Whether it’s been a banner year or a tough one, having some fun to celebrate the new year is never a bad idea. If you’re looking for a unique way to spend New Year’s Eve, then consider grabbing your friends or family and heading over to one of several lighthearted comedy events in the area.
Theatre Three in Port Jefferson is hosting two comedy performances for their New Year’s Laughin’ Eve celebration: an early bird show at 6 p.m. and a prime time show at 8 p.m.
Now in its 14th year, the event is hosted by Paul Anthony of the Long Island Comedy Festival. “This night of comedy is something that people look forward to every year,” said Douglas Quattrock, artistic associate and director of development for Theatre Three. “We always make an effort to mix up the comedians that we feature so it’s always fresh for our audiences.”
This year’s national headliners include Rich Walker, Eric Tartaglione, and John Ziegler.
Beer, wine, soda and snacks will be available for purchase and are welcome in the theater during the show. Early bird tickets are $55 per person, while tickets to the prime show are $65 per person available for purchase at www.theatrethree.com or by calling 631-928-9100.
Over on the South Shore, the Argyle Theatre in Babylon Village will also team up with the Long Island Comedy Festival to offer two comedy shows at6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Featuring Bryan McKenna, Maria Walsh and a headline performance by Chris Roach, the Argyle shows promise to heat things up while having fun. Purchase tickets for $50 to $60 per person by visiting www.argyletheatre.com or call 631-230-3500.
Later that night, the Smithtown Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is hosting their own night of comedy in partnership with Governor’s Comedy Clubs starting at 10 p.m. Comedy has been a mainstay at SPAC on New Year’s Eve for more than 10 years now, with 2022 marking the end of a two-year hiatus during the pandemic.
“Everyone is just excited to get together and be entertained again, and we’re thrilled to provide the opportunity for some laughter,” said SPAC managing director Kelly Mucciolo. “We began working with Governor’s this past summer and it’s been a lot of fun for all of us.”
Headlining the SPAC show is Chris Monty of CBS’ “Kevin Can Wait,” along with featured act Tony Landolfi, guest performer Debbie D’Amore and emcee Mary Capone.
Tickets are $70 for SPAC members and $75 for general admission. The show includeshors d’oeuvres, an open bar of beer and wine, and a champagne toast at midnight. To purchase tickets visit www.smithtownpac.org.
Our story begins some time around now. No, there’s no chocolate, despite the season, and there’s no meadow where everything is edible.
No, our modern-day story begins where so much of us live these days, online.
You see, a famous and once marvelous company called Twitter is run by an eccentric, wealthy and successful businessman named Elon Musk, who somehow figured out how to create and mass produce electric cars that require no gas and that sound like spaceships.
Musk has decided, after many hours of running Twitter, that he needs to find a successor.
So, borrowing a page from Willy Wonka, he provides invitations that cost 3 cents per tweet to enter a sweepstakes.
When he narrows the field down to those who get the golden tweet, he plans to invite a group of five people to come to a virtual, top secret Twitter tour.
A few people try to make fake tickets, but the ever vigilant Musk spots the fraud. Day after day, people wait until, finally, five people, some of whom have never tweeted in their lives, have a chance to run the company.
Musk appears on screen wearing a top hat and a menacing smile. He demands that no one record what they see or take a screenshot of the secrets he is prepared to share.
Each person has a tiny image — about 1/4 the size of Musk’s — as they virtually walk through a factory floor.
On the first stop, Musk invites them to join him in the secret Hunter Biden/ New York Post room. Ah, yes, the story about the infamous laptop, which will undoubtedly become a part of an extensive investigation into the Biden progeny, is in this room.
“Don’t try to read anything!” he snaps.
But, of course, one of the contestants can’t resist. With a special tool that tracks eye movements, Musk knows that contestant No. 1, who is chewing gum constantly, is trying to decipher all the information. Her screen develops a horrible virus that turns it (and her entire computer) purple.
“You see?” he says, shaking his virtual head at the other small characters. “That’s what you get when you don’t listen. Oh, look, here they come now.”
Wearing virtual clothing embroidered with the Tesla logo, a modern day group of Oompa-Loompas appears on screen.
“Oompa, loompa, doompa dee do.
I’ve got another riddle for you.
Oompa loompa, doompa dee dee
if you are wise, you’ll listen to me.
What do you get when you don’t listen to Musk?
A virus on your computer that will kill it before dusk.
Who do you think should have the last laugh?
It certainly won’t be you or your staff.
Take a moment to ponder this fact,
Running Twitter may take too much tact.”
“Well,” Musk interrupts, waving away the virtual characters. “That’s enough of that. Now, let’s go for a virtual boat ride.”
In everyone steps as a boat careens through a choppy river, passing one door after another, with the names of celebrities who have been suspended hanging from each virtual room.
The boat stops near an embankment. The Musk character invites his guests to look at some special doors.
When he turns around, his virtual eyes widen in shock, his lower jaw drops down to his knees, and he hunches his shoulders.
“How? What? Wait, what’s going on?” he stammers, looking closely at the faces of his remaining four contestants.
Sure enough, on screen, Musk recognizes that two of the faces are the same as his, while the other two look like versions of Donald Trump.
“No, but, I made this game,” he whines. “How will we find out who wins?”
“Ah,” one of the Trumps says. “For that, you’ll have to tune into the sequel, which will only cost $99 and will become a collector’s item in no time.”
Peace. That is what religions ask for, what billions of people across all nations pray for. Why in our family of humanity is that goal so elusive?
Perhaps this is a question only for theologians andphilosophers to answer. But now, in this glorious holiday season, when we speak and sing of Peace on Earth, we all articulate the ideal.
Many seek, and indeed can find inner peace. But the dream of peace, the kind of peace that is defined as lack of conflict and freedom from fear of violence between individuals and groups, has never been achieved.
When will there be such peace?
The answer, it seems, is when all humans are of good will.
And what does that involve?
For starters, it requires acceptance and respect for the “other.” We need to see each other as humans with the same ambitions and desires and feelings. Rather than look down on and despise people who are simply different, we can be intrigued and interested in those differences and therefore in those who are different.
We can invite into our world those who are different from us in the way of skin color or appearance or beliefs. And if we can do so, we can see them as humans, just like us, and bigotry cannot exist. For we cannot look down on ourselves. If we are to do so, starting now, racism and antisemitism and every other sort of hatred of our neighbors disappears.
For there to be Peace on Earth, it must start with accepting the stranger, the “other” among us.
Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson received its 17th top “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for its achievements in protecting hospital patients from preventable harm and errors.
“This achievement is the result of the entire Mather team’s continuing commitment to patient safety and nursing excellence,” said Mather Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “We have a culture of safety at Mather where all our team members are encouraged to speak up about potential safety issues. Congratulations to all!”
Mather was one of five Northwell Health hospitals on Long Island to earn an “A” grade for patient safety, according to a report released today by the Leapfrog Group for fall 2022. The others are Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Hospital, North Shore University Hospital and Syosset Hospital.
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “F” grade to nearly 3,000 acute-care hospitals nationwide, which is based on 22 evidence-based patient safety performance measures. The organization issues a report each spring and fall annually.
“The current Leapfrog report shows that Northwell hospitals across the region are committed to providing the best quality care, the safest care and the best outcomes to our patients at both our community and tertiary care hospitals,” said Peter Silver, MD, senior vice president; associate chief medical officer and chief quality officer at Northwell Health. “The hard work and dedication to patient safety is demonstrated by all 80,000 of our employees, with direct or indirect patient contact, from the time a patient is admitted to a hospital to discharge. Our scores reflect the collective efforts of every staff person delivering the highest degree of care to our patients.”
Dr. Silver said the Leapfrog survey reviews key quality and patient safety measures including staffing and skill level of nurses and doctors, hospital acquired conditions, such as blood or urine infections, safety and outcomes of surgery,medication safety, hand washing, maternity care, and health equity. Patient experience scores also are factored in the analysis, which are based on patient satisfaction surveys administered by Press Ganey Associates, one of the health industry’s most widely used organizations to measure patient experience.
To see Mather Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.HospitalSafetyGrade.org .
Above, members of North Country Peace Group on Saturday, Dec. 10. Photo by Raymond Janis
This month, North Country Peace Group marks its 20th anniversary.
Posted at the southeast corner of Route 25A and Bennetts Road in Setauket, NCPG has maintained a visible weekly presence within the community, advocating various causes throughout its history. On Saturday, Dec. 10, some members reflected on this milestone year for their organization and discussed why they remain committed to their cause.
Roots
Bob Becherer was among the founding members of the peace group. He traces the organization’s origins beyond 20 years when, in the early 1990s, a group of civic-oriented parishioners of the St. James R.C. Church formed the Peace and Justice Community.
“It was really out of that group that we became the North Country Peace Group,” Becherer said, crediting Bill McNulty as the founder and leader of both organizations.
In an exclusive interview, McNulty chronicled his “traditional, apolitical” upbringing and his eventual reawakening. Growing up, he said he maintained a 16-year connection to the military. Between U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC, active duty and active reserve service, McNulty kept in close contact with the military and military culture. Over time, however, he began to question these ties.
Catalyzing McNulty’s transformation was America’s foreign policy throughout Latin America during the 1970s and ’80s. His early advocacy work centered around the School of the Americas, a training ground founded as a bulwark against the spread of communism. Over time, McNulty said, the school devolved. A string of murders and rapes connected to the School of the Americas prompted him into action.
During that time, McNulty said he devoted his energies to “increase the knowledge among the American population that this school existed and that we were, through our tax dollars, paying for training for these soldiers.” His resistance led him to a federal prison, where he served for six months.
Within the full swing of these events, McNulty soon got involved with the Peace and Justice Community, initially focusing on America’s involvement in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War (1990-91). As the PJC’s work took on more secular aims, they moved out of the church and onto the streets. NCPG emerged from the second Iraq War (2003-11).
Organizational principles
Above, Bill McNulty, one of the founders and thought leaders within NCPG. Photo courtesy Myrna Gordon
McNulty offered some of the philosophical precepts underpinning the NCPG’s activism. He said the group seeks to challenge conventional wisdom, to prompt community members to think critically about the information authorities give them. Through this, he said the group has often met fierce resistance from dogmatists and partisans.
“Very often, when you bring a message that’s contrary to the conventional wisdom, they get angry at you,” he said. “They don’t want to hear what you have to offer because it’s very startling and shocking. There’s a cognitive dissonance.”
McNulty maintained that NCPG, since its inception, has rejected the notion of reciprocal violence. “The Old Testament thinking of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, you have to break it with that idea of love and acceptance,” he said.
He viewed the human propensity toward violence as a conflict between instincts and ideals. Though he held that most people are born peaceful and good, he sees many as conditioned to accept violence and war as the natural order.
“People, I think, are pretty good, but they acquire a lot of these characteristics as a result of what they experience in life,” he said. “Down deep, people are good because they always act well when the dog falls down the well or when the tornado rips the roof off the house.”
McNulty said that overcoming aggression requires conscious effort, but doing so may be the recipe for lasting peace. “The idea is to take the words of the song, the words of the poem, to take the suggestion of the painting or the sculpture or whatever else and to put it into practice,” he said. “It’s a very hard job.”
Two decades into thestruggle for peace
One of the essential features of NCPG throughout its 20-year history has been the persistence of its members. Member Susan Perretti regards the organization as a weekly reminder to the community that there is an alternative to unceasing human conflicts worldwide.
“We’re sort of a reminder to the community that passes us by,” she said. “It’s a reminder that we still have war — endless war — going on and that violence itself is not the answer.”
Robert Marcus, another NCPG member, said the fight for peace and preserving democracy go hand in hand. He said that standing on the street corner is a way to promote both ends.
“We have to do everything we can to make a more peaceful world,” Marcus said. “We can’t just take it for granted. We have to work really hard for peace and to strengthen our democracy because it’s under threat.”
For John Robinson, participating in the peace group’s various activities is a way to connect to a larger cause and to make a difference on a grander stage. “It feels good to be around people who have the same concerns, the same thoughts, the same issues that I do,” he said. “Coming out here makes a real statement about the need for peace and the need to treat each other well.”
Myrna Gordon said she and NCPG use their platform to advocate a new mode of thinking around the way the United States government spends its taxpayer dollars. According to her, too great a share of the federal budget is devoted to perpetuating violence.
“We need to move the money out of the military and back into human needs and human lives so that we will have that money and be able to fix roads, provide better education, health care and everything else,” she said.
An alternative to war
‘We have to evolve past this idea — as a human species and not just as Americans — that war and killing one another is the only solution.’
— Susan Perretti
McNulty was asked if he believes a lasting peace is possible or if humanity is doomed to a fate of unending war. He admitted that lasting peace may not be attainable but that pursuing such an ideal is.
“We would like to hope that it is possible,” he said. “We helped each other to a great extent, and we have affected a few people around our immediate neighborhood, but they’re still making war. The School of the Americas is still open, still training soldiers to keep people under control.”
Perretti offered a slightly different take by suggesting humanity could adapt itself to a condition without war.
“The point is that we have to evolve past this idea — as a human species and not just as Americans — that war and killing one another is the only solution,” she said. “I don’t know what that takes, but for me I’m here because I won’t give up the struggle, and I want to be faithful to what I believe in my heart.”
Whether humans can coexist and overcome violence is still to be decided. Twenty years after their organization’s founding, members of North Country Peace Group remain stationed at their usual street corner, committed to giving peace its fair shake.
Port Jefferson School District students with music teacher Edward Pisano (right). Photo courtesy PJSD
Members of the Port Jefferson School District music and fine arts department joined in the festivities of the annual Charles Dickens Festival in Port Jefferson Village Dec. 2-4.
Music students and teachers entertained the spectators with seasonal songs during various performances throughout the village. Students in the district’s Drama Club assisted Santa at the Village Center in the elf workshop and served as background actors in the Stony Brook University film crew taping of the event.
“They did a fantastic job of interacting with the villagers and students and children just waiting to see Santa,” drama club adviser Tony Butera said.
The unique event was another opportunity for teachers and students to share their Port Jefferson School District award-winning talents in a public setting.
Comsewogue High School alum Jair Lopez, Class of 2022, became a United States Marine on Dec. 2, and returned to Comsewogue High School on Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Lopez was welcomed by a crowd of students, teachers and staff. “There was so much love and respect displayed by all of our Comsewogue Warriors for him,” said Jennifer Quinn, superintendent of schools.
Lopez recently graduated in June. When he spoke, he thanked his teachers for not giving up on him and keeping him pointed in the right direction.
Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating an incident during which a man died
after driving his vehicle into the water in Port Jefferson on Dec. 16.
Stuart Dorfman was operating a vehicle on West Broadway at the Port Jefferson dock when he suffered an apparent medical emergency and drove into the water at 7:20 p.m. Dorfman, 74, of Plainview, was pulled from the water and pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-
6392.
The PJSTCA executive board during its December monthly meeting. Photo by Raymond Janis
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association met Tuesday, Dec. 13, at Comsewogue Public Library for its monthly meeting.
PJSTCA vice president Sal Pitti delivered the report on public safety. Given a noticeable uptick in phone scams and malicious email attachments, Pitti stressed the importance of staying on high alert for these threats.
“The bottom line is that if you don’t know the other person on the other end of the phone, don’t send them money,” he said. “If you get an email from somebody you don’t know — and I don’t care how official the email looks — don’t click the link. That’s their way into your computer system.”
Noting the ongoing fallout of the September ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government, he added, “It can happen to anybody.”
The civic’s corresponding secretary Charlie McAteer announced the renaming of the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail in honor of outgoing New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket).
“Steve Englebright was the person who initially, in 2001, got the $2 million-plus for the initial project, which opened in 2009,” he said. “I think that given all of the things he has done in the community, that is a nice plus.”
Student representative Max of Comsewogue School District reported that the high school would host its Holiday Spirit Week with various themes next week.
CPL assistant library director Andrea Malchiodi reminded the members that donations are being accepted for Toys for Tots. “December 17 is the last day for that,” she said. “Food is always welcome for our food pantry. The Tree of Warmth will be collecting hats, gloves, mittens and scarves until January 31.”
During last month’s meeting, members vigorously discussed the planned retirement community to be developed at the intersection of Terryville and Old Town roads. [See story, “PJS/Terryville civic hosts November meeting.”]
McAteer reported on a recent meeting between civic leaders, members of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich’s (D-Stony Brook) office and the developer of the site.
The developer is “talking about putting in a very small, just over 2,100-square-foot clubhouse, an outdoor swimming pool, a pickleball court and two bocce ball courts,” McAteer said. “The [residential units] will all be two stories high.”
Summarizing his thoughts on the exchanges, he added that the developer’s team “seemed to be amenable to our small, minor suggestions. I thought it went well.”
Multiple civic members expressed their interest in contributing to the proposed community garden on the John F. Kennedy middle school property. Pitti said he hopes to begin planning for the garden in March after fleshing out some details of insuring the facility.
Near the end of the meeting, member Paul Sagliocca inquired whether the civic association could collectively apply greater pressure on the Town of Brookhaven Highway Department to repave Terryville Road.
“I want to see if we come up with a subset of this meeting and prioritize the road because we’re missing out,” he said.
Responding to Sagliocca’s request, Pitti suggested the highway prioritization process within the town is steeped in politics and bureaucracy. While Terryville Road has been on the department’s list for roughly a half-decade, Pitti added that it will be up to the department when the roadway gets repaved.
The town’s Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) could not be reached for comment by press time.
From left, PJCC President Mary Jo Pipe with owner Nancy Piazza (holding scissors) surrounded by her team on Nov. 19. Photo courtesy of PJCC
The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for Hair, Loft & Brow Spa on Nov. 19. Located in the Danfords Hotel and Marina complex at 25 East Broadway, Port Jefferson, the new business is an extension of the Hair, Lash & Brow Loft and Bar located at 120 East Main Street in the village. A grand opening celebration followed, with catered food, champagne, music, raffles and giveaways.
This full-service spa offers an array of services which includes lash extensions, spa facials, massages, waxing, threading and semi-permanent makeup.
Along with offering spa services, the stylists are fully licensed through New York State to offer continuing education, including advanced training for beauticians through their HLB Academy. Their team at HLB Academy trains hundreds of professional stylist in the areas of hair and lash extensions, micro-blading, semi-permanent makeup and micro-pigmentation.
Spa hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday by appointment only. For more information, call 631-509-1349 or visit www.hairlashandbrow.com.
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