The Times of Middle Country - December 22, 2022

Photo by Raymond Janis

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Celebrating the holidays amid health risks from the ‘tridemic’

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Around this time of year, parking lots are often full.

That’s true of the mall parking lot, as people go out to shop for holiday gifts for their friends and family, but it’s also true, especially this year, for hospitals and urgent care centers.

HEALTH

With the so-called “tridemic,” which is a combination of viruses that typically affect the lungs, including COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV), infecting people of all ages, the need for health care and medical attention has been high in the weeks leading up to the holidays.

When Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, arrives at work at 7 a.m., she drives past urgent center parking lots that are “full for a reason. It’s because people are sick” and need medical attention at the start of the day.

Indeed, the combination of the three viruses, as well as other viruses and bacteria in the community such as adenovirus and enterovirus, has made it difficult for some children to attend schools and for adults to go to work.

For the week ending Dec. 10, which is the most recent period for which data is available, Suffolk County reported 3,936 cases of the flu, which is up 35% just from the prior week. The week ending Dec. 10 alone represents more than half of all flu cases for the entire 2019-2020 season, according to data from the New York State Department of Health.

At the same time, COVID and RSV numbers have climbed.

“We almost doubled our COVID census over the last three to four weeks,” Dr. Michael Khlat, chief medical officer at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown, explained in an email. St. Catherine currently has almost 60 COVID-positive patients. Nearly a third of those patients are admitted for COVID and are receiving intravenous remdesivir, while the others are incidental findings in the context of other medical needs.

“What is special about this surge is that it is inclusive of COVID, influenza, rhinovirus as well as RSV,” Khlat wrote. “The symptoms are very similar, and treatments are all supportive at this time.”

Family gatherings at Thanksgiving contributed to the increase, adding “extra turbocharging to the current respiratory viruses,” Nachman said.

The most vulnerable patients are the immunocompromised, patients with diabetes, chronic lung and cardiac disease, obese residents and patients with chronic liver and kidney disease, Khlat added.

Demand for beds

The influx of patients has meant that St. Catherine has had to increase its capacity of staffing using nursing agencies to meet the needs of the community for “seamless, high-quality care,” Khlat explained.

St. Catherine has also added more providers on the medical wards to care for patients and has load balanced patients with their Catholic services partner St. Charles Hospital and other Catholic Health facilities.

Nachman urged residents to see their primary care doctor if they have routine viral symptoms. Coming directly to the emergency room slows the process of delivering urgent care.

To be sure, Nachman urged anyone with chest pains or stroke-like symptoms should head directly to the emergency room.

Nachman said Stony Brook Children’s Hospital is transitioning to a model in which they triage patients who walk into the ER to assess the need for services.

As people prepare for family gatherings, Nachman suggested that they evaluate the risks of interacting with others.

People with an immune deficiency might want to wear masks or speak outside with others, particularly if someone in the group had one of the respiratory viruses.

Viruses like RSV are generally contagious for about three to eight days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

RSV spreads through close contact, which means that passing someone in a supermarket won’t likely spread the virus, while sitting and doing homework or eating a meal next to someone could.

As for COVID, Nachman continued to urge people to get the bivalent booster shot.

Every study, she said, shows that the booster drastically reduces the risk of being hospitalized with COVID.

People are waiting once again for COVID-19 and other tests at local urgent care centers. File photo by Lina Weingarten

GOP officials, advocates press Gov. Hochul for additional child care appropriations

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

In an effort to influence the upcoming state budget, Republican officials in the New York State Legislature joined policy advocates at the Perry B. Duryea State Office Building in Hauppauge Thursday, Dec. 15.

Also in attendance was Ryan Stanton, executive director of the Long Island Federation of Labor, who emphasized the inordinate expenses associated with child care and the need for state support.

POLITICS

The officials called the press event to raise public awareness about the lack of child care services on Long Island, hoping to pressure Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who is preparing the state budget for the 2024 fiscal year.

Child care on Long Island “is not a problem, it’s a crisis,” said Dean Murray, state Sen.-elect (R-East Patchogue), who organized the event. “We are at a crisis level on Long Island when it comes to child care, and there is no simple solution.”

Murray regarded the issues associated with child care as threefold. For him, the state government can remedy the problem by addressing its affordability, availability and accessibility.

While Murray applauded Hochul and the Legislature for targeting the issue in last year’s budget, he said the changes do not adequately account for regional economic differences throughout the state.

“The cost of living here on Long Island does not compare to areas upstate,” he said, “So when you have a statewide standard, it simply isn’t fair to regions like Long Island.”

He added that the child care is underfunded, arguing, “We need to do what we can as a government to help to create more availability, helping to build more facilities, helping to encourage employers to offer onsite child care.”

The state senator-elect regarded child care service as “a profession, not a job.” However, he said these professionals are often underpaid.

“Can you think of a job that’s more important than caring for our kids?” he said.

“This is a professional job. [The workers] need to be treated as such, and they need to be compensated as such.”

State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James) explained the problem similarly. He detailed the underinvestment in child care personnel, saying the incentive is to pursue other industries.

“The people right now with child care are leaving because they’re getting other jobs,” Mattera said. “They’re getting better [paying] jobs even in McDonald’s. That’s a problem.”

He added, “They are watching our kids and protecting our children, but they’re not getting paid properly.”

Mattera also addressed the need for more child care training programs. If child care is to be a profession, he said these service providers deserve similar specialized teaching to those of other fields.

“We need to educate,” the state senator

said. “We need to make sure [institutions] like Suffolk Community College, a perfect example, have some kind of a course … to have qualified people watching our children.”

Jennifer Rojas, executive director of the Commack-based Child Care Council of Suffolk, discussed the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the child care industry. While these essential services remained operational throughout the public health emergency, the industry has struggled since.

“When everything shut down in March of 2020, child care remained open because we knew how important it was for our essential workers to continue to work,” she said. “Unfortunately, our industry is in a crisis. … It’s expensive for parents, and the workforce is making poverty wages.”

She added, “It’s because you cannot raise the cost on parents in order to pay your staff more, so we’re stuck in this bubble where providers are not able to pay their staff and, therefore, not able to recruit.”

Without sufficient staff, Rojas said some child care programs are cutting back resources and, in some instances, shutting down altogether. “This is a crisis like we have never seen in this industry, and it’s always been an industry that has operated on razor-thin margins,” she added.

State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) echoed Rojas’ sentiments about the crippling effects of COVID-19 on child care service providers. To Giglio, the lockdowns generated conditions where child care was less necessary for parents.

“Because the moms couldn’t go to work and everybody was expected to stay home, a lot of these facilities closed down,” she said. “It costs a lot because your payroll is not going down and you’re still turning the lights on every day.”

“In both Nassau and Suffolk counties, the cost of care is about $30,000 a year,” he said. “That is more than going to the State University of New York for an entire year. You have working families struggling to make ends meet. In order to go to work, [they] must have care in many instances. And we’re asking them to pay for a college tuition bill or more.”

Giglio, a member of the state Assembly’s Labor and Economic Development committees, suggested funding child care to remediate labor shortages, viewing such an investment as an economic development tool.

“We have warehouses out there that are full of materials, waiting to be delivered to customers, and those items are not getting delivered because they don’t have the drivers,” she said. “We need to get people back to work. Employers are looking for workers, and parents are looking for a better life for their families.”

Concluding the press conference, Murray outlined some possible solutions. He recommended removing the statewide eligibility standard to resolve the regional economic differences between Long Island and the rest of the state.

“Because of our economic diversity here, [the statewide standard] doesn’t serve Long Island like it should,” the state senator-elect said. “Rather than a statewide eligibility level, we should break it into the 10 regional economic development council regions.”

With different standards for different regions, Murray maintained that Long Islanders could qualify for additional state aid for child care, reflective of their higher cost of living.

“This is a fairer way, especially for Long Island families,” he said.

Murray said another way to improve the issue is through employer-based on-site child care. He offered that expanding these benefits could assist working families and employers alike.

Speaking to employers directly, he said, “If you offer on-site child care as a benefit to your employees, I guarantee you that will put you above your competition in the game of recruitment,” adding, “What we want to do is incentivize that.”

Lastly, he suggested exploring any changes in state regulations that may be holding up the construction of new child care facilities. “We also need to sit down and look at whether or not there are regulations slowing down the building of health care facilities,” Murray said.

He added, “Let me be very clear: We will never change any regulations that deal with the health, the safety or the well-being of the children. But we should take a look at the regulations otherwise and see if they are slowing them down.”

Hochul is expected to release her proposed FY 2024 budget next month

Above, at podium, state Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James), surrounded by Long Island child care advocates and Republican colleagues in the state Legislature. Below, state Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead).

Photos by Raymond Janis

Local residents celebrate Hanukkah

Approximately 200 people celebrated the first night of Hanukkah at Village Chabad in East Setauket.

When addressing the attendees, Rabbi Motti Grossbaum talked about the inspiring message of the holiday where even one flame of light can dispel an immense amount of darkness.

“Just like on the menorah itself, every day we must increase on the good we did yesterday and ultimately good will always prevail,” he said.

Setauket Fire Department volunteers were on hand to help with the lighting. Attendees enjoyed a Chocolate Coin “Gelt Drop,” when

2,000 coins were tossed from the top of an extended fire truck bucket up in the air. There were also traditional jelly donuts, hot latkes and hot cocoa for all. Jester Jim performed a juggling show under the Menorah’s glow to conclude the program.

The rabbi invited everyone in attendance to help break a record on the night of Saturday, Dec. 24, for 1,000 Jewish homes in Suffolk and Nassau counties to light menorahs simultaneously on Zoom from the comfort of their own homes. To register, visit Menorah1000.com.

The

The

— Photos by Gail DeClue

Town of Brookhaven celebrated the start of Hanukkah at the Community Menorah Lighting ceremony Tuesday, Dec. 20, at Town Hall in Farmingville.

annual holiday event was led by Rabbi

Mendy Goldberg of the Lubavitch of the East End/Chabad House of Coram. Guests enjoyed traditional Hanukkah songs and stories, entertainment and refreshments, including hot latkes and donuts.

Above, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Neil Foley (R-Blue Point); Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R); Rabbi Mendy Goldberg and Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden). Photo courtesy the town’s public information office

Suffolk County family wins Christmas lights competition show

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Local viewers of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” may have recognized one of the families in a recent episode.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Many residents in St. James and the surrounding areas are familiar with the Stier house on Arlington Avenue. Each year Ashley and Chris Stier, along with their children Serenity and Storm, fill the lawn with children’s playhouses that they decorate with lights plus handcrafted and hand-painted accents. Each structure is dedicated to a specific theme, such as the movies “Miracle on 34th Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and more. Traditional Christmas decorations complement the playhouses and an arch of lights decorates the driveway.

In 2021, a friend sent a video of the Stiers’ annual display, and the show’s producers interviewed the family after seeing the submission. The Stiers were thrilled when they were told they were chosen and filmed an episode last year over four days that aired this Dec. 12. While the family was notified that they had won the contest, they weren’t able to tell anyone and couldn’t collect the $50,000 prize until after the show aired.

Ashley Stier said while it was difficult, they were able to keep the secret. They also had yet to learn who they were up against while filming.

“The moment it airs, that’s the time we see it, too,” she said. “So we had to wait a whole year to see the outcome and who we competed against.”

The Stiers were up against stiff competition, including one family spreading their holiday display throughout more than 3 acres of land in Bainbridge, Georgia, and an Orlando, Florida, couple decorating their home with lights to honor those around the world who succumbed to COVID-19.

On the episode, when judge Taniya Nayak awarded the Stiers their Light Fight trophy, she said, “You can feel the love and all of the creativity in every piece of the display that you guys put together.”

To get ready for the competition show, the family began in September 2021 as they had 58 days to complete the setup before filming started.

“Everyone was, like, what’s going on,” Ashley Stier said.

The Stiers decided to go with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” theme, which would be fitting for Halloween, too. The passersby could see Santa Claus battling the character Jack as well as skeletons fighting each other.

“We had to figure out how to correlate the two holidays,” the mother said.

The Stiers’ display not only features Christmas favorites of the family but also plays into their interests and careers. Ashley Stier is a real estate agent and enjoys craft, and Chris is a sheet metal worker who co-owns Trio Sheet Metal Works Co. with his brother. The 16-yearold Serenity also enjoys the do-it-yourself projects, while 8-year-old Storm loves sitting in one of the houses handing out candy canes to visitors, in addition to helping put everything together like his sister.

The annual setting was inspired by a Dickens village that Ashley Stier’s grandparents once displayed in their home and her late grandmother passed on to her. Ashley’s grandfather Thomas Taravella also appeared on the show.

In addition to fully decorating their lawn, the Stiers also host their extended family for Christmas yearly.

“As everyone started passing away, it was like now we are the ones who have to carry on the torch,” the mother said.

Ashley met Chris when she was a student at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. They married and had their daughter young. As Ashley attended college, Chris and his brother began running their father’s business.

“We sort of grew up together,” Ashley said, adding through the years both have developed a deeper love for Christmas.

When Ashley was younger, she and her family would go every year to see the houses decorated in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, and once they started dating, Chris would join them.

“When I was little, that was a big deal for me,” she said.

The day would include a visit to the attractions as well as watching the movies “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” and drinking hot chocolate. The tradition inspired the two playhouses in their outdoor display dedicated to the holiday movies.

Before the couple moved to St. James, they would set up an outside display at their East Meadow home. Chris Stier and daughter Serenity used one of her playhouses one year.

“My husband was always obsessed with the Christmas stuff with her,” Ashley Stier said.

Through the years, helping their parents with the holiday tradition and their father with projects, the children have learned various skills, including Serenity knowing how to weld and being knowledgeable about plumbing.

Although the family has lived in St. James for several years, they started going big with the display in the past few years. Ashley Stier said the presentation gets bigger every year with people, especially local moms, dropping off playhouses and other items.

Usually, it takes the Stiers a month to decorate, but this year it took approximately six weeks, because last year when it was time to pack up, Ashley Stier said they were tired, and they rushed to get everything put away.

However, the lawn is decorated once again, and people get out of their cars to check out the holiday display, and her son gives out candy canes when he can. Every once in a while, they push the button on their snow machine, depending on how many people are around.

They have a pathway up to each house so visitors can look closer, and a mailbox to send letters to Santa. There’s also a spot to drop off toys for Miss Minnie’s Kids which sends the items to children in Jamaica. Ashley Stier said in addition to putting money aside for Serenity’s and Storm’s college funds, the family will also donate some of the $50,000 prize to the nonprofit.

Recently, a Girl Scout Troop that had dropped off a playhouse a few years ago stopped by to see their contribution, which is now the gumdrop house.

“It’s kind of nice because it went from doing something for our family and now it’s turning into a community thing, everyone is a part of it in a way,” Ashley Stier said.

The episode, Season 10 Episode 5, can be viewed on ABC on demand or Hulu.

A view of the Stier family’s 2021 holiday display that won them a $50,000 prize in “The Great Christmas Light Fight.” Below right, a close-up of one of the playhouses. The family also received a trophy, below, from the show. Photos from the Stier family

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police: Woman critically injured in Farmingville motor vehicle crash

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that critically injured a woman in Farmingville on Dec. 17. Gilma Liceth-Perez was driving a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta southbound on Leeds Boulevard, making a left turn onto Portion Road, when her vehicle was struck by a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe traveling westbound on Portion Road at 1:56 p.m. Liceth-Perez, 45, of Patchogue, was transported by the Farmingville Fire Department to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was listed in critical condition. Her passenger, Dayanara Perez-Reyes, 19, of Patchogue, and the driver of the Hyundai, Emma Vilmenay, 20, of Babylon, were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The vehicles were impounded for safety checks. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to contact the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

Wanted for Medford petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Medford store this month. A man allegedly stole a Samsung projector, valued at approximately $800, from Target, located at 2978 Horseblock Road, on Dec. 8 at 2:30 p.m.

Medford

man arrested for multiple larcenies

Suffolk County Police arrested a man near his home in Medford on Dec. 17 for alleged multiple felonies committed during October and December 2022. Fifth Squad detectives received information through the Crime Stoppers program pertaining to a gas station robbery that occurred in Yaphank on Nov. 2.

Following an investigation conducted by Fifth Squad detectives, Fifth Precinct Crime Section officers, Sixth Squad detectives and Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers, the suspect, James O’Brien, was located and arrested outside his residence on Lincoln Road at approximately 9:30 p.m.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Wanted for Farmingville petit larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the pair who allegedly stole merchandise from Xpressions, located at 2400 North Ocean Ave. in Farmingville, on Dec. 2 at approximately 4:15 p.m. The merchandise was valued at approximately $800.

It was determined that O’Brien was also allegedly responsible for the theft of two catalytic converters on Lakeland Avenue in Ronkonkoma on Oct. 21; fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in Coram on Oct. 24; and the burglary of a residence on Lincoln Road in Medford on Dec.15. O’Brien, 45, was charged with Robbery 1st Degree, Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, Fleeing an Officer in a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree, and Burglary 2nd Degree.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Suffolk County detectives intercept money for elderly scam victim

On Dec. 16, Suffolk County Police Financial Crimes Unit detectives intercepted cash that an elderly Louisiana man mailed as a part of a scam. Financial Crimes Unit detectives were made aware that an 82-year-old Lafayette, Louisiana, man sent $9,800 to a location on Union Boulevard in Bay Shore as part of a cyber scam. Detectives intercepted the money at a location in Ronkonkoma at 12:37 p.m. The money is being returned to the victim and the investigation is continuing.

SUTTON

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI

Do you recognize this pair? Photo from SCPD

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Raiyah

dominant performance leads Wolverines to victory

Reed’s

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

at halftime to shake off some rust, putting on a three-point shooting exhibition.

SPORTS

It was the Raiyah Reed show Tuesday night at Newfield High School. The junior cocaptain peppered the scoreboard with 13 field goals and a dozen free throws to top the scoring charts with 38 points, leading her team to a 55-47 victory over Smithtown East.

Reed’s performance was the spark the Wolverines needed to notch their first win of the season in this Div. II matchup Dec. 20.

It was also Alumni Night, with former players invited onto the court

Darcy DeBenedittis topped the scoring chart for Smithtown East with 14 points, and teammate Ava Mueller added 13.

Newfield looks to score back-toback victories when the team retakes the court in tournament play at Center Moriches High School Wednesday, Dec. 28, against Mount Sinai. Gametime is slated for 10:00 a.m.

Smithtown East (1-3, 3-3) is back in action Friday, Dec. 23, when they’ll host Connetquot at 5 p.m.

by Bill Landon

— Photos

Clockwise from above: Alumni Night at Newfield High School; Newfield sophomore Jessica Alba gets a shot off down low; and Newfield cocaptain Raiyah Reed battles her way to the basket in a home game against Smithtown East.

New eld 55 Smithtown East 47

Pictured clockwise from above: Newfield junior Jasmine Ricchetti scores; Newfield freshman Celena Gregg drives the baseline; and Newfield cocaptain Madison Brooks shoots for two in a home game against Smithtown East.

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since the newspaper was first published in 1976! After all those years, 45 to be exact, we have had amazing results thanks to their dedication and professionalism. Minnie and Joann are wonderful and are sure to come up with valuable ideas for your individual advertising needs. Every week, Leah Dunaief & The Village Times staff provide an outstanding paper with factual and relevant information for the communities we all cherish. It is only natural to choose to advertise in their papers! We love you Times Beacon Record!”

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Editorial

Long Islanders need child care assistance

We often think of our country as the greatest in the world. In many ways, it is, but we are falling behind other firstworld countries regarding health care costs, life expectancy, high-speed transportation and more.

Among our country’s greatest weaknesses is a lack of affordable child care options for parents.

Local Republican elected officials recently held a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 15, to raise awareness about this important issue.

Their mission was to implore New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to include increased aid for child care services in the 2024 state budget. Hochul’s budget is still in its early stages and is expected to be released next month.

While the issue was addressed to an extent in last year’s budget, the elected officials said more needs to be done. Their plea is for the governor to consider how the cost of living varies throughout the state, with Long Islanders spending more than many of their fellow New Yorkers.

For these reasons, a statewide child care eligibility level makes little sense for Long Islanders. If the statewide standard is not amended to reflect these differences, more people will flee this Island for more affordable regions of the state and nation.

In New York, more funding and incentives are needed to make child care more accessible for working parents, including building more facilities and encouraging employers to offer on-site options. We are seeing the exact opposite take place within our region, with many child care facilities cutting back their services or closing shop altogether.

The low salaries of those working in the industry also need to be corrected. Many are making minimum wage or close to it. It’s inexcusable that those responsible for taking care of children are paid so poorly that they can make the same or more while working for a fast-food restaurant or retailer.

The onset of the pandemic demonstrated how vital child care is to families. While many worked from home, those deemed essential workers, such as people in the medical, emergency, media and food industry fields, could work onsite. Child care facilities remaining open for these workers enabled them to continue providing residents with necessary vital services.

At the same time, many businesses deemed nonessential were shut down. With employees working from home, child care services experienced a drop-off in enrollment. The result was a decrease in cash flow, creating financial burdens on many facilities and several shutting their doors for good.

In addition to helping families afford these services, it’s imperative that our child care providers and professionals receive the financial support they need to open centers and keep them open with properly paid staff members. These are all serious red flags for our regional economy.

On-site day care is more than babysitting. The benefits of attending a child care center include improved socialemotional skills and children who are better prepared for elementary school.

The need for more child care assistance for Long Islanders should be a nonpartisan issue, something every elected official should be rallying for in the near future. We hope to see more public leaders speak up about the need and get behind any legislation to improve child care in our state.

The financial stability of New Yorkers — and most importantly, our children’s futures — depend on it.

Letters to the Editor

Whelan for Bout would be magic, not chess

In Larry Penner’s letter appearing in this newspaper [“Biden doesn’t know how to play chess,” Dec. 15], he terms President Joe Biden [D] “a fool” for securing Brittney Griner’s release in exchange for Viktor Bout.

He claims Biden doesn’t know “how to play chess.” But what Penner is proposing — swapping Bout for Paul Whelan instead — isn’t chess. It’s magic. Regardless of Penner’s fantasy about “chess,” the only offer on the table was Bout for Griner. Take it or leave it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the dictator of a totalitarian state, couldn’t care less about fairness or the supposed rules of the game. There was no offer of Bout for Whelan. He’d be more than happy to let Griner rot in a Russian forced labor camp while we held out for a deal that was never going to happen.

So, the choice was Bout for Griner, or nothing. Maybe Penner can tell us what he would have done, not in his imaginary world featuring a make-believe Putin who is ready

to deal as Penner thinks he ought, but in the real world which has a far less cooperative Putin. If he would have chosen “nothing,” he could at least come right out and say so.

In his letter, Penner remarks that Griner once said the national anthem should not be played before WNBA games. What possible bearing does that have on efforts made to secure her release? Is she less worthy of being released because she exercised her free speech rights to state an opinion not everyone shares?

Of course, Whelan should be released. No doubt the Biden administration is working to secure his release. It’s a difficult and delicate undertaking. The man Russia wants in exchange for him is not Bout, but a convicted Russian assassin serving a life

sentence in Germany for gunning down an anti-Putin Chechen in broad daylight in a Berlin park.

Making the issue into who’s more worthy of release, Griner or Whelan, only serves Russian propaganda purposes. That’s exactly what the Russians want us to be fighting about.

What’s really important is knowing that if you hold an American passport, and you’re taken hostage by a rogue foreign government on trumped up charges, our government will do everything in its power to secure your release as quickly as possible, regardless of who you are or your political beliefs. The emphasis being on the word “possible.”

David Friedman St. James

WRITE TO US … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to: editor1@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.

Opinion

Elon Musk and the Twitter factory

ur story begins some time around now. No, there’s no chocolate, despite the season, and there’s no meadow where everything is edible.enter a sweepstakes.

No, our modern-day story begins where so much of us live these days, online.

When he narrows the field down to those who get the golden tweet, he plans to invite a group of five people to come to a virtual, top secret Twitter tour.

D. None of the above

You see, a famous and once marvelous company called Twitter is run by an eccentric, wealthy and successful businessman named Elon Musk, who somehow figured out how to create and mass produce electric cars that require no gas and that sound like spaceships.

Musk has decided, after many hours of running Twitter, that he needs to find a successor.

So, borrowing a page from Willy Wonka, he provides invitations that cost 3 cents per tweet to

A few people try to make fake tickets, but the ever vigilant Musk spots the fraud. Day after day, people wait until, finally, five people, some of whom have never tweeted in their lives, have a chance to run the company.

Musk appears on screen wearing a top hat and a menacing smile. He demands that no one record what they see or take a screenshot of the secrets he is prepared to share.

Each person has a tiny image — about 1/4 the size of Musk’s — as they virtually walk through a factory floor.

On the first stop, Musk invites them to join him in the secret Hunter Biden/ New York Post room. Ah, yes, the story about the infamous laptop, which will undoubtedly become a part of an extensive investigation into the Biden progeny, is in this room.

“Don’t try to read anything!” he snaps. But, of course, one of the contestants can’t

This holiday season starts the path to peace with Viva la Difference!

Peace. That is what religions ask for, what billions of people across all nations pray for. Why in our family of humanity is that goal so elusive?

Perhaps this is a question only for theologians and philosophers to answer. But now, in this glorious holiday season, when we speak and sing of Peace on Earth, we all articulate the ideal.

When will there be such peace?

The answer, it seems, is when all humans are of good will.

And what does that involve?

For starters, it requires acceptance and respect for the “other.” We need to see each other as humans with the same ambitions and desires and feelings. Rather than look down on and despise people who are simply different, we can be intrigued and interested in those differences and therefore in those who are different.

resist. With a special tool that tracks eye movements, Musk knows that contestant No. 1, who is chewing gum constantly, is trying to decipher all the information. Her screen develops a horrible virus that turns it (and her entire computer) purple.

“You see?” he says, shaking his virtual head at the other small characters. “That’s what you get when you don’t listen. Oh, look, here they come now.”

Wearing virtual clothing embroidered with the Tesla logo, a modern day group of OompaLoompas appears on screen.

“Oompa, loompa, doompa dee do.

I’ve got another riddle for you. Oompa loompa, doompa dee dee if you are wise, you’ll listen to me. What do you get when you don’t listen to Musk?

A virus on your computer that will kill it before dusk.

Who do you think should have the last laugh? It certainly won’t be you or your staff. Take a moment to ponder this fact, Running Twitter may take too much tact.”

“Well,” Musk interrupts, waving away the virtual characters. “That’s enough of that. Now, let’s go for a virtual boat ride.”

In everyone steps as a boat careens through a choppy river, passing one door after another, with the names of celebrities who have been suspended hanging from each virtual room.

The boat stops near an embankment. The Musk character invites his guests to look at some special doors.

When he turns around, his virtual eyes widen in shock, his lower jaw drops down to his knees, and he hunches his shoulders.

“How? What? Wait, what’s going on?” he stammers, looking closely at the faces of his remaining four contestants.

Sure enough, on screen, Musk recognizes that two of the faces are the same as his, while the other two look like versions of Donald Trump.

“No, but, I made this game,” he whines. “How will we find out who wins?”

“Ah,” one of the Trumps says. “For that, you’ll have to tune into the sequel, which will only cost $99 and will become a collector’s item in no time.”

Tara Mae

Michael Ardolino

Melissa Arnold

Kyle Barr

Barbara Beltrami

Elyse Benavides

Nancy Burner, Esq.

Leah Chiappino

Michael Christodoulou

Donna Deedy

Kevin McCarthy

Mary McCarthy

Jim Meadows

Media Origin

Chris Mellides

Julianne Mosher

Amanda Olsen

Fr. Frank Pizzarelli

Amanda Pomerantz

Many seek, and indeed can fi nd inner peace. But the dream of peace, the kind of peace that is defi ned as lack of conflict and freedom from fear of violence between individuals and groups, has never been achieved.

Between

We can invite into our world those who are different from us in the way of skin color or appearance or beliefs. And if we can do so, we can see them as humans, just like us, and bigotry cannot exist. For we cannot look down on ourselves. If we are to do so, starting now, racism and antisemitism and every other sort of hatred of our neighbors disappears.

TIMES BEACON RECORD

or editor1@tbrnewsmedia.com. Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every ursday. Subscription $59/year • 631-751-7744 www.tbrnewsmedia.com • Contents copyright 2022

Adam Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

David Dunaief, M.D.

Bob Giglione

Aidan Johnson

Matthew Kearns, DVM

Bill Landon

Jenna Lennon

Bob Lipinski

Nancy Marr

Sydney Manzano

Cayla Rosenhagen

Irene Ruddock

Michael E. Russell

Carolyn Sackstein

Jeffrey Sanzel

Lisa Scott

John Turner

Beverly C. Tyler

Lauren Vohrer

Katherine Yamaguchi

Steven Zaitz

All of us, who contributed to TBR News Media in 2022, wish you a healthy & happy holiday and new year!

Rich Acritelli

Photo by Bill Landon