The Times of Smithtown - December 16, 2021

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TIMES of SMITHTOWN

F O R T S A LO N G A • K I N G S PA R K • S M I T H TO W N • N E S C O N S E T • S T J A M E S • H E A D O F T H E H A R B O R • N I S S E Q U O G U E • H A U P PA U G E • C O M M A C K Vol. 34, No. 43

December 16, 2021

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PHOTO BY PATRICIA BUSBY

SUNY chancellor resigns

Jim Malatras leaves position starting January

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Theatre Talk with stars of Frozen Jr. B1

Businesses join in holiday fun

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Year in Review

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Lake Avenue Winter Walk photos — A3

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PAGE A2 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

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Town

Residents take a holiday walk down the avenue

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 11, a couple of hundred shoppers checked out the stores along Lake Avenue in St. James.

The inaugural Lake Avenue Winter Walk was organized by Erica Rinear. The longtime St. James resident said she wanted to show support for local businesses that have

suffered during the pandemic and through roadwork on the roadway. She added she was able to pull off the event thanks to the help of volunteers and the cooperation of the local businesses, many that stayed open later than usual for the walk that ran from 6 to 9 p.m.

Besides shopping, attendees enjoyed raffles, musical performances, free hot cocoa and snacks, a giant Jenga game and more.

— Photos from Erin Rinear

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PAGE A4 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

2021 is Almost Over, and so is Ecolin’s Fifty Years of Business!

Police

We all want to say

Thank You

for making this half century so rewarding and fun.

We will always treasure the wonderful times we were lucky to share with our customers and friends.

So Many Reasons To Celebrate

Weddings Birthdays Engagements

Anniversaries Holidays New Careers

Christenings Confirmations Bar / Bat Mitzvahs

Graduations Births Retirement

County Executive Steve Bellone, left, and his nominee for the next Suffolk police commissioner, Rodney Harrison. Screenshot from SCPD video

Bellone announces nomination for next Suffolk County police commissioner

So Many Friends To Share Good Times

BY RITA J. EGAN At a press conference Dec. 14 in Hauppauge, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) named Rodney Harrison as his nominee for county police commissioner. Harrison is the outgoing New York Police Department chief of department.

The list is endless

Obituary

We are hoping that our next years will bring us as much joy and friendship as these past years.

The Baker family, and all our friends who work in the store with us, wish you a future filled with success, good health, and close family.

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According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Harrison is a 30-year veteran of the NYPD. His appointment will go before the county Legislature Dec. 21.

Stuart Cameron has served as acting commissioner since former police commissioner, Geraldine Hart, stepped down in May.

Suzanne Ormond, of Shirley, passed away on Dec. 3, at the age of 62.

She was born on Jan. 29, 1959, and grew up in Smithtown and raised her family in Shirley.

She was a gifted artist and crafter who put tremendous thought into everything she did. She loved to work on puzzles, crossword puzzles, and above all else, spend time playing with her cherished grandchildren.

Her family will miss her selfless nature, strong work ethic and generosity. Suzanne is survived by her husband, Steven, and daughter Megan Cicerelli (Sal). She was a beloved Grasha to three grandchildren Savannah, Marcus and Juliana, who she adored, and a loving sister of Colette Reeber, Michelle (John) Chiappino, Douglas (Jennifer) Reeber, and Nicole Reeber. She also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins and wonderful friends. She is predeceased by her dear mother Jeanne and is survived by her

father George Reeber.

A funeral was held at St. Patrick’s R.C. Church in Smithtown on Dec. 10. In lieu of flowers, donate to St. Judes Children Hospital.

DECEMBER 16, 2021 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • PAGE A5

State

SUNY chancellor resigns amidst Cuomo scandal

BY JULIANNE MOSHER JULIANNE@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Jim Malatras, chancellor of the State University of New York, submitted his resignation last week following political pressure for him to step down after text messages showed him belittling one of the women who accused former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of sexual harassment.

Malatras faced bipartisan backlash over the last few weeks after new evidence was released by state Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) investigation surrounding the allegations against Cuomo.

Part of the evidence included text messages from May 2019 between Malatras and other Cuomo officials disparaging Lindsey Boylan, a former economic development official who accused the former governor 18 months after the SUNY chancellor sent the text, The New York Times reported.

Boylan and Malatras then argued over Twitter.

Since the documents were released, the

County

chancellor decided to resign, stating in a letter to the SUNY board of trustees that the controversies were taking him away from his work.

“The recent events surrounding me over the past week have become a distraction over the important work that needs to be accomplished as SUNY emerges from COVID-19,” he said.

“I believe deeply in an individual’s ability to evolve, change and grow, but I also believe deeply in SUNY and would never want to be an impediment to its success.”

As chancellor, Malatras was tasked with overseeing the State University of New York comprehensive system of higher education.

Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory.

In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs.

Two of those schools locally are Stony Brook University and Suffolk County Community College.

“I am aware that the chancellor has tendered his resignation and respect that decision,” said SBU President Maurie McInnis. “I look forward to working with the next leader of SUNY as we continue our important research and teaching mission.”

A representative from SCCC added that nothing will change at the college amid the scandal, and it “will continue to work with our partners at SUNY to ensure that high quality higher education remains accessible and affordable to students.”

Malatras’ resignation goes into effect on Jan. 14.

“The past two years have been among the most trying in SUNY’s history — and Jim’s leadership and collaboration with our faculty and staff have allowed our institution to continue to thrive and serve our nearly 400,000 students at 64 campuses across our state safely and in person,” said a

Jim Malatras. Photo from SUNY

statement from the SUNY board of trustees. “He has been a champion for our students, for access, for equity, and for deeper public investment in this great institution. The entire board expresses our gratitude for his dedication and leadership.”

Local bakeries, bagel stores experience cream cheese shortage

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Across the North Shore of Suffolk County, bagel shops and bakeries have found that it has been a little difficult getting cream cheese.

While customers can still get their favorite spread on a sandwich or buy a cheesecake or Danish pastry, local bakery and bagel shop owners are having a difficult time procuring cream cheese, and the price of the product has increased over the last few weeks. The shortage has been felt across the nation.

David Prestia, owner of Bagel Express in Setauket, said he first heard about the shortage on the news. It was a bit concerning to him as his restaurant uses cream cheese often for their bagel sandwiches, even though they offer other options such as butter, egg salad and more.

Prestia said he deals with several distributors so he has only been slightly affected by the shortage. When a couple of them couldn’t fulfill his cream cheese order, he was able to go to another distributor.

However, the amount he could order was limited. He said this distributor told him that they would have to limit orders until they could assess the situation.

Cream cheese comes in 50-pound blocks, and while it’s the norm to order a few blocks at a time, he and others have been lucky if they can get one or two per order.

Prestia said he also noticed the price was going

up recently. He estimated, based on his experience, that it cost 20% more to buy the spread.

Cream cheese blocks can last 45 days if the seal isn’t broken, so Prestia said he should be good through the remainder of the year. He added that cream cheese is not the only thing in short supply and he has had trouble finding other products, including napkins and plates.

“It’s been so many different things that we’ve been short on and then when the stuff appears, then the price goes up and that’s the problem,” he said. “Prices are changing so rapidly. It’s hard to keep up with what’s going on.”

Cemal Ankay, owner of Bagelicious Cafe in Port Jefferson Station, has been experiencing the same issues as Prestia. He said he has been reaching out to different distributors throughout the state to get cream cheese.

Ankay said he always tries to have twoweeks inventory, and while he hasn’t been able to get as many blocks of cream cheese as he has in the past such as four or five, he has been able to get one or two here and there. He said it’s important to be proactive as the year winds down.

“Christmas week, that’s our busiest days of the year,” he said.

Product shortages have seemed to become the norm lately, Ankay said.

“After this pandemic happened, we always have different kinds of product shortages,” he said, adding at one point he had trouble getting bacon then cups for iced tea. He, too,

items such as cheesecake, Danishes and their red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, according to employee Jessica Greenbaum.

Like Bagel Express, they deal with a few distributors and have options regarding ordering. Recently, they ordered cream cheese from a distributor that they haven’t ordered the product from in the past.

“I hope it doesn’t come to, when in the morning you crave a cheese Danish, that we don’t have one,” she said, adding that the bakery has enough to get through the holidays as they don’t use as much of the spread as a bagel store would.

Grocery stores

A portion of the cream cheese case in Bagel Express in Setauket. Photo from David Prestia

has had trouble getting napkins.

Ankay has seen the prices skyrocket for cream cheese. He once paid $1.90 a pound but then last week it was around $2.49, and the other day he was told it would be more than $3.

“You’re lucky to get it,” he said. “I don’t want to say to my customers, ‘Sorry, I don’t have any cream cheese.’”

In Northport, Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe owned by Flemming Hansen has been facing similar problems getting cream cheese for

The cream cheese shortage has affected local grocery stores, too.

Stefanie Shuman, external communications manager for Stop & Shop, said, “Like many retailers, we are seeing some shortages because suppliers are experiencing labor and transportation challenges due to COVID-19.

With cream cheese, Kraft specifically has been having supply issues on Philly and Temp Tee [products] due to impacts from Hurricane Ida.” King Kullen, which has stores in St. James and Wading River, is experiencing similar problems, according to Lloyd Singer, spokesperson for King Kullen.

“While we are in stock on most varieties, supply is tight and is expected to remain so through the end of the year,” Singer said.

PAGE A6 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

Sports

tbrnewsmedia.com Goforto more sports photos

Huntington 48 Smithtown East 20

Blue Devils bag Bulls

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

It was the Huntington Blue Devils defense that kept the Bulls at bay at Smithtown High School East where East trailed 33-7 at the half time break. Huntington coasted in the second half to notch a 48-20 victory in the League III matchup Dec. 14.

Huntington senior forward Emily Plachta led the way for the Blue Devils with seven field goals a triple and three from the line for 20 points, teammates Gianna Forte banked nine and Junie Nosile battled in the paint for six points. Smithtown East juniors Darcy

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DeBenedittis and Josie Lent scored four points apiece for the Bulls.

The win lifts Huntington to 3-0 in league play, 6-0 overall. The loss drops Smithtown East to 1-2 in league, 1-4 overall. Both teams are back in action Dec. 17 when Smithtown East has a road game against Copiague at 4 p.m. and Huntington hosts Hills East with a 5 p.m. start.

Pictured clockwise from top left, Smithtown East junior Darcy DeBenedittis drives toward the basket; Smithtown East sophomore Nicole Caputo, #4, boxes out after a free throw in a League III matchup; and Smithtown East freshman Angie Camarda drives the baseline.

— Photos by Bill Landon

DECEMBER 16, 2021 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • PAGE A7

Sports Perspective

The Stony Brook School places in Atlantic Coast Championship

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On Nov. 14 and 15, The Stony Brook School sailing team finished their fall season off participating in the Atlantic Coast Championship (ACCs), racing against some of the best teams along the Atlantic coast all the way from Florida to Maine.

After two days of intense racing with wind speeds up to 30 knots, the team fought the entire time for a place on the podium sticking at the top of the pack. Skippering in A division, Steven Hardee, Class of 22, skippered with Sean Beaver, ‘23, and Harrison Fredericks, ‘22, crewing throughout the regatta. In B division, skippering, Gavin Hudson, ‘24, was with Mairead Reitzel, ‘24, and JP Bennett, ‘23, as crews and on heavy wind reserve Nick Gargiulo, ‘23, and Jeremy Lunati, ‘23.

The Bears ended their season coming in fourth overall out of 18 teams that previously qualified for the ACCs. This was the first time in Stony Brook history that the sailing team qualified for this regatta. The Stony Brook team is one of the smaller teams in their league with only a handful of sailors, going up against teams like Virginia’s Christ Church School and Maryland’s Severin School, who have more than double the number of sailors than Stony Brook. It is a big challenge for the team. The Bears have worked hard to overcome these challenges, as said by Hudson, “The team pushes me every day to become a better sailor, even when the conditions are bad we don’t stop sailing, we push through to learn something new every day.”

This past regatta was a battle and one of the toughest regattas yet for the team. At the end of the day, the team was pleased with their placing and excited to see the new heights they can reach come spring. Bennett and Beaver, both of the team’s veteran crews who have been sailing with the team for four years, conveyed their goals for next season.

“This past regatta was an incredible

experience,” Beaver said. “It taught us what it takes to be a top team and gave us an idea of how well we can do when each one of us gives it our all. This spring, our ultimate goal is to qualify for nationals, but we know that in order to make it there the entire team will need to train hard this winter and spring to improve our boat handling, tactics, communication, and teamwork.”

The team pushes every day during practices to improve new skills and prepare for their upcoming regattas. The team has also welcomed some new sailors this year and are excited to start teaching them how to become better sailors.

Robert Sun, ‘23, Pelayo Otero-Novas Gomez, ‘24, and Sebastian Hell, ’23, have been working hard with the team during practices improving daily. With only an hour to practice every day, the team has to work hard to get the most out of each practice. Whether it’s honing their speed to be as fast as possible or duking it out against each other in a race, they waste no time on the water. Even when the Bears are off the water, they’re focused on their physical and mental strength in their winter training program. Improving their abilities by working out in the school’s weight room and growing their tactics in a classroom session.

When it comes down to it, the boat that’s going to win is the one that can hike for that extra minute or make the right calls in a tough situation.

Reitzel said, “The team has worked really hard and put in a lot of hours this season and just through the years to get to ACCs. We are really lucky to have such great coaches and a special team community.”

None of this could be possible without the coaches, Brian Elliot, Wally Henry, Johnny Everitt and Dave Tampalini, helping the team to go even further than before. According to the team captain Steven Hardee, the team has big plans for next season and will be working hard over the next couple of months to place well in nationals.

Jeremy Lunati is a student at The Stony Brook School and a member of the sailing team.

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PAGE A8 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

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The TIMES of Smithtown • Smithtown • Hauppauge • Commack • E. Fort Salonga • San Remo

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PAGE A12 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

E M PL OY M E N T / C A R E E R S

MANAGER OF GALLERY ATTENDANTS & SITE SAFETY The Long Island Museum Stony Brook, NY longislandmuseum.org Full-time, 35 hours per week Thursday- Sunday, 11:00 AM 6:00 PM Seven (7) additional hours on one additional day per week Salary commensurate with experience Position to be filled immediately, start date in January/February, 2022 SEE OUR DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION

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Help Wanted MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL DISTRICT School District Aides and Custodial Substitutes, positions available throughout the district, please email resume to: Maureen Poerio at mpoerio@mtsinai.k12.ny.us.

PART-TIME GROUNDSKEEPER I General job duties include: Performs a variety of light and heavy manual laboring tasks in the maintenance of the grounds at all four Library Buildings.

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Tasks to be performed use hand and power tools.

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Removes snow. Salts and sands driveways and sidewalks. Performs custodial tasks during winter months.

Applicants must possess and maintain a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State.

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PUBLISHER’S EMPLOYMENT NOTICE: All employment advertising in this newspaper is subject to section 296 of the human rights law which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, disability, marital status, sex, age or arrest conviction record or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Title 29, U.S. Code Chap 630, excludes the Federal Gov’t. from the age discrimination provisions. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for employment which is in violation of the law. Our readers are informed that employment offerings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL DISTRICT

Please email resume to : Maureen Poerio @ mpoerio@mtsinai.k12.ny.us

HOUSEKEEPER/ASSISTANT IMMEDIATELY! ★ PLEASE NO CLEANING SERVICES! ★

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PAGE A14 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

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PAGE A16 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

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PAGE A18 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • DECEMBER 16, 2021

Editorial

The mask returns

It’s no surprise that face mask use is mandated once again when visiting or working in a store or venue in the state of New York.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said earlier this year if the COVID-19 infection rate kept climbing, the mandatory health protocol would be needed again.

Until Jan. 15, 2022, Stock photo when the state will reassess, unless an establishment has a vaccine requirement, a mask must be worn by everyone 2 years old and up. The governor announced the statewide mandate that began Monday, Dec. 13, during a press conference last Friday. In addition, businesses that do not comply can face fines up to $1,000.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, the state’s infection rate last Saturday reflected a 51% jump over 14 days. With more than a 7% seven-day infection rate in Suffolk County, Hochul’s new mandate seems more than appropriate for our communities.

While some people still have been wearing masks either because they aren’t vaccinated or as an extra precaution, many have not since former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) lifted the initial mask mandate in the state.

The news can be frustrating for those who are vaccinated and even received the booster shot. However, Americans have known since the virus first reached our shores that it would take a while to figure out how to lessen transmission, especially since a virus can mutate. With no practice 100% effective — and some people resisting not only wearing masks but getting the vaccine — the virus has continued infecting people and new variants have developed, such as Delta and Omicron. While medical researchers are still trying to understand the virus, why not take extra precautions? Even if they are not guaranteed to stop transmission, they can lessen the chances of spreading the virus.

While face masks can be uncomfortable at times, the protective gear acts as a barrier to protect the wearer from droplets released in the air when someone coughs or sneezes.

It also traps the wearer’s respiratory droplets. If someone is sick and they are wearing a mask, they are less likely to give someone else the virus.

When Cuomo issued mandatory business shutdowns in the early days of the pandemic, New Yorkers debated if this was the right approach. A good percentage of people thought it would be the demise of many businesses. Fortunately, many business owners were able to swim with the tide and come up with innovative solutions such as curbside service and selling merchandise on social media if they didn’t have a website.

Now more than ever, local businesses need our support as many of them cannot make it through another round of shutdowns. So, let’s mask up before stepping inside a favorite store, restaurant or theater so that we can keep these places not only open but give them a chance to thrive.

After all, this is the season of goodwill.

Letters to the Editor Zeldin’s dog whistles

There are so many dog whistles in U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin’s [R-NY1] “Perspectives” piece appearing in this newspaper [Dec. 9] I’m surprised it hasn’t emptied out every dog kennel on Long Island.

Dog whistle #1: Zeldin speaks of a “racist, hateful curriculum.”

By this he actually seems to mean a curriculum which is anti-racist and teaches tolerance. Is he referring to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative? It’s impossible to know exactly what he means, because he gives zero examples from the curricula of local school districts. Pretty hard to be against DEI unless what you really favor — without wanting to say so — is homogeneity, injustice and conformity.

Or is he dog whistling about something which is not taught in our schools?

Dog whistle #2: “Sow racial resentment,” “promote radical ideas.”

Is it impossible to teach the history of racial injustice in America, including its ongoing legacy, without somehow making white students — which is the great majority of students in our community — feel threatened? Are our students really that fragile and delicate that they can’t handle the truth? I don’t believe it. “All men are created equal,” “liberty and justice for all” — are these radical ideas?

Dog whistle #3: “Promote radical ideas that aim to redefine gender.” An obvious demonization of the small minority of gay and transgender students, as if they needed any more hatred and vitriol directed their way. Exactly what “radical” ideas are we talking about? We don’t know, because in good dog-whistle fashion Zeldin is heavy on innuendo and nonexistent on specifics.

Dog whistle #4: “Parents wanting to improve the quality of their kids’ education.” Would that it were so. A good education teaches the scientific method, critical thinking and a respect for facts. A good education develops open minds, and the empathy and imagination to see the world through the eyes of those unlike ourselves. Is this really what the parents who are jeering and shouting obscenities and racial slurs at Smithtown board of education meetings are looking for? Are they focused on hiring and retaining the best teachers and finding out why highly qualified teachers and other staff are in increasingly short supply in our district, as described in a news article elsewhere in the same edition of this

newspaper?

Dog whistle #5: “Pitting students against one another based on their races and genders.” Although Zeldin’s rhetoric pretends to decry identity politics it achieves precisely the opposite, namely sowing more division and anger based on these kinds of antagonisms. By claiming, without evidence, that students are being pitted against one another his overheated rhetoric actually pits the adults in our community against one another.

In spite of what Zeldin would have us believe the real purpose of all this isn’t getting parents “more involved in their child’s education.” Nothing has ever stopped parents who truly want to from getting involved in their children’s education, and that continues to be the case. The real purpose of this is political. Its real purpose is to help Zeldin, and partisans like him, churn up a wave of manufactured popular resentment and anger, based on falsehoods, which they can then exploit for their own ends.

David Friedman St. James

Thoughts on smash-and-grabbers

An exciting new cultural phenomenon has appeared in the streets of our cities in the last few months. A convoy of cars, sometimes as many as a few dozen or so, pulls up in front of a store. In unison, the occupants exit the cars, run into the store, grab as many items from the shelves and display cases as they can carry, run back to their cars, put the items in the cars and drive away. Initially, this activity was described as “looting.” However, after careful consideration by our liberal wordsmith friends, it was pointed out that looting may be said to transpire only in the wake of a disaster such as a war or riot, and is therefore not appropriate for these activities. A much better term, we are told, is “smash-and-grab,” which sounds much less anti-social than looting, and more like

a mischievous Halloween prank than a real crime.

So, what are we, those of us who are law-abiding citizens, to think about this new onslaught of smash-and-grab activity? And what do our leaders think about it? U.S. Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez [D-NY14], affectionately known as AOC, doubts that smash-and-grab is even a real thing.

“A lot of these allegations of organized retail theft are not actually panning out,” said AOC. “I believe it’s a Walgreens in California cited it, but the data didn’t back it up,” she added, despite the presence of numerous videos showing the smash-andgrabbers in great detail, both inside and outside the stores they have patronized.

And what about President Joe Biden [D]? When his perky press secretary, Jen Psaki, was asked what the president thought about it, her reply, following a gratuitous cheap shot at former President Donald Trump [R], was, “I think a root cause in a lot of communities is the pandemic.” This presumably reflects the opinion of Biden, although he, as usual, has not made himself available to answer pesky or uncomfortable questions.

To Democratic leaders, the smash-andgrab epidemic, if it even exists, must be due to COVID-19, or desperate parents wanting to feed their hungry children, or whatever other dodge may cross their devious minds.

Never will they acknowledge the real reasons, which are clearly their own policies of defunding the police and abolishing the prosecution of “minor” crimes, including shoplifting and petty theft.

Clearly the miscreants see an opportunity to commit a crime for which they will not be prosecuted, due to the abrogation of their legal responsibilities by feckless Democratic politicians, particularly mayors and governors, and they take them. For as long as voters in blue states continue to elect politicians such as these, the end of these smash-andgrab incidents is not in sight.

George Altemose Setauket

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 rita@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to The Times of Smithtown, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

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

DECEMBER 16, 2021 • TIMES OF SMITHTOWN • PAGE A19

Opinion Walks to remember on cold nights in December

D

ogs need to go outside, regardless of the temperature. My dog, who has a thick coat of hair, loves the winter and is perfectly happy to linger outside, especially when it’s close to freezing.

When the grass is covered with frost, he slowly lowers his right cheek and does a lawn dive, bringing the rest of his body piece by piece down onto the cold, wet surface.

Once he’s completely on the ground, he rolls onto D. None his back, using the of the above blades of grass and

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF the water and ice to scratch his back, while

snorting with delight. With the eye that isn’t pressed into the ground, he stares at me, waiting for me to give up the ghost on getting some exercise or coming back inside quickly.

When I reach down to pet him, I can almost see him smirk as he wags his tail triumphantly.

This month, he and I have seen some unusual sights. When I see something unusual, I try to take out my phone, but my reaction time, and all the extra material in my pocket, makes that a largely ineffective effort.

Even when I do manage to take out the camera and point it in the general direction of something interesting, the pictures typically disappoint, because my dog who hates to move suddenly gets the urge to pull just as I’m snapping the photo, leaving me with a blurry image of the road.

A few days ago, we were at the top of our street at dusk, near one of my dog’s favorite places to poop. In fact, I can take him on a four-

mile walk and, within a tenth of a mile of our home, he finds his favorite blades of grass, takes his usual tentative steps, turns away from me — he needs privacy — and does his business.

This time, though, just as he was approaching his familiar spot, a hawk passed by only a few feet from my head, giving me a chance to look him, and the object he was carrying, squarely in the eyes.

The hawk was holding a squirrel, which seemed especially odd to me given the relative size of the two animals. The squirrel wasn’t moving but was clearly alive.

When I told my family about it, they were sympathetic to the squirrel.

A few days later, walking toward the other end of the block, my dog and I observed a blow-up Frosty on one end of a lawn and a blow-up Santa on the other rise slowly from the ground as air flowed slowly into them.

My dog, whose fear of unusual inanimate

objects builds around Halloween and the December holidays, stood at attention and considered announcing his presence with authority to objects that can’t, and don’t, react to his deep bark.

Fortunately, he only pulled his lips back slightly and lifted his tail, allowing the neighbors to enjoy their dark, quiet evening without the sound of a panicked pooch on a poop walk.

A few minutes later, I studied the stars at a distance when a light appeared in the sky, flashed toward the horizon and disappeared.

Never having seen a shooting star before, I was mesmerized.

When I returned and shared the story, my son, who doesn’t seem too keen on superstition but is clearly aware of pop culture, asked if I made a wish. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity for help from anywhere, I did. Maybe by next December, I’ll let you know if it came true!

“Why does coffee make me poop?” asks The New York Times. Here is my gut reaction

A

ll of you devoted coffee drinkers, and that includes me, might like to know the information in an article in The New York Times headlined, “Why does coffee make me poop?” Written by Alice Callahan and published on Dec. 7, the story explains cause-andeffect, providing some understanding of what is happening in our bodies when we drink java. (That’s where it originally came from, hence the name.)

Not much is known about the precise mechanism of how Between coffee affects the you and me gastrointestinal tract,

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF but we do know that it can be a laxative.

“Coffee is a complex beverage containing more than 1000 chemical compounds, many of which have antioxidant and anti-

inflammatory properties,” according to The Times. This is also why drinking coffee is generally encouraged since it is considered to be a healthy beverage in moderation.

A gut reaction to the intake of coffee can surprisingly happen in a matter of minutes.

How does drinking coffee on one end stimulate the other end of the GI tract so quickly? The answer is that a signal probably goes through the gut-brain axis, meaning that the arrival of coffee in the stomach, which happens in 4 minutes, stimulates the brain to send a signal to the colon to empty itself. The coffee actually takes an hour to travel through the small intestine and reach the far end of the colon.

“This communication between the stomach, brain and colon [is] called the gastrocolic reflex [and] is a normal response to eating,” according to The Times.

But coffee has an outsized effect, stimulating colonic contractions as if a full meal had been consumed. The messaging is thought to be caused by one or more of the chemicals in coffee, and may be aided by some of our own hormones. Examples of such

TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA We welcome letters, photographs, comments and story ideas.

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hormones are gastrin and cholecystokinin, which can spike after coffee drinking.

It is not the caffeine that is the stimulant, however, because those who drink decaffeinated coffee can experience the same stimulatory effect on the colon. This makes coffee a useful tool in dealing with chronic constipation, along with eating more fruits and vegetables, which are high in fiber, drinking more fluids and getting more exercise. Incidentally, a brewed cup of coffee contains a small amount of fiber, one gram for an 8-ounce cup. Fiber is necessary for good gastrointestinal activity.

I have always been a coffee drinker, although my parents wouldn’t let me have some, saying it wasn’t good for children. But I found the smell of it irresistible and began drinking it in college, especially to facilitate those late-night assignments. But right around the time my second child was born, I started getting migraines that were triggered by the caffeine in coffee. This would suggest that a heightened state of hormones plus coffee with caffeine were upsetting my colon and

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causing trouble along my gut-brain axis. I have satisfied my coffee desires with decaf, but I will tell you what many of you decaf drinkers know: the taste and the effect are not the same. I do miss that lovely surge of energy to start off the morning.

It’s surprising how little we know about how coffee affects us. The most valuable study of digestion, in general, was done between 1822 and 1833 by William Beaumont, an American Army surgeon, on the French Canadian, Alexis St. Martin, a boatman employed by a fur company. St. Martin was shot in the abdomen on Mackinac Island in a near-fatal accident, and the wound did not heal properly, leaving a hole in his stomach. This provided a window of sorts for Beaumont to watch the digestive process. He learned much about the stomach, gastric juices and how digestion works, and he published those observations.

But he doesn’t seem to have advanced our understanding about coffee’s effects. Perhaps neither man drank coffee.

To this day, I still say that the best part of coffee, regular or decaffeinated, is its smell.

CLASSIFIEDS Joann Brady BUSINESS MANAGER Sandi Gross CIRCULATION MANAGER Courtney Biondo INTERNET STRATEGY DIRECTOR Rob Alfano

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