Syosset Advance (6/21/19)

W ALKING FOR A C AUSE

and their siblings. See page 8.

Syosset alumni celebrate career experiences

BY RIKKI MASSAND

Syosset students, area professionals and some notable Syosset High School alumni gathered before the end of the school year to speak about and applaud new learning experiences within the community that have proven beneficial to local teens before they even apply to college.

The not-for-profit Align Us mentorship program celebrated career inspirations and successes of its

first semester on Saturday, June 15 at Tesoro restaurant in Westbury. Over 75 professionals, students and families gathered including business and education leaders from Syosset, Woodbury, Jericho and neighboring schools and communities. The president and founding board member of Align Us is 1997 Syosset High School graduate Dr. Uzma Syed, who last year opened her new office of South Shore Infectious Disease (SSID) at 60 Queens Street in her hometown

of Syosset. Dr. Syed’s husband and vice president of Align Us is Faisal Zakaria, chief application officer for NYU-Winthrop Hospital.

Student mentees had opportunities this spring to learn from participating “government sector” mentors in the program. They include Syosset native and Nassau County Legislator, 2012 SHS graduate and former Syosset school board trustee Joshua Lafazan; Crystal Berger, assistant to Nassau County Legisla-

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Two local reform temples vote to merge

On June 25,  the congregations of Temple Or Elohim (TOE) in Jericho and Community Reform Temple in Westbury (CRT) overwhelmingly voted to consolidate. The new temple will be called Temple Or Elohim, A Community Reform Congregation, and will operate at the current TOE site at 18 Tobie Lane in the East Birchwood section of Jericho.

The upcoming consolidation “provides the exciting opportunity to become the premiere address for Reform Judaism from Central Nassau through Western Suffolk Counties”, stated Rabbi Judith Cohen-Rosenberg, CRT’s beloved rabbi of 27 years, who will become the rabbi of the new temple. She added that “I am looking forward to working with TOE’s accomplished Cantor David Katz and Mrs. Deborah Tract, TOE’s marvelous Director of Education”. Cantor Katz, TOE’s cantor for the past 7 years, echoed the same sentiments: “Now that we have merged with such a wonderful group of families and a fabulous Rabbi, along with our brilliant Director of Education Deborah Tract, there is nothing we can’t do!” Mrs. Tract, TOE’s director of education for the past 6 years and the current president of LITE (Long Island Temple Educators), has worked for many years with Rabbi Cohen-Rosenberg at LITE and calls her a “Woman of Valor”, and is “so excited to welcome the CRT community”.

The two temples have grand traditions in the local Reform Jewish Community which they will be able to continue. TOE was established in 1957, while Community Reform Temple (CRT) was established in 1960. The two temples are not only close geographically but share the same vision and approach to Reform Judaism. Merger negotiations started last summer when TOE, having an opening for its rabbi position, contacted CRT to see if there was any interest in coming to TOE with Rabbi Cohen-Rosenberg. When the response was positive, the two temples spent time getting familiar with each other. Indeed, over the last few months, as the congregations

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Village Elementary School students held a fundraising walkathon to benefit Sunrise Day Camp for children with Cancer

Photo by Rena Damon

Jericho resident honored by LuHi

Long Island Lutheran Middle & High School recognized the achievements of its outstanding students at its Annual Honors Banquet held on June 10, at the Fox Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY. Among those honored were Jericho resident Kirana Marksohn.

Kirana received the National Honor Society Award. Membership in the

LuHi Chapter of the National Honor Society is granted to those students who have been highly rated by faculty members in the areas of character, leadership and service and who have an 85 or better cumulative average for 3 years.

In the fall, Kirana will be attending High Point University.

Let your voice be heard!

Is there an issue in your community you want to discuss? Want to respond to something you saw in our paper? Then write a letter to our editor and bring it to everyone’s attention! Send your letter to editor@gcnews.com and we’ll publish it for you!

Syosset Woodbury Rotary welcomes guest speaker

Rotary President Moira Paterson, Michael Rosenberg

Michael Rosenberg from Long Island Clean Water Service, Inc. was a guest speaker at a recent Syosset-Woodbury Rotary meeting.

He is a licensed water filtration expert who spoke about water quality.  Michael discussed the various chemicals found in water, differences among bottled waters, types of water filters and, water district water reports. LICWS offers free water

testing, whole house water systems, water purification systems and drinking water filtrations systems for home or businesses. To view the water quality testing results in your area, contact your local water district. Further information, you can visit LICWS' website at www. licleanwater.com. Syosset-Woodbury Rotary meets on Tuesday afternoons at Lisbon Cafe, Jericho Tpke, Jericho.

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Place an ad in our Classifieds for reasonable rates and prompt results. Call our Garden City office at 516-294-8900 for more information.

Jericho U17 Inter Division LI Cup Champions

Congratulations to the Jericho Arsenal U17 Inter Division 2019 Long Island Cup Champions. This is the team’s second year in a row winning the cup!

Front row, left to right,: Jordan Miller, Austin Chen, Austin Brown, Jake Cohen, David Blumberg, Griffin Worst, Matt Brodsky, Jack Nelson, Casey Levy

Back row, left to right: Coach Steve Lefkowitz, Matt Lefkowitz, Jake Levy, Jake Liu, Max Kluzek, Ari Chananya, Joey Kozohar, Nick Grieco, Marcos Yang, Trainer Dani Braga

This Week at Jericho Public Library

Friday, June 21st at 2:00 PM

Great Performers with Marc Courtade

The Versatile JACK LEMMON: From Comedy to Drama

For more than four decades, whether working in comedy or drama, Jack Lemmon was noted as one of the most versatile actors of his time. He became the first man to win Academy Awards as both Best Supporting and Best Actor. His films include the comedies “ Some Like It Hot ” , “ The Apartment ” , “ The Odd Couple ” and two “ Grumpy Old Men ” movies. He starred in dramas like “ Save the Tiger ” , “ Missing ” and “ Glengarry Glen Ross ” . Lemmon’s string of critical hits continued in films, television and on Broadway throughout his career. This talk pays tribute to a well-respected man who greatly influenced a later generation.

Monday, June 24th at 2:00 PM

Movie: “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”

A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring

about the end of the world.

Starring Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro.

Rated PG. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Tuesday, June 25th at 2:00 PM

The Whitney Biennial with Professor Thomas Germano

Taking the pulse of American culture and creativity, the Whitney Biennial (May 17–September 22, 2019) is the museum’s look at the state of contemporary art in the United States. With a history of exhibiting the most stimulating artists and often provoking debate, the Biennial was introduced by the museum’s founder, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, in 1932. It is the longest-running continuous exhibition in the country to chart the latest developments in American art.

Programs will take place at the Jericho Public Library: 1 Merry Lane, Jericho. For more information, go to www. syossetlibrary.org

This Week at the Syosset P ublic Library

Friday, June 21 at 2:00 PM

Hollywood Battles TV: Wide Screens and Adult Themes in 1950's Movies

Presenter: Max Alvarez, film historian

Before IMAX, Virtual Reality, and Real 3D there was Cinerama, NaturalVision, CinemaScope and Todd-AO. It was during the 1950s Eisenhower era when millions stayed home to watch Milton Berle and Lucille Ball on TV and Hollywood studios lost fortunes. In a desperate effort to survive, the movie factories fought the TV menace with widescreen technology and a new generation of stars (Marlon Brando, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and more) who were ideally suited to bolder and

more adult subject matter. Free. No registration required.

Thursday, June 27 at 2:00 PM

Broadway Ballads & ShowstoppersPart 2

Presenter: Richard Knox, retired teacher

Part 2 of this series will include highlights from several notable works such as “My Fair Lady”, “Les Miserables”, “Porgy and Bess” and “Man of La Mancha”

Free. No registratio required.

Programs will take place at the Syosset Public Library.   225 South Oyster Bay Rd. Syosset. For more information, go to www. syossetlibrary.org

Attention students!

Graduated from school? Have an outstanding GPA? Made the honor roll or Dean’s List? Scored an internship or study abroad opportunity? We invite you to send details of any of these things and more, along with your name and contact info, to editor@gcnews.com for a chance to be seen in our paper!

Syosset student scores at horse show

Kids’ Special!

$149 for exam, cleaning, and fluoride

We’ll fill out the kids’ camp/school forms! (New patients only) Have insurance? Receive $25 Gift Card instead

Gabriella Migliaccio of the Syosset CSD, a student in the Nassau BOCES Barry Tech Horse Science and Management program, earned fourth place at the annual Barry Tech Horse

Show, held at the Riding Center at Long Island University’s C.W. Post campus last month. She took fourth in two categories; Class 1, Walk/Trot/Canter and Class 2, 2” Jump Course.

Gabriella Migliaccio at the Barry Tech Horse Show

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Girl Scouts of Nassau County honor local residents

Philip Pietraski, who received the Appreciation Pin from the GSNC.

Girl Scouts of Nassau County (GSNC) recently held its 27th Annual Adult Recognition Awards Ceremony at LIU Post in Old Brookville, NY. The annual event recognizes and celebrates the adult volunteers for their service to Girl Scouts of Nassau County and to their communities. Among the honorees were local Jericho/ Syosset residents Deborah Kollar, Philip Pietraski, Heidi Hu, Francine O’Connor and Amanda Roberts, all recognized for their adult volunteer service with the Girl Scouts.

During the event, GSNC awarded Deborah Kollar and Philip Pietraski with the Appreciation Pin representative of their dedication and the tremendous work they have done within the organization. The Appreciation Pin recognizes an individual’s exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). This service, which has had measurable impact on at least one geographic area of service, helps the council reach and surpass its mission-delivery goals for that area.

Deborah Kollar is an amazing leader in every sense of the word. She leads the troop with so much wisdom, patience, grace and kindness. Ms. Kollar is a great support and source of encouragement to those involved in Girl Scouts.

As a high school-level robotics coach,  Philip Pietraski guides the girls to build and program robots, keep a detail engineering notebook and accounting log. He encourages his team to treat each other and their competitors with respect which creates a powerful impact on society. Through the robotics process the girls learn about various STEM career possibilities. The girls reach out to other Girl Scouts to show them the research they have done, the inventions they have created and that STEM is fun.

Heidi Hu and Francine O’Connor were each awarded the Honor Pin, indicative of their hard work and dedication to the Girl Scouts. The Honor Pin recognizes an individual’s exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE), which has had mea-

surable impact on two or more geographic areas of service, allowing the council to reach and surpass its mission-delivery goals.

Ms. Hu is a Junior leader, a council delegate, and the OLC coordinator. In 2017, when the council was relocated to Hicksville for building renovations, Ms. Hu, along with another volunteer, delivered a weekend “Girls Who Code” program to a roomful of girls. GSNC is grateful for Ms. Hu’s dedication and support.

Francine O’Connor is the leader of two Girl Scout troops in the Jericho Syosset service unit, a council delegate, the service unit cookie co-chair, and “Mags&Munchies” co-chair. Colleagues describe Ms. O’Connor as doing it all “with grace and a smile.” Last year, Ms. O’Connor opened the Jericho/ Syosset cookie drop site to service units without a drop site. Ms. O’Connor continued to offer this service again this year, making the cookie delivery process much easier. As a result, dozens of Girl Scout leaders are grateful for her efforts.

Amanda Roberts was honored by

receiving the Thanks Badge in recognition of the immense benefits all of her hard work has on the organization. Ms. Roberts is the caretaker at “The Farm at Oyster Bay” and has been partnering with GSNC for 10 years, running the Girl Scout Gardener’s program. Each year between 120-150 girls participate in this program to learn how to tend a garden, including planting, weeding, harvesting, and pest control. All harvested produce is donated to local food pantries. As an extension of the Girl Scout Gardeners, Ms. Roberts developed the “Under Gardeners” program for Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts, creating an opportunity for them, under Ms. Roberts’ guidance, to take the lead when the younger troops come to plan and carry out special events throughout the season. It allows the older Girl Scouts to develop their leadership skills in a safe and inclusive environment. It’s obvious to many around her that Ms. Roberts is understanding of the Girl Scout mission, and all are extremely appreciative for her continued support.

Amanda Roberts, who received the Thanks Badge from the GSNC.

Heidi Hu and Francine O’Connor, who both received the Honor Pin from the GSNC.

July 29th – August 9th (Mon-Fri • 9am - 3pm)

Camp culminates in a full production at Hofstra University including live music, lighting and sound. Camp is run by our world-class staff and takes place at our new Creative Arts Center right on Nassau Blvd.

ROCK BANDS DAY CAMP

July 22-26, 2019, Mon - Fri, 9am - 3pm

Students perform in their own bands led by our instructors. Camp culminates in a concert at the FRIDAY NIGHT PROMENADE!

Village Elementary School sponsors walkathon to support Sunrise Day Camp

STORY AND PHOTOS BY RENA DAMON

Bright sunshine and clear blue skies provided the perfect setting for the annual Village School fundraising walkathon. Under the aegis of Student Council advisors Ms. Eileen Hoffman and Ms. Wendy Tepper, the Student Council sponsored a morning

walkathon to raise funds for Sunrise Day Camp.  This camp is specifically for children with cancer and their siblings. The camp is offered free of charge and events such as this one are essential in providing the funding needed to run the camp.  Thank you to all who walked, donated money and supported this worthy cause.

These girls are on the move!

A walk with friends to raise funds.

Striking a pose during the walkathon.

Ms. Hoffman and Ms. Tepper are ready to kick off the Walkathon

Double duty - kids having fun walking while raising money for Sunrise Day Camp.

Biketours.com 8-day Guided Ride Through Slovenia Offers Surprises

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

When I signed up for Biketours. com’s guided eight-day bike tour of Slovenia, I was expecting sprawling landscapes and quaint villages. What I wasn’t expecting was to be surprised each day by some unique attraction – the most mind-boggling caves I have ever seen (and most thrilling train ride ever!), a castle built into the face of a cliff with a cave as a secret back door, the horse farm where the original Leipzaners we associate with Vienna were bred and trained, as well as the surprises we chanced upon, like getting a tour of a centuries old water mill by the family. I wasn’t expecting to find myself at the intersection of a multiplicity of cultures (flowers hoisted high on a pole to announce a wedding), or thrown back into history. The picturesque landscapes were like icing on a fabulously rich cake.

This actually is the second week of my Biketours.com European biking experience. I had decided to fly into Marco Polo International Airport in Venice to meet up with this guided tour that started in Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana,

Riding through Slovenia countryside © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

so I thought “It’s a far way to go for only eight-days, so why not stop in Venice?” And then I thought, Why not see if Biketours.com offers another biking trip that I can link together?

I found a Venice-Trieste-Istria itinerary, operated by FunActiv, that ended on the day this “Emerald

wilderness if I had to do it on my own.) The Venice bike trip ended in Istria, in Croatia, and, after a search on Rome2Rio.com, I found a bus (Flixbus.com) that would take me into Ljubljana right on time for the start of the second tour, June 21, 2019

Tour of Slovenia’s Gems”, operated by another local operator, Helia, would start, but it was self-guided. I thought about doing it on my own, but sent out an invitation and successfully recruited my son to join me. (Thank goodness, because I think I would have been lost and still wandering around the

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Through Slovenia Offers Surprises

and then from Piran, where that trip ended, back to Marco Polo International Airport in Venice.

It is very interesting to compare the experience of a self-guided tour, with the guided tour.

In the first place, the guided tour of Slovenia averages 26 miles a day and each day; our self-guided trip averages 50 miles a day (though we could have shortened the daily rides by taking train or ferry), so there is more time for sightseeing on the guided trip which is organized around sightseeing – that is, getting to sights in a timely way (our leader, Vlasta, our wonderful guide, also takes votes to see whether we want to detour to take in some attraction, whether we want her to make dinner reservations for us at a restaurant).

On our self-guided trip, we are able to set out from the hotel after a leisurely breakfast, stop for lunch when we want and spend as much time lingering in a village but when we come to a cave in time for a 5 pm English-language tour with still an hour to ride before reaching our destination, we don’t take the chance and so miss an opportunity. We also miss out on visiting the castle of Miramare high above the Bay of Grignano just outside of Trieste (which has a Manet exhibit) because we didn’t know better.

On this Slovenia bike tour, we ride as a group – Vlasta says we ride only as fast as the slowest, that one of us will be the “sweep” riding at the back. We don’t

even have our own maps or cue sheets, but follow the leader. I am only a little frustrated because I have to ask to stop every time I want to take a photo, but it all works out.

We are informed in advance that the terrain is flat and downhill from Ljubljana to Postojna, from where it gets a bit hilly (Vlasta says it is “Slovenia flat – rolling hills). From Stanjel, the cycling is downhill on the way to the coast. Most of the ride is on quiet roads, 25% on roads shared with traffic, 3% on dirt or gravel roads and 2% on dedicated bicycle paths. The tour is appropriate for hybrid and road bikes.

In fact, the end of the tour retraces the Istria section of the bike trip I had just taken, so I was already primed for what to expect on the ride.

Day 1:  Arrival to Ljubljana

It is pouring rain as I make my way from the Porec Hotel in Porec, Croatia, where my eight-day, self-guided VeniceTrieste-Istria bike trip has ended, to the bus station directly behind it, and I am grateful that it is not a day I would be biking. I am pretty proud of myself for having figured out the Flixbus connection – convenient and inexpensive (after having looked online at Rome2Rio.com for how to get between the two cities).

At the bus station in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, I use my GPS to figure out what public bus to take to get to my hotel in the old city, and after wasting time waiting on the wrong side of the street, hop on the bus. The driver doesn’t understand me but a fellow on the bus helps me figure out where my

stop is in the Old City, and I find the hotel just a short walk from the bus.

I have the afternoon to explore Ljubljana, and miraculously, the rain clears and sun begins to shine as I begin to explore. I come upon a flash mob dance on a small bridge – one of the most scenic spots in the city - and roam the narrow, cobblestone streets of the old town center with its “fin de siècle” mansions.

The Old City is dominated by a mighty fortress on the highest hill, so of course, that’s where I head, along with others who realize it is the best place to watch the sun set.

The castle has a museum inside, open until 9 pm, though you don’t need a ticket to walk around. But I buy the ticket and wander around the various rooms, where in addition to historic displays there are some art exhibitions.

Day 2:  Ljubljana – Vrhnika (24 miles/39 km or 36 miles/57 km with side trip)

Our group meets together for the first time after breakfast at the hotel and our guide, Vlasta, orients us to how the trip is organized. It turns out we are English-speakers from three continents: a couple from England, a couple and

GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....

their friend from New Zealand, a couple from Denver and me, a New Yorker.

We are fitted to our bicycles, load our luggage into the van that accompanies us, and are off.

Vlasta has organized an easy (flat) first day of biking (notably, her rule is that we bike only as fast as the slowest person), but generally 15-20 km/h or 30 km/hr downhill.

We ride across the historic plains surrounding the capital, a flat, easy first day. The immense 160-square kilometer marshy plain, the Ljubljansko Barje, was once a great lake until it dried up 6000 years ago, leaving behind landscape that, we are told, is now home to some of Europe’s rarest forms of bird, plant and insect life.

We stop at the picturesque Iški Vintgar Gorge Nature Reserve, carved deep into a stunning limestone dolomite plateau, and visit the remnants of the world’s highest railway viaduct in Borovnica.

But the highlight of the day’s ride –as is so often the case –is one of those serendipitous happenings:

As we are riding back from visiting the Gorge, I stop to take photos of a picturesque water wheel.

A family proudly shows off its centuries-old mill © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A young man comes out and offers to take us inside to see how this ancient mill works. He is soon followed by his father who explains that it is one of only two left in Slovenia, and has been in their family for 380 years (Vlasta

WRITER’S CORNER

translates). There used to be nine mills on the river, now he keeps this one running to preserve the heritage. It is private, not even a designated historic landmark (though I imagine that a des-

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Seeing the “Generation Gap” up close and personally

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

Have you ever had the experience of playing some board games with millennials and rediscovered the generation gap?

That’s what happened to me - and to several of my relatives recently - when we humored my nephew, Brian, by being nice and playing the games he loves playing.

We made the time to do this and got together at my brother and sister in-law’s place because Brian was laid up for a while. We wanted to distract him from his injury and help him along the road to recovery by giving him the choice of games to play.

Brian rattled off 10 or 15 board games and the other six of us, who all happen to be age 50 and above, had not heard of any of the games. They included “The Hare & the Tortoise,” “The Era of Kingdoms,” “Geek Out!,” “Fluxx,” “Tikal” and “Acquire.”

We are more familiar and more comfortable with games like “Loaded Questions,” “Rummikub” and “Trivial Pursuit,” naturally. Also with “Clue” and “Monopoly” even though one game of “Monopoly” can last for hours.

Being good sports, however, we met around 4 p.m., kept open minds and gathered around Phil and Kathy’s dining room table.

Phil and Kathy put out some snacks

and we all grabbed some cold sodas. We knew that we would break for dinner and some conversation then resume playing afterwards.

The first game that Brian chose was “The Hare & the Tortoise.” After setting up the board and game pieces he explained the basic rules.

Here is the idea: At the start of the game/race, each player secretly bets on up to two of five animals: the turtle, rabbit, lamb, wolf and fox. One animal is chosen at random for each player, then after receiving a hand of seven cards, each of us placed one of his cards face-down as an additional bet.

A round ends when three of the five animals reach the goal. Whoever comes in first place, second and third gets certain points. All of the points are added up and that determines the first-place winner.

The rules seemed to go on and on, however, so after a while of Brian reading the rules our eyes started glazing over. I confess that my mind drifted to other subjects like the beach, new movies, what I was doing the next day, etc.

A maximum of five people can play this game so our two extra people took a little break and didn’t play but they watched.

We plunged right into the game and to our surprise we all caught on to “The Hare & the Tortoise.” To some extent. We didn’t catch on completely but we

had a basic grasp.

My sister, Michelle, was the lucky winner in the first game we played but we shook our heads in bewilderment because we weren’t sure of what we were doing.

And funny enough, Michelle admitted that she wasn’t even sure how she had won.

We enjoyed that game and were even more comfortable with its goals and objectives after we played a second game of it.

I’m sure that we looked perplexed but charged ahead with the game figuring that Brian would show us how to play as we plodded along. Brian was very patient and a good sport about it.

He explained things as we proceeded but those of us in the “over 50 camp” confessed that we felt both naive and ignorant as we muddled along.

The next game we played was “Tikal.” This is a game of exploration within the Central American jungles in search of lost temples and the treasures within. Players send their team of explorers into the jungle, exposing more and more of the terrain. Along the way, you find temples that require further uncovering and treasures. Players attempt to score points for occupying temples and holding onto treasure.

Two to four players can play at one time so we doubled up. “Tikal” was more complicated than “The Hare &

the Tortoise.” Or maybe we just didn’t find it as interesting. We got through the first game of “Tikal” then broke for dinner.

As we chatted, we “over 50 people” confided in each other the fact that we didn’t like being out of our comfort zone. Before the bunch of us retired we were managers and teachers and other professionals.

We were much more comfortable giving directions every day rather than taking them from a much younger person, i.e., Brian, but it was all for a good cause. We wanted to support Brian while he was on the mend.

I must add that without even having to say so, we were a “judgment-free group.” If one of us made a glaring mistake the rest of us didn’t laugh - okay maybe a little but not a lot.

We respected our relatives’ accomplishments on the job and in life and playing these games we had never heard of and weren’t particularly fond of was a whole different kettle of fish. We all knew that we were definitely out of our element. And out of our collective comfort zone.

Fortunately Brian is a patient teacher and he, too, was good about not deriding us when we made some glaring errors. That made playing much easier and a lot more fun.

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The Social Security Earnings Penalty -- a Bad Law

BY TOM MARGENAU

The Social Security earnings penalty. I don’t like this law. I’ve never liked this law. Before I explain why, let me clarify what I am talking about. The rules say that if you are a Social Security beneficiary who is under age 66 and still working, one dollar must be deducted from your Social Security checks for each two dollars you earn over $17,640 annually. A more lenient penalty applies in the year you turn 66. The earnings threshold is $46,920 with a 3 for 1 withholding scheme. In other words, one dollar is withheld from your benefits for each three dollars you make over $46,920. And once you turn age 66, the penalties go away. Starting with the month you turn 66, you could make a million dollars a day and still be eligible for Social Security checks.

But in this column I’m primarily addressing the law that applies to people under age 66. In a bit, I’ll tell you why I don’t like the law now. But first I want to tell you why I hated it in all of the 32 years I worked for the Social Security Administration. And that’s because it was a mess to administer. To illustrate, I’ll use my own mother as an example. Back in the 1970s, she was getting Social Security widow’s benefits, but she was working part time to supplement her rather meager benefits. She would start out the year reporting her anticipated earnings to her local Social Security office. They would adjust her benefits accordingly, applying the one dollar deduction for each two dollars earned. Then, inevitably, as the year went on, she’d work a little overtime or pick up a couple extra hours of work. She would dutifully report her change in anticipated earnings to the Social Security people, and further adjustments would be made to her monthly widow’s checks. Then maybe she’d be laid off for a time, and her earnings would go down. She’d file yet another report with SSA, and there would be more adjustments to her benefits.

Finally, once the year was over with and she got her W-2 form, she would make a final report of her earnings to the Social Security office leading to yet another benefit adjustment. And on top of that, they would ask for an estimate of her anticipated earnings for the new year, yet more adjustments would be made, and the whole vicious cycle would start over again.

My mom used to complain bitterly to me about this, saying, “Can’t you do anything to help me?” I always had to tell her that there was (and still is) a law that says SSA employees cannot work on any cases involving their relatives. Though, at the end of this column, I will share some advice I eventually gave my mom, and thousands of other people over the years to help them deal with the earn-

ings penalty rules.

But first, I want to explain a more philosophical reason why I don’t like the earnings penalty. I just don’t understand why someone should be punished if they try to work and earn a little money to supplement their Social Security benefits.

Having voiced that concern, I do understand why the law exists. It goes back to the very beginning of Social Security, in the 1930s. Retirement benefits were intended to replace earnings a person loses when he or she retires. Or to put that another way, a person had to retire to get “retirement” benefits.

Over the years, Congress eased up on that restrictive nature of the original law. At first they said people over age 72 could get benefits even if they were still working. The gradually lowered that to the full retirement age (currently 66). And they allowed people under age 66 to earn some money. But again, not much (currently $17,640).

I understand why Congress isn’t eager to change the law: the cost. The Social Security system would have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in extra benefits each year if the earnings penalty was eliminated. And at a time when they’re looking for ways to trim Social Security spending (as part of an eventual package of reforms to solve the system’s longrange financing problems), passing a law that would greatly increase program outlays just isn’t in the cards.

So because the earnings penalty isn’t going away anytime soon, let me share with you some tips for dealing with it, so you don’t get hung up in the vicious cycle of earnings variances and benefit adjustments that plagued my mother (and millions of other beneficiaries).

One way to go would be to understate your anticipated earnings. Just tell SSA that you plan to make less than whatever the earnings threshold happens to be. For example, for this year, you would say you expect to make less than $17,640, even if you think you will make more than that. What that means is that SSA won’t withhold any of your benefits. Or to turn that around, it means they will send you a Social Security check every month of this year. But what you must remember is that you will have to pay back some of that money once the year is over. In other words, at the beginning of 2020, you will tell SSA how much money you made in 2019 and they will calculate how much money you have to pay back. I think it’s easier having this one-time accounting as opposed to the frequent adjustments using the regular reporting methods.

If you don’t like the idea of having to owe the government any money, you could go the other way around. For example, you could tell SSA that you plan to make $100,000 in 2019, even though you actually expect to make less than that. In this scenario, SSA won’t send

you any Social Security checks. Then in early 2020, you would tell SSA how much money you actually made in 2019 and then they will send you a check to cover the benefits you are due.

I know some of my former SSA colleagues will be absolutely aghast at these suggestions. They will say that I am coaching people to lie to the government. I prefer to think of it as a little fib! And a temporary one at that. Because both scenarios I presented require the

claimant to eventually settle the books with SSA. In the end, either with the constant adjustment in checks through the normal procedures or with the one-time accounting using my method, the people eventually get the proper Social Security benefits they are due.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has the answer. Contact him at thomas.margenau@comcast.net.

COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM

GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....

Biketours.com 8-day Guided Ride Through Slovenia Offers Surprises

C ontinued from page D3

ignation like that would remove it from the family’s ownership). I admire an old carriage, and the older man says it was his mother’s dowry 65 years ago.

We continue on, and stop at a charming restaurant alongside a pond for lunch.

Just before arriving in Vrhnika where we overnight, we visit the Technical Museum of the Republic of Slovenia (actually a science and technical museum), housed in Bistra Castle, which was later used as a monastery. The castle (technology museum) is like a maze inside and it is tremendous fun to explore.

It provides a different perspective on “technology”. Hunting, for example,

includes the dogs used for hunting and the birds and animals that were hunted. A woman demonstrates how she makes lace using a century-old pattern.

Here, we first encounter Joseph Broz Tito, who served in Yugoslavia’s government from 1943-1980 and was the dictator for much of that (apparently, he was considered a benevolent dictator).

I find my way to this wonderful collection of Tito’s cars: his Rolls Royce (against the backdrop of a giant photo), a Tatra from 1898, a 1923 Chrysler, a Piccolo which was manufactured from 1904-1912.

There are all modes of transportation on display – cars, trucks, bicycles, bus, tractors - and agricultural tools and machines. It evokes 1960s Communist-era “celebration of indus-

Parks

trial progress” vibe.

Today’s ride, 57 km, all flat on roads (not dedicated bike trails), is easy cycling, the weather cool and comfortable for biking.

This is just the warm up. The best is yet to come.

(I booked this 8-day “Emerald Tour of Slovenia’s Gems” guided bike tour through BikeTours.com, a broker which has an excellent catalog of well-priced guided and self-guided bike and bike/ boat trips, mostly in Europe, and has very attentive counselors and excellent customer service. Biketours.com, 1222 Tremont Street, Chattanooga, TN 37405, 423-756-8907, 877-462-2423, www.biketours.com, info@biketours.com)

Next: Caves, Castle Among

Astonishing Sights Visited on Guided Bike Tour of Slovenia

© 2019 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com,  www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karenrubin & travelwritersmagazine.com/ TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar. wordpress.com & moralcompasstravel. info. Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Tweet @ TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook. com/NewsPhotoFeatures

& Trails NY Gets Set for 21st Annual Cycle the Erie Tour; Advocates for Trails Across NY

BY KAREN RUBIN

TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

One of the best bike tours on the planet is in our own backyard: the annual Parks & Trails NY Erie Canal ride, eight-days, 400-miles and 400 years of history, from Buffalo to Albany, a fully supported biking and camping trip (you can even hire Comfy Campers to set up your tent).

The ride raises money and awareness for advocacy for new trail development and this year’s ride will highlight new trails that take the riders off the roadway – this year, cyclists will ride a new stretch west of Lockport in the town of Pendleton and a gorgeous new trail between Amsterdam and Pattersonville (so you no longer bike on the highway). Some 550 riders are expected this year, its 21st annual Cycle the Erie ride, taking place , July

7-14; Parks & Trails NY is still accepting registrations ($925/adult, 6-17 $545, 5-and under $280, ptny.org)

The organization’s key focus now is to build upon the state’s plan for 750-miles of off-road recreational trails - the 360-mile long Erie Canalway, plus Empire State Trail, north-south mixeduse, off-road trail system that will fully connect New York City to Canada.

The plans are already in place for the Empire State Trail to be completed by the end of 2020. In 2019, PTNY launched Trails Across New York Campaign, to build off the momentum of the Empire State Trail’s planned completion in 2020 and support ways to turn the statewide trail system into a true network, connecting local trails with the main spine of the Empire State Trail, including Long Island, “and cementing New York’s position as the nation’s leader in multi-use trails.”

Legislation is currently pending in the NYS Assembly (A. 5035B) (S.4416B has already passed the NYS Senate) would create a statewide multi-use trails plan. This important bill would direct the state to come up with a blueprint for future trails development, helping to turn our local trails across the state into a unified network of trails with major spines and connecting routes, ensuring all parts of the state have access to quality outdoor active recreation on trails.

The Senate version has already passed; the Assembly version is in Ways & Means, which directs the State Parks department to strategize and prioritize filling in the trail gaps. Though it was considered possible for the Assembly to pass its version by the June 19th close of session, if it languishes to the next session, progress will not be lost. Parks &

Parks & Trails NY is hosting the 21st annual Cycle the Erie ride, along the 360-mile scenic and historic Erie Canalway © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Trails was urging people to contact their state legislator to ask them to cosponsor the legislation and to make sure that the legislation is brought up for a vote before the legislature adjourns for the year.

“Trails Across New York envisions a future in which all New Yorkers will be located only minutes from a trail and ideally will be able to access that trail easily and safely by walking or bicycling. Throughout the state, trails, bicycle boulevards, and Complete Streets will be acknowledged as essential and mainstream elements of community infrastructure, much as utility lines and sidewalks are thought of today.”

PTNY notes that New York State’s

trail-rich and trail-friendly reputation will attract visitors from across the nation and abroad to experience the historic communities and varied and beautiful landscapes accessible through the state’s trail network.

Trails offer a wide range of benefits, including stimulating local economies, PTNY notes. The Erie Canalway Trail alone has an estimated annual impact of more than $250 million, and has created close to 3,500 jobs. New York’s outdoor recreation economy annually generates $41.8 billion in consumer spending and supports 313,000 jobs.

Seeing the “Generation Gap” up close and personally

is good.

After dinner we started playing “Acquire” which is a multi-player mergers and acquisitions-themed board game. Tiles on the board represent hotels. There’s play money and stock certificates and the object of the game is to earn the most money by developing and merging hotel chains.

When a chain in which a player owns stock is acquired by a larger chain, players earn money based on the size of the acquired chain. At the end of the game, each player liquidates their stock and determines who has the most money. Brian did some quick computations and Phil won that time.

This particular board game reminded me a little of “Monopoly” in that each player wants to get property and build on it. “Acquire” came out in the 1960s but my siblings and I had never heard of it.

Sometimes each of us won and sometimes each of us came in last in the game. No one likes being last but we were all good humored about it. We didn’t take ourselves seriously which

Very often we were taken by surprise when we were “the big winner” because we didn’t have much of a strategy going, just dumb luck. Talk about being clueless ...

Somewhere along the way Brian pointed out that many of the games had been around for several years. We were oblivious to this fact because gaming was totally outside of our frame of reference. It wasn’t in our everyday sphere of reality.

Talk about politics and current events and we can have an intelligent conversation. Mention “gaming” and usually our eyes start to glaze over.

We clapped and clapped for whoever the winner was in each particular game and we didn’t kid whoever happened to have the fewest points aka come in last place.

“The Hare & the Tortoise” was the one we enjoyed most on that particular night. In any event we were good soldiers, willing to feel ignorant for the sake of Brian’s spirits. He definitely felt better after a night of gaming in his aunt and uncle’s house.

We met a few more times at my house and at Michelle’s house, each time having snacks, a hot dinner, and some cool, creative desserts, and Brian really enjoyed it. So did the rest of us.

This nephew of mine, Brian, is 39 and one of 17 nieces and nephews. He started playing “Dungeons and Dragons” 25 years ago, maybe before that, so gaming is right up his alley.

The last game that my relatives and I played at Phil and Kathy’s house, “Acquire,” went on for hours and just by watching people’s body language I could tell when my brothers and sisters, and sisters-in-law, to some extent, were feeling frustrated if they hadn’t won a game in a while. I also knew that some of them would rather be home watching “Criminal Minds” or CNN on TV.

Still, as the winner or as the person coming in last place, we all stuck with my millennial nephew’s favorite games even though it didn’t make us feel any younger or more modern.

It definitely showed a bit of a chasm, that is, a generation gap. What interests us doesn’t usually interest Brian and vice versa.

When Brian plays these board games with his cousins, with Kylie and Patrick, with Christy and Justin, I listen closely and notice that they all seem to be on the same wavelength.

This serves to reinforce my generation gap theory. My siblings and I are out of our element but the millennials are all on the same page.

When my brothers, sisters and I played poker, hearts, gin rummy and other games with my parents we had fun but there was a certain generation gap, too. It was the baby boomers and the World War II generation, the “greatest generation” to quote Tom Brokaw, and we knew that we’d usually be beaten in our marathon card games by our elders. Not always, but most of the time. Still, we had fun.

We had a certain camaraderie as we

played, talked and dined together. We respected the members of the greatest generation because we knew that many of them did without so that we could get ahead. We knew about many of their sacrifices so we never argued with them about that.

The millennials, however, seem to speak a different language. They take many things for granted and like being surrounded by their iPads, their smart phones, their ear buds and more. They get miffed very easily if they have to do without one or more of those items temporarily.

We baby boomers were - and often still are - content with reading books and watching TV and using landline phones instead of slim cell phones. If the electricity happens to go out we usually can manage. Not all of us are electronically “plugged in” all the time.

They were born into the digital age and we baby boomers were pre all of that technology.

Many of my millennial relatives like eating the best tofu dishes and often compare vegetarian recipes. Speaking for myself, I’m a baby boomer and I still like eating my meat and potatoes.

I was happy that we helped make Brian feel better as he recuperated and as we chatted we actually came across some common ground. The seven of us who were playing board games all had watched “Jeopardy!” on TV recently, watched as Las Vegas resident James Holzhauer, age 35, won a cool $2.4+ million over the course of 32 consecutive games. It was fascinating to see his strategy.

Over several weeks’ time Brian had tuned into the shows, the other six of us had watched and I smiled to myself because here was a subject that Brian, one of my millennials, and the rest of us all liked! Finally, we had bridged the generation gap!

EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE

13 Ways to Use Vinegar that Will Surprise You

BY MARY HUNT

It’s cheap. It’s available in every supermarket and home center in the universe. And it’s so useful around your home you may have a difficult time believing it. That’s the power of white vinegar -- the same vinegar you cook with and pour on your salad!

WINDOWS

Add 1/4 cup white vinegar to a quart of very warm water to make a good window cleaner. Wipe with a microfiber cloth and your windows will sparkle.

COMPUTER MOUSE

If your mouse has a removable tracking ball, clean it with a 50-50 vinegar-water solution. First, remove the ball from underneath the mouse by twisting off the cover. Dip a clean cloth into the solution; wring it out; and then wipe the ball clean. Next, remove fingerprints and dirt from the mouse itself. Then use a vinegar-moistened cotton swab to clean out the gunk and debris from inside the ball chamber. Allow all parts to dry a couple of hours before reinserting the ball.

LAUNDRY

Instead of fabric softener or dryer sheets, add 1/2 to 1 cup vinegar to the last

rinse in your washing machine (as you would liquid softener). Your clothes will come out soft because the vinegar helps to remove every trace of laundry detergent, which causes fabrics to stiffen.

WATERMARKS

Vinegar will dissolve hard-water marks like those on shower doors, faucets and vases. If the vinegar is hot (heat in the microwave), it works even faster.

BALLPOINT PEN INK

Got ink marks from a ballpoint pen adorning a wall, desktop or other inappropriate space? No worries. Dab fullstrength white vinegar on the ink using a cloth or a sponge. Repeat until the marks are gone. Then buy your child a nice big sketchpad.

DISHWASHER

Instead of pricey commercial rinse agents, fill that little reservoir in your dishwasher with white vinegar. Your dishes will sparkle. Refill often. If your dishwasher does not have this feature, simply add 1/2 to 1 cup (depending on the hardness of your water) to the last rinse.

WINDSHIELD

Wash your windshield with fullstrength vinegar -- avoiding painted areas -- to help keep ice and frost at bay.

WALLPAPER

Vinegar makes a great wallpaper remover. First, remove all the wallpaper you can by simply pulling it off. You’ll probably get only the top layer, but that’s OK. Spray full-strength vinegar on what remains. This will begin to dissolve the glue. Once softened you’ll be able to remove the rest without harsh chemicals.

WINDOW BLINDS

Remove the torture of cleaning mini blinds with this white-glove treatment: Just put on a white cotton glove and moisten the fingers in a solution made of equal parts white vinegar and hot tap water. Then slide your fingers across both sides of each slat, and prepare to be amazed. Use a container of clean water to periodically wash the glove, and then keep going.

TENDERIZE

Use the acidity of vinegar to tenderize meat. I add several tablespoons to pot roast, soups and stews. Balsamic vinegar will add a wonderful flavor, but white vinegar tenderizes just as well. Your guests will think you are serving them filet mignon.

REMOVE WAXY BUILDUP

To get built-up polish off a piece of wood furniture, dip a cloth in equal parts

vinegar and water, and squeeze it out well. Carefully clean away the polish, moving with the grain. Wipe dry with a soft towel or cloth. Most leather tabletops will come clean simply by wiping them down with a soft cloth dipped in 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Use a clean towel to dry off any remaining liquid.

HIDE SCRATCHES

To make scratches on wood furniture less noticeable, mix some distilled or cider vinegar and iodine in a small jar, and paint over the scratch with a small artist’s brush. Use more iodine for darker woods and more vinegar for lighter shades.

CANDLE WAX

Did a candle go nuts and drip wax on your fine wood furniture? Do this: First, soften the wax using a hair dryer on its hottest setting. Blot as much of that softened wax as you can with paper towels. Then remove what’s left by rubbing with a cloth soaked in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Wipe clean with a soft absorbent cloth.

Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProof Living, a personal finance member website and the author of the book DebtProof Living,

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Looking to sell items from your home?

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TAG SALE

INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY JORDAN

TAG SALE IN GARDEN CITY

Monday, June 24, 2019 9:30 a.m.

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REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

APARTMENT FOR RENT

GARDEN CITY BORDER

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VACATION RENTAL

CAPE COD

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CONDO/CO-OP FOR SALE

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Appointments phone Carmel Quill, Broker, 516-741-6135, 516-732-6049

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I was gone for most of Memorial Day. When I got home, something strange was happening in my pond. Many of the goldfish and some of the koi were behaving abnormally. They were lethargic, and some were staying directly under the waterfalls in an apparent attempt to get more oxygen. Before the next morning, a 21-inch-long koi, a footlong koi and seven large goldfish were dead.

I had to be part historian, part detective and part coroner to try to figure out what happened. The historian in me determined that there were no sick fish or signs of trouble before Memorial Day. However, a severe thunderstorm did move through during the afternoon, with rain, high winds and marble-sized hail. A lot of shoreline plants and nearby landscape plants were damaged. Lots of leaves and parts of plants were floating in the pond.

The detective discovered that some of the neighbors held family events in their nearby yards. Could some of them have sprayed their yards for mosquitos? So far, no one has said they did any spraying.

The coroner noted that none of the fish had any outward signs of injury. It appears the hail did not hit the fish. Some of the goldfish had been breeding in the morning and appeared healthy.

So, what are the possible causes of this fish kill? First, poison in the water. I did add water to the pond the night before because it was getting low. Occasionally, the local municipal water supply changes the wells they use to supply water. The water may have had a higher nitrite level than usual. The legal limit for nitrite in drinking water is much higher than the level necessary to harm fish. I should have tested the water before adding it as well as tested the pond water after noticing the fish in distress, but I didn’t think about it until a day later.

Maybe the plant materi-

Koi Pond Fish Kill A GREENER VIEW

BY JEFF RUGG

al knocked into the water by the storm released some toxic chemicals. There were a lot of leaves in the pond. Maybe lightning from the storm increased the amount of nitrate in the rainwater. Nitrate fertilizes plants, but it is toxic to fish.

Lightning can kill fish in lakes, but the neighbors didn’t think any lightning struck close by; no nearby trees appeared to be injured. Speaking of electricity, submersible pumps can wear out and cause electricity to leak out into the water, harming fish; however, this pond uses an out-of-water pump that can’t harm the fish.

The only sign there was a chemical cause to the problem was the foam that formed near the waterfalls, during which time the fish appeared most stressed. I did a huge water change during the night of Memorial Day and the level of foam decreased.

One of the odd parts of this problem was that two koi over two feet long, one eight-inch koi and several goldfish survived with only minor irritation during the episode and appear unharmed more than a week later.

One of the lessons that can be learned here is that water

should be checked before being added in large amounts to a pond. Nitrite and nitrate are toxic to fish, and test kits are easily purchased at pet stores. Small water changes of less than 10% will increase nitrite and nitrate, but in an established pond, the beneficial bacteria will consume both and they won’t harm the fish.

Another lesson is that all debris should be removed from a pond as soon as possible. This pond is covered by a net in the fall to prevent leaves from filling it.

A final lesson is that fish are very sensitive to airborne chemicals, especially insecticides. Weed-killing herbicides can also kill fish. If anyone in your neighborhood has a fishpond, be very careful to apply chemicals when the wind won’t blow them toward the pond.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview. com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2019 JEFF RUGG DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE

NOTICE OF SALE Supreme Court

Nassau County U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE OF THE NRZ PASS-THROUGH TRUST V, Plaintiff AGAINST FLOR ANGELA NEIRA SCHWARZ AKA FLOR ANGELA SCHWARZ IF LIVING, AND IF HE/SHE BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, CLAIMING, OR WHO MAY CLAIM TO HAVE AN INTEREST IN, OR GENERAL OR SPECIFIC LIEN UPON THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THIS ACTION; SUCH UNKNOWN PERSONS BEING HEREIN GENERALLY DESCRIBED AND INTENDED TO BE INCLUDED IN WIFE, WIDOW, HUSBAND, WIDOWER, HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, DESCENDANTS, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, COMMITTEES, LIENORS, AND ASSIGNEES OF SUCH DECEASED , ANY AND ALL PERSONS DERIVING INTEREST IN OR LIEN UPON, OR TITLE TO SAID REAL PROPERTY BY, THROUGH OR UNDER THEM, OR EITHER OF THEM, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE WIVES, WIDOWS, HUSBANDS, WIDOWERS, HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, DESCENDANTS, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES, COMMITTEES, LIENORS, AND ASSIGNS, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES, EXCEPT AS STATED, ARE UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated March 06, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Calendar Control Part (CCP) Courtroom of the Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, on July 09, 2019 at 11:30AM, premises known as 55 JUNEAU BOULEVARD, WOODBURY, NY 11797. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Oyster Bay, County of Nassau and State of New York,

SECTION 13, BLOCK 73, LOT

47. Approximate amount of judgment $980,861.10 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment for Index# 15-000877.

DOROTHY R. LOCASCIO, ESQ., Referee

Gross Polowy, LLC

Attorney for Plaintiff 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221

SYO 4282 4X 06/07,14,21,28

NOTICE OF LIQUOR LICENSE

Notice is hereby given that a license, number 1317736 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 170 Jericho Turnpike, Syosset, NY 11791 for on-premises consumption. Applicant: T W Enterprises USA Inc DBA: Beijing House SYO 4288

2X 06/14,21

NOTICE OF NAME CHANGE

Notice is hereby given that an order granted by the Supreme Court, Nassau County, on the 20th day of May, 2019, bearing index number 19-000393, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, New York grants me the right to assume the name of Alex Assaf Cohen. The city and state of my present address are Woodmere, NY; the month and year of my birth are January, 1981; the place of my birth in Jerusalem, Israel; my present name is Assaf Yigal Cohen.

SYO 4289

1X 06/21

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HENG XING 3719 LLC

Arts. Of Org. filed with Secy. Of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 03/06/2019 Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 33 Kettlepond Rd., Jericho, NY 11753 which is also the principal business location. Purpose: any lawful activity.

JNJ 7919

6X 06/14,21,28,07/05,12,19

Syosset alumni, professionals celebrate career experiences

From page 1

tor Arnold Drucker, and staff at the new Syosset (485 Underhill Boulevard) office of New York State Senator Jim Gaughran, as the senator recently became involved locally and offered his support to the Syosset-Woodbury Chamber of Commerce.

In attendance on June 15 to praise the Align Us mentorship program and the community’s support was another elected official, Congresswoman Grace Meng of Queens, now serving her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Meng is the first Asian American member of Congress from New York State.

“I have been in Congress for six years and there are an increasing number of women in Congress and an increasing number who have young kids. Right now we have 101 women in Congress although we are still under 25% which is not acceptable in the United States. We are working on that. Trying to share advice and past experiences, best practices, can really help so much whether on a professional or personal level. I want the young people in this room to make sure you are seeking all of us out. We are resources for you; don’t shy away from asking questions. Many times as daughters and sons of immigrant communities and families we really are establishing a new standard and charting a new course or path for the very first time in

so many ways, and sometimes there aren’t established people we can rely on before us. Even for me as a woman in Congress, the last female Congresswoman from Queens was Geraldine Ferraro (former Vice Presidential nominee). From all the different career fields -- accounting to advertising, journalism, politics -- each of these fields might seem daunting for our young people to break into. You might be the first one in your family to ever enter one of these fields, and that is why the role of mentorship is so important and so critical. This program can literally can help change and shape the path that you end up going on,” Meng said.

Local mentor and Syosset-based attorney Chris Arzberger told the Advance the Align US program is designed to help students figure out “where they want to go” in their careers. He graduated from SUNY-Binghamton and became the first lawyer in his family after earning his JD at Hofstra and a master’s from Columbia University.

“I had to learn legal studies on my own and I had to dive right into it, learning along the way that I liked it. I took classes and started to study in-depth but it would have been very helpful for someone to guide me in the right way as I would not have made as many mistakes along the way,” he explained.

Arzberger’s mentee was the first-place award winner in the inaugural Align Us mentorship program, Syosset High School student Arianne Lee. Arzberger noted the inside look at his law firm, his perspective on investing in a legal career and how Lee ultimately fine-tuned her interests this spring while participating with Align Us. “My mentee ultimately decided that law is not really for her. She is so young and still learning so much, but all students should keep intentions to try all subjects and areas of study. They may be surprised what they actually like and would like to spend their resources and time on for the rest of their life. They may be surprised to learn how many people drop out of law school in or after their first semester and how much money was spent on that. There may an average of up to and over $100,000 in debt accrued -- for students, learning what they like now saves the time, the hassle and the costs. That is invaluable and that is what’s great about the Align Us program as it provides young people with opportunities to experience something they might not get to experience until they are much older,” Arzberger said.

Lee spoke at the June 15 gala and said while Arzberger’s law practice she gained insights that allowed her to figure out whether or not it’s best

See page 14

Syosset School Board Trustee and Align Us mentor Andrew Feldman with Dr. Uzma Syed, president of Align Us, and 1968 Syosset High School graduate Steve Nilssen representing nonprofit VIBS in Suffolk County.

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Syosset alumni celebrate career experiences

From page 12

to study law in the future.

“When I was selecting which industry to take the mentorship program in I was stuck and I didn;t know if I should pick medicine, finance, or law but eventually I entered law for my top choice. I considered the possibility of becoming a lawyer as joining the forensics club and debate opened my eyes to a whole new world. Previously speaking in front of my classmates made me nervous but debate gave me enough confidence and public speaking to overcome the fear. A lot of skills I picked up in debate were skills needed in becoming a lawyer. I saw this mentorship as a chance for me to delve into what the life of a lawyer is really like,” Lee commented.

As a mentee at Arzberger & Associates (at 85 Cold Spring Road in Syosset) Arianne Lee performed research for Arzberger’s cases, and in the process she studied the differences between the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment and other questions involving the role of the Supreme Court.

“Chris Arzberger was warm and welcoming, but after our first meeting I got a sense of what a great person my mentor was -- from his Star Trek and Wonder Woman posters. His bright attitude put me at ease and he explained so much about why he got into law and the process with applying to law school, as well as the job industry for law professional. Chris showed me what the life of an attorney is really like and how many cases can last for one or several years. I also realized the business of running a law firm with people behind the scenes involved in paperwork, documentation, and client files. Chris did so much mentoring on the job in just 20 hours with me, and for that I am extremely grateful. After this experience I have drawn the conclusion that law is not the career for me. I can’t really picture myself at a law firm in 10 years and debating other people. But what I realized that I loved the most about the study of law is the intellectual discussion that it creates,” she said.

Lee’s high school friend in the Align Us program is Elsie Ho, a Syosset High School sophomore. Ho completed a mentorship experience in government with Farrah Mozawalla -- head of the Nassau County Asian American Affairs Board, executive director of the County Office of Asian American Affairs created by County Executive Laura Curran this year. At Mozawalla’s side, Ho was able to attend high-profile events and community outreach programs.

“We participated in events celebrating Asian American holidays such as Lunar New Year, Ramadan, Eid-al-Fitr, and others. We created a quantitative analysis together and surveyed the Nassau County and North Shore’s Asian American communities for their preferences in our government and legislation

with what they would request such as senior citizen care, or legalization of marijuana -- on all types of social and political issues. It was much fun surveying everyone, it was great to help the Asian American community and there were many nice people to meet at each event,” Ho told the Advance on June 15.

Her interest in studying political science moving forward has increased, and at Syosset High both Arianne Lee and Elsie Ho are mainly involved with the forensics club. Ho says if she had to choose now, similar to Lee’s comments, this five-month experience as a mentee has left her more motivated to pursue medicine for a career as her favorite subjects in school are chemistry and biology.

Another Align Us mentee who was honored on June 15 is Dr. Pallavi Manvar Singh, a vascular surgeon affiliated with Northwell Health-Syosset, Plainview Hospital and Huntington Hospital, graduated from Wheatley High School before heading to Dartmouth College for her undergraduate studies. Dr. Singh attended Ross University School of Medicine in Florida before completing training and residency in general surgery at the University at Buffalo. Her husband is surgeon Dr. Robinder Singh of The Plastic Surgery Group, P.C. in Great Neck and Rockville Centre, and attending surgeon at Northwell-Syosset Hospital, Plainview Hospital, Northwell (North Shore) Hospital in Manhasset, St. Francis Medical Center and L.I.J., among Nassau County hospitals.

When the Align Us mentorship program was introduced to the public at Syosset Library back on December 3, 2018, Singh told local high school students and their parents she was eager to volunteer her time and knowledge of the medical profession, “as she looks forward to whoever has an interest in surgery”, a distinct change from working with residents at Northwell Health.

In an interview with the Advance at the June 15 event, Dr. Singh said it is important for youth starting as early as their middle school and high school years to have mentors and gain guidance and hands-on experiences from their time around working professionals.

Under the tutelage of Syosset Board of Education member and financial planning professional Andrew Feldnman (Andrew Feldman Associates, Inc. in Woodbury) student Jason Yormack experienced a financial services career within the Align Us program. On June 15 he told the audience of 75 people at Tesoro, “I saw firsthand how the stock market was performing is part of a job and of a service that people use and need.” He says the Align Us program gave him the outline to start thinking about his future and his career goals while still in high school:

“I thought about whether or not financial planning could be a career

for me and whether or not I liked doing the work involved, and whether I could see myself working in this industry. I found it interesting that as I continued in the mentorship I started to consider how working in finance would impact other people. It’s one thing to do a job, and I realized it is another thing to do a job that impacts other people. This is a career where I would be able to help people save for their retirement or to buy their first home, or allow them to send their children to college or protect the family from unexpected medical bills. I realized that I was not only considering my own career in financial planning, but if the career would allow me to someday invite a student into my office so I could help by mentoring them. That is now my goal as I hope to continue the process, to learn and grow and create my own success and eventually inspire others to create their own paths to success. I plan to add business classes to my school schedule next year and plan to pursue a degree in business administration in college,” Yormack said.

Steve Nilssen -- a 1968 Syosset High School graduate and Vietnam War veteran -- attended the Align US awards ceremony on June 15 on behalf of the 501c3 nonprofit VIBS (Victims’ Information Bureau) in Suffolk County which provides counseling and childcare for children, families and veterans. Align

Us has made a charitable donation to Growing up in Syosset in the 1960s led Nilssen to try different career paths as a student at Nassau Community College for two years before he entered military service. He served in the infantry -101st Airborne -- as a helicopter assault specialist. He was wounded in Vietnam during service, and Nilssen returned home after spending six months in a VA hospital setting. Then he chose to continue his education at C.W. Post and become a special education teacher. Nilssen previously worked with Align Us Second Vice President Sadia Muniruddin at Montessori and Education Administration at CA Technologies. He’s ‘aligned’ personal interest and efforts in the greater North Shore community, giving back over the last four decades.

“My aspirations were to become a high school teacher and history was and still is my favorite subject. When I was at Syosset High I did not have money or the equipped mindset to study fulltime, then I went to NCC for two years. I wanted to go into the military, and later I was wounded in the war. After spending half a year in the VA they gave me vocational rehabilitation, which meant I could attend college. My choices were to follow my interest in teaching or to go into emergency medical training,” he said.

Two local reform temples

vote

to merge

page 1

saw how much they had in common, the two temples enthusiastically started to share several Shabbats and other religious and social events together.

CRT’s president, Carol Markman, commented that “While we leave our long-time home at CRT with mixed emotions”, she is nevertheless “looking forward to coming together with TOE” and is “excited by the broadened opportunities for Jewish learning while maintaining the same customs and observances that we have found traditionally meaningful and having the opportunity to develop additional ones.”

TOE’s president, Michael Wilner, has called Rabbi Cohen-Rosenberg, Cantor Katz and Mrs. Tract the “ultimate Dream Team”. Rabbi Cohen-Rosenberg is well-known not just for her Judaic learning but for her efforts on Long Island to promote social action and interfaith outreach, which mirror goals that TOE has likewise pursued. Cantor Katz brings his infectious energy to Shabbat services and everything else he does, including performing in concerts at TOE, the Tilles Center, other syna-

gogues, nursing homes and far beyond. Mrs. Tract has increased TOE’s school enrollment over the past 6 years, while other temples have faced declining student population in the same period.

The congregations, clergy and Ms. Tract all quickly realized the benefits and synergy that a consolidation would bring, and how they could together create a vibrant new temple to withstand the demographic challenges faced by all Reform temples on Long Island. While the consolidation will not become official until it is approved by New York State Supreme Court, the two temples are already planning to “live together” before they “get married”. They will start blending their operations on July 1. Whether or not the merger becomes official before the upcoming High Holidays, Rabbi Cohen-Rosenberg and Cantor Katz will be leading Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services together for the two congregations on the bema of TOE, with High Holiday honors given out to members of both temples. Likewise, all children currently in religious school at CRT can start attending religious school at TOE in the fall.

From

22 Fountain Lane, Jericho

Sold

4

2 Fortune Lane, Jericho

Total

23 Eaton Road, Syosset

Sold Price: $775,000 Date: 12/10/2018

4

Lot Size: 78x100

Schools: Syosset

Total Taxes: $17,984

MLS# 3055889

25 Greenway Cir, Syosset

Sold Price: $723,000

Date: 02/01/2019

4 beds, 3 Full baths

Style: Colonial # of Families: 1

Lot Size: 60x109

Schools: Syosset

Total Taxes: $22,418

MLS# 3061689

for being recognized as one of Real Estate’s

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