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Sundown on the Bluffs, Kings Park Bluffs, Kings Park

New York State is preparing to distribute $4.2 billion to communities statewide, and Long Islanders must begin to make an aggressive push for that money.

Voters statewide approved the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act by a more than 2:1 margin. Here in Suffolk County, our residents approved the referendum 64-36%.

During a listening tour event on Thursday, Aug. 24, state officials outlined their plans for dispersing the funds. Qualifying projects include flood mitigation, marshland restoration, stormwater infrastructure, farmland protection, open space preservation and much more.

Here in Suffolk County, we are experiencing all of these issues.

Vulnerable waterfront properties along the North Shore are increasingly at risk from harmful erosion at our bluffs. Low-lying areas are at ever-greater risk of flooding, compounded by more frequent and intense precipitation events and outdated stormwater infrastructure.

Too often, commercial corridors are developed with little or no community giveback. Consequently, communities along major state routes — such as 25 and 347 — are suffocated by overcommercialized lots with limited access to parks or recreation space.

Meanwhile, the few remaining farmlands and open spaces are in constant danger of deforestation, development and displacement.

This $4.2 billion state bond package represents a much-needed pool of cash that can help offset these regional trends. And while the state has committed to directing 35-40% of the pot to disadvantaged communities, competition for the remaining chunk of the pie will be even fiercer.

Residents and officials across Long Island have grown increasingly frustrated and alienated by our state government in Albany. Getting our hands on some of these funds could begin the path toward reconciliation.

Throughout the Aug. 24 meeting, the state officials present emphasized the collection of public input as a necessary component for identifying new projects. That is why we must all take the time to scan the code above and share the climate challenges we face. The survey remains open until Sept. 13.

Whether our particular hamlet or village is experiencing worsening flooding, heightened coastal erosion, limited open space or any other environmental hardship, we must take the time to alert the state and request funding.

The potential to tap into $4.2 billion doesn’t come around often. This money represents a generational opportunity to remediate some longstanding issues and counteract our regional decline. We cannot afford to squander this moment.

Let’s scan this code and share the extent of our challenges here at home. Let’s scan the code and tell our state government how desperately our community cares about and needs this funding.

Let’s all scan this code because our community’s future welfare and prosperity depend on how we act today. From the North Shore to Albany, may the voices of our people ring loudly.

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Processed meats increase risks of cancers, stroke and diabetes. METRO photo

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

Many of us are starting to plan for Labor Day weekend, whether this means preparing for cookouts or getting ready for the new school year. It’s a good time to provide some food for thought — pun intended. 

The barbecues associated with this weekend usually include hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, bacon, poultry and fish. Sounds mouthwatering, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, there are more and more studies that implicate processed meats as a potential cause of diseases, including several cancers, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Processed meats are those that have been cured, salted, fermented or smoked. A short list of processed meats includes hot dogs, ham, pepperoni, bacon, sausages and deli meats, among others. While these are barbecue and picnic favorites, more importantly, deli meats are often used as sandwich staples for adults’ and school children’s lunches. Turkey and roast beef were typically in my lunch box when I was growing up. The prevailing thought at the time was that deli meats that were made without nitrates, nitrites and preservatives were healthy. Unfortunately, more recent studies show otherwise.

Does processed meat increase stroke risk?

In a large, prospective cohort study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011, results showed a 23 percent increased risk of stroke in men who consumed the most processed meats. Deli meats, including low-fat turkey, ham and bologna, considered healthy by some, were implicated. The 40,291 Swedish participants were followed for about ten years.

The increased risk could be attributed potentially to higher sodium content in processed meats. Another mechanism could be nitrates and nitrites. Interestingly, participants were mostly healthy, except for the processed meats. Thus, processed meats could interfere with the benefits of a heart-healthy diet, according to the authors.

How do processed meats affect cancer risk?

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has been aggressive about communicating the connection between processed meats and cancer. They’ve run television ads, including ones encouraging us to “break up with bacon,” and a billboard portraying a cigarette pack with hot dogs, not cigarettes, sticking out the top. The message read, “Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health.”

Let’s look at some of the studies that have prompted these warnings.

In the large prospective Multiethnic Cohort Study, there was a 68 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer in participants who ate the highest amounts of processed meats compared to the lowest (1). Participants were followed for seven years. The authors believe that carcinogenic substances in meat preparation, not necessarily fat or saturated fat, were probably the reason for increased risk. Pancreatic cancer is deadly, since most patients don’t have symptoms; therefore, it’s not discovered until its very late stages. It has destroyed the lives of some extremely physically fit people, like Patrick Swayze who died at the age of 57.

Processed meats also increase the risk of colorectal cancer. In a meta-analysis, there was an increased risk of 14 percent per every 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces (approximately one serving) of processed meat per day (2). Two slices of deli meat are equal to one serving. A deli’s turkey sandwich includes about five servings of processed meat in one meal. 

In the EPIC trial, a prospective study with more than 420,000 participants, processed meats increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 35 percent (3). The absolute risk of developing colorectal cancer was 71 percent over ten years for those who were age 50. Interestingly, fish actually decreased the risk by 31 percent, making fish a better choice for the barbeque.

Other cancers implicated in processed meats include lung, liver and esophageal cancers, with increased risks ranging from 20-60 percent according to the NIH AARP Diet and Health study (4). A separate analysis of the EPIC trial showed that there was a greater than two times increased risk of esophageal cancer with processed meats (5).

Is there an association between type 2 Diabetes and processed meats?

In one of the most prestigious and largest meta-analyses involving the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study I and II, results demonstrated a 32 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes in participants who had a one-serving increase of processed meat consumption per day. 

This data was highly statistically significant and involved over four million years of cumulative follow-up. Interestingly, the authors estimate that replacing processed meat with one serving of nuts, low-fat dairy and whole grains would reduce risk substantially (6).

I believe warning labels should come with processed meats; however, this is unlikely to happen. Therefore, you need to be your own best advocate and read ingredients. It is not just processed meats on the barbecue this Labor Day weekend that are concerning, but the long-term effects of eating deli meats that are even more worrisome.

References:

(1) J Natl Cancer Inst 2005;97 (19): 1458-1465. (2) PLoS One. 2011;6 (6):e20456. (3) J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Jun 15;97 (12):906-16. (4) PLoS Med. 2007 Dec;4 (12):e325. (5) J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Mar 1;98 (5):345-54. (6) Am J Clinical Nutrition 2011;94 (4): 1088-1096.

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.

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Blueberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

By Heidi Sutton

No dessert menu is complete without an array of treats, and these creamy, homemade Blueberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bars are the perfect way to put a sweet finishing touch on your celebrations. Or go for a crowd pleaser with this Cherry Cheesecake Lush Dessert and its smooth, velvety texture and plump, juicy cherries.

Blueberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

Recipe courtesy of Inside BruCrew Life blog

Blueberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

YIELD: Makes 24 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Nonstick cooking spray

30 vanilla cream-filled cookies

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup key lime juice

1 tablespoon key lime zest

1/4 cup flour

3 eggs

green gel food coloring (optional)

1 can (21 ounces) blueberry pie filling, divided

1 container (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed

key lime slices (optional)

DIRECTIONS: 

Place baking sheet on bottom rack of oven. Fill halfway with water. Heat oven to 325° F. Line 9-by-13-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Using food processor, pulse cookies until crumbly. Stir together crumbs and butter. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add sugar and sour cream, and beat again until smooth. Add key lime juice, zest and flour, and beat until mixed thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat gently after each. Add green food coloring to cheesecake mixture, if desired. 

Spread cheesecake batter evenly over crust in pan. Add 1 cup of blueberry pie filling over top of cheesecake. Use butter knife to gently swirl pie filling into cheesecake. Do not let knife go through to crust.

Place pan on oven rack above tray of water. Bake 45-48 minutes. Remove immediately and place on wire rack for 1 hour then place in refrigerator until completely chilled. Cut into 24 squares and serve with whipped topping, remaining pie filling and key lime wedges.

Cherry Cheesecake Lush Dessert

Recipe courtesy of Lemon Tree Dwelling blog

YIELD: Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup butter, melted

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

16 ounces whipped topping, divided

2 small boxes cheesecake-flavored pudding

3 cups milk

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

1/2 cup. chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS: 

Heat oven to 350° F.

In medium mixing bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, finely chopped pecans and butter.

Press into 9-by-13-inch baking pan; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

In separate mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Mix until smooth; spread evenly over cooled crust.

Combine cheesecake pudding mix, milk and 1 1/2 cups whipped topping, and mix until smooth. Spread evenly over cream cheese layer in pan.

Top with pie filling, remaining whipped topping and chopped pecans and serve.

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Courtesy of DC Comics

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

How come we never see superheroes in regular moments? To that end, I wanted to share a host of images that I hope might brighten your day (if you need it).

Superman picking his nose. Okay, let’s just get this one out of the way first. Sure, he leaps tall buildings in a single bound, fights crime everywhere, and stands for truth, justice and the American way, but what about the urge to clean out the dried super boogers in his nose? And, if he did, what would happen to them? Would they decay the way ours presumably do, or would they be like rocks trickling through our plumbing or remaining forever on the floor, impenetrable even to a speeding bullet?

Okay, backing off from the incredibly crude, let’s go to Superman’s fingernails. I’m guessing he can’t clip them with an average clipper. When he does trim then, are they so strong that it’d hurt to step on them?

How about Batman? Is there room in that suit for hiccups? What happens when he’s driving his super fast car or flying bat mobile and he gets the hiccups? I know my hiccups, which are loud enough to cause Superman’s super fingernails to bend, are so distracting that it’d be tough to fight crime, or even navigate at incredible speeds, when my diaphragm is spasming.

And then there’s Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter, if you’re old enough, and Gal Gadot, for the more modern fan, are both incredible fighters who save the day, rescuing mere mortals like Steve Trevor. But do they have the kind of arguments with their mothers that I’ve seen other women (no one in my family, of course) have with their mothers? Are they tempted to take out their truth lasso and demand that their mother say what she really thinks or share what she really did? Can you imagine Wonder Woman in a shouting match with her mother, reaching a point where she wraps the rope around her mom’s wrist and demands to know, “What do you really think of my new boyfriend” or even “you mean to tell me you never acted out against your own parents?”

How about Aquaman? Not to be too obsessed about the nose here, but does he ever get water up his nose, the way the rest of us do when we’re diving or doing awkward flips into the pool? Given the speed at which he swims, I would imagine such water in his nose might cause even more agony for him than it does for the rest of us, who find the dense medium of water difficult to traverse rapidly.

What about the Flash?

I haven’t seen the recent multiverse movie with him, but I would imagine his shoes, which withstand the incredible force of him tearing around town, are a vital piece of equipment that could be enormously problematic if they tear or have holes.And, unlike me, as I sit here with the tongue of my right sneaker hanging off, I would imagine he couldn’t wait any length of time to replace the shoes that glide over the ground at speeds that, if my interpretation of the recent movie trailers suggest, exceed the speed of light and can, to borrow from the singing superhero Cher, “turn back time.”

Sorry if you’ve now got that song ricocheting around your head. Come up with a better song and you’ll be fine or maybe just count backwards from 20 in French or any foreign language, if you know how to do that.

And what about Spider-Man? Does he ever eat something that totally disagrees with his system, making it impossible to leave the house until he’s taken a super dose of an antacid? Sure, super heroes inspire us with their incredible deeds, but I’d like to know how they manage through the kinds of everyday issues, challenges, and regular stuff in our lives.

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

A book whose subject caught my eye this week is, “Young and Restless, The Girls Who Sparked America’s Revolutions,” by Mattie Kahn. The story appeared in the New York Times Book Review this past weekend, and I read of these female exploits, marveling at the young ages of the subjects.They were indeed girls, most in their teens or younger, not yet women by today’s standards. Now my mother, who was born in 1906, was only 11 when she began her work life, a graduate of 8th grade with a further degree from a bookkeeping school. While I have long been amazed at that, these stories begin with the Lowell mills girls in 1836 and Harriet Hanson, 11, who led a “turn-out” of 1500 young women refusing to work.

I was not familiar with the Lowell mills history. It seems Francis Cabot Lowell was impressed by the textile factories he saw in England and returned to Massachusetts to build similar workplaces and participate in the Industrial Revolution. For the most part, the workers were girls and young women. The early mills were a kind of “philanthropic manufacturing college,” to which such luminaries as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Edgar Allan Poe came to lecture. These were the first places where girls, who were not the daughters of rich men, and hence not at finishing schools, could gather and learn as they worked. It was here, at a factory in Lowell, Massachusetts, where the first all-female-staffed magazine in American history was started.

When the girls were informed that their pay was to be cut, they went on strike. Hanson organized the walkout with what she later called “childish bravado.”

The book tells stories of many more such young women—girls really—protesting in different circumstances. “There’s Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, who led 17,000 people up New York City’s Fifth Avenue on horseback in the 1912 march for women’s suffrage.” Anna Elizabeth Dickenson was an abolitionist orator in her teens and became the first woman to address the House of Representatives. Heather Tobis (Booth) at 19, “founded the legendary abortion referral service Jane out of her dorm room. Clyde Marie Perry, 17, and Emma Jean Wilson, 14, integrated their Granada, Mississippi schools in 1966 and then successfully sued to stop expulsions of pregnant students like themselves.”

Perhaps the girl who interested me most because she overlapped with my life was Alice de Rivera, dubbed by the New York City media as the “crusader in mini-skirts.” She was 13, had scored on a citywide test in the 99th percentile in math, but was denied the right to take the entrance exam to Stuyvesant High School in 1969 because she was female. She and her parents, Joseph, a psychology professor, and Margaret, an educational therapist, lived in Brooklyn at the time, and the high school she was supposed to attend did not have appropriate classes for her further education. Stuyvesant, one of the best high schools in New York City, did.

Now I am familiar with Stuyvesant. I went to the all-girls Hunter College High School in the 1950s, and we would periodically have “socials” with the Stuyvesant boys. They were more like milk-and-cookie gatherings, but nonetheless at one of them I was asked out on my first date.

Alice de Rivera met with the National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, where she was introduced to Eleanor Jackson Piel, who took her case pro bono. Fighting educational sexual segregation was a radical idea at the time. Most specialized schools and even the Ivies were all-male. But on the grounds that it violated Alice’s 14th Amendment of equal protection, they filed a lawsuit on January 20, 1969 against the state’s Board of Education. She received a lot of publicity, and by May, the Board voluntarily repealed Stuyvesant’s sex restriction. It was a cultural precedent that broke barriers.

What happened to De Rivera? She and her family moved out of New York City, so she didn’t go to Stuyvesant. Today she is a physician, living on a farm in Maine with her husband, a retired math professor, and working at a clinic she started, helping Lewiston’s large population of Somali refugees. She also works at another facility that serves people who can’t pay for their medical care.

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Nora

This week’s featured shelter pet is Nora, a two-year-old (estimated) torbie (tortoiseshell-tabby) up for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. 

This green-eyed stunner was found as a stray and dropped off at the shelter in July. She has been affectionate and outgoing with everyone she has met. Now she is looking for the purrfect home where whe will be loved and cherished forever.

If you would like to meet Nora, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with her in a domestic setting.

The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Visitor hours are currently Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.

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Esther Tsai is one of four scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory to be selected by DOE’s Office of Science to receive significant funding through its Early Career Research Program. Photo courtesy of BNL

By Daniel Dunaief

This is part 2 of a 2-part series.

Half of this year’s crop of recipients from New York State for Early Career Awards from the Department of Energy came from Brookhaven National Laboratory.

With ideas for a range of research efforts that have the potential to enhance basic knowledge and lead to technological innovations, two of the four winners earned awards in basic energy science, while the others scored funds from high energy physics and the office of nuclear physics.

“Supporting America’s scientists and researchers early in their careers will ensure the United States remains at the forefront of scientific discovery,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. The funding provides resources to “find the answers to some of the most complex questions as they establish themselves as experts in their fields.”

The DOE chose the four BNL recipients based on peer review by outside scientific experts. All eligible researchers had to have earned their PhDs within the previous 12 years and had to conduct research within the scope of the Office of Science’s eight major program areas.

Last week, the TBR News Media  highlighted the work of Elizabeth Brost and Derong Xu. This week, we will feature the efforts of Esther Tsai and Joanna Zajac.

Esther Tsai

Esther Tsai is one of four scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory to be selected by DOE’s Office of Science to receive significant funding through its Early Career Research Program. Photo courtesy of BNL

Listening to her in-laws argue over whom Alexa, the virtual assistant, listens to more, Esther Tsai had an idea for how to help the scientists who trek to BNL for their experiments. As a member of the beamline staff at the National Synchrotron Lightsource II, Tsai knew firsthand the struggles staff and visiting scientists face during experiments.

Artificial intelligence systems, she reasoned, could help bridge the knowledge gap between different domain experts and train students and future generations of scientists, some of whom might not be familiar with the coding language of Python.

In work titled “Virtual Scientific Companion for Synchrotron Beamlines,” Tsai, who is a scientist in the Electronic Nanomaterials Group of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, is developing a virtual scientific companion called VISION. The system, which is based on a natural language based interaction, will translate English to programming language Python. 

“VISION will allow for easy, intuitive and customized operation for instruments without programming experience or deep understanding of the control system,” said Tsai.

The system could increase the efficiency of experiments, while reducing bottlenecks at the lightsource, which is a resource that is in high demand among researchers throughout the country and the world.

Staff spend about 20 percent of user-support time on training new users, setting up operation and analysis protocols and performing data interpretation, Tsai estimated. Beamline staff often have to explain how Python works to control the instrument and analyze data.

VISION, however, can assist with or perform all of those efforts, which could increase the efficiency of scientific discoveries.

After the initial feelings of shock at receiving the award and gratitude for the support she received during the award preparation, Tsai shared the news with friends and family and then went to the beamline to support users over the weekend.

As a child, Tsai loved LEGO and jigsaw puzzles and enjoyed building objects and solving problems. Science offers the most interesting “puzzles to solve and endless possibilities for new inventions.”

Tsai appreciates the support she received from her parents, who offered encouragement throughout her study and career. Her father Tang Tsai, who is a a retired professor in Taiwan, often thought about research and scribbled equations on napkins while waiting for food in restaurants. On trips, he’d bring papers to read and shared his thoughts. Tsai’s mom Grace, a professor in management in Taiwan who plans to retire soon, also supported her daughter’s work. Both parents read press releases about Tsai’s research and shared their experience in academia.

Tsai thinks it’s exciting to make the imaginary world of Star Trek and other science fiction stories a reality through human-AI interactions.

Joanna Zajac

From left, Joanna Zajac is one of four scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory to be selected by DOE’s Office of Science to receive significant funding through its Early Career Research Program. Photo courtesy of BNL

A quantum scientist in the Instrumentation Division, Joanna Zajac is developing a fundamental understanding of fast light-matter interconnects that could facilitate long distance quantum networks.

Zajac will design and build systems that use quantum dots to generate single photos in the wavelengths used for optical telecommunications.

These quantum dots could potentially generate photons that would work at telecommunication and atomic wavelengths, which could reduce the losses to almost nothing when quantum information travels through the current optical fibers network. Losses are currently around 3.5 decibels per kilometer, Zajac explained in an email.

By coupling quantum dot single photons with alkali vapors, the light-matter interconnects may operate as a basis for quantum information, making up nodes of quantum network connected by optical links.

“Within this project, we are going to develop fundamental understanding of interactions therein allowing us to develop components of long-distance quantum networks,” Zajac said in a statement. “This DOE award gives me a fantastic opportunity to explore this important topic among the vibrant scientific community in Brookhaven Lab’s Instrumentation Division and beyond.”

Zajac explained that she was excited to learn that her project had been selected for this prestigious award. “I have no doubt that we have fascinating physics to learn,” she added.

In her first year, she would like to set up her lab space to conduct these measurements. This will also include development experimental infrastructure such as microscopes and table-top optical experiments. She hopes to have some proof-of-principle experiments. 

She has served as a mentor for numerous junior scientists and calls herself “passionate” when it comes to working with students and interns.

Zajac, who received her master’s degree in physics from Southampton University and her PhD in Physics from Cardiff University, said she would like to encourage more women to enter the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, “as they are still underrepresented,” she said. “I would encourage them to study STEM subjects and ensure them that they will do just great.”

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Million dollar bleachers?

Is the Port Jefferson School District spending unnecessarily, yet again?

The Board of Education on July 11 learned that bids to replace present high school bleachers and press booths came in much higher than the $561,000 allocated in the 2022-23 budget. According to the superintendent of schools [Jessica Schmettan] the bids indicated a cost of “just under a million dollars” for bleachers, with significantly fewer seats than the present ones. The present bleachers seat 1,000 but the replacements will seat less than 600. Doing the math, this works out to spending over $1,600 per person on a bleacher bench.

The superintendent confirmed in an email that the present bleachers are structurally safe, evident also by the fact that they remain in use. They are not, however, compliant with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) code.

Given this huge price tag for a total bleacher replacement, consideration should be given to modifying our present bleachers to make them ADA-compliant. Only the first row would need modification. According to posted information, describing how other school districts faced with this issue addressed it, with the addition of some ramps, guard rails and removal of enough bench area to accommodate 10 wheelchairs in just the first row, we can meet ADA standards, retain the present 1,000-person seating capacity and likely stay well below the initially budgeted amount — and certainly way below the million dollar expense for all new bleachers. Extra handrails could also be installed as an option on upper rows of bleachers for additional safety. The press booth can simply remain as is and need not be enhanced.

The Board of Education will be discussing the bleachers at their Aug. 29 meeting. Surely there are more important priorities in our school buildings than spending a million dollars on all new bleachers if the present ones just need some modifications to meet ADA code. Installing a new HVAC system in the high school could be one of them.

Port Jefferson residents are very generous in supporting their schools. Hopefully the school board will in turn show respect for the taxpayers by avoiding more unnecessary or excessive spending.

Gail Sternberg

Port Jefferson

Context for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A firestorm cloud hangs above the Japanese city of Hiroshima following detonation of an atomic bomb on Aug. 6, 1945. Public domain photo

I felt some discomfort after reading Myrna Gordon’s letter [“Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Aug. 10] regarding the North Country Peace Group’s vigil around the anniversaries of the dropping of the atomic bombs. 

I think it is clear to all that war is a terrible thing, and I certainly understand the mourning of those killed in wars. My discomfort comes from the selectivity and moral attitude taken by most people I have known, or heard from, regarding these attacks. I apologize if these factors may not apply to the members of the Peace Group.

To start, the letter seems to imply that these bombings were the most devastating ever. Reports note anywhere from 129,000 to 226,000 killed from the combined attacks. Yet, prior to these attacks, the firebombing of Tokyo killed between 80,000 and 100,000 people immediately in one night alone and does not get similar attention.

My bigger concern is the general perception of such mourners that these attacks were a moral atrocity. They fail to look at the overall picture. If the war had not ended this way, we were looking at an invasion of Japan. The estimates are/were that an invasion would have resulted in the loss of over 1 million people. 

While this number alone is large, it fails to note all the descendants that would never be born because of these deaths. I take this very personally because my father likely would have been killed in that invasion and I would never have been born. Millions of people are alive today for that reason. It should also be remembered that this action was our means of ending a war that we did not start. 

Lastly, as I was thinking about this topic during the past week and deciding whether to respond, a new thought came to me. While there has been some reasonable concern about the potential use of nuclear  weapons over the last several decades, one could make a case that their existence has saved many lives and prevented major wars. Once Russia, and later China, had nuclear weapons, we have not had a direct conflict between world superpowers. 

I think this might be because of the mutually assured destruction theory that the superpowers would not launch nuclear preemptive strikes on each other because of the understanding that it would result in both countries destroying each other. Yet another unappreciated benefit.

Joseph Levine

Stony Brook

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL 

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.

 

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METRO photo

When we shop, we often bring our valuables, which total hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars, with us.

Cell phones, wallets, purses and credit cards represent valuable commodities. They can be stolen to score sweet profits. And throughout our community, that is happening right now.

On Aug. 8, Suffolk County Police Department 4th Precinct Inspector David Regina informed the Smithtown Town Board of a pernicious crime happening across Suffolk County retail spaces.

“Criminals and thieves take the opportunity when someone is shopping at Costco or any of these other stores, and they walk by an unsuspecting victim’s shopping cart,” he said. “What they’ll do is they’ll just take out the credit cards or the wallet.”

A criminal can be out the door with our credit cards in the few seconds we may step away from our shopping carts.

At first, victims of this kind of theft do not know they have been victimized. In the time it can take for victims to discover they were robbed and cancel their accounts, the damage has already been done. For law enforcement, Regina noted, this kind of theft is “a very hard crime to target.”

Fortunately, we can all take some simple steps to protect our possessions. We should always keep our valuables in sight and within reach when we shop.

We also encourage our readers to shop lightly, leaving their possessions inside their locked vehicles or — even better — leaving their valuables at home.

If one shops with a handbag or purse, ensure these bags have secure closures. For purse thieves, an open handbag in a public space invites theft.

At TBR News Media, we helped to pioneer the Neighborhood Watch program in Suffolk County. We now advocate for a similar crime watch program for retail centers. As the adage goes, “If you see something, say something.”

Tell a store manager or similar authority about the nefarious activities you witness. Failure to report these incidents of purse theft signals to criminals our tacit approval of these behaviors, incentivizing recidivism. If we wish to see larcenies begin to drop, we must do our part.

Aware of the risks, we can and should shop without fear. Please take care to ensure that shopping can be a safe experience.

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Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook women’s soccer team (1-1-1, 0-0 CAA) offense erupted to secure their first win of the season after defeating Lafayette College (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League) 3-1 on Aug. 24 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

The Seawolves wasted no time getting on the board first after sophomore Gabrielle Côté put the pressure on the Leopard defense by centering a ball into the middle of the box that was deflected into the back of the net by a Lafayette defender at the 13th minute to give Stony Brook an early 1-0 lead.

Stony Brook out-shot Lafayette 9-to-1 in the first half and junior Nicolette Pasquarella made a quick-read save at the 23rd minute to keep the 1-0 lead heading into the break.

 Following the half, the squad came out scorching on both sides of the pitch. After a stop by the Seawolves on the defensive side at the 53rd minute, Pasquarella sent a goal-kick to the middle of the field where it was headed by sophomore Luciana Setteducate and sent to senior Reilly Rich. The senior took the ball nearly 40 yards before finding the back of the net with her left foot to give Stony Brook the 2-0 advantage. 

 The Seawolves kept the pressure on by tallying another goal at the 65th minute. Côté took the ball up the right sideline before she hit a rocket into the back of the net to give Stony Brook a 3-0 lead and ultimately the 3-1 victory. 

This was the first ever meeting and victory against Lafayette. 

“I’m happy for the team that they got awarded with the win today,” Head Coach Tobias Bischof remarked postgame. “It was a great effort by everybody involved. We were defensively very stable and created some very good scoring opportunities. Scoring three goals in a game is always nice to see.”

Next up, the Seawolves hit the road for the first time this season on Sunday, Aug. 27 as they head to North Andover, Mass., to battle Merrimack University at noon. This will be the first-ever meeting between these two programs. 

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