Over 60 and Getting Younger: April 1, 2011

Winter Vacations

In an unexpected twist, in a conversation with a neighbor, I was told, “I don’t like going south in the winter. I love the warmth and coziness of my own home. I get blankets and a quilt or two and I am in heaven. I don’t need to board a plane to stay in a hotel. My den is much more comfortable.”

Letters to The Editor: March 25, 2011

No Easy Reform Pledge Fix for GOP 

With so many competing voices on television, radio, blogs and social media, we can sometimes miss out on certain forthright messages that deserve special attention. Mike Barry’s “Eye On The Island” column in the March 10 edition, however, merits extraordinary recognition.

From Long Island Wins: March 18, 2011

On Immigration, Mulvey Set a Precedent for Future Commissioners

Some federal immigration agents were wearing cowboy hats and carrying semi-automatic weapons that night in September 2007 when they stormed into private homes across Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey had been told that the raids, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were supposed to be targeting deportable gang members.

Over 60... And Getting Younger: March 18, 2011

Regrets (I’ve Had a Few)

I have always been intrigued by the tiny, feisty French chanteuse, Edith Piaf, belting out that song, No Regrets. She lived a raucous life and lost her love, Marcel Cerdan, the champion boxer, in a plane crash but she never gave in to sorrow.

As a septuagenarian I have rescanned my own life and come up with a few minor lamentations. A minor regret that has plagued my later career in journalism is that I didn’t pay more attention in my typing class in high school. “Hunt and peck” style doesn’t do wonders when writing essays.

A Bird’s Eye View: March 11, 2011

The ‘Assembled Multitude’ on a Florida Beach

 It’s early morning and I’ve barely stepped onto the sands of Whitney Beach, across from our winter rental in Longboat Key, Florida and a sense of mystery permeates the air. A split second ago a mercurial warbler zipped around some tall beach grass and vanished before I could get my binoculars on it. Frustrating. I used to know the bird’s name but forgot it. However, I’m developing a mental file folder of its behavioral habits and when I get the name next time I won’t forget it.

Over 60... And Getting Younger: March 11, 2011

Reconnecting

Lately I have been hounded constantly to join groups of my high school acquaintances in conversations over the Internet. Actually, I graduated from James Monroe High School in the East Bronx over 60 years ago.

Stretching my imagination to the fullest I wonder what we two old high school buddies could talk about. If we haven’t connected in the last 60 years, what chance do we have of establishing a meaningful relationship today?

Letter: Superintendent Salaries Are Not the Real Issue

Why is the Governor of New York working so hard to point the finger of blame at the salary of Dr. Carole G. Hankin as if her income alone is responsible for the district’s property tax rate? Why is he treating her with the disrespect one would expect from an Attorney General to an evildoer, instead of the respect due to a valued public servant? Maybe the answer is that he doesn’t want local property owners to ask why he is cutting aid to the Syosset Central School District in spite of the fact that the State of New York leaves 93 percent of the cost of educating children here to property taxpayers.

Over 60... And Getting Younger: March 4, 2011

 

‘To Be or Not to Be’

“To retire or not to retire?” that is the question?

Start weighing the negatives and positives in your mind. Working in a job for 30 or 40 years, lulls you into an atmosphere of ease and contentment about the future. There are no questions of where you have to be Monday through Friday at nine to five.

Parenthood Plus: February 25, 2011

Brutal Teens on Long Island

The title of this month’s column is likely to evoke associations of murder and mayhem. However, don’t be misled; this is not a tale of teens gone bad. It is about our winter of discontent. And, I am not talking about NIFA taking over Nassau County’s finances.

So why the title, you may be wondering. It all started with a series of annoying television messages scrolling across the bottom of the screen. One of them read “…brutal teens on Long Island.” It was a partial message that required the viewer’s waiting for the next scroll-go-round to get more details.

Over 60... And Getting Younger: February 25, 2011

Three Plays

As a born New Yorker, I have always felt that it is a distinct privilege to be close to the New York cultural scene. The “Great White Way” now sparkles with the three plays I am about to speak of.

Freud’s Last Session was played at the West Side YMCA on 63rd Street at what is called the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. After 79 years and $2 million, this theater is a charming place to view a play, right off Central Park.