DO YOU FEEL SCREWED?

New York newspaper 'Newsday' published an article today reporting that Long Island teachers and school administrators are the highest paid in the state.

The photo illustrating the story "Report: Long Island educators top compensation list", however, tells the story of a school district that doesn't seem to be able to afford this type of exhorbitant payroll.

In fact, The William Floyd School Disrict can't even afford to screw their clocks to the wall.

Should taxpayers feel screwed?

THE PRESIDENTIAL PRODUCE DEBATE

Herman Cain - The Apples and Oranges Candidate




 
Herman Cain:  This is mixing apples and oranges.  The state taxes is an apple, we are replacing it with an orange...None of my distinguished colleagues understand the plan...You are mixing apples and oranges.

Mitt Romney:  I’ll be getting a bushel basket with apples and oranges and the people in Nevada don’t want to pay that.

Voter: I'm getting hungry.

(AFTER WALL STREET) OCCUPY NEXT

Ellis Henican's...

OCCUPY NEXT?

1. Bourbon Street
2. Sesame Street
3. Easy Street
4. Dream Street
5. Lover’s Lane

http://henican.com/2011/10/16/the-theme-from-wall-street/

WRITE TO HENICAN

MICHAEL MOORE COMES TO WALL STREET- ALMOST

On the heels of Michael Moore's appearance at the Occupy Wall Street Protests in New York : he will be appearing one block from Wall Street at The Book Revue in Huntington on Long Island...

Friday October 21, 2011 - 7pm

http://tinyurl.com/MichaelMooreNotonWallStreet

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"BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT" IS DEAD

What kind of country are we that demands a verdict of "beyond a reasonable doubt" but then won't revoke a sentence when that doubt becomes extensively evident.

Don't we claim as Americans to value life above all else?

Then how can we not choose to err on the side of life when the guilt of a man is no longer clear.

Troy Davis - whether he was or wasn't guilty - he didn't deserve to die at the hands of the American justice system.

Beyond a reasonable doubt ... can anyone truly claim that's the case with Mr. Davis?

MORON MOMS OVERRULED IN NY

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/cuomo-signs-student-athlete-concussion-law-1.3179343

ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed a new law that will increase protections for student-athletes who suffer concussions, a measure championed by Long Island legislators.
The new law would require any student who is believed to have suffered a concussion to be immediately removed from athletic activities and banned from returning until he or she is symptom-free for at least 24 hours and cleared by a physician.

Seriously?

Is it really necessary to completely legislate such common-sense aspects of parenting?

Is it really the school's job to ban a child from returning to sports after a concussion?

I pity today's children who -- if Cuomo is right and this is a necessary legislation-- apparently have morons and monsters for moms.

"Sorry Mrs. Mom,  you child was knocked unconscious and may have some brain injury, so...as much as I know you want to see him back out on the field...Uncle Andrew says he has to get a little rest and maybe even see a doctor."

MISSING SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T DIE ON 9/11

As everyone seems to be remembering the attacks of 9/11- especially people who live around the NY area - how many of us, what multitude of others who weren't anywhere near Manhattan and thankfully didn't lose someone in their family on that Tuesday morning are, nonetheless, having a difficult day today?

On that day, ten years ago, we all reached out for someone to help us through our fears and disbelief. We found ourselves comforting and also being comforted by loved ones - not understanding what had happened, not knowing what would come next.

Its been ten years. A decade. And it's true...we won't ever forget.

But for so many of us, remembering that day means feeling the emptiness of grief because that someone we talked to September 11, 2001...gripped hands with, watched tv with, held, cried with, reassured, leaned on...isn't here - has passed away. For so many of us, we have lost that one person we long to share this day's painful memories with.
Are these losses any less painful, any less real, than those suffered by 9/11 victims' families?
Never Forget, Always Remember...Every anniversary is difficult...not just because we are one of the unfortunate who lost someone to terrorists but because we remember so well where we were on that day and who we were with.

LONG ISLAND WHINES AFTER IRENE WINDS

Here on Long Island there was a hurricane...ok, a tropical storm.

Wires, trees, poles were all ripped down by the force of Irene's wind...no matter what meteorological

term you use to describe it. The aftermath has my head spinning faster than the corner stop sign caught in a 90 mile per hour gust.

Are we all so spoiled that a major (afterall, when was the last one?) event such as this doesn't demand some respect for the power that caused the destruction and an understanding of the huge undertaking of repairing the damage?

Surpise, Long Island...Mother Nature doesn't cater to our homegrown elite sense of entitlement.

Once again I'm reminded that when anything serious happens here...we are selfishly incapable of dealing with the fallout.

Although I was inconvenienced by the power outage—going days without electric, hot water, cable tv—although I incurred costs in the aftermath...I'm so proud of the tremendous job LIPA has done in the wake of Irene.

Now would be a good time for the residents of Nassau and Suffolk to stop complaining and begin planning how you can do better to prepare for the next big storm.

OH, HAPPY DAYS

The Royal Wedding was perfect.
One of those perfect Happy Days.
And, did you see Best Man Ralph Malph?

I AM A NASCAR FAN AND I CRY

Here's the thing. I didn't always watch NASCAR. 

 

What New York born and raised female did?

I'm trying to remember the exact chain of events, but suffice it to say it was a long convoluted windy road of people and events that finally forced me to watch my first race. And forced is the right word.  I went kicking and screaming. Racing? I don’t even like driving on the Long Island Expressway. Need for speed? My idea of bucking the system is driving 5 mph over the speed limit – unless it’s raining or there’s sun glare or it’s dusk or dawn or dark. I didn’t know a Dale Earnhardt from a Jimmie Johnson. Drafting? Three-wide? The car is loose? Boogity boogity boogity? And why didn’t they just say who was driving the #5, #20, #99?

It didn’t take long. By the final 20 laps I was mesmerized, cheering, hooked.

Now it’s a different story. Most women have February 14th marked on their wall calendar with a big red heart. My Valentine heart is smack over February 20^th. The Daytona 500. Heaven help my husband if he thinks I’m going out to a romantic dinner while the race is on.

The months between Homestead and Daytona are excruciatingly long. This year I got lucky. I got my hands on an advance copy of the new book “In the Blink of an Eye: Dale,  Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything” by Michael Waltrip and Ellis Henican.

I wasn’t quite sure this was my kind of book. I’m not a Waltrip fanatic and I worried the story wouldn’t interest me. I was very wrong.

First of all, the book made me laugh. Alot. Then it made me cry. Alot.

In between the laughs and tears I read fabulously fun stories of growing up the kid brother of a real life race car driver (older sibling Darryl) and what it takes to get into the family business when the family is less than helpful. I felt like I was hearing the inside stories that no one is supposed to hear about other top drivers.

But, it was reading the story of  February 18, 2001 told  through the eyes of the man who won that Daytona 500 -- only to find out in Victory Lane about the death of his long time friend Dale Earnhardt just moments earlier-- that is heartbreaking, gut wrenching and makes this the most compelling story I’ve ever read of friendship, triumph and tragedy.

The crazy screenplay like circumstances of that day – a man who had lost 462 races in a row starts the season as the newest driver on his hero/good friend’s team.  The man calling the race for National TV is that driver's brother – his first time in the booth. The hero of this “movie” winds up in first place in a hard fought race being trailed by his boss and mentor, ‘The Intimidator’ himself. Rounding out the top three is Earnhardt’s son, Dale Jr. The accident on the last lap was both improbable and tragic. That our winner only learns of the accident while celebrating on Victory Lane - and then breaks down in tears - is truly the stuff of film…but this was real life.

I dare any NASCAR fan to read this book and not have the same visceral reaction that I did. I double dare any female NASCAR fan to read this without ruining her eye make-up and developing a crush on the man who drove the #15 at Daytona 2001 and will be behind the wheel of another #15 at the start to the 2011 season.

It’s been ten years since that awful day and there’s no better way to remember than by reading this book.