STANDING THEIR GROUND
Michael Boren of Setauket spied this flock of wild turkeys ‘lurking’ around his neighborhood on March 4 and got closer to snap a photo. He writes, “They just stood their ground. Not sure if they’re brave or just too lazy to run!”
Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]
Prepared by District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds
New York’s roads are deadlier than ever. With the legalization of personal use quantities of marijuana and New York’s antiquated impaired driving laws, which have not kept up with new synthetic designer drugs, the problem is getting worse by the day. The Drugged Driving Loopholes in our laws enable dangerous drivers to escape responsibility far too often while endangering innocent people simply trying to drive on our roads or walk on our sidewalks in safety.
The Drugged Driving Loopholes exist because New York is one of only four states that still uses an archaic list to allow for arrest and prosecution of drugged driving. In New York, to prosecute a drugged driver, it is not enough that the drug has impaired the driver. The substance must be listed in the Public Health Law passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor, before a dangerous, obviously impaired driver can be arrested. Right now, a driver can be as “high as a kite,” but if they are high on a drug, or other substance that is not listed, they go free. For instance, drugs such as xylazine (“tranq”), analogues of fentanyl and nitazene (“ISO”) are not on New York’s list.
With modern chemistry, our lawmakers cannot keep up with new designer synthetic drugs coming out regularly. The constant influx of new impairing substances has turned the drug list into a barrier against stopping dangerously impaired drivers. It is at the root of the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation to New York and three other states to abandon the limitation of an ineffective drug list that will never be able to keep up.
Additionally, even drivers high on a drug that is on New York’s list can avoid responsibility by simply refusing to take an identifying test because it prevents the drug from being named. Twenty percent of drivers in New York evaluated by police Drug Recognition Experts in 2021 refused to take a chemical test, up from 13 percent in 2019. We are not protected when drugged drivers can escape arrest simply by refusing a test.
The type of alcohol ingested by a driver does not have to be named for someone to be charged with Driving While Intoxicated and if impairment is observed, no test is needed to establish a blood alcohol level or whether it was whiskey, vodka or wine, that has caused a driver to be impaired. The same should be true for drugs.
Just like with alcohol impairment, driver appearance, behavior and common sense ought to apply to drug-impaired drivers too. Blood alcohol tests are valuable evidence in DWI cases, but if drivers refuse the test for alcohol, they can still be prosecuted and lose their licenses based on the other impairment factors.
This is a public safety and public health emergency. If we have learned anything during the current opioid crisis, it is that public safety is enhanced when law enforcement and addiction treatment providers work together. Laws that hold people accountable for their actions, paired with evidence-based substance use prevention messages and readily accessible drug and alcohol treatment for those who need it, will save lives.
It is time to plug the loopholes. New York’s outdated approach to impaired driving handcuffs law enforcement, leaves those struggling with a drug problem untreated and puts innocent people at risk. A commonsense bipartisan bill (S3135/A174), backed by both law enforcement and addiction treatment providers, has been introduced in Albany this session to plug these Drugged Driving Loopholes. We need to be responsible and keep everyone safe. It is time to reverse the increase in highway deaths and save lives by passing the Deadly Driving Bill.
Raymond A. Tierney (R) is the Suffolk County district attorney and Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds is the president/CEO of Family and Children’s Association, based in Garden City. Both are members of the Coalition to Protect New Yorkers from Drugged Driving.
By David Dunaief, M.D.
This weekend, we’ll all “Spring forward” to Daylight Saving Time. While we’ll lose an hour of sleep on Sunday, the trade will be more hours of sunshine each day.
If you are like many in the Northeast, this is good news for your vitamin D3 levels. In practice, though, it’s still difficult to get enough sun exposure without putting yourself at higher risk for skin cancer.
There is no question that, if you have low levels of vitamin D, replacing it is important. Previous studies have shown that it may be effective in a wide swath of chronic diseases, both in prevention and as part of a treatment regimen. However, many questions remain.
Many of us receive food-sourced vitamin D from fortified packaged foods, where vitamin D3 has been added. This is because sun exposure does not address all of our vitamin D needs. For example, in a study of Hawaiians, a subset of the study population who had more than 20 hours of sun exposure without sunscreen per week, some participants still had low vitamin D3 values (1).
There is no consensus on the ideal blood level for vitamin D. For adults, the Institute of Medicine recommends between 20 and 50 ng/ml, and The Endocrine Society recommends at least 30 ng/ml.
Does body fat affect Vitamin D absorption?
An analysis of data from the VITAL trial, a large-scale vitamin D and Omega-3 trial, found that those with BMIs of less than 25 kg/m2 had significant health benefits from supplementation versus placebo (2). These included 24 percent lower cancer incidence, 42 percent lower cancer mortality, and 22 percent lower incidence of autoimmune disease. Those with higher BMIs showed none of these benefits.
Does vitamin D increase cardiovascular health?
Several observational studies have shown benefits of vitamin D supplements with cardiovascular disease. The Framingham Offspring Study showed that patients with deficient levels were at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (3).
However, a small randomized controlled trial (RCT) questioned the cardioprotective effects of vitamin D (4). This study of postmenopausal women, using biomarkers such as endothelial function, inflammation or vascular stiffness, showed no difference between vitamin D treatment and placebo. The authors concluded there is no reason to give vitamin D for prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The vitamin D dose given to the treatment group was 2,500 IUs. Some of the weaknesses of the study were a very short duration and small study size, so the results were not conclusive.
How does vitamin D affect mortality risk?
In a meta-analysis of a group of eight studies, vitamin D with calcium reduced the mortality rate in the elderly, whereas vitamin D alone did not (5). The difference between the groups was statistically important, but clinically small: nine percent reduction with vitamin D plus calcium and seven percent with vitamin D alone.
One of the weaknesses of this analysis was that vitamin D in two of the studies was given in large amounts of 300,000 to 500,000 IUs once a year, rather than taken daily. This has different effects.
Does vitamin D help you lose weight?
There is moderately good news on the weight front. the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures found that vitamin D plays a role in reducing the amount of weight gain in women 65 years and older whose blood levels are more than 30 ng/ml (6).
This association held true at baseline and after 4.5 years of observation. If the women dropped below 30 ng/ml in this time period, they were more likely to gain more weight, and they gained less if they kept levels above the target. There were 4,659 participants in the study. Unfortunately, sufficient vitamin D did not result in weight loss.
USPSTF recommendations and fracture risk
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against giving “healthy” postmenopausal women vitamin D, calcium or the combination of vitamin D3 400 IUs plus calcium 1,000 mg to prevent fractures, and it found inadequate evidence of fracture prevention at higher levels (7). The supplement combination does not seem to reduce fractures, but it does increase the risk of kidney stones.
When should you supplement your vitamin D3?
It is important to supplement to optimal levels, especially since most of us living in the Northeast have insufficient to deficient levels. While vitamin D may not be a cure-all, it might play a role with many disorders. But it is also important not to raise your blood levels too high (8). The range that I tell my patients to target is between 32 and 50 ng/ml, depending on their health circumstances.
References:
(1) J Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2007 Jun;92(6):2130-2135. (2) JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Published online Jan 2023. (3) Circulation. 2008 Jan 29;117(4):503-511. (4) PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36617. (5) J Women’s Health (Larchmt). 2012 Jun 25. (6) J Clin Endocrinol Metabol. May 17, 2012 online. (7) JAMA. 2018;319(15):1592-1599. (8) Am J Lifestyle Med. 2021 Jul-Aug; 15(4): 397–401.
Dr. David 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.
By Beverly C. Tyler
She was baptized Martha Tunstall on July 2, 1652, daughter of Henry Tunstall of Putney, County of Surrey, England. She moved with her family to Tangier, Africa where she married William Smith. From her marriage on Nov. 26, 1675, until her death in Setauket in 1709 at the age of 57, Martha led a life dedicated to her husband, family, business interests and community.
She gave birth to 13 children and buried seven of them; journeyed — in a time of discomfiting and perilous travel — from Tangier, back to England, to Ireland for the birth of a child, and finally to America. She raised her family in, at first, primitive conditions, and assisted her husband in his businesses which often involved his traveling from home over long periods of time. Throughout all this time she became well respected and loved as Lady of the Manor and was eventually widowed at the age of 52, successfully continuing her husband’s business interests including off-shore whaling and was an acknowledged community leader.
Madam Martha Smith, as historian Kate Strong referred to her, or Lady Martha Smith, as she is referred to in many documents, is not listed in “The Encyclopedia of Women’s History in America”, nor is she mentioned in “Long Island Women: Activists and Innovators”, both excellent books on history’s neglected gender. However, she was a woman of wealth and stature on Long Island and especially in the communities of Setauket and Mastic where she and her husband maintained their residences.
Col. William “Tangier” Smith was born in February of 1654, in Higham-Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England.
Tangier, which had been ceded to England as part of Queen Charlotte’s dowry, was an important port, or so it was thought, until abandoned and burned by England in 1683, after both Spain and Portugal refused to take it off England’s hands. As detailed by Chester Osborne, William went to the crown city of Tangier, Africa when he was 20-years old. A year later he married Martha Tunstall. He was elected to the post of mayor on Nov. 11, 1682. The young couple returned to England in 1683, and in 1686, sailed from Ireland for America with three children.
William and Martha arrived in New York in the fall of 1686 with two children, 7-year-old Henry and 5-year-old Martha. Another child, Hibernia, had been born in Cork, Ireland in June before they left for America on the ship ‘Thomas’, but she died at the end of August while they were still at sea. Hibernia was the couple’s eighth child and the sixth to die. Three of their children, Elizabeth, John and William, Jr. died in Tangier. Two of their children died in London in 1684.
During their time in New York, Martha gave birth to a daughter Jeane on Dec. 8, 1687. William very quickly purchased land in Setauket, ‘Ye Little Neck’ and on the South Shore as well. By 1689, William and Martha had moved permanently to the young settlement of Setauket. In March, Martha gave birth to William Henry. In June 1690, their daughter Gloryana was born. Eighteen months later another daughter, Theodocia, was born on Dec. 14 and died on Dec. 29. Two years later, on Dec. 20, 1693, Martha gave birth to the couple’s last child Charles Jeffery.
During these early years in Setauket, William and Martha moved from their first house near the Woodhull homestead to the Neck where they built a larger house that became known as St. George’s Manor. While Martha kept busy at home, William worked to increase his land holdings as well as his family. On Oct. 9, 1693, he received a patent from Governor Fletcher that included all the land “bounded roughly By Carmen’s River and Forge River [then called Connecticut River and Mastic River respectively] between Middle Country Road and the Atlantic Ocean.” This, combined with his previous purchase, created the Manor of St. George. In 1697, William added another portion of land, running to the western boundaries of the Towns of Southampton and Southold. He then built a second Manor House on Smith’s Point in Mastic. Here the family spent summers, returning to the Manor house in Setauket for the rest of the year.
With the acquisition of the patent land in 1693, William and Martha became the Lord and Lady of the Manor, Lady Martha and Lord William “Tangier” Smith.
Stay tuned for part two of Beverly C. Tyler’s History Close at Hand column in the coming weeks.
By Nancy Burner, Esq.
There is a common misconception about estate taxes when a decedent dies. At the outset it is important to know that the New York State exemption in 2024 is $6,940,000. The federal exemption for 2024 is $13,610,000. Therefore, if your estate is under these amounts, then there is no tax due. Often clients are anxious to make annual gifts with the mistaken belief that their heirs will pay a tax at their death. First, any amounts to spouses are tax free. Any amount under the above thresholds is also tax free. Nevertheless, for estates over the exemption amounts, either the New York or federal, additional planning is necessary. The balance of this article is for estates that exceed these threshold amounts.
But before we consider those taxes, let’s be clear about what comprises your taxable estate. All assets that you own at your death are counted towards your taxable estate, including IRA’s, annuities, bank accounts, real estate, life insurance owned by you or for which you have the power to change the beneficiary.
In New York, estates valued below this threshold amount ($6.94 million) will not incur any tax. For any estate that is over the threshold by no more than 5%, the estate is only taxed on the overage. However, for any estate valued at more than 5% over the threshold amount, ($7.287 million) the entire estate is taxed and there is no exemption available.
To illustrate: For decedents dying in 2024, consider an estate valued at $6.0 million. This is under the threshold amount and no tax is due. For an estate valued at $7.1 million, which is $160,000 over the threshold amount, there will be a tax for the $160,000 overage, to wit: the taxable estate is $397,444. However, for an estate valued at $7.3 million ($13,000 over the 5%), the value of the estate is above the threshold by more than 5% and the estate tax rises sharply, to wit: the taxable estate is $678,000. This commonly known as the “cliff.”
Estate tax planning for NY residents is often focused on keeping assets under this
cliff. There are several techniques that can be used to avoid the cliff. For instance, each individual can make tax free annual gifts in the sum of $18,000 per person in 2024. Annual gifts can be utilized during lifetime to bring the value of an estate under the cliff, and maybe even under the threshold.
However, in an instance where the decedent dies and the estate is over the threshold, we often use a provision in the Will or Trust to reduce the taxable estate with gifts to charities. This is a savings provision that provides for a charity to receive any amounts disclaimed by the beneficiaries. By adding that type of clause, the beneficiaries have up to 9 months after the decedent’s death to file a qualified disclaimer, renouncing any such overage and having the disclaimed amount pass to the named charity. The beneficiaries can disclaim any amount necessary to bring the estate under the threshold and reduce the estate tax to zero.
Another technique is to make a large gift more than 3 years prior to death. Since New York State does not have a gift tax, only an estate tax, this works quite well. Take the example of an individual with $8.94 million in assets, which is $2.0 million over then threshold. If she transfers the $2.0 million to her heirs directly or to a properly drawn trust for heirs, and survives the gift by three years, then she still has a full New York State exemption. The lifetime gift is essentially transferred estate tax free. If she dies before the three years, the gift will come back into the estate for the purposes of calculating the estate tax.
This same technique would not work for federal estate tax purposes, because any lifetime gift over the annual gift amount does reduce the lifetime applicable credit. This year the applicable credit amount is $13.61 million. This amount is indexed for inflation and will increase again in 2025. However, in 2026 the credit amount will be reduced as the law that created it will “sunset”. Most experts believe the federal exemption will be approximately $6.5-$7.0 million as of January 1, 2026. For clients with estates over that amount, it is necessary to plan early and reduce their taxable estates before the federal applicable credit is reduced. This is usually done with sophisticated trust planning which moves assets “over the tax fence” and uses the credit before they lose it.
Nancy Burner, Esq. is the Founding Partner of Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. focusing her practice areas on Estate Planning and Trusts and Estates. Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. serves clients from New York City to the east end of Long Island with offices located in East Setauket, Westhampton Beach, Manhattan and East Hampton.
Welcome to the 27th edition of TBR News Media’s Paw Prints, a monthly column for animal lovers dedicated to helping shelter pets find their furever home.
Meet Missy
A proponent of sensible glamour with a dash of “drama queen,” meet Missy, a ten year old Papillon mix at Little Shelter in Huntington. A breed known to be spirited, sociable, and possess sparkling personalities, this little lady certainly fits the bill! Playful and fun loving, she enjoys soft toys and has amassed quite a collection, thanks to the cooperative staff. Full of affection, she’ll happily curl up in your lap, listening attentively while you tell her secrets. Missy would be a great companion if you’re looking for someone with an inquisitive mind and an open heart…stop by to meet her today! 631-368-8770, ext. 2
Meet Zuko
Top of the mornin’ to you from Zuko, currently up for adoption at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter.Approximately 2 to 3 years old, Zuko has come a long way since his days as a stray. Despite a rough start with little hair and irritated skin, he’s undergone the necessary veterinary care, including neutering, and is now thriving. This absolute sweetheart adores people but prefers a home without other dogs and with older children. Zuko is ready to embark on a new chapter and is searching for his forever family. If you believe Zuko could be your perfect match, please take the first step by visiting https://www.brookhavenny.gov/152/Animal-Shelter and fill out a Matchmaker Application. Let’s give Zuko the loving home he truly deserves. 631-451-6950
Meet Romeo
Are you ready to meet a sweet and sensitive boy? Romeo is here to melt your heart and fill your home with love and joy. Waiting for you at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter, Romeo is a gentle and sensitive soul who may take a little time to show his true colors, but trust us, it’s worth the wait. He’s a bit shy at first, but once he feels comfortable, his loving nature shines through. Romeo is approximately 3 years old. Having come in as a stray, Romeo’s past is a bit of a mystery, but what’s clear is that he’s ready to leave his past behind and start a new chapter with a loving family. Fill out a Matchmaker application (see website on left) to arrange a meet and greet. 631-451-6950
Meet Wendy
Hi, I’m Wendy, a little tabby at Little Shelter in Huntington who thinks I’m a dog. Call my name or rustle a bag and I come a-running and of course it helps if you have a treat. Come and in and see for yourself. 631-368-8770, ext. 36
Meet Poppy
Poppy the puppy and her sister Patricia are available for adoption at Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton. Come meet them today! 631-727-5731, ext. 1
Meet Bunny
Full of character and just plain goodness, meet Bunny, a two year old Pit mix currently at Little Shelter in Huntington. This active, energetic girl will circle you with enthusiasm, drawing you into the middle of the fun! Suspected to have some hearing loss, she is nevertheless able to make strong connections, attentive and attuned to your every move. Smart as a whip and sweet as pie, she’s hoping to find her ideal family and forever home, then burrow directly into your heart (and bed!). If Bunny sounds like the perfect fit for you, hop on over to Little Shelter today! 631-368-8770, ext. 21
Check out the next Paw Prints in the issue of April 4.
By Patrice Domeischel
It was inevitable. Life for any bird is fraught with perils. That Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl illegally released over one year ago from the confines of his lifetime home in the Central Park Zoo would survive despite having no life experience outside his enclosure, would be nothing short of a miracle.
We had all waited, expecting the worst. Would he make it? The tentative answer appeared to be “Yes”. And it did seem that he just might have bucked the odds as instinct kicked in, and he mastered the unfamiliar, urban environment.
Birders, photographers, city residents, tourists, all wanted a glimpse of the famous escapee owl. He delighted all who viewed him as he perched at some of his regular Central Park haunts, and later in the Upper West Side neighborhoods of Manhattan. Flaco had become a symbol of freedom, surprising and eluding those who sought to bring him back to the zoo’s safe confines. To New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike, some whom had never seen any owl, Flaco was an avian celebrity.
Then our greatest fears were realized. Flaco became one of up to one-billion birds EACH year that die in the United States alone after flying into windows, his death determined to have been caused by “traumatic impact.” And although a necropsy report indicated Flaco’s good condition, his weight only slightly less than when last taken at the zoo, he may also have been exposed to infectious diseases like West Nile Virus or Avian Influenza, and/or toxins including rodenticides that would have weakened him, contributing to the strike.
Now Flaco has become another painful window-collision statistic. His passing shines a harsh light on this serious issue. Window strikes can occur at any time of year, but take place most often during spring and fall migration when billions of birds travel to and from breeding and wintering grounds. Strike incidents occur with great regularity when birds collide with the highly reflective glass used in building construction. Birds see the reflections in these panes as a continuation of the natural landscape and attempt to fly through them. Most collisions occur with the windows of one-and-two story buildings; many are residential homes.
But there may be a silver lining to this tragedy. The urgent need to protect birds from death caused by window strikes has already resulted in legislation in New York City that requires the use of bird-friendly materials in new construction. The City also has a lights-out requirement for city-owned and city-managed buildings. In Albany also, a bill is now on the table that requires the incorporation of bird-friendly designs into new or altered-state buildings in New York State. Maybe Flaco’s needless end will help to propel the bill to completion and law.
What can you do? We all have the power to make a difference. We can prevent window-strike collisions at our own homes and in the community. Simply affixing decals that reflect ultraviolet sunlight, or that create visual interference, on problem windows can dramatically cut strike numbers. Birds detect the stickers, recognize something to avoid, and fly elsewhere.
Flaco will be remembered always in the hearts of New Yorkers; we mourn his loss. But his name will live on in the meaningful and important legislation now on the table in Albany, a bill renamed the FLACO ACT: “Feathered Lives Also Count,” after this iconic and charismatic raptor.
Note: Do you know of a building prone to window strikes? Let us know at: [email protected].
Learn more at these and other websites:
Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP)
Author Patrice Domeischel is a board member of the Four Harbors Audubon Society.
Upon the recent receipt of a letter from a Virginia-native third-grade student (see Letters to the Editor), TBR has begun to think retrospectively about what it is that makes our coverage area so unique.
As residents and representatives of Long Island’s North Shore, we often forget to share the natural beauty and cultural heritage that defines where we live. The allure of the picturesque beaches, lush woodlands and historic villages capture our hearts, making it an ideal place to call home.
In terms of making a living, our areas offer a diverse range of opportunities. From bustling commercial centers like those off Nesconset Highway to locally owned shops, residents here engage in various professions spanning industries such as health care, education, finance, hospitality and more. Here at TBR News Media, we work to keep the community informed and up to date on all local news and events.
Our area is also home to excellent academic influence provided enormous contributions made by our research institutions, like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Lab, and Stony Brook University and Medical Center, the flagship campus of the State University System.
To paint a picture, our coverage area displays picture-perfect beaches stretching along the coastline, framed by towering bluffs and pebble-riddled sands. You can find quaint village scenery all throughout our coverage area from Shoreham/Wading River to Huntington/Cold Spring Harbor, exhibiting charming Colonial architecture and a pleasant way to tour the towns.
For fun, residents and visitors alike indulge in a plethora of activities. From relaxing beach days and scenic walks through Avalon or Frank Melville parks to cultural events and culinary delights, there’s something for everyone. Whether it’s exploring historic landmarks on Washington’s Spy Trail, visiting the Long Island Museum, attending art festivals or catching a show at a local theater like Northport’s John W. Engeman Theater, the Smithtown Performing Arts Center or Port Jefferson’s Theatre Three, our coverage area offers endless opportunities for leisure and recreation.
As for wildlife, our coverage area is home to a diverse array of creatures. Along the coast, you may spot ospreys soaring overhead or even the endangered piping plover. Our rocky shoreline creates a unique habitat for horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs and fish galore. While inland, deer, fox and various bird species inhabit the woodlands and marshes, adding to our area’s natural charm.
When it comes to food, there is no shortage of options for whatever culinary palette you crave. Famous for our bacon-egg-and-cheese bagel sandwiches, gourmet delis, New-York-style pizza or fresh seafood caught off the shores to hearty Italian and Irish fare, there’s no shortage of delicious dishes to savor.
For your ears, you’ll find a vibrant music scene with a diverse range of genres. From iconic rock bands like Billy Joel and Blue Öyster Cult to emerging indie artists and classical ensembles, the music of our area reflects the eclectic tastes and talents of its residents. Local tributes to music and entertainment are at the ready with the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame and The Jazz Loft, both located in Stony Brook, hosting various events catered to music enthusiasts.
For the athletes and sports fans, our local high schools represent some of the most competitive athletes across the state in all disciplines. Rocky Point High School Cheerleading earned another national title this year, while the Lady Patriots of Ward Melville High School were crowned soccer state champions. If that isn’t enough, our very own Stony Brook University is yet another destination for local sports viewing, representing some of the finest student-athletes in the NCAA.
Tourism is a driver of our local economy as well as we are fortunate to have the greatest city in the world, New York City, within reach. Our area is a treasure trove of natural beauty, cultural heritage and community spirit. A place where small-town charm meets cosmopolitan sophistication, where history whispers secrets from its streets and where a vibrant community thrives, hand in hand with the beauty of the natural world. This unique confluence is what continues to make our area a coveted haven in the heart of New York state.
By Daniel Dunaief
A long time ago, I joined a Freshman Outdoor Program trip before the start of college. The venture provided us with a chance to meet other incoming college students, to enjoy hiking, and to ask upper class students who were leading the effort questions about classes, places to eat on campus, and anything else that crossed our minds.
I was excited and anxious about my trek along the trail, in part because I was unaccustomed to relieving myself anywhere other than on a porcelain throne.
Recognizing my trepidation, my father, who sensed an opportunity to tease me, asked in the weeks before my trip how I was going to “poop in the woods.” My fear of taking care of business out in nature was even greater than my concern about my class selection, my choice of major or the unfamiliar roommates I would meet upon my arrival on campus.
In the days leading up to the trip, which lasted about a week, I tried to cut back on my food intake and I planned to use a bathroom with indoor plumbing as often as possible before climbing aboard the Appalachian-trail bound bus. For more than a day, I successfully shut my system down, avoiding the normal routine. Somehow, for close to two days, I managed to eat, carry about 60 pounds on my back, hike up and down mountains, and avoid pooping in the woods.
Then, as if my body refused to obey my stubborn will, I couldn’t take another step. Seeing me freeze on the trail, one of our upper class guides asked me what was wrong. Did my feet hurt? No. Did I need some water or food? No and no. Was I in pain? Yes, but not in the way I wanted to discuss.
I indicated that I had to “use the bathroom.” The guide told the group to stop, at which point I removed my backpack, took the small shovel we used to create our own buried fertilizer, and raced off to the left. How far, I wondered, would I have to go to avoid being seen by my fellow students, but be close enough that I didn’t seem like I was reading the New York Times while awaiting the arrival of the number two train?
With each step, my system recognized that I was getting closer to relieving itself, which meant that I couldn’t go much further without risking soiling myself. I picked a spot that had what looked like poison ivy. Moving over, I found another place that looked nothing like the comforts of home, but would have to do. After I dug a small hole, I squatted. I immediately felt something brush against my right butt cheek.
I turned around quickly and realized, with relief, that it was just a branch.
Throughout the decades that followed, I have put considerable effort into finding a toilet and to avoiding unpleasant restrooms. The search for a relatively clean and manageable bathroom has involved walking into nice hotels in cities around the country and world.
To my great surprise, the McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps in Rome, which has a surprisingly appetizing-looking pasta bar that we couldn’t get ourselves to sample while in Italy, had remarkably clean bathrooms, which my wife and I used many times while trekking around the historic city.
Central Park, which is improbably spacious and beautiful amid the concrete jungle of Manhattan, has a web page with the locations of public restrooms around the park, although, despite living there for over a decade, I rarely ever used.
Throughout Manhattan, I have searched for restaurants, museums and bars, where the bathrooms don’t become stadium-level sullied until well after happy hour begins.
With the advent of social media, which took off well after I left New York City, I have found several pages dedicated to the process of finding a bathroom, including one called @poopersguide, which has pictures of the facilities.
Recently, I went to a fancier restaurant outside the city. To set the mood, the lighting was fairly dim. An accommodating waiter even came over, took out his iPhone and smoothly shined his flashlight over the menu.
When I excused myself to use the restroom, I came back with a small smirk on my face and was met with expectant looks.
“Well, that was the cleanest restaurant bathroom I’ve ever used,” I laughed. “I was a little concerned about using it. Oh, and I know where we can read the menu next time. The lighting in there was brighter than anywhere in my house.”
By Leah S. Dunaief
The debate over the value of a college education continues. If anything, it has intensified, with the answer usually given in relative earnings over a lifetime, as if we were evaluating buying a house compared to renting an apartment. While education has its economic side, there is so much more to consider on the subject.
First the obvious. A four year college degree has always been thought of as a ticket to a better life because of the financial advantages it is thought to offer. College grads, in the main, earn higher wages, suffer lower unemployment, and as a result of having more income, enjoy better health and easier access to home ownership, the traditional wealth builder.
However, today there are jobs that don’t require a college degree but do pay well. These might include those in construction, those that offer professional certificates in technology, bootcamp coding, in short jobs that come with trade school degrees, associate degrees or apprenticeships. This path works if the student already has such a goal and knows what he or she wants to do.
But what else do students get from a college experience besides, perhaps, a substantial amount of debt? Student debt is the highest category of debt in the United States, totaling $1.76 trillion according to recent data. That is the result of private colleges averaging $223,200 over the course of four years, and even public institutions costing $104,000.
So what could make college worth the price? For starters, how many 17-year-olds know what career they want for the rest of their lives? College gives students a chance to discover themselves, be exposed to different disciplines and see what appeals to them. Those years are unlike any other, if the student is fortunate for the luxury of their focus on study without other responsibilities, like holding a job, caring for a spouse and children, paying a car loan or even a mortgage. So often, students enter college with vague ideas of a major only to switch dramatically by the third year.
College students often have opportunities for travel, for research and certainly to network professionally and socially. Just meeting others from different regions, religions and cultures provides enormous knowledge and often encourages friendships that last a lifetime. While those possibilities certainly exist for those outside a college environment, the bonding that results from sharing a campus and even a dorm increases those contacts. College is a privileged cocoon in which to grow up.
Some of the debate about the value of college has been brought on by the colleges themselves. While historically over the last half century prices have risen perhaps three percent, the annual cost of college has increased by six percent. There had to be a time of reckoning as a result of that disparity, and the time has now come.
College offers knowledge, which is not so say that people cannot learn outside of those base paths. College also offers education, which is somewhat different in my opinion. Anyone can learn facts. Just reading the daily newspapers or books conveys knowledge. A college education, however, is a more systematized attempt to show how different disciplines developed, leading to today. It encourages personal and intellectual growth in a structured way.
Education, and more is better, is a tremendous benefit not only to the individual but also to society. We have an example of that with the GI Bill after WWII. That legislation made it possible for millions of people of ordinary means to gain a college degree. What followed was an unprecedented half century of growth and prosperity for the United States. Education was the ladder that made such possible.
Today we are facing the opposite. As a result of the pandemic, education has suffered a substantial setback for our students, a gap we may never bridge. And further debate over the value of education in a college setting is further risk for progress. Other nations put so much importance on education that they make college free for all their members. We are going in the opposite direction at considerable risk to our national standing.
It would be nice if all youngsters experienced the tremendous satisfaction of learning. To attend college in order to get the diploma is one thing. For some of the reasons stated above, that can be a goal. But to learn for the sake of learning, and not just to do well on Jeopardy!, is another.
To make that clearer, I would liken the brain to a muscle. When we exercise the muscle systematically and regularly, it grows and becomes stronger. It also feels good to experience that exercise, especially after a visit to the gym. The more we stretch the brain with knowledge, the more it will grow. And with growth, life becomes more satisfying. No one wants to stagnate.
My mother, who passionately valued education, used to say, “Someone might take away your possessions, but no one can take away your education.” In our world, with so much uncertainty, how clever it would be to build on something so secure as education. And to graduate from college is to acquire more of that great asset, for ourselves and our country.
Now all we have to do is figure out how to make our higher education free.
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