Suffolk County police arrested a Centerport man for driving while intoxicated with one stepson in the vehicle, after he was involved in a motor vehicle crash in Centerport Sept. 4 in which he hit another stepson with his car.
Scott Lipton was driving his 2017 Jaguar southbound on Laurel Hill Road when his vehicle struck his 13-year-old stepson, who was walking his dog, and then a pole at approximately 5:50 p.m.
The 13-year-old was transported by Suffolk County police helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of a broken leg. Lipton’s 9-year-old stepson, who was a passenger in the car, was transported by Centerport Fire Department to Huntington Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Lipton, 42 of Laurel Hill Road, was not injured. The dog was not injured.
Second Squad detectives charged Lipton with aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger 15 years or younger (Leandra’s Law) and endangering the welfare of a child. He will be held overnight at the 2nd Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip Sept. 5.
Above, Ken Dill shows how molecules fold and bind together. Photo from SBU
By Daniel Dunaief
The raw materials were here. Somehow, billions of years ago, these materials followed patterns and repeated and revised the process, turning the parts into something more than a primordial soup.
Ken Dill, who is a distinguished professor and the director of the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology at Stony Brook University, took a methodical approach to this fundamental development. He wanted to understand the early statistical mechanics that would allow molecules to form long chains, called polymers, which contained information worthy of being passed along. The process of forming these chains had to be self-sustaining.
After all, Dill said, many activities reach an end point. Putting salt in water, for example, creates a mixture, until it stops. Dill, however, was looking for a way to understand auto-catalytic or runaway events. Lighting a forest fire, for example, is much more self sustaining, although even it eventually stops. Life has continued for over four billion years.
On Aug. 22, Dill, Elizaveta Guseva and Ronald Zuckermann, the facility director in biological nanostructures at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, published a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The researchers developed a fold and catalyze computational model that would explain how these long chains developed in a self-sustaining way, in which hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers fold and bind together.
Random sequence chains of each type can collapse and fold into structures that expose their hydrophobic parts. Like a conga line at a wedding reception, the parts can then couple together to form longer chains.
These random chemical processes could lead to pre-proteins. Today’s proteins, Dill said, mostly fold into a very particular shape. Pre-proteins would have been looser, with more shape shifting.
The workhorses of the body, proteins perform thousands of biochemical reactions. Dill suggested that this model “rates high on the list” in terms of the findings he’s made over the course of his career.
Zuckermann described this work as significant because it lays out predictions that can be tested. It highlights the importance of chemical sequence information in polymer chains and “how certain sequences are more likely to fold into enzyme-like shapes and act as catalysts than others,” he explained in an email.
Zuckermann works with substances he figured out how to make in a lab that are called peptoids, which are non-natural polymers. These peptoids are a “good system to test the universality of [Dill’s] predictions,” he said.
The “beauty” of Dill’s work, Zuckermann suggested, is that “it should apply to most any kind of polymer system” where researchers control the monomer sequence and include hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers in a particular order, putting Dill’s predictions to the test.
For her part, Guseva worked in Dill’s lab for her PhD thesis. She had started her research on something that was “more standard physical biology” Dill said, but it “was not turning out to be particularly interesting.”
The scientists had a discussion about trying to develop a chemical model related to the origins of life. While exciting for the scope of the question, the research could have come up empty.
“There was so much potential to fail,” Dill said. “I feel pretty uncomfortable in general about asking a graduate student to go in that direction, but she was fearless.”
Dill and Zuckermann, who have collaborated for over 25 years, are trying to move forward to the next set of questions.
Zuckermann’s efforts will focus on finding catalytic peptoid sequences, which are nonbiological polymers. He will synthesize tens of thousands of peptoid sequences and rank them on how enzyme-like they are. This, he explained, will lead to a better understanding of which monomer sequences encode for protein-like structure and function.
Zuckermann suggested that the process in this research could have the effect of transforming a soup of monomers into a soup of functional polymers. This, he said, might set the stage for the evolution of DNA and RNA.
Proteins could have been a first step towards a genetic code, although life, as currently defined, would not have blossomed until a genetic code occurred, too, Dill suggested.
The origins of DNA, however, remains an unanswered question. “We’re trying to think about where the genetic code comes from,” Dill said. “It’s not built into our model per se. Why would biology want to do a two polymer solution, which is messy and complicated and why are proteins the functional molecules? This paper doesn’t answer that question.”
Dill and Zuckermann are in the early stage of exploring that question and Dill is hopeful he can get to a new model, although he doesn’t have it yet.
Dill moved from the University of California at San Francisco to join the Laufer Center about seven years ago. He appreciates the freedom to ask “blue sky questions” that he couldn’t address as much in his previous work.
Wearing a hat from his native Oklahoma, Dill, in a photo from around 1997, tinkers with a toy boat he made with sons Tyler and Ryan. Photo by Jolanda Schreurs
A resident of Port Jefferson, Dill lives with his wife Jolanda Schreurs, who has a PhD in pharmacology. The couple has two sons, Tyler and Ryan.
Tyler graduated with a PhD from the University of California at San Diego and now works for Illumina, a company which which makes DNA sequencers. Ryan, meanwhile, is earning his PhD in chemistry from the University of Colorado and is working on lasers.
“We didn’t try to drag our sons into science,” Dill said. “With both kids, however, we had a workshop in the basement” where they often took anything that was within arm’s reach and nailed it to a board. One of the finished products was a remote-controlled and motorized boat.
As for his lab work, Dill is thrilled to have this model that he, Guseva and Zuckermann provided, while he recognizes the questions ahead. Scientists “see something puzzling and, rather than saying, ‘I need to avoid this, I don’t have an answer,’ we find it intriguing and these things lead from one step to the next. There tends to remain a huge number of super fascinating problems.”
A gluten-free diet can significantly improve symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
Gluten control may help with IBS
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Gluten has been gaining in notoriety over the last several years. When we hear someone mention a gluten-free diet, several things tend to come to mind. One may be that this is a healthy diet. Along the same lines, we may think gluten is bad for us. However, gluten-free is not necessarily synonymous with healthy. There are many beneficial products containing gluten.
We might think that gluten-free diets are a fad, like low-fat or low-carb diets. Still, we keep hearing how more people feel better without gluten. Could this be a placebo effect? What is myth and what is reality in terms of gluten? In this article I will try to distill what we know about gluten and gluten-free diets, who may benefit and who may not.
But first, what is gluten? Most people I ask don’t know the answer, which is okay; it is part of the reason I am writing the article. Gluten is a plant protein found mainly in wheat, rye and barley.
Now to answer the question of whether going gluten-free is a fad. The answer is a resounding “no” since we know that patients who suffer from celiac disease, an autoimmune disease, benefit tremendously when gluten is removed (1). In fact, it is the main treatment.
But what about people who don’t have celiac disease? There seems to be a spectrum of physiological reaction to gluten, from intolerance to gluten (sensitivity) to gluten tolerance (insensitivity). Obviously, celiac disease is the extreme of intolerance, but even these patients may be asymptomatic. Then, there is nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), referring to those in the middle portion of the spectrum (2). The prevalence of NCGS is half that of celiac disease, according to the NHANES data from 2009-2010 (3). However, many disagree with this assessment, indicating that it is much more prevalent and that its incidence is likely to rise (4). The term was not even coined until 2011.
What is the difference between full-blown celiac disease and gluten sensitivity? They both may present with intestinal symptoms, such as bloating, gas, cramping and diarrhea, as well as extraintestinal (outside the gut) symptoms, including gait ataxia (gait disturbance), malaise, fatigue and attention deficit disorder (5). Surprisingly, they both may have the same results with serological (blood) tests, which may be positive or negative. The first line of testing includes anti-gliadin antibodies and tissue transglutaminase. These measure a reaction to gluten; however, they don’t have to be positive for there to be a reaction to gluten. HLA–DQ phenotype testing is the second line of testing and tends to be more specific for celiac disease.
What is unique to celiac disease is a histological change in the small intestine, with atrophy of the villi (small fingerlike projections) contributing to gut permeability, what might be called “leaky gut.” Biopsy of the small intestine is the most definitive way to diagnose celiac disease. Though the research has mainly focused on celiac disease, there is some evidence that shows NCGS has potential validity, especially in irritable bowel syndrome.
Before we look at the studies, what does it mean when a food says it’s “gluten-free”? Well, the FDA has weighed in by passing regulation that requires all gluten-free foods to have no more than 20 parts per million of gluten (6).
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a nebulous disease diagnosed through exclusion, and the treatments are not obvious. That is why the results from a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of studies, showing that a gluten-free diet significantly improved symptoms in IBS patients, is so important (7). Patients were given a muffin and bread on a daily basis.
Of course, one group was given gluten-free products and the other given products with gluten, though the texture and taste were identical. In six weeks, many of those who were gluten-free saw the pain associated with bloating and gas mostly resolve; significant improvement in stool composition, such that they were not suffering from diarrhea; and their fatigue diminished. In fact, in one week, those in the gluten group were in substantially more discomfort than those in the gluten-free group. There were 34 patients involved in this study.
As part of a well-written March 4, 2013 editorial in Medscape by David Johnson, M.D., a professor of gastroenterology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, he questions whether this beneficial effect from the IBS trial was due to gluten withdrawal or to withdrawal of fermentable sugars because of the elimination of some grains, themselves (8). In other words, gluten may be just one part of the picture. He believes that nonceliac gluten sensitivity is a valid concern.
Autism
Autism is a very difficult disease to quantify, diagnose and treat. Some have suggested gluten may play a role. Unfortunately, in a study with children who had autism spectrum disorder and who were undergoing intensive behavioral therapy, removing both gluten and casein, a protein found in dairy, had no positive impact on activity or sleep patterns (9). These results were disappointing. However, this was a very small study involving 22 preschool children. Removing gluten may not be a panacea for all ailments.
Antibiotics
The microbiome in the gut may play a pivotal role as to whether a person develops celiac disease. In an observational study using data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, results indicate that those who were given antibiotics within the last year had a 40 percent greater chance of developing celiac disease and a 90 percent greater risk of developing inflammation in the gut (10). The researchers believe that this has to do with dysbiosis, a misbalance in the microbiota, or flora, of the gastrointestinal tract. It is interesting that celiac disease may be propagated by change in bacteria in the gut from the use of antibiotics.
Not everyone will benefit from a gluten-free diet. In fact, most of us will not. Ultimately, people who may benefit from this type of diet are those patients who have celiac disease and those who have symptomatic gluten sensitivity. Also, patients who have positive serological tests, including tissue transglutaminase or anti-gliadin antibodies are good candidates for gluten-free diets.
There is a downside to a gluten-free diet: potential development of macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies. Therefore, it would be wise to ask your doctor before starting gluten withdrawal. The research in patients with gluten sensitivity is relatively recent, and most gluten research has to do with celiac disease. Hopefully, we will see intriguing studies in the near future, since the U.S. market for gluten-free packaged products has grown to over $1.5 billion.
References: (1) Am J Gastroenterol. 2013;108:656-676. (2) Gut 2013;62:43–52. (3) Scand J Gastroenterol. (4) Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2013 Nov;25(11):864-871. (5) medscape.com. (6) fda.gov. (7) Am J Gastroenterol. 2011; 106(3):508-514. (8) medscape.com. (9) 9th annual AIM for Autism Research 2010; abstract 140.007. (10) BMC Gastroenterol. 2013:13(109).
Dr. Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.
Head of Special Collections and University Archives at Stony Brook University, Kristen Nyitray, with a letter by Nathaniel Woodhull, one of four letters on view during Culper Spy Day. Photo by Jenna Lennon
By Jenna Lennon
‘Lucky is the child who listens to a story from an elder and treasures it for years.’ — Barbara Russell, Brookhaven Town Historian
Margo Arceri first heard about George Washington’s Setauket spies from her Strong’s Neck neighbor and local historian, Kate W. Strong, in the early 1970s. Arceri lights up when talking about her favorite spy, Anna Smith Strong. “Kate W. Strong, Anna Smith Strong’s great-great-granddaughter, originally told me about the Culper Spy Ring when I used to visit her with my neighbor and Strong descendant Raymond Brewster Strong III. One of her stories was about Nancy (Anna Smith Strong’s nickname) and her magic clothesline. My love of history grew from there,” she said.
Four years ago Arceri approached the Three Village Historical Society’s President Steve Hintze and the board about conducting walking, biking and kayaking tours while sharing her knowledge of George Washington’s Long Island intelligence during the American Revolution.
Today Arceri runs Tri-Spy Tours in the Three Village area, which follows in the actual footsteps of the Culper Spy Ring. “I wanted to target that 20- to 60-year-old active person,” she said. “I have to thank AMC’s miniseries ‘Turn’ because 80 percent of the people who sign up for the tour do so because of that show,” she laughs.
Your ticket to the 3rd annual Culper Spy Day awaits!
It was during one of those tours that Arceri came up with the idea of having a Culper Spy Day. “Visiting places like the Brewster House, which is owned by The Ward Melville Heritage Organization, the grave site of genre artist William Sidney Mount at the Setauket Presbyterian Church cemetery (whose paintings are at The Long Island Museum) and the Country House, which every one of the spies visited,” Arceri thought “there has to be a day designated to celebrating all these organizations in the Three Village and surrounding areas; where each of us can give our little piece of the story and that’s how Culper Spy Day developed.”
After a successful two-year run, the third annual Culper Spy Day will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. offering self-guided tours of 15 locations.
One event you won’t want to miss is the display of historic letters at Stony Brook University’s Special Collections and University Archives located on the second floor of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. Last year more than 60 people came to see two of George Washington’s letters during the event. This year, they’re hoping for an even bigger turnout with four handwritten letters that illustrate the “history and impact of the Culper Spy Ring,” according to head director Kristen Nyitray. The letters, which were penned by Nathaniel Woodhull, James Jay and Washington, “underscore Setauket’s and the Spy Ring’s pivotal role in the framing of our country,” she said.
The first of Washington’s letters, dated Sept. 24, 1779, addresses issues regarding Robert Townsend, whose code name was Samuel Culper Jr. It was received just a few days later, as noted on the letter, by Washington’s spymaster, Benjamin Tallmadge.
The letter offers methods of gathering intelligence, such as the mention of using “the stain” or the invisible ink believed to be created by James Jay, and the use of code names and numbers. During the war, Washington didn’t know the identities of the spies operating within the spy ring, so they communicated with code names and numbers to assure complete secrecy. At this point in history, the spy ring was “still vetting how best to obtain information without detection,” said Nyitray.
Almost a year later, on Sept. 16, 1780, Washington wrote to Tallmadge again, this time very favorable of Culper Jr., offering him public awareness of his actions or compensation for his efforts. The letter states, “I shall be ready to recommend him to the public, if public employ shall be his aim, and if not, that I shall think myself bound to represent his conduct in the light it deserves, and procure him a compensation of another kind.”
However, Townsend quite literally took his secret to the grave. The existence of the Culper Spy Ring was not made public until the 1930s when historian Morton Pennypacker acknowledged the similarities between Townsend’s handwriting and that of Culper Jr.
Obtaining Washington’s letters from Christie’s New York was a “collaborative effort” by the university, the Three Village Historical Society, The Ward Melville Heritage Organization and the Raynham Hall Museum.
In Woodhull’s March 4, 1776, letter, he provides Major General Philip Schuyler updates in regards to officers, battalions and supplies while Jay’s Jan. 9, 1808, letter addresses an unnamed general asking for compensation for his development of a “secret mode of correspondence,” presumably the invisible ink Washington and Townsend used to communicate decades prior.
Nyitray has been contacted from people all over the country looking to make an appointment to view the letters. “I receive calls and emails every week about the letters,” she said. With the Culper Spy Ring at the forefront of the popular TV show, AMC’s “Turn,” it has “brought positive attention and awareness to our region’s history” and “taken on a life of its own … the university provides an opportunity for all to engage in history through the letters, which is a much different experience than reading or watching a television program about it.”
Arceri’s favorite part of the day is “seeing all these different organizations coming together as a whole. It really is our Revolutionary story,” she said. “Everywhere you turn in the Three Villages you are looking at an artifact, and as the historical society believes, the community is our museum and that I would really love to put on the forefront of people’s minds.”
The third annual Culper Spy Day has been made possible through the efforts of The Three Village Historical Society, The Long Island Museum, The Ward Melville Heritage Organization, Tri-Spy Tours, Stony Brook University Special Collections, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, Frank Melville Memorial Park, Three Village Community Trust, Caroline Church of Brookhaven, Setauket Presbyterian Church, Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson (Drowned Meadow Cottage), History Close at Hand, the Country House Restaurant, Times Beacon Record News Media, Raynham Hall, the Smithtown Historical Society, Discover Long Island, Ketcham Inn of the Moriches and Sagtikos Manor in Bay Shore.
Tickets, which are $25 adults, $5 children ages 6 to 12, may be purchased in advance at the Three Village Historical Society (TVHS), 93 North Country Road, Setauket, by calling 631-751-3730 or by visiting www.tvhs.org. Veterans and children under the age of 6 are free. Tickets may be picked up at the TVHS from Sept. 11 to 15. At that time, visitors will receive a bracelet and a copy of the Culper Spy Day map with all event listings and include access to 15 Culper Spy Ring locations. If available, tickets on the day of the event may be purchased at the historical society.
Northport's Emily McNelis celebrates the game-winning goal with her teammates in a nonleague season opener against Ward Melville Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Isballe Karman holds back a Ward Melville player as teammate Emily McNelis gains possession during a nonleague season opener Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Isabelle Karman leaps up to head the ball ahead of Ward Melville's Erin Whalen during a nonleague season opener Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Isabel Yeomans the ball into Ward Melville's zone during a nonleague season opener Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Emily Zeblinsky dribbles the ball through midfielder during a nonleague season opener against Ward Melville Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Emily McNelis reaches out to hug Isabel Yeomans after the two connected for the game-winning goal against Ward Melville in a nonleague season opener Sept. 2. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Lili Buscareno steps in front of a Ward Melville pass to Hannah Marks during a nonleague season opener Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Paige Leonard tosses the ball into play during a nonleague season opener against Ward Melville Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Northport's Emily McNelis deflects the ball away from Ward Melville's Nicolle Liucci during a nonleague season opener Sept. 2 Photo by Desirée Keegan
Determined and gutsy in goal, Northport’s Emma Havrilla has her sights set on another successful season.
After prohibiting opponents from scoring in 13 matchups last year, the senior goalkeeper secured another shutout — a 1-0 victory in the Tigers girls soccer team’s first game of the season against Ward Melville Sept. 2.
“It felt really good,” Havrilla said of the away win. “Since we were reigning county champs last year this shows we’re ready to come out hard for it again this year.”
Even when the Patriots carried out multiple corner-kick attempts and pressured inside the box to try to avenge an overtime loss in last season’s Suffolk semifinals, Northport head coach Aija Gipp never questioned Havrilla’s abilities or her judgment calls.
“Having Emma back there — we trust her with every decision she makes,” she said.
And there were some close calls to be made. The senior leaped out and grabbed possession after each corner kick the Patriots took, and when Ward Melville sophomore midfielder Kiley Hamou had a breakaway opportunity with 30 minutes left in the game, Havrilla came out and tapped the ball to her right, and dodged to the left to secure possession of the ball on the rebound shot.
“I saw her take a bad touch, that’s when I come off my line,” Havrilla said. “Considering we tied them 0-0 and won in penalty kicks last year, it’s great to win against them this year.”
She too doesn’t have any doubt, as it pertains to her defensive line, despite the crop of younger competitors this year.
“We’ve put in a lot of work and I trust the girls in front of me,” she said. “We’re still just as strong.”
Senior midfielder Emily McNelis sealed the deal for Northport with 8:20 left in the first half, with the help of a penalty. Ward Melville was called for a handball, and Isabel Yeomans stepped up to send the ball into play. McNelis got a touch on the ball and sent it past Ward Melville senior goalkeeper Samantha Tarpey for the 1-0 lead.
“She was where she needed to be,” Gipp said. “Having Emily there, the goal, it was picture perfect.”
McNelis agreed with Havrilla that with Ward Melville being one of the toughest teams the Tigers will face, the win shows Northport is ready to rumble.
“Everyone played with so much heart and such a desire to win — we had great intensity and we kept it going,” McNelis said. “Ward Melville came out for blood today, and this shows that even though we lost a lot of key players last year, we’ve come out even better, and we’re still the top team to beat.”
Equipped with a pillow, blanket and a well-balanced diet of coffee and buttered popcorn, I sat among 140 strangers last Saturday night, Aug. 26, and watched people scream and die for 12 hours.
Some met their bloody fate at the hands of a killer doll by the name of Chucky, others at the hands of a pint-sized corpse named Gage. Satanic hippies and academics infected by otherworldly slime showed up to wreak havoc and a scientist named Seth Brundle shed some body parts before fully transforming into a big, bad, disgusting insect.
Moviegoers settle in for 12-hour horror marathon at the Cinema Arts Centre on Aug. 26
All this was applauded, cheered and laughed at by a horror-loving crowd during the 13th annual Pay-to-Get-Out Horror Movie Marathon at Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, presented by Retro Picture Show, which ran from 10 p.m. Saturday until about 10 a.m. Sunday.
An endurance test for the eyes — How much terror can they behold? How long can they stay open? — this year’s fright-film fest packed a punch, a bite and a lot of blood in its seven-movie lineup, all shown in their original, crackly 35mm format.
The audience was made up of folks of all ages and from all across Long Island. To get us through the night, we had blankets, refreshments from the Sky Room Cafe and a unifying love for all things scary.
“I’ve been a horror movie fan since I was a kid and love watching these movies among fans of the same genre,” Lloyd Zare of Coram said before the marathon. “I’m excited and just hope I don’t doze off in the middle of any of them.”
“I love horror movies,” said Jenna Mannino from Amityville, who had survived the marathon once before several years ago and wanted to see if she could do it again. She was most excited to see “Pet Sematary.”
“When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to watch horror movies because I’d have really bad nightmares so now it’s just kind of a thrill. And I love the commentary during the marathon.”
oviegoers settle in for 12-hour horror marathon at the Cinema Arts Centre on Aug. 26
Huntington resident Phillip Griffin said of the event, “Oh, I love it. … It’s my second year here. It’s a lot of fun, it’s better than being at home trying to do a movie marathon. There’s a camaraderie, everyone’s here for the same reason, they’re all horror movie fans and it’s great seeing them on actual film rather than digital. It’s definitely a trek making it through [the night] but it’s worth it.”
Kicking things off was “Child’s Play 2,” a perfect opener for the audience, which howled at every one of Chucky’s one-liners; followed by “Pet Sematary,” a truly creepy adaptation of the Stephen King novel that made some people hide their heads in their blankets; and “Grindhouse Releasing’s Trailer Apocalypse!” — an insane assortment of trailers ranging from “Orca” to “Werewolves on Wheels” to “The Gruesome Twosome” to “The Exorcist” with some old Vick’s VapoRub and Clearasil commercials thrown in for good measure. At the end of most of the clips, those around me wondered aloud, “What did I just watch?”
oviegoers settle in for 12-hour horror marathon at the Cinema Arts Centre on Aug. 26
Admittedly, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur as I started drifting in the middle of John Carpenter’s “Prince of Darkness,” completely slept through “Blackenstein,” and then woke up to those satanic hippies foaming at the mouth in search of human flesh in “I Drink Your Blood.”
At just about 8:20 a.m., with the theater still packed with sleep-deprived vampires waiting for the final, mystery film, the room erupted at the sight of the opening title of “The Fly” filling up the screen — David Cronenberg’s classic 1986 body-horror masterpiece starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis.
With another marathon wrapped up, Retro Picture Show founder Michael Ciani, who began the night giving out vinyl soundtracks and memorabilia to lucky raffle winners, deemed the night a success. “It went well, we had a good crowd, even bigger than last year,” Ciani said. “I’m happy, tired but happy.”
Hear ye! Hear ye! Casting of “street characters” for the 22nd annual Port Jefferson Charles Dickens Festival on Dec. 2 and 3 is currently underway. Adults, teens and children are needed for scripted scenes and improv as well as some singing and dancing. No experience necessary. Participants have the option of joining for a portion of the festival weekend or for the long haul for the rehearsals and scenes. An informational meetings will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Port Jefferson Village Center’s Skipjack Room, 101 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson. For more information, email Karen at [email protected].
Labor Day may be the official marker for the end of summer, and while the living may not be as easy, the rest of September certainly promises more warm weather for the beach, the backyard and barbecues.
After the hectic shopping for school supplies and new clothes, after those first hectic days of back-to–school, after the practices and lessons and homework it’s still possible to catch an hour or two of daylight to heat up the grill and pretend that just for a little while longer it’s still summer.
Here are three salad recipes for prolonging summer’s pleasures and accompanying whatever you’re grilling. A bonus is that the leftovers are ideal for lunch boxes.
Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
YIELD: Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 bruised clove garlic
1 pound Rotelle pasta
1 pound mozzarella cheese, diced
2 to 3 cups diced fresh cherry tomatoes
1 firmly packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
DIRECTIONS: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Let sit to absorb garlic flavor at least 30 minutes, then remove and discard garlic. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain thoroughly. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the dressing, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature as an accompaniment to grilled veggies, meat or poultry.
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Salad
YIELD: Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced
One large cucumber
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, rinsed and chopped
1 scant handful fresh mint leaves, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Juice of one small to medium lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS: Cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a large bowl, toss cooked quinoa with remaining ingredients. Let mixture sit for 30 minutes so it can soak up the flavors of the herbs and dressing. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold with grilled meat, fish or poultry.
Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad
Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad
YIELD: Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Two 14-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ears cooked fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, diced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 4 fresh limes
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, peppers, garlic and onion. In a separate smaller bowl, thoroughly mix the oil, lime juice, sugar, zest, cilantro, parsley, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Pour over bean and corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and let sit for at least an hour. Serve at room temperature or cold with grilled meat or poultry, tomato salad and taco chips.
SWING TIME! Grace Tesoriero of Port Jefferson captured this action shot of her beautiful 5-year-old granddaughter Gracie Ryan epitomizing ‘fun in the sun’ on the swings at East Beach on Aug. 14.
Jeremy Renner and Gil Birmingham in a scene from 'Wind River'
By Kyle Barr
The first time the audience sees the Native American reservation in “Wind River,” written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, they see a fire pit surrounded by natives huddling in blankets against the cold. The small thin sticks of the fire form a teepee and give off a dark grey smoke. It then cuts to an American flag hanging from a pole upside down. At this point in the film, it became clear that this wasn’t the mystery crime thriller that the marketing material and trailers made it out to be.
Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner in a scene from ‘Wind River’
One can be excused for thinking that the bare plot could serve as a vehicle for much nuance. A young Native American woman named Natalie (Kelsey Asbille) is found dead in the snow by Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent. She has died miles away from the nearest building without shoes and with signs of murder and rape apparent on her body.
FBI special agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) comes to investigate, but when the coroner cannot declare the death a murder, which would give Banner the authority to call in a full FBI investigation, she teams up with surly Tribal Police Chief Ben (Graham Greene) and Lambert to find the killer, not yet aware that Lambert has his own personal reasons for becoming so involved in the murder of this young woman.
The story plays out much less like a mystery thriller and more like a police procedural, unfolding from one discovery to the next until we finally find out who has committed the rape and murder, via a flashback toward the very end of the film. That ends up being a very good thing, as a mystery could have been a distraction from the point the film tries to make. The big revelation that ties the themes of the film together is not figuring out exactly who was responsible, but who those responsible people represent.
Jeremy Renner stars in ‘Wind River’
Early in the film it is clear that it is going to be politically charged. The Wind River Reservation in Wyoming is shown to be a cold, ravaged land with little in the way of resources, both natural and governmental. Films like “Fargo” have already figured out the lonely and desperate tone a film can have with wide, sweeping shots of snow-covered plains and smothered buildings. But while in the Coen Brother’s film the empty expanse is supposed to put the audience on edge, the empty fields and silent mountaintops in “Wind River” showcase a sorrow brought by white desolation.
The only shame then is that there is still a hint of the white-man-saves-the-brown-people plot that Hollywood still continues to peddle (just think “Dances with Wolves.”) That is not to say that Renner and Olsen don’t do an excellent job showing people who honestly care, not just about the death of the young woman, but also for the plight of Native Americans on the reservation.
Jeremy Renner in a scene from ‘Wind River’
Olsen’s character works well in this context, as the native characters like Martin, played by Gil Birmingham, are not only reserved around her, but even antagonistic because she represents both the authority of the federal government they feel has abandoned them and a century-long history of repression.
While the native characters are not as reserved around Renner’s character, the film does a good job at showing that even though he has lived among them for years, he will never truly be a part of their society.
Yet it’s still hard not to say that Renner’s character, especially considering the events at the very end of the film, would have been even more poignant if played by a Native American actor. It’s hard to recommend a better film, especially one that deals with topics so rarely seen in other major motion pictures. “Wind River” is a legitimately good film that you might owe it to yourself to watch, especially as the summer blockbuster season winds to a close.
Rated R for strong violence, a rape, disturbing images, and language, “Wind River” is now playing in local theaters.
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