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Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in a scene from 'Here'. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

In 1989, Raw published Richard McGuire’s six-page comic strip, Here. The thirty-five panels followed a single location but spanned 500,957,406,073 B.C. to 2033 A.D. Often, the panels contained other images within, depicting multiple time frames simultaneously. In 2014, Pantheon Books published McGuire’s full-length graphic novel. The 304 pages traced the same space from 3,000,500,000 B.C. to A.D. 22,175, concentrating on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, predominantly focusing on the living room of a house built in 1907.

As a senior thesis project in 1991, students from Rochester Institute of Technology’s Department of Film and Video created a six-minute film of the original comic. An immersive V.R. film based on the full-length novel was designed and produced by British Fifty Nine Productions, under the direction of Lysander Ashton, with music by Anna Meredith.  

Now, director Robert Zemeckis brings his adaptation to the big screen. The prolific Zemeckis broke out with the 1978 I Wanna Hold Your Hand. His work includes Romancing the Stone, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Death Becomes Her, and Contact, among others. His 1994 Forest Gump won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (for Tom Hanks). Over the years, Zemeckis has teamed with Hanks on Pinocchio, The Polar Express, and Cast Away. Here reunites Hanks with his Gump co-star, Robin Wright. 

Zemeckis (who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth) uses the basic idea and framework of the novel but instead chooses to highlight on the twentieth-century Young family that occupies the house. While still weaving back and forth through time, it eventually settles into a more chronological telling of the one family.

The first eight minutes progress through thousands of years of history (dinosaurs, volcanic eruption or asteroids, Ice Age), but then Here slows down to offer a handful of earlier years, including a native American couple and their tribe, as well as a view of the house across the street where Benjamin Franklin’s son, the loyalist William, lived. Of the former, the indigenous people seem cast from a 1960s history museum diorama. The late eighteenth-century Revolutionary War moments feel like a community theatre production of 1776. 

The earliest inhabitants of the house, the Harters (Michelle Dockery and Gwilym Lee), serve little function except establishing occupancy and a nod to the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 (with a parallel later with the COVID pandemic). A slight subplot about aviation grates. The Beekmans follow—Stella (Ophelia Lovibond) and her inventor husband, Leo (David Fynn), who provide a humorous and interesting diversion.

Zemeckis trades the book’s panoramic and epic nature to emphasize the Young family’s day-to-day struggles. Recently discharged from the service, World War II veteran Al Young (Paul Bettany) purchases the house for his wife, Rose (Kelly Reilly). Here, they raise their family—two boys and a girl. The oldest, Richard (Hanks), impregnates his girlfriend Margaret (Wright) on the living room sofa. The couple weds, taking up residence in the house. What follows is years of joys and sorrows, trials and tribulations—marriage and children, illness and death. 

Throughout their story, flashes of the earlier inhabitants recur, as well as the Harris family (Nikki Amuka-Bird and Nicholas Pinnock), who take the house when Richard sells it. Perhaps Zemeckis is trying to draw parallels between these disparate worlds—but, unlike McGuire—he does not succeed.  

Here veers towards the saccharine when it is trying to be its most sincere. The Hallmark (card, not network) feel hovers around most of the stiff dialogue. Instead of simple, the exchanges feel simplistic. The messages about love, family, dreams, art, and loss seem predictable and lack anything bordering on revelatory. The best-landing moments can be attributed to the Young quartet and the inherent honesty in their performances, even when saddled with two- and even one-dimensional material.

From a visual standpoint, Here is almost a one-camera set-up. We view the living room straight on as it evolves and shifts, often picture-in-picture(-in picture). The effect alternates between clever and precious. Sometimes, the entire experience feels like Disney’s Carousel of Time. And speaking of Disney, the A.I. intelligence Metaphysic Life, used for face-swapping and de-aging the actors in real-time (instead of post-production), presents a young Tom Hanks looking more like the puppet Pinocchio than his real boy counterpart. 

In the end, the film works and doesn’t work. For some audiences, they will embrace a concept taken to its fullest and a sometimes touching family saga. For others, Here is a gimmick with a center that is human, but not inspiring, tapping into soap opera plots that overstay the hundred-minute running time. Gertrude Stein said of her hometown, Oakland, “There is no there there.” Ultimately, with Zemeckis’s film, there is no Here there either.

Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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MAKING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC Americana and blues singer Brooks Williams heads to Long Island Museum on Nov. 10.
To see Veterans Day events on the North Shore, click here.
Ongoing

Circus Vazquez Comes to Town

Circus Vazquez brings a thrilling new 2024 production to the Walt Whitman Shops, 160 Walt Whitman Road,  Huntington Station from Nov. 1 to 11. Blending the modern with the traditional, and featuring a brand new cast of extraordinary circus superstars, Circus Vazquez presents unforgettable entertainment that is fun for all ages. After the show, the audiences is invited to meet some of the circus stars. Weekday performances are set for 7 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday performances are scheduled for 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at www.CircusVazquez.com.

Thursday Nov. 7

Energize Long Island Conference

PSEG Long Island will hold its annual Energize Long Island conference at the Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature more than a dozen educational workshops to help attendees reduce their carbon footprint, maximize efficient energy usage and cultivate renewable energy resources. along with a vendor showcase. Keynote speaker will be New York Mets’ Ron Darling. Registration is free for PSEG Long Island customers at www.energizelongisland.com.

Atelier Art Reception

The Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, St. James invites the community to the opening reception for its 5th Annual Atelier Invitation, a juried show for guest artists, in Atelier Hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The show runs through Dec. 12. For more information, call 631-250-9009.

Kristallnacht at the Chai Center – THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED

The Chai Center, 501 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills will present Kristallnacht commemoritve program at 7 p.m. This year’s commemorative event is featuring special guest, Rene Zuroff, who hid in potato fields with her family while being hunted by the Nazis. Come hear her story. No charge for this event, donations appreciated. To RSVP, visit www.thechaicenter.com.

Friday Nov. 8

Ray Lambiase in Concert

Grounds and Sounds Cafe at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook, 380 Nicolls Rd, East Setauket welcomes veteran singer-songwriter Ray Lambiase to the stage on Friday, Nov. 8. Doors open at 7 p.m. Open mic starts at 7:30pm followed by the featured artist at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are $20 at www.groundsandsounds.org or call 631-751-0297.  Tickets are are also available at the door on the evening of the event.  Snacks and soft drinks available for purchase; please bring your own wine for uncorking at the snack bar.

An Evening of Opera

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 270 Main St., Northport presents Opera Night Long Island in concert at 7:30 p.m. with a reception to follow in the fellowship lounge. $10 donation, students free. 631-261-8808

Saturday Nov. 9

Holiday Market

The popular Holiday Market returns to Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, 233 North Country Road, Mt. Sinai from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get a jump on your holiday shopping with over 20 vendors, delicious baked goods, crafts, holiday decorations, raffles and amazing basket auctions. The Red Barn Thrift Store next door will be open for shopping as well. Free admission. Call 631-473-1582 for additional information.

Christmas Craft Fair

St. James Lutheran Church Parish Hall, 230 Second Ave., St. James hosts a Christmas Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with over 40 vendors, bake sale, quilt raffle, food and more. 631-584-5212

Hauppauge Craft & Gift Fair

Time to shop! Hauppauge High School, 500 Lincoln Blvd., Hauppauge will host its annual Craft & Gift Fair today and Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring over 100 exhibitors with arts, crafts and gift items — the perfect opportunity to spend a day shopping with Christmas just around the corner. Free admission. 631-846-1459

Second Saturdays Poetry Reading

The Second Saturdays poetry series returns to All Souls Church in Stony Brook via Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon. Featured poet will be Kris Janvier followed by an open reading. All are welcome to read one of their own poems. For more information, call 631-655-7798.  Participants can access the program through the All Souls website.

Historical Society Lecture

Huntington Historical Society presents a lecture titled My Weeping Friends Remember Me with Karen Martin & Barbara La Monica in the Conklin Barn, 2 High St., Huntington from 2 to 4 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about funeral custom traditions of the past, view a selection of funerary items from the museum’s collections, and sample traditional mourning refreshments. Tickets are $30, $25 members. To register, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

Post-Halloween Party Fundraiser

North Shore Beach Property Owners Association invites the community to a post-Halloween Party fundraiser at the at 7 p.m. at the North Shore Beach Clubhouse, 55 Clubhouse Drive, Rocky Point at 7 p.m. Costumes are welcomed for those still feeling the spooky season. Proceeds will help repair the local storm-damaged roads. Tickets are $40 online at northshorebeach.org or at the door.

Night at the Races

Join the Selden Fire Department, 44 Woodmere Blvd., Selden for its semi-annual Night at the Races fundraiser at 6 p.m. $10 donation includes entry into the event as well as complimentary beer, wine, soda and hot dogs. Coffee, tea and cake will be served for dessert. 631-732-1234

Pasta Dinner & Basket Auction

Friends of Troop 272 are hosting a Holiday Pasta Dinner and Basket Auction fundraising event at Carew Hall at St. Joseph’s Church, 45 Church St., Ronkonkoma from 6:15 to 9:30 p.m. $15 admission includes pasta, meatballs, bread, salad, water and dessert with amazing baskets and 50/50 raffle to bid on. To purchase tickets in advance, email [email protected]. 

Cirque Kalabanté heads to SBU

Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook presents Cirque Kalabanté: Afrique en Cirque on the Main Stage at 7 p.m. This vibrant African cultural performance features gravity-defying acrobatic stunts accompanied by live Afro-Jazz, percussion, and kora. Tickets range from $48 to $71. To order, call 631-632-2787 or visit www.stallercenter.com.

Sunday Nov. 10

Hauppauge Craft & Gift Fair

See Nov. 9 listing.

Car Show Fundraiser

Centurion Cruisers Car Club and American Legion Post 1244 will host The Al Statton Memorial Operation Enduring Car Benefit Car Show at Walt Whitman High School, 301 West Hills Road, Huntington Station  from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. $20 donation per vehicle, free for spectators. 516-650-9095

Veteran’s Day Panel Discussion

Northport Historical Society, 215 Main Street, Northport continues its Sunday at the Society series with Veterans — In the Trenches, a panel discussion with Jack Mclean and Joan Furey at 1 p.m. These esteemed veterans will reflect on their experiences in the trenches as well as their powerful journeys of recovery and advocacy in the years since. The program will be moderated by veteran Alan Vitters, Vice President of the Northport Historical Society Board of Trustees. Free admission. To register, visit www.northporthistorical.org.

Marc Black in Concert

Comsewogue Public Library, 170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to Boppa Chua! A History of the 1950s and 60s Through Song, a trip through these memorable and colorful decades, joyfully woven together in song in a multi-media performance, with musician Marc Black  from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Call 631-928-1212 or visit www.cplib.org to register.

Project 20 in concert

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main St., Stony Brook  presents a concert by Project 20 from 3 to 4 p.m.  The well-seasoned five piece rock band with 3 guitars, bass & drums will play an eclectic mix of classic rock and original music. The event is free with general admission ticket purchase. 631-689-5888, www.limusichalloffame.org. 

Brooks Williams in Concert

WUSB’s Sunday Street Series continues at the Long Island Museum’s Gillespie Room, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook with a performance by  Brooks Williams at 5  p.m. A long-overdue return visit from this amazing bluesman’s musical vision spans continents and genres, blues, jazz, slide, finger-style, with funky chords, walking bass lines and fiery riffs played on acoustic, resonator and even cigar box guitars. Bob Westcott will open this show. Advance sale $26* at www.sundaystreet.org with tickets at the door for $30 (cash only).

Strings Under the Stars

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport presents a live performance by the Long Island Chamber Music’s string quartet at 5 p.m. Relax and unwind as these talented musicians perform an immersive program of introspective classical music for string quartet paired with planetarium visuals of the cosmos projected onto a sixty-foot dome. Tickets are $30 in advance at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org, $35 at the door. 

Monday Nov. 11

Sheep Shearing Demonstrations

Join Tabbethia Haubold-Magee of Long Island Yarn & Farm for a fleece to fiber and sheep shearing demonstration at Suffolk County Farm, 350 Yaphank Road, Yaphank from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Learn about the sheep on the farm and their wool, pet and feed a sheep, enjoy a craft and take a wagon ride. $20 per person, children ages 2 and under are free. Pre-registration required at www.eventbrite.com. 631-852-4600

Sound Beach Civic Meeting

Join the Sound Beach Civic Association for its final meeting of the year at the Sound Beach Firehouse, 152 Sound Beach Blvd., Sound Beach at 7:30 p.m. They will be collecting much-needed white tee shirts for the State Veterans Home in Stony Brook in sizes large to 3XL. All are welcome. For more information call 631-744-6952.

Tuesday Nov. 12

NSJC Social Club event

North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to a Zumba Gold session with Linda Morton in the Social Hall at 11 a.m. Bagels, cream cheese and coffee will be served. $5 per person, $4 members. 631-928-3737

Tim Matheson heads to the CAC

Join actor Tim Matheson at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington for a screening of the iconic cult classic Animal House followed by a discussion of his career and new memoir, “Damn Glad to Meet You: My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches” at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $52, $42 members and include the film screening, a copy of the book, Q&A and book signing reception with live musical entertainment. To order, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

University Orchestra Concert

Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook presents the University Orchestra in concert on the Main Stage at 7:30 p.m. Conducted by Susan Deaver, the program will include Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances and Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony with featured soloist Michael Ho on piano. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 seniors and students. To order, call 631-632-2787 or visit www.stallercenter.com.

Wednesday Nov. 13

SCWA to Host WaterTalk

The Suffolk County Water Authority will host the next installment of its WaterTalk series of educational forums at the Huntington Public Library, 338 Main St., Huntington at 6 p.m. This event provides an opportunity for customers to learn more and ask questions about their drinking water. A panel of experts will discuss important topics, such as the quality of drinking water, the ways in which SCWA is implementing new infrastructure to improve water service and quality, the importance of conservation and more. Residents who are interested in attending SCWA’s WaterTalk can register by emailing [email protected]. Residents who would prefer to attend virtually can do so at www.scwa.com.

TVCT Fall Gala

The Three Village Community Trust (TVCT) will host its 20th Annual Fall Gala Fundraiser at the Old Field Club, 86 West Meadow Road, East Setauket at 7 p.m. Honored guest will be Dr. Heather Lynch with music by  jazz guitarist Steve Salerno. Enjoy light bites, wine, spectacular raffle baskets and great company. Tickets to the event, which are $75 per person, can be purchased on the Trust’s website, www.threevillagecommunitytrust.org. For more information, call 631-942-4558.

Some Enchanted Evening at SBU

Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook presents Some Enchanted Evening in the Recital Hall at 7 p.m. The viral sensation Stella Katherine Cole pairs up with Postmodern Jukebox’s Benny Benack III and tap-dancing star Jabu Graybeal to perform Jazz-inspired selections of Broadway hits from the Golden Age to today. Tickets range from $39 to $66. To order, call 631-632-2787 or visit www.stallercenter.com.

Thursday Nov. 14

Veterans Job Fair

In partnership with Suffolk County Legislator Chad Lennon, the Suffolk County Department of Labor  will host a special Veterans Job Fair at the Heritage Center, 633 Mount Sinai-Coram Road, Mt. Sinai from 6 to 7 p.m. (early entry for veterans from 5 to 6 p.m.) Connect with a wide range of employers, including veteran-owned businesses, actively seeking skilled and experienced veterans. 

​Crafts & Cocktails

It’s National Pickle Day! Join the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring harbor for Crafts & Cocktails: Pickles from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Get to know pickles and preservation in this informative workshop, along with other items on the menu on a whaleship. Taste pickle samplings, make your own pickles and sample pickle-flavored beer! For adults 21+ $35 participant; $25 members. To register, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org. 631-367-3418​

Flecker Gallery Art Reception

The Flecker Gallery, located in the Southampton Building on the Ammerman Campus of Suffolk County Community College, 533 College Road, Selden, invites the community to an opening reception and gallery talk for its latest exhibit, q*bicles, by Jeremiah Teipen from 2 to 3:30 p.m. This special event will showcase an immersive installation highlighting Teipen’s recent work, which explores the complex relationship between the digital and physical realms in our increasingly interconnected world. Light refreshments will be served. 631-451-4110

Firefly Artists Reception

Join the Firefly Artists, 90 Main St., Northport for a closing reception for Fearless Watercolors, a 10 year retrospective by Jan Guarino from 6 to 8 p.m. with live music by Janice Bruckner. Guarino will be also signing copies of her new book, “Thinking  Your Way Through Watercolors.” 631-235-2739

Theater

‘Shakespeare’s Lovers and Fighters’

The Theatres at Suffolk County Community College present Shakespeare’s Lovers and Fighters by William Shakespeare in the Shea Theatre, Islip Arts Building, 533 College Road, Selden on Nov. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at 7:30 p.m.  and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2:00 p.m. Featuring 11 of Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits including scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado, Macbeth, Henry V and of course Taming of The Shrew!  You’ll witness some of the greatest broadsword, rapier and hand to hand stage combat the Great Bard put words to along with the sweetest words of love ever uttered by woman or man.  You will be thrilled and delighted by turns! Tickets are $15 adults, $10 veterans and students 16 years of age or younger,  Suffolk students with current ID get two free tickets. To order, call 631-451-4163.

‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’

Step into a world of pure imagination this holiday season as the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Nov. 14 to Dec. 29. Join young Charlie Bucket and four other lucky Golden Ticket winners as they embark on an unforgettable journey through Willy Wonka’s magical candy factory. With beloved songs from the 1971 film, this production promises to be a treat for the entire family. For ticket information, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘A Christmas Carol’

“I will honor Christmas in my heart…” Celebrate the season with the 40th annual production of A Christmas Carol at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson from Nov. 9 to Dec. 28. Follow the miser Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey that teaches him the meaning of Christmas — past, present, and future. Tickets are $25 through November; $40 adults, $32 seniors and students, $25 children ages 5 to 12 in December. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

‘9 to 5 The Musical’

Star Playhouse at Stage 74, 74 Hauppauge Road Commack presents 9 to 5 The Musical on Nov. 9 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $32 adults, $25 seniors, students and members. Call 631-462-9800, ext. 136 or visit www.starplayhouse.com to order.

‘Annie Warbucks’

Community Playhouse of Northport presents Annie Warbucks at the Brosnan Theater at 158 Laurel Avenue, Northport on Nov. 15, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 16 (sensory friendly), 17 and 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 seniors and students. To order, visit www.communityplayhousenorthport.org. 631-683-8444

‘(Mostly) True Things’

(mostly) TRUE THINGS returns to The Performing Arts Studio, 224 East Main Street, Port Jefferson on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. with stories that warm us up for upcoming holiday gatherings on the theme FRAMILY: Friends that feel like family, family that feels like friends. Featured performers include Calvin Cato, Jean Le Bec, Dennis DiMaggio, Dawn Borchers and host/creator Jude Treder-Wolff. Tickets are $20 online at www.eventbrite.com, $25 at the door (cash only). 

‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 East Main St., Smithtown presents It’s A Wonderful Life from Dec. 7 to 29. Based on the story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern, this beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. This mainstage performance is a family holiday treasure appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $35 adults, $32 seniors, and $25 students. To order, call 800-595-4849 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

‘A Christmas Carol’

The Minstrel Players present their annual production of A Christmas Carol at Houghton Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main St., Northport on Dec. 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 seniors and students. To order, call 516-361-7232.

Film

‘Searching for Amani’

The Port Jefferson Documentary Series closes out its Fall 2024 season with a screening of Searching for Amani at the First United Methodist Church, 603 Main St., Port Jefferson on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. In the heart of Kenya, a tragedy shatters a young boy’s life. Simon Ali, 13, finds himself in a world of mystery when his father, a respected conservancy guide, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Armed with his video camera and an unwavering desire for truth, Simon and his best friend, Haron, embark on a perilous journey to uncover the secrets behind his father’s demise. In Swahili with English subtitles. Panel discussion to follow. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students. www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.

‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

It’s the Best of the Big Screen as the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington presents a screening of A Streetcar Named Desire on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. With Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Marlon Brando. Adapted by Elia Kazan from the famed Tennessee Williams play,  the film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning 4. Introduction by film historian Philip Harwood. Tickets are $16, $10 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

‘The Terminator’

Night Owl Cinema continues at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington with a screening of The Terminator (1984) on Nov. 8 at 9:30 p.m. From a 2029 war-torn wasteland, two soldiers from opposing factions are sent back in time to 1984 Los Angeles in order to influence the outcome of a conflict that hasn’t yet taken place. With Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. Tickets are $16, $10 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org. 

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Part 1 & 3

Celebrate 40 years of Freddy with Retro Picture Show! Join them at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. for a 35mm double feature of A Nightmare on Elm Street and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Tickets are $25, $18 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

Class Reunion

— Ward Melville High School Class of 2014 will hold its 10 year reunion at The Waterview, 44 Fairway Drive, Port Jefferson  on Nov. 30 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are  $100 — plus ones allowed. Includes open bar, passed appetizers, and dinner. Please email [email protected] for the link to purchase tickets. 

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The DASH diet is a flexible eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. Stock photo

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

Heart failure (HF) occurs when the heart’s pumping is not able to keep up with the body’s demands for blood and oxygen and may decompensate. Unlike a heart attack, it develops slowly over years and may take a long time to become symptomatic. According to the latest statistics, 6.7 million Americans over the age of 19 are affected (1).  These numbers are projected to increase to 8.7 million by 2030, with the greatest growth among those aged 35 to 64 (2).

There are two types of heart failure, systolic and diastolic. Put simply, the difference is that the output of blood with each contraction of the heart’s left ventricle is generally preserved in diastolic HF, while it can be significantly reduced in systolic HF.

Fortunately, both types can be diagnosed with an echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart. The signs and symptoms of both include shortness of breath during daily activities or when lying down; edema or swelling in the feet, legs, ankles or stomach, reduced exercise tolerance; and feeling tired or weak. These can have a significant impact on your quality of life.

Major lifestyle risk factors for heart failure include obesity, smoking, poor diet, being sedentary, excessive alcohol intake (3). Medical conditions that increase your risk include diabetes, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and valvular heart disease.

Heart failure can be treated with medication, including blood pressure medications, such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. All of these have side effects. We are going to look at recent studies that examine the role of diet in reducing your risk. 

The role of antioxidants in your diet

If we look beyond the risk factors mentioned above, some studies have explored the role oxidative stress may play an important role in contributing to HF.

In an analysis of the Swedish Mammography Cohort, researchers showed that a diet rich in antioxidants reduces the risk of developing HF (4). In the group that consumed the most nutrient-dense foods, there was a significant 42 percent reduction in the development of HF, compared to the group that consumed the least. The antioxidants were mainly from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, coffee and chocolate. Fruits and vegetables were responsible for most of the effect.

This study was the first to investigate the impact of dietary antioxidants on heart failure prevention.

This was a large study: it involved 33,713 women with 11.3 years of follow-up. Still, there are limitations, because it was an observational study, and the population involved only women. However, the results are very exciting, and there is little downside to applying this approach.

Applying the DASH diet

A 2022 study examined the effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on the risk of developing HF (5). This study included over 76,000 men and women, ages 45-83 and without previous HF, ischemic heart disease or cancer from the Cohort of Swedish Men and the Swedish Mammography Cohort.

The DASH diet emphasizes consuming fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and low-fat dairy and de-emphasizes red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sodium.

The researchers found that long-term adherence to the DASH diet was associated with a lower risk of HF. The greater the participants’ adherence, the greater the positive effect.

Interestingly, even replacing one serving per day of red and processed meat with one serving per day of other DASH diet foods was associated with an approximate 10 percent lower risk of HF.

Comparing a variety of diets

The REGARDS (REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) Trial examined the impact of five dietary patterns on later development of HF in over 16,000 patients followed for a median of 8.7 years. The dietary patterns included convenience, plant-based, sweets, Southern, and alcohol/salads (6). 

Researchers found that a plant-based dietary pattern was associated with a significantly lower risk of HF. Compared with the lowest quartile, the highest quartile of adherence to the plant-based dietary pattern was associated with a 41 percent lower risk of HF. 

The highest adherence to the Southern dietary pattern was associated with a 72 percent higher risk of HF after adjusting for age, sex, and race and for other potential confounding factors. Researchers found less effect after further adjusting for body mass index, waist circumference, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease.

They did not observe any associations with the other 3 dietary patterns.

These studies suggest that we should seek to prevent heart failure with dietary changes, including consuming higher amounts of antioxidant-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and lower amounts of red and processed meats.

References:

(1) Circulation. 2024;149:e347–913. (2) hfsa.org. (3) cdc.gov. (4) Am J Med. 2013 Jun:126(6):494-500. (5) Eur J of Prev Cardiology 2022 May: 29(7): 1114–1123. (6) J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 Apr 30; 73(16): 2036–2045.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.

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Grace Delaney, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh in a scene from the film. Photo by Peter Mountain/A24

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

To describe the plot of a non-linear story chronologically seems to be counterintuitive. At the very least, the approach undermines the essence of the creator’s intent in selecting the structure. That is true in the cast of We Live in Time. Director John Crowley (Brooklyn) and screenwriter Nick Payne (the Tony Award-nominated Constellations) constructed (or deconstructed) the decade-long relationship of Tobias Durand (Andrew Garfield) and Almut Brühl (Florence Pugh). 

As a film, it easily ticks all the boxes of romantic drama: a meet-cute (in this case, she hits him with her car, only causing a slight trauma), courtship, struggle, illness, careers, frustrations, fertility, and family. There are dates and montages, lingering looks, and tasteful scenes of physicality. These well-known and well-worn tropes play with sensitivity and style, even from a standard approach. But in this case, by ignoring the standard narrative and presenting the story as almost a shuffled stack of photos, the often peripatetic tapestry provides greater depth. 

Almut’s second bout with ovarian cancer is presented first, giving an unusual resonance to both her first illness and the birth of their child, Ella (Grace Delaney, who manages to be adorable without being precocious). 

The individual details—she is a former figure skater turned Bavarian fusion chef/restaurant owner, and he is a Weetabix representative—are handled smartly. At the beginning of the timeline, Tobias is on the cusp of a divorce; the issue of a pen to sign the papers is simultaneously hilarious and poignant. Nothing solely functions as a punchline, and every element serves as textural development. 

Central to much of the later conflict is whether Almut will enter the Bocuse d’Or, one of the most prestigious international cooking competitions. Wedding preparations, along with chemo treatment, are deftly threaded. 

The “what if’ element of life choices lands differently when you know what will happen. Something as simple as how to properly crack an egg or why one should get a child a dog takes on entirely new dimensions when presented from multiple time perspectives. The film even knows when to allow rom-com elements—an aggressive extraction from an overly tight parking space or a visit to an amusement park. Somehow, the filmmakers manage to elevate the predictable. 

Crowley has assembled an excellent cast. Adam James, as Almut’s former boss and mentor, Simon Maxson, hits the right notes, reflecting the pressured world of high-end cuisine competition. Lee Braithwaite is appropriately awkward as Jade, Almut’s commis (novice chef), who assists her. 

Nikhil Parmar and Kerry Godliman elevate the convenience store workers who assist with Ella’s birth, making them real and honest rather than playing the scene for easy laughs. Lucy Briers makes the oncologist a person rather than a plot delivery system.

But at heart, We Live in Time is a two-hander. While the ensemble strongly supports the principal characters, it is the story of Tobias and Almut. Perhaps the most overused and indefinable term applied to performances is “chemistry.” However, whatever “chemistry” actually is, Garfield and Pugh have it. Their attraction and connection are wholly displayed, and their frustrations and disappointments are believable. The depth of the relationship never feels false, precious, or theatrical. They achieve that rare symbiosis by simply being present with each other. 

Garfield makes Tobias an anxious, occasionally twitchy type A. He is a notetaker and highly emotional, with feelings always bubbling to the surface. In contrast, Pugh’s Almut is a portrait of stillness and silence, intensity that breaks into a smile of gentle joy or erupts into a seething, low-grade anger. They are perfectly complementary.

The fact that the audience always knows not just where they are but when they are is a tribute to Crowley, Payne, and a gifted design team that manages to ground every moment in detailed reality. The film is beautifully paced. Unlike the turgid It Ends with Us (that could have been timed by a calendar), the playing time of just under two hours never flags.

We Live in Time offers a love story told in an unusual and appropriately challenging way. Life’s underlying interconnectedness and complexity are presented with dark humor, wit, and humanity, with two powerful, memorable central performances.

Rated R, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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Photo courtesy of WMHO

Stony Brook Village has announced the return of its popular luncheon fashion show series, “The Lookbook Luncheons,” set to take place this November. This three-part series will showcase the latest fall styles from renowned local boutiques, offering a delightful blend of fashion and local cuisine. 

Each event will run from 12:30  p.m. to 2 p.m. at a different local restaurant, including Luca Modern Italian Restaurant (A two-course meal for $39) on Nov. 7; Country House Restaurant (A three-course meal for $45) on Nov. 14; and Mirabelle Restaurant at the Three Village Inn (A two-course meal for $35)on Nov. 21. 

Guests can look forward to enjoying a curated dining experience featuring a variety of fall fashion from Mint, Madison’s Niche, D.K. Brothers, Kate’s Vintage Rose, and Chico’s. Each luncheon will unveil new styles, making it possible to attend all three and discover the latest trends.

As attendees savor their meals, models will grace the dining spaces, showcasing stunning fall fashions and sharing insights about the looks they are wearing. The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) will be present to share fascinating tidbits of local history connected to each dining location.  New this year, guests will have the opportunity to indulge in an enhanced culinary experience at the luncheon. They will be immersed in the captivating world of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, thanks to The Crushed Olive. Attendees will learn the benefits of olive oil and balsamic, while savoring complimentary tastings.

This event is the perfect way to prepare for Thanksgiving. Discover exquisite olive oils to enhance your holiday meals and find the ideal outfit to wear to your Thanksgiving dinner.

Reservations are required to ensure a spot at these events. Interested guests can make reservations by contacting the restaurants directly:

Luca Modern Italian Restaurant: 631-675-0435, 93 Main Street, Stony Brook Village

Country House Restaurant: 631-751-3332, 1175 North Country Road, Stony Brook

Mirabelle Restaurant: 631-751-0555, 150 Main Street, Stony Brook Village

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Kate Alexander. Photo courtesy of CSHL

By Daniel Dunaief

In the nucleus of the cell, researchers often focus on the genetic machinery, as the double-helical DNA sends signals that enable the creation of everything from my fingers that are typing these words to your brain that is processing what you’ve read.

But DNA, which occupies most of the nucleus, is not alone. Scattered through the nucleus are protein and RNA filled structures that have an influence on their important gene-bearing nuclear cohabitants, including speckles.

One of the newest members of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory team, Assistant Professor Kate Alexander, who joined the lab in August, is focused on a range of questions about these speckles, which represent about 10 to 30 percent of the nuclear volume.

Preliminary data from Alexander’s lab support the idea that speckles can signal how a person responds to various types of therapy, although careful extensive follow up studies are needed, Alexander explained. She would like to know how the speckles are affecting the genetic machinery.

While speckles have been known since 1910, the ways they affect healthy cells and diseased cells remains a mystery. In some cases, normal or aberrant speckles can signal how a person responds to various types of therapy.

Normal speckles are in the center of the cell nucleus, while aberrant speckles are more scattered. Aberrant speckles can activate some of the surrounding DNA.

At this point, Alexander and her colleagues have “found that normal or aberrant speckle states correlate with survival of clear cell renal cell carcinoma. This accounts for over 80 percent of all kidney cancers.”

Medical choices

After a patient with clear cell renal cell carcinoma receives a cancer diagnosis, the first line of treatment is usually surgery to remove the tumor in the kidney. In addition, doctors could treat the tumor with a systematic anti-cancer therapy. The treatments themselves can and often do cause difficult side effects, as therapies can harm healthy cells and can disrupt normal biological functioning.

Normal speckles look something like the face of the man on the moon and are more centrally located.

Alexander is hoping speckles will help predict the state of the tumor, offering clues about how it might respond to different types of treatments. She could envision how aberrant speckles could correlate with better responses to one drug, while normal speckles might correlate with better responses to another treatment.

In her research, Alexander is exploring how DNA is organized around speckles, as well as how the speckles affect DNA.

“Speckles can change and impact what’s happening to all the DNA that’s surrounding them,” she said. 

Over 20 tumor types show evidence for both normal and aberrant speckles. Aberrant tumors can occur in many types of cancer.

“The consequence of [speckles] becoming normal or aberrant are starting to become more clear,” she said, although there is “still a lot to learn.”

Alexander is trying to figure out how to alter the conformation of these speckles. During cancer, she suspects these speckles may get trapped in a particular state.

In one of the first experiments in her lab, she’s culturing cells in an incubator and is trying to predict what cues may cause speckles in those cells to switch states. 

‘Speckle club’ leader

Alexander previously did postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania in the laboratory of Shelley Berger, where she was also a Research Associate. She led a subgroup in the lab known as the “speckle club.”

Charly Good, who is now Senior Research Investigator in Berger’s lab, worked with Alexander at Penn from 2017 until this summer.

Aberrant speckles are scattered throughout the nucleus.

Alexander “helped recruit me to the postdoc I ended up doing,” said Good who appreciated Alexander’s computational skills in analyzing big data sets. Speckles represent an “up and coming area” for research, which Alexander and Berger are helping lead, Good suggested.

Alexander’s quick thinking meant she would go to a talk and would email the speaker as soon as she got back to her desk. “Her brain is always spinning,” said Good.

Alexander is building her lab at CSHL. Sana Mir is working as a technician and is helping manage the lab. Recently, Hiroe Namba joined the group as a postdoctoral researcher. In the next few years, Alexander would like to add a few graduate students and, within five years, have about eight people.

Originally from Tigard, Oregon, Alexander attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. In her freshman year, she tried to get into a physics class that was full and wound up taking a biology class. She was concerned that biology classes were mostly memorization. When she started the course, she appreciated how the science involved searching for missing pieces of information.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory appealed to her because she could go in whatever direction the research took her.

For Alexander, scientific questions are like a layer of cloth with a few threads sticking out.

“You see one sticking out and you start to pull,” Alexander said. “You don’t necessarily know what’s going to come out, but you keep getting the urge to pull at that thread. You realize that it is connected to all these other things and you can look at those, too.”

She is excited to cross numerous disciplines in her work and is eager to think about how her research might “interplay across those fields and boundaries.”

Speckle origins

As for speckles, Alexander observed during her postdoctoral research how one factor seemed to influence a neighborhood of genes.

For that to occur, she realized that something had to affect those genes at the same time in the physical space. She hadn’t known about speckles before. A few of her colleagues, including Good, came across speckles in their analysis. That made Alexander curious about what these speckles might be doing.

She saw an opening to pursue connections between changes in these potential gene activators and illnesses.

Researchers know that viruses can use speckles to help them copy themselves.

If they are used by viruses “they must be important” and they “probably go wrong in a lot of diseases,” Alexander said. There are a series of neurodevelopmental disorders called “speckleopathies” that involve mutations in proteins found inside speckles.

“We have the computational and experimental tools to start investigating them across a wide variety of conditions,” she said.

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MAGIC IN THE AIR Magician, comedian and ventriloquist Andy Gross heads to Theatre Three on Nov. 1.
Ongoing

Circus Vazquez Comes to Town

Circus Vazquez brings a thrilling new 2024 production to the Walt Whitman Shops, 160 Walt Whitman Road,  Huntington Station from Nov. 1 to 11. Blending the modern with the traditional, and featuring a brand new cast of extraordinary circus superstars, Circus Vazquez presents unforgettable entertainment that is fun for all ages. After the show, the audiences is invited to meet some of the circus stars. Weekday performances are set for 7 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday performances are scheduled for 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at www.CircusVazquez.com.

Thursday Oct. 31

WMHO Walking Tours

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) presents a walking tour throughout Stony Brook Village, “Hidden Beneath the Floorboards,” at 10:50 a.m. Discover stories of piracy, the Long Island Witch Trials, the history behind the haunting at Country House Restaurant, what ghostly spirits and the occult have to do with the birth of the Suffrage Movement, and the tale of Stony Brook’s Star-Crossed Lovers who meet each year on Halloween. Tickets are $15 per person. To register, call 631-751-2244. For additional information, visit wmho.org.

Halloween at the Mall 

Drop by the Smith Haven Mall, Moriches Road, Lake Grove for a spooktacular, fun trick-or-treating for all the little ghouls and goblins from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (while supplies last*) Retailers and restaurants that have tricks or treats for the little ones will have pumpkin in their windows. Free. 631-724-1433

Safe Trick or Treat

The Shoppes at East Wind, 5720 Route 25A, Wading River invites all goblins & ghouls & children dressed in costume to enjoy a safe outdoor Trick or Treating from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. 631-929-3500

Halloween at the Heckscher

Families are invited to celebrate Halloween at the Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington from noon to 5 p.m. Create a spooktacular art activity, make a haunted Digital Action painting, and take home a festive treat! Free admission. Costumes encouraged. Free. 631-380-3230, www.heckscher.org

Halloween Festival

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization hosts its 34th annual Halloween Festival at the Stony Brook Village Center, 111 Main St., Stony Brook from 2 to 5 p.m. with trick or treating in the shops and restaurants, Halloween parade, games and Monster Mash dancing. Free. 631-751-2244, www.wmho.org

Halloween Costume Parade

The annual Downtown “Hauntington” Village Halloween Costume Parade returns to the Town of Huntington at 4 p.m. Line-up at the Huntington Post Office, 55 Gerard St., Huntington for a parade. Trick or treat at designated village merchants before and after the parade. Free. 631-351-3173

SBU Jazz Faculty Special Concert

Stony Brook University’s Jazz Department presents a special concert at tony Brook University’s Staller Center’s Recital Hall, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook at 5 p.m. The all-star combo of faculty members will present an evening of original compositions featuring The Jazz Loft founder and endowed artist in residence in the Department of Music at Stony Brook University Tom Manuel (cornet); Ray Anderson (trombone); Dayna Stephens; Dario Chiazzolino (guitar); Andrea Veneziani (bass); and Dennis Buloes (drums). Free admission. For more information, 631-751-1895.

Spooky Woods & Trick O’ Treat

Smithtown Historical Society, 239 East Main St., Smithtown presents a family-friendly Spooky Woods and Trick O’ Treat event from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Take a spooktacular walk through a haunted trail, where little ones will have a great time seeing Halloween displays on one side and farm animals on the other. Enjoy trick o’ treating and say hi to craft and food vendors (and maybe some jolly ghosts) at this unique Halloween experience for the entire family. Don’t miss the hayride (additional charge) through the spooky woods! $10 per person, kids under 3 free. 631-265-6768

Halloween Magic Show

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Haunted Encounters: A Halloween Magic Show with magicians Jim Vines and Mike Maione on the Second Stage at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. This spine-chilling event promises to bring local ghost stories to life like never before. Set against the backdrop of Halloween, when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, this immersive show will transport guests into a realm of supernatural intrigue and spectral encounters. *Not suitable for young children. Tickets are $40. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Haunted Firehouse

Farmingville Fire Department, 1080 Portion Road, Farmingville presents a Haunted Firehouse from 7 to 10 p.m. Visitors will step into a world of horror where the firehouse transforms into a haunted haven of the macabre. Tickets are $15 per person at www.longislandhauntedfirehouse.org.

Friday Nov. 1

Military Bridge

Join Union United Methodist Church, 1018 Pulaski Road, East Northport for an evening of Military Bridge starting at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $15 per person. For more information, call 631-368-7911.

An Evening with Andy Gross

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson  welcomes stand up comic, magician and ventriloquist Andy Gross to the Mainstage at 8 p.m. Gross is one of the hottest entertainers working today as evidenced by his sold out shows and devoted following. His show, Andy Gross: Are You Kidding Me?, will make you laugh out of your seat. Tickets are $65. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Saturday Nov. 2

Christmas Craft Fair in Yaphank

Integrity Church, 1 Old Dock Road, Yaphank hosts its annual Christmas Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free photos with Santa, food trucks, and a magical talking Christmas tree. Shop from over 50 local vendors selling items such as home decor, Christmas ornaments, holiday gifts and more during this outdoor event.  Rain date is Nov. 9. 631-840-7823

Raptor Day at the Vanderbilt

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will hold its annual Raptor Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with identical sessions at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Meet rescued raptors along with crafts and face painting, vendors, raffles, a short film and more. Tickets, which include admission to the museum, are $20 adults, $10  children 12 and under at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Huntington Christmas Craft Fair

Time to shop! Saint Anthony’s High School, 275 Wolf Hill Road, South Huntington will hosts its annual Mothers’ Guild Christmas Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring over 300 unique vendors for your shopping pleasure. Free admission. 631-271-2020

North Meets South Fair

Suffolk County Farm, 350 Yaphank Road, Yaphank presents the North Meets South Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Festival-goers will have a wide selection of food options and local beers and wines along with over 60 vendors, axe throwing, permanent jewelry, hair tinsel, jumbo garden games, and henna. Families can enjoy a meet-and-greet with farm animals, face painting, hayrides, live music, and more. Tickets are $7 in advance at www.nmsfair.com, $10 at the door. Rain date is Nov. 3. 631-852-4600

Graveyard & Church Tour

The Landing Ladies Auxiliary presents a Graveyard and Church Tour of Smithtown Landing Methodist Church, 397 Landing Ave., Smithtown from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Built in 1834,  the church holds a wealth of stories waiting to be told. Learn about the church’s vibrant past as the center of activity for the Smithtown Landing area, see the historic interior, preserved through years of dedicated care by the community, and discover the stories behind the gravestones of local legends such as author James E. Handshaw. Proceeds will directly support the ongoing restoration efforts of this historic landmark. Tickets are $15 in advance at www.eventbrite.com, $20 at the door. 

Hallock Homestead Tour

Rocky Point Historical Society’s Hallock Homestead Museum, 172 Hallock Landing Road, Rocky Point will be open for tours from 1 to 4 p.m. and every Saturday through Dec. 7. Take a step back into colonial times with a fascinating fact-filled Docent Tour or take a self-guided tour through the house, which is filled with historic artifacts, photos and stories. $5 donation welcome. Group tours by appointment. 631-744-1776.

Saturdays at Six Concert

All Souls Church, 61 Main St., Stony Brook continues its Saturdays at Six concert series with The Whitman String Quartet at 6 p.m. sharp. The group was founded at Stony Brook University in 2015 and has been performing professionally throughout Long Island since. They perform more contemporary and lesser-known works for string quartet, string trio, and with colleagues in other instrumentations. The group includes Joenne Dumitrascu & Olga Turkina (violins), Stephen Gorgone (viola), and Craig Mehler (violoncello). Free. Call 631-655-7798 for more information.

Us and Floyd in Concert

Us and Floyd returns to the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport for two dazzling live concert performances — in sync with two stunning Pink Floyd laser light shows: The Wall at 7 p.m. and Dark Side of the Moon at 9 p.m. Tickets are $35 adults, $30 members and children in advance at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org; tickets are $40 adults $30 members and children at the door.

Baroque Concert

St. James Episcopal Church, 490 North Country Road, St. James welcomes the Anima Baroque Ensemble in concert at 7 p.m. featuring works by Purcell, Frescobaldi, Monteverdi, and others. Tickets are $35 adults, $30 seniors, $15 students, children free at www.libaroque.org or at the door. 

Sunday Nov. 3

Car Show and Swap Meet

Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill, 1 Ski Run Lane, Farmingville, hosts a Car Show and Swap Meet by Long Island Cars from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Street rods, classics, muscle cars, antiques, exotics, imports and collectible cars on display with vendors selling parts and accessories, food and entertainment. Rain date is Nov. 10. Admission is $10, under 12 years are free. 631-567-5898, www.LongIslandCars.com

Cedar Beach Clean-Up

Join New York Marine Rescue Center for a clean-up at Cedar Beach, 223 harbor Beach Road, Mt. Sinai from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is part of NYMRC’s “Pick It Up!” initiative to reduce marine debris in our local communities and collect valuable data concerning garbage on Long Island’s beaches. All supplies will be provided. Registration is optional at www.nymarinerescue.org.

CSHL Walking Tour

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor will host a guided walking tour of the campus from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Learn about the historic and modern architecture, the Nobel legacy, and the advanced cancer, neuroscience, and plant research taking place at the lab. Fee is $7.18 per person. To register, visit www.cshl.edu. 516-367-8844

Como Brothers in concert

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main St., Stony Brook  presents a concert by the Como Brothers from 3 to 4 p.m. Combining a pop and rock easy listening sound with a blues vibe, they have written and recorded multiple albums and EP’s of original songs. The event is free with general admission ticket purchase. 631-689-5888, www.limusichalloffame.org. 

Monday Nov. 4

Movie Trivia Night at the CAC

Join the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington for a Movie Trivia Night at 8 p.m. Try to answer 50 questions based all around film, actors and actresses, awards, and everything else associated with the world of film. Challenge like-minded film fans in a battle of wits for cash and other prizes. You can form teams, so bring some friends and work together. Feel free to come alone and play solo as well! Hosted by Dan French. Tickets are $11 per person, $7 members at cinemaartscentre.org. 631-423-7610.

Tuesday Nov. 5

NSJC Social Club event

North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to a special concert featuring singer and guitarist Alex Alexander in the Social Hall at 11 a.m. Bagels, cream cheese and coffee will be served. $5 per person, $4 members. 631-928-3737

Vanderbilt Lecture

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport continues its lecture series in the Reichert Planetarium with Singing to the Gods: Ancient Egyptian Funerary Rituals Through the Lens of the Chantresses of Amun at 10 a.m. The Museum’s Curator of Ancient Art Roberta Casagrande-Kim will discuss ancient Egyptian funerary art from a female perspective and discuss artifacts such as coffins, statuary, and musical instruments. $10 per person. To register, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Wednesday Nov. 6

Shed the Meds

Emma Clark Library, 120 Main St., Setauket will present a Shed the Meds event from noon to 4 p.m. The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office hosts this safe way to properly dispose of unused medications, essential to protect the environment and ensure that old drugs don’t end up in the wrong hands. Please note: The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office cannot accept any liquids, needles, creams, or ointments of any kind. They are only accepting unused or expired medications from individuals (not large quantities from a doctor’s office or health care facility). This service is open to the public.  There is no need to register or to be a Three Village resident to participate. Questions? Email [email protected]

Thursday Nov. 7

Energize Long Island Conference

PSEG Long Island will hold its annual Energize Long Island conference at the Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Road, Melville from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature more than a dozen educational workshops to help attendees reduce their carbon footprint, maximize efficient energy usage and cultivate renewable energy resources. along with a vendor showcase. Keynote speaker will be New York Mets’ Ron Darling. Registration is free for PSEG Long Island customers at www.energizelongisland.com.

Theater

‘Shakespeare’s Lovers and Fighters’

The Theatres at Suffolk County Community College present Shakespeare’s Lovers and Fighters by William Shakespeare in the Shea Theatre, Islip Arts Building, 533 College Road, Selden on Nov. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at 7:30 p.m.  and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2:00 p.m. Featuring 11 of Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits including scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado, Macbeth, Henry V and of course Taming of The Shrew!  You’ll witness some of the greatest broadsword, rapier and hand to hand stage combat the Great Bard put words to along with the sweetest words of love ever uttered by woman or man.  You will be thrilled and delighted by turns! Tickets are $15 adults, $10 veterans and students 16 years of age or younger,  Suffolk students with current ID get two free tickets. To order, call 631-451-4163.

‘A Christmas Carol’

“I will honor Christmas in my heart…” Celebrate the season with the 40th annual production of A Christmas Carol at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson from Nov. 9 to Dec. 28. Follow the miser Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey that teaches him the meaning of Christmas — past, present, and future. Tickets are $25 through November; $40 adults, $32 seniors and students, $25 children ages 5 to 12 in December. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

‘9 to 5 The Musical’

Star Playhouse at Stage 74, 74 Hauppauge Road Commack presents 9 to 5 The Musical on Nov. 9 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $32 adults, $25 seniors, students and members. Call 631-462-9800, ext. 136 or visit www.starplayhouse.com to order.

‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’

Step into a world of pure imagination this holiday season as the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Nov. 14 to Dec. 29. Join young Charlie Bucket and four other lucky Golden Ticket winners as they embark on an unforgettable journey through Willy Wonka’s magical candy factory. With beloved songs from the 1971 film such as “Candy Man,” “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” “Oompa-Loompa Song,” and “Pure Imagination,” this production promises to be a treat for the entire family. For ticket information, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘Annie Warbucks’

Community Playhouse of Northport presents Annie Warbucks at the Brosnan Theater at 158 Laurel Avenue, Northport on Nov. 15, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 16 (sensory friendly), 17 and 24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 seniors and students. To order, visit www.communityplayhousenorthport.org. 631-683-8444

‘(Mostly) True Things’

(mostly) TRUE THINGS returns to The Performing Arts Studio, 224 East Main Street, Port Jefferson on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. with stories that warm us up for upcoming holiday gatherings on the theme FRAMILY: Friends that feel like family, family that feels like friends. Featured performers include Calvin Cato, Jean Le Bec, Dennis DiMaggio, Dawn Borchers and host/creator Jude Treder-Wolff. Tickets are $20 online at www.eventbrite.com, $25 at the door (cash only). 

‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 East Main St., Smithtown presents It’s A Wonderful Life from Dec. 7 to 29. Based on the story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern, this beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. This mainstage performance is a family holiday treasure appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $35 adults, $32 seniors, and $25 students. To order, call 800-595-4849 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

‘A Christmas Carol’

The Minstrel Players present their annual production of A Christmas Carol at Houghton Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main St., Northport on Dec. 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 seniors and students. To order, call 516-361-7232.

Film

‘Searching for Amani’

The Port Jefferson Documentary Series closes out its Fall 2024 season with a screening of Searching for Amani at the First United Methodist Church, 603 Main St., Port Jefferson on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. In the heart of Kenya, a tragedy shatters a young boy’s life. Simon Ali, 13, finds himself in a world of mystery when his father, a respected conservancy guide, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Armed with his video camera and an unwavering desire for truth, Simon and his best friend, Haron, embark on a perilous journey to uncover the secrets behind his father’s demise. In Swahili with English subtitles. Panel discussion to follow. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students. www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.

Vendors Wanted

Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, 233 North Country Road, Mt. Sinai seeks vendors for its annual Holiday Market  on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Only new or hand-crafted items or antiques; no rummage or corporate items please. Fee is $60 for an 8’ by 6’ space; vendors must supply their own tables. Call 631-473-1582 or email [email protected].

Class Reunion

— Ward Melville High School Class of 2014 will hold its 10 year reunion at The Waterview, 44 Fairway Drive, Port Jefferson  on Nov. 30 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are  $100 — plus ones allowed. Includes open bar, passed appetizers, and dinner. Please email [email protected] for the link to purchase tickets.

CALENDAR DEADLINE  is Wednesday at noon, one week before publication. Items may be mailed to: Times Beacon Record News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733. Email your information about community events to [email protected]. Calendar listings are for not-for-profit organizations (nonsectarian, nonpartisan events) only, on a space-available basis. Please include a phone number that can be printed.

 

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Gorgs

MEET SAMMY AND GORGS!

These dapper, domestic short-haired, white tabby, male housemates at the Smithtown Animal Shelter are only two years old. Despite their remarkable resemblance, Sammy and Gorgs are not biological brothers. These beautiful boys were adopted together at the shelter as baby kittens. Sadly, hard times fell upon them when their Dad’s living situation changed, and he was not permitted to take his furry family members with him.

Sammy

Upon making the boys’ acquaintance, you will quickly learn that it doesn’t take Gorgs very long to warm up to people. A little attention and gentle petting will be instantly rewarded with the sweet sound of his endearing purr, and endless affection. Sammy is a bit on the shy side, but once you earn his trust, you will receive unconditional love and loyalty. It is nearly impossible to resist Sammy’s charming nature when he reveals how exceptionally lovable he really is.

This duo will warm your heart and offer a lifetime of cherished memories to share. These boys have been through a lot, therefore the team at the shelter would prefer them to find a forever home together. However, they are not bonded and could be separated for the right situation. Both are healthy and would likely fit purr-fectly in most homes, including those with older children, cats, and calm dogs.

If you are interested in meeting Sammy and Gorgs please fill out an application to schedule time to properly interact with your prospective soul mate in a domestic setting.

All of the felines at the Shelter are current on vaccines and have received a full workup (blood work, Feline HIV & Leukemia tested, physical exam etc) by a board certified Veterinarian.

For more information regarding our rescue animals available for adoption visit:. TownofSmithtownAnimalShelter.com 

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

 

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METRO photo
Lowering inflammation and expanding lung capacity are keys

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Welcome to autumn! It’s the time of year when we revel in the beauty of changing foliage, the joy of Halloween decorations and costumes, and the prevalence “pumpkin spice” everything.

Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when we are most alert to influenza (the flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 variants circulating in our communities.

If you have a lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma, or if you smoke or vape, the consequences of these viruses are especially concerning.

The good news is that you can do a lot to improve your lung function by exercising, eating a plant-based diet with a focus on fruits and vegetables, expanding your lung capacity with an incentive spirometer, and quitting smoking or vaping (1). 

Does diet improve lung function?

It’s no surprise that your dietary choices can help or hinder your health. What is surprising is diet’s impact on your lung health. Let’s review some of the studies.

In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), results show that asthma patients who ate a high-antioxidant diet had greater lung function after 14 days than those who ate a low-antioxidant diet (2). They also had lower inflammation at 14 weeks, which was measured using a c-reactive protein (CRP) biomarker. Participants in the low-antioxidant group were over two times more likely to have an asthma exacerbation.

The high-antioxidant group had a modest five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily, while the low-antioxidant group ate no more than two servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit daily. Using carotenoid supplementation in place of antioxidant foods did not affect inflammation. The authors concluded that an increase in carotenoids from diet has a clinically significant impact on asthma in a very short period.

In a longer-term analysis of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, researchers assessed and stratified diets into three tiers to identify the impacts of diet quality on long-term lung health (3). Researchers found that a nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet was associated with significantly less decline in lung function over 20 years, even after adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors influencing lung health.

What is the impact of fiber on COPD risk?

Several studies demonstrate that higher consumption of fiber from plants decreases the risk of COPD in smokers and ex-smokers.

In one study of men, results showed that higher fiber intake was associated with significant 48 percent reductions in COPD incidence in smokers and 38 percent incidence reductions in ex-smokers (4). The high-fiber group ate at least 36.8 grams per day, compared to the low-fiber group, which ate less than 23.7 grams per day. Fiber sources were fruits, vegetables and whole grain. The “high-fiber” group was still below the American Dietetic Association’s recommended intake of 14 grams per 1,000 calories each day.

In another study, this time with women, participants who consumed at least 2.5 serving of fruit per day, compared to those who consumed less than 0.8 servings per day, experienced a highly significant 37 percent decreased risk of COPD (5).

Both studies used apples, bananas, and pears to reduce COPD risk.

What exercise helps improve lung function?

In a study involving healthy women aged 65 years and older, results showed that 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise three times a day improved FEV1 and FVC, both indicators of lung function, in just 12 weeks (7). Participants began with a 15-minute warm-up, then 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise on a treadmill, followed by 15 minutes of stretching.

You do not need special equipment. You can walk up steps or hills in your neighborhood, do jumping jacks, or even dance around your home. It’s most important to increase your heart rate and expand your lungs. If this is new for you, consult a physician and start slowly. Your stamina will improve quickly when you do it consistently.

What is incentive spirometry?

An incentive spirometer (IS) is a device that helps expand the lungs when you inhale through a tube and cause one or more balls to rise. This inhalation expands the lung’s alveoli.

Incentive spirometry has been used for patients with pneumonia, those who have had chest or abdominal surgery and those with asthma or COPD, but it has also been useful for healthy participants (8). A small study showed that those who trained with an incentive spirometer for two weeks increased their lung function and respiratory motion. Participants were 10 non-smoking healthy adults who took five sets of five deep breaths twice a day, totaling 50 deep breaths per day. 

In recent years, some small studies examined the impact of IS on patient COVID-19 outcomes. One study of 48 patients in an outpatient setting found that study participants using an IS three times a day experienced a 16 percent increase in maximal inspiratory volume over a span of 30 days (9).

Another pilot study followed 10 patients diagnosed with moderate COVID-19 to determine whether IS use prevented development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) (10). IS users had improved PaO2/FiO2 ratio, improved chest X-ray findings, shorter hospital stays, and sooner improvement of symptoms than non-users.

We all should be working to strengthen our lungs. Using a three-pronged approach including diet, aerobic exercise, and incentive spirometer can make a tremendous difference.

References:

(1) Public Health Rep. 2011 Mar-Apr; 126(2): 158-159. (2) Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Sep;96(3):534-43. (3) Res Sq  [Preprint]. 2023 Apr 26:rs.3.rs-2845326. [Version 1] (4) Epidemiology Mar 2018;29(2):254-260. (5) Int J Epidemiol Dec 1 2018;47(6);1897-1909. (6) J Phys Ther Sci. Aug 2017;29(8):1454-1457. (8) Ann Rehabil Med. Jun 2015;39(3):360-365. (9) Cureus. 2021 Oct 4;13(10):e18483. (10) Eur Resp J 2022 60: 268.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.

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From left, a female and male Pileated Woodpecker. The male can be differentiated from the female by its red cheek stripe and longer red crown that extends to its bill. Pixabay photo

By John L. Turner

Part One 

John Turner

Perhaps you remember, from those good ol’ days in high school biology, the phrase the teacher requested that you memorize: “Form begets function.” This truism reflects a universal fact that a strong correlation exists between the form of an animal or body part and the function it performs.

The long legs of a heron, for example, help it excel at wading in the shallow water of pond edges where it employs its long, dagger-like bill to spear fish and frogs. Similarly, the shape of a barnacle, growing on rocks in the intertidal portion of the ocean where crashing waves can dislodge anchored objects, is shaped to deflect wave energy. 

Nowhere is this “form fits function” rule better exhibited than with our native woodpeckers, birds that grip the vertical surface of bark while hammering away on wood. Indeed, from head to tail woodpeckers are the epitome of the truism. Many of their physical features allow them to excel when pecking on wood.  

Let’s start with the tail. Woodpecker tail feathers, especially the middle two, are quite stiff, much stiffer than, say, a blue jay feather. This rigidity is a major benefit as the tail serves as a brace, similar to a telephone lineman’s legs against the utility pole, helping to anchor the bird against the side of a tree. The other part of the anchor involves very strong feet equipped with sharp and powerful claws enabling the bird to maintain a firm grip, a grip enhanced because a woodpecker’s four toes are aligned with two toes in the front and two in the back to better grip bark, compared to a songbird’s foot with three toes in the front and one in the back. 

A male Pileated Woodpecker. Pixabay photo

These anchor points serve well as the woodpecker uses them to actively probe crevices in the bark, as well as to hammer away wood in search of grubs lurking beneath. And this is where the adaptations in the bird’s skull come into play. According to the definitive text on this bird group “Woodpeckers of North America,” a Pileated Woodpecker may strike with its bill, and by extension its skull, 12,000 times a day. Even more remarkably, the deceleration force each time can be as much as 1,200g. This is equivalent to a human hitting their head against a wall while running at 16 mph — each and every strike.    

How does a woodpecker avoid damage to its brain and eyes from the constant hammering? To protect the brain, the skull has developed two thick spongy sections, one in front of the brain and the other behind it, which help to absorb the shock.  In woodpecker species that spend a great deal of time hammering rather than pecking and flicking, this frontal section is larger. A woodpecker’s behavior can also reduce the impact of the blows by slightly changing the angle of each strike  thereby preventing an impact to the same part of the brain with each blow.

A woodpecker’s eyes are also vulnerable to damage and, not surprisingly, here too they’ve evolved several adaptations to minimize damage. With the bird’s head moving at such speed and then coming to an immediate stop their eyes could be damaged and possibly pop out of their sockets. To prevent this, a nictitating membrane, sometimes referred to as a bird’s “third eyelid,” closes an instant before impact keeping eyes securely in their socket and preventing any wood chips from damaging the eyes. Similarly, a tuft of short feathers situated at the base of the upper bill serves to prevent chips from flying into the eyes.

The adaptations don’t stop here, as woodpecker’s tongues might be the most fascinating example of “form begeting function” in this unique group of birds.  The shape of woodpecker tongues is quite diverse. 

A male Northern Flicker identified by his black whisker. Pixabay photo

Sapsucker tongues, which as their name suggest, lick sap from holes (known as sap wells) they’ve created in tree bark, are brush-like to help lap up the liquid. In contrast, woodpeckers that search for beetle grubs in rotted wood have tongues that are stiff and barbed, with some possessing backward pointing spines like a fish hook to assist in extracting prey. Sticky saliva also helps in capturing prey. 

If you stick out your tongue you can feel it is anchored to the bottom of your mouth, toward the back. Not so with woodpeckers. Remarkably, their tongues are not anchored in their mouths at all; they are anchored in their forehead near the base of the upper bill and wraps entirely around their skull. This makes the tongue quite extendable and in Northern Flickers means they can stick their tongues out a full two inches beyond the tip of the bill, a good skill to have for nabbing ants from a distance.   

Virtually all woodpeckers are cavity nesters with most taking the time to excavate the nesting and roosting cavities they use. In this way, woodpeckers play a crucial role in providing nesting opportunities for other cavity nesting birds such as Screech Owls, Eastern Bluebirds, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice,  and Great-crested Flycatchers. In total, woodpecker cavities are used by more than 40 bird species in North America for nesting and roosting and provide shelter to several mammals such as flying squirrels and even some snake and lizard species.  

Read Part II of Wonderful Woodpeckers in the issue of November 21 or click here.

A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is a naturalist, conservation co-chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, and Conservation Policy Advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association.

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