East End Arts Council Presents Painter Dan Rizzie in Speaker Series

Riverhead, NY (July 31, 2008)—Painter Dan Rizzie will share insights about his success as an artist as part of the East End Arts Council Speaker Series on Wednesday, August 13th at the EEAC Carriage House at 7:30 pm. The Speaker Series brings artists of all disciplines to an audience interested in how these artists have been able to make a living almost exclusively from their art. The Wednesday-evening series runs through the end of August and includes writers, painters, illustrators and musicians. The cost is $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. Please call 631-727-0900 for more information.

Dan Rizzie Bio
Dan Rizzie’s paintings can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Dallas Museum of Art, San Antonio Museum of Art and many, many more museums and collections. His solo and group exhibitions date to 1974, and he’s garnered numerous awards along the way. Of his art, Rizzie says, “Inspiration for an artist can come from almost anywhere. Look at art history, read a book or listen to a song. …it can come from out of the blue and it often does. I used to find inspiration from the walls of buildings in New York and Europe when I traveled there. I still work like that—putting paper down and painting over it and so on till I arrive at a surface not unlike an old city wall, then I put an image over it all, usually something borrowed from nature…a botanical form, or whatever inspires me.”

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Arts for Everyone

Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900

East End Arts Council - Administered Grant for Artists of All Disciplines

Riverhead, NY (July 31, 2008)—The SOS (Strategic Opportunity Stipend) Grant, a joint project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and New York state arts and cultural organizations like the East End Arts Council, is specifically designed to help individual artists take advantage of career-enhancing opportunities. The SOS, which awards anywhere between $100 and $600 to artists, writers, musicians and performers, is available to Long Islanders through the East End Arts Council.

The deadline for the next upcoming round of the SOS, which is Round 1 2008-2009, is September 25, 2008, for opportunities that occur between November 2008 and February of 2009.

Application is open to those who reside full time within Nassau or Suffolk counties. Contact the East End Arts Council at 631-727-0900 for more information. You can also download an application from and learn more about this grant and others by visiting www.eastendarts.org or www.nyfa.org.

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Arts for Everyone

Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Dr. Robert Butler Slated to Speak at Dowling College

OAKDALE, NY - Pulitzer Prize-winning author and president of the International Longevity Center Dr. Robert Butler will speak at the inauguration of the new Center for Intergenerational Policy & Practice at Dowling College in partnership with Intergenerational Strategies. Dr. Butler will discuss his latest book “The Longevity Revolution” and entertain audience questions.

This event will take place on Friday, September 19, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in the Fortunoff Hall Ballroom at Dowling College’s Rudolph Campus in Oakdale. The $30 Registration Fee includes breakfast and a copy of Dr. Butler’s book, “The Longevity Revolution”. To register, visit www.dowling.edu/intergenerationalcenter

The mission of the Center for Intergenerational Policy & Practice at Dowling College is to raise public awareness of the inter-relatedness of the needs of all generational groups through education, advocacy, and practice.

“Dr. Butler’s presentation is a rare opportunity for Long Islanders to hear from one of the world’s most recognized experts in the aging field. Dr. Butler is filled with historical insights as well as
recommendations on what the future portends as we age,” says Dr. Susanne Bleiberg Seperson, Director of Dowling College’s Center for Intergenerational Policy and Practice.” “We are living longer and
healthier lives and many people are in a position to give back to the community through participation in intergenerational activities.”

About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.

Gloria Gaynor Performs Free Show at John Burns Park

Gloria Gaynor will be performing the Music Under the Stars at John Burns Park, Tuesday, August 5th at 8 P.M. Rhythm and blues and soul singers perform as part of the “Music Under the Stars” program sponsored by The Town of Oyster Bay. The showcase features popular act from the 80’s and 90’s including Maxine Nightingale.

The disco queen is still going strong, performing live concerts around the world, releasing CD’s and appearing on national TV.  This year marks the 3oth anniversary for “I Will Survive” which debuted in 1978. Little did Gloria know that this disco hit would become an anthem for communal survival throughout the decades.  Gaynor has no plans to stop anytime soon though, her new Christmas album is set for release this fall. 

Gaynor remembers to give thanks to God through her music and her everyday actions.  She is continuously giving back to the community that gives her inspiration and strength. “A person’s life consists of the object of his faith, who he is, what he stands for, how he uses his gifts, talents and attributes, his quality relationships and what he is willing to live or die for.”  Her words give hope to those who are hoping to “survive.” Gaynor is active in several charities such as the Susan G. Comen North Jersey Affiliate, United Cerebral Palsy Hudson County Board of Directors and Save the Children, just to name a few.

Statement from Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith
 
ALBANY, NY – “The Senate Democrats, under my leadership, are united with Governor Paterson in his efforts to bring the state budget under control and to erase the looming $6.4 billion deficit.
 
Elected leaders need to recognize the time-value of money and the need to implement efficiency measures quickly. We need to respond to this fiscal crisis with speed and thoughtfulness. 

It is time for New York’s governmental leaders to begin making the hard choices and implement fiscal belt-tightening measures that the Senate Democratic Conference called for last November.
 
These proposals include: 

• instituting a targeted hiring freeze;
• developing an attrition savings plan;
• drawing down from the state’s Rainy Day fund; and
• encouraging early retirement of state employees by offering a buyout plan

Resolving fiscal crises of this magnitude requires understanding and the need for shared sacrifice amongst all sectors until we can restore our economic strength.
 
Senate Democrats have correctly predicted the present situation and have been consistent in calling for responsible budget measures. I look forward to working with the Governor and the other state leaders to implement our plan to protect New Yorkers from this potentially crippling economic downturn and to ensure our long term fiscal stability.”

Amana Tool Announces Industrial Insert V-Groove Router Bits for “V” Grooving, Miter Folds, Signmaking, Lettering, Chamfering and More 
 
Farmingdale, N.Y. – Amana Tool, manufacturers of industrial-quality tungsten carbide woodworking tools, today announced immediate availability of its RC-1028 industrial insert V-groove router bits. This innovative CNC tool body design uses a high grade carbide insert knife specially designed for miter folds, signmaking and lettering applications. Users can extend the life of their tools due to the harder carbide grade, which is more cost effective than replacing standard brazed-tip router bits. The RC-1028 works well on laminates, plywood, solid wood, aluminum and foam, plastic and foam and solid surface materials.
 
The unique CNC design of the RC-1028 includes a reversible knife, which can be rotated when one side becomes dull. Once the insert knife shows wear on both sides, it can quickly be replaced and secured using the locking screw system, ensuring maximum safety without sacrificing cutting accuracy.
 
“The RC-1028 offers the cutting accuracy essential for professionals in the miter folding application, signmaking and lettering business,” stated Frank Misiti, technical director at Amana Tool. “Its innovative insert design and economical features prolong the tool life and yield superior results with each cut.”
 
Amana Tool offers angles ranging from 60 to 150 degrees with a 3/4” shank and angles ranging from 45 to 160 degrees in a 1/2” shank. The RC-1028 is available for $134.69 USD through Amana Tool’s authorized distributors. For the location nearest you, visit www.amanatool.com.
 
About Amana Tool
An industry leader for more than 35 years, Amana Tool specializes in solid carbide, carbide insert and carbide-tipped cutting tools for the industrial woodworking and plastics industry. Amana Tool’s full line of high-quality woodworking tools includes saw blades, router bits, shaper cutters, boring bits and more for wood, plastics, aluminum, solid surface and other materials. The company was founded in 1972 and has corporate headquarters in Farmingdale, N.Y.  For a complete listing of Amana Tool’s products, visit www.amanatool.com.
 
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East End Arts Council Presents Painter Alan Bull in Speaker Series
 
Riverhead, NY — Painter Alan Bull will share insights about his success as an artist as part of the East End Arts Council Speaker Series on Wednesday, August 6th at the EEAC Carriage House at 7:30 pm. The Speaker Series brings artists of all disciplines to an audience interested in how these artists have been able to make a living almost exclusively from their art. The Wednesday evening series runs through the end of August and includes writers, painters, illustrators and musicians.

Alan Bull will also spend two weeks (8/4- 8/15) as the EEAC artist-in-residence; he will be working on a painting series and will be teaching two, four-day classes (It All Starts with Drawing/August 4,5,7,8/10 am-3:30 pm/cost for EEAC members $170; nonmembers $200 and Painting with Confidence/ August 11, 12, 14, 15/10 am- 3:30 pm/cost for EEAC members $170; nonmembers $200).  Please call 631-727-0900 for more information.
 
Bio on Alan Bull
In the last decade, New England artist Alan Bull has become known for his emotionally charged depictions of the agricultural landscape. Originally from Old Town, Maine, he studied at the Philadelphia College of Art and worked as a muralist, theatrical set painter, portrait artist and then studio assistant to glass artist Dan Dailey in Massachusetts before embarking on a career as an artist and illustrator.

From 1996-1998 he was the artist-in-residence at the William Steeple Davis House in Orient, NY. During that time Alan began creating a series of landscapes and truck paintings based on his family’s 300 year-old farm (Terry’s Farm, Orient) as well as other landmarks of Long Island’s North Fork. In 2001 Alan received a New York State Council for the Arts Community Connections Grant for his project ‘Farm Freight,’ a series of paintings and photographs that documented many of the historic agricultural freight depots of the Long Island Railroad. Other series include paintings of architectural facades and work created in northern Holland, Brittany and southern France, and most recently Andalusia, Spain.

Exhibitions have included shows in New York, London, Boston, and Portland, ME, and his work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, North Shore Living, The Boston Globe and The New York Times. Alan regularly teaches painting and drawing workshops throughout the East End of Long Island and the North Shore of Massachusetts, where he currently resides.

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Arts for Everyone

Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900

East End Arts Council  Photography Show “3” Opens

Riverhead, NY –The East End Arts Council is pleased to announce the opening of the juried photography show “3,” which will run from August 29– October 3, 2008, and the title of which is open to interpretation. The guest juror for the show is fine-art photographer and photojournalist, Doug Kuntz. Nationally acclaimed New Yorker photographer, Sylvia Plachy, will celebrate New York in a photo essay as our featured guest artist in the Project Room during the show.

The opening reception will be held on Friday, August 29 from 5-8 pm. There is no cost for admission, and the public is invited.

For more information, please call the EEAC gallery at 727-0900.

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Arts for Everyone

Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900

LIPA & National Grid Prepare for Hurricane Season

Uniondale, N.Y.—As Long Island enters the height of the 2008 hurricane season, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and National Grid conducted its joint annual hurricane season preparedness drill today, which was monitored by the New York State Office of Emergency Management and the emergency management offices of Nassau and Suffolk counties and New York City.

“We make every effort to ensure that in the event of a major storm LIPA and National Grid are in the best position to restore our system as quickly and safely as possible,” said President & CEO Kevin S. Law.
   
“National Grid and its employees are prepared to respond quickly in the event of any weather related emergencies that may affect LIPA’s electric customers and National Grid’s gas customers,” said Tom King, president of National Grid’s U.S. business.  “Our employees have been trained across the company in emergency preparedness and are able to provide assistance wherever needed.  We’re ready to work with LIPA and public officials to ensure a smooth and coordinated storm response for Long Islanders.”
In preparation for a storm event LIPA and National Grid begin tracking major storms days before they near Long Island.  As a major storm or hurricane approaches the region, LIPA takes steps to respond quickly to storm-related outages.

For customer service, “21st Century”, an automatic reporting system that can process more than 100,000 customer calls per hour can be activated.  Automatically, outages are electronically recorded and reported to system operators to start the restoration process by assigning a job ticket to the reported outage.
In addition to the line crews, all employees have a second job if a major storm strikes and are trained for storm emergency assignments, and personnel work extended shifts around the clock to complete all service restorations as quickly as possible.

LIPA’s Storm Center at http://www.lipower.org/stormcenter  is available 24/7 for updates, outage information and storm restoration progress reports.
 
To help minimize storm damage to LIPA’s electric system, LIPA’s forestry program works throughout the year to identify and trim tree limbs in rights of way and along easements that could potentially cause outages during or after a storm. Additionally, customers are urged to have trees on private property surveyed independently to be assured that their trees or bushes are not experiencing dangerous and weakening rot.  Tree limbs that come in contact with electric lines remain the major cause of customer outages during storms, accounting for over 90% of all service disruptions. For more information on LIPA’s Forestry program, please visit LIPA’s Web site at http://www.lipower.org/community.

Well in advance of a hurricane or tropical storm reaching Long Island, LIPA’s customers are encouraged to follow these storm preparation recommendations to help ensure their families safety and comfort:

• Develop a family plan for survival and property protection. Rehearse the plan so everyone knows what to do.
• Have flashlights, battery-operated radios and extra batteries on hand. Check the batteries to make sure they are fresh.
• Know the hurricane risks in your area. Learn the storm surge history and elevation of your area. Learn the location of official shelters or make plans for a local hotel or motel. Be prepared to take alternate routes to these locations as main streets maybe closed.
• Learn safe routes inland away from the Ocean or LI Sound.
• If your residence is in a potential flood or storm surge zone, be prepared to evacuate when officials recommend it.
• Arrange now for elderly and others with special needs such as those who depend on electric life-support devices.  Alert LIPA customer service   (1-800-490-0025) about these support devices.
• Inventory personal property; safely secure all records and valuable documents in a watertight place.
• Have material available to protect your doors and windows. Boarding or shuttering windows is significantly more effective than taping windows which barely strengthens the window and will not protect at all against flying debris.
• Put together a family hurricane evacuation kit that includes bottled water, bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows, and appropriate prescription medicines.
• Ensure that enough non-perishable food and water supplies are on hand. NOAA suggests 1 gallon of water per person per day.
• Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
• Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed of dead wood.
• Determine where to move a boat in an emergency.
• Provide for pets.

If a hurricane or major tropical storm damages the region, Long Islanders are strongly cautioned to stay away from downed power lines. Immediately after the storm, outages will be evident to LIPA via its computerized control systems. LIPA’s computer systems automatically detect neighborhood service interruptions and begin the restoration process by alerting systems operators of the outage. However, should anyone notice a downed electric line or experience a single service interruption, call 1-800-490-0075. In addition, downed wires might end up covered by tree limbs or leaves, so be careful when letting children play outside after a storm.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, as well as links to weather sites and emergency response agencies visit LIPA’s Web site at http://lipower.org.

LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric provider, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA is the 2nd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of electric revenues, 3rd largest in terms of customers served and the 7th largest in terms of electricity delivered. In 2006, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State in all three major reliability categories. LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at: http://www.lipower.org

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LIPA Contact Information:
Media Relations: (516) 719-9294
Media Pager: (516) 525-LIPA
media.relations@lipower.org
LIPA News Center
www.lipower.org/newscenter

Small Online Craft Company Clicks It’s Way Through Economic Instability

KINGS PARK, NY., - As small businesses struggle to survive in times of economic downfall, Makingfriends.com, Inc. still prospers as an internet-based company. Terri Bose, founder of the online company, continues to meet the needs of the crafter community through usage of internet tools. The cyber world gives small business owners, like Terri, the ability to utilize resources such as e-commerce, advertisements, and the ability to add niche websites.

“I can have an idea today and start marketing it next week,” said Terri, owner of Makingfriends.com, Inc., “and it is cost effective and efficient with the use of the internet. Through experiences of trial and error, I’ve learned to balance advertising and e-commerce, so that I can continue to gain revenue while still keeping my customers happy.”

Terri can satisfy her various markets with the addition and removal of crafts on the website based on interest and season. Makingfriends.com has adapted to these markets by creating eco-friendly crafts that use recycled materials, ethically diverse crafts to serve all religions and cultures, as well as simple projects for the “craft-impaired”. She can also adjust to the needs of the company with strategy changes to generate revenue.

Makingfriends.com, Inc. was founded in 1998 to provide all levels of crafters an easily accessible variety of do-it-yourself projects. The site offers a wide range of craft materials, ideas, and full project kits that are sent directly to the customer. With 10,000 to 40,000 site visits a day, this small business is expanding to many different markets in the online world.

For more information about Makingfriends.com please call (631) 979-7331 or email makingfr@optonline.net.

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