Today’s photo installment is at Shu Swamp Preserve in Mill Neck. A short ride up Route #107 to Chicken Valley Road leads to this private North Shore Park. Peaceful, with many nice walking trails, this pretty park gives you a nice dose of Zen. Good for families, couples or solo, FYI no bikes or pets.
It’s March 24. And usually ,in a spring frame of mind, all of us involved in the Long Island Music Scene , are pulling out our calendars, looking at Sherri’s Scene, and Ira’s List , and planning our opening day at the Salt Shack, our memorial day weekend at Jones beach ,Woodstock at Old Bethpage and our 4th of July on the East End. Evenings at Freeport , Lido Beach, and Patchogue also fill our minds with anticipation.
But stuck in the blue and harsh reality of the pandemic now on us, what gives us strength is what lies ahead. We hope that the virus goes away soon, and that it doesn’t hurt our famlies , our friends, the community that we live in. All we want is to have a big party as soon as it’s clear. We crave to hear The Murphy’s,Wonderous, 45 RPM, Streetfighter, The 70’s Band, The Mystic , The Almost Brothers , and Desert Highway.
Our strength lies in the love and passion for the music on the Island( and other places too), and the the joy that we draw from being with our friends “.The coming summer will take away the pain of right now for all involved the club owners, the bartenders, the musicians, and all the people that make it work. Stuck in the present vacuum of no live shows, lets all hang tight and hope things return to normal soon!
As the 2nd week of the pandemic effects Long Island, it’s time to demand from our representatives that these following items become law to protect the welfare of ourselves and family.
#1 An immediate halt of real estate taxes until the crisis is over.
#2 The guarantee of utilities, gas, electric, cell service and cable service for all, until the end of the crisis.
#3 A plan by the state and federal government to fund an emergency food plan so that families food needs are met.
#4 Planned shopping days for communities so that everyone gets a fair share of goods, with limits on items per visit.
#5 An immediate halt on all payments of car loans, credit card bills and insurance payments for 90 days without penalty.
These items are of the utmost importance to the wellbeing of the Island and Nation until the crisis of covid -19 ends.
As our country grapples with the Chinese virus pandemic, it’s time to stop avoiding blame of the Communist Chinese government, and time to examine some of the events that have led us to this point.
Specifically, it is the worlds acceptance in succumbing to the lure of cheap and inferior products of drugs, steel and other essential goods. This has amounted to a “Deal with the Devil”. They say money is the root of all evil, well then we have pimped ourselves to China all in the name of big business and money , to a country that manufactures our medicines, antibiotics and the raw materials needed to make medicines. 81% of the API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) are said to come from China. A Dept of Commerce study found 97% of all antibiotics in the US came from China. China’s poor quality control, substandard doses and low budget for research and development lead to major concerns over the safety and efficacy of these medications. Unfortunately fraud and manipulation of quality data is still widespread. Corporate profits and stock indexes came before national security and health.This is only one example of how Communist China works.
By outsourcing these important goods, not only have we put our American workforce in dire jeopardy, we have also allowed our country to be open for possible blackmail by the Communist Chinese if we act against their purposes.
With the ” one world ” scenarios, and the influence of the Chinese in our economic, educational and cultural world, it leaves us open to spies in our midst. Just last week a Harvard professor was arrested for lying to the government and Harvard about his involvement in a Chinese program for which he was paid for . There were also ties to a Bio lab, in of all places Wuhan,China. Also arrested were 2 Chinese nationals, one an officer in the Chinese army, the other charged with attempting to smuggle 21 vials of biological research out of the US to China. What the Chinese can’t buy with money they try to steal in regards to sensitive research and development.
This brings up the point of the source of the current pandemic, the 2nd major killer virus exported from China . Sars, and now Chinese coronavirus. They started with ties to bats that crossed over to other animals, then to humans. The current virus is the same. As noted in the 1st part of this series, the current food practices of some Chinese, caused the explosion of the current plague.
I have been accused of being a racist and a xenophobe. I am neither, and admire the work ethic, intelligence and contributions of Chinese Americans. Their dedication to family values that they bring to our way of life as Americans is admirable. We all reject racism of ethnic backround, color, religion and country of origin. However the facts are inescapable. There are many ideas how the virus came to be in the Wuhan wet market. Some say it was a natural transmission between infected animals, some say there’s a more sinister reason.
Several rumors have it, that the Wuhan super lab had an accident and it leaked out. Another rumor has it that lab animals infected with disease were sold by lab staff for money to local food vendors. Neither of these have been proven one way or the other by the Communist Chinese. In fact,the words of doctors and researchers were stifled in order to prevent another horrible Chinese embarrassment.
Whatever the truth is, and hopefully after this catastrophe there will be a world wide police inquiry, the one thing we can be certain of is this, the customs of the local Chinese population, along with the fact that the Chinese government never closed these markets nor helped to change their cultural food habits, has led directly to this 3rd , and most deadly outbreak.
How long will it take to confront the Communist Chinese government, with total world outrage, to end these pandemics? The answer is” Our Deal with the Devil” stops us. It is time to exorcise the demon, and make him repay the world for the deceit, disease and death it has brought to the world, and to retake our economic independence back.
Ok guys, I like my drink and a dance as well as the next person, but it’s time to cut the crap and start acting like the adults we are. The lack of common sense actions of those on Long Island threatens the old and at risk in our population.
We have all read on line, and in conversations, “I’m going to live my life and to Hell with Corona Virus!” , it is a recipe for disaster for us all. We need to give up our entertainment pleasures for 2-3 weeks to, “flatten the curve”, so we all don’t become geometric carriers that infect our people.
By failing to do so, we jeopardize our mothers, fathers, the old and compromised in our community. And here’s the punch line, CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF, KNOWING YOUR A PARTNER IN MURDER? Long Island it’s YOUR turn to save a life. Stay out of the bars, the movies, theatres, clubs, restaurants or any large gathering place. Keep your children at home. Be safe and healthy, Neil Miller ,publisher, The New York Extra/TheNYExtra.com.
As the spread of Corona Virus creeps into every part of our life on the Island, none is so painful to local music lovers as the possible loss or reduction in the music scene as we know it.
What we do know as of today, is Gov. Cuomo has now stopped gatherings of any group over 500, and those places under 500 have to cut the amount of people attending by 50%
What does that mean for us as of today? No Coliseum , NYCB Music Fair , The Space, The Tilles Center, and perhaps Nutty Irishman, Mulcahy’s, 89 North among others. And if the ban continues, add The Salt Shack, The Boatyard, and Lido Beach as well.
The smaller venues like KJ Farrells, The Warehouse, Sunset Grill, Beau’s and others will stay open for now, but with reduced music fans. All we can do is pray for the health of our country and Long Island and that this terrible time of disease goes away as quick as it came.
What is it about bands that play at K.J.’s? It just seems to bring out the best in a band and in a crowd. And that was the story Saturday night 03/07/2020.
The first set contained Eagle’s favs of Witchy Woman, Lyin Eyes, and Peaceful Easy Feeling. Also played was Runaway, the old Bonnie Raitt hit, and Boys of Summer.
The second set just kicked butt with Hotel California, The Long Run and Already Gone. The band of Richie Naso , lead guitar, Mike Green, guitar/vocals, Reggie Bell, keyboards, Edgar Bettancourt guitar /vocals, and Larry Lipman , drums and /vocals just smoked the crowd with terrific solos, great vocals, and altogether a very tight and fun performance. A must see! Please visit their web site,deserthighwayband.com for future dates.
How times have changed! Earlier this year The Islanders were in the top tier of teams , not only in the conference , but the league itself.The two headed monster of Greiss and Varlamov were close to unbeatable.And the 4th line not only scored goals, but rang your bell for good measure.
Now all that good feelings and wins have gone away, it seems with the injuries to Clutterbuck, Cizikas and now Johnny Boychuk. The fans have to ask themselves, “Are we back in the bad old days before Coach Trotz and owner Ledecky?”
Hard to say, but one thing seems obvious, without the hard nosed 4th line, and now the porous goaltending, the team seems lost and without the grit to compete.It would seem the other lines need to find a way out of the mud in the time remaining to make the playoffs
March 3,2020 started another new treat at The Local Tavern ,357 Wantagh Ave,Levittown N.Y. 11756 516-595-7570. One Of Kevin Sheehan’s newer bars now has a Musician Night every Thursday at 7 PM.
Not to be confused with an open mic, the hope is that this will be a place where the best of the Long Island band members will come to hang out and play , adding to the unique vibe at The Local .
Rich Naso and Joe Scollo will host this event ,and as the spring music scene heats up, this will be a good place to hang and chill.
An Editorial by Neil Miller/Publisher/The New York Extra
Depending on what source you read, listen and believe, there is only one conclusion that can be drawn from the current crisis. That is, the actions of China, its people and its government are at the root cause of the coronavirus epidemic.
Let’s start with deceit. From all accounts, the Chinese government knew about the outbreak perhaps a month before the breakout and attempted to hide it. Indeed, when the rumors placed the source at the Wuhan biological center, first they said the center wasn’t involved but then walked back that statement with a series of announcements saying how their security at the facility needed to be better.
If you listen to some reports, certain staff at the center were selling infected lab animals for food consumption to the Wuhan public. Again, not confirmed but not denied.
That being said, it appears that the past few worldwide epidemics have stemmed from China. Swine flu, bird flu, Sars, perhaps Mers and now the coronavirus. How have these diseases been born and spread? From what the news stories show, it is the barbaric food and unsanitary habits of the mainland Chinese population. This is not meant to be a racist statement but rather based on their uncivilized behavior that certainly breeds animal to human diseases.
What can be done about this? The Chinese government must accept full responsibility for #1 The possible leak of a biological warfare virus and #2 If it is indeed an animal to human transmitted disease the Chinese government must stop the trade and consumption of theses animals and the market places where they are sold with the strongest possible enforcement.
Further, as previous events originating in China shows this is not the first nor probably the last of these events, China should compensate the rest of the world in money and service for their poor deeds.
It’s time to let China be held accountable for this outbreak and many other past questionable actions. No more free passes just because they have the world by their monetary short hairs.