Letter: Residents Encouraged to Join West Birchwood Civic Association

The West Birchwood Civic Association has announced that the annual 2011 dues membership mailer will be sent to every home in West Birchwood, expected to hit by July 15.

Membership dues will remain at $50 per home with an optional additional $15 charge for a one-year subscription to the Syosset-Jericho Tribune. Currently, dues membership is reported to be down 25 percent from the previous year. Because of this, West Birchwood residents should encourage friends and families who are not members to join. All dues should be in by July 30.

Over 60...And Getting Younger: July 7, 2011

Faithful Old Cars

A tennis buddy of mine told me this week that he is getting rid of his old car. “It has 150,000 miles on the odometer, but in all these years it never gave me any trouble.”

I remarked immediately, “How can you get rid of your old pal so easily?” He sort of winced and just shrugged his shoulders in an “I don’t really know,” attitude.

What Every Long Islander Should Know: July 7, 2011

Study Reveals: LI Water at Risk; Lack of Nassau Info

A comprehensive study about to be released by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services brings grim news about Suffolk’s water supply. Its findings are of urgent concern to all Long Islanders.

First, some brief background. Back in 1987, the Suffolk County Comprehensive Plan revealed disturbing levels of contamination in Long Island’s aquifers—the sole source of all our drinking water. The findings served as a catalyst for countywide efforts to protect these precious supplies.

Over 60...And Getting Younger: June 30, 2011

My Friend John

It was 1962 and I was 27 years old when I first met my lifelong pal John. I had just opened my first and only dental practice on Parsons Boulevard and 89th Avenue in Jamaica. I was fresh out of the army and in my naïveté, I went to meet the local dentists who were close to my office. I thought it was the professional procedure to follow.

Parenthood Plus: June 30, 2011

The Children’s Center

Among the casualties in the latest round of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget cuts is a network of child-care centers based in family courts across New York State that offer safe havens for children. The Children’s Center in Nassau County Family Court is operated by North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center and is rated among the top utilized Children’s Centers statewide, according to the New York State Unified Court System.

Over 60...And Getting Younger: June 23, 2011

The Old Neighborhood

While sitting at a table of strangers during a shiva (mourning period) call, each person spoke of the famous people that came from their old neighborhood. It was as if these celebrities gave weight and credence to their own lives.

It seemed that we were only “mere people” that magnified the “stars” that made it in Hollywood or on the field of sport. These lovely folks were all accomplished and highly educated. Yet they fawned on these notables and somehow associated their success with their own worth, because of adjacent neighborhoods.

Liver Lines: June 23, 2011

There is a perception that alcohol is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in our country. Most people in the community and even doctors believe this to be a true statement. Patient after patient who liver doctors see in their practices come in saying that they do not understand how that got liver disease as they do not drink or they only occasionally imbibe alcoholic beverages during an average month or year. First and foremost, it is important to state that while alcohol use can cause liver damage, it does so in only the minority of people who drink and it is certainly is not the most common cause of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis. That honor goes to hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is generally secondary to either diabetes or obesity.

Over 60... And Getting Younger: June 17, 2011

Outside the Movies

After watching a very disturbing movie, Incendies, on a Friday night, Lorraine (my beautiful wife) and I stepped into the lobby of the theater.

There he was! I had taken his course in philosophy and I recognized him immediately. He barely knew me, but after a short conversation it all came back to him. I was a student and he was the professor. It was about seven years ago.

From Long Island Wins: June 17, 2011

Suspending Secure Communities,
Cuomo Moves in the Right Direction

All Long Islanders want dangerous criminals off our streets.

So the catchily-named Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, purportedly designed to go after serious criminal offenders, seems simple at first glance.

It’s a federal program that takes the fingerprints of anyone who is arrested and automatically checks those prints against a national immigration database. If immigration officials have questions about a person’s immigration status, that person can be detained by local authorities and eventually placed in deportation proceedings.

Over 60…And Getting Younger: June 10, 2011

Woody

The theme of the latest Woody Allan movie Midnight in Paris has been captured in English Literature many times. “We are living in dreary, unproductive and somber times at the present and we long for wonderful and exciting yesterdays.” The heroes of the past are elevated to glorious heights and we stand in awe of them and, to a degree, worship them.