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Dr. Chrisy Beneri, below, suggests people leave a window cracked while entertaining such as above. Stock photo above; photo of Dr. Christy Beneri from Stony Brook Medicine

The time between Halloween and Thanksgiving often involves lists.

Dr. Chrisy Beneri. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine

Thanksgiving hosts make lists of people to invite, food to purchase, reminders of relatives who need to sit as far from each other as possible, and specialty items, like dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and sugar-free desserts.

This year, people should also consider adding healthcare steps to their holiday preparation, particularly as new COVID-19 variants and a host of respiratory viruses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, threaten to put a damper on the holiday festivities or the days immediately after family gatherings.

Even as new COVID variants circulate in the area, cases of the flu have recently been climbing throughout the county, state and country.

As of the week ending Oct. 29, which is the most recent week for which the state and country produced data, Suffolk County reported 255 confirmed cases of the flu, which is up 86% from the previous week, according to the New York State Department of Health. Statewide, the number of cases reached 3,476 for the same week.

Dr. Christy Beneri, program director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, suggests that the “ideal time is now” to get COVID and flu vaccines. “It generally takes about two weeks for the immune system to show a response to the vaccine to provide protection,” which means that the clock is ticking to prepare immune systems for visits with friends and relatives who might be bringing unwitting viral passengers with them to the dinner table.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people get a bivalent booster — the version from Pfizer/ BioNTech or Moderna that includes protection against some of the newer omicron variants — if it has been at least two months since their last COVID-19 vaccine or since their original booster.

Beneri urges residents to get both COVID and flu vaccines, which people can receive at the same time.

The effects of these combined shots may have increased side effects of flu-like illnesses, like fever, aches and fatigue, which generally lasts for about a day.

The CDC reported that observational studies show greater disease severity in patients with influenza and COVID than in patients with COVID alone. 

As for ways to protect guests in people’s homes, Beneri explained in an email that no specific house filters are effective at reducing the spread of disease.

“Good air flow is important,” she wrote. “Leaving some windows cracked and telling guests to wear an extra layer” could reduce the risk of spreading viruses.

Beneri added that area medical facilities have seen patients with more than one respiratory virus.

“Having multiple viruses can lead to more severe disease and thus [the] need for hospitalization for supportive care,” Beneri added.

Treatment options currently exist for COVID and influenza, which is not the case for other respiratory illnesses. The NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines suggested that there are no significant drug-drug interactions between the antiviral agents used to treat the flu and antivirals used to prevent or treat COVID.

While vaccinations may not completely prevent disease, they can help reduce severe disease and hospitalization, which is “especially important with the increase in other respiratory infections, such as respiratory syncytial virus,” she explained in an email.

Boosting immunity

In general, people can enhance their health by eating well, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep, Beneri said.

She also generally recommends a multivitamin.

The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel indicates that there is not enough evidence to support the use of additional supplements, such as Vitamin C, D or zinc in patients with COVID.

Beneri advised residents to review any supplement use with their doctors to avoid drug interactions and possible side effects.

At this point, the bivalent vaccine has improved effectiveness for the omicron strain based on the immune response, Beneri explained.

More data, however, is expected on the vaccine efficacy in the short and longer term with the new bivalent boosters, Beneri said.

Additionally, more data should be forthcoming on treatment options, which will also be important with anticipated new waves over the holidays and new variants emerging, she added.

Combined vaccine

Recently, Pfizer/ BioNTech said it was in phase one trials for a single vaccine that would provide immune protection against COVID and the flu.

Local doctors urged patience as the pharmaceutical company and the Food and Drug Administration review the results from these trials.

“Although there may be benefits with combination vaccines from a compliance perspective, we need to weigh that against the risk of safety and efficacy,” Dr. Sunil Dhuper, chief medical officer at Port Jefferson’s St. Charles Hospital, explained in an email.

The medical community needs to ensure that the combination is neither less immunogenic nor less effective than the singular vaccines on their own, he added.

“Safety and tolerability are other important concerns with combination vaccines,” Dhuper explained. He hopes the clinical trials will answer a host of questions related to immune response, efficacy, and reactogenicity, which refers to injection site pain, redness, swelling, fever headaches and other responses to the vaccination.

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'Beside Still Waters' by Gail Chase
'Broomstick Trees' by Gail Chase
'It's All About the Attitude' by Gail Chase
'New Beginnings' by Gail Chase
'Sea Serenade' by Gail Chase
'Stony Brook Harbor' by Gail Chase
'Sunset Grasses' by Gail Chase
'Wetlands - Stony Brook Harbor' by Gail Chase

By Irene Ruddock

Gail Laines Chase is a Stony Brook resident who has delighted followers of her paintings for years. She graduated Wilkes College where she received her teaching degree and was able to take art classes which she enjoyed. 

Chosen by the Setauket Artists to be the Honored Artist at the 42nd Setauket Artists Exhibition for 2022, Chase exhibits her work in Gallery North, Mills Pond Gallery, Long Island Museum and the Port Jefferson Village Center. Chase is often seen painting in plein air, a method she feels helps capture the mood of the scene. Her versatility is evident in the mediums she pursues: watercolor, oil and pastel. 

Artist Gail Chase
Artist statement:
My goal is to communicate to the viewer the joy I feel in painting.

You were originally known as a water colorist. Why do you like that medium? 

I love the spontaneity of watercolor. There is something about the feel of the brush gliding across the paper that intrigues me. Painting in watercolor is like taking a mini vacation. Should the muse happen to call and the painting works, that is truly serendipitous! I become lost in its magic; the light, shape, line, but most of all the color. I love color in clothing, the decoration of my home, but most of all in painting. 

What do you like about working with  pastels and oils?

In pastel and oil, again it is the color that I’m drawn to. I love the intensity of the colors because an artist can get the deep saturated color values immediately. Not to mention, pastels and oil is much more easily corrected than watercolor, should an “oops” occur!

What inspires you to paint?

 I’m inspired by nature. I love painting at West Meadow creek which I call my “still waters” place. I love the morning light and the sunsets are spectacular! We are so fortunate to live on Long Island  where there are so many beautiful venues.  

Who influenced you in your art? 

I was blessed to have a grandmother who encouraged me to garden and love nature. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I loved the mountains and pine woods, but when I moved to Long Island, I added the shore and wetlands to that love.   

I’m also inspired by Renoir, Monet and Van Gogh. I was fortunate to study with fine and talented women artists who became my mentors: Harriet Christman, Adelaide Silkworth, Janet Walsh, Ruth Baderian, Katherine Hiscox, and, more recently, local pastelist Mary Jane van Zeijts. 

As a teacher, did you bring art into the classroom? 

Yes, I enjoyed influencing the children by incorporating art into the curriculum. I enjoyed watching the children blossom, nurturing their creativity and senses. When I think of my years in the classroom, a line from Sara Teasdale’s poem Barter comes to mind “… And little children looking up, Holding wonder like a cup.”

Do you have a network of artists?

 I am blessed to have a network of artist friends. We lift up each other’s efforts with positive criticism and support. Best of all, we have become good friends who are there for each other in times of sunshine and shade. 

Tell us about your greeting card collection. 

My watercolor and pastel images have been reproduced as a collection of greeting cards. It began by just sending these cards to friends to which I added poetry. After a time, it has morphed into a business. The cards may be purchased from my website (glcimpressions.com) or in my home studio by appointment.  

Why do you think art is important to society? 

Art is important to society because it speaks to humanity’s better angels. All of the arts are important because they move us to a higher plane of thinking and feeling.

How does art help you in other areas of your life? 

Art brings me joy and gratitude for the beauty of nature. It helps relieve the stress of everyday busyness. It helps me to really look, see and appreciate the gift of a beautiful world. 

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Ke Jian Liu

By Daniel Dunaief

Ke Jian “Jim” Liu, who arrived at Stony Brook University in late July, plans to help build effective, interdisciplinary research teams.

Ke Jian Liu

Most recently at the University of New Mexico, Liu joins Stony Brook as a Professor in the Renaissance School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Associate Director of Basic Science at the Stony Brook Cancer Center.

“In my mind, Stony Brook, research wise, is outstanding,” Liu said in an interview. “The quality of the faculty is excellent.”

Liu will rely on the team building experience he honed while serving as Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico. He also worked for eight years at Dartmouth Medical School, where he focused on developing larger collaborations.

“I really enjoy working with people and building teams,” Liu said.

In a note announcing Liu’s arrival, Kenneth Shroyer, chair in the Department of Pathology, recognized Liu’s multidisciplinary approaches in his research. Shroyer explained that Liu has used techniques ranging from chemical to biochemical to biophysical, and from the molecular and cellular level to animal models, to answer specific biological questions.

Shroyer wrote that Liu would focus on opportunities for grant development within several programs. 

At the Cancer Center, Liu said he plans to continue the effort to help Stony Brook earn National Cancer Institute designation.

To achieve that designation, Stony Brook will need to continue to provide outstanding medical care, demonstrate community engagement and highlight what makes Stony Brook different from everyone else, he said.

“It takes a village to do that,” Liu said.

He praised the efforts of current Cancer Center Director Yusuf Hannun, who recently announced his plans to step down as head of the center, triggering a nationwide search for a replacement.

Liu said an ideal candidate for that position would have clinical experience.

Player coach

With a busy research effort and lofty leadership goals, Liu explained that he’s able to tackle numerous challenges at once.

“I consider myself a player coach,” he said. “I enjoy research. I have my own research grant and am working with my students and post docs.”

Liu typically maintains a lab with five to six people at different levels. His research has two branches, cancer and stroke, that most people likely consider unrelated, but for which he has found connections.

“People always think, ‘Cancer is cancer and stroke is stroke and they are two entirely different diseases,” Liu  said. As a basic researcher, however, he looks at the cells and the molecules involved in both conditions.

“At a molecular level, a molecule doesn’t care where it is,” he said. “When a disease develops, the biological fundamental process is the same. For me, it’s interesting to look at [whether] certain processes that occur in the brain also occur in cancer.”

Liu’s cancer research focuses specifically on the molecular processes that become carcinogenic when metals like arsenic enter people’s bodies. A well-described poison in numerous murder mysteries, arsenic can contaminate drinking water, get incorporated into crops like rice, or can appear in fruit juices.

When metal enters the body, it doesn’t just cause damage everywhere. It has to find a certain molecular target with which to interact.

What Liu and researchers in his lab have discovered is that the target for arsenic is often the same pathways the body uses in zinc. A transition metal, zinc provides an important element as a part of transcription factors that are critical in biological processes.

Arsenic, however, replaces zinc, which is “one of the major mechanisms for carcinogenesis,” Liu said.

Fortunately for residents of Long Island, arsenic isn’t as prevalent as it is in the midwest and the southwest.

“Long Island doesn’t have too much arsenic in drinking water,” Liu said, although people are still exposed to it through fruit juices, rice and other products.

Arsenic also causes vascular disease issues and anemia. People who develop these other conditions in response to arsenic are also at higher risk to develop cancer. The specific types of cancers arsenic causes are lung, skin and bladder cancer.

“Arsenic is the dirty bomb” in the body as it creates multiple problems, Liu said. “Arsenic interacts with those key zinc molecules.” 

Overlap between stroke and cancer

In highlighting the overlaps between the two fields of research, Liu related how the brain has one of the highest concentrations of zinc in the body.

When people have strokes, their brain cells have oxidative stress, which causes a flood of zinc into the brain tissue that also damages cells.

“We are trying to understand how zinc is released and how zinc causes damage to the brain,” Liu said.

Stroke and cancer also have molecular overlaps regarding oxygen. In a stroke, a blood clot causes a blockage of blood flow. Without oxygen, a situation called hypoxia, neurons start to die.

By contrast, a tumor grows in a hypoxic environment, using energy from sugars like glucose, rather than relying on oxygen for its growth.

Liu emphasized the importance of continuing to provide oxygen to brain regions around a clot even before trying to remove the clot or restore blood flow.

A goal for his 100th year

Originally from Beijing, China, Liu and his wife Jiao Ding enjoy traveling. Their daughter Sarah Liu is a resident at Vermont Medical Center and their son Evan Liu is a PhD student at Stanford.

An avid tennis player who plays the sport at least twice a week, Liu is looking forward to attending his first U.S. Open next year.

He and his former tennis partner in New Mexico joked that their goal is to be in the top 20 in the United States when they are 100 years old.

Liu chose the American name “Jim” because it sounds similar to the second syllable of his given name, Ke Jian.

“If people can’t pronounce your name, they shy away,” he said. He believes it’s important to “make yourself adaptable.”

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Nick LaLota, Congressman-elect for New York’s 1st Congressional District made an appearance at Stereo Garden in Patchogue on Election Night. Photo by Raymond Janis

While New Yorkers voted Democrat Kathy Hochul as the first woman elected governor, Republicans scored big in races throughout Suffolk County.

Due to September’s cyberattack, results for local races were delayed on Tuesday night as Suffolk County election workers struggled to upload votes.

After technical problems, election workers delivered voting booth memory cards to Yaphank headquarters for votes to be counted. The first voting results started trickling in by the early morning hours of Nov. 9.

Congressman Lee Zeldin, defeated gubernatorial candidate, made an appearance at Stereo Garden in Patchogue on Election Night. Photo by Raymond Janis

New York State governor

Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY1), the Republican Party’s gubernatorial candidate, made a surprise appearance en route to his official viewing party in Manhattan. At the Stereo Garden in Patchogue, Zeldin expressed gratitude for the people of Suffolk County, saying his night would not be complete without first dropping in.

Slowly, the returns began to come in, and the room took on a different tone and tenor as the gubernatorial contest was called for incumbent Hochul. 

With 94% reporting as of press time, Hochul carried the state by a 53-47% margin — unusually tight for a state that Democrats generally take handily. 

“Tonight, you made your voices heard loud and clear, and you made me the first woman ever to be elected to be the governor of the State of New York,” Hochul said in her victory speech. “But I’m not here to make history. I’m here to make a difference.”

Zeldin conceded the afternoon of Nov. 9 in a statement.

“This race was a once-in-a-generation campaign, with a very close margin in the bluest of blue states,” Zeldin said. “The unrelenting passion and hard work of our grassroots volunteers and supporters made this incredibly close race possible and helped us win at least 49 of New York’s 62 counties.” He added, “Republicans, Democrats and Independents united as New Yorkers, pouring their heart and soul into this campaign.” 

Congress

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was declared the victor early on Nov. 8, receiving 56% of the votes as of press time.

Despite this and a lackluster Republican performance nationwide, some at Stereo Garden did have cause to celebrate. In the race to fill Zeldin’s congressional seat, Nick LaLota defeated Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming (D-Noyac) by a 56-44% margin with 94% reporting.

“Thank you to the voters of Suffolk County for placing your trust in me,” LaLota said in a statement. “I am extremely thankful for the trust and confidence you have placed in me, and I won’t let you down.”

State Assemblyman Keith Brown (R-Northport) was among the incumbents who retain his seat. Photo by Raymond Janis

State Legislature

At the state level, incumbent state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) defeated Democratic Party challenger Skyler Johnson by 12 points. “This is a team effort, as you all know, and we don’t get here without the hard work of all of our volunteers,” Palumbo said in a speech.

Johnson said he wouldn’t make any promises about whether to run for another office. However, he hasn’t ruled it out, either.

“If I think that we have a viable path, and I think that what I can offer is what the constituents need, then ‘yes,’” he said.

State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James) faced Democrat Susan Berland, formerly Suffolk County legislator in the 16th District and Town of Huntington councilwoman, for the seat in the 2nd District.

The incumbent retained his seat with more than 58% of the votes. Mattera said it felt great to hear the results of his race the morning of Nov. 9, even though he was disappointed that Zeldin lost the gubernatorial race.

“One party rule is upsetting to me because it’s like a business having a monopoly,” Mattera said.

The state senator said he is looking forward to returning to Albany to continue working toward bringing funds back to the area to help with infrastructure and local businesses. He added he was appreciative of the overwhelming support from his family, friends, law enforcement and trade unions, and the confidence they all have had in him.

In the state Assembly, incumbent Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead), who represents the 2nd District, easily won her race by a 32% margin over Democratic challenger Wendy Hamberger.

As of early afternoon Nov. 9, the race for Assembly District 4 was tight, with a mere 973 votes dividing the candidates. Incumbent state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) is in a competitive bout with Republican challenger Edward Flood. Flood maintains a 2-point lead with 96% of the precincts reporting as of press time, though that race has not been called.

Englebright said his last race in 2020 was a close one, too, and he was not ready to make an official statement as of press time.

In the state Assembly District 8 race, incumbent Michael Fitzpatrick received more than 68% of the votes. His opponent, Democrat Jeanine Aponte, did not run an active campaign.

In addition to parts of Suffolk County, state Assembly District 10 also takes in parts of Nassau County. Incumbent Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) was the winner with 54% of the votes (25,879), while IT professional Aamir Sultan (R) received 46% (21,843).

In the state Assembly race in the 12th District, incumbent Keith Brown (R-Northport), faced Democrat Cooper Macco.

Brown retained his seat with 58% of the votes. Macco said he would consider running for office in the future.

“It was a learning experience,” he said. “I think that in the future, hopefully, I can take what I’ve learned” and apply it to a campaign.

County Comptroller John Kennedy (R) was among the speakers at Stereo Garden on Election Night. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Suffolk County

After losing a June primary, current Suffolk County Clerk Judith Pascale (R) did not run for the position. 

Republican Vincent Puleo, the town clerk of Smithtown, faced Democrat Lisa Jimenez, a newcomer running for political office. Puleo won the race with 59% of the votes. 

Incumbent county Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr. (R) won reelection with ease at 60% over his inactive Democratic Party challenger, Thomas Dolan. During a speech at Stereo Garden, he thanked those who helped him secure victory and expressed his vision for the future.

“We left nothing untouched, ladies and gentlemen,” the comptroller said. “We will have change in Suffolk County, and we will restore Republican values, I’m confident.”

Propositions

The $4.2 billion state Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 was approved by about 59% of voters (93.64% precincts reporting).

The Suffolk County term limits proposition, to 12 years total, passed with a massive 86% approval. 

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Electrons, shown as red dots above, collide with an ion. Such a collision will reveal the internal structure of the quarks and gluons that are the building blocks of the proton and neutron. Image from BNL

National labs, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, received considerable additional funds as a part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

BNL, which will get an additional $224 million over a five-year period, will collect the additional funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to support several projects designed

In a statement, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm called the additional funds for energy-related research and support, which total $1.5 billion, “one of the largest ever investments in national laboratory infrastructure” and suggested that the effort would “develop advanced energy and manufacturing technologies we need to advance the frontiers of science and tackle tomorrow’s challenges.”

At BNL, the Electron-Ion Collider, an enormous project that will start construction in 2024 and should start running experiments in the early part of the next decade, will receive $105 million.

BNL is building the EIC in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia, which will also receive $33 million for work towards the new facility.

As its name suggests, the EIC will collide electrons and protons or heavier atomic nuclei and hopes to make numerous discoveries, including providing an understanding of how the energy from quarks and gluons provides the mass of a proton.

Additionally, the EIC will provide advances in health and medicine, national security, nuclear energy, radioisotope production and industrial uses in particle beams. Research on the technologies that will become a part of the EIC will advance the development of magnets and other particle accelerator parts. These advances could lead to energy efficient accelerators, shrinking the size and costs of future accelerators, which could attack cancer cells, design solar cells and batteries and develop drugs and medical treatments.

While the additional funds will help advance the development of the EIC, the total cost is considerably higher, at an estimated $1.7 billion to $2.8 billion.

Beamlines

Additionally, the Office of Science will provide $18.5 million to speed the creation of three new beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source II.

The NSLS II already has a host of beamlines that enable researchers from around the world to study the structure of batteries as they are operating, catalysts that help tap into energy sources, and biologically active molecules that could play a role in understanding basic biochemistry or that could lead to the development of drugs.

The new beamlines, which, like others at the NSLS II, have three-letter abbreviations. The ARI will provide a complete picture of the electronic structure of a sample, particularly in connection with temperature, chemical, structural and atomic variation.

ARI will help understand and control the electronic structure of next generation quantum materials.

CDI, meanwhile, will explore the condensed matter macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, including the solid and liquid phases that arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. CDI is in its final stages of its design.

The SXN will provide element access from carbon to sulfur. The beamline will offer measurements of different signals, such as X-ray fluorescence and total electron yield absorption, which is important in catalysis, condensed matter physics and environmental science.

The DOE is also providing $20 million for five Nanoscale Science Research Centers. The Center for Functional Nanomaterials is leading the effort to revitalize the nanoscience infrastructure.

The funds will accelerate the acquisition, development and installation of five instruments, which will advance research in fuel cells, solar cells and other materials that are part of the country’s efforts to develop cleaner forms of energy.

A/C and Heating

BNL will receive $33 million to support an upgrade to the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe’s CERN laboratory. The upgrades will enable a high-energy particle detector to make use of increased particle collision rates.

The lab, which focuses on energy research, will also receive $14.5 million towards infrastructure improvements that will increase the efficiency in distributing electricity and heating and air conditioning in labs throughout the facility.

Finally, the lab will receive $1 million to develop instrumentation for a nuclear physics experiment that seeks to find neutrinoless double beta decay, which is led by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

BNL Lab Director Doon Gibbs described the funding as an investment in the nation’s innovation-based economy.

The funding will support “research with direct impact on the development of clean energy technologies as well as ground-breaking basic research in nuclear and high-energy physics — fields that could lay the foundation for future advances,” Gibbs said in a statement.

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Deer in headlights. Metro photo

As it gets darker earlier, now is the right time to take extra precautions on roadways.

Residents in our coverage areas know the dangers that deer present at this time of year. In the frenzy of mating season, these animals can dart out into the road at any time. These are erratic, unpredictable maneuvers that can bring serious bodily harm to drivers — and deer.

Nowadays, drivers encounter several hazards at night. Heedless pedestrians are often found walking in the evening hours, sometimes wearing dark colors and without flashlights or reflective gear which would make them easier to spot. Drivers should be on close guard for these nightwalkers.

To help alleviate this hazard, it’s wise for people walking along our roadways to wear brighter colors, take a flashlight, or put on some form of reflective material over jackets or shirts.

Unfortunately, pedestrians don’t always keep these tips in mind, so drivers must be vigilant about what’s happening on the road ahead. Extra attention should be paid as it gets darker, especially on streets that are lit dimly or not at all.

While driving through residential areas, slow down. Students may be coming home on the late buses, and people can be standing on the street putting garbage out or collecting mail.

Second, Mother Nature can be tricky during autumn. Fallen leaves, especially when wet, can cause dangerous roadway conditions, impeding one’s ability to brake safely. If a driver finds the tires are slipping on leaves, the best thing to do is refrain from swerving suddenly and to brake slowly. The same advice applies when finding a deer or pedestrian near the road.

Last but not least, keep in mind, even though we all gain an extra hour of sleep, when we change the clocks back, some people have difficulty adapting and can feel drowsy. And with the holidays around the corner, some people will be busier and less rested than usual. Experts advise that when a person is feeling sleepy behind the wheel — yawning, having trouble keeping their eyes open, missing traffic signals — the best practice is pulling over and resting before resuming driving. 

Resting is always better than drinking coffee, opening a window, turning on air conditioning or playing loud music to stay wide eyed as these measures only add a short burst of alertness.

If a driver sees a swerving vehicle, the best thing to do is to keep as far away from the other car as possible. 

Preliminary statistics from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College show just how dangerous driving while drowsy can be. According to its research, in New York state, “fatigue/drowsy driving” and/or “driver fell asleep” appeared “4,865 times as contributing factors on police crash reports.”

The roads can be tricky this time of year, but common sense can go a long way in keeping ourselves and our fellow residents safe.

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Eye test. METRO Photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Have you ever sat in the eye doctor’s chair and had them shift from one lens to another, asking you if A or B is better or if 1 or 2 is clearer?

I did that many times growing up, particularly because my father was an ophthalmologist.

Oftentimes, even now, I’m not exactly sure whether the first image or second is better. In fact, I asked my father to let me see them again. I could hear him groan as I said, “One, no, no, two, no, wait, one.”

The same subtle differences sometimes define who we are and how we see ourselves.

Sometimes, the question of our identity is simple, at least to us. Are we American and do we live in the Middle Atlantic States?

Other questions also might elicit reflective responses. Are we religious and, if so, do we celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanza? Or, maybe we’re not religious at all, and we think of life and ourselves outside the structure of an organized religion.

We also might define ourselves by our race or our combination of races. I had a close friend in college who was so many races that she said she could check off every box on each survey to reflect her mixed heritage. 

But, then, when we define ourselves as part of a group, whether it’s a race, religion, political affiliation or other, what does it mean to meet someone or interact with someone from a different group? If we’re a Republican and someone else is a Democrat, should we behave as if we are the Montagues and the Capulets?

Does the fact that they are different mean we don’t have to be respectful of them or that we need to protect our own first before considering their needs?

Surely, such insular, tribal and protective thinking should violate our sense of right and wrong. Can we prejudge people or suggest that we care less about them because they weren’t born with some of the same elements that define us?

Several of the ways we identify ourselves don’t typically involve choices. I can’t choose to be much taller, even if I might want to be, and I can’t choose to be Taiwanese, even if I have many close friends who trace their roots to Taiwan.

We have choices in our identity that affect our behavior and define us.

We might, for example, choose not to be a bystander, but, rather a defender. People don’t, or shouldn’t, wake up in the morning and hope to witness someone bully someone else and feel gratified that they observed cruelty.

Perhaps, we might consider ourselves protectors or active community members. Remembering this part of our identity, we might be more inclined to help.

We might also choose to identify ourselves as grateful. We might choose a host of adjectives to describe ourselves — smart, flexible, sympathetic, understanding. Ultimately, through our thoughts, words and actions, we can demonstrate whether those descriptions apply or whether our self-identification is a mismatch with our behaviors.

Conflicts arise in us when one part of our identity is at odds with another. We might, for example, want to help others, even though we might realize doing so comes with risk to ourselves.

Standing up for someone at the lower end of the social pecking order might cause a bully to turn his attention to us. We might run the risk of injury or worse by trying to help others in dangerous situations.

At those moments, we can be grateful to those among us who protect us against all kinds of threats, who join the armed forces, or the police or firefighters.

On this, the day before Veterans Day and two weeks before Thanksgiving, we can be thankful for all those people who contribute to our lives and to our country.

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Alarm clock concept

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

You wouldn’t know, of course, dear reader, but I almost always write this column each week at the last minute. Why? I could say it is to get in the latest news, or that I am so busy I can’t write it sooner, but that’s not the truth. The reason is that I am an incorrigible procrastinator. And even when I do write ahead of time and submit the column early, I feel so virtuous, and I want to extend that good feeling as long as I can, which causes me to procrastinate writing the next column until the last minute.

What’s more, I believe most people, and especially most journalists, are closet procrastinators, and that part of the appeal of journalism is the ever-present deadlines, without which we would do nothing but be sloths.

It’s much easier to be lazy. I like to sit on the back deck and just stare out at the trees and think. Perhaps that’s meditating, which would put a respectable spin on it, but it’s more just peacefully enjoying my thoughts and my ease. A deadline, however, does move me.

A recent TED talk, that my oldest son emailed me, confirmed my belief about the existence of multitudes of procrastinators. Tim Urban, a writer and blogger, is also a funny man when he offers a look “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator,” as the subject of his talk. He maintains that we have a rational decision-maker in our brains, who knows when we should get started on a project or chore, and also an instant gratification monkey, who overrides the rational decision-maker in favor of doing things that are easy and fun. There is, according to Urban, a third being we carry in our heads that is a kind of guardian angel. That one is the panic monster, the only being the instant gratification monkey is terrified of. The panic monster, after putting the whole system in chaos by arriving on the scene, successfully motivates us procrastinators to do what we need to do before the deadline.

So what do I do when I am heeding the instant gratification monkey?

I do all sorts of vitally important things, like cleaning out the pantry on my way to the computer keyboard. Of course, by the time I have finished, it’s time to start making dinner or going to bed. You can believe I have a neatly arranged pantry.

The New York Times print version is impossible for me to ignore, and it’s a perfect procrastinator’s tool. No matter how much of the daily issue I have read, there is always more to read, all of it equally important, of course. I carefully read the obits of people I have never heard of, and whose names I will shortly forget, but their lives must have great meaning for me right now.

Then there is the call of the wild from the kitchen refrigerator. I must be hungry, and surely there is something in there that I need to eat at this moment. If the frig fails me, I can resort to the organized pantry alongside.

We all need fresh air, especially if we are about to do something that requires some cognitive effort, so we should probably take a walk before we sit down to create. And after the walk, we need a bit of a rest, say a 20-minute power nap. And who was that we were supposed to call back? We should do it right now, before we forget.

Hey, we can’t begin working yet. “Jeopardy!” is on shortly. We’ll start immediately after the final question. That is, if we are not too tired. If we are too tired, we can always write that next column in the morning, before we go to press.

And that is how, after more than 46-and-one-half years of writing a column, I still do so at the last minute. The fault must be in my DNA. I’ll blame it on my mom. 

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A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo by Lianna Kosch
A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo by Lianna Kosch
A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo by Lianna Kosch
A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo by Lianna Kosch
Three Village Historical Society presents Candlelight House Tour Dec. 2 & 3

By Cayla Rosenhagen

With its waterside, windy roads lined with old-growth forests and historic homes bedecked in twinkling lights, ribbons, and garland, a visit to Old Field is nothing short of stepping into a holiday Hallmark movie crossed with a Norman Rockwell illustration making it the perfect place to be featured during this year’s Three Village Historical Society Candlelight House Tour in December. Explore the village by candlelight and learn about its historic properties, all the while soaking up the enchanting beauty of the holiday season.

The fundraiser event was first held in 1979, and since then, has been centered around a different Three Village locale every year. Currently, the Tour is led by co-chairs Patty Cain and Patty Yantz. According to Yantz, the first House Tour was led by Eva Glaser and Liz Tyler to raise money for the restoration of the Setauket Neighborhood House, which at the time housed the Three Village Historical Society. 

“Today the Candlelight House Tour is the Society’s largest fundraiser and has become a greatly anticipated community event … The Three Village community, serving as our classroom, has given us the ability to teach about architecture, art, and various designs and period styles. However, more importantly, we have gained insight and learned about the people who came before us that have helped shape our shared community,” said Yantz.

This year, they chose to showcase the scenic, residential village of Old Field as it celebrates 95 years since its founding. Participants can look forward to tours of several historic properties in addition to an optional meal and reception at the stately Old Field Club. 

The featured properties consist of four residential homes, the Widewater barn on the Pius Estate, and finally, the Keeper’s Cottage at the Old Field Point Lighthouse, all professionally decorated for the holidays. The Gothic-Revival lighthouse is quite possibly the most famous landmark of Old Field and was built in 1869 atop the cliffs overlooking the Long Island Sound.

Hosted for two days, Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3, the Candlelight House Tour offers guests multiple ticket options to choose from. On Friday, all tours begin at 6 p.m. and last until 9 p.m. The first ticket option, which includes only the tour, costs $75 for members of the TVHS and $90 for non-members. For participants 21 and over, Friday’s Tour and Reception package includes a buffet meal at the Old Field Club with wine, beer, entertainment, and a raffle of one-of-a-kind items. This all-inclusive ticket is $145 for members, and $175 for non-members. 

On Saturday, the tours are hosted in the morning and are preceded by an optional breakfast reception at the Club. For guests interested in only the tour, tickets are $55 for members and $70 for non-members. Their tour will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. For guests who purchase the Breakfast and Tour ticket, breakfast at the Club is from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and the guests get exclusive early access to the House Tour, which begins at 10 a.m. and wraps up at 4 p.m. This ticket costs $90 for TVHS members and $120 for non-members. 

Tickets may be purchased at the Three Village Historical Society headquarters, 93 North Country Road, Setauket or online at www.tvhs.org. Guests must be 12 years of age and over. All ticket holders can stop by the Reboli Center to pick up a complementary art print while supplies last. 

“The tour would not be possible without our gracious homeowners, generous sponsors, our dedicated volunteers, talented decorators, and of course our wonderful, supportive community,” said Yantz. “Our motivation in co-chairing this event for a decade is appreciating how the Candlelight House Tour has become such a wonderful unifying force connecting so many people together in the spirit of cooperation in our wonderful community.”

 

 

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