SHS Students to Travel to Europe in February
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In just a few weeks almost 200 SHS students will have the chance to travel to Europe as part of a French Language Exchange, an orchestra and chorus trip to Italy and a wind ensemble trip to Spain.
Sylvie Corten, Chair of the World Languages Department at SHS, will be leading her eleventh trip to France, where sixteen SHS students will spend two weeks with host families in Provence, sightsee and attend school at the Lycee Duby. School Nurse Karen Steefel will accompany Madame Corten and the students as a trip chaperone.
From February 11 to 25 students will attend Lycee Duby in Luynes, near Aix-en-Provence. Families who live in varied local villages and towns near the school, will host them. The itinerary includes excursions to Arles, Avignon, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence and the Cote d'Azur where students will attend a carnival in Nice and visit Eze and Monaco.
This trip is offered to 10th-12th graders, who were interviewed and recommended by their teachers and deans and meet the required level of proficiency in French. This past fall, a group of students from Lycee Duby visited Scarsdale and were hosted by the families of the students who will now go to France.
From February 16 -24, the SHS Orchestra and Chorus will travel to Italy and put on performances in Palermo and Rome, Italy. They will perform three times in solo concerts and have master classes and combined rehearsals with the conductors and students from the conservatory and concert hall in Italy.
While the orchestra and chorus have toured Italy in the past, this tour is unique in the exact locations and performance sites and venues. In the past ten years, groups from Scarsdale have performed in Italy, Austria, Germany, Argentina, Russia, Estonia, England, the Czech Republic, Canada, France, and China.
A third trip will take 60 students from the SHS wind ensemble to Barcelona and the Canary Islands in Spain from February 17-24. The tour begins in the Barcelona region of the country, and ends with a band festival in the Grand Canaria. For three days, students will be participating in a music festival in Gran Canaria. While on tour they will perform a repertoire by American composers as well as a Spanish style piece with their local peers. For these shared concerts, each director will conduct each other's ensemble as well.
According to Craig Sherman , District Coordinator of Performing Arts, “Travel is an education, and experiencing the cultures and learning the history of the locations is part of our goal for these tours. Destinations are chosen for their musical and artistic significance, and therefore our sightseeing includes the wonderful historical gems of these beautiful cities. And most importantly, we include musical encounters with local maestros and conductors, as well as local ensembles. It is our focus to perform alongside peers from our host locations. This interaction is an incredibly valuable aspect of the experience. It confirms that music is indeed the universal language.”
Giant Snowman Appears Again
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The incredible Sahit Muja has outdone himself. Last year, Muja who is a native of Albania and a resident of Saxon Woods Road built a giant snowman called Ilirianman on the front lawn of his home. This year, Muja took advantage of Wednesday’s snow to use it as the building material for another Ilirianman, and flanked the snow sculpture with a large lion on one side and a dragon on the other. Ilirianman is almost as tall as Muja’s home and the dragon and the lion extend from one end of the property to the other.
We stopped by to chat with Muja and to learn more about him and the legend behind Ilirianman. Muja, a father of three children ages 12, 6, and 3, grew up in Albania, which is now known as Kosovo. He currently runs a successful business importing and exporting minerals from Albania and says he could live anywhere in the world, but chose the United States because of the freedom Americans enjoy. The eagle, a symbol of freedom, caps
Iliria was a legendary Albanian tribal leader and when he died, the tribe built a giant snowman to memorialize him. Though the snow eventually melted, the story of Iliria lives on. He is a symbol of honesty and purity. Why the dragon and the lion? Muja explained that both are also legendary figures and fit nicely into the tableau.
Drive by 134 Saxon Woods Road soon to see these massive snow sculptures before Mother Nature turns on the heat.
Predictions for 2011
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It’s a New Year in Scarsdale, prompting us to look into our crystal ball to see what’s on the horizon. Scarsdale10583 asked a few friends and neighbors for their predictions for the coming year and here they are. Take a look at these and send in your forecasts for 2011 in the comments section below: Bruce Wells: President of the Scarsdale Forum
- We will have a new Mayor
- The Town and Village Civic Club Education Forum will officially change its name to Scarsdale Forum
- The indoor pool debate will come to a roaring boil as a consensus forms around a novel solution.
- The school budget will pass
- A town-wide revaluation will be approved.
- Real estate taxes will increase despite the best efforts of the Village and School Boards to control costs, primarily due to issues beyond their control.
- We will have a great time at the Scardale Forum's Holiday Party January 22nd. Become a member and join us!
Sara Werder: President of the Scarsdale Library' Board of Trustees
- The Scarsdale Library's first Spelling Bee for adults and teens on January 28, 2011 will become a Scarsdale tradition.
- The Scarsdale library's new Freegal service that allows each cardholder to legally download three songs each week will be hugely popular.
Jeff Blatt: Former President and Board Member of the Scarsdale School Board
- New York State will pass a tax cap law which threatens to make quality public education impossible. Scarsdalians will need to vote to pass the school budget, by at least a 60 percent margin to avoid the state mandated budget, and they will.
- Once again, we'll be forced to endure the ongoing complaints of a few myopic citizens that we pay our teachers too much money. Once again, voters will collectively yawn.
Jimmy Fink: 107.1 The Peak Radio
- "Spiderman, Turn Off The Dark" on Broadway gets horrible reviews when it finally officially opens, but nevertheless continues to fill the giant Foxwoods Theater on 42nd Street because of the sheer spectacle of the show.
- Coldplay releases new music that astounds and delights fans everywhere, further enhancing them as one of the biggest and best current musical acts.
- The Social Network and The King’s Speech sweep the Academy Award nominations in several categories.
Bob Bernstein: President of the Edgemont Community Council and Chair of the Edgemont Democratic Party
- Support for Edgemont's incorporation to become Greenburgh's seventh village will continue to grow as more and more residents come to learn that Edgemont itself can deliver essential municipal services for less money than if we remain a part of unincorporated Greenburgh where we cannot elect our own government and have no control over taxes, spending, planning and zoning.
- The Town of Greenburgh's elected government will continue to be dysfunctional, with none of the Town's elected officials willing to make the hard choices required in this upcoming town board election year to reduce spending, cut taxes and not borrow to fund current operating expenses.
- Despite partisan bickering, Westchester County's leaders will continue to work together to find new and inventive ways, without one-time gimmicks, to reduce our property tax burden without at the same time gutting the county's social safety net for those less fortunate.
Robert Berg: Chair of the Scarsdale Forum Assessment Revaluation Committee:
- The Board of Trustees will handily approve the first town-wide revaluation since 1969.
Lewis Arlt, Brokerage Manager at Houlihan Lawrence and President of the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce:
- Inventory will grow, due to pent up seller energy and folks waiting for the market to resume as it historically does in the Spring. Why? Some feel that the economic crisis has eased, bonus money will flow, and we must have hit the bottom. I hasten to add, I don’t necessarily agree with that analysis. Some of that bonus money may be in stock, not necessarily cash. Other equally smart people are saying we may well be facing a soft real estate market into late 2012. Why? Interest rates are heading north, hurting buying power.
- Foreclosed inventory will hit the market, and even though this may not appear to impact the bubble that is Scarsdale, national data does affect buyers’ attitudes nonetheless. The recession taught buyers that they no longer can, should or need to buy at the top of their purchasing power. Despite the holiday boom, there is a lack of consumer confidence on big ticket items, as folks face job uncertainty, much of it wrought by global interconnectedness. Buyers are seeking value most of all, and when they find it, they will buy.
- Liquidity will probably return, as has already started, but at prices reflecting the new market paradigm. (The good news: 197 single family homes have sold in Scarsdale so far this year, compared to 160 in all 2009, and 142 in 2008. The median price, however, stands at $1.2M, just below the 2004 level. Looking at the pipeline, of 85 Active houses on the market, 31 of them are in contract, which is a healthy 3 to 1 ratio.)
- How will the banks proceed? Will they loosen requirements on worthy, qualified borrowers, making it easier and speedier to secure a mortgage? Or will tighter standards drive some buyers into being tenants? Our hope is that a balance can be found: that buyers and sellers will find ways of achieving compromises in which each is a winner; and banks will lend sensibly but fairly. And may we all retain a memory of what brought the economy down, and strive to avoid a repeat in a few years in some other bubble.
What else?
- Work on the Popham Road Bridge will continue apace.
- Scarsdale will retain its unique blend of charming residences and neighborhoods, its peerless recreational and educational systems, and will continue to be one of the country’s premiere communities.
Joanne Wallenstein: Founder Scarsdale10583.com
And what do we hope for at Scarsdale10583 in 2011?
- An economic upturn that will bring increased business to local professionals, restaurants and retailers
- An improved job market for seasoned professionals, new graduates and everyone in between
- Heightened interest in local news on the web
- Continual growth in user interest, site traffic, and advertiser support for Scarsdale10583, Scarsdale’s #1 website
Massa to Open Thursday January 13
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The lights are on at Massa', the new Italian restaurant and wine bar in the former Heathcote Tavern Building at the Five Corners in Scarsdale. An announcement on their website invites everyone to join them for the unveiling of the restaurant on Thursday night January 13 at 6:30 pm. According to the site, complimentary cocktails and Assaggini will be served.
The 200-seat restaurant will be run by Francesco and Pasquale Coli who also operate La Villetta in Larchmont. The menu will feature coastal Italian cuisine, influenced by the region of Puglia, Italy. The name of the restaurant is derived from the word “masseria”, which is a farm home on a country estate, and many masserie can be found in Puglia, home to the father-son Coli team.
At long last, Scarsdale10583 welcomes a new eatery to this historical location and wishes Massa' many successful years in Scarsdale. View the invitation here .
Mitchell Cohen Sued for Mortgage Fraud
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Former Scarsdale resident Mitchell Cohen is being called the mastermind of an elaborate conspiracy to commit mortgage fraud in New York City that caused at least 17 homebuyers to default on their mortgages and face foreclosure. In a case filed on December13, 2010 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Cohen and 13 defendants, including sellers, lenders and appraisers, are charged with conspiring to commit mortgage fraud. According to Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, “Schemes like the one alleged here helped contribute to the home mortgage crisis. In this particular case, not only did the alleged fraud victimize the home buyers themselves, who were duped into buying homes they couldn't afford and who now face foreclosure and eviction, but also the Government, which insured these bad loans. This Office will use every weapon in its arsenal to fight mortgage fraud, including its powerful civil remedies, and will hold those who participate in and profit from these schemes accountable for their actions."
Cohen allegedly acquired homes for his flip sales through three entities that he controlled: Buy-A-Home LLC, Metropolitan Housing, LLC and Gramercy Funding Group, LTD. He promptly resold or “flipped” the homes without making substantial improvements, to inexperienced, low-income buyers at falsely inflated prices. False appraisals were done to inflate the prices of the homes and Cambridge Home Capital LLC, also a defendant in the suit, underwrote mortgages for the buyers, aware that the buyers could not afford the mortgage payments. Cambridge falsified the buyers credit records by overstating their income, understating their debts, changing their occupation and in one instance paying off the buyer’s personal debts to make them more credit-worthy.
All seventeen loans were insured by HUD, and when the buyers defaulted, HUD assumed the losses. Citibank and Countrywide Bank purchased the mortgages from Cambridge and were also affected by the fraud.
Mitchell Cohen lived in Quaker Ridge from 2000 to 2008. Cohen is said to have appealed to many in the Scarsdale community to invest with him, and they have lost substantial sums as well as the defrauded homebuyers.
