Milieu Magazine - Volume 02, Issue 06 by Milieu Magazine For Women

MAMMOGRAPHY goes

New studies show that 3D Mammography can increase the detection of the most harmful forms of cancer by 40%, while decreasing the number of unnecessary callbacks by up to 40%.

SEE MORE with

MRI

We offer 3T Wide-bore MRI at 11 of our offices, which provides up to 10 times the resolution and speed of many scanners still in use today. 3T MRI enables us to visualize complex organs, like the prostate, with unprecedented detail.

ZWANGER-PESIRI

516 6 31

Z-W-A-N-G-E-R

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3T & 1.5T Wide-bore MRI • 3D Mammography Low-dose CT • PET/CT • Nuclear Medicine • Biopsy Digital X-ray • DEXA Bone Density •Ultrasound

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New Offices in Amityville, Commack, Hauppauge, Bayshore, & Shirley

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TheGift of

Spa...

Naturally Spa Adriana Gift Cards Are a Great Way to Give Them Exactly What They Want.

We exclusively use Aveda Products for all our services, Hair, Hair color, Skin and Body treatments and Makeup.

For Holiday Gift Certificates Visit our Website, Call Us, Or Come In.

631-351-1555

266 Main Street Huntington Village

www.spaadriana.com

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ocu Salon & Spa has been Defining Beauty Since 1987. Twentyseven years ago, Maria Polsinelli created a Salon at 1500 square feet that has expanded to 8000! Bocu is the largest Salon & Spa in Suffolk County, employing over 60 people. The staff, like family, has long term, loyal employees, dating back 25 years with an ever expanding new and next generation of talent. Bocu’s artistic team is up to the minute with the latest trends having trained in fashion forward locations around the world such as London, Paris, Spain & going soon to Germany! Bocu provides inhouse education for our apprentices & staff to ensure the highest quality of service. Weddings, Proms & other special Occasions book six to twelve months in advance due to the high demand of our creative team. Bocu Make-up Artist, Amy, specializes in airbrushing, worked in a modeling agency for many years. She is renowned in our industry for her work and was recently called for her make-up artistry by Pulse magazine for a two day shoot in east Hampton. Bocu is constantly updating & changing with the times. Bocu’s latest makeover was to our Nail Department; illuminating glass bowl pedicure chairs, marble top nail stations & oversized client chairs for our client’s ultimate comfort. Our Day Spa is not like your typical two room spa, It is a large, 1500 square feet area, with a private waiting room, four facial & massage rooms, body treatment with Vichy shower room, full size locker room with rain forest showers & aromatherapy steamroom. The Spa pedicure area has 3 sofa size seats to relax on with large antique style copper bowls that are filled with milk & water potpourri, followed by a paraffin wax treatment. Our clients can enjoy lunch and teas while relaxing by the Koi pond. The spa offers its own private nail area as well. It’s known for hosting private parties from bridal to birthday. After one service or a day of beauty at the Spa, Bocu extends complimentary blowout & makeup application. One of the many reasons Bocu was nominated for salon & spa of the year. Why not have a one of a kind piece of history? Beautiful Antique & Vintage jewelry, collected from around the world, is displayed in glass museum like jewelry cubes throughout the Salon. Our customers also can enjoy shopping at Turnbury lady clothing & Savvy Splurges boutique, which are also located in Bocu. As busy as Bocu gets Maria & her staff always find time to support the local & larger causes. Maria has also opened her home for photo shoots for the past four years to Moms Who Kick, a calendar featuring women’s survival stories and Raising money for cancer (founded by Joanne Hutchins). Also, Holiday House & Family League Family services for touring & fundraising to raise money of which 100% of proceeds went to the organization or cause. To see and experience the Salon and Spa at Bocu, Maria is offering a $25 gift card for any one Spa service OR 50% off any one Salon service just for coming in for a guided tour! We hope to welcome you to our Bocu family soon! We look forward to seeing you. Jennifer Vacca of Zoot Shoot Photography, located in Northport, has dedicated over 30 years to the art of portraiture, printing and photo editing. Exquisite photos for every momentous occasion and memory, captured in her professional studio or your favorite location. www.zootshoot.net

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Bocu Salon & Spa deďŹ ning beauty since 1987. See BocuSalonandSpa.com for Fall Specials. Hair & Makeup by Bocu Artistic Team, Photography by Jennifer Vacca of Zoot Shoot

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12 Days of

BEAUTY COUNTER

Holiday Gift Sets 2 Suki’s Personal Faves

Cheers to FAB Skin Kit ‘Tis the season for late night soirées and cooler weather, all of which take their toll on your skin. ($48, Sephora, Multiple Locations, Sephora.com)

These four full-size products, when used together, enhance your skin’s ability to renew and balance. ($99.95, SukiSkincare.com)

sley Philip Kingir Days Kit a H y Happ alp healthy

hair and sc Keep your ction of with a sele and happy oners for iti nd co d an m) shampoos pKingsley.co ili Ph , 32 everyone. ($

3 Equitance Skin Care Trial Kit

Going to Grandma’s just got glamorous with this deluxe travel-size sampler. ($37, Equitance-US.com)

Essential Hydroxatone Beauty Box t products to help

ndou With four sta aging you ible signs of combat the vis g why you didn’t grab in er will be wond s, Multiple lf! ($49, Kohl one for yourse ) om s.c hl Ko Locations,

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4 Twinkle & Shine Sparkling Citrus Luxury Gift Set A special seasonal bath and body set with Body Butter, Sugar Scrub and Shower Gel. ($80, Arbonne.com).

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BEAUTY COUNTER

Supersmile Ultimate Whitening System

This winning combin ation will make your smile as bright as a diamond. ($58, SuperSmile.c om)

7 Heart and Seoul Skincare Collection by Amarté Give the gift of glowing skin with this beautiful gift set that includes five products. ($185, AmarteSkinCare.com)

Surya Brasil’s Just Say Spaaaah Give the gift of comfort and joy with Surya Brasil’s Amazonia Preciosa Shower Scrub Gel, Decadant Massage Oil and Facial Clay Mask. ($111, Surya Brasil.com)

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Star of Wonder Fig Blossom Spa Gift Set Give the gift of a calming fig blossom bath and body collection. Set includes Shower Gel, Body Scrub, Bubble Bath and Body Lotion. ($90, Arbonne.com)

9 La Prairie Eternal Platinum

Experience the extraordinary power of platinum in this limited editi on offering of La Prairie’s most luxurious colle ction providing ultimate rejuvenation, Cellu lar Cream Platinum Rare works in syne rgy with Cellular Serum Platinum Rare to rech arge skin’s electrical balance. ($1,700, LaPrairie.com)

4K Daily OROGOLD 2ential Kit Ess

K Deep glow with 24 Get a winter Cream, 24K Deep izer Day Moistur Cell Renewal Night 24K Peeling and skincare set will leave Cream. This flawless. and feeling you looking old.com) oG Or 8, ($21

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From the Publisher

Staff Publisher

Ann Weber-Hughes, RPA-C, MPAS Medical Forensic Investigator Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office

Milieu Magazine is different from Beverly Fortune other Long Island publications. Of Art Director course, we feature the latest trends and Jon Sasala fashions, but we also tell real stories Lifestyle Editor about real Long Islanders. Some of Sara Anne Fingerman their experiences are inspiring, some are heart-wrenching. We thrive on that Production Jon Chim editorial mix and our readers apparJeff Main ently feel the same. They have given us wonderful feedback about our unique Digital content. Michael Conforti The cover image was taken by Susan Contributors Eckert, a very talented Long Island Tim Bolger photographer. Her vision of a beautiful Jaime Franchi Long Island woman wearing a red flowRashed Mian ing parachute was the perfect way for Spencer Rumsey Christopher Twarowski us to convey the uplifting power of the holiday spirit. Interns Our annual holiday issue brings you Rosie Flore a terrific gift guide with something for Bea Arner everyone on your list, along with tips and trends to have a joy-filled season brimming with ideas to delight your family and friends. Our cover story, “Women Vets Serving the Underserved,” by Jaime Franchi, however, is not intended to make you feel good until you get involved and find a way to help our veterans who have returned from their arduous tour of duty only to find despair here at home. We hope we can begin a dialogue and then inspire action to ensure that all of our veterans are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Long Island is second only to San Diego in the number of troops who have served in the military. Unlike that city, Long Island lacks a central base. As a result, so many of the resources our veterans need are spread across the Island, making it difficult for them to reach especially if they have to rely on public transportation. This holiday season, please remember our veterans in your preparations, whether you give a monetary donation or a gift of your time. Our “guy who gets it,” Rene Fiechter, is another inspiring story by Franchi. We are proud to bring these outstanding male role models to our readers’ attention, so please keep the nominations coming in. We know they’re out there! Milieu’s profiles of women in STEAM careers show how they are guiding the next generation of Long Island leaders in their respective fields of expertise. But the exception was in mathematics. In my research, I found that there is a shortage of women on Long Island in the mathematic fields outside of education, where they excel. I’d love to hear from women doing amazing things in that field. We wish you a very happy holiday season and may your New Year be filled with peace and prosperity. Warm Regards, Beverly Beverly@MilieuLI.com

In this Issue Beauty Counter �� p. 6 FanFare �� p. 10 Trendy 10 �� p. 14 Shoes �� p. 16 Jewelry �� p. 18 Shopping List �� p. 20 STEAM �� p. 24 8 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

Cover Story �� p. Gift Guide �� p. Quiz �� p. Guy Who Gets It �� p. Bon Ap �� p. Health �� p. Family �� p. Horoscope �� p. J’Adore �� p. milieuli.com

30 37 50 52 64 66 70 72 74

For Milieu advertising inquiries email info@MilieuLI.com For a free Milieu subscription visit MilieuLI.com/subscribe Phone: 516-284-3300 990 Stewart Ave., Suite 450 Garden City, ny 11530 Info@MilieuLI.com | MilieuLI.com Copyright © 2014. Milieu Magazinetm is a product of Morey Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

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On The Cover

Photography: Susan Eckert Photography LLC Model & Makeup: Kelly Stanger of GlamMeUp Makeup Studio Hair: Lisa Scollo of GlamMeUp Makeup Studio Parachute Dress: Custom Dress by Susan Eckert and Pietra Banchi of the Pietra Pizarro Couture Line

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November

FanFare NOVEMBEr

NOVEMBEr

Achieving Extraordinary Women’s Leadership Conference

8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Crest Hollow Country Club. For information: TCaines@Mom-Mentum.org

The Paramount, 8 p.m. Huntington. ParamountNY.com

LICBPW Champagne & Chocolate

Fashion Show 6 pm-8 pm, Fox Hollow, Woodbury. LICenter.org NOVEMBEr

NOVEMBEr

Comedy Central Presents:

Mario Cantone

8 p.m. The Space at Westbury. TheSpaceAtWestbury.com

5:30 p.m. Carlyle on the Green. JReganHaight@arthritis.org

December

Spank!

The Fifty Shades of Gray Parody

Arthritis Foundation Annual Women on the Move Cocktail Reception

DECEMBER

Amy Schumer’s Backdoor Tour

Patti LaBelle

8 p.m. NYCB Theatre at Westbury. TheTheatreAtWestbury.com

DECEMBER

Madison Theatre Holiday Celebration

8 p.m. NYCB Theatre at Westbury. TheTheatreAtWestbury.com

DECEMBER

6 7 Holiday Fine Arts and Craft Fair

8 p.m. Madison Theater, Rockville Centre. Molloy.edu

12 Aimee Mann Christmas Show 8 p.m. The Space at Westbury. TheSpaceAtWestbury.com

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Art League of Long Island, Dix Hills. ArtLeagueLI.net DECEMBER

DECEMBER

Theresa Caputo Live

TSO

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

8 p.m. NYCB Theatre, Westbury. TheTheatreAtWestbury.com

8 p.m. Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale. NassauColiseum.com

DECEMBER

Events from The Island Ear Find more at MilieuLI.com/IslandEar

NOVEMBEr

November and December 2014

NOVEMBEr

DECEMBER

EVENTS on LONG Island

DECEMBER

Festival of LightS

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NOVEMBEr

8:30 p.m. The Paramount, Huntington. ParamountNY. com

8 p.m. The Paramount, Huntington. ParamountNY.com

NOVEMBEr

DECEMBER

Dark Star Orchestra Cosmic New Year’s

Matisyahu

NOVEMBEr

Nutcracker Ballet with the South Shore Orchestra

Madison Theater, Rockville Centre. Molloy.edu

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 13

Louboutin Ombre Red Nail Polish

A pair of classic Christian Louboutin high heels is the ultimate fashion statement. Rouge Louboutin nail polish recreates the dramatic 8-inch height inspired by the Ballerina Ultima shoe in a faceted and weighted glass bottle. The calligraphy-inspired cap houses a patented triangular brush that delivers a perfect coat of polish without air bubbles. Two coats gives the effect of 20 layers of traditional lacquer polish and comes encased in a patent leather-like presentation box.

T op 1 0 trends for N

TRE

Q-Bracelet With this chic bracelet/iPhone charger, you won’t have to find the nearest outlet to charge your smartphone. The Q-Bracelet is a cool accessory, and a lifeline for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The bracelet opens to reveal a charging port that delivers 60% more battery life. Available in five colors and three sizes, for men and women.

3 Lumo Lift FlatForm Boots As easy to walk in as a pair of sneakers but with a lot more style points, flatforms are a hybrid of a platform and flat shoe. They might look clunky (they are), but flatforms keep the foot level, making them almost comfortable, giving height without the torture of putting weight on the ball of the foot.

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No longer will you need your mother to jab you with her elbow and admonish you to stand straight. The Lumo Lift coaches you to sit and stand taller with a gentle vibration to remind you to stop slouching. Lumo Lift clips to your shirt and synchs with your smartphone or tablet to remind you with a subtle nudge when your posture is good and when it isn’t.

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5 SideChef Cooking App For all levels of kitchen wizards, SideChef makes cooking easy by providing audio and visual cues to guide you through each recipe. The free app has photos, written instructions and timers, and responds to voice commands. You can even add your own recipes. Bon appétit!

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o v ember / D ecember

NDY

7 Gray Thursday Large retailers are betting that shoppers are willing to give up their Thanksgiving turkey because of a greater hunger…. huge savings on holiday gifts. Black Friday is being usurped by Gray Thursday where they hope shoppers will be “gobbling” up their inventory. Macy’s has announced it will open at 6 pm on Thanksgiving with Best Buy and Walmart rumored to be doing the same. KMart has been the leader in Thanksgiving deals with stores opening at 8 am, before you even have time to stuff the turkey and turn on the oven.So while Grandma is enjoying that pecan pie, retailers are counting on scores of people leaving the table and heading to the mall. Whether you shop or not, Thanksgiving will never be the same.

Clippa -Mini Tools Clip

For the MacGyver in all of us, this is a must-have accessory. The stainless steel hair clip doubles as a tool box on the go, with a flat and Phillips screwdriver, cutter, trolley coin, wrench and ruler. Use it to cut rope, slice a lemon, hang a picture and hold back your bangs. Now you can whip out your hair clip and save the day!

9 escape the room nyc

Golden Age Décor Missoni Home The Golden Age Collection by Missoni Home lends sophisticated opulence to a variety of spaces, with captivating colors and patterns that will instantly give your room visual excitement. Available at MissoniHomeHamptons.com

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Get your family, friends or co-workers together for a fun, interactive and unique game where you need to use your smarts and survival skills to solve the mystery of how to gain your freedom. Escape the Room NYC offers two scenarios: The Theater and The Apartment. You and your team must find hidden objects and figure out clues to earn your freedom. You only have 60 minutes, so you must be quick! There are two locations, Midtown and Downtown, which each feature different games. Find clues and hidden items, solve puzzles, and escape the room!

3 D Doodler Pen With this new creative media, you can doodle while you watch your drawings come to life. Create simple or complex objects, using cutting-edge technology that heats the plastic as it passes through the pen body, and hardens as it cools. The creative process is endless. Anything you can imagine is possible. All you have to do is draw!

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T he S hopping L ist

Let it Snow Jeffery Campbell Studded Suede Boots

With spectacular stud detailing, dress up these highheeled boots with a mini dress or keep it casual with a cropped top and skinny jeans. ($450, Lyst.com)

Kelly & Katie Kama Leopard Bootie Decorative zippers and contrasting fabric make this style a new favorite for a night out! ($49.95, DSW, Multiple Locations, DSW.com)

Gucci Coline Mid-Shaft High Heel The color-blocked metallic tip adds a modern twist to a classic boot. ($950, Bloomingdaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Garden City & Huntington, Bloomingdales.com)

Saya

Add insta-glam with these boots in black leather, blue suede, or tweed. ($180, Aldo, Multiple Locations, AldoShoes.com)

Bristol Knee High Rain Boots

A deep notch at the back calf makes these adorable boots easy to slip on. ($98.95, Nordstrom, Garden City, Nordstrom.com)

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Woolrich Booties

Short, sweet and cozy, these booties are worn with denim and flannel.($225, Bloomingdaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Garden City & Huntington, Bloomingdales.com)

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medical treatment, negligence, and failure to correctly diagnose and treat a variety of medical conditions. We have helped thousands in the past 40 years in NY, CT, PA, NJ, NC to obtain the funds necessary to secure the services they need, including children with birth injuries, women whose breast cancer or other gynecological conditions were not timely diagnosed, and people whose medical treatment was improper and caused injury. We take great pride that many clients are referred to us by friends, family members, former clients, and other attorneys. Our success with some of the most complex cases has resulted in justice for more than 2,000 individuals and their families. If you have been seriously injured, call us for a free consultation. 516-684-2900 or toll free. 1-800-Med-Mal7 or 1-800-633-6257 www.pegalisanderickson.com

Pegalis & Erickson, LLC AT T O R N E Y S AT L A W Come visit us for health tips and community news. We are recognized in the legal community as a "Plaintiffs’ Medical Malpractice Attorneys" law firm, ‘Best Law Firms List (US News 2010- 2014) Pegalis & Erickson has been selected by their peers for inclusion in New York Metro SuperLawyers 2007 through 2014. N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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T he S hopping L ist

Jingle Bell Rocks Pave Diamond Heart on Fancy Chain, 14k White Gold Pave diamonds suspended on a delicate chain. ($1,750, Fortunoff Fine Jewelry) 18k Diamond and Sapphire Necklace and Earrings Set Gorgeous diamonds and sapphires creates flourishing drama. ($3,995, The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay) 18k White Gold Bangle with 3.00ctw of Diamonds White gold and diamonds look stunning with any ensemble. ($4,495, The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay)

Where to Buy The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay, Multiple Locations, TheJewelryGallery.com Fortunoff Fine Jewelry, Westbury, FortunoffJewelry.com

White Gold Bangle 18k with Diamond Clusters A unique twist to the classic bangle. ($4,995, The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay)

Brilliant Diamond Engagement Ring in 14k White Gold Beautiful diamond embellished band engagement ring. ($3,995, The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay)

Diamond Studs in 14k White Gold 4 prong Setting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1.05ctw Classic. A must for every woman. ($1,495, The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay)

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18K White Gold Bangle with 3.00 ctw of Diamonds Timeless and elegant. ($4,495, The Jewelry Gallery of Oyster Bay)

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WE DO

YOUR WEDDING WITH STYLE

80 West Broadway | Long Beach NY 1561 | www.allegriahotel.com | 516.992.3765| N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Bombs Away!

American Rag Ribbed Faux Leather Bomber Jacket

Burberry Brit Lightweight Bomber Jacket A classic look inspired by heritage designs, featuring a press-stud throat latch and zigzag stitch placket. ($595, Burberry, Americana Manhasset, Burberry.com)

Layer on the cool in this faux-leather bomber that features ribbed trim and a shrunken fit. ($79.50, Macy’s, Multiple Locations, Macys.com)

Vintage ’80s Bomber Jacket

It’s 1988 again and you’ll feel just as awesome as ever in this gorgeous cropped jacket. ($85, Lotus Vintage, Huntington, LotusVintage.com)

Plush Fleece Lined Fingerless Texting Mittens

Bomber Jacket in Black Inspired from London streetwear, this black long sleeve bomber jacket is cut with a loose silhouette and tailored sleeves. ($345, ShopAlthouse.com)

360 Multi Dexter Skull Scarf

Keep your wardrobe in sync with technology with these toasty texting mittens. ($49, Singer22, East Hills, Singer22.com)

Luxurious cashmere scarf with a Dexter Skull print that can be worn multiple ways. ($322, Lonny’s, Multiple Locations, Lonnys.com)

Saturday in the Parka Alice and Olivia Blakely Puffer Coat With a pleated skirt and oversized collar, this coat will show off your feminine form while keeping you warm. ($596, ShopBop.com)

Alia Faux Leather Sleeve Parka Stay warm while wearing the color-block trend of the year in khaki. ($109.99, BooHoo.com)

Minnie Rose Nylon Puffer Tote Keep your winter accessories handy in this lightweight nylon tote, perfect for a snowy outing. ($174, Singer22, East Hills, Singer22.com)

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S TY L E S HEET

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The North Face Arctic Down Parka Coat Cozy up in this insulated winter trench coat that is waterproof outside with thermal-down insulation to provide a resilient barrier against winter snowstorms. ($299, TheNorthFace.com)

UGG

Chancery Boot

Water-resistant outside, warm and wooly inside, this boot is made for happy feet. ($275, Bloomingdale’s, Garden City & Huntington, Bloomingdales.com)

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Slope Sisters Ocelot Leopard Infinity Scarf Unleash your wild side with Tory Burch’s animal print infinity scarf with big cat spots and sleek stripes. ($175, Nordstrom, Garden City, Nordstrom.com)

Under Armour Cold Gear Infrared Thermo Headband

Betsey Angel Hooded and Belted Coat

Roxy American Pie Jacket

Infrared technology holds in your body heat for long-lasting warmth. ($19.99, Dicks Sporting Goods, Multiple Locations, DicksSportingGoods.com)

A classic winter white puffer coat ala Betsey style with a faux-fur hood and belted waist. ($240, Betsey Johnson, BesteyJohnson.com)

Add flair to your ski wear with this checkerboard pattern. ($159.95, Sundown Ski & Snowboard, Multiple Locations, SunDownSki.com)

WBB Down Jacket Wind-resistant jacket keeps out the chill as you cruise down the bunny hill. ($300, Ridgeline Ski Shop, Manhasset, RidgeLineSkiShop.com)

Princess in a Peacoat Great Lengths Lacey Corduroy Jacket Wide-whale knit corduroy and lace detailing adds some romance to your wardrobe. ($198, Free People, FreePeople.com)

Over the Knee Stacked Heel Boot

Kinsey Black & White Coat

Strut your stuff in this sultry heel in dark cherry. ($298, C Wonder, Multiple Locations, CWonder. com)

Adept Audition Coat

Slip on this chic trench coat with vintage inspiration and channel your inner actress. Lights, camera, action! ($129.99, Shopcade.com)

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Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t look hot. ($96, OohLaLa Boutique, Multiple Locations, OohLaLaBoutiques.com)

Galice Black Coat This classic coat may have you feeling like the star of a film noir. ($118, OohLaLa Boutique, Multiple Locations, OohLaLaBoutiques.com)

Jetsetter Backpack

A shape-shifting handbag that will put you on the highway to haute. Can be converted to a backpack, satchel or crossbody. ($278, Henri Bendel, Huntington, HenriBendel.com)

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 21

praire

Ivory Creme Travertine

“...finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.” ™

multiple applications

Bathrooms, Kitchens, Hallways/Elevators, Reception areas, Office spaces, Commercial buildings, Yachts, Jets & Coach buses

choice of colors & textures

Crema Marfill Marble, Dark Emperador Marble, Light Emperador Marble, White Carrara Marble

features & benefits

Lightweight and affordable large scale panels of natural stone, Durability & longevity of real natural stone, Design-friendly accents, Installed by a certified professional with minimum installation time, Grout-less, pre-sealed, 100% Waterproof, Extremely durable – stronger than 3cm granite or marble slabs, Limited lifetime warranty, Tested to industry standards

To find a retailer near you, please visit kathyireland.com • calavenastone.com

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SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING

STEAM celebrates Long Island women who are making a difference in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics industries.

SCIENCE

Speaking for the Dead Ann Weber-Hughes, RPA-C, MPAS Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office Medical Forensic Investigator

Ann Weber’s job is to communicate for the dead. As a medical forensic investigator, Weber is the last person who can speak for them. When they can’t reveal what happened to cause their death, it’s up to Weber to figure it out. By finding those answers, she helps bring closure to the grieving family and seeks justice for the deceased if it’s been determined they have been a victim of foul play. While some people might think being a forensic investigator is morbid, it’s a very rewarding job for a person like her who has an insatiable curiosity and loves finding answers to mysteries. Weber admits the work is not easy. “The only way you can do this job is to recognize that the deceased aren’t people anymore,” Weber says. “They’re bodies. I can talk to you, I can touch you, you can feel—and they can’t.” Recent television crime dramas and movies have portrayed the medical examiner as sexy and intriguing. The upside of all the media attention is that women are being drawn to forensic science in record numbers, not only by the appeal of the strong role models on screen but by their own desire to help people. Weber, the mother of two children Krystal, 12, and Ayden, 5, says her children know what she does for a living. “They say it’s a cross between a cop and a doctor,” Weber says. Sometimes they think she’s a doctor, but when she’s in her medical examiner’s uniform, they think she’s a police officer. Weber has seen the profession evolve over the years as physician assistants have come in with their masters degrees. Now getting her doctorate, she says she’s the only forensic investigator on staff who has performed autopsies. When Weber began her career with Suffolk County 16 years ago, she was the only woman on staff. Now there are five women and six men in her department under the leadership of Dr.

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Michael Caplan, the new Suffolk County Chief Medical Examiner. “Caplan is a huge asset to the department,” Weber says. “He’s been very supportive.” Weber believes that women bring a different skill set to the job. “Women empathize differently than a man,” she says. “I can do every case the same as a man and walk away from it and dispose of the emotion because it’s a body, it’s not a person. “But pry a baby out of a mother’s arms just once and you’ll never be the same again,” she continues. “I’m not saying men can’t relate to that because they are fathers, and many times they’re better parents than their female counterparts, but as a mother who has carried human life inside of my body, I can appreciate what that mother is feeling at that moment.” As she’s come to know firsthand, accidental and natural deaths far outnumber murders and suicides. It’s her job to determine how these people died. Sometimes toxicology tests can take weeks or months to get results. Writing “Pending Further Study” on a death certificate is something the Medical Examiner wants to avoid.

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Arts

Mathematics By Beverly Fortune beverly@milieuli.com

Weber does most of her work in the field. When a call is received at the office, the investigator on duty goes to the scene to determine if any criminal or negligent act has occurred. Not only does Weber examine the body and collect evidence, she interviews witnesses, records detailed observations of the scene, and takes extensive photographs. She also takes possession of the body and supervises its transport back to the medical examiner’s office. There, she makes a positive identification of the body, safeguards any valuables, both personal and toxicological, and tries to keep the chain of evidence intact. By factually determining the cause of death without interpreting it, her forensic skills help police and other investigators working on a potential homicide keep their perspective. The night shift seems to be when the unusual cases are reported, Weber has found. But that’s not all she’s had to deal with, and sometimes the deaths are seasonal, too. “I get a lot of motor vehicle accidents and some small plane and helicopter crashes in the warmer months,” Weber says. “We see a lot of drug overdoses. There’s bad heroin out there. Narcotics are a big problem in Suffolk. Suicide numbers often rise towards the end of the year, around the holidays.” The essence of a person may disappear when they die, but Weber still has questions to answer in order to bring peace to all who’ve they left behind. Thankfully, her scientific skills enable her to be the best communicator they’ll ever need. Continued on page 26

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Engineering

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL LEARN

Farzana Gandhi, LEED AP ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, School of ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology

CONNECTED Ellen Williams, Regional Development Director, Constant Contact

According to Internet lore, the first email was a message sent by Ray Tomlinson to himself in late 1971 announcing its own existence. Now, there are more than 295 billion emails sent every day. Email has revolutionized the way we do business and communicate with each other. Constant Contact is one of the larger online marketing companies that connect businesses and people with email. Understanding the technology and human side of what drives digital marketing is Ellen Williams, the regional development director for Constant Contact. Williams’ technology roots go back to 1985 when she was working at Broadway Video, a Manhattan company that produced Saturday Night Live and other television show affiliations. One day, she says, “They put a computer on my desk and said, ‘Learn it.’” Luckily for her, she found out she had a knack for technology. Then her career took an administrative turn and she became an expert in software applications like Lotus 1-2-3 and Peachtree. As word of her prowess spread, Williams carved out a niche in what was then a very small market by starting a consulting company to help people understand the new software. “At that time there wasn’t a lot of people in consulting on how to buy computers, inspect them and use them,” she says. Next, Williams began writing articles on software and became an expert on tech toys. Soon she was considered an authority on technology topics, especially for the end-user. “I wound up writing for websites about cutting edge technology and home automation,” Williams says. In 2010, Williams was hired by Constant Contact to be a solution provider and help promote digital marketing best practices on Long Island, New York and Connecticut. In less than three years she has presented their email solutions to more than 10,000 small businesses, nonprofits and associations. Part of her job is to go out and speak to people about digital marketing and social media promotions. “On Long Island there is a lot of great net-

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working,” she says. “It’s been very rewarding, plus I get to stay in touch with my small business roots.” Williams says Long Island poses unique challenges for small businesses. “There are a lot of different pockets, but Long Island is both united and disjointed,” she explains. “The ones who live and work here see the need for focusing on the future. They’re all in. Long Island is the place to be. “They want to see growth and to see their kids stay here,” she adds. “There’s been a lot of work done to bring technology to the forefront, like Launch Pad, Listnet and Stony Brook.” The university sponsors an incubator for high-tech at Calverton. She finds it interesting that businesses here “won’t necessarily travel too far to do business,” and as a result, she’s discovered that there’s a lot of segmentation on Long Island. Advising business owners on how to streamline their email operation is one of the most popular topics at her speaking engagements, Williams says. “Long, involved emails are a thing of the past,” she exclaims. “Best practice is to keep them informative, valuable, short, sweet and to the point and designed where they’re optimized for mobile devices. More than half of the people who read emails will do it on their mobile device, as mobile becomes more and more a part of our lives. We are checking our email more often than we are checking our social media.” She has to remind her clients not to let the new technology become overwhelming. “What small businesses need to understand is that technology is a necessity but it doesn’t have to take all your time,” she explains. “Every business needs a computer in order to be competitive, but technology doesn’t have to overtake all of your business.” As the mother of twin girls who are now sophomores in college, Williams understands the synergy between young women. She’s optimistic about technology and the future careers in technology that await them. “Girls in their teens have a really good handle on technology today as more people are going to be utilizing mobile for just about everything,” Williams says. She wants all young women “to be very comfortable with technology, understand how to use it and what kind of things can be done with it.” Fortunately, Ellen Williams is ready to point the way.

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Architecture is a public art form that incorporates the design of buildings, communities and open space while considering the social, cultural and environmental impact of how that space is used. Creating architecture on a personal and socio-economic level is Farzana Gandhi, assistant professor in the architecture department at the School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury. Gandhi was originally a pre-med student but she switched her concentration. “I didn’t have a passion for it,” she says. So, she began taking art classes. One day, Gandhi’s professor, while extolling her creative talents, gave her some unsolicited advice. “Whatever you do, don’t become an architect,” he told her. “When I asked him why,” she recalls, “he said he thought architecture would box me in; it would be too analytical and stifle the intuitive creativity I had.” Until then, it had never even dawned on Gandhi that architecture could be a possible profession for her. And yet it has become a very rewarding one for her. “I don’t find myself stifled at all,” she says today. “For me, architecture is the perfect blend of science and art.” Before teaching architecture at NYIT, Gandhi studied in Spain and Italy, and returned to the United States to earn her master’s from Harvard. In her professional career outside the classroom, she’s always been drawn to public works both locally and internationally. “I came from the mindset of wanting to do good,” Gandhi says. “I’ve worked on a number of different projects, but I’m always drawn to those that directly impact people.” She is working on community-based projects that range from rethinking an urban public space in Brooklyn to coming up with an outdoor classroom and wireless hub in Africa. The diversity of her work brings the challenge of translating her design skills to the project at hand. Gandhi is also part of an NYIT faculty-student team working on SodaBIB, a patent-pending system which uses recycled water bottles to form the shingles of a roof for shelters in disaster-stricken areas. “If you think of Haiti, a tent city now, we came up with an idea that uses the water bottles and shipping pallets that were shipped to the site,” she explains. “The pallet that holds the water is designed to disassemble and be used as Continued on page 28

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Nassau CommuNity College FouNdatioN

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a roofing sub-structure, and the shingles come from the plastic water bottles.” Inspired by these projects, she’s come up with a new elective that she is teaching this semester called, “Social Impact Design.” “It is akin to community-based or publicinterest design,” Gandhi explains. “Can someone become a social impact designer? We’ve had some really interesting discussions with the students on how to pursue a project. There’s a lot of organizations that are committed to doing those kinds of things.” “I know how to build a building, but [I ask] what can I do on this scale,” she says. “It’s a very unique way of thinking. If you sit down at the table with other professionals, the architect is the holistic thinker, seeing all of the elements and how they work together.” With so many student-driven initiatives going on here, Gandhi believes she must be doing something right. “A number of NYIT grads found themselves on an alternative architectural route,” she says. After Superstorm Sandy, a group of her students began Operation Resilient Long Island (ORLI). “One went on to become involved in resilient architecture after his home was destroyed. He is working for a firm that provides home inspections during the recovery effort.” It’s rewarding for her as a teacher to see how her students have influenced her, too. “Architecture is making models, using different materials and understanding how things are put together,” she says. “It’s a lot of collaborative learning. That’s where the magic happens.”

Arts

ARTS ALIVE Amanda Peppard, Founder and CEO, Suite Pieces

Amanda Peppard grew up in Buffalo surrounded by a family buzzing with creativity. But that bug seemed to have passed her by. “My mom painted, sang, and crocheted,” she says. “My father is a mechanic and does renovations. My brother is an amazing artist. Growing up, I couldn’t do any of those things.” After graduating from college she became a math teacher. “I can’t draw or sing or play an instrument so I shied away from the arts, even though I was drawn to it,” she says. “That was why I went to school to be a math teacher.” She taught math for a year but knew in her heart that it didn’t feel right.

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“The kids needed someone passionate about it,” she says. That wasn’t her. After Peppard got married, she moved to Long Island where her husband grew up. She was working for a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company when she was inspired to follow her passion. She wound up getting her certification in Interior Design and quit the HVAC company. Then she dove head-first into working at a local design company. Still not satisfied, she got a job at a consignment shop. When it didn’t work out, she came to a crossroad in her career. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Peppard recalls. “It was right before Christmas and I was feeling lost and out of control.” One day while shopping in a vintage store, Peppard saw that it had an area available for rent. “I didn’t know that you could do that,” she says. “I had a lot of different things that I had collected so I thought I’ll rent the space and recreate my own stuff.” Peppard had read a blog about Annie Sloan, who had developed what she called Chalk Paint— and that proved instrumental for Peppard’s next career move. She quickly saw the benefits that this innovative paint could offer her. “You don’t have to strip, sand or prime furniture,” she says. “I needed some of that paint.” Chalk Paint has a velvety texture, and does not contain latex or volatile organic compounds. Easy to use and very versatile, it comes in a palette of 18th and 20th century colors that can be mixed to extend the range. It can be used indoors or outside, on wood, metal, plastic or terracotta with equally good results. New Jersey was the nearest place where Peppard could buy it. The paint’s inventor asked her why she’d driven so far. When Peppard explained that nobody on LI sold Chalk Paint, Sloan suggested she should do it. “I called the company the next day, and signed a contract to become the exclusive LI dealer,” she says. Peppard met a dealer from a Brooklyn flea market who wanted to sell the paint there. “I thought it was a great idea but I needed to walk before I could run,” she says, “so we partnered for a store in Brooklyn.” Finding an affordable space was a challenge but the search taught her a lot about real estate and commercial business. Peppard and her partner opened a Brooklyn location in August 2013. She was still renting space in Huntington when that building was put up for sale. “I wanted to buy it and renovate it,” she says. “It had immense potential as an anchor for the revitalization of Huntington Station.” But that building was sold to someone else. “My heart was broken,” Peppard says. “I

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thought my dream was done. But everything happens for a reason.” A few months after the sale, the new owners were visiting their property when they saw that Peppard’s area was very busy. They asked her if she would be interested in operating and leasing the entire building. Peppard jumped at the chance. “It worked out exactly the way I wanted it to,” she says. In March, she took over the building. After undergoing a major renovation, Suite Pieces—the name Peppard came up with—now has 19 vendors and 13 artists in residence, plus a workshop room where she holds Pinterest Live events a few times a month as well as a studio area for custom work. At first, she admits she was worried about making the transition from business owner to landlord. But her concerns were short-lived. “As soon as someone moves out, someone walks in looking for space,” she says. “It’s almost unbelievable the way it’s worked out.” Peppard has a grand plan for the future. “I have very big ambitions, and I don’t know where they come from,” she exclaims. “I grew up poor and didn’t have hope as a young girl, but I felt I should do something important and help people.” And so now Peppard is building a Suite Pieces brand. “Eventually I would like to have my own line of furniture and hardware,” she says. “I love putting a room together.” That’s not all. “I will have my own TV show someday,” she vows. Peppard hopes to see the Suite Piece brand empower others to create their own spaces and customize them. Just as she learned to do when she started out. “I love teaching,” she says, “but I’m doing it in a different way.”

Mathematics

Calling all Actuaries, Economists, Cost Estimators and Statisticians...

There have been many articles and studies done on STEAM fields and the gender gap, and in doing some research men are still dominating the field on Long Island and across the country. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places. I’ve spent hours online and have spoken to some leaders in the technology fields, and when I ask for recommendations for a woman mathematician, I am invariably told to check the colleges and universities for their staff roster. This is the area where women shine in mathematics, hands down, and I am in no way disparaging their brilliance and diligence to pursue a field that is male-dominated. So I’m ready to take my lumps if you want to dish them, but while you’re at it send me the names of some women mathematicians on Long Island outside of education and I will meet and profile two in the next issue, I’ll call the feature STEAMM…

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OUR PROGRAMS CAN ALTER YOUR COURSE If you’re ready to start a new career, learn a job, or advance in your present occupation, Molloy College offers programs that can make a difference for you.

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For further information about these programs or our career and job seminars offered by the Division of Continuing Education & Professional Development, visit us on the web at www.molloy.edu/ce, call 516-323-3550 or come by for our Information Session on: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., in the Casey Center, 1000 Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY, 11571.

Courses and programs are also offered at our Suffolk Center in East Farmingdale

N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Women Vets SErving the Underserved By Jaime Franchi JFranchi@MoreyPublishing.com

VETS HELPING VETS: Martine Nivose, Cat Vidal, Deborah Custis

Deborah Custis joined the U.S. Army in 1986 to flee an abusive childhood. The then-22-year-old was attracted to the order and structure the service provided compared to what her often-chaotic life had been. The military helped restore meaning and purpose to her days. “I loved it,” she says proudly of her time in the armed services. “I went into the military to escape an abusive background,” she tells Milieu, oftentimes glancing down at her hands while struggling to compose herself. “I’m a survivor of child molestation.” Sitting at a roundtable in the makeshift office of nonprofit Services for the UnderServed (SUS), attached to the St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Continued on page 32 30 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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in Farmingdale (since relocated to Amityville), her emotions shift between a tearful recounting of her childhood experience and the fierce resolve of someone who has been through hell and lived to tell the tale. Custis, a formidable woman with deep, chocolate-brown eyes, says her affection for the military quickly soured, however, when she was raped by her commanding officer. Adding insult to brutal injury, that very same superior then promoted her—a concession that did little to quell the trauma of the sex attack. “From that point, I didn’t care,” she confides. “So I basically got kicked out of the military, but I came out under honorable conditions.” Custis soon found herself in the throes of yet another battle, one which she says is being waged against veterans across the country: a flawed, almost nonexistent post-service assistance system that leads too many returning servicemen and women to homelessness, substance abuse and/ or suicide. “When you’re discharged, they don’t tell you anything,” laments Custis, now 50. “You don’t know what you’re entitled to. So I just wandered around, living with family, drinking and drugging because I couldn’t adapt to civilian life.” Custis is just one of approximately 5,500 homeless veterans living on Long Island, according to an exploratory committee of the nonprofit Veterans Health Alliance of Long Island (VHALI), a project of the Mental Health Association of Nassau County and collaborative effort of vets, their families and vet-related service providers. Of those veterans, women vets have a 3.6 times greater chance of homelessness than their male counterparts, according to VHALI. Women comprise about 15 percent of the current U.S. Armed Forces and 11 percent of the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By 2020, an estimated 20 percent of veterans under the age of 45 will be women, the group says. Women in the military face a unique set of challenges, and the drawbacks of this still male-dominated institution can be daunting. A 2008 House panel investigating military sexual assaults found that 40 percent of female veterans reported the incidents, and 71-90 percent reported being sexually harassed. Inadequate resources and an unsupportive culture all contribute to the prevalence of homeless female veterans, according to the nonprofit National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Miscommunication between military organizations and the veterans, the lack of a military base here on Long Island, drug addiction, alcoholism and undiagnosed mental health issues are also contributing factors, says the VHALI. SUS has been working to tackle this problem, one veteran at a time. Partially funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), SUS offers support services for veteran families in need, ranging from vocational and rehabilitation counseling, employment and training services to educational assistance, health care services, benefit and housing counseling, among others. For those who qualify, temporary financial assistance is also available. Simply put: SUS could mean the difference between a veteran mak-

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There are currently

174,248

Veterans on Long Island N a s s au

S u ff o l k

79,146 95,102 ing it or not, and administrators are always trying to raise awareness about the program and its myriad benefits for vets. The group hosts programs in more than a dozen communities across LI, providing housing and support services to 550-plus individuals and their families. “The supportive services are in our title,” says SUS program director Beth Gabellini. “Yes, we’re a housing program, but all those supportive services are going to keep you in housing. What’s the sustainability plan? Can they get to work? What does their resume look like? Do they have childcare? Guess what? We’re going to remove all the barriers for you to be successful, stable, and safe for a long period of time. We bought one vet steeltoed boots because he needed them for work. Our budget allows for that.” SUS occasionally hires those they are tasked to assist. Custis and fellow veterans Cat Vidal and Martine Nivose—all previous benefactors of the group—now work for the group to help others just like them. Custis’ involvement has restored the sense of purpose she’d lost since her 1989 discharge. She’s now living in a shelter for women operated by the United Veterans Beacon House, a Bay Shore-based nonprofit that operates 24 housing locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties—nine of which are specifically for vets, including one center dedicated to women and another to the frail and the elderly. “Sometimes it gets frustrating for me because I come in and I work with homeless veterans and I’m still a homeless veteran,” admits Custis, who has a 16-year-old daughter. “I won’t let that stop me because I know my day is coming. “I come in here and I give 110 percent,” she continues. “If I could see one veteran housed, then my day is complete. If I could help one veteran just to get benefits or to let them know that you could go to the Feinberg center [the Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families in North Shore-Long Island Jewish Hospital in Bay Shore], or you can go to Northport [VA Medical Center] and see this nurse and they can help you, then my heart is filled.” “It’s vindication,” adds Vidal. Petite, with a purple bandana holding back her dark hair, sporting a studded black leather jacket, stretched earlobes and tattoos snaking along her collarbone and up her arms, the 36-year-old Vidal resembles a punk rock version of Rosie the Riveter. Her story bears a striking resemblance Continued on page 34 to Custis’, including being raped by civilians N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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while in the military and bouts with homelessness and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Following her 1998 discharge, Vidal spent four months living on the streets of Manhattan—a dark period which included being woken up in Union Square by kicks from a female police officer. “I had bruises all over my legs and stuff from the cop,” she says with a slight Brooklyn accent. “After that, I made sure I stayed in mostly kinder areas—train stations, places like that. I’ll be honest with you: I almost pulled a knife on her because I didn’t know who it was. Had I not seen her boots, I would have been in jail because I carried a knife on me. As soon as she kicked me, I thought I was getting mugged or something so I went for the knife, but then I saw her boots and I was like, ‘Cop!’ So I put the knife away and she didn’t notice. I was just like, ‘I’ll get up and leave!’” From then on she slept mostly in Atlantic Terminal and Penn Station, where the MTA cops were kinder and gentler. Yet even after securing housing, her PTSD symptoms persisted. “I was up all night, checking the door 50,000 times thinking someone was breaking in,” she confides. “When I get home, I have to go look through the closet to make sure that there’s nobody in there. “My husband thought I was going to kill him in the middle of the night because I slept with my bayonet under my pillow,” continues Vidal.

probably still be sleeping on the street.” Even after she began receiving medical assistance, Vidal explains, VA doctors didn’t diagnose her PTSD until years later, compounding her trauma. “I just thought I was crazy,” she says—adding her belief that the disorder was fueled, at least in part, by her rape. “When it happened, I don’t remember it because I was drugged, but I told my sergeant, and he just looked at me and said, ‘It’s your own fault,’” Vidal recalls. “And it’s easier for me to suppress it because I don’t remember it. But when you get out there and you tell them how you feel, and they say, ‘Well, that’s just because you’re stressed’—it wasn’t until I came here that I realized I’m not as messed up as I think I am. I just hadn’t found the right people to talk to.” Filling out a PTSD-symptom checklist during a first responders’ class at SUS, Vidal recognized that she suffered from the majority of symptoms, leading her to a formal PTSD diagnosis from a therapist. “It’s almost like someone shines a light,” explains SUS’ program director Gabellini, a social worker who joined SUS last year and has been assisting veterans since 2006. “It’s this epiphany when someone realizes they have PTSD. It’s like the heavens open up, and you think: ‘This is not me. I’m not crazy. There is something wrong with me that I can point to and say this is why.’” Full of unbridled enthusiasm and known for her warm encouragement and empathetic ear, Gabellini stresses SUS’ mission of bridging the gaps LI’s vets fall through—identifying a haphazard reintegration process as the starting point. “Once you go home, you don’t hear nothing from nobody,” agrees Martine Nivose, a soft-spoken 33-year-old whose haunting, piercing eyes witnessed the horrors that defined the beginning of the U.S. War on Terror as a participant in the first wave of U.S. airstrikes against Kuwait after Sept. 11, 2001. “That’s it. And now you’re trying to figure out, ‘Where do I go next? How do I get a job? How do I go about getting medical?’” Nivose says she has seen significant improvement, especially in services offered to women—noting the women’s center now attached to the Northport VA—though she shares the assertion of her coworkers that there’s still much to be done. “Before, there was nothing,” she says. “When I first went to the VA, it was 1998,” agrees Custis. “I walked in to be examined and there was a male doctor. And I was like, ‘What are you about to do?’ He said, ‘I’m about to examine you,’ And I’m like, ‘No, you’re not. I need to have a nurse here. Is there a female doctor on staff?’ And now these women are affiliated with the VA. They are so happy to see another woman that they just grab you up, and they actually walk you through the process. “When I was in the military, I had a sense of purpose,” she explains. “When I came out of the Army, I didn’t know my arm from my elbow. I was too scared to commit suicide, but I thought about killing myself every day. But when [SUS] asked me the right questions, it was like the floodgates opened up. “It still kicks up from time to time, but I’m mostly free from that now,” adds Custis. “It’s a journey.”

Women Veterans have 3.6X the risk of homelessness than their Male counterparts in the community. Statistics Source : www.slideserve.com

“I had guns and knives. I had a Louisville [Slugger] next to my bed. I was out of my mind. He couldn’t sleep because he thought I was going to kill him. He jostled me one time, and I punched him in the face—I couldn’t help it. It’s a reflex.” Vidal, the mother of a 9-year-old daughter, echoes Custis’ complaints. “When they send you out into the world, the debriefing is nonexistent,” she says. “They don’t tell you what you’re entitled to. They don’t tell you where to go to fend for help. They pushed me out nine days early, and I lost my GI Bill… Every day you’re trained: ‘Stay alert! Stay alive!’ and how to kill people. And then you’re sent back into society like you’re just supposed to acclimate. “They don’t do anything to help you with that,” she adds. Vidal happened upon the Northport VA Medical Center when she believed she had developed lung cancer. It turned out to be a misdiagnosis, but once there, she was able to access much-needed health care. Even then, she asserts, information was disorganized and services difficult for working veterans to utilize because its hours were on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. “It was just a stroke of luck that I found [SUS],” she says. “If not, I’d 34 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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Think Holiday. Think Tanger.

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Finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list can be fun and easy when you know where to shop. At Tanger at The Arches in Deer Park, you’ll find everything you’ll need for the holidays. Make it a family shopping trip and see Tanger’s stunning holiday tree surrounded by an outdoor ice-skating rink!

9. 10. 7.

1. Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker Delivers full, lifelike sound wirelessly in a compact size. ($129.95, Bose Factory Outlet Store) // 2. Gucci Stainless Steel Men’s Watch Brushed stainless steel link bracelet from the G-Timeless Collection. ($497.49, Saks Off Fifth) // 3. Paris Sweater Classic beige sweater with black yarn. ($49.99, Ann Taylor Loft) // 4. Thompson Suiting Boys’ Blazer A wool-poly blend, lined with gold buttons on front and cuffs. ($88, J Crew) // 5. Ethereal Branch Moss Agate Pendant Necklace Elizabeth Showers from the Tree of Life Collection in 18K gold and adjustable chain. ($1,347.50, Neiman Marcus Last Call) // 6. My Very Own Gourmet Kitchen Everything your budding gourmet chef (2+) needs to make imaginary meals. ($19.99, Christmas Tree Shops) // 7. Bee-Prong Blue Topaz Ring Faceted blue topaz center stone in sterling silver with bee-motif prong setting. ($381.50, Neiman Marcus Last Call) // 8. Girls’ Fur-Trim Cardigan Cozy with faux fur and crystal buttons. ($64.50, J Crew) // 9. Tory Burch Box Scarab Bag With an Egyptian scarab clasp and metal trim, in cigar brown. ($474.99, Saks Off 5th) // 10. Pandora Deco Box Clutch Hard-case deco bag with a gold zippered pouch and a chic spider clasp. ($1,118, Neiman Marcus Last Call)

SPARKLE SPARKLE SHINE & SAVE MORE

SHINE & SAVE

This holiday season enjoy great savings in over 95 brands like Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Crabtree & Evelyn

Nike Factory Store, Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines, J.Crew | Crewcuts Factory,

NYDJ, Janie & Jack, Kate Spade New York, Banana Republic Factory Store more!

Deer Park, NY LIE Exit 52 South on Commack Rd., and Grand Blvd., or take the LIRR (631) 667-0600 TangerOutlets.com

N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 37

Holiday Gift Guide

Women

2. 4. 5.

6. 7.

1. Peekaboos Ponytail Hat has hidden openings that can accommodate both high and low ponytails. ($36.95, Peekaboos-Hats.com) // 2. Photo Cube Portable Printer creates gorgeous color photos right from your cell phone or tablet! ($160, RedEnvelope.com) // 3. Red Door Gift Certificate with Bonus Spa Dollars with every $100 gift certificate purchase. Spend $100/Get $15. Spend $200/Get $30, Spend $300/Get $45 (Red Door Spas, Multiple Locations, (Coming soon to the

Garden City Hotel), RedDoorSpas.com) // Ulta, Multiple Locations, Ulta.com) // //

4. Rowenta Curl Active Iron The self-spinning barrel creates great looking curls, perfect for a holiday soiree. ($149.99,

5. Customized Yoga Mat available in 20 colors, makes an ideal gift for a fitness enthusiast. ($40, MyCustomYogaMat.com)

Diamond Flower Dangle Earrings with Milgrain Detail, 14k White Gold with brilliant diamonds. ($1,595, Fortunoff Fine Jewelry, Westbury, FortunoffJewelry.com) //

7. Tory Burch Double Wrap Logo Bracelet In metallic leather with logo-stamped studs.Â ($95, Nordstrom, Garden City, Nordstrom.com)

38 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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Epoch 5 congratulates our friend and client Esther Fortunoff on the opening of Fortunoff Fine Jewelry!

1504 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY 11590 1-800-636-7886 | www.fortunoffjewelry.com

N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

755 New York Ave., Suite 400, Huntington, NY 11743 631-427-1713 | www.epoch5.com

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 39

Holiday Gift Guide

Men 1.

2. 3.

6. 5. 1. Pro Shave Designed to professional standards, elegant, and timeless every guy deserves to start their day with a luxury shave. // 2. Oakley Muffler Glasses These frames are a great look for your guy, on or off the court. ($195, Vision World, Stony Brook, ) // 3. Leather Tool Roll Wrap comes with a built-in loop to hold the tools he needs on hand. ($45, ScoutMob.com) // 4. DaddySwag Gift Set Treat the leading man in your life like the celebrity he is. ($89.95, DaddyNCompany.com) // 5. Shinola The Runwell Chronograph Watch Classic and unique all at the same time. ($775, Bloomingdaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Garden City and Huntington, Bloomingales.com) // 6. The North Face Rucksac With an ($125,EVOLVEProfessional.com)

interior laptop sleeve and two water-bottle pockets, this waterproof backpack can tote all of his essentials. ($99, Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Multiple Locations, Macys.com)

40 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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Designer frames from Versace, Jimmy Choo, Oakley, Ray Ban, Vera Bradley, Kate Spade, Coach & more! 2194 Nesconset Highway (in the Waldbaums shopping center) Stony Brook, NY 11790-3500 â&#x20AC;˘ (631) 246-5468 Andrew N. Polan, F. N.A.O. N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 41

Holiday Gift Guide

STEAM

2. 2.

4. 5.

1. Snap Circuits Light Experience the joy of engineering. Lights flash and change to the beat of the music you select. Integrate different types of music // 2. Kitchen Science Kids can perform

and rearrange the circuitry by simply snapping the pieces into endless arrangements. ($80.74, Kohls.com)

fun kitchen experiments with everyday materials. Includes six specially designed kitchen experiments. ($12.95, Barnes & Noble, Multiple Locations,

3. Fashionista Virtual Fashion Show Bring fashion to life by designing an outfit in the sketchbook, take a photo of it then watch // 4. Addition Wrap-Ups Come with 10 keys to motivate and challenge kids in all areas of learning. ($8.99, Island School and Art Supply, Medford, EducationalMaterialCataolog.com) // 5. The Weather Channel速

BarnesAndNoble.com) //

as the creation comes to life in a virtual runway show. ($27.95, YoungExplorers.com)

Wireless Temperature Station This colorful thermometer records both indoor and outdoor temperatures, along with a child-friendly icon to suggest what to wear. ($20.95, PlowHearth.com)

6. 3-D Star Planetarium Delivering 360 degrees and multi-dimensions of excitement, this cosmic device projects hundreds

of stars, constellations and planets onto the walls and ceiling of any darkened room. ($39.95, YoungExplorers.com)

42 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

EASTCHESTER

BROOKLYN

FOREST HILLS

FOX'S NEW YORK CITY

DESIGNER OFF-PRICE THE FINE ART OF FASHION

HUNTINGTON

STAMFORD

APPAREL - SHOES - ACCESSORIES

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MINEOLA 80 MAIN STREET (516) 294-8321

OAKBROOK

HUNTINGTON 379 NEW YORK AVENUE (631) 424-5221

SKOKIE

MARLBORO

CHICAGO

RIDGEWOOD

Stay Warm in Style!

WWW.FOXS.COM ATLANTA

BOCA RATON

N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

AVENTURA

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 43

Holiday Gift Guide

Kids

5. 4.

1. Thames & Kosmos Perfume Science Kit Explore the science of scent, the history of perfumes and the art of making them. ($59.99,ToysRUs, Multiple 2. Like Button Pillow Kids will “Like” these so much they’ll “LOL” their way through the next pillow fight! ($19.99, ThrowBoy. com) // 3. Arctic Flare Thinking Putty This is not your grandmother’s Silly Putty. ($14.99, Funky Monkey Toys, Greenvale, FunkyMonkeyToys.com) // 4. Make Your Own-Opoly Board Game Customize the game board with your local town ($29.95, TDCGames.com) // 5. Razor E150 24-Volt

Locations, ToysRUs.com) //

Electric Scooter With a chain-driven, high-torque motor and a handy twist-grip throttle, this cool ride is ideal for tweens and teens wanting a stylish way to zip around town. ($137, Walmart, Multiple Locations, Walmart.com) //

6. Police People Set These uniformed officers are ready for any adventure!

($34, Pottery Barn, Multiple Locations, PotteryBarnKids.com)

44 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 45

Holiday Gift Guide

Home

1. Kate Spade Things We Love Coffee Table Book A charming collection of images and words that encompass the quintessential designs of fashion 2. Clinton Kellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Effortless Table A set of 6 Different Dessert Plates ($60, Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Multiple Locations, Macys.com) // 3. Cheese & Crackers Serving Board This quirky cheese and cracker board will be the talk of the table! ($48, UncommonGoods. com) // 4. Elephant Menorah by Jonathan Adler Whimsical white elephant raises its trunk in celebration of Hanukkah. ($128, Nordstrom, Garden City, Nordstrom.com) // 5. Marseilles Porcelain Coasters These hand-crafted gold coasters are packaged in a handsome geometric patterned box with gold foil detail. Perfect for your chic best friend. ($68, JonathanAdler.com) // 6. Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo This single-serve coffee machine is just icon, Kate Spade. ($40, KateSpade.com) //

right for those who love to sip in style. ($179.99, Target, Multiple Locations, Target.com)

46 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 47

Susan Dunn and Saige Seyfert Dynamic Realty Group of LI

HomeBuyingTips.com was created with our users in mind; we are your ultimate, hyper local resource as you embark on the journey of purchasing a home in the Long Island/NY Metro Area. Choosing the right home is a major decision. We are here to help.

Become an Expert in Your Field Are you interested in contributing monthly editorial to HomeBuyingTips.com and RealEstateRoundUp.com, in order to be branded as an expert in your field?

• Gain maximum exposure to your target market • Brand recognition through multi-media platforms • Provide insights and set trends in your specific field

For more information contact: info@homebuyingtips.com ASK AN EXPERT SEARCH FOR HOMES GET SOCIAL

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Susan Dunn and Saige Seyfert of Floral Park are used to opening doors for their clients. Now they are agents with Dynamic Realty Group of LI,, which recently opened its own doors for business in Mineola. Dunn and Seyfert bring a lot of energy and excitement to their profession, and are eager to show prospective buyers and sellers who they are, and why they just may be your best choice for real estate property purchases and sales on Long Island. Opening their own office is a logical step for Dunn and Seyfert. Their love of Long Island prompted them to help potential buyers discover what makes Long Island a great place to live and work, and to discover what makes the individual communities standout. “We’re just starting to market the agency, but we pride ourselves on our personalized customer service and always being available,” Dunn says. Dunn began working in the field at a title company while in college. She went on to jobs in banking, and become a paralegal and a REO department manager for Sweeney, Gallo, Reich & Bolz, LLP, in Queens. “I had the legal, title and banking background, and my friends kept asking me why I didn’t become a broker,” Dunn says. She got her license, and within a month she closed her first deal. Seyfert has been an agent for more than three years. A mutual friend introduced the two women, and they partnered together, with Seyfert overseeing the day-to-day operations and Dunn working nights and weekends. They have a solid referral network that keeps them both busy. Real estate agents derive enormous satisfaction from finding the perfect new home for their clients. “My love for real estate comes from the feeling I get when I see someone fall in love with their dream, and I know I am helping to make that a part of their reality,” says Seyfert. “I love being able to use my experience to work a deal as quickly as possible and go above and beyond so that my client is happy and knows they are in good hands,” says Dunn. “There are a lot of obstacles in real estate and it’s important to have the support that is necessary in order to make it a seamless transaction.” N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

517 Watkins Dr. // Mineola // $569,000 Beautiful 4 Br Cape, Completely Updated In 2006. Home has Many custom features including a Full 10x10 WalkIn Closet, Paver Stones and Stunning Crown Moldings throughout. Breakfast Nook W/ Pella Sliding Doors. Renewal By Anderson Windows that come with a Lifetime Warranty. This home has much to offer. Move Right In. (877) 787-0324 Listing Courtesy of Dynamic Realty Group of Long Island

3 Birchwood Ct // Mineola // $99,999 L Shaped Studio Apartment. Sectioned Off to make a small 1 Bedroom. 24 Hour Security Gate W Guard. Near Shops and Public Transportation. Mineola stop on the LIRR. Parking Space comes with this apartment for an additional monthly fee. (877) 787-0324 Listing Courtesy of Dynamic Realty Group of Long Island

2594 Seminole Ave. // Seaford // $649,000 This magnificent waterfront new construction Colonial features Hardwood Floors, 30x18 Great Room with Gas Fireplace , A Gourmet Kitchen with Granite Countertops and Stainless Steel Appliances.This home also features 4 Oversized Bedrooms with Cathedral Ceilings. Master Suite includes a Private Balcony, 8x8 Walk In Closet, Master Bathroom.105 Feet new Marine bulkhead. (877) 787-0324 Listing Courtesy of Dynamic Realty Group of Long Island

4 Meadowood Dr // Jericho // $599,999 Completely Updated! Brand new Kitchen, Granite, Stainless Steel Appliances and Baths. Buyer will get to choose color scheme to be painted by Seller. (877) 787-0324 Listing Courtesy of Dynamic Realty Group of Long Island

Dynamic Realty Group of Long Island (877) 787-0324 234 Jericho Tpke Mineola, NY 11501 N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 49

Cabin Fever Quiz Baby, it’s cold outside but that doesn’t mean you have to hibernate. Take this quiz to find out your winter weekend personality! By Sara Anne Fingerman

It’s Saturday night, you’re most likely to be... A B C D

Scouring the after-Christmas sales online Testing out recipes in the kitchen Checking out the latest independent film In bed sleeping, so you’re ready to hit the slopes early for some great skiing.

3 Your drink preference... A B C D

Strong Mixed Cocktail Glass of Wine Anything that’s Bubbly Cold Beer

6 7

4 For dessert you order... A B C D

Chocolate Lava Cake Chocolate Fondue Cheesecake Hot Fudge Sundae

Your favorite winter accessory is your

A Burberry Scarf

B Sweaters

C Ear Muffs

D Snow Boots

It’s snowing, so you turn on the DVR. Your guilty reality TV pleasure is... A B C D

Bravo’s Housewives of NYC Home and Garden’s Fixer Upper Food Network’s Restaurant Revisited CBS Survivor

You’re out grabbing a bite to eat with your besties, your menu choice is...

A A fine dining experience from appetizer to after dinner drink B Cheese Fondue C Sweet, spicy or sour, you’re up for anything D Sushi

5 Your favorite winter activity is...

A Taking the train to NYC to window shop B Refurbishing furniture C Finding the trendiest restaurant and making a reservation on Open Table D Skiing, Sledding, Snowboarding, you’re a snow bunny

A S tare at the presents under the tree or by the menorah B Check out Pinterest for the latest in Holiday Décor C Deciding what side dishes will go with the turkey for Sunday dinner D Piling in the car and looking for holiday lights

9 Your favorite 10 All you want holiday movie is... for the holiday’s is... A B C D

Miracle on 34th Street The Santa Clause Elf Home Alone

50 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

A B C D

Your favorite holiday pastime is to...

American Express Gift Card A new Paint Set Gift Certificate to that New Restaurant A pair of Ice Skates

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If you answered...

Mostly A’s We’ll find you shopping at Tanger At the Arches in Deer Park or the Walt Whitman Shoppes Mostly B’s We’ll find you at a DIY Workshop at Suite Pieces in Huntington Station Mostly C’s We’ll find you sampling the menu at Mosaic in St. James Mostly D’s We’ll find you at The Rinx in Hauppauge showing off your skating prowess N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

Trying to have a baby? WE CAN HELP

Our mission is to help parents realize the dream of parenthood. GENESIS Fertility & Reproductive Medicine is a nationally recognized Center of Excellence for the treatment of infertility, long recognized for our affordable comprehensive fertility services, culturally-sensitive approach to patient care and excellent success rates. The countless notes from patients that decorate our halls are testimony to the quality of the GENESIS program and personal satisfaction of our patients. Jennifer Makarov, MD Diana Chavkin, MD Katherine Ross, MD Richard Grazi, MD

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(516) 216-4220 • www.genesisfertility.com

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GENESIS

Fertility & Reproductive Medicine

Where Life Begins

Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 51

Fiechter with Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice

Guy Who Gets It

By Jaime Franchi

René Fiechter

Safeguarding Long Island’s Youth René Fiechter boasts a profound resumé—a mix of dedicated public service and vast academic study—as befits a Nassau County assistant district attorney who is also his department’s director of community affairs. But it was his progressive ideals that once prompted the late conservative Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon to profess, “René, you’re full of crap, but you have a big heart.” Now his boss is the woman who defeated Dillon, Kathleen Rice, who’s running for Congress. Fiechter tells the story about the former DA with his signature hearty laugh, one that punctuates sentences that range from serious topics to deeply emotional experiences. But he always comes back to the importance of joy. He speaks of joy in the same breath as tragedy, opposing forces that he works to meld together. He discusses his strong belief in finding alternatives to incarceration—“Is there anything else we can do besides put a person in a cage?”—yet he feels just as strongly about

Guys Who “Get It”

Genuine Long Island Men. Young or mature,

married or single, white collar, blue collar, green collar, professional, student or retiree. Guys Who “Get It" are role models, leaders and a positive influence in the Long Island community.

52 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

his work with Parents of Murdered Children, which had him pleading with judges to keep criminals locked up. “The ying and the yang of it,” he describes it. “You can’t pick a side. If you do, you’re part of this problem of polarization, this ‘we versus they’ business.” The work to reconcile these contrasts is born from his own life. His youngest stepson David was murdered at 24 years old. Fiechter’s personal involvement with the parents’ group has been “therapeutic.” Fiechter remembers where he was at a crowded meeting five years ago in the district attorney’s office when Rice first proposed the idea of the Long Island Youth Safety Council after an Island-wide event that focused on drunk driving had gone well. “I was in the back with a cup of coffee and a donut,” he tells Milieu, “and I heard: ‘And René should do it.’” Actually, it was right up his alley. Given his background, Feichter was in the unique position of having both the professional experience and the personal interest to help Long Island’s youth. The Long Island Youth Safety Coalition comprises dozens of groups that each address a key threat to the Island’s teenagers ranging from health issues to gang violence, substance

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abuse and bullying. “We put together about an 80-person board of directors, which is a bit unwieldy,” Fiechter explains, “but what we found out was when we said we wanted to do a youth safety coalition, it meant a lot of different things to different people. Some people said, ‘You must mean gangs.’ Or, ‘We were thinking highways.’ Drugs. Nutrition. Bullying, Internet Safety. The horrors that are happening in sports or sexuality. So we said, ‘Yes, that’s what we mean. You’re absolutely right.’” With events that cover parenting and good decision-making to heroin and prescription drug abuse, the coalition has put together programs that offer speakers, share resources, provide information, discuss curriculums and create links among interested parties, coupled with intensive workshops on various topics. The coalition’s next event is titled “The Talk: What every educator, coach, or concerned adult should know about the sexual challenges of today’s youth.” To be held Dec. 11 at Hofstra University, it promises to deal with issues like teen pregnancy, human trafficking and sexual violence. Katie Beers, a Long Island survivor of kidnapping and sexual assault, will be the keynote speaker. Fiechter believes that she will be a big draw because her devastating story was all over the news in 1992 when, at age 9, she was imprisoned in a bunker in Bay Shore that her neighbor had constructed for keeping her captive. In her book Buried Memories, she wrote that the ordeal she endured for 16 days was the tip of the iceberg compared to the severe abuse and neglect she suffered at the hands of her own family. It took her years of therapy to recover, but she finally did. Now she lives in Pennsylvania and is the mother of two small children. Fiechter hopes that having Beers speak at the event will bring in the people who are seeking help for themselves or looking to help those in need. Giving back to his community in any way he can has been the crux of his career, whether heading the heroin task force or teaching criminal justice courses at Nassau Community College. This drive to do more started years ago when he was disqualified from enlisting in the armed forces during the Vietnam War. Ever since, Fiechter has felt a keen need to find other ways to serve the public. That service continues today in the DA’s office, in the classroom, and in his home in Northport where he is a father, a grandfather and a caretaker to his ailing wife. When it comes to René Fiechter, Denis Dillon was half right: He has an enormous heart.

If you know a Guy Who “Gets It” and would like to nominate him for a future profile, email Beverly@MilieuLI.com.

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 53

For The Best holiday dining, happy hours and live entertainment, check out the 2014 Best of Long Island winners listed here. The 2015 ballot is open until Dec.15th, vote for your favorites at: BestOf.LongIslandPress.com

inment Spots” “Enterta Best Happy Hour Best Romantic Dinner

Post Office Café

130 W. Main St., Babylon, Lessings.com

Mirabelle Restaurant at The Three Village Inn

Croxley’s Ale House & Eatery Multiple Locations, Croxley.com

150 Main St., Stony Brook, Lessings.com

Brick House Brewery

Prime An American Kitchen and BaR

67 W. Main St., Patchogue, BrickHouseBrewery.com

117 New York Ave., Huntington, RestaurantPrime.com

Best Night Club

Graceful Rose

The Nutty Irishman

154 N. Broadway, Port Jefferson GracefulRoseNy.com

Multiple Locations, TheNuttyIrishMan.com

The Emporium

9 Railroad Ave., Patchogue, TheEmporiumNy.com

Mulcahy’s Pub & Concert Hall

3232 Railroad Ave., wantagh, Muls.coM

Best Sports Bar

Best Wine Bar

Croxley’s Ale House & Eatery

Barrique Kitchen & Wine Bar

Multiple Locations, Croxley.com

69 Deer Park Ave., Babylon Village BarriqueKitchenAndWineBar.com

Rookies Sports Club 70 Gerard St., Huntington, RookiesNy.com

Vitae Restaurant & Wine Bar

Changing Times Pub

Multiple Locations, TheChangingTimesPub.com

54 New St, Huntington Vitaeli.com

Buffalo Wild Wings Mul-

Wine Cellar on Main

tiple Locations, BuffaloWildWings.coM

70 Main St., Northport Village TheWineCellarOnMain.com

For more Bethpage Best Of LI 2014 winners visit bestof.longislandpress.com

Voting for the 2015 Bethpage Best of LI compitetion ENDS December 15 - bestof.longislandpress.com 54 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 55

H o l i d ay Pets

Décor a la Maison Mosaic Tile Pet Food Mat

Protect your floor while making a decorative statement at the same time. Easy-clean clear vinyl. ($21, Amazon.com)

Mountain Cat Climbers Give your feline friend some time away to relax with these natural hard wood wall-mounted cat climbers. ($59.99, ModernCat.net)

Tartan Urban Tote

Tartan plaid never goes out of style, and this tote features exterior and interior pockets with a machine washable quilted pad. ($50, Doggie Couture Shop, Kings Park, DoggieCoutureShop.com)

Sofa Throw Cover in Chocolate

A stylish and ultra-plush solution to protect your furniture from pet hair and stains. ($71.99, PETCO, Multiple Locations, PETCO.com)

Santa Paws

Chalk Board Dog Treat Jar A jar “chalk full” of goodies adds a fun addition to the kitchen. Matching dog bowl also available. ($32, Waggo.com)

Steel Mesh Pet Gate

Adore

Fetch Doggie Bakery

Designer cookies, donuts, bones, and cakes will have your pet begging for more! (Fetch Doggie Boutique & Bakery, Port Jefferson, FetchDoggies.com)

Pet Stocking

56 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

Keep toys tidy and neat in this adorable wicker chest. ($54, Pottery Barn, Huntington, PotteryBarn.com)

Warm

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Love

White Fashion Ski Cat Parka

The catwalk just got a little more stylish. ($29, NipAndBones. com)

A uniquely shaped personalized stocking for even the smallest member of your family. ($20, PersonalCreations.com)

A luxury stainless steel pet food bowl with non-skid rubber legs for the small dog or cat. Comes individually gift boxed. ($27.99, PetSmart, Multiple Locations, PetSmart.com)

Doggie Toy Basket

Reminiscent of elegant fireplace screens, this bronze-finished gate is a decorative addition to your home decor. ($79.50 FrontGate.com)

Treat

Petmate WETNoZ Pee Wee Bowl

Little Shelter

Dedicated to saving all companion animals whose lives are in jeopardy. (Little Shelter, Huntington, LittleShelter. com) N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 57

Décor a la Maison H o l i d ay Home

Holiday decorations can bring a dramatic change to your usual home décor whether your style is tranquil or bold, new or old fashioned.

Sure-Fit Cotton Dining Chair Slip Cover In sage green, natural or red, your dining room chairs look gift wrapped in these beautiful slipcovers. ($12.97 each, CollectionsETC.com)

Decorative Hanukkah Ball Lanterns

Michael Aram Botanical Leaf Menorah

Beautiful silvertone menorah in the shape of a leafy tree on a white marble base. ($199, Yussels Place, Merrick, YusselsPlace.com)

Recycled Cotton Reindeer

A stylish way to shed light on your eight special days. ($18.99 ZionJudaica.com)

Holiday Home

Wrapped from nose to tail in yards of recycled cotton, each reindeer is unique, vibrant and impressively sized. The hooves are accented with miniature sleigh bells. ($99.95, AcaciaLifestyle.com)

Stag Champagne Bucket

The distinctive Staghorn Champagne Bucket combines a rustic and refined style for a luxurious look. ($156, FrontGate.com)

All is Calm Holiday Pillows

Cream, taupe, and soft beige pillows are made of natural jute with felted wool applique and embellishments. ($39.95, AcaciaLifeStyle.com)

Sterling Bronze Hope Valley Antler Candle Holder

Add some holiday cheer to your table with these charming candleholders. ($50, Goedekers.com)

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Vickerman Candy Snowflake Garland

Colorful “candies” on a string of beads, this beautiful garland drapes like a dream. ($28.99, WayFair.com)

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Rockville Centre

516 678 1100 RamadaRVC.com

1000 Sunrise Highway Rockville Centre, NY 11570 This holiday season Ramada Rockville Centre would like to make it easier for your loved ones to visit you on Long Island by offering 20% off hotel accommodations. Whether you just moved here, had a baby or miss someone far away, encourage the ones you want to share the season with to visit by sharing this offer with them. Ramada Rockville Centre is located near John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia International Airports with easy access to the Long Island Rail Road, Manhattan, Queens and Long Island event venues. You and your guests will enjoy our amenities including complimentary breakfast, free WiFi internet access, workout center, business center, large vehicle parking, and guest laundry. Large family suites, jacuzzi suites and handi-capped accessible rooms are available upon request. Children under 12 stay free. For more information, call 516.678.1100 or go to www.RamadaRVC.com

Enjoy Your Stay, Leave the Rest to Us. For more information please call or email us: 516.678.1100 // RamadaRVCjw@gmail.com

N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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Exclusively for Long Island Women MILIEU 59

60 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women

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THE LAW OFFICE OF

PATRICIA A. SOKOLICH Strength when you need it most.

Family Law • Divorce • Child Support • Spousal Support • Fathers’ Rights Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements • Legal Separation • Mediation • Orders Of Protection Civil Litigation • Criminal Defense • DUI/DWI • Same Sex Marriages

Prenuptial Agreements: Are They Only For The Rich? Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin have made the news lately with their “conscious uncoupling” – which can also mean separating couples that intend to have a “mindful divorce” or a “cooperative divorce.” Before the famous couple used the term, most people had never heard the term until it was talked about in the media. When you think about it, “conscious uncoupling” can also be interpreted as a non-adversarial divorce which can be brought about by a well thought-out and fair prenuptial agreement. Instead of focusing on keeping as much of a party’s income and assets out of the hands of the other spouse, a pre-nuptial agreement that is fair and entered into consciously will focus more on: • each party’s needs • the type of life that the couple is planning together • The long-term implications of the decisions that the they’re making Pre-Nuptial Agreements are no longer reserved for the rich, they are becoming common place as long-standing taboos fall by the wayside. As women take their place in the professional workplace, more and more women understand the importance of having an agreement that should their marriage dissolve they will have a document that clearly indicates, not only what the couple had at the time of the marriage, but what they have acquired during the marriage. Pre-Nuptial Agreements no longer carry the stigma they had in the past where the wealthy party is trying to deny the other spouse any assets in the divorce. At the beginning of the marriage neither party knows how their financial interests will eventually develop. Perhaps through their work and good fortune, they may amass a sizable marital estate. If the marriage fails,

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the Pre-nuptial Agreement will be a guideline by which the parties’ may settle any disputes that arise between them. A fair pre-nuptial agreement requires the parties to be communicating with each other during the negotiation process. If you are planning to have a healthy, honest and longterm marriage, it is important that each party understand the purpose of a pre-nup and discuss what it is going to protect. Does one party want to protect their premarital assets and

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limit the amount of spousal support they may have to pay in the event of divorce? Perhaps the other party may want to keep a property, that has been in her family for years, out of the marital distribution? As you can see, resolving these issues prior to the wedding allows each party to feel secure during the marriage. This is because the terms were arrived at consciously, and not based on fear, anxiety and anger that are so common when discussing money issues during the marriage, or at the end.

For more Articles and Advice Join us online at

sokolichfamilylaw.com (516) 222-0572

666 Old Country Rd., Suite 900, Garden City

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Holiday Survival Guide Whether you’re hosting your family or his or both, here is a handy guide for pulling off a stress-free fete from home décor to unwinding after the guests have long gone with suggestions from top Long Island experts. Compiled by Sara Anne Fingerman

Home

An easy and inexpensive way to transition your home for the holidays is with throws, blankets and pillows. Jewel toned accessories in sapphire blue, emerald green and ruby red can be used in paintings, books, vases and bowls to bring a deep rich warmth to a room. —Stephanie Cohen, The Stephanie Cohen Design Center, Benjamin Rugs & Furniture, BenjaminRugsAndFurniture.com

Fashion

1990’s-inspired trends have brought back velvet and crushed velvet. Pair with gaudy accessories and chunky pearls, the bigger the better. If velvet is not your style, men’s inspired clothing like suspenders, button up shirts and even jerseys are making their way into women’s wear this season. —Dominique Maciejka, Owner, Paper Doll Vintage, Sayville, ShopPaperDollVintage.com

Entertaining

Scale down portions to mini or single serve. It looks so appetizing and is easier for your guests to eat. Rule of thumb: 6 pieces of hors d’oeuvres per person, per hour.

Yule Log “This smoky-sweet cocktail manages to be simultaneously mellow and full of depths of flavor. Enjoy one or two of these in front of a warm fire with people you love.” —Greg Wool, Garden City Hotel Polo Lounge Restaurant Manager, GardenCityHotel.com 1.5 Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin .5 Agave Nectar .75 Fresh Lemon Juice .25 Lagavulin 16 Year Shake all ingredients and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with small sprig of juniper.

Find a farm-raised Turkey to serve. I recommend Miloski’s Poultry Farm in Calverton and Raleigh’s Poultry Farm in Kings Park.. Order your turkeys early since this trend is on the rise and the turkeys are numbered. Stock up on butternut squash, spaghetti squash and acorn squash. Farm to table fall/winter squash are perfect for any meal. They are easy to prepare and very versatile. Store them in a dark cool place. —Filomena Lombardi, Owner of Farm to Table Catering by Filomena, FarmToTableCatering.com

Make a huge batch of small bite-size meatballs early in the season and freeze them flat in quart zip lock bags with no sauce. Separately, make a few different kinds of sauce and freeze flat in zip bags. Mix and match meatballs and sauce to the theme of the party. —Myra Naseem, Co-Owner, Elegant Eating, Smithtown, ElegantEating.com

Corporate Parties

A new trend is office parties are being scheduled in January to avoid competing with busy December schedules. The party marks the kick off to a successful New Year! Another trend is to host an afternoon party either in the office, lobby, or tent in the parking lot. Or a lunch “open house” with the bosses and management serving the employees. It’s a ice-breaker! —Andrea Correale, President, Elegant Affairs, ElegantAffairsCaterers.com

The Party’s Over, It’s Time To Unwind Here are some of our favorite trends for unwinding after your holiday party. Raw Earth Warm Stone Manicure and Pedicure Enriched with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that moisturizes and soothes hard working hands and feet.

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Hydrafacial The newest breakthrough in non-laser resurfacing that cleanses, exfoliates and hydrates your skin in a 5-step procedure. —The Spa at East Wind, Wading River, EastWindLongIsland.com N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

(631) 673-7300 PARAMOUNTNY.COM

370 NEW YORK AVENUE HUNTINGTON, NY 11743

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DECEMBER 30 & 31

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TO VIEW OUR ENTIRE SHOW LISTING PLEASE VISIT PARAMOUNTNY.COM All acts, dates, seating, times & lineups are subject to change without notice. Doors open one (1) hour before showtime. Register on our website to receive our free e-newsletter for event updates, special offers, pre-sale codes & much, much, more. Become our fan on Facebook – www.facebook.com/theparamountny or Follow us on Twitter – www.twitter.com/TheParamountNY.Tickets available online via www.ticketmaster. com, charge-by-phone @ (800) 745-3000, all Ticketmaster outlets & the Paramount Box Office (open daily from 12 noon-6 pm).

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bon appétit Holiday Recipes Get ready for holiday entertaining with these easy recipes and ideas for a festive get together!

Strawberry Santas A quick and easy holiday snack or dessert that the kids can help with. Cut the top off of a strawberry, pipe on some Cool Whip or whipped cream and top with the strawberry “hat.” Add a dab of whipped cream for the pom pom. Eyes are chocolate sprinkles.

Cream Cheese Penguins • 18 Jumbo Black Olives, Pitted

set a Snowman Table This is a great way to get the kids to help set the table this holiday season. Using white dinner and salad plates, arrange with raisin or olive eyes and a carrot nose. Utensils are set at an angle for snowman “arms,” a cute napkin is used as the scarf. For added drama, you can use pre-packaged doilies or make your own snowflakes out of paper as a placemat.

1. Cut a lengthwise slit from top to bottom into the side of each jumbo olive and insert about 1 tb. of cream cheese.

• 1 8 oz. Cream Cheese, Softened 2. Slice the carrot into 18 ¼” rounds, cut a • 18 Small Black Olives small notch to form feet. Use the notched piece for the nose and press into olive.. • 1 Carrot 3. Set big olive, hole side down onto feet. Set small olive onto the jumbo one so the beak, cream cheese “chest” and notch line up. Secure with toothpick. 4. Add red pepper strips for the “scarf.”

Low-Carb Spicy Spaghetti Squash Latkes Uee Spaghetti Squash instead of potatoes for a lowcarb, low-calorie calorie take on a holiday favorite. Yield: 8-10 latkes • 1 small yellow onion, diced • 1 small Jalapeno, seeds removed and diced • ½ tb. Coconut Oil • 1½ cups cooked Spaghetti Squash, squeezed of excess water

1. Heat skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and jalapeno with ½ tb. coconut oil until softened, about 3 mins. 2. In a large bowl, combine squash, egg, almond meal and parsley. 3. Once onion & jalapeno mixture is done, add to the squash mixture and combine. 4. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add enough coconut oil for pan frying, about 2 tbs.

• 1 egg

5. Spoon 2-3 tbs. of the squash mixture into the pan and fry until brown and crispy; flip and cook the other side until crispy (about 3-4 mins. per side).

• 2 tbs. almond meal/flour

6. Carefully transfer latke onto a paper towel-lined cooling rack to catch the oil.

• 2 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped • Coconut Oil for frying

7. Garnish with extra parsley and serve with yogurt, sour cream or applesauce..

Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate Pot

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Learn how to cook a comfort food meal for a cold winter evening. Prepare a delicious salad, dinner and dessert for yourself, as a couple or give as a holiday gift. ($81 per person, Elegant Eating, Smithtown, ElegantEating.com)

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heat, blend and serve café-style in one pitcher. ($34.95, Williams-Sonoma, Garden City, Williams-Sonoma.com)

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HOLIDAYS AT THE NEW GARDEN CITY HOTEL

Thanksgiving Harvest Buffet November 27 Share in the abundance of the season with our decadent buffet! Seatings between 11am-3pm

Breakfast with Santa December 13 & 20 A longtime family favorite, this year we have a special guest, Elsa from Frozen! Seatings at 8:30am or 11am

New Year’s Eve December 31 Sip champagne to live swinging jazz at the Polo Lounge January 1 Start the New Year with our legendary brunch

Indulge in our holiday events, gift cards or reserve guest rooms for traveling friends & family. Embark on a new era of luxury, first class service and gracious hospitality. For reservations call: 516.877.9385 | 45 Seventh Street Garden City gardencityhotel.com | 360 tours at gardencityhotel.com/360-tours.

STALLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS l STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY

Natalie Merchant

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014 AT 8:00 PM

Staller Center for the Arts / Main Stage – Tickets $48

Enjoy a unique concert that spans Natalie Merchant’s career Former front woman for the band 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant went solo in the 90s with even more success. Selections from her albums Tigerlily, Leave Your Sleep and her 2014 self-titled album to be featured.

www.stallercenter.com (631) 632-ARTS [2787]

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Staller Center for the Arts, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook NY 11794

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Health Smoking Out the Facts on “Vaping” E-cigarettes are smoke and tobacco free but they contain liquid nicotine, a neurotoxin that, whether inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin, can be lethal. According to The New York Times, less than one tablespoon of liquid nicotine can kill an adult, and as little as a teaspoon can kill a child. According to the CDC, the number of calls to poison control centers regarding e-cigarette nicotine-infused liquids rose sharply between September 2010 and February 2014, from 0.3 percent to 41.7 percent of all reported emergency calls. More than 50 percent of those calls involved accidental poisoning of kids under the age of 5. Since e-cigarettes aren’t regulated by the FDA, they could lead to a new era in nicotine addiction. The Journal of the American Medical Association found that e-cigarettes were “associated with higher odds of cigarette smoking by adolescents, whose use of e-cigarettes doubled between 2011 and 2012.” Long Island communities are also concerned about the growing use of e-cigarettes by teens. “We are working with several groups that want to protect youth by restricting the sale and marketing of these products,” says Susan Kennedy, director of the Tobacco Action Coalition. “E-cigarettes come in enticing flavors and are marketed in ways that have been banned for tobacco products. We are concerned that unregulated, these products are a threat to the tremendous progress we have made in reducing youth smoking rates.”

The Disq

Developed by elite Dutch speed skaters, Disq uses stretchy cords attached to disks you wear on your hips to fine-tune resistance. “Your muscles work much harder and there’s no impact, so it’s softer on joints, and you can still move in different directions and do advanced moves,” says Mary Keneally of NexCycle Studio in St. James.

Red Light At Night, Sleepers’ Delight Melatonin is a hormone that is produced and secreted by the pineal gland only at night. Melatonin is essential for the synchronization of sleep and circadian rhythms, as well as in reproduction, body weight and energy balance. Exposure to the blue light emitted by electronics and energy-efficient light bulbs is especially disruptive at night. In fact, a one minute exposure to blue light every two hours during the night can suppress melatonin production by 65 percent. Using a red light bulb in a bedside lamp and in nightlights is an easy solution that can significantly improve your melatonin production and give you a good night’s sleep.

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The Difference

Stress vs. Anxiety

The holidays can bring more than good cheer, they can overload your senses and emotions causing stress and in some extreme cases, anxiety. There is a difference. Stress is typically alleviated over a short period of time, anxiety is more long-term and difficult to treat. Stress is a response to daily pressure and is especially prevalent during the holiday season. Anxiety can manifest itself physically in panic attacks, vertigo, pain and high blood pressure. Anxiety can also cause a person to be scared and apprehensive of the future. Symptoms have to persist for about six months before a diagnosis of anxiety can be made. This period helps to prevent stress from being misdiagnosed as anxiety.

IMAGE of Health by

Cryoablation: The Alternative to Surgery for Fibroadenomas It can all come down to a moment in the shower. You’re washing up and then, all of a sudden, you feel a lump. Yes, for some, the most regular action on the most average of days has been exactly the moment that sends hearts falling from the normal course of everyday life into an “Oh my, now what will I do?” realization. So it can be with fibroadenomas, the solid, noncancerous breast tumors that occur most often in adolescent girls and women, ages 12 to 35. Usually painless, fibroadenomas can vary in size. They might feel like a marble in your breast, moving under the skin when touched. Among the most common breast lumps in young women, fibroadenomas are a bit of a puzzle because they can increase or even shrink on their own (due to hormonal changes). The first step is discovery, which can take place during a woman’s normal showering routine or through a brief self-examination. A more proactive, clinical way of diagnosing a fibroadenoma is via an imaging test such as a mammogram, ultrasound, or MRI. Your doctor will, most likely, recommend one of these imaging tests to confirm that the lump is, indeed, a fibroadenoma. So how do you deal with a fibroadenoma once it’s discovered? If it is small and painless, and remains the

same size, you would not need any treatment. Often, fibroadenomas can be left alone and no treatment is necessary. Usually, they are just monitored with follow-up ultrasounds. But if the fibroadenoma is large, painful, or growing, and your doctor advises treatment, your options can include monitoring to detect changes in their size or feel, a biopsy, a surgical removal, or cryoablation, which is an FDA-approved treatment as an alternative to surgery. Cryoablation is a long-established, effective procedure for destroying these types of breast tumors that usually takes between 5 and 15 minutes. After a local anesthetic is applied, a thin hollow needle (called a “cryoprobe”) is used to circulate cooled, thermally conductive fluids that destroy the offensive surrounding tissue. The frozen tissue is absorbed within months. Since no tissue is removed, the shape of your breast will not be affected. Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology is the only outpatient facility on Long Island that performs cryoablation, leading the way in breast imaging. For more information, click zprad.com/Cryoablation or call (631)225-7200, ext. 4642, to speak to our radiologist, Dr. Guy Bassis. For a ZPR office nearest you, click locations & directions.

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Cherrywood Foot Care A BREAKTHROUGH LASER

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Many people suffer from a condition called Onychomycosis (onni-koh-my-ko-sis), which is better known as toenail fungus. This condition is noticeable by a thickened, yellow or cloudy appearance of an individual’s toenail plate. The toenail can become rough and crumbly or can separate from the nail bed. There is usually no pain or other bodily symptoms unless the disease is severe. The condition can often affect a person’s ability to enjoy the simple things in life such as going barefoot or wearing sandals. Is there hope for sufferers of this condition? Cherrywood Foot Care in Nassau County has just introduced a medical breakthrough by offering the newest in laser technology for toenail fungus: the Cool Breeze Laser. Cherrywood Foot Care, led by founder Dr. Joseph Burke, has been a part of the Long Island community for over 24 years. They offer quality medical and surgical foot care. The facility features cutting-edge emerging technologies such as a diagnostic ultrasound and a state-of-the-art operating room on premise and this new laser treatment for toenail fungus. Dr. Burke and his qualified staff have the most advanced training and use the most advanced techniques in the treatment of this condition and your entire foot and ankle healthcare. Cherrywood Foot Care and Dr. Burke are leading the industry with this revolutionary treatment that quite simply can eliminate toenail fungus. The laser treatment destroys pathogens that cause toenail fungus. This is a serious and powerful medical advancement that the public needs to learn more about. This revolutionary new laser treatment appears more effective than all previous treatment options. Laser therapy for toenail fungus is completely safe, painless and has no side effects. In most cases, usually only one treatment is needed. This treatment leaves patients with a significant improvement in the health and appearance of their toenails. The laser operates in a very tight spectrum of near-infrared light. The laser light passes through the toenail without causing damage to the nail or the surrounding skin. The beam created

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by this specially designed medical device kills the embedded pathogens in the nail plate and nail bed, leaving normal healthy tissue undamaged. Only minimal adverse reactions, injuries, disabilities or side effects have been reported in clinical studies with this new laser technology and treatment. In contrast, topical treatments are minimally effective. “Oral medications available today can cause side effects to the liver, kidney and eyes, and may even affect your senses of taste and smell,” states Dr. Burke. At the time of the procedure, the toenail will not become instantly clear, it takes time to grow out. A new healthy nail will be seen emerging from the cuticle area as the nails grow naturally. The average toenail replaces itself every six to nine months. Within one to three months of the procedure, a healthy new growth will be visible. The laser treatment is very effective, according to clinical studies performed in Sacramento, Calif. Most patients experience significant improvement. In most cases, the fungal nails are improved with a single treatment. The vast majority of our clients require only one treatment, which usually takes about 30 minutes. No anesthetic or injections are ever used and you will be able to resume all of your normal activities immediately after the treatment is done. It is recommended that after the treatment (just like you practice good oral hygiene to keep your teeth and gums healthy), you will need to practice good foot hygiene to keep your toenails healthy. Find out how to end your struggle with toenail fungus by visiting Cherrywoodfootcare.com or call Dr. Joseph Burke for a free consultation. Their professional medical staff will help you to feel welcome, relaxed and comfortable with a caring office experience. Cherrywood Foot Care can have you barefoot and smiling with confidence once again with this revolutionary new laser technology. It can eliminate unsightly toenail fungus giving you clear healthy toenails with an affordable one-time treatment! Put your “Best” foot forward.Call us today to see why we were voted #1 BEST Podiatrist On Long Island! N O V EM B E R / D ECEMb e r 2 0 1 4

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FAMILY

Holiday Events for the Entire Family

Christmas Animated Walk-Thru Story November 8 - December 24 Hicks Nurseries, 100 Jericho Tpke., Westbury (HicksNurseries.com) Santa Parade Port Jefferson Village November 29 Holbrook Christmas Tree Lighting December 6, 6:30-9:30 HolbrookChamber.com Tree Lighting at Old Westbury Gardens December 6, 6:30-9:30 OldWestburyGardens.com

Family Fun Trip

Holiday Style Festival & Tree Lighting at Tanger Outlets at The Arches The Annual Winter Festival and Tree Lighting commences on Saturday, November 22. There will be fun activities, ice skating, live performances, a holiday toy drive and a visit from Santa! (TangerOutlet.com/DeerPark)

Family Fun Trip Montauk Lighthouse Lighting Saturday, November 29, 4:30-7pm Holiday Music, Caroling and Santa!

Kitchen Creation

Marshmallow Menorah Supplies:

• Big marshmallows

2. Spread icing on the bottom of nine marshmallows and place them in a row on the cardboard.

• Paint • Cardboard

3. Place 1 extra marshmallow on the middle marshmallow.

• White icing • Birthday candles

4. Insert a birthday candle in each marshmallow.

Kids Craft Leaf Print Art

Bird Feeder Garland

String Bread, Cranberries and Oat Cereal for the birds to enjoy! Cut stale bread using a cookie cutter, punch a hole with a straw to string, next add a few cranberries (frozen ones are less messy) and oat cereal.

Take advantage of all the autumn leaves for a fun indoor craft! Dip leaves in paint or place your leaf on paper and use a brush to cover the top creating a beautiful outline. Use for pictures and placemats and for added fun, see if you can identify what kind of leaves you are using!

Use a tapestry needle threaded with yarn, hang outdoors and watch the action.

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1. Cut a small piece of cardboard to use as a support for the bottom, and paint.

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What’s in the Cards November/December

Pathway to Positivity

BY PSYCHICDEB

Sagittarius November 22 to December 21

the Moon reversed – Secrets will be revealed. Confusion and self-deception diminish; honest love and caring surface. This is an excellent card for creativity if you are interested in organizing a plan or catching a dream.

Capricorn December 22 to January 19

Death – This card does not mean death in the literal term, it means transformation. Something has reached a conclusion. You may now have to let go of what is familiar and step into the unknown. Permit your sense of loss but embrace the new.

Pathway to Positivity will give you the tools and a safe place so you can open up your mind and learn about your spiritual nature.

Aquarius January 20 to February 18

the Knight of Cups reversed – Sometimes you become a victim of escapism and that can make you deceive yourself. You prefer your dreams to reality, but you have to come down to earth at some point or people won’t trust you.

A Special Holiday Spirit

Pisces February 19 to March 20

the Page of Pentacles – There is a need to take some new possibilities seriously. Money is available to you. A new job that you initially considered routine will have excellent potential. Be patient if you want to make a success of this opportunity.

The holiday season can be both a happy and sad time, especially for those who have lost a Loved One.

Aries March 21 to April 19

We crave to have a deeper connection with those who have crossed over to the other side. While the connection is always “Just a Breath Away,” we can tune into their vibration by allowing their Soul’s vibration to dance in our mind. If you are open to Spirit, you can experience this.

Temperance – The Temperance card suggests that you need to adopt a patient, calm and self-controlled approach to your situation. Use diplomacy in your dealings with your significant other to achieve a successful outcome.

Taurus April 20 to May 20

the Ace of Wands reversed – Your new venture or goal may encounter difficulties. Be careful of being selfish, demanding or unyielding. A little kindness goes a long way.

Spirit always finds the perfect “Gift” around the holidays. Notice their presence. We may feel a brush of Energy that wisps by, or our name called out and only we can hear it. It might be an electronic item turning on or off when no one else is around. Spirit thrives off of the electrical Energy that surrounds our very being.

Gemini May 21 to June 20

the 7 of Swords – You need to apply your mental energy in a very prudent way. Don’t behave aggressively but use diplomacy to achieve your desired results. If in conflict with someone or up against a difficult situation, clear thinking will help you through.

Cancer June 21 to July 22

We are so sensitive to the memories of our Loved Ones that too often we focus on the negative emotions linking us to the memory of the loss rather than the positive and the beauty in the signs and symbols that our Loved Ones are sharing with us. We have five senses and Spirit is capable of using all of them to connect.

the 6 of Cups – You may be living too much in the past and not focusing on what is yet to come. If you are feeling sad about people who once meant a lot to you or are no longer in your life, it is time to move on. Although the past has made you stronger, the future awaits you.

Leo July 23 to August 22

Each of us has an original Soul Blueprint, the path our Soul has planned for us when we entered this lifetime. Once we have experienced all of what we wrote into our Blueprint, we seek our Soul’s approval to go back to “Heaven.” When this transition occurs, the Soul/Spirit leaves the physical body and returns to its natural state of being. This Energy/Essence is in the form of Love in the Light with the promise of being reunited with all of our Loved Ones.

the 2 of Wands – New opportunities are being offered to you. It is time to take stock of your situation and plan ahead. You may need to re-evaluate you career and decide where you should go from here.

Virgo August 23 to September 22

the 8 of Wands – This card warns against your becoming too rigid in your outlook. You may feel hemmed in by circumstances even though they may be self-created and not as restrictive as you think. Try to think rationally in order to find a way to free yourself from your mental imprisonment.

Libra September 23 to October 22

Spirit has the best of both worlds. Peace in Heaven while continuing to partake in their Loved Ones’ lives here on Earth. Love never dies.

the Knight of Wands – This card suggests that you are ready to make a significant move of some kind. Someone of the opposite sex may act as a catalyst for these changes.

Scorpio October 23 to November 21

Happy Holidays from your “Loved Ones in Spirit” and God Bless.

the 9 of Wands – Even though you find yourself daunted by what lies ahead, this card suggests that you have the power of endurance to come through. You may feel that you cannot go on or that life is too difficult but deep down you can draw upon a formidable reserve of strength that will keep you going.

Peace**Love**Unity Psychic Medium & Spiritual Liaison Bobbi Allison Bobbi Allison Spirit Medium BobbiAllison/Facebook www.BobbiAllison.com

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Psychicdeb uses the tarot to do psychic readings channeling her spirit guide Helen. She is also an Astrologer and Reiki Master and loves to teach others the benefits of Reiki. You can find her at the Original Psychic Fair on Sundays. A listing of the Fair dates can be found on her website at: www.astro-mate.org

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SAVE THE DATE A Woman on the Move is an extraordinary woman who balances family life, career & community involvement.

C O C KTA I L R E C E P T I O N TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014 | 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Carlyle on the Green at Bethpage Golf Course 99 Quaker Meeting House Road Farmingdale, NY 11735

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Challenge and enhance your career by connecting with the RIGHT people! Featuring bestselling Oprah-featured author, speaker & business consultant

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Our Favorite Holiday Traditions

Jeff Main

Senior Web Designer

Beverly Fortune

I happen to be pretty good at baking, so it’s my favorite thing to do for all the get-togethers during the holidays. I like to try out new recipes. Past party hits have included Bourbon Pecan Pie, Coffee Flan, and Peanut Brittle.

PublisheR

I love to go through my holiday recipes and bake all the favorites that I only make at this special time. My favorite is Miniature Meat Turnovers. (For the complete recipe, go to MilieuLI.com).

Jaime Franchi Staff Writer

I love the opening of the gifts. Not the controlled, polite, one-at-a-time kind, but the messy chaos of flying paper and squeals of delight. And egg nog.

Bea Arner Intern

Nothing shouts “Happy Holidays” quite like holiday light shows. It’s a lot of fun cramming into a car with your friends and seeing the elaborate displays. Since there are so many places around the area that put on nightly shows, you’re almost guaranteed a great time.

Jon Chim

Senior Graphic Designer

Apparently, all my co-workers like to bake. I, on the other hand, enjoy being a couch potato and eating said baked goods. So my favorite holiday tradition is to sit on the couch all day, eat and watch some holiday flicks.

Sara Anne Fingerman Lifestyle Editor

A tradition of mine is going to at least one Broadway show or concert every holiday season. This year on December 21st my friends and I will stay local for a special Hanukkah show at The Paramount in Huntington starring Matisyahu: The Festival of Lights.

Rosie Flore Intern

Every year a week before Christmas, my mom, sisters and I go to my Aunt’s house in Manorville. We arrive at 10 a.m. and bake cookies all day until we stop for dinner. We bake over 200 cookies, wrap them up as gifts and leave some under the tree for Santa. At least 100 cookies are lost to my tummy! Our bake-off is filled with laughs, love and lots of holiday cheer.

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