Editorial: Helpful Suggestions For Empty Jericho Turnpike Storefronts

I spend a lot of time driving on Jericho Turnpike, partially out of necessity and partially out of laziness; I somehow never learned all those convenient neighborhood shortcuts I really should know after having lived in this area for so many years, and I can never keep all our various highways straight. So my modus operandi for getting anywhere is to barrel down Jericho Turnpike with absolute tunnel vision, which, thanks to the way Syosset and Jericho are set up, gets me safely to my destination much more often than you might think.

Thanks to this habit, or perhaps character flaw, I’m in a unique position to notice all of the empty storefronts that have cropped up along this major thoroughfare within the last few years. Most noticeable to me are the large, empty buildings near the intersection with South Oyster Bay Road that used to house Borders Books and Blockbuster Video, but there are many others.

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: April 12, 2012

A Weekend In Tucson, Arizona

I always sneered at people who boarded planes with tennis rackets. Who comes into this crazy environment at the airport with a gawky thing like a tennis racket? People are disrobing, taking off their shoes and belts. This is no place for a fine tennis instrument: it surely doesn’t fit into your luggage.

However, last week I succumbed and joined the ranks of wannabe jocks flying with a racket. My daughter Cara had arranged a Greenberg family get-together at the Hilton Conquistador Resort in Tucson, Arizona.

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: April 5, 2012

2, 4, 23, 38, 46, 23

All of America went crazy last week. Lines formed around any store selling tickets. You could pick your own six numbers or leave it up to the machines. The prize escalated to $640 million. The most asked question by reporters was “What would you do if you were the winner?”

People in 42 states flocked to buy the tickets. At this time, three winners have come forward with the winning lottery tickets: one from Illinois, one from Kansas and one from Maryland. The winner from Maryland was part of a pool, but she insisted that the winning ticket was hers and hers alone. Her fellow McDonald’s employees are asking embarrassing questions.

Letter: Schmitt: No Tax Hike on the Agenda

I read your recent article covering Nassau County Executive Edward I. Mangano’s State of the County address with great interest (“Mangano Warns of 13 Percent Tax Jump,” Anton Newspapers, March 22 and 23), but I fear your story missed the point – by a longshot.

The county executive did not threaten a 13 percent property tax increase; in fact, he never even uttered the words. Further, setting the legislative agenda is among my many duties as presiding officer, and I assure you, there will not be a tax increase on the agenda this year, just as there was no tax increase on the agenda in the past two years. Where did you even get your information?

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: March 29, 2012

Three and a Half Stars?

“Three and a half stars, are you kidding me?” She repeated it three times. She was almost screaming. She was standing in the theater lobby and professing her animosity at the film we all had just seen. According to the movie review in the local newspaper, it was not the movie we had just viewed.

We sat through over two hours of an English love story and divorce drama that made almost no sense to practical suburbanites. Even the Engish accents were off kilter by the heroine, who spoke with an American emphasis.

Parenthood Plus: March 28, 2012

Occupy the Boys’ Bathroom

The Occupy Movement has been greeted with mixed sentiment ranging from admiration to revulsion. On the plus side, the movement shows young people that folks of any age can come together around their own vision of the world they want. However, one does not have to attain revolutionary goals to work toward social change, as I learned some years ago when I was working with a group of troubled boys.

At the time, I was involved in developing an innovative school-based mental health program. I was filling in at the school for a few weeks, for one of the social workers who had taken a leave. I agreed to work with her boys’ group. The boys in the group were teenagers with significant emotional difficulties, ranging from depression to explosive behavior.

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: March 22, 2012

Déjà Vu!

In the sagacious words of that great and wise Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra “It was déjà vu all over again” last Saturday night. Lorraine and I went on a double date with our fun neighbors and good friends, Chey and Bob.

Bob selected a nightclub at The Pub, at the Glen Cove Mansion, on Dosoris Lane. It was part of the Pratt mansion that was previously called The Harrison House. It meant an awful lot to Lorraine (my beautiful wife) and myself because 19 years ago, my daughter Cara married Eric Mitnick, on a glorious night in October.

Letter: Gillibrand to USDA: Pull ‘Pink Slime’ Beef From School Meals Now

(U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand sent the following letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and to Anton Community Newspapers on March 16.)

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: March 15, 2012

‘Fill’er Up’

$57.13 for gas! Are you kidding me?

Is this 1973 or 2012? There is plenty of gasoline, unlike 1973, but it is the price we are complaining about. So far this rise in prices has intruded on Long Islanders, but the roads are still crowded. There are complaints, but it looks like nobody is staying home.

Training Course for Storm Water Pollution Plan Implementation

On March 26, the Nassau County Soil & Water Conservation District (NCSWCD) will host a training course for individuals responsible for the implementation of Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP). Brian Scoralick, a Certified Professional in Erosion & Sediment Control (CPESC) with the Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District, will present the course.