Animal Emergency Committee

-          Dona Davey and Pam Strurz

There’s a problem and I have to leave my home in a hurry.  What do I do? 

May I take my cat with me?  Where is the emergency animal shelter in Afton?  If nobody is at home, will someone rescue my dog?  Where can I take my horses when there are floods?   Who can I call for help?  The answers to these questions and more may be found in the Afton Emergency Plan-Animal Annex developed by the Animal Emergency Committee of Afton.  A copy of the plan may be found in the town clerk’s office and on the town of Afton website (https://sites.google.com/site/aftonanimaldisasterpreparation/).

The plan was developed in response to mandates from FEMA and the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006. They require communities to establish procedures and resources to evacuate, house and care for animals, both large and small, during all types of disasters:  weather, geological and technological.  The Afton plan is activated when a state of emergency is declared and human population shelters are opened for evacuees. In Afton, the animal shelter is located in the Afton Central school bus garage.   This was strategically planned so the animal shelter would be close to the human shelter located in the Afton Central School.

In order to be better prepared to help the community in the event an emergency occurs, the Animal Emergency Committee is currently accepting donations of non-perishable supplies such as crates, feeding bowls, bedding and cleaning products as well as monetary donations.    Other fund raising efforts include raffles of quilts and pillows and applying for grant monies. Committee projects include Evac-Pacs, available at the town clerk’s office, to assist owners in preparing for evacuation with their pets or preparation for care at home, and educating the public about the need for emergency planning.

Animal owners are responsible for the safety of their animals. The best plan if you have to evacuate is to take your animals with you or, if you don’t evacuate, to stockpile enough food, water and medications for yourself and your pet for a two week period at home.   Work with friends and neighbors to have a plan for evacuating your animals if you are not home.  Listen to local radio stations for emergency information, or call the town office, town supervisor or police for updates on town emergency plans.

     BE PREPARED!

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING

Care of shelter animals

Clerical help in shelter

Evacuation of animals

Fund raising

Public information projects

Call Dona Davey to join -

607-639-2409

Tech Talk: Keeping Your Computer Safe – For Free

-  Don Gersch

Once upon a time, say in the late 1990s or early 2000s, if you had a virus on your computer you would probably know about it,  Your machine would slow down, or crash on a regular basis, or very unusual things would happen, such as graphics suddenly appearing on your screen.  Often in those days, viruses were created by 14 year olds trying to see what mischief they could make.  Now, in 2012, if you have a virus, or to use a more general term, malware, on your computer, it is unlikely that you will know about it immediately.  That's because it will now hide on your computer and attempt to give information about you to the people who created it – things like your credit card number or your bank account figures.  These days malware is usually created by people trying to steal from you.

One thing hasn't changed, although it may be even more important now – you need to have security programs to protect you, and they must be up to date and working.  Luckily, although there are many good protection programs that you can buy, there are also very adequate programs that you can get for free.  One good anti-virus program is AVG Free (http://free.avg.com).  AVG will update itself automatically and can be set up to run scans on any schedule that you choose.  Once it's set up it will pretty much take care of itself.  It's important to note that when you download and install a free program, you be sure that you are using the free or basic version.  If the web site or installation program suggests an upgrade or demonstration version, don't go for it.  There will either be an immediate charge, or the demo will only last for a set period of time, usually 30 or 90 days, and then ask that you buy it.  AVG Free will remain free, but will need updating as new versions come out.  If you decide for any reason that you don't like AVG Free, another good program to try is Avast Free (http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download). 

Anti-virus programs, including AVG Free, are good at blocking malware, but are not as good at removing it, if you allow it onto your system.  This often happens through no fault of your own.  An excellent program for removing malware from your computer is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free (http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytesfree).  However, it is important to install Malwarebytes Free before you have a problem.  Often malware, once on the computer, can block security programs from installing.  Unfortunately, unlike AVG, Malwarebytes, in its free version, does not run automatically, you must run it so it can update and scan on whatever schedule you wish.  Running it at least once per week would be recommended.

Whether you decide to use these free programs or one of the commercial security suites, it is essential that you not only have good security programs, but that you be sure they are updating and scanning your computer on a regular basis.

(This article appeared on page 11, Winter Issue 2013, The Afton Vision)

LOCAL CONSIGNMENT STORES

Some area consignments shops

All have additional information online

(via website and/or Facebook)

v  Rainbow’s End

o   37 Main St., Sidney

o   563-8911

v  House of Consignment

o   214 Main Street, Unadilla

o   369-2827

v  Green Giraffe

o   54 State Highway 357, Unadilla

o   369-3234,

  Exclusively Children’s Items

v  Snips and Snails

o   28 North Main St, Bainbridge

o   967-4393

AND

v  The Kid’s Rooms

o   78 Genesee St, Greene

o   656-7304

This list was on the back page of the Winter 2013 issue of The Afton Vision to accompany an article (below) about consignment. 

Interested in growing your own fruit?

Need to understand pruning?

Want to bring old trees back into production?

JOIN AFTON’S

FRUIT GROWING NETWORK

Starting in the late winter with a series of hands-on pruning workshops, continuing through spring nursery stock planting, growing season care and hopeful harvests, the Network’s aim is to increase the knowledge base necessary for personal and community self-sufficiency.  Whether you want to learn, teach or share, if you enjoy fruit and fruit growing , add yourself to the list of people to be notified about Network events this season.

Contact mikebernhard@frontiernet.net

SOLAR ENERGY IN OUR CLOUDY CLIMATE:

House Tour and Information Day - Free

Energy from the sun can be used to heat water, generate electricity and heat homes.

Come join us for a tour and see an example of each at some of our  neighbors’

solar energy installations.

When: Saturday, May 4, 2013, 1:00 to 5:00 PM.

Where: Tour begins at 40 High Street in Afton.

What: After an introductory talk, we will show you the nuts and bolts of solar heating of water.      We will then visit two other sites to see and hear about other uses of solar energy.  You will have an opportunity to ask questions of people actually using solar power, as well as get information about local solar companies.  We will wrap up with a discussion and dessert back at 40 High Street.

Please contact Alan Steinberg at 607-624-5124 or nalamg@aol.com with questions or to make a reservation.

What is Consignment, and How Can it Benefit You

           April Leggett

We all seem to accumulate “stuff” as time goes by and sooner or later we realize we no longer need or want some it.

There are, of course, various ways of clearing out the clutter.  Ebay and Craigslist are two online options. You could also donate everything to various churches, or to thrift stores like the Salvation Army stores in Oneonta or Binghamton. There is also the garage/lawn sale which does involve a lot of work including set-up, pricing, advertising, displaying, haggling over prices and the possibility of a wet weekend.

More and more people are turning to consignment shops as an easier alternative. Consignment allows you to turn your clutter into cash without all the work of eBay or garage sales.

The HOW-TO

Most consignment stores focus on clothing but others offer such things as home goods, CDs and DVDs, toys, décor, books, electronics and small appliances or furniture. All items you bring should be in good to excellent condition.

Begin by calling or stopping in the various consignment stores in the area to discuss their guidelines and policies. Ask if you need an appointment to bring in items and if there is a limit to how many things you can bring each time. Ask how long they will display your items and what percentage you receive when your items sell.

When you bring in your items your work is done. The experienced staff will price and attractively display the goods and will be available to help sell them for you. Periodic discounts and special sales will help generate more buyers.

There are two more benefits that consignment offers. The first is that the recycling of resources and goods indirectly helps us all, and the second is the benefit to others in our communities when unsold items are donated to various local charities.

Happy consigning!

(This article from pages 11-12, Winter 2013 issue, The Afton Vision)

Afton Community Theater

The Afton Community Theater (ACT) is celebrating 10 years of bringing live theater to Afton.  We welcome new actors, behind-the-scenes workers, administrative volunteers and sponsors.

Upcoming performances include:

• February 2 from 6-8 pm at Vincent's Restaurant.
  Cabaret-style presentation of songs from the upcoming musical "9 to 5", along with songs from other musicals. Admission is free. Donations will be accepted to benefit ACT.

·       March 8, 9 and 10 at the Afton Central School Auditorium.

The musical play " 9 to 5 " written by Dolly Parton with lots of great songs and fun (including a virtual appearance by Ms. Parton).  Ticket prices at the door are $12/Adults and $10/Seniors/Students. (Call Elana at 639-3824 for advance tickets, $10/Adults and $8/Seniors/Students.)

·       March 30 at 7:30 pm at Vincent's Restaurant (by reservation only).

ACT will launch its Murder Mystery Buffet series with the presentation of "Mafia Murders," a sure-to-delight comedy and multiple murder mystery that the audience will help solve as the evening unfolds. The wonderful buffet will feature appetizers, two main dishes, salad, beverages and dessert. Seating is limited.  Tickets: $34 per person/$60 per couple.

(This notice from pages 7 – 8, Winter 2013 issue, The Afton Vision)