Parenting Plus: March 26, 2010

If Your Child Is Not Healthy, My Child Is Not Safe

Gladys Carrión, commissioner of the New York State Office of Children & Family Services, oversees 26 juvenile detention facilities that hold close to 2,000 kids under 16 who have committed criminal acts. In a 2008 interview with New York Daily News, she stated that over 80 percent of the adolescents in this system have serious mental health problems that go untreated. Carrión described the network of juvenile facilities as a “pipeline to prison.” The system damages children and families and fails to make our neighborhoods safer.

Letter: Include Your Pets in Disaster Plans

Many LI residents were taken by surprise by last weekend’s storm and had no plan for their pets when they evacuated. This is a wakeup call given the predictions for a more active than normal Hurricane Season. Now is the time to make family evacuation plans including your pet. Most shelters will not accept pets so you must make the plan keeping in mind a companion animal is happiest in a familiar, safe environment. Teach pets to be accustomed to crates, making him a more welcome guest in a friend or relative’s home.

From Long Island Wins: March 19, 2010

Immigration Reform Will Create a Level Playing Field for All Workers

This past Friday morning, three immigrant worker advocates left the parking lot of the Hempstead Home Depot and started walking toward Queens.

What Every Long Islander Should Know: March 12, 2010

Working Together CAN Happen Here

“Working together is not in Long Islanders’ DNA.”

I sometimes hear that when I share with people examples of regions acting in cooperative ways to address their problems.

Letter: Park Should Have Been Opened

On Saturday, March 6, I went to Colleran Park with seven young children. I live in the neighborhood, and thought that this was the perfect park as I could watch all of them and they could not go far. Unfortunately, the park was locked with no explanation. Needless to say, the children and I were very disappointed.

Sacrificing Our Lands and Waters

The lands, waters, and wildlife of New York are vital to our state’s identity and strength. If enacted, Governor Paterson’s FY2010/11 Executive Budget proposal would strike a harsh blow to the state’s ability to address critical environmental issues now and for years to come. Our rich natural resources protect our drinking water, contribute billions of dollars a year in revenue through tourism and other industries, provide green spaces for millions of city residents, and support a breathtaking variety of wildlife. From the Adirondacks to the shores of the Hudson to the bays and beaches of Long Island, our precious lands and waters must be protected—for our health, for our prosperity and for our children’s future.

Letter: Thinking the Opposite

Tough times call for tough measures, or that’s what you would think. In Nassau County, they are thinking the opposite. Peter Schmitt and the Republican Majority of the Nassau County legislature voted for pay raises for themselves in one of the worst economies since the Great Depression. Our newest Legislator Joe Belesi supported the idea without question, having been in office for only a few days. His predecessor, Dave Mejias, fought against these raises his entire six years in office. It took Belesi less than a week to do the complete opposite. Joe Belesi and the Republican Majority have shown their true colors. You can lead them to the legislature but you can’t make them think.

Frank Misa

Letter: Tell Albany to Save Our Parks

Albany is playing games again, and it looks like those of us who enjoy our State Parks might be the losers!

Liver Lines: February 19, 2010

Autoimmune hepatitis is a common form of chronic liver disease that is quite commonly encountered in our area. As there are no specific markers for this condition and it is seldom considered by physicians, its diagnosis is often delayed or not made at all. This chronic condition is a result of alterations in the body’s immune system which lead to the production of specific chemicals that attack liver cells. These specific chemicals have yet to be identified, however the condition of autoimmune hepatitis is well described. Simply said, this condition is a result of an enhanced immune response directed at the liver.

What Every Long Islander Should Know: February 12, 2010

Study Finds Long Island Downtowns Are Good to Grow

A team of researchers went looking for land in all the right places—and found oodles of it. Enough to start building a new, more vibrant and prosperous Long Island. That’s the news contained in a study just released by the Long Island Index.