13th Annual Elvis Tribute To Aid Long Island’s Needy
December 31, 2007
(East Northport, N.Y.) The 13th Annual Elvis Show, a charity tribute concert, will take place on Saturday, January 12th at Matty Ts, in Deer Park. The show features over 25 singers and includes members of Long Island’s most popular bands. Admission is $5 along with a canned food donation. All proceeds will be donated to Rock CAN Roll, a local organization dedicating to eliminating hunger on Long Island.
Scheduled to appear are members of The Lone Sharks, The Buzzards, Rhythm Bound, The Blaggards, The Bossa Nova Beatniks, The Purple Gang, The Mary Lamont Band and The LI Hornets, with performances by Tom Gould, Steven Prisco, Bill Manning, Tom Pfiefer, Memphis Mike Lafata, Mary Lamont. Sean O’Neill, Stephan Molfetta, Rick Tandler, Gene Casey, Chris James, Annie Mark, Denise Corazon, Roy Wilson, Joe Rock, Rich Hopkins, Jeff McClary, Keith Hille, John Geffner and many others.
“This show represents the music scene on Long Island at it’s best” says the show’s host Steven Prisco. “Making great music together while lending a hand to those in need, it doesn’t get any better than that.” The performance begins at 9PM. Matty Ts is located at 355 Commack Road in Deer Park. (Google Map) Their number is (631) 667-6868.
About Rock CAN Roll:
Rock CAN Roll, Inc. is a volunteer, non profit hunger relief organization and think tank. Their mission is to be a source that continually restocks the shelves of local emergency food agencies that provide food and basic necessities to people in need. They collaborate with rock concerts, schools, corporations, and private individuals to collect canned and non-perishable food (and basic provisions) for distribution to local agencies and into the hands of children, seniors and families who live with hunger and in poverty. www.rockcanroll.org
On the web: http://www.myspace.com/TheElvisShow
Ron Paul Confirmed Excluded from Fox News Forum
December 30, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) The New Hampshire Republican Party is sponsoring a forum for Republican presidential candidates on Jan. 6, two days before the state’s first-in-the-nation primary. According to a press release from the Ron Paul presidential campaign, the Republican presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul was either excluded and/or not invited to the upcoming forum.
Republican candidates will be questioned by Fox New Channel’s Chris Wallace, and will be held a day after ABC holds back to back Democratic and Republican presidential debates. The candidates will face questions from Wallace around a table in a studio on the campus of St. Anselm College in Goffstown, N.H.. The 90-minute forum will air live beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the Fox News Channel and on Fox News Radio.
According to Powell Gammill, the Senior Editor of Freedom’s Phoenix, “I can confirm through Republican sources that indeed Ron Paul was not invited to this debate.” Angry Paul supporters have been targeting the New Hampshire GOP and its Chairman Fergus Cullen “crashing their servers” and “melting their phone lines” with inquiries as to why no invite was extended to Paul. Gammill simply states “It’s Not Their [New Hampshire GOP] Doing”.
“Given Ron Paul’s support in New Hampshire and his recent historic fundraising success, it is outrageous that Dr. Paul would be excluded,” said Ron Paul 2008 campaign chairman Kent Snyder in a press release. “Dr. Paul has consistently polled higher in New Hampshire than some of the other candidates who have been invited.”
As of this writing, a live campaign fundraising meter on the Ron Paul web site reveals that the campaign has received more than $18.9 million in contributions this quarter, over $7 million more than Giuliani. With numbers like these, it really makes you wonder how in the world a candidate could be excluded from such an important event. Participating in the forum will be Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.
Ron Paul said “They are scared of me and don’t want my message to get out, but it will,” Paul said in an interview. “They are propagandists for this war and I challenge them on the notion that they are conservative.” “They will not win this skirmish,” he promised.
“Paul supporters should know that we are continuing to make inquiries with Fox News as to why they have apparently excluded Dr. Paul from this event.” said Paul campaign chairman Kent Snyder.
According to Ron Paul Communications Manager Jesse Benton they haven’t yet heard directly from Fox that Paul is excluded; and if so, why that happened. “We’ve called Fox six times and have not had our calls returned,” he said.
Fox News, whose slogan is “We Report, You Decide,” has not publicly commented on the exclusion as of yet.
New Years Events to Attend in Times Square, New York
December 29, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) The year 2007 is quickly drawing to a close and it’s time to start making plans for celebrating the New Year. Many people on Long Island as well as the rest of the world head over to the famous Times Square to bring in the New Year. For an entire century, Times Square has been the epicenter of New Year’s Eve celebrations. For those who decide to visit there are quite a few parties to attend within walking distance - choosing the right one can be quite a challenge. The following are a few of the many parties hosted by restaurants, bars, and hotels in and around Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
TGI Friday’s (1552 Broadway at 46th Street) The TGI Friday’s New Year’s Eve party will be a blast. It is located at 1552 Broadway at 46th Street and the party will be held from 9 pm until 1 am. Admission is $275 per person, including gratuity and taxes, and tickets may be reserved by calling (212)-944-7367 or (212)-944-7369. Included in the ticket price is an open bar, DJ, passed hors d’oeuvres, buffet dinner, dessert, and also a champagne toast at midnight.
Z-Bar @ The President Hotel (236 W. 48th Street) The Z-Bar at The President Hotel is planning a great New Year’s eve party at its 236 W. 48th Street (between Broadway & 8th Avenue) location. The party will be held from 12 pm to 4 am and tickets begin at $25. That is a low price for bringing in the New Year at Times Square. Tickets include entrance, a free drink, and then a cash abr. Tickets may be reserved at www.newyearsintimessquare.com .
Mars 2112 (1633 Broadway at 51st Street) Located at 1633 Broadway at 51st Street the Mars 2112 New Year’s Eve party is sure to be a blast and it lasts a long time, too. The party will be held from 6:30 pm until 4 am and tickets begin at $110. Call (212)-255-4223 or click here to make reservations. The ticket price includes six hours of open access to a premium top shelf bar. Also available are Hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast, party favors, an after party ticket to Capitale, and even a great view of the ball drop on several plasma screens.
Hard Rock Cafe (1501 Broadway at 43rd Street) Location: Another great party will be at the Hard Rock Café, located at 1501 Broadway at 43rd Street. The party will get started at 9 pm and will last until 2 am and admission costs $225. Included in the ticket price are the passed hors d’oeurves, open bar for five hours, buffet dinner, desserts, midnight toast of champagne, and breakfast to go.
These are just some of the hundreds of parties taking place New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Be sure to make reservations if you plan on attending. For more information on what’s happening in Times Square trot on over to: http://www.timessquare.com
Wall Street Worst in Years, Bonus Checks on the Rise
December 22, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) Wall Street had its worst year in a decade but that didn’t effect bonus checks which rose 14 percent on average. You would have thought that the worst year in decades may have warrented no bonuses this year, but that just wasn’t the case at all.
Approximately 60 percent of the $49.6 billion in compensation the four biggest US investment banks will pay this year is for bonuses. That relates to approximately $30 billion in bonuses and that is only from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Bear Stearns Cos., and Morgan Stanley.
Interesting enough, investors that held these banks’ stocks this year saw them spiral down by practically 45 percent. And, the stocks have not quit falling. Investors surely can’t be happy with losing on their stocks while bank executives rake in their portion of $30 billion in bonuses.
Some bank executives did chose to go without their bonuses since it was such a poor performance year. Two of these executives are CEO Jimmy Cayne of Bear Stears and CEO John Mack of Morgan Stanley.
Don’t worry, however, these executives won’t have to cut corners this Christmas because they declined their bonuses. Last year, Mack did not receive a cash bonus but he did receive another kind of bonus in the form of options and stocks. These were valued at $40.2 million. His base pay is $800,000. Cayne has a base pay of $250,000 and in 2006 he received a bonus of $33.6 million.
Some of the executives receiving bonuses this year include Lehman Brothers’ CEO Richard Fuld who will receive a stock bonus of $35 million, which is 4 percent higher than last year. CEO Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sacks will receive a bonus of close to $70 million since the bank did not experience large mortgage losses.
Many believed that had the mortgage crisis not occurred bonuses would have been much higher. But, since some executives skipped their bonuses and there were many layoffs the amount of bonuses for the year are lower than expected.
As for the rest of the traders and bankers who work on Wall Street nobody knows yet what their bonus checks will reflect. Over the coming weeks this will become clear, however, and most believe that underperformers will not receive much in the way of bonuses while the highest performers will receive excellent bonuses to stay in the business.
Marbury Misses Another Game, Still Grieving
December 22, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) During the Knicks vs. Bobcats game in Charlotte tonight Stephon Marbury did not play. The team is unsure of when he will definitively return to the roster.
Marbury’s father, Donald, died Dec. 2. He had been watching his son play at the Garden when he experienced chest pains. He was taken to a local hospital but pronounced dead during the game. Marbury was none the wiser until after the game was over. Since then he has missed one game, played in two, and then missed an additional four.
The Knicks’ coach Isaiah Thomas stated that Marbury is having a difficult time coping with his father’s death. He also said the team will give him as much time as he needs and reiterated the difficulty Marbury is having dealing with the situation.
Marbury has also been batting illness in addition to coping with his father’s death. He dressed out for the win at the Garden over the Cavaliers, but he did not play. The Knicks will host the Lakers on Sunday and it is unclear whether Marbury will play.
Kerik Case Continues to Influence Giuliani’s Future
December 22, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) Rudy Giuliani was rolling along just fine in his bid for Republican nominee. That is until the Bernard Kerik case once again returned to the spotlight. Kerik was the Republican candidate’s friend, business partner, and his police commissioner. He also promoted a construction company while working under then mayor Giuliani’s administration. There were two other individuals hired by this company who were supposedly closely linked to Giuliani as well.
Giuliani has publicly admitted to making an error in judgment in this case, but that doesn’t seem to be all there is to it. The co-chair for Giuliani’s Republican presidential campaign in New York as well as his mentor, Guy Molinari, has publicly admitted to being friendly acquaintances with the owners of Interstate Industrial Corp.
According to the records, $10,000 was paid in 2004 to the previous Staten Island congressman for working with the firm as a registered lobbyist. At this same time the firm was fighting a ban from bidding on any of the city contracts because of an accusation of being connected with the mob.
Giuliani’s former City Hall and U.S. attorney’s office top deputy Randy Mastro had legally represented Interstate. Interestingly enough, Mastro had once organized the system by which the city licensed businesses like Interstate. It’s important to state that Interstate’s owners had quite a long history of generous donations.
The issue here is that Kerik was not acting as a paid representative of the company, but Mastro and Molinari were. Once these individuals left government they worked for the company. The problem is that Kerik was still involved in government as a law-enforcement official and is alleged to have taken gifts from Interstate as well as others and not having declared them as he should. This is what the charges against him state and they have yet to be proven either way.
The case, which is still pending, is now back in the limelight after Larry Ray, once Kerik’s good friend, said he had sat by Kerik as he spoke with Giuliani about Interstate on the phone. Ray’s claims were dismissed by Giuliani as “completely false” and they believe his comments are nothing more than a continuation of his dishonesty.
The case is a little confusing with so many people involved and so much “he said, she said” going around. Nevertheless, after the federal indictment for Kerik in November for fraud and conspiracy quite a few political analysts were quick to speculate on how this would affect his bid for the Republican nomination.
It was clear things would be tough for Giuliani when even Sen. John McCain criticized him for his lack of judgment. However, Mastro was quick to reply on Giuliani’s behalf that it is not fair to judge the former mayor based on one incident.
Regardless of whether Giuliani had anything to do with this incident or not, or whether his judgment was skewed or not, really doesn’t matter. What matters is that he is in the heat of a campaign race for the Republican nod and he doesn’t need a scandal or conspiracy going on. What will come of this situation remains to be seen, but it’s certainly not helping Giuliani on the campaign trail.
Long Island Financial Sector Feels Mortgage Misery
December 22, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) If it weren’t for the housing market Long Island’s economy would be progressing nicely. Occupancy rates, employment, and job growth were all stable for the second half of the year however since the housing market is in a never ending slump all the other industries are being pulled down with it.
Foreclosures have spiked, new home construction has decreased, and sales and home prices are dropping. Many employees have been laid off since August. Not to mention Delta Financial Corp., and American Home Mortgage, both local mortgage lenders located in Woodbury, have filed for bankruptcy.
The initial problem in the mortgage industry seemed isolated to subprime mortgages. However, the problem quickly became epidemic and began to affect the entire financial services sector. Lenders who catered to subprime clients as well as institutions that bought these mortgages were affected and many had no way out of the ordeal besides bankruptcy.
According to the Long Island Association’s chief economist, Pearl Kamer, approximately 2,300 jobs in the financial services sector have been lost between the year of October 2006 to the same month in 2007.
And, the problem is not isolated in Long Island. More than 10,000 workers were laid off in the state of New York in the month of August. This number only includes those job cuts that were announced publicly, so the actual numbers of job cuts are much higher.
The number of job cuts for the year in the financial industry is significantly higher than last year. In 2007, more than 147,395 jobs have been lost in the financial sector through the month of November. That is almost three times as many as in 2006.
But, it does not appear that these job losses are the last ones but rather just the beginning. Many experts believe the mortgage crisis has just begun and things will continue to get worse.
In the coming year fewer mortgages will be taken out, which means more job cuts. In fact, an estimate by the firm Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, & Co. points to another 130,000 job cuts in the coming year to even out the industry.
What will happen in Long Island remains to be seen. But, it is more than likely that as the financial sectors market continues to tailspin more and more qualified individuals will lose their jobs. That will result in a huge supply of qualified financial experts and very few jobs.
Joint Commission Offers Accreditation to Winthrop University Hospital
December 22, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) The Joint Commission, once known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, has again awarded Winthrop-University Hospital accreditation and high marks.
The survey conducted by the Joint Commission determined that the staff and team members at Winthrop were committed and dedicated to patient safety as well as the quality treatment offered at all locations and on all levels. The surveyors placed Winthrop at the top of the list out of all the hospitals they had visited nationwide.
The surveyors from the Joint Commission arrived unannounced at Winthrop for a 4-day on site visit. They assessed all of the hospital’s operations including environment of care, patient safety, medication safety, and infection prevention and control.
All activities were observed by several surveyors. Documents were examined to determine comprehensiveness, accuracy, and timeliness. Physicians and staff were also interviewed.
After the completion of the survey the surveyors awarded Winthrop with the accreditation and high praise because of the way patient care was conducted at all levels.
The Joint Commission is an independent healthcare accrediting body and is the nation’s oldest and most respected. Upon approval by the Joint Commission, the hospital receives a Gold Seal of Approval and that is exactly what Winthrop was awarded for their high level of care.
Long Island American Idol Fans Await Book Signing
December 22, 2007
(Long Island, N.Y.) Borders Books & Music will make many Long Island American Idol fans happy come January with a book signing tour with several past finalists. A new book “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul” will be released January 15th and the past Idol finalists will be on hand to sign copies for fans. Those interested in buying a book and having it signed should arrive early and prepare to wait in lines.
There are several days in January when book signings will be held at various Borders Books & Music across Long Island. The schedule includes these dates and locations:
Borders in Bohemia
5151 Sunrise Highway
Bohemia, NY 11716
Phone: 631.244.7496
Saturday, January 12th at 2 pm with Kevin Covais from season 5
Borders in Westbury
1504 Old Country Road
Westbury, NY 11590
Phone: 516.227.3703
Monday, January 14th at 7 pm with LaKisha Jones from season 6
Borders in Farmingdale
231 Airport Blvd.
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Phone: 631.752.0194
Wednesday, January 23rd at 7 pm with Tamyra Gray from season 1
Borders in Westbury
1504 Old Country Road
Westbury, NY 11590
Phone: 516.227.3703
Saturday, January 26th at 2 pm Constantine Maroulis from season 5 will perform and participate in a book signing.
Be sure to confirm time and location before heading out.
Mr. Karl Rasmussen of the Roosevelt School District Named Dowling College/News 12 Long Island Educator of the Month
December 19, 2007
(Oakdale, N.Y.) Mr. Karl Rasmussen, Current Science Teacher in the New Horizons Alternative Program in the Roosevelt Union Free School District, has been named a 2007-2008 Dowling College/News 12 Long Island Educator of the Month. Nominations were accepted from schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, and a committee of distinguished educators selected the winners.
Described as a “self-motivated visionary who is not afraid to go the extra mile to insure that hands-on-learning takes place” his innovative classroom techniques have engaged even the most reluctant learner.
Mr. Rasmussen has taught all staff members the use of the LCD project and taught staff and students how to make and use PowerPoint presentations. He had his Living Environment class incubate and hatch chicks that provides enrichment to science students school-wide. He brought Aquaponics, the integration of aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponcs (growing plants in water), to Roosevelt High School. He also built a free-standing system that is now showcased in the high school main lobby, where students assisted with the assembly and the application of goldfish and plants. Mr. Rasmussen’s Environmental Chemistry Class demonstrated how hair spray, a PVC pipe and a barbecue igniter can be used to launch a potato, and several experiments and tests followed.
Dr. Clyde Payne, Dean of Dowling’s School of Education says, “Since Long Island is known for having the best teachers in the nation, and we received so many nominations from across Nassau and Suffolk, Karl Rasmussen is truly a remarkable educator.” A special feature announcing Mr. Rasmussen’s award will air soon on News 12. In June the award winners and their guests will be honored at a special dinner.
Photo: Dr. Clyde Payne (Left), Dean of the School of Education and Karl Rasmussen (Right)
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s,
Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
