Blogs 12 Long Island

News Hits Home

By: Colleen McVey

My 14 year old daughter is a big Chris Brown fan. Until a month ago his picture on her bulletin board meant nothing to me. Now that has changed.

 A few days ago we were in the car and the latest news on the Brown-Rihanna abuse case came on the radio. My daughter casually remarked that Brown could never have done what he's accused of. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was defending a man who is now charged with two felonies for what police describe as a brutal argument between the singer and his girlfriend.

I wasted no time using the news story, which she and her friends have been talking about, to talk about abuse - something we had not yet discussed.

First, I told her NO ONE should EVER hit her, but if someone does she should never keep it to herself.  I told her when it comes to abuse - it's a strict "one strike - you're out" rule"!  I told her about the countless news stories we've done about women who were beaten and bruised over and over again. Many blamed themselves or were too frightened to get help and too many ended up dead.

I think my very emotional reaction to her casual comment took her by surprise. I don't think she really understood how serious this issue is - I hope that's changed.

The Brown arrest just started the dialog. This conversation is far from over, especially now that we are hearing reports that Brown and Rihanna may have reconciled. If that's true, after he allegedly bit her on the ear and punched, hit, and choked her - then there are more lessons to be learned. I will make sure my daughter and I follow this story together.

Your rights if the debt collector calls

By Andrew Ehinger

    In our down turned economy, some Long Islanders are falling behind on their bills to make ends meet. That means more and more debt collectors are calling people day and night to get them to somehow pay up. Debt collectors have never had the greatest reputation, but now the heavy handed tactics some collectors use have become the top complaint at consumers rights agencies.

In New York State, the consumer protection board says it's their number one complaint. The Better Business bureau says it's also among their top complaints on Long Island.  Nationally the Federal Trade Commission says Identity Theft is head and shoulders the top complaint, but coming up faster than they expected (in second place) is Debt Collector complaints. It's not a surprise for many that this is happening given that so many people are losing jobs or finding mortgage rates adjusting, but it doesn't mean debt collectors can do anything they want. 

    The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)  was passed to protect consumers and give guidelines for debt collectors who have a legitimate reason to collect a debt. One of the biggest complaints about collectors is how they discuss payment with a debtor. Lots of debtors report that collectors use heavy handed tactics and veiled threats in conversations to get them to make some sort of payment on the debt. The FDCPA outlines strict guidelines on what a collector can do and can't do. Mainly the collector cannot call debtors late at night or very early in the morning. That means they can call between 8am and 9pm. They also cannot call you at work if they are told you are not allowed to get calls there. Some states even have laws on how many time a collector can call in a week. Collectors can't use foul language and threats or harass a debtor to pay either. Collectors aren't allowed to lie about actions they may take or call themselves attorneys if they aren't. Debt collectors can't threaten you with arrest if you don't pay, or even say they will garnish your wages or freeze your bank accounts if they haven't gotten a court order first. Bottom line--consumer rights advocates say if a debt collector calls, make sure you know your rights. The FTC has a great website that can answer lots of questions. Just click here.

    Since the debt collection business is booming, that means scammers are trying to get a piece of the action. I was told by investigators they are hearing crooks are pretending to be debt collectors and cold calling people saying they want to talk about payment of a debt. Even if you don't owe any money WATCH OUT!! These scammers just want your personal information to steal your identity (remember the FTC's #1 complaint). 

No More, Please!

By Lea Tyrrell

I don't like winter.  Specifically, I don't like snow.  And I really don't like a lot of snow.  I did when I was a kid.  What kid doesn't love snow?  But as a grown up, unless you're skiing, it's not fun.  It's just the way I see it.  I know everyone doesn't agree.

So as you can imagine, I was not happy when I first got wind of the forecast that was predicting about a foot of snow Monday.  I was even less happy about it when the snow started falling Sunday night, just as predicted.  And even less happy when I woke up this morning and couldn't open my back door because there was that much snow drifting in my backyard.

What adds insult to injury with this storm is that it's late in the season.  Just as we're holding on to the hope that spring is just a few weeks away, we get walloped with the worst storm of the winter.  That's cruel, Mother Nature!  

As one of our viewers said during our snow coverage, "Hey, that's just the way it is!"  He's right.  That is the way it is in winter.  But the dead of winter.  Not as we're just turning that corner.  Those late season snowfalls are easier when a) they're just a few inches or b) the very next day it's in the 40's or 50's and the snow quickly disappears.  Neither of those apply to this storm.  It made me really grumpy.

However, all that grumpiness disappeared when my young daughter burst into my room this morning, full of excitement, exclaiming, "Mommy, there's a lot of snow outside!"  Okay, what I really wanted to do was roll my eyes and say, "Uhhggggggggggg!"  But what I said instead was, "Really??  How much??"  And she stretched out her arms as wide as they could go and said happily, "This much!"  And we both ran to the window so she could show me. 

I still don't love snow.  But I like it a lot better when I see it through the eyes of my daughter!!!!!!! 

A Four Letter Word

by Scott Feldman

Snow. We really got socked today, didn't we. Hope if you had to go out in it, your trip was a safe one. I stopped by the Auto Club of America this morning to chat with Robert Sinclair about driving safely in the snow. First thing Robert told me was that dedicated snow tires are really the way to go in this kind of weather. He says the all season radials really don't cut it when you've got to stop. In fact, it can take a vehicle up to nine times longer to stop in snow and ice if you don't have the right tires. One of my pet peeves is people who don't clear the snow off their vehicles before they hit the road. It might not matter to you, but snow blowing off your car can blind other drivers. And what happens if some of the snow on your roof slides down on your windshield? That could be a big problem, to say the least. Everybody has seen SUV's barreling down the LIE or parkways, but Sinclair says they are heavy and have a high center of gravity and can easily slide when they try to brake. Speaking of sliding, if you go into a skid, steer in the direction you want to be traveling. As to what to have in your car, every emergency winter car kit should contain a flashlight, flares or reflective triangle, a distress sign, first aid supplies, a blanket, gloves, broom, and shovel. Speaking of shovels, I spotted a tip on the web that might help you. If snow is sticking to your shovel, spray it with a little non-stick cooking oil. The snow should come off a little easier. Believe it or not, Spring is right around the corner. Let's hope this is the last real blast of Winter.

Check these sites out for more safe winter driving tips: www.aaa.com and www.roadandtravel.com

Stand by for News!

by Scott Feldman

Paul Harvey. What a distinctive voice. When he came on the radio, there was no doubt who you were listening to. In the mid 70's, I was the anchor at the NBC TV station in Phoenix. Our radio station was just off our main newsroom. One afternoon I was on the radio side talking to a friend when I saw reams of Associated Press wire copy stacked up in a corner. Paul Harvey was in town for a speech and he was doing his ABC Radio Network newscasts out of our station. He normally did his commentaries from  downtown Chicago. His broadcasts always featured little slices of Americana. The kind of stories you didn't always hear on a typical hourly radio news spot. What Harvey did was comb through all of that wire copy to find the material that made his broadcasts so special. And why I loved to listen to them. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet Mr. Harvey. He came in the very early morning hours. I was there from mid afternoon through the 10 o'clock news. So, it was sad to hear this weekend that Paul Harvey had passed away in Phoenix, where he had a winter home. He was 90. And now you know, "The Rest of the Story."

Corporate Wellness: A New Insurance Plan

By Mary Mucci

Finally someone has taken the time to work it out:  An insurance plan that incorporates prevention and saves health care dollars in a way that makes bottom line sense to Long Island businesses.   Right now, so called “health insurance” is actually sick care insurance.  That is the height of waste. Bypass surgery costs tens of thousands of dollars.  Dietary changes, exercise, stress reduction and targeted supplements are relatively inexpensive.    Finally, people are starting to get it.   Edwards and Sons,  an insurance brokerage in Sayville, teamed up with Dr. Matthew Lewis of Creating Wellness in Commack. They came up with a way to save small businesses money on health care costs..all the while offering employees something more:  including monthly lectures and cooking classes,  email tips on wellness….and regular health assessments.

While many people still don’t understand the huge impact of their poor habits, the staff at Lewis Wellness is on the job educating them.  Up until now where have we gotten our health education?  In high school…while half asleep….from pharmaceutical ads?  The fact is few of us really get it:   the powerful influence of everything we do or don’t do has over how we feel and how fast we age.

Edwards and Sons is not only selling this new insurance concept to its clients--theyre using it in-house on their own staff.  So far thirty eight of the fifty employees have signed on. And they are already influencing the rest.  The three o’clock cookies are no longer regularly available.  Instead, people are bringing in fruits, nuts and salads.  The staff is walking at lunch and executives get approval when they choose breathing exercises as a way to handle stress.  As I said in my story:  the new habits create a work climate in which health is rewarded. 

It’s starting to have an impact …  People are learning to take care of themselves and to take  responsibility for how they feel.  People are learning they can affect how they feel.  For example: Food choices are not just about weight…although that is a powerful barometer of well being.  Food choices affect how we feel:  happy or not; tired or energized….

So consider this:  You can have a well care plan. You can learn to live a healthier life and still get all the coverage you need for unexpected accidents. You can learn to prevent chronic illness, rather than medicate it.  You can learn how it feels to be really healthy.  It’s now available…  It is the beginning of a new era.

To Your Health,

Mary Mucci

Contacts:

Frank Gallina, VP of Risk Management

Edwards and Sons Insurance Brokerage,  Sayville…631 472 8418

 Dr. Matthew Lewis, Chiropractor,  digestive nutrition specialist

Creating Wellness of Commack,  631 462 0801

Bigger Better Bottle Bill

By Andrew Ehinger

    I'll admit it--I do return my soda bottles.

    Every time I finish a bottle of soda I wash it out and then throw it into a bag that I'll eventually take back to the store. It's not a huge amount of money, but it's the principal. I paid the deposit--I want it back. I also take the same care of bottles of non-carbonated beverages. However, they don't go in the same bag. They get taken out to the regular recycling bin. But if Governor Patterson has his way my bottle deposit bag may be getting a little bigger.

    The Bigger Better Bottle Bill would add a 5 cent deposit on non-carbonated beverage containers. That means water bottles, and sport drink bottles would now get a deposit. Governor Patterson is pushing for the legislation in his new budget feeling it would help clean up the environment and add needed money to state coffers.

    Many people don't realize this, but not everybody returns the bottles and cans that have a deposit. Those nickels - millions of dollars worth - went unclaimed (sort of). You see, wholesalers who collect the 5 cent deposits would keep those extra nickels if people didn't return all of the bottles and cans. Off the bat you're probably thinking that the wholesalers are getting a pretty sweet deal but they tell a different story.

    Clare Rose inc. is the islands main wholesaler for Budweiser in addition to lots of other beverages. For more than a quarter century the company has been collecting and recycling its containers after people redeem them for the nickel deposit. But Clare Rose and other wholesalers say it costs more than a nickle to collect, sort and transport the recycled containers. In fact ,they say it costs about 7-to-8 cents per container. That means they are losing money right off the bat when they recycle the container. Even selling the glass, plastic, aluminum and cardboard as a raw material doesn't really help. So, how do they stay in business? Those unclaimed nickles. But to help with environmental projects and balance the budget, Governor Patterson, in his Bigger Better Bottle Bill, wants those nickles. You can imagine that's not making wholesalers happy.

     Environmentalist say the Bigger Better Bottle Bill will encourage more people to recycle containers which are ending up as trash or clogging landfills. On the surface that sounds great - but if the state takes those unclaimed nickles from the wholesalers the industry says it will have to make up the money for recycling somewhere else.. You can guess where that's going to come from - you and I. Wholesaler's say they'll have to tack on a couple dollars to a case of beverages to pay for the recycling. 

    Hey, it's important to keep the environment clean, and most would say recycling is a good thing.  The main question here is what should happen to the unclaimed nickles.  Here are our options: Do we help the state's fiscal crisis with the millions in unclaimed nickles and then pay higher beverage prices because of recycling costs, or do we leave the system as it is right now, or finally do we add a deposit on non-carbonated beverages and let wholesalers keep the unclaimed nickles. The choice is yours.

Criminals teaching your children?

By Eileen Lehpamer

  It's kind of amazing when you start to research the issue: Could "criminals" really be teaching your children in school?

First, you'd say, no, the school districts wouldn't allow it.

But then, explore further, and you realize the districts are really in the dark about the full extent of a teacher's background when they hire them.

Why? It's the law.

Yes. It is.

So, let me backtrack. I started researching this after covering the arraignment for an East Setauket gym teacher arrested for allegedly brutally raping a bartender in Mount Sinai. Guilty or not of this rape, Michael Wachholder has prior arrests for harassment and disorderly conduct, as well as a misdemeanor conviction from 12 years ago for Driving While Impaired.

The Three Village School District issued a statement saying: "Before being hired by Three Village, and in compliance with New York State Law, the district had been provided clearance by the State Education Department ..."

So here's how it works:

A school district wants to hire a teacher. They take the teacher's fingerprints and send them to the State. The State Department of Criminal Justice Services will do a background check, and then provide that information to the State Education Department. The State Education Department will then review past arrests, and past minor convictions and determine if that potential candidate should be eligible for hire.

Tom Dunn, a spokesman for the State Education Department says violations, which are the least serious class of criminal offense, are not considered in background checks for education jobs. Misdemeanors do not automatically disqualify an applicant either".

Districts will then get a simple letter that reads a candidate has either been "fingerprint cleared for employment" or not. There is no "rap sheet", no rundown of all convictions. The District therefore, does not make it's own determination.

As in the case of Wachholder, the Three Village School District says it got a clearance letter.

Dr. Ronald Friedman, the head of the Nassau County Superintendents' Council, says it happens all the time. He calls it "frustrating", and says the law needs to be changed, so that Districts can see all the information and make it's own decision.

Civil libertarians will no doubt have another view, but when it comes to parents, they want a "role model" for their children. For most, that means no arrests, and definitely no convictions.

What do you think?

The Man Behind the Joker's Face

  By Elisa DiStefano

Mount Sinai seems to be the furthest place from Hollywood, and that's why Oscar nominee (and past winner) John Caglione, Jr says he chooses to live there--plus the fact that he loves Long Island.

John is a professional make-up artist. He fell in love with the old Universal horror movies as a child and decided he wanted to learn to make people into monsters like Frankenstein. With the exception perhaps of his kids on Halloween, John hasn't made a Frankenstein, but he has made iconic movie faces.

John is the friendliest, warmest, most down to earth guy. His Mount Sinai home is lovely-- and completely normal-- minus an Oscar on the mantel-- that is until he takes you into his workshop. On the wall he has face casts of some of the most amazing actors of our time including Al Pacino (who he has worked with many times), Russell Crowe, Val Kilmer, Dustin Hoffman, Johnny Depp, and the late Heath Legder. On the shelf there are boxes labeled with the names of famous actors and movies. Inside of the boxes are prosthetics. I held Al Pacino's eyes!

John won the Oscar in 1990 for his work on Dick Tracy. He's worked on so many movies including Donnie Brasco, and he aged Bette Midler in For the Boys. John was nominated for the Oscar this year for his work on the Dark Knight. Sadly, Benjamin Button took home the prize. John and I spoke a lot about his amazing experience on the Dark Knight set and what it was like working with Oscar winner Heath Legder. He did Heath's make-up for over 60 days. It took about an hour and a half to apply the Joker's famous face. Here's what he told me-- I find it all so interesting.

"I went to London to start doing makeup tests with Heath and we were just playing around with paints. Heath and I were in the makeup trailer before the tests and Chris Nolan came in and he had a real vision to what the Dark Knight was going to look like. He brought in a book on Frances Bacon paintings which are very kind of abstract and dreary dreamy kind of paintings, disturbing but incredible paintings and Chris' notes were look at this Frances Bacon painting and I want the makeup to appear to look caked and smudged and then I want you to degrade it in stages through the picture."

" They wanted the makeup to look very caked on and very lived in like a psychopath would do the make-up so Heath and I worked out a series of different facial expressions he would hit in the chair. He would scrunch up his face and wrinkle his forehead and I would paint these layers of colors over these expressions which created all the cracks and crevases and gave more expression to what normally would be a white flat painted face... it was a collaboration between me and Heath and Chris Nolan. I described it as a dance.  I actually danced with Heath because the makeup could not really happen without him doing all of these different expressions"

"It was great with Heath... every morning sometimes the calls would be 4:30 - real early- and the first thing he would do is come in and hug all of us, all the actors and the makeup and hair people, big bear hugs and then we'd do the makeup which took about an hour and a half. He would work 12- 14 hours a day hanging off trucks and getting flipped over by Batman. He did a lot of his own stunts and he was really banged and bruised and at the end of the day he would come in and we'd take off the last drop of makeup and we'd all get bear hugs at the end of the night. I've never had an actor that kind of experience with an actor. He was just one in a million, I've never met anyone like him. It's just a great thing that he was just enjoying the work and thats one thing about working with him that I really appreciated... Heath taught me to really enjoy what's going on and not get too bogged down in worrying because its all going to work out."

John is extremely humble and claims he is just riding Heath's coattails. He says that Heath was a huge influence on how he approaches his work and his life.

Up next for John-- he finally gets to work close to home! He will be on the set of the new Angelina Jolie movie "SALT" which begins shooting in Bethpage next month.

Farewell Fortunoff!

By Christine Insinga

                                                                             

I cannot even begin to tell you how many gifts I've purchased off a bridal registry at Fortunoff. Girlfriends, relatives, neighbors...just about anytime anyone told me they were getting married I knew I'd soon be making a trip there for the shower gift!   

   Now the Westbury based home and jewelry retailer is holding 'Going Out of Business' sales after being sold at auction for more than $85 million. 

 

Fortunoff filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 5, another casualty of this crushing recession. Shortly after, they passed out pink slips to 300 workers in their Uniondale Corporate office.  Some had worked for the company for more than 40 years.  I was told and are now fighting to get any sort of pension or extension on healthcare.

On a bit of a brighter note--Fortunoff is now honoring gift cards, after giving holders the brush off last week.  So cash in on that last piece of Lenox, ladies and guys--time to get that hot watch you've been eyeing.

Today, one woman told my colleague, Jill Conway, that her mother used to take her on Fortunoff shopping trips when SHE was young.  It is an icon for many, but after 87 years, it's time to say farewell Fortunoff!  {##}

Growing Up on Long Island

By Carol Silva

Howard Stern - Pat Benetar - Billy Joel - Alec Baldwin - Jerry Seinfeld - Billy Crystal - Rodney Dangerfield - Julius Irving - Amy Fisher - Aristotelis Savalas - aka Telly Savalas - Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay til 2008,) Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield or Ben and Jerry. We all learned how to say the Pledge of Allegiance, "duck and cover," and make a snow fort while growing up on Long Island. We all grew up here - me included.

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking for the LI Museum of American Art, History and Carriages. They were kicking off their great exhibit in Stony Brook called, "Growing Up on Long Island." It's got kid pictures of Billy Joel, toys from our "Golden Age," and even Jerry Seinfeld's 2nd Grade report card!

So they invited three veteran Long Islanders to talk about what it was like for us to grow up here - Katherine Heaviside - who started Epoch 5 Marketing, former Congressman Felix Grucci, CEO of the famous Grucci Fireworks Company, and me!

I love to talk about what like was like growing up on the sod of old potato fields, amidst maple trees that looked like sticks when William Levitt planted them, with apple trees and blueberry and strawberry patched in every backyard.

Here's more of what I was so happy to remember:

·       Jolly Rogers - nearly falling off the painted ponies, trying to grab the gold ring. Life has been like that many times since!

·       Nunleys - same thing there.

·       Ring a leevio, kickball and the annual testing to see if my tongue would REALLY stick to light pole.

On those rare occasions when we played inside there was: Barbie (who turns 50 this year!) GI Joe, erector sets, Monopoly, and when there was a smattering of kids programming in the early morning or at night, watching the Admiral TV built into the wall under the Levitt staircases. Those stairs that led up to the unfinished attics

 What a great time to be a kid in the B section of Hicksville. There were about 15 of us kids in a 4 year age span. We all played together. We built 2 story playhouses - along side Chuckie McDonald's house and then paid him a quarter for the privilege of using the rooms that were the size of a dishwasher box. We had kart races - using baby carriage wheels once our Moms were no longer having babies. Chuckie was the oldest and smartest of us. He got us to build a really big go car out of a sheet of plywood. Chuckie rode the single seat. We all gladly pushed him. 

My house looked like the rest of the Levitts in the neighborhood at the time. There's still something special about those black speckled linoleum floors, the GE refrigerator that came up the chin of my 5-foot 3 inch mother, with a freezer that only fit ½ gallon ice cream, and the washing machine in the kitchen hall. My home was just like 17,446 other Levitt homes in Levittown, Hicksville and Wantagh.

The oil burner was in kitchen - a great place for my brothers and I to warm our feet after playing in snow. My Dad was in the service for 20 years. There was no money to buy lined snow boots, so my mother "rubber-banded" plastic bags around our feet and put them in our inherited rain boots. That "military economy" contributed to the closeness I have with my brothers today. The 3 of us slept in the same bedroom until I was 6. 

On special occasions I would get a shopping spree to Mays in Levittown. We didn't buy much, so I treasured what I got, including that gray sweater with the duck buttons.

My summers were spent swimming, hanging out and competing with the Levittown Swimming Association - at the public pools Levitt put into his community. In fact, my first paid job was as a lifeguard at those pools.

Growing up on Long Island taught me how to work hard! It also taught me:

·       That if you didn't do your work thoroughly, it would show - Mrs. Spiegelman taught me in Dutch Lane School the day I didn't study spelling enough to know that "I comes before E" in the word "chief!"

·       I learned "it takes a village" - there were no fences in the B-section. We ran freely through yards and neighbors never cared that other kids were pounding down their grass.

·       As a lifeguard I learned - if you do what you love - it's never work.

·       When I worked the Saturday express line at Pathmark in the Mid Island Mall, I learned that to be fast - but with a smile - pays off. People smile back.

·       When I was in 4th grade I also learned some people wouldn't like me because I'm half Mexican. My friend's mother told me so. That shocked me. But it also taught me to be proud of who I was - to speak up for myself - and that labels didn't matter.

·      I also earned that an "all nighter" in high school wasn't a party with my friends - it was what you got if you waited til last minute to do report.

I've been offered jobs in other cities - but frankly, I never could see myself living someplace else.

Right now we're faced with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Tuesday President Obama said - America will rebuild, recover, and emerge stronger than before, saying,

"Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more."

Those are the very things I learned on LI. That simple pleasures are what have endured. My memories of growing up on LI are not the size of my house or what clothes were in my closet. I learned that one of the best summer smells is that smell of Good Humor truck napkins and honeysuckles in the backyard.

Some of sweetest memories of a childhood - well worth living on Long Island.

Building Hope

By Virginia Huie

An act of terror took their parents away. Now, the children of September 11th are turning sadness into something positive. They belong to a support group called Tuesday's Children. They spent their winter break in New Orleans, LA -- helping Habitat for Humanity build homes for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. One of Tuesday's Children is 16-year-old Chris Quackenbush of Manhasset. Chris was 9 when his dad, Christopher, an investment banker, was killed in Tower Two. Chris says his dad always told him the importance of giving back to the community. That's exactly what Chris did in the Big Easy. He and the other teens started work bright and early in the morning-- pounding nails, caulking wood panels, putting up walls for two new homes in the Upper Ninth Ward. Their hard work added new cottages to a growing neighborhood called Musician's Village. It's a new development to provide housing for displaced musicians and bring back culture to New Orleans. But the project goes beyond helping storm victims. Every one of Tuesday's Children felt empowered by the experience. They were no longer viewed as victims -- but as young people who cared to make a difference. 18-year-old Brielle Saracini lost her father, United Airlines Capt. Victor Saracini, when his hijacked plane struck the South Tower. Brielle said, "It's just cool coming down here and like helping out because these people went through a tragic loss just like we did, and it's really good to help out in some way." 17-year-old Caitlyn Leavey lost her father, FDNY Lt. Joseph Leavey, in the South Tower. Caitlyn said the project was a great way to honor the memory of her dad. "He had a big heart, a great personality and I want to be just like him," said Caitlyn. Chris said the experience made him feel closer to his father. Chris told me, "The more I work, I think about him even more, but it's more the good memories than the bad memories and I think it's really important to think about all the good times I had with him." Tuesday's Children and their mentors are truly an inspiration. They've shown resilience, grace and dignity in the face of an indescribable loss. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to witness their good works and great attitude.

Hard Times:Survival Guide

By Colleen McVey

I spent the first two days of this week sick in bed with body aches, fever, and fatigue. Finally, on Wednesday I felt much better--until I got my 401 K update in the mail. Then, I got sick to my stomach. Once again, our 401K took a hit.  No 48 hours of bed rest and lots of liquids will make this sick feeling go away. I'm trying to be optimistic. I really want to believe Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, who told lawmakers on Tuesday that the recession might end by the end of this year. Of course, that's IF the Fed and the Obama Administration can get the credit and financial markets to return to some sort of normalcy. Not only is that a BIG IF, but the end of the year is still a long way off. I'm hoping my friends and family, who are struggling, can hang onto their jobs until then and beyond. Times are tough and frightening for just about everyone I talk to. At a time when we need to stimulate the economy by spending money, many people are holding back out of fear. Let's hope the federal stimulus money does what it is supposed to do; jump start the economy, get people back to work, and restore some consumer confidence. Help is on the way - I hope it is enough.

In the meantime, starting Sunday, News 12 and Newsday will bring you a special survival guide focusing on how and where to get help. Everyday there will be a survival guide story in the newspaper, then a special report on News 12 that night, and a live Long Island Talks on the issue of the day. The series will include  a a live 2 hour town meeting at 7 pm on Thursday, March 5th. If you need some help, I hope you'll join us.

Tiger's Back, Bethpage Awaits

By Jamie Stuart

Heeee's baaaack!

El Tigre...The world's # 1....Tiger Woods is back. After taking more than 8 months off following ligament surgery on his left knee, Tiger Woods returned to golf this week. 

In other words, golf became relevant again.  Woods has returned in time for the start of the Accenture Match Play Championship, the first time he's played competitive golf since June 16th, 2008.        

                 But for us Long Islanders, what's really important is that, HE'S PLAYING!!!  Remember folks, the U.S. Open returns to Bethpage this June.  And when word came out last year that Tiger needed knee surgery, there were some concerns over whether he would make it to Bethpage Black.

                Afterall, Tiger won the Open at Bethpage back in 2002.  And again for good measure, he took the Open at Shinnecock in '04.  So, safe to say, he likes Long Island.

                And Long Island loves Tiger.  The throngs of people to see him were gi-normous, and the enthusiasm was off the charts.

                But, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.  Barring a (gasp!) injury setback, Tiger will be ready to take his third Long Island U.S. Open this June. 

                Sure there will be some rust to shake off, but I think 3 1/2 months should do it.

Levittown in Fear

By Lily Stolzberg

The community of Levittown has been plagued by a string of burglaries. There have been 13 in just over a month and Nassau Police believe they are all related. Most of the burglaries have occurred north of Hempstead Turnpike, but now it seems the thief or thieves have crossed over to the south side.  Cops gave me this list of the streets that were hit between January 16th and February 23rd.

Birch Ln.

Sherwood Rd.

Pinetree Ln.

Barnyard Ln.

Blue Spruce Rd.

North Bellmore Rd.

John Ln.

Parkside

Valley Rd.

Bellmore Rd.

Farm Ln.

As you can only imagine, people are scared. If you have ever been burglarized, you know how violated you feel after it happens. Police  have stepped up patrols and there are more officers (uniformed and plain-clothed) on the street, as well as the K-9 unit. But residents also need to do their part and cops are urging anyone in the area to call 911 if they see anything that seems suspicious. 

The Levittown burglaries have all occurred in broad daylight, weekdays when people are most likely at work. Cops believe the thief or thieves are checking to see if anyone is home by ringing doorbells or checking for clues that may show that the house is empty. That's why police are offering some tips to better safeguard your home and your valuables.

1. Prune overgrown shrubbery that hides windows and doors.

2. Make alarm stickers visible on doors and windows. Even if you don't have an alarm, try and get a sticker.

3. Keep a car in the driveway, if possible.

4. Place a dog bowl or beware of dog sticker on your property to give the appearance of canine security.

5. Do not have packages left in the doorway. Arrange a delivery time.

6. Do not leave garbage cans at the curb.

7. Install outside motion detection lights high enough so a burglar can't unscrew the bulbs.

8. Do not place valuables in dresser drawers in your bedroom. This is usually the first place a burglar looks.

If you want to see even more ways to help prevent a burglary in your home you can go to this website: http://www.police.co.nassau.ny.us/pubserve/HomeSecurity.pdf.

Unfortunately cops say they haven't been able to identify any suspects through forensic evidence, most likely because those responsible haven't been in trouble with the law....yet!  But the police want you to be assured they are doing everything to catch the people who have put fear into this quiet, family oriented community.

Time to train, is it your year?

By Meteorologist Rich Hoffman

The warmer weather is coming and that means you will be able to get off the treadmill and hit the open roads and train for that next big race. As some people may know, I run marathons and participate in triathlons.  My website to help people find races is www.runwithrich.com.

I love running and training on Long Island because we have very different weather conditions and terrain from the North Shore to the South Shore. I also love meeting new people and I often get, "Hey I beat the weatherguy." I am not fast, but I finish, and I guess that is what counts. One race I like running is the Long Island Half Marathon, 13.1 miles. The turnout is great and it's getting bigger every year. http://www.thelimarathon.com/ Now is the time to start training for the race, its only 9 weeks away. If you don't think you can run 13.1 miles, you're in luck. This year they have races of all lengths--from marathons right down to a 1 mile run.  It's a lot of fun and you get a pretty cool medal.

If you are looking for a new challenge, how about a triathlon(Swim, Bike, Run)? I finally got our News12 Sports anchor Erin Colton to try it this year. I will also be training with Jim Germanakos from the biggest loser (http://www.weightlosstwins.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/jimgermanakos)  to get him into his first triathlon. Jim also ran the NYC marathon in November 2008 and signed up for 2009. If Jim can do it, so can you.

Set a goal for 2009. Try to finish it and and this can be your year to shine. So, shine in '09!

There are many running and triathlon groups on Long Island and they are all like family.  They help push you along to reach your goal. Since 2007, I have done 13 triathlons including an IRONMAN and 4 Marathons. You can do it.  Just put your mind to it. It's mind over matter. If I can help in anyway, let me know.  Just think of all the good things that can come from being healthy.

Running Websites:

http://www.lirunning.com/
http://www.nyrr.org/
http://theglirc.org/
http://www.runnersedgeny.com/

Triahtlon Websites:
http://www.triandduit.com/
http://www.eventpowerli.com/events/
https://shop.sunrisetri.com/display/5302/0/

 

Nassau's New Tax

 By Shari Einhorn

Nassau residents have a new tax coming their way.  As of June 1st -- the home heating tax goes into effect.  It's a 2 1/2 percent tax on the total bill to heat your home.  It doesn't matter if you rent or own.  It doesn't matter if you use oil, gas, electric, propane or firewood -- it's a tax across the board.

Nassau lawmakers voted Monday night to pass the proposal that was included in County Exec Tom Suozzi's budget plan for this year.  County officials say the money from the new tax would be used to help plug the 130 million dollar budget deficit.

The vote was split along party lines...all 10 Democrats voted for it and all 9 Republicans voted against it.  Republicans say it's the wrong time to add a tax to residents already struggling to pay their bills.  Democrats say there's never a good time to add a tax but it will bring in desperately needed money.

Suffolk County, New York City and other nearby counties already have a similar home heating tax.  Suffolk officials told me in 2008 -- the tax brought in about 50 million dollars.  In 2009, they're planning on about 45 million dollars. 

The tax is on the total bill.  So take an $800 dollar oil bill as an example.  2 1/2 percent of that comes to $20 dollars in home heating tax.  It may not sound like much -- but remember that's per delivery and it's in addition to every other bill you have to pay.

William Scott from Long Beach told me -- "I don't like it at all.  I don't want to pay more than I have to and I don't think this is a good time for it to be going up."

What do you think about the new home heating tax?  You'll be paying it come June 1st if you live in Nassau.  If you live in Suffolk -- you're already paying it.

Let me know.

Shari

Divers Are No Joke

By Erin Colton

This past weekend I attended the American East Swimming and Diving Championships in Boston. Our local Stony Brook Seawolves compete in that conference, so I figured I'd widen my sports knowledge and attend an event I'd never been to.

If you didn't know, a diving meet is the same thing as a swimming meet. They go hand and hand. You see some diving.  Then the divers stop and then there's some swimming races.  Then the divers go back on. And by going to the meets, I've learned some of the cliches linked to divers.

Some people say a swimming/diving meet is like a hockey game -- the swimmers are the hockey players and the divers are the figure skaters brought on the ice for entertainment. Other people say the divers are the half-time entertainment. (These are, of course, swimmers talking.) And while diving is entertainment, it's also tough competition.

I get it. Divers are known to be graceful. Their workouts consist of doing flips, twists and turns. While swimmers are doing lap after lap in the pool, divers are jumping up and down on the trampoline. But I have to say, from what I witnessed this weekend -- divers are the tougher athletes.

One of Stony Brook's woman divers was doing an inward one and a half dive (I totally know my stuff now) and hit her head on the board on the way down. She was rushed to the ER in Boston and had to get 6 staples across her head. The year before that, TWO Stony Brook divers hit the board and also had to spend the weekend in the hospital. 

And just minutes after seeing her teammate hit the board, another Lady Seawolf had to do the same exact dive! I didn't know who was more scared -- her or I.

So here's a little message to everyone who thinks divers aren't tough. Think again. YOU try stepping out on that board!

By the way, the Men's Swimming and Diving team Finished Fourth in the Conference. The only men's diver finished 2nd on the 1 meter board and 3rd on the 3 meter board. (The 1 meter is the smaller one, 3 is the larger.)  Women's finished Fifth.

Good Job Stony Brook!

Cartoon Controversy

by Jill Wagner

"Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon."

So says the NY Post about this political cartoon that appeared in Wednesday's paper.  For anyone who still hasn't seen it, here ya go:

The cartoon shows a dead chimpanzee and two police officers---one with a smoking gun. The caption reads---"They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

It appears to link President Obama, who signed the massive stimulus bill last week, to Travis the Chimp, shot dead in Connecticut. 

Al Sharpton and other African American leaders say the cartoon is racist and plays on old stereotypes, equating African Americans with monkeys.  They've spent the days picketing in front of the Post's Manhattan offices. 

In response to the outcry, the NY Post wrote this on their website:

"Wednesday's Page Six cartoon - caricaturing Monday's police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut - has created considerable controversy. It shows two police officers standing over the chimp's body: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," one officer says. It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.  Period. But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize. However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else."

Sharpton says the apology is NOT accepted, and wants the Post shut down....

So what do you think?  Has the Post finally gone too far?  Or is this a case of misinterpretation? 

 

Osteopathic Manipulation Heals

By Mary Mucci

 Twenty years ago most of the “holistic” physicians on Long Island were chiropractors.   I am so grateful for that.  I went to them for adjustments, for exercise recommendations, for nutritional counseling and for allergy treatments as well as extensive diagnostic testing.   Over the years I have gotten a lot of help. Each one had something different to offer.   

Now we have more choices: more osteopaths are choosing hands on manipulation.  We are also  blessed with naturopathic physicians, and holistic medical doctors.  The osteopaths, naturopaths and chiropractors all do hands on manipulation.  I could not say which technique is best, because it seems that it depends not so much on the kind of medicine but the kind of person doing the healing.

There are many ways to heal. Given any set of symptoms there are many natural modalities that can make the difference.  For an allergy,  someone could use homeopathy, herbal remedies,  or NAET. {the Nambutripad Allergy Elimination Technique }  They all work.  But sometimes it’s a relationship that makes the difference.  I wonder if that’s what happened to Dennis Condra of Northport.  His life was nightmarish.  He had beaten cancer but years later was still unable to eat any solid food or even have a normal conversation. His mouth was so dry from the radiation damage, he was always sick, always suffering with infections.  Then one day, a young physician wanted to help.  He found his miracle. I have no doubt that osteopathy heals.  It has worked for me.  But I wonder if it’s the physician rather than the specific technique that makes the difference.    

One benefit is that traditional osteopaths who practice hands on manipulation can bill your insurance company just like a medical doctor.  {Of course, chiropractic adjustments are covered by most insurance companies.}  But everything an osteopath does may be covered.  Depending on what you need …an osteopath may be worth a try. 

To Your Health,

Mary Mucci

Contacts:

Dr. Alexis Hugelmeyer

Osteopathic Manipulation:  Riverhead  [email protected]  631 470 0904

Dr.  Wesley Beth Reiss

Osteopathic Manipulation,  essential oil therapy, massage : Huntington  631 425 6180

Dr. Catherine Ferrara

Osteopathic Manipulation,  homeopathy:  Massapequa, Hempstead  516 799 9700  ,  516 292 0300

What a Mess

By Doug Geed

    It's hard coming up with the right analogy. It's like if someone you gave money to comes up to you and says that they screwed up and lost all of it and that the only way for you to make it better is to give them more money. You'd be like 'Well I didn't do anything. YOU messed up -- YOU pay for it."

  It's like the mortgage mess. The great majority of Long Islanders responsibly pay their mortgages and taxes on time. They borrowed a certain amount of money to buy their dream home. And now, because so many others got in over their heads and bought something they couldn't afford, the responsible ones have to bail them out. And let's not forget all the greedy lenders who saw a way to make a quick buck by making all those risky loans. When those loans caved in, now THEY have their hands out -- and again, it's the responsible people who have to dig in their pockets to save them.

    Unfortunately, such is life across Long Island, the nation and the world here in 2009.

    But if you speak to economic experts, it's the only choice we have. Dr. Pearl Kamer -- economist with the Long Island Association -- can explain things nice and simply for the average person (like me) whose strongest subject in school wasn't economics. She says for every house that goes into foreclosure, the value of other houses in that community goes down 1-to-2 percent. So if a dozen houses in your area go into foreclosure, that's thousands of dollars that you've lost, at least in equity. Plus, no one wants a boarded up home on their block. It's bad for the image, but also invites crime and vandalism. Kamer -- and most experts -- argues that even though "the good guys" have to pay for it, preventing any more foreclosures in this recession is vital.

     Likewise, Melville economist Marty Cantor says this recession is so deep and so broad, that the U-S government is the only one who can come up with the money to fix it. Whether it's by re-building bridges and roads, giving aid to schools to prevent layoffs, giving money to banks and mortgage lenders to stop the flood of foreclosures, we have no choice but to spend taxpayer dollars to turn this thing around.

    So even if economics wasn't your strongest subject that should make sense. But it still doesn't make you any less mad -- especially when you see greedy corporate executives walk away with millions in bonuses while their companies got a free handout from the public. What a mess.

Wouldn't you like to buy "____" to support this charity?

By Andrew Ehinger

    Sometimes they may come to your house. Sometimes they may approach you on the street or in a parking lot. Typically it's hard to say no, but sometimes you have to wonder... "If I buy something from a person saying they are going to give the proceeds to charity, is it really going to that cause? Or is it going into that person's pocket?" Call me a jaded New Yorker, but I think many times it does go into that person's pocket. But I have asked around and many tell me I'm wrong although there are some scammers out there.

I started thinking about that today when I was told to investigate the case of a 22 year old Marquis Felton. He was arrested Tuesday for getting a group of kids - some as young as 9 years old - to solicit donations unsupervised in Franklin Square.   Felton was charged with 6 counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child because the kids were so young. Felton was a volunteer for the New York Youth Club in Smithtown and had recruited the kids as a part of his fund-raising efforts. It's important to note here that the New York Youth Club has a policy of not allowing anyone under 14 to help sell items door-to-door to raise money for the group. In this case the Club's president Ronald Crowe tells me Felton acted on his own, recruiting the youngsters against NYYC policy. Crowe said Felton was asked to leave the group this morning.

    NYYC collects almost all of it's donations by selling gourmet and home goods door-to-door, and Crowe says they've never had a problem with under age sales before. He tells me the group has had a great track record of helping young people throughout the years and this latest incident troubles him.

    So how can you feel confident in your donations now?

    Well many people I've spoken to feel uncomfortable buying from teens or anyone when they come to their home or approach them in a parking lot. Still however groups like NYYC rely on these donations. If you want to help someone, you can ask the young person lots of questions about the group. What has been their experience with the activities that the donations will go to support? How long have they been with the group? Have they been helped by the groups services? Basically, ask lots of questions to make you feel more confident in your purchase. The seller shouldn't mind if they truly believe in the cause they are asking you to support.

    If you still don't feel confident you could always ask to make an appointment for a purchase at a later time so you can research the charity. This option isn't the most favorable to the seller, but they shouldn't be too upset if the group truly needs your money. Ask for some literature or a website so you can get back to them at a later time.

    You can also check out a charity's finances and other information that it must file with the federal government at guidestar. 

    Remember, it's important to donate to charities - now probably more than ever. So if you do donate - do your research so your money isn't wasted and helps those in need.

Time Flies!

By Jackie Lukas

I can't believe it's been nearly 5 years since I graduated college. Time really flies!  Now I realize 5 years is not a very long time -  but I really feel like I'm getting old. Especially after I went back to my school to play in my alumni basketball game! I went to Dowling College on a full scholarship to play ball. If you were wondering, I'm only 5'6" --- but 5'7" on the roster! haha :)  (yes, I was a guard). It was an awesome experience, playing Division II basketball. We were really good too! We went to the NCAA tournament and everything! It was an experience I will never forget. Playing sports throughout my life has shaped me into the person I am today. I've learned so much--teamwork, hard work, dedication, sportsmanship...time management!

I just went back Dowling to see all my former friends and players. I laced up my sneakers and hit the court again for my alumni game. But I have to be honest. I was totally out of shape! After the first 5 minutes - I was already sucking wind. It's kind of funny, yet I was mad at myself that I couldn't keep up like I used to. The game was a lot of fun! But the best part was seeing everyone and finding out where they are in their lives now! Some are doctors, others teachers and coaches! Seeing everyone was just like old times, like we were one big family. And check this out--there's even a huge poster of my team that hangs in the gymnasium all the time. It's us after we won the game to go to the NCAA tournament! Very cool! :)  

During the game, the current Dowling team watched us play. My coach told us that he talks about my old team all the time. It was nice to see that we created a legacy and something for the girls to look up to. I am also really proud of  this season's women's team, because not only are they doing well on the court, but they're helping others. Right now they've raised thousands of dollars for the Make A Wish Foundation. It was great to see that they are working hard to give back to others!

Going back to Dowling made me realize that no matter what, we'll always be a family. And I am very thankful for that!  But for next year's game, it will be different, Because I am going to train long and hard, and, hopefully, won't be so sore the next day! ;)

A Roadside Memorial

By Drew Scott

  A small white cross with the picture of a beautiful 14-year old girl sits on the side of the road on Woodside Avenue and County Road 101 in Medford.

  It's a memorial to Angelica Nappi. She was killed by a driver police say ran a red light. Cops say 37-year old Stephen Catalano was operating his vehicle with multiple suspensions and a revocation of his license in both New York and Florida. 

  There were prayers and tears today, one year after the tragic crash. There were also demands for a change in the state vehicle law to make it a felony to operate a car with a revoked or suspended license while involved in a serious injury accident.

  I interviewed the mother of the victim, Angelica. Her name is Dawn Nappi. She says a parent should not have to bury a child. She also called for a toughening of the laws involving cases like her daughter.

  "There are far too many of these cases," said Assemblyman Robert Sweeney of Lindenhurst, who is presenting the bill in the Albany Legislature.

  Special interests have killed the bill on two previous legislative sessions, but Sweeney thinks it will pass this year.

 

                        

Go Cold!

By Elizabeth Hashagen

Okay- so right off the bat I have to admit -- I don't do the laundry in my house. My husband is a saint and takes care of the clothes.  He might just be scared I'd wreck his stuff, or he knows I'll have the best of intentions but forget them in the wash and have them smelling worse!!  So I'm in charge of putting them away. 

So even though i'm not a domestic goddess, I still found out some pretty interesting laundry info that could just change the way you wash.It really comes down to cold. While I don't like the cold winter weather--your clothes will like cold water washing!! Did you know that 90% of the energy used in washing clothes goes toward heating the water?  So it makes sense that washing in cold would make a difference. But I wondered how much of a difference could it really make, and here's what I found out on the Treehugger website: Pressing the cold/cold button (instead of the hot/warm button) on your washing machine has the same impact as...- driving about 9 miles in a car, or the production, transportation and storage of a six pack of beer. Surprising right!  And you should multiply that impact by 392--That's the number laundry loads an average U.S. home washes in a year (Did I mention my husbands a saint X's 392?). And your colors will last longer on cold too!! (Only if it's really dirty do you need to go to warm.) And get this--Treehugger says washing every load on the hot/warm cycle (in a top loading machine and an electric water heater) for a year is equivalent to burning about 182 gallons of gasoline in a car!! And if you wash with the hot/cold cycle, you'll end up with 2,407 pounds of CO2 per year -- just over a metric ton -- which is equal to about one round-trip cross-country flight.

Have you decided to change which button you push? I changed ours last night...

Marcelo Lucero's Mother, Sister and Brother Head to Court

By Shari Einhorn

"She has no words to describe the pain over the loss of her son."

That was from Rosario Lucero...the mother of Marcelo Lucero.  He's the Ecuadorian immigrant who was stabbed to death last November -- allegedly by 7 Patchogue-Medford High School students.  Cops have said the motive was purely racial.  All 7 have pleaded not guilty to hate crime and other charges.

Rosario Lucero and her daughter Isabel flew in Monday night from Ecuador.  Today they were hoping to see the teens accused of killing their son/brother.  That didn't really happen.  The two teens who are out on bail were in the courtroom with their parents.  The other 5 never entered the courtroom though many of their family members were there.  The case was adjourned until April 1st.

It was an emotional morning for mother and sister -- along with brother, Joselo.  Dozens of news cameras followed their every move...reporters asked questions in English and Spanish...court officers escorted the family down the long hallway and out to their cars.

This family -- and the families of the defendants -- were all thrust into the national media spotlight without warning.  It's impossible to imagine what it must be like for any of them.  

Rosario Lucero and her daughter are expected to stay here on the island for about a month and then come back when the trial starts.  They're hoping to meet with prosecutors, the District Attorney and when they're feeling strong enough -- to visit the spot where Marcelo lost his life.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

by Lea Tyrrell

As I'm writing this, I'm watching President Obama sign the $787 billion dollar economic stimulus bill into law. That's $787,000,000,000!  Did I get all those zero's right?  I wanted to put it in numeral form because it just doesn't have the same impact when you write it out in words.

Will it work?? Is it the right thing to do?? Or should we just let the economy take its course and correct itself?  Can we afford to do that??  I don't know whether this economic stimulus plan is a good idea or a bad idea. I've spoken to so many people on both sides of the issue who are certainly more learned about  economics than I am. But whether you agree or disagree with the stimulus, I just hope it works.

It's sad having to deliver the discouraging news every day.  Record high unemployment numbers, more people about to lose their jobs, retirements savings being wiped out, 401ks dropping by at least a third or more, people losing their houses, stores and businesses closing.  I've never seen anything like it in all my years of journalism.

But even as the bill was being signed by the President, the stock market was falling.  The stimulus package did little to send the Dow in the other direction.  We've been warned that a recovery is not going to happen overnight, but it would have been encouraging to see a little uptick.

The Associated Press has put together a good breakdown of what's in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  To see what's in it for you, click here.

So now that the wheels of the stimulus package have been put in motion, all we can do is watch and wait (and keep our fingers crossed!)  And in the interest of transparency, which was a big part of Mr. Obama's proposal, we are supposed to be able to watch where the money is going.  The White House has set up a website, www.recovery.gov.   It's already up and running, and begins with a short video of the President describing the site, and explaining how you can use it to track the Recovery Act's progress.

 

Deadly Ice

By Bill Korbel

The crash of Flt 3407 ended an extraordinary streak of air safety for US airlines which saw them transport 1.5 billion passengers over two plus years without a fatality.  The NTSB has not yet discovered the cause of the crash but at least a major factor would seem to be icing.

 

Airplanes can run into many forms of hazardous weather including turbulence, strong winds, wind shear, heavy precipitation, hail, lightning,  reduced visibility and, perhaps the strangest and most difficult to forecast: icing.

Clouds are made of droplets of water or crystals of ice.  Which is present is dependent on temperature and other factors.  What is really weird about water in the atmosphere is that it can exist in liquid form even at temperatures below freezing.  Believe it or not, water can still be liquid at temperatures approaching zero! It’s called super-cooled water and can be super bad.  When a plane flies through super-cooled water droplets, they will quickly freeze on contact.  The ice that builds can affect the aerodynamics of the airplane by decreasing lift produced by the wings and increasing drag.  If allowed to build beyond a certain point, the plane will no longer be able to stay in the air and the change from controlled to out of controlled flight can be very, very sudden. 

 

 

To keep this from happening, all airliners and many smaller planes are designed to either keep ice from forming or remove it when it forms before it becomes a problem. As good as these syetms are, there are times when ice can form faster then a de-ice system can remove it. When that happens, the pilot must get out of the icing area fast.  Usually a change of altitude of a few thousand feet will suffice.

Thanks to improved technology and better forecasting, in-flight icing accidents have become very rare in airline flying.  The last major one was in 1994 when an American Eagle twin engine turbo-prop, in an eerily similar accident, ran into a rare form of heavy icing over Indiana and spun out of control from 8,000 feet, killing all on board

                       

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Eagle_Flight_4184

So why did 3407 go down when similar airplanes just before and after it had no problems with the ice (or at least nothing the airplane couldn’t handle)?  Until the NTSB completes it’s investigation we won’t know exactly what happened but it brings into the harsh light of reality something I have known since I first got into meteorology as an Air Force weather officer:  The atmosphere is full of surprises and pilots and forecasters can never relax their guard.

 

What A Year!

Danielle Campbell

I know it's 2009 -- but what a year 2008 was!

I was looking back at all my pictures and it makes me realize how blessed I am! 

That's my birthday with the girls, January 2008

 

 

Nicaragua with my son February, 2008

 

 

Working in the clinic in Amatitan, Nicaragua 2008

                                                    Nicaragua 2008

Building Homes in Amatitan

 

 

 

 

 

Hard working kids from Our Lady Queen Of Martyrs, Centerport

 

                                                   

 

 

Little girls in Amatian making their communion

Nicaragua 2008

  Saying Goodbye Nicaragua 2008

 

March 2008

Grandma turns 90!

 

 

 

Party girls!

 

 

The very same day I left for Lourdes, France on assignment.

 

20 hours later--Lourdes

     

NYP Detective Steven McDonald in Lourdes

 

 

Cameraman Dave Leibowitz making magic happen with the camera!

Lourdes 2008

 

Dave and I traveled to Lourdes, France with Detective Steven McDonald and 300 teens with special needs from Long Island and the tri state area on a pilgrimage of faith and healing!

{The Lourdes story was just nominated for an EMMY!}

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed Mother statue in the Grotto

Place where Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette

 

 

Easter Night 2008

  

 

Beautiful, Happy Liz!

Candle Light procession

 

 

 

   Beautiful Lourdes 2008     

 

William, Lourdes 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detective Steven McDonald and dear friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven with children with special needs.

 

Steven shared his story of survival with all of us!

{I wrote about Lourdes extensively--I think it is still in the News 12 blogs archives :) }

 

 

    We had alot of fun!

 

It was a real celebration!

 

 

 

 

 

It was an amazing story to cover!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interviews on the street in Lourdes!

 

That's Dave with NYPD Ed Lenahan

 

 

 

Members of the band that traveled with us!

 

 

 

  It was a story that changed my life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2008

USS kearsarge

Memorial Day

Fleet Week                                                                             

 

 

Cameraman Brandon ready for his mission!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I flew in a military chopper and landed onboard the USS Kearsarge so that I could interview ROTC students from Long Island.

 

May 2008

My Niece Lizzie makes her communion!

Losing the emmy last year--

Nicaragua was nominated

 

{but Nicaragua did win 2 Edward R Murrows!}

 

 

 

 

Winning Education Award From Nassau County BOCES {with my son, Michael}

 

 

My son David makes his confirmation!

 

I think this brings me up to the end of May---

Stay tuned for more  "The Year In Pictures!" in my next blog!

It has been quite a journey and when I look back, I remeber the good and the trying times--

but always, I am Thankful!

 

 

 

Is Eight Enough?

By Lily Stolzberg

President  Obama has officially signed off on the country's new $787 billion stimulus bill.  It contains provisions designed to help boost the economy, an economy we all know needs a major kick in the..well, you know. One of those provisions is a tax credit.

Now don't go out to your mailbox everyday hoping to see another rebate check.  That's not how it works.

You actually have two options:

1. When an individual making up to $75,000 a year files their taxes next year they can receive up to $400 dollars more in their tax refund.  If they owe the government they can deduct $400 from what they owe. A couple who earns $150,000 can receive up to $800.

2. Now if you would rather see some of that money sooner you can actually ask the government to reduce the amount it takes out from your salary and you will  see a little something extra in your paycheck every week.  And when I say little, I mean little. On average people will receive an extra $8.00.

Doesn't sound like much right? But let's all remember what our father, grandfather used to say.."When I was a kid a loaf of bread only cost a nickle." Well Pops, those days are over but there is still a lot you can buy for 8 bucks!

Maybe now you can get off your fancy coffee hiatus and spring for that vanilla soy latte with skim milk, no foam, extra shot of espresso.

And how about getting fit with your new found money. 8 bucks a week can actually get you a gym membership to burn off the three slices of pizza you can also get for $8.00. How about a movie?Yes it has to be the matinee and no you can't get popcorn but you can definitely catch the latest flicks.

Now we all know $8 won't help someone who just lost their job or is struggling to pay down  massive credit card debt.  But an accountant I spoke with today did have some good advice.  He said to choose option #2. Take that 8 dollars a week and put it into a savings account and while the interest will be minimal it's still something.  And best of all, he says you aren't letting the government sit on that money until next year when you file your taxes and hope you get 400 dollars more in your tax return. Get it now and either sock it away or treat yourself to something you have been holding off on. Just make sure you order the small latte, it is only 8 bucks after all.

Death of a Student

By Shari Einhorn

Today was a tough day.  I was assigned to do a story about the 4th grade student from Levittown who died over the weekend.  According to the district's website the student "was rushed to the hospital and unfortunately died."

We've confirmed that the student is a girl with a twin sister and an older brother.  We do know where they live but chose not to knock on the door out of respect for their privacy.  I spoke with several neighbors down the block who said simply that their hearts go out to the family.

As a parent, I can't even begin to imagine what that family must be going through.  Obviously, since it has not yet been released publicly what she died from -- it's tough to do a story.

The district says health officials have ruled out bacterial meningitis which according to the CDC website is the form that can result in disability or death if not treated promptly.  It will take a few days before health officials are possibly able to rule out viral meningitis -- which is rarely fatal in people with normal immune systems.

Of course -- it could be any number of things -- none of which will be known until something is made public.

In the meantime, parents in the neighborhood are worried for their own kids ... and devastated for the young girl's family.

Health officials are urging parents to call their pediatrician immediately if their children exhibit a high fever with stiffness in the neck, headache and nausea.

As for me...I offer my condolences to the family and to everyone who knew and loved this little girl.

  

No Quick Fix

By Scott Feldman

Word came out this weekend that President Obama is going to sign the $787 billion stimulus bill on Tuesday in Denver.  But don't think for a minute that it is going to help turn the economy around any time soon.

In fact, David Axelrod, the White House senior adviser, is saying, "there will be signs of activity very quickly, but it's going to take time for that to show up in the statistics.  And from President Obama, the economy is "likely to get worse before it gets better." From the Republicans, namely Senator John McCain, we are hearing the stimulus bill being labeled, "generational theft." In the end, only three moderate Republican senators voted for it. Not a single Republican in the House voted yes.

Later this week, the White House is going to unveil a new mortgage reversal proposal in Phoenix. There is now considerable debate in Washington about the so-called "nationalization of the banking industry."

And with trouble still brewing in Detroit, struggling automakers will be submitting plans this week on how they intend to try to turn their financial fortunes around. But as they lay out those plans, both General Motors and Chrylser are going to have their hands out for billions more than they have already received. Will the administration okay more bailout money, or are they willing to let the automakers go into bankruptcy? We'll soon found out. The economy continues to dominate the news. And this week will be no different.  

Not A Good Week For Sports

By Bob Wolff

It's been a tough couple of weeks.

Sports used to provide a little relief from the front page economic headlines, but those days are gone.

This past week we received news of A-Rod's drug confessions, Michael Phelps smoking a marijuana pipe, Joe Torre's Yankee memories and evidence that our city teams were still struggling. Brett Favre threw in a retirement announcement and Darryl Strawberry will pick up a few bucks with a new book detailing some wild Met parties.

To make matters more unsavory, how about the avalanche of drug commercials on the sports news. Seems there's a new pill for every ailment known to mankind. Then the announcers explain that the side effects of taking the pills can be even worse than the disease itself.

Being a sport luminary imposes an obligation. People listen to what they say. Unfortunate, too few demonstrate little athletic discipline in airing tawdry views. Like the drug manufacturers, they should be aware of all those harmful side effects.  And that's my point of view.

 

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Not Just Any Sugar

By Mary Mucci

I eat very little sugar....I never drink soda,  and I almost never eat commercial cookies or candy.  So I can’t speak firsthand about high fructose corn syrup.  But I keep reading about it.  The latest article in Life Extension magazine repeats what Dr Scott Banks told me in our interview:  that unlike table sugar, HFCS is metabolized differently.  It’s processed by the liver, ”flooding metabolic pathways and leading to increased triglyceride synthesis and fat storage in the liver.”   The article sites a study which compared two groups of healthy young men.  One was fed a high glucose {regular sugar} diet and the other a high fructose diet.  At the end of the week, the high fructose group had a significant reduction in insulin sensitivity and insulin binding whereas no significant changes were seen in the high glucose group.

Even so…regular table sugar is not a food group.  It is a sweet poison.  It is made up of fifty per cent glucose and fifty per cent fructose. {HFCS is 80% fructose}  I have avoided it ever since reading “Sugar Blues,” by William Duffy about twenty years ago.   In it, he tells the story of legendary actress Gloria Swanson who attributed her youthful look to never eating sugar.

At home when I indulge, it’s always organic in a homemade treat.  Obviously not everyone has the time to make their own bakery products.  But the trick is to remember these things are “treats” not to be eaten every day, because even the best quality sugar steals nutrients in the digestive process.  It weakens immunity.  It makes us tired. It makes us vulnerable to cancer.  And in the case of HFCS, it makes us especially vulnerable to heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver and accelerated aging.

I have read it over and over again how this highly processed corn product is not natural as the advertisements claim.  However as damaging to health as it appears to be, I suspect HFCS is a better choice than aspartame or sucralose . 

To Your Health,

Mary Mucci

Contacts;

Dr Scott Banks

Banks Chiropractic and Nutrition

631  271 0770,  Huntington

 

{Most chiropractors, and all naturopaths as well as nutritionists can guide you if you would like a full health assessment.  Some have more diagnostic tools than others.  } 

 

 

Seeing stars...

By Elisa DiStefano

Last week at this time I was getting ready to watch the Grammy Awards. I love awards shows and the red carpet before hand. Did you know two Long Islanders were nominees--and one won!

Southold's Brady Rymer was nominated for "Best Musical Album for Children".

And Patchogue's Chrisette Michele won the Grammy for Best Urban/ Alternative Performance.  

Chrisette is a graduate of Five Towns College (fellow nominees Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael of Maroon 5 also went there!) and Patchogue-Medford High School.

Another Patchogue- Medford High grad is also making headlines. Last week I was in the car driving back to the studio after my interview with the adorable Mark Ballas and Derek Hough of Dancing With the Stars and the Ballas Hough Band, and my cell phone rang. I was shocked to hear the voice of Kevin Connelly (Entourage Fans, you know him as E! )! He is such a down to earth guy. Rather than have his publicist, manager, asst. etc. call me back, he called himself. I couldn't believe it. He had so much energy on the phone--I felt like I knew him for years! The next day I taped a phone interview with him because he is out in LA promoting his new movie "He's Just Not That Into You".  He told me how much fun he had doing scenes with Scarlett Johansson and Drew Barrymore--I wonder why! He swore he isn't a player and to my surprise said he was Valentine-less and had no plans! What's wrong with those west coast girls?!?

Kevin is a huge Islanders fan. He says fellow Entourage star and Long Islander Jamie-Lynn Sigler tries to act like a bigger Islanders fan than him, but she's not. :-) He misses our Long Island bagels. When he is home he spends time at his Mom Eileen's house in Massapequa Park, with his brother who is a Suffolk County cop, and his nieces Lori Ann and Carly in Hauppauge. He also likes to hang out at his bar--Dublin Down Tavern in Blue Point.

Speaking of... they have an 80s party tonight with 80s priced drinks! Sounds like fun!

Lewd and Crude

by Jill Wagner

A 44-year old Copiague man is behind bars---accused of masturbating in front of young teens.  But police never would have made the arrest without the quick thinking of some of the alleged victims. 

I spoke to the mother of one of these teens.  She says her 14 year old daughter was walking to school on Wednesday morning with three other young girls.  They were on Great Neck Road near Bethpage Road; that's about a half mile from the Copiague Middle School. 

She says a mini van pulled along side the girls.  The man inside rolled down his window and said hello.  The girls then saw that the man was masturbating.  Despite being horrified, the girls had the acumen to write down the license plate and give it to the school's principal.  

School officials told police.  Police staked out the area the next morning.  Sure enough, they say the suspect, Raul Lizcano, was back at it.  They arrested him on Public Lewdness and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. 

But now police say this same thing may have been going on--unreported--as far back as September.  They're asking for the public's help in identifying anymore victims. 

Police say the man drives a green 1994 Chrysler minivan.  The license plate is ACU 7872.  He also may have driven a white four-door vehicle. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1800-220-TIPS.

You and the Stimulus Package

by Scott Feldman

As I write this the House has just passed the federal stimulus package. The Senate is expected to vote on it tonight or tomorrow. So, what's in it for Long Islanders? For those lower and middle-income taxpayers there's an extra $13 a week in their paychecks this year, and about $8 dollars a week next year. For upper middle-class families there won't be as big a bite from the AMT--the Alternative Minimum Tax. The unemployed will get a bump in their weekly checks of $25. And benefits will continue for 59 weeks. For anybody who loses their job, the government will be picking up 60 percent of the cost of short-term health insurance--known as COBRA. Food stamp benefits are also increasing. And Social Security recipients, along with those receiving disability checks, will get a one-time bonus of 250 dollars. Long Island commuters won't have to pay tax on up to $230 a month in mass transit costs. That's a pre-tax deduction on your paycheck. Also included in the package, a tuition tax credit up to $2,500 based on income.

There are a couple of big ticket items that are part of stimulus bill. If you are buying your first home and you do it by the end of August, the government will give you an $8,000 tax credit. And if you buy a new car, you'll be able to deduct the sales tax even if you don't itemize on your income tax return.

It could be a while before the dust settles on this massive piece of legislation. Some possible tweaking of numbers mentioned above. If you use an accountant, they are certain to get the fine details. And, we here at News 12, of course, will continue to update you on the latest. In the meantime, here are two good sites to check out: www.tax.cchgroup.com ,  www.irs.gov.  www.ssa.gov

Money for Our Schools

By Doug Geed

   The numbers are pretty staggering -- approximately 4-million dollars in Levittown, North Babylon, Elmont, Baldwin, Deer Park and Bellmore. 2-million for Amityville, Wantagh, Roosevelt, Plainedge and Kings Park. 11-and-a-half million for Hempstead, 12-million for Sachem and nearly 30-million for Long Island's largest school district, Brentwood.

   Those dollar amounts represent how much LESS in state aid school districts across the Island would get under the proposed state budget from Gov. Paterson.

   Even if you don't know much about politics or how our local governments work, it easy to see that it's bad news. If a school district is taking in less money, it usually turns to you, the homeowner, and imposes a tax hike to replenish it. And remember, school taxes make up about two-thirds of the average Long Islander's property tax bill. If you pay 6-thousand a year in taxes, 4-thousand of that goes to your school district. So a 5 or 10-percent increase in your school taxes is a lot more devastating than a 5 or 10-percent hike in your county taxes.

    Now there is some good news. I spoke with a long-time state legislator who's very familiar with the school aid process. He didn't want to be quoted because in these unprecedented economic times, it's hard to predict anything. But he feels certain that those aid numbers will get better.

   It's a political game that gets played every year in the state. The Governor -- whether a Democrat or Republican -- proposes a certain amount for school aid. Then state legislators (who have to face all those angry voters in their local supermarkets, fire houses and PTA meetings who feel like their district isn't getting its fair share) make sure they boost the amount of state aid that will be included in the final state budget that they vote on.

  Another wild card is the federal stimulus plan. A chunk of money (no one knows the final amount yet) will be given to states for the specific purpose of helping local school districts avoid program cuts, teacher layoffs and tax hikes.

   So the final figures should be a lot better than they are right now. Still, the legislator I spoke with says it's likely some districts will see a decrease in state aid -- some about the same -- and for a few, a slight increase.

   I wish the news was better, but unfortunately, the recession hits every aspect of our daily life. All you can do is urge your child to make the most out of everything your school district has to offer. Maybe they'll come out a lot smarter than we did and won't let the country slip into the mess we created.

  Click on this link for a list of the proposed cuts for each district on the island.

Warm and Snow

By Meteorologist Rich Hoffman

Snow lovers shouldn't give up all hope just yet, although I have to say it does get quite warm in February.  Winter goes through March 21st, but last year, on February 6th, we had temperatures on Long Island reach into the low 60s. This year, on February 11th, temperatures soared into the 50s and 60s. Brookhaven National Lab hit 62, breaking the old record of 58, which was set in 1960.  Islip hit 58, breaking the old record of 52, which was set in 2002.

Starting this weekend, I think we will see temperatures at or below normal, with a couple of days above normal until the end of the month. The weather pattern also looks a little stormy. A few periods, I am watching are the 18th and 19th, the 23rd and 24th, and the 27th and 28th

As you may know, I love snow.  And I'm not the only one. Ziggy268, who posts on the News12 Weather Forum, seems to love snow even more than I do. Also, my friends at TRI-STATE Weather board are always hunting the next cold air mass and major storm.

Some computer model weather links to track the next storm
http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/nwprod/analysis/

http://66.70.209.226/weather/snow/kisp.txt

http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/model/model.html

http://www.wunderground.com/modelmaps/maps.asp?model=NAM&domain=US

Long Island Area Winter information - http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/okx/winterweather.html

Brookhaven National Lab - Snowfall - http://www.bnl.gov/weather/4cast/snow.html

A reminder that February is the snowiest month. We do get some big snows in March as well.

Think Snow..

Don't forget: when we are in STORM WATCH mode, we need your help, and you can be a part of our "Hyper Local Weather" by sending your storm reports to [email protected]

When severe weather strikes, keep it tuned to News12 for the very latest and local weather information.  Away from a TV during the day? Listen to us via mobile phone: 646-273-1212 for News12 to Go. Also, log onto news12.com for the latest weather updates including Live Dual Doppler 12 and to check for any closings or delays.

Timeless Quotes

By Colleen McVey

Who said this?

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed."

or this...

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."

Those are the words of President Abraham Lincoln more than 140 years ago. That last quote was in his second annual message to Congress. I found it pretty amazing that Lincoln's fears and pleas to Congress in 1862 sound a lot like our current President's fears and pleas to Congress.

We all know some of Lincoln's most famous speeches, like the Gettysburg Address, but some of the other not-so-famous things he said have a timeless quality. 

I bring this up, becuase today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Now that we have combined Lincoln and George Washington's birthdays into one Presidents' Day, I feel like respect for their real birthdays gets a little diluted - maybe even forgotten - as we focus on Presidents' Day sales and the three day weekend. 

So today let us remember our 16th President who was born in a one room log cabin in 1809 - and despite the lack of a formal education - grew up to be our nation's greatest leaders, who still inspires Presidents today.     

Scammed by Mickey Mouse!!??

By Christine Insinga

  Ok- ok- Mickey didn't scam me.  But some RODENT certainly tried to.  This morning I received the following email: 

-

From: [email protected]

To: Christine

ReplyTo: [email protected]

Sent: Feb 11, 2009 10:36 AM

Subject: christine insinga You Won

YOU'RE THE WINNER

Because of budget cuts this is the last time Tickets will be offered .

Congratulations; christine insinga You have won a trip to Disney/Orlando, Sponsored by Universal Studios! Sometime ago you signed up at one of our free offer giveaway sites. This email is to notify you that when you submitted the following information:   

                             (My e-mail and old address were here)

You have won an all expense paid trip for two to Disney.  Please update your information at the winners site and we will promptly ship out your Disney tickets.  Link to package:   (I deleted the link)

Thanks, Sue Madden

-----------------------------------------------------------------

    If you got an e-mail like this -- I don't recommend you click on that link they give you- because who knows what it will do to your computer.  I guess I'll find out though.  I 'clicked'- hoping to disprove my disappointment of being potentially scammed by a Super Smiley Mouse Poser...but no such luck.  Once inside- there was a 'questionnaire' that I had to fill out to 'register to win'. RED FLAG FOLKS!!!!  THE EMAIL TOLD ME I HAD ALREADY WON!!....  Enter your name- your address- your email...'the credit card number you use when traveling'....huh?  You're kidding right?  Who would actually fall for this?? 

There are plenty of folks who would.  My collegue Doug Geed grinned ear to ear when I told him I got an email from Mickey!  He's a TREMENDOUS Disney fan- for those who don't know.  He knew off that bat it was a scam- once I started explaining the nature of the email- but there are plenty of trusting- hopeful- optimistic people who have entered many a Disney sweepstakes and might just believe it!  My goal here is to hopefully prevent at least ONE person from making a giant mistake.

I spoke to a Disney representative who varifies it is indeed a scam that has NOTHING to do with DISNEY and has been going around for the better part of a year.  They refer to it as 'The Anti-Mickey email' and say their legal team is investigating it.

  

Bottom line--as if you haven't heard it before---If it sounds too good to be true- it probably is.  Lets' be honest- if you could stay at the 'Happiest Place on Earth' for free the castle would be getting mighty crowded about now, don't ya think?? :)  

Making The Grade

Drew Scott 

   How many times when you were in school were you tempted to grade yourself?

  That's exactly what the Long Island Railroad is doing, according to some of their critics.

  Today, the LIRR issued its' annual "Customer Satisfaction Survey," and the railroad gave itself glowing grades for courtesy, on-board safety, heating in the winter, on-time performance and even more than half of the 9,000 commuters surveyed said they thought train and station bathrooms were actually clean. Can you believe that?

"What railroad are they talking about?" asked one commuter, another said: "how about those crowded trains and the budget squeeze that's making trains even shorter and more crowded?"

All good points, but the railroad president Helena Williams says the study was independently compiled, though the LIRR tallied the numbers and assigned the performance ratings.

One member of the commuters council (Gerard Bringmann) says he plans on asking the LIRR about the survey, how it was tallied and how the ratings were arrived at. He thinks the grades were far too rosey for  reality.

A Passion for Presidents

By Doug Geed

Steve Gilroy was a teenager back in the 70's when he heard that Richard Nixon was going to be speaking at Roosevelt Field Mall. Steve had no interest in politics, Presidents or Nixon, but he and some friends went for that all-American reason -- the chance to be on tv!

He got there early and got a spot right in front and something happened. He became fascinated watching Nixon speak. It was official. Gilroy -- a history and Civil War buff since childhood -- developed a penchant for Presidents.   Since then, Gilroy -- who lives in East Norwich and teaches history in Manhasset schools -- has been to 9 inaugurations, 3 Presidential funerals and has met 7 Chief Executives. (For the record, he says Nixon was the most unusual -- strange, awkward, uncomfortable in any social setting. Gilroy worked at Sagamore Hill for awhile and Nixon visited there with his grandaughter and he remembers how weird it was hearing Nixon speak "baby-talk" to her. He says the first George Bush was the most relaxed and friendly -- and Bill Clinton was the one with most Presidential charisma -- an "aura" that you feel as soon as you see him in person.

 I've been in the news business nearly 30 years and have met a couple of Presidents, sitting and former, and it isn't easy. I asked Steve how he makes it seem so simple to have met 7 of them and he told me what he tells his students -- "You have to be politely pushy." Be too polite and you'll miss the chance, be too pushy and you'll be cast aside.

 This coming Monday (President's Day of course) photographer Brian Endres and I will tell you the quirky story of Steve Gilroy. The piece will start airing at 8 am and continue all afternoon and night.
 You'll be amazed at what Steve has in his house -- from Presidential buttons, hats and shirts -- to a Presidential toilet seat and vials filled with dirt from the birthplaces of almost all of our Presidents. He even has a replica of the Oval Office in his house.

 A bit much? Some people might think so. But Steve says he has never been bored for one second in his life and always urges both his students and his own children to be passionate about something -- whether it's sports, music, theater or politics. Good advice.

   Hope you can join me this Monday. It's a fun story.

   

20 dates for $20

By Elizabeth Hashagen

Talk about having fun at work-

I've been on the hunt to find 20 dates for $20 (or less).

But since the scenario is for work--I didn't head out with my husband-- I headed out with my partner Dave, my amazing cameraman!

Dave Garden and I usually work together twice a week and typically make each day a lot of fun! But this series took our excitement to a new level. We were out and about all over Long Island checking out great date spots! And with my long wish list-- I'm sure I drove Dave just a bit crazy-- but I wanted to capture as much excitement as I could-

I'm not writing about every date here-- just giving you a little highlight of some of our stops--

Our first stop was Once Upon a Dish in Garden City-- and while I'm not crafty.. I think my plate was still pretty cool- and since they let you bring in your own wine & food -- and play great music I think it seems fantastic especially if either one of you is creative! If I'm not crafty and it came out ok-- imagine what you could make if you are artistic! And it's all dishwasher safe!

The Melting Pot in Farmingdale was another highlight-- fondu for 2 for $16-- and it looked delish!! If you're going to indulge, this is a great way to do it-- and the special isn't just for Valentine's day it's everyday. They even have cute little 2 person booth's-- so you can be cozy and feel like you have some private time together!

Governor's Comedy Club and the Brokerage Comedy Club are having a special just for love birds for the month of February-- every Thursday & Sunday FREE ADMISSION-- but you need to act on this one before the month ends-- there's even some great Long Island comedians taking the stage too!

One thing that won't go away and was one of the most fun to shoot--SALSA SUNDAY!! What a great time!!!- It's at the Winner's circle in Westbury. For $7 you get a one hour dance lesson & then you can stay all night and practice your fancy footwork!! The people there were so nice & fun-- the place just had a great energy and I think Dave even picked up a few moves!! I know I did :)

I've never played Laser tag before but my first time will definitely not be my last!! What fun!! It's hysterical to see the outtakes too!! Apparently Dave was trying to get shots but I was so into the game I was playing with the guys from Laser Kingdomthat I kept running and hiding from him-- ooopppss. There is a headset too so I didn't hear anyone-- I was in the zone & laughing up a storm!!!

But I was all business on the Go Kart trackand I have to say Dave was amazing-- they put this special stuff on the track that made it very slippery-- so as we're whizzing around I was nervous the whole time that I would take out Dave-- who is looking through this little viewfinder! Then he jumps in a 2 seater -- kneels with the camera on his shoulder and turns around to shoot me coming at him-- mind you that we're going about 30mph at this point! Talk about getting your heart racing.

Dave was such a good sport with all our adventures. I hope if you decide to give any of them a try you have as much fun as we did!

Tax on the Rich

by Scott Feldman

How do you close a 13 billion dollar NYS budget gap? Some Senate democrats think the way to do it is to raise the income tax on New York's highest earners. They're proposing that households earning more than $250,000 in taxable income a year would pay 8.25 percent, up from the current 6.85 percent. That's the highest rate anybody pays now. For those who earn more than $500,000, the tax rate would be 8.97 percent. Anybody lucky enough to make more than $1 million would pay 10.3 percent. Dowling College economic analyst Marty Cantor figures this could impact about 170 thousand Long Island tax filers. Our newest democratic Senator, Brian Foley, says he'd like to see the state's income tax brackets restructured, but is opposed to the bill. Same goes for democrat Craig Johnson, who tells News 12 that a tax increase should be the last resort. And from the dean of the Republican delegation, Dean Skelos, severe criticism of the democrats floating this idea. Skelos says, "they do not know how to stop taxing, once they start they are now down to 250 now and I guarantee you it is going to get down even lower to the 100 thousand range when this is all over with." Senate Majority Leader Malcom Smith says he's not convinced a tax increase is the right way to fix New York's budget crisis. Governor Paterson has said all options to fix the budget problem should be on the table, but he's also expressed concern that raising taxes would force wealthy people out of New York. Assembly Speaker Silver, like Foley, thinks the tax brackets should be refigured. He's proposed a tax on people making more than a million, but says he is willing to consider hiking taxes on people making less than that. Still, for those who think they are going to get hammered at a time when the economy is in bad, bad shape, now may not be the time to panic. All indications are this latest proposal from Albany doesn't have the votes to fly.     

Which Stimulus Plan is Better?

By Doug Geed

    So, my assignment today was a story on the economic stimulus plan being debated in the Senate -- compare it to the one already passed in the House and try to see which is more beneficial to Long Island.
   The answer I got from everyone I reached out to was pretty much what I expected -- that there's good and bad in both and it depends on what you'd like to see happen.

     It's very difficult to boil down an 800-billion-dollar plus proposal, but in broad terms, the Senate version relies a little more heavily on tax credits and incentives to get the economy going than the House version. The House bill does give more direct government aid -- about 40-billion dollars more. That's good news in the sense that it's 40-billion dollars less that those local governments will have to look for elsewhere (namely to you, the taxpayer) -- or 40-billion dollars less in services they'll have to cut.

    But if you're in the business of selling cars, you might like the Senate version, which would allow anyone who buys a car to deduct the sales tax on their income tax bill. Likewise, the interest they're paying on any auto loan. There's also a major tax credit in the Senate bill for people who buy a new house.

    Meanwhile, there's Dr. Pearl Kamer, an economist for the Long Island Association who says that neither stimulus plan does much stimulating. She believes much of the money is just being thrown at governments to stop the bleeding -- to prevent things from getting worse, not necessarily to make things better.

   And then there's the labor unions. Remember all those construction workers anxious to get back out there to work? When all of this talk about Congress passing an economic stimulus plan first surfaced last year, all anyone talked about was spending the money on "public works" -- such as roads, bridges, sewers -- repair work on our aging infrastructure.  Now, those projects are just a small portion of both of those massive bills.

   When the Senate passes its version, leaders from both the House and Senate will meet to work out the significant differences in the two packages. Once they reach agreement, the plan goes to the White House for President Obama's signature.

   Will it work? Nobody knows -- this is unchartered territory. And what's the best for Long Island? Well, depends on who you ask....

Say It 'Aint So, Joe

By Erin Colton

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Joe Torre's new book, "The Yankee Years." And why not? The former Yankee skipper writes openly about things that happened behind closed doors at Yankee  Stadium.

To many of us (including me, at first) this seems kinda cool. Who wouldn't want to know that Yankee players made fun of A-Rod calling him "A-Fraud?" But the only thing Joe Torre accomplished in co-writing this book -- was to publicly embarrass himself.

We all know Torre must have been bitter when the Yankees dismissed him as their manager. He had everyone on his side when the two parted ways. Heck, some Yankee fans even became Dodger fans because of Joe. Torre left with class and never conducted himself as a scorned former member of the most storied team in sports history.

Seems like he was just holding it in until he got a chance to make a buck on it all.

Torre not only slammed A-Rod in the book, but he rips Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield and David Wells.

 ON ALEX RODRIGUEZ: "Alex is all about the game. He needs the game. He needs all of those statistics. He needs every record imaginable. And he needs people to make a fuss over him."

ON RANDY JOHNSON: "It was sad more than frustrating when we got him, because I thought we finally had someone you could hook your wagon to, and that wasn't the case."

ON CARL PAVANO: "The players all hated him. It was no secret."

ON KEVIN BROWN AND DAVID WELLS: "The difference between Kevin Brown and David Wells is that  both make your life miserable, but David Wells meant to."

Wells responded to Torre with, "What we do as athletes, that's our problem, our business, and a lot of guys have come out and destroyed that... that's what Joe did. When you break the code, you're a punk."

I'm not going to say Joe Torre is a punk, because he's not. I will say he broke the code though. You can't write about current players in the league -- while you're still a manager in the league. Do you really think anyone in that Dodger locker room will trust him ever again?

Joe Torre never did anything wrong during his 12 years as Yankee manager. He just waited until he left to.

A-Rod Come Clean

by Michael Coleman

When Barry Bonds broke Hank Aarons' homerun record with 762 (compared to Hammerin' Hank's 755), the baseball writers said Bonds was a cheat.  They also said heir-apparent Alex Rodriguez would be the clean all-time homerun leader in the future.

              Well, be careful about jumping the gun, A-Rod, it's been alleged, broke the rules back in 2003 when he tested positive for steroids.  Now that the heir-apparent is "dirty," what will writers say now?  Rodriguez's image, which always takes a beating whenever he doesn't come through at the plate, now has heavier baggage to confront. 

              Not sure if he has thick enough skin to handle this.  Time will tell.  It's a safe bet that when he goes to opposing parks syringes will be thrown onto the field.  But what about at home? Don't be surprised when Yankee fans show their feelings for the troubled player. 

            If it's true and he did test positive, there isn't but one way out: come clean and take your medicine, although it won't be easy. And to think he has the richest contract in baseball... Now he must be asking, "Is it worth it?"  I don't think so.

A Tarnished Image

Drew Scott

    "It's sad, so much ability."

   That was the reaction of one of Michael Phelps swimming fans at the Brookhaven-Roe YMCA pool Friday. Many say they still can't believe the 23-year old 8-time Olympic Gold Medalist at Beijing openly smoked marijuana and had his photo appear in a London tabloid.

 The record breaking swimmer admitted he made a "serious error in judgment."

"How do we parents tell our kids that's not the right kind of behavior," was the reaction of another swimmer and Y member.

The lapse in behavior, though not criminal under South Carolina law, did cost Phelps a three month suspension from team USA and the loss of Kelloggs corporation sponsorship. Eventually, experts say it could cost Phelps more sponsors which have enriched him by millions in the past few months.

Still, other fans of Phelps say they are willing to accept his apology and hope he's learned from his "error in judgment."

According to competitive swimmers, Phelps reinstatement in May will still allow him time to compete in the Grand Prix of swimming in Charlotte, NC and prepare in time for the Rome Olympics in 2012.

  

Sky High Electric Rates

By Scott Feldman

Long Island's Republican Assembly delegation recently held a public hearing on the future of the Long Island Power Authority. Should it remain a state authority? Or go private? What about the Board of Trustees? Should they be appointed by the Governor and Legislative Leaders or elected by ratepayers? Or some other combination? But the most pressing issue right now ---those sky high electric bills. Piccolo Restaurant in Bellmore is paying about a 6 thousand dollar monthly LIPA bill. Residential customers could easily be paying 300 to 400 dollars per month. Why, asked lawmakers, did LIPA have to raise rates even when oil prices have been coming down. LIPA CEO Kevin Law's short answer --rising costs for the utility. That includes higher property taxes, higher interest rates on its debt, even Law claims, new environmental laws that put new regulatory requirements on the power plants. Law tells me there could be relief for ratepayers if LIPA got a chunk of the federal economic stimulus package. The authority would use that money for renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, smart meters. And the money could also go towards paying down a multi billion dollar debt on the defunct Shoreham nuclear plant. As Law put it, " I will have my hand out for as much money as we can get." In the meantime, one Long Islander who is living on social security and a small pension from his job at the NYC library had a message for LAW and LIPA, "lower these rates, otherwise, we are in big trouble, all of us. "