are, you've spent a day with your family and loved ones getting fat and happy and then comes Friday night. What to do? Get out and meet some new friends!


Big Steele Entertainment Presents:
2nd annual
Grown & Sexy Thanksgiving Bash
Friday, November 24th
at the Ramada Inn
9:00 -2:00 p.m
$7 at the door or $25 for groups of 4

Must be 30 or older to party.
Remember dress to impress!
For more information, please contact:
Big Steele Entertainment, Travis Brooks - 607 339 6298

Dressing for Success: A Seminar for Professionals

A seminar on professional attire to enhance career success

Offered in two locations:
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, March 8, 2007, The Cornell Club, NYC

Program overview
Cornell University's School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions invites you to learn more about advancing your career goals by strengthening your image in the workplace.
During this program, designed for both men and women, you'll learn how to enhance your personal attributes and wardrobe to: bring out your best, increase your self-confidence, and
help you move up the career ladder.

We encourage you and your colleagues to attend this fun day as a group and to share in the excitement you'll experience as you learn new ideas for creating a professional image at work. With the new year just around the corner, why not make the resolution to work on creating the image you would like the rest of the world to see? You'll end the day armed with great ideas on how to gain a competitive advantage by dressing for success.

Agenda

• The importance of appearance and first impressions
• Identifying your color palette
• Face and body types
• Fashion styles
• Building a (business) wardrobe
• Proper fit and the business look
• Business casual
• Tips for interview dressing
• The New York pulse/Shopping 101
  

Registration
For the Dec. 19 program at Cornell University:
The program will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006, in the Alice Statler Auditorium at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. The program fee, which includes a box lunch and refreshments, is $75 per person for Cornell University employees and $125 per person for all others. Registrations must be received by Dec. 15, 2006.
Dec. 19, 2006 regular online registration
Dec. 19, 2006 online registration for Cornell employees
For the March 8 program in New York City:
The program will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, 2007, at The Cornell Club, 6 East 44th Street, in New York City. The program fee, which includes continental breakfast and refreshments, is $175 per person for students and Cornell University employees and $295 per person for all others. Registrations must be received by March 5, 2007.
March 8, 2007 regular online registration
March 8, 2007 online registration for Cornell employees and students

Contact information
If you have any questions, or would prefer to register off-line, please feel free to contact us.
Cornell University, Executive Programs, B20 Day Hall, Ithaca NY 14853-2801 Phone: 607 255-7259 Fax: 607 255-8942 or 607 255-9697

Presenter
Anastasia C. Ben-Gurion, a member of the Association of Image Consultants International, has been a practicing Image Consultant since 1992 for both individuals and groups. She has an extensive background in fashion design and marketing, both in the United States and in international markets, and works as a consultant in the fashion industry. She also teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied Design and Image Consulting. She holds a B.A. degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an M.S. degree in Apparel Design and Marketing from Cornell University.

Science Cabaret! Twist and Sprout: Revealing plant awareness

As a group, plants are among the slowest forms of life. With their barely
perceptible movements, plants merit little notice for most humans. With
industrialized agriculture, increasing urbanization, the availability of
realistic-looking artificial plants that do not require human interaction,
and a world that is moving at an ever-increasing pace, we are becoming
further removed from the rhythms of plants. As a consequence, plants are
receding in our consciousness and tend to be regarded as little more than
ornamental objects.

Dr. Hangarter has used time-lapse technology to translate the timescale of
plants into one more familiar to us, allowing us to witness how keenly
aware plants are of their environment throughout their life as they
respond to various stimuli. The sense of the intrigue and mystery
time-lapse imaging reveals also enhances our own awareness of plant life
and provides an opportunity to reflect on our relationship to plants and
our environment.

When: Tuesday, November 14th, 2006 @ 7:00pm*
Where: The Lost Dog Lounge, 112 Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY
Speaker: Dr. Roger Hangarter, Professor, Department of Biology, Indiana
University
How Much: Free and open to the public!
More Information: 254-8531 or www.sciencecabaret.org

*Due to strict fire code regulations, attendance is limited. Please arrive
early. Thank you.


Plants are alive. This is obvious - or is it?

About Science Cabaret: Ithaca's Science Cabaret was inspired by the Café
Scientifique movement ( http://www.cafescientifique.org/), which started in
Europe in the late 1990s and has spread rapidly. Cafes Scientifiques
promote public engagement with science by eschewing a lecture format in
favor of informal talks on topics of broad interest, which are used as a
jumping-off point for group discussion. Sessions usually take place once
a month in social venues such as cafes or pubs.
Ithaca's Science Cabaret is sponsored by the Boyce Thompson Institute for
Plant Research ( www.bti.cornell.edu), a world leader in plant biology.
For more information, email sciencecafe@cornell.edu.

TCAT Seeks Advisory Board Members

Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) is looking for community advisors. Citizens who are interested in local transportation issues and how public transit fits into the bigger picture are invited to apply for a seat on the new Transit Advisory Group. TCAT is working to recruit a diverse group of citizens who will provide input on ways to improve bus service and meet growing demands for public transit in our community's urban, suburban, and rural areas. A membership application, as well as more information about the group, is posted on the TCAT website, www.tcatbus.com, or call Wendy Skinner at 277-9388, extension 560.