(Centereach, N.Y.) On Sunday May 18th Randy “The Natural” Couture will be appearing at XtremeCouture MMA & Fitness Center 2120 Middle Country Road in Centereach New York 11720.

Mr Couture a 6 time UFC champion and hall of famer will be conducting a training seminar from 9am - 2pm for all members and from 2pm-3:30pm he will be signing autographs and pictures for fans at a cost of $25.00.

Please come early to reserve your spot and a chance to meet one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.

Call Jay at 631-331-0125 for more details

About Randy Couture
Randy Duane Couture is an American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, and former collegiate wrestler. Couture is one of the two MMA fighters to have held a championship title in two different divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) (the other one being BJ Penn), as well as the only five-time champion in UFC history, earning him the nicknames “The Natural” and, later, “Captain America”. He is considered by many to be the most popular fighter in MMA history, and is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame.

About XtremeCouture New York
XtremeCouture in Centereach is one of five other Extreme Couture gyms across the U.S which are owned by Randy Couture. The 6,000 square foot facility is slated to have a boxing ring, an octagonal cage, mats, and an area for weight training and cardio equipment. The gym is located at 2120 Middle Country Road, Centereach, NY 11720. For more information, visit Extreme Couture MMA www.xtremecoutureny.com

• Appearence May 18th, 2008
• For members 9AM - 2 PM
• For autographs and pictures for fans (cost of $25.00) 2PM - 3:30PM

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XtremeCouture New York
2120 Middle Country RD
Centereach NY 11720
(516)870-2085
www.xtremecoutureny.com

(Uniondale, NY) In an effort to reduce energy costs while keeping up with Long Island’s growing energy demands, Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) President and CEO Kevin S. Law recently announced the Authority’s new Efficiency Long Island program.

The 10-year, $924 million program kicks off on January 1, 2009 and will offer residential and business customers an array of programs to help reduce their energy usage resulting in savings on future bills and achieving significant environmental benefits.

Efficiency Long Island is expected to reduce peak electric demand by 500 Megawatts (MW) by 2018. Such a reduction will result in the deferral or elimination of the equivalent of one large or two medium-sized power plants from LIPA’s capacity expansion plan and avoid high-cost, on-peak energy production equivalent to saving 2.2 million barrels of oil.

This new program succeeds and expands on LIPA’s clean energy initiative offering more programs while continuing to promote clean, renewable electric generation technologies and energy conservation and efficiency.

“Efficiency Long Island postpones the need to build additional generating facilities and it also provides tools our customers can utilize to control their own energy consumption, thereby lowering their monthly bills,” said LIPA President and CEO Kevin S. Law.  “It’s the cheapest, cleanest and fastest way to meet Long Island’s energy needs while reducing global warming pollution,” said Law.

Under the program, residential and commercial customers will have easy access via the internet or telephone to enroll in the following five programs:

For Residential Customers
* Efficient Products - Purchases of lighting, appliances, consumer electronics, in-wall air conditioners and dehumidifiers from retail outlets

* ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes - includes building shell upgrades, HVAC, hot water, duct seals, lighting and high efficiency appliances

* Existing Homes - duct sealing and tune-ups for central air conditioners, whole house retrofit assistance and installation services, Residential Energy Affordability Program (REAP), and properly installed higher-than-code efficiency central air and heat pump equipment

For Commercial Customers
* Commercial & Industrial (”C&I”) New Construction - targets all new buildings and major renovations

* C&I Existing Buildings - addresses equipment purchases stemming from natural replacement at the end of useful life and retro-fits (discretionary replacement of functioning inefficient equipment)
LIPA has deemed the Efficiency Long Island program the most cost-effective resource option currently available. It is estimated that implementation of Efficiency Long Island will reduce CO2 emissions by about 12 million metric tons compared to the CO2 emissions that would be produced from new power plants burning natural gas.  This is equivalent to removing 2.5 million cars from Long Island roads.

A modest energy efficiency fee based on usage will appear on all customer bills to pay for investment in the program and to offset LIPA’s lost revenues. The fee will be implemented concurrently with a $28.6 million reduction in base rates to remove the energy efficiency portion of budgeted expenditures under the clean energy initiative. There will be separate recovery factors for residential and small commercial customers and large commercial customers. Residential and small commercial non-participant bill impacts are estimated at $40 per customer per year, and the line will be separately displayed on bills bringing LIPA in-line with private utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission which imposes a System Benefit Charge for efficiency programs.

Participants in the efficiency program will see varying benefits depending on their level of participation. A typical residential customer participating at a moderate level - for example, replacing six incandescent bulbs with CFL’s, getting a central air conditioning unit tune up and duct work sealed by a participating contractor should recoup his or her investment in a few months and save approximately $90 on the annual bill.  A commercial business under rate code 281 using approximately 62,000 kWh per year ($11,200) that replaces lighting, converts equipment to new ENERGY STAR equipment and installs some lighting and cooling controls, should recoup the investment in less than two years and should see an annual savings of approximately $2,500.
    
“NRDC [Natural Resources Defense Council] commends LIPA for its Efficiency Long Island program - it will result in savings for Long Islanders and many other benefits,” said Donna De Costanzo, Senior Attorney for the national organization. “The Efficiency Long Island effort represents another strong step towards meeting Long Island’s energy needs, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, lowering consumer energy bills and increasing energy independence. It marks a large step forward not only for environmental benefits, but also for consumer benefits,” Ms. De Costanzo said.

“What LIPA is doing here is, in fact, building a five hundred ‘negawatt’ plant - negawatt with an ‘N’ because they are building efficiency into their power,” said Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island. “It will be distributed all over the Island. It will never use a drop of fuel oil or need natural gas. It will save carbon dioxide and greenhouse emissions and most importantly, for most people it will save money.”

Energy efficiency programs were a significant recommendation in Governor David A. Patterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force which released its first report in February 2008. The New York State Public Service Commission is currently considering mandating such programs on all utilities under its jurisdiction.

For more information on the Efficiency Long Island Program visit www.lipower.org.

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LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric utility, 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:
Ed Dumas- VP of Media Relations
516.719.9838 (Office)
631.872.2790 (Cell)

LIPA Media Pager: 516-525-LIPA (5472)
media.relations@lipower.org

LIPA News Center
www.lipower.org/newscenter

Farmingdale NY  – 94.3 WMJC is pleased to announce the brand new program: “UNLABELED - Where Unsigned Music Lives” premiering Sunday May 11th at 10pm on 94.3 FM Radio, Long Island NY. WMJC personality and DJ Rob Rush and local industry maven Rick Eberle of Popcore Entertainment will host the show.

Long Island has long been a fertile ground for undiscovered talent and Island 94.3 is proud to be the only outlet of its kind to air a show exclusively dedicated to new emerging music. The show will feature unsigned bands from Long Island, as well as from New York and across the nation.

Station Program Director Jon Daniels said: “There’s a lot of great unsigned bands out there and we’re pleased to offer this new programming feature as part of our way to showcase new talent from Long Island and the rest of the country”.

For more information on Unlabeled, please contact Show Host Rick Eberle at PopCore Entertainment by calling 516-729-6872 or emailing him at rick@popcore.net
 
About Rob Rush
Rob Rush comes to WMJC after 5 years at the now defunct WLIR. He was the late night host for over two years at ‘LIR, and then in may 2002 was asked to lend his rugged tones to the bone, where he hosted mid days for a little over a year and a half. Rob was also production director of WLIR/WDRE/WXXP from May 2002 until December 2003. When asked why he chose a career in radio he says, “I wanted to be a rock star, but couldn’t really find a band that was serious. I figured the next best thing was to be a DJ so I could still be on the radio!”

About Rick Eberle
Industry veteran and insider Rick Eberle has held jobs in almost every facet of the business, including gigs at Arista Records, Long Island Press, WLIR Radio, The Downtown Concert Venue, LongIsland.com and is the founder of PopCore Entertainment.

About WMJC and The Long Island Radio Group
The Long Island Radio Group consists of KJOY (98.3 FM), WHLI (1100am), WBZO (103.1), WMJC (94.3), WRCN (103.9) and WLVG (96.1). All of the stations of The Long Island Radio Group comprehensively reach Long Island both demographically and geographically. Offering full-service, one stop marketing shopping.  The Long Island Radio Group specializes in creating custom tailored marketing, branding, imaging and advertising programs.  Elements utilized include radio commercial schedules, public service marketing partnerships, public relations facilitation, contesting and imaging programs, field marketing initiatives, distribution and sampling programs and community awareness campaigns. http://www.liradiogroup.com/

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POPCORE
1819 FEUEREISEN AVENUE
RONKONKOMA, New York 11779

Artist Jason Green will be exhibiting his paintings May 12th through May 16th, 2008 at the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, Campus Center, and S.U.N.Y College at Old Westbury.
 
Jason’s paintings are created with colored push-pins attached to painted canvas. Each painting has as its subject a topic that is from the artist’s personal life inventory, such as his house, his hat, a baseball field, his home computer, etc. Inserting painted push pins into a painted background helps create an unusual dimension of depth. Jason hopes to provide the viewer an opportunity to bring his/her own interpretation to the canvas.
 
The gallery hours are:
Monday-Friday, 12-4pm.
Opening Reception: Monday, May 12th, 4-8pm.

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PR/Sent-Postal Mail
05/06/08

Ms. Stephanie Tracy will be opening a new exhibition titled “Blue to Global Warming” at the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery in SUNY College at Old Westbury’s Campus Center on May 12, 2008/ Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 12-4pm, plus Saturday and Sunday by appointment. The opening reception is Monday May 12th from 4-8pm.

As a native Long Islander, Ms. Stephanie Tracy has been working in the field of photography since 1993. Whether on location or in the studio, she is always observing design, texture, color and the emotions that surround her. She has photographed weddings as far away as The Breakers Hotel in Florida, and has been the still photographer on independent films shot in New York City. Ms. Tracy studied photography at Nassau Community College, film at Maine Media Workshops, and she is presently completing her baccalaureate degree in Elementary Special Education at SUNY Old Westbury on Long Island.

In this current exhibition, Ms. Tracy has created a work of photographs reflecting her passion for the environment. “I am trying to gently open up a person’s mind on how he/she is connected to global warming through the use of beautiful photographs. When people are conscious of their impact, then they might take ownership of their part of the equation.” She has mixed together images of factors that cause global warming and some lesser-known by-products of it. In captions below the mesmerizing images, Ms. Tracy entwines poetry with research data. This approach raises questions rather than pounding previously known facts about global warming in our faces.  
 
12 Noon-4pm Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday by appt.
May 2008

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PR/Postal Mail
05/05/08

Stephanie Tracy
“Blue to Global Warming”
Amelie A. Wallace Gallery
SUNY College at Old Westbury (Campus Center)
(516) 876-3056

Spending two summers as a volunteer teacher on the Barona and Viejas Indian Reservations in California has given him a special connection with the Native American culture, as well as enriched his abilities as a storyteller of Indian tales. Living for a time in Ireland, Johnny learned first hand about the Irish culture and music, which sent him on a path playing traditional Irish music with his band, Gallowglass, all over the country, as well as abroad. As a substitute teacher in the primary grades, Johnny works diligently to bring his love of music to the classroom on a daily basis, as well as lending his talents to the schools plays and concert programs. He has created his own summer enrichment program for his local school district to teach children the art of storytelling. Currently, Johnny is now the proud author of his first published children’s book, Moon-Glow (PublishAmerica, June 2004).

He holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and History and is in the process of completing his Masters degree at Stony Brook University.
 
Ken Corsbie
 
Ken brings the sound of the sea, rainforest, carnival, calypso, songs of the Caribbean – from Guyana and Trinidad in the South to Belize and the Bahamas in the north - the textures and sounds of the islands mixed with those of North America. He also brings 55 years of Caribbean theatre experiences.

Born and grew up in Guyana – Trinidad & Tobago parents – Ken says he is one third Chinese, one sixth Scottish, one fourth African, two seventh Amerindian, one seventh Welch, half Trinidadian, one tenth Barbadian, two fifths Guyanese, and therefore a “full-blooded West Indian stereotype.”

Ken’s repertoire is varied and versatile, crossing through Caribbean folk and literary tales, “performance” poetry, satirical and humorous anecdotes, personal stories of growing up, living in and leaving the Caribbean, arriving and becoming an American. He tells them all with “stereotypical” (his words) West Indian wit and flair.
 
Lorena Doherty
 
Lorena has the ability to paint pictures with words and voice in the imaginations of listeners. She is a photographer, a storyteller, a visual artist, a performance artist and most recently a Librarian.  She brings to the stage a mixture of cultural and artistic influences. Her repertoire is a mixture of world folktales.

Lorena has an Individualized Master of Arts Degree from Antioch University and completed a thesis entitled “Historical Threads Told in Story”.  She has been a featured teller on Cablevision’s “Tell Me a Story” and in Long Island’s “Newsday”.  She facilitated the “South Shore Storyteller’s Project,” a community-based storytelling project focused on building cultural bridges. This year-long project saw participants gather to listen and ultimately tell their own stories. The project culminated in public performances of personal, traditional, and historical stories of Bay Shore and its surrounding communities.
 
In 1998, Lorena was the first Suffolk County producer of “Tellebration!” Tellebration! is an annual world-wide celebration of storytelling traditionally held the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Since then, she has continued to produce and perform in Tellabration! in numerous locations throughout Suffolk County and beyond, including a yearly benefit held at The Little Portion Friary in Mount Sinai, NY. 

She has belonged to several Storytelling groups and is a founding member of The Long Island Storytelling Network (LISN).
Lorena resides in Wading River, N.Y. with her husband Jay and their four children, all of whom are four-legged.
 
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Laura Helms
Communications Coordinator
East End Arts Council
133 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
631.727.0900

Riverhead, NY - The East End Arts Council will be accepting submissions for the juried painting and drawing show The Face, which will run from June 6– July 11, 2008.  The show is open to all painting and drawing media, including pastels.  Artists may submit artwork for consideration to the EEAC gallery, 133 East Main Street, Riverhead, on May 29 -31 from 10 AM-4 PM.

The guest jurors for the show will be Robert Armetta, director of the Long Island Academy of Fine Art in Riverhead, and Ruth Appelhof, executive director of Guild Hall in East Hampton. (For more information on Mr. Armetta and Dr. Appelhof, please visit http://www.eastendarts.org/gallery/juror.html)

The EEAC is also proud to present the art of portrait artist Don Florence in our gallery Project Room, courtesy of boltax.gallery. The opening reception will be held on Friday, June 6th from 5-8 PM. The public is invited.
For submission details and CD-entry rules, please visit http://www.eastendarts.org/gallery/call_artist.html or call the gallery at 727-0900 for a prospectus.
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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

Ms. Grice, who will be returning for her sixth year as emcee of the awards ceremony, will announce the nominees, along with Denise Donovan, executive team leader of human resources from the Riverhead Target, a key sponsor, and A.J. Lebenns, a graduate of Eastport South Manor High School and multiple Teeny Award winner.

The Teeny Awards celebrates its sixth anniversary with its ceremony on Sunday, June 8, 2008, during which the winners will be announced. Schools under the jurisdiction of the East End Arts Council are eligible. Those participating this year include Center Moriches, East Hampton, Eastport-South Manor, Greenport, Hampton Bays, Mattituck, Pierson in Sag Harbor, Riverhead and Mercy-McGann in Riverhead, Ross School in East Hampton, Shelter Island, Shoreham-Wading River, Southampton, Southold, and Westhampton Beach.

“Much like the countywide athletic awards, the Teeny Awards celebrate the dedication, concentration and teamwork required to put on a production and focus on individual and group achievement irrespective of the size of the school or the amount of money allotted to the production,” said Patricia Snyder, East End Arts Council Executive Director and Teeny Awards Founder.

Through sponsorship and fundraising, scholarships were bestowed along with the awards. Current sponsors include Target Stores, Bridgehampton National Bank, Fred W. Thiele, Jr., Assemblyman 2nd District, Joseph & Mary Ann Martorano, Mary Tiedemann, Tanger Outlet Center, Riverhead Building Supply, Miller Environmental, Riverhead Faculty and Community Theatre, Astoria Federal Savings Bank, Hudson City Savings Bank, Westhampton Rotary, Dr. Joseph Duva, Markowitz, Fenelon & Bank, LLP, Emil Norsic & Son, Southampton Inn, Linda Dieterich, Esq., and The Open Book. Anyone interested in actively serving on a committee or becoming a sponsor of the Teeny Awards may contact Ms. Munna at EEAC, 631-727-0900.

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