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The history of America’s Independence Day:
Few summertime holidays elicit as much excitement as the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day in the United States. Each year, family, friends and revelers anticipate the arrival of the holiday so they can host barbecues, enjoy the sun, listen to their favorite summertime tunes, and commemorate the freedoms afforded by the monumental events that led to the holiday’s establishment. Independence Day became a federal holiday in 1941, but July 4th has stood as the birth of American independence for much longer.
July 4th marks a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. According to PBS, the colonies were forced to pay taxes to England’s King George III despite having no representation in the British Parliament. “Taxation without representation” became a battle cry and was one of several grievances colonists had with Great Britain.
Conflict between the colonies had been going on for at least a year before the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in June of 1776, says Military.com. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from England. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is an historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was considered the strongest and most eloquent writer of the declaration writing committee charged with putting the colonies’ sentiments into words.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia was one of the first people to present a resolution for American independence, and his commentary was the impetus for the formal Declaration of Independence. A total of 86 changes were made to Jefferson’s original draft until the final version was adopted. The signing of the document helped to solidify independence, and eventually lead to the formation of the United States of America. A total of 56 delegates signed the document. Although John Hancock’s signature is the largest, it did not hold more weight than the other signatures. Rather, rumor has it, Hancock signed it so large so that the “fat, old King could read it without his spectacles.” However, the National Archives says it was also customary that, since Hancock was the president of the Continental Congress, he be the first person to sign the document centered below the text.
The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence on July 6, 1776. The first public readings of the Declaration were held in Philadelphia’s Independence Square on July 8, 1776.
The Northport High School Class of 2022 celebrated their commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 25, alongside their peers and families at Tiger Stadium.
The sunny ceremony follows their years of hard work and growth and began with senior class representative Lisa Kovacs leading the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Principal Rob Dennis reflected on how this class has endured many challenges and will undoubtedly shape the questions and answers of our future.
“In your time at Northport High School, I know that you have developed the tools to be thoughtful communicators, empathetic analyzers, deliberate thinkers and open-minded collaborators,” he said as he addressed the new alumni. “We are proud of the people you have become. We are proud of the questions you have had to grapple with. Proud of the resiliency you have shown, and proud of the answers you have given us.”
— Photos from Northport-East Northport School District
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Commack High School Class of 2022 graduation. Photo by Rita J. Egan
It was a hot evening but that didn’t stop Commack High School seniors from celebrating their graduation day with family and friends on June 24.
During the ceremony, student speakers Daniel Figueroa and Robert Acebedo addressed the crowd, and senior class president Allison Spalding presented the Class of 2022 gift.
Interim Superintendent of Schools David Flatley and high school principal Carrie Lipenholtz also addressed the crowd.
Harborfields High School 2022 graduation. Photo from HFSD
Harborfields High School 2022 graduation. Photo from HFSD
Harborfields High School 2022 graduation. Photo from HFSD
Harborfields High School 2022 graduation. Photo from HFSD
Harborfields High School 2022 graduation. Photo from HFSD
Harborfields High School 2022 graduation. Photo from HFSD
As the proud seniors of the Harborfields High School Class of 2022 walked out on to the football field on the morning of June 25 for the school’s 63rd commencement ceremony, the warm summer sunshine perfectly matched the warmth in their hearts.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the choir saluted the school with the singing of the Harborfields alma mater.
Superintendent Rory Manning began by recognizing outgoing Principal Timothy Russo for his dedicated 25 years of service.
“Harborfields High School is in a better place because of your leadership,” he said, before presenting Russo with his own honorary diploma.
In an emotional final address to the students he nurtured for four years, Russo lauded them for embracing change and taking risks. “Throughout the years, your enthusiasm, kindness and respect for Harborfields has led us through some really challenging times, and I thank you for simply being the young men and women that you are,” he said.
— Photos from Harborfields Central School District
People often wish they could turn back time. The U.S. Supreme Court did just that on Friday, June 24.
America has been cast back to the mid-20th century as states can now make it illegal for women to get abortions. The justices overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that granted a pregnant woman federal license to have an abortion and struck down federal and state laws that forbade the medical procedure. The recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision also overturned Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that affirmed Roe’s central holding and cemented abortion access as judicial precedent.
Around two dozen states are now poised to criminalize abortion, a collective slap in the face to all women from the court’s conservative majority. Women of childbearing age will now have fewer options than their mothers or grandmothers. The reversal can lead to dangerous abortions, especially when one has limited access to health care.
The U.S. already has the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations, according to the Commonwealth Fund. The actual number is bound to climb as women’s reproductive health is no longer federally protected.
How will these states deal with the repercussions? How will they pay for children whose parents can’t afford to raise them or for the therapy some women will need after delivering a child conceived during rape? Who will adopt or foster the children who are given up, because a mother knows she can’t take care of her child.
Yes, there are more ways to try to prevent unwanted pregnancies. However, birth control is not 100%, and in the case of rape, sometimes by someone who is known, people are not always given a choice regarding having sex.
What’s equally disturbing is that Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that other landmark decisions such as those regarding contraception, sodomy laws and same-sex marriage should be reconsidered.
Are the Supreme Court justices allowing religion to motivate them when making these decisions or suggesting reviews of other laws? There have been debates over when life begins, because we live in a melting pot where people come from various religious backgrounds and some don’t identify with any one religion. In the U.S., we have varying opinions on numerous subjects. There is a need to make a decision considering those varying opinions.
Most of all, women deserve body autonomy. Lawmakers can’t make Americans donate organs after death, so how can they tell women that no matter what their circumstances, one option is not available to them.
The reversal of Roe v. Wade sets a dangerous precedent. Allowing states to set their own laws regarding major issues can lead to chaos.
U.S. citizens don’t have to sit on the sidelines. Every election is a chance to voice our opinions. During the midterm elections, vote for the candidates who will protect and fight for our rights to make our own personal choices.
Voters will choose between Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) for governor in the November gubernatorial election. Photos from candidates’ offices
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) each won their party’s primary election on Tuesday, June 28, setting the stage for the gubernatorial election this November.
Hochul won her race handily, winning every county in the state. She became the first female candidate to win the Democratic nomination for governor.
“I stand on the shoulders of generations of women, generations of women who constantly had to bang up against that class ceiling,” the governor said. “To the women of New York, this one’s for you.”
Hochul bested New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Long Island native Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3). Along with his unsuccessful bid for governor, Suozzi vacated his seat in Congress, triggering a primary election to fill that seat which will be held Aug. 23.
Suozzi was not the only Long Islander in the running for governor. On the Republican side, Lee Zeldin, of Shirley, beat out three other Republican candidates, including Andrew Giuliani, carrying 43.9% of the vote statewide with over 95% reported.
In his victory speech, Zeldin said, “I commend all of the candidates in this primary for running a hard-fought race and look forward to working together to fire Kathy Hochul and save our state. This is a rescue mission to end the attacks on our safety, wallets, freedoms and kids’ education. Losing is not an option.”
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (D) also won his race and will run alongside Hochul throughout this election cycle.
In the legislative race, two Republican candidates — Edward Flood and Thomas Wiermann — competed for their party’s nomination in the 4th Assembly District. Flood, a narrow winner unofficially by 2,491 votes to 2,375, will take on state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) this November in the general election.
At the county level, Republican Vincent Puleo, town clerk of Smithtown, defeated incumbent Suffolk County Clerk Judith Pascale, who has served in that position since 2006. Puleo received 60% of votes in the primary election.
Members of the CanCan team, from left,Oliver Maddocks, David Lewis, Johan Vande Voorde, Bette Caan, Marcus Goncalves, Eileen White, Mariam Jamal-Hanjani, Tobias Janowitz, Karen Mustian, Janelle Ayres andToni Hui
By Daniel Dunaief
If a team Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Tobias Janowitz co-leads succeeds, researchers will know more about the end stage of numerous types of cancer that involves the loss of tissue and muscle mass.
Tobias Janowitz
Recently, lead scientists Janowitz; Eileen White, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Deputy Director and Chief Scientific Officer; and Dr. Marcus DaSilva Goncalves, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine received $25 million in funding as a part of a Cancer Grand Challenge, which is a combined trans-Atlantic funding effort between Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the United States.
The cachexia group was one of four teams to receive funding among 11 finalists.
Bruce Stillman, president of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, described cachexia as “one of the most difficult clinical problems with late stage cancer.”
Stillman added that the collaboration is promising because it brings together a group of “remarkable” scientists, including White, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Stillman’s lab. “It has great potential for making a difference in the lives of patients.”
Stillman believes Janowitz is an ideal co leader for this challenging project because he has an MD and a PhD and is clinically certified as an oncologist.
CanCan team
For his part, Janowitz is looking forward to the opportunity to team up with other ambitious research efforts to create a virtual institute.
Eileen White
“It’s incredibly exciting to get the chance to do something you think is higher risk with a large group of people who have come together around this problem,” said Janowitz. “We often talked about how it would be nice to bring team members from other disciplines into this area.”
Indeed, the cachexia team, which White named CanCan for Cancer Cachexia Action Network believes cachexia is a tumor-driven metabolic imbalance. The group is pursuing different areas of research, including metabolism, neuroendocrinology, clinical research, and immunology, among others, to define clinical subtypes with the hopes of creating individualized therapies.
While the effort brings together a range of scientists with different expertise and technological skills, researchers don’t expect an immediate therapeutic solution within that time frame. Rather, they anticipate that their experiments and clinical data will help inform future approaches that could enhance efforts to prevent and treat a wasting disease that causes severe declines in a patient’s quality of life.
“What we would deem as a success is, if in five years time, we have maybe one to three strong lead hypotheses that comes out of our shared work on how we can either prevent or treat cachexia as it emerges,” Janowitz said.
The complexity of cachexia
Dr. Marcus DaSilva Goncalves
As a complex process that involves an understanding of numerous interconnected dynamics, cachexia has been a challenging field for researchers and a difficult one for funding agencies looking for discrete problems with definable results and solutions.
Cachexia research had “never reached this critical mass that people were seeing where we can say, ‘Okay, there’s enough work going on to really unravel this,’” Janowitz said.
The CanCan team has several scientific themes. Janowitz will be involved with metabolic dysregulation. He would like to understand the behavioral changes around appetite and food intake.
Additionally, the group will explore the interaction of normal cells and cancer cells by looking at the tumor micro environment. This research will explore how cancer cells can reprogram healthy host cells.
“We’ve got a really exciting axis of research” within the network, Janowitz said.
Searching for signaling molecules
Janowitz said Norbert Perrimon, James Stillman Professor of Developmental Biology at Harvard Medical School is one of the leading experts in fly genetics and fly biology. Perrimon has created a model of cachexia in the fruit fly. While that sounds far from patients, Perrimon can use single molecule resolution of the entire organism to get an insight and understanding of candidate molecules.
“We are hoping to search for new signaling molecules that might get involved” in cachexia, Janowitz said. Once the research finds new candidates, he and others can validate whether they also work in mouse models of cancer and cancer cachexia.
With numerous clinical groups, Janowitz hopes to contribute to the design and execution of experimental medicine studies.
The Cancer Grand Challenge will distribute the funds based on what members need. Janowitz described the allocation of funds as “roughly equitable.” He will use that funding to support a postdoctoral researcher, a PhD student and a technician, who can help with specific projects he’s merging in his lab to combine with the team effort.
The funds will also support his salary so he can supervise the work in his lab and help with the coordination of this effort.
The funding agencies have an additional budget to organize conferences and meetings, where researchers can discuss ideas in person and can ensure that any clinical and laboratory work is standardized and reproducible in different facilities.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory will host the first full gathering of the cachexia team in November.
Challenging beginnings
When he was a doctor in the United Kingdom, Janowitz was fascinated and confounded by cachexia. In the early years of his training, he saw patients who had a small tumor burden, but were so sick that they died. Those experiences made “such a strong imprint” that he wanted to help unravel this process as a junior oncologist, he said.
Getting funding was challenging because cachexia was complex and didn’t involve a finely defined project that linked a receptor protein to a cell type that led to a diseased condition.
Janowitz, among others in this field, felt passionate enough about this area to continue to search for information about cachexia. After he restructured his research into a narrower focus, he secured more funding.
An unsolved mystery
With enough researchers continuing along this path, Janowitz said the group developed an awareness that this is “one of the big, unsolved mysteries of cancer progression.”
Janowitz appreciates the opportunity to work with a team that has accomplished researchers who work in fields that are related or synergistic, but aren’t necessarily considered part of the cachexia field.
The significant funding comes with expectations.
“The grant is both a great joy, but also, essentially, a mandate of duty,” he said. “Now, you have to utilize this grant to make significant contributions to understand and hopefully treat this debilitating condition.”
Krupski Farm has been acquired by Del Vino Vineyards.
Northport-based Del Vino Vineyards provides an expanded estate growing footprint in Riverhead, and opportunity for more grape growing and a new tasting room location.
Del Vino Vineyards announced today that they have closed on the purchase of the Krupski Farm, a 30-acre property of pastureland land which is agriculturally preserved that will be converted to vineyards in Riverhead.
The property, nestled between Sound Avenue and Northville Turnpike in Riverhead, has been owned by prominent local farmers since 1966.
Krupski Farm has been acquired by Del Vino Vineyards.
This purchase adds valuable acres to Del Vino Vineyards winegrowing footprint in the Long Island region, which aligns with one of the company’s long-term strategies of becoming more vertically integrated by farming more fruit from their own vineyards. Del Vino Vineyards in Northport, located on 12 acres, is currently home to 7 varieties of grapes. In addition to the farming land, Del Vino Vineyards plans to operate as a new tasting room destination, likely opening sometime in 2024.
“We believe in building a wine company that invests back into the community and the industry that it’s a part of. Bringing the Krupski Family Farm into our portfolio shifts us towards having the majority of our production coming from our own vineyards, which is a huge part of our long-term vision,” said Fred Giachetti, Owner of Del Vino Vineyards. “The vineyard management team at Del Vino Vineyards has done an exceptional job of maintaining an eye on quality, and we’re incredibly excited about our expansion.”
Lisa Giachetti, Del Vino Vineyards owner commented further, “the Krupski Farm presents an opportunity for us to serve our existing fans in a new location, but it will also allow us to attract and engage new customers in the Long Island Wine Country region, which is an exciting proposition. We’re thrilled to be growing our Del Vino vineyard acreage and our staff with this acquisition.”
To learn more about Del Vino Vineyards, please visit www.delvinovineyards.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @delvinovineyards
We don’t usually go to bed thinking, “what if I’m wrong?” We don’t get up asking ourselves the same question.
We develop our beliefs, stick with them and, as time goes on, we defend them or push for change based on something we think, or are fairly certain, we know.
But it’s worth considering the possibility that we might be wrong, particularly in connection with something as important as the only habitable planet we know.
If you don’t believe climate change is a threat and you think rules restricting environmental pollution are unnecessary and a federal government overreach, have you considered the consequences of being wrong?
I won’t trot out all the climate science experts who have what they consider incontrovertible proof that the climate is warming based on years of data.
You’d probably come back with the argument that the data can be interpreted in other ways or that science itself rarely has complete certainty.
You might even suggest that a warmer climate would mean we wouldn’t need to use as much heat during the winter months and that some crops might grow better during a longer, hotter growing season.
While I don’t ascribe to those thoughts —which a headline grabbing Republican recently espoused — because of the danger to so many staple crops from a warmer season that could include droughts and storms that cripple cities and destroy crops, I want those who don’t believe climate change is real to consider what might happen if they are wrong.
At the time of this writing, the Supreme Court hadn’t ruled on West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency. If the conservative majority, who have been reshaping the political and legal landscape at a rapid pace, rules as expected, the EPA will have less authority to regulate power plant pollution.
That would mean power plants won’t have to comply with federal rules that limit the gases they emit into the environment and the pollutants they send into the air.
These companies may be able to make more money by continuing to operate as they had in the past. Yay for them? Right? Well, not so fast.
What’s the risk if they are wrong? We all make decisions when weighing risks, whether it’s the types of stocks we invest in, the places we go that might be dangerous at night, or the undercooked foods we eat.
So, if they’re wrong, the world continues to heat up, storms such as hurricanes move more slowly, dumping more rain on any one area, crops get destroyed, glaciers continue to melt causing sea levels to rise, and biodiversity declines, wiping out species that might have otherwise led to cures for disease or provide future food sources.
Some areas also become uninhabitable.
Our children, grandchildren and future generations can’t come back to tell us who was right. What we do or don’t do, however, will undoubtedly affect them.
Using the same logic climate change deniers use to suggest that nothing is certain, it seems critical to hedge their bets, protecting us from a future they believe is possible but unlikely.
Even if the Supreme Court acts (or acted, depending on the timing) as expected, we don’t have to be fatalistic or cynical about the next steps in the battle against our own gaseous waste.
Utilities and other companies that produce these gases have to take responsibility for their actions, regardless of what the Supreme Court says or does. Even reluctant legislators have to consider what might happen if they are wrong. Yes, leaders have numerous other problems.
We can’t ignore the Earth. If some people consider the consequences of freeing up companies to send carbon dioxide into the only air we have, they might be making a one-way mistake. They must consider what will happen if they are wrong.
Women need some good news right about now, after the Roe decision, and here it is: Women are more likely to live past 90. But there is a caveat. We have to be optimistic. Now, don’t poo poo this statement. It comes from a large study by researchers at Harvard University and was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Entitled, “Optimism, Lifestyle and Longevity in a Racially Diverse Cohort of Women,” the study deals with 26 years of data from almost 160,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79. All the participants were selected for their optimism with quantitative measures of testing. Researchers found that the top quarter of the women in the study with the most positive outlook would probably live 5.4% longer than the least optimistic 25% of participants. Further, the more optimistic women were 10% more likely to live past the age of 90 than the least optimistic cohort.
The link between optimism and longer lifespan could be seen across racial and ethnic groups. “Optimism may be an important asset to consider for promoting health and longevity in diverse populations,” states the article. Non-Hispanic White, Black, Hispanic/Latina and Asian, American Indian and Alaskan native women were in the group.
“A high proportion (53%) of the women [in the optimism group] achieved exceptional longevity,” according to the study. “Higher optimism was associated with longer lifespan and a greater likelihood of achieving exceptional longevity overall and across racial and ethnic groups. The contribution of lifestyle to these associations was modest. Optimism may promote health and longevity in diverse ethnic and racial groups. Future research should investigate these associations in less long-lived populations,” concludes the Journal. Francine Grodstein, ScD and Laura D. Kubzansky, PhD, were the principal researchers of the study.
Interestingly, of those tested, women with higher optimism levels were more frequently non-Hispanic White with higher education levels.
This study also suggests that optimism is “just as important as exercise when it comes to longevity.” The researchers found this to be true even when other factors like depression, chronic health conditions and racial, social and economic background were taken into account. So a positive outlook on life may be just as important as fitness—or so lazy optimists would like to believe, and based on this large study, they may be right.
Stress, on the other hand, can take a toll on mental and physical health. According to an article in this past Tuesday’s New York Times, “certain types of stress can even age your immune system.”In a study involving 5700 adults aged 50 and over, stresses like job strain, stressful life events, every day or lifetime discrimination (including sexism or ageism) and traumatic life events were cross referenced with immune cell counts from participants’ blood. Simple aging is also a stress on the immune system.
One way to prevent or minimize immune cell aging may be to minimize or do away with unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking. But all kinds of stress, we intuitively know, can effect physical health.
How do we help ourselves further reduce stress?
Taking stock of our emotions is a good place to start. Knowing and acting on what brings us joy and where we can find social support can help. “That may mean pursuing hobbies, spending time with loved ones, or unplugging from work or social media when you can,” suggests Hannah Seo, writing for the NYT. “Mindfulness practices, exercise and healthy eating habits can also help you feel good physically, which in turn can make you feel good mentally,” according to Renee Eddy, a New York City psychotherapist, quoted in the NYT.
My best defense against stress is having social support from family and friends. My son, daughter-in-law and grandson recently visited for four days, and just interacting with them was a joy. My friends call and just chatting leaves me feeling happy, not to mention more informed.
Stresses can negatively affect longevity. Joy and optimism, we are told by current research, can increase lifespan.
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