Editorial: Dog Days Of Summer

With the temperatures heating up, we all need ways to keep cool during the scorching hot months of July and August. Sitting home in the air conditioning is a nice thought, but few can enjoy that luxury seven days a week.

For starters, keep a close eye out for the following heat-related symptoms: headache, light-headedness, fatigue, anxiety, nausea, vomiting and low pulse rate. Elderly residents are more susceptible to heat stroke; check in on any senior citizen who live close by and lend them a hand or offer some advice on staying cool, especially during the hottest times of the day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Letter: Boys & Girls Club: Call The County

Effective July 6, Nassau County has closed all county-funded youth programs due to the inability of county officials to agree on issues regarding youth program funding and other more general county fiscal matters. This irresponsible decision must be reversed. The county network of youth services and its supporters have come together to fight for the preservation of programs that serve over 35,000 people annually.

Please call the county executive, your legislator and the legislative leadership and urge them to work to restore funding to youth programs. If you can’t reach them directly leave your message with whomever you speak to. Be prepared for a response blaming the other political party. If that is what you’re told, tell them you want your elected officials to find solutions, not blame others. Feel free to talk about the work of the youth program in your community.

Editorial: Fireworks On, Off Field For Long Island Lizards

Lacrosse has been a staple of athletics on Long Island for decades and this Saturday, the Long Island Lizards will host former Manhasset lacrosse player and legendary National Football League running back Jim Brown at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

Brown’s career numbers for his football career are, quite literally, off the charts, as few running backs even came close to matching his average yards per game (104.3) and yards per carry (5.2). He was named an All American at Syracuse University for lacrosse, scoring 43 goals in 10 games his senior year.

Editorial: Happy Fourth

Independence Day is the quintessential American holiday: baseball, barbecues and fireworks. George Washington even celebrated the day in 1778 by doubling the rations of rum for his troops.

It wasn’t until 1938 that the U.S. Congress marked the day as a paid federal holiday – and although some of us wish Independence Day fell on a Monday or a Friday this year, the holiday is a symbol of how fortunate we are to live and work here in the United States.

Letter: Red Cross: Be Prepared For Hurricane Season

While experts have predicted a near-normal hurricane season, it’s important to remember that normal means the possibility of 9-15 named storms. After Hurricane Irene last August, I don’t need to remind Long Islanders that it only takes one storm to force evacuations, damage homes, and leave nearly a half-million homes in the dark—many for days. And to think, Irene was downgraded to tropical storm when it made landfall here.

In preparation for Irene, the American Red Cross opened shelters from North Carolina to Maine—including 31 of them on Long Island. When the storm passed, Red Cross volunteers provided food, water and other emergency supplies to those affected.

Editorial: Father’s Day, Every Day

There’s a fine line between spending time and spending quality time.

I once played golf with a stranger who told me, almost implored me, to play golf as often as I can with my dad, because you never know when he won’t be able to join you on the course anymore.

June 16: Annual Marine Corps Sergeant Majors Cup Competition

Marines and potential recruits, “poolees,” will fill Zach’s Bay at Jones Beach on Saturday, June 16 for the annual Sergeant Majors Cup competition. More than 600 marines, from more than 14 New York State recruiting stations, will participate in the competition held each year for all Marine Corps candidates waiting to deploy to boot camp.

The event is a physical competition, giving candidates a preview of some of the grueling demands of boot camp once they arrive at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, SC.

Editorial: No-han

After not attending a single Mets game all last season, I, an admittedly casual Mets fan, was lucky to be at Citi Field for Johan Santana’s no-hitter on June 1.

For me, in this particular order, it’s Rangers, Jets and then Mets. I’m a closet Islanders fan but the pastime factor far outweighs that of any allegiance there.

Letter: Roman Catholic Church Committed To Preserving First Amendment Rights

At the end of May, many Roman Catholic Dioceses, Rockville Centre included, filed a lawsuit against the government. Some institutions, such as Planned Parenthood, would like the public to believe that this was an attempt by the church to prevent women access to preventative health services.

Editorial: 2015

The past few months of playoff hockey have been tremendous for Rangers fans like myself and hockey fans around the world. The thought of a deep Islanders playoff run, as distant a possibility as it may seem considering the past few seasons, is even more fleeting considering we may not even have a chance to witness it after 2015.