BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Limba - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Limba X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://limba.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Limba REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20080309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20081102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20090308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20091101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20100314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20101107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091204T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091204T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091204T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091204T050000Z UID:4376-1259884800-1259884800@limba.net SUMMARY:Hon. Ed Romaine Suffolk County Legislator (cancelled) DESCRIPTION:Due to the death of Mr. Romaine’s son Keith\, he has cancelled all appointments. there will be no meeting URL:https://limba.net/calendar/hon-ed-romaine-suffolk-county-legislator-cancelled/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091127T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091127T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091127T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091127T050000Z UID:4373-1259280000-1259280000@limba.net SUMMARY:NO MEETING Thanksgiving week DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/no-meeting-thanksgiving-week/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091120T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091120T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091120T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091120T050000Z UID:4375-1258675200-1258675200@limba.net SUMMARY:John Waffenschmidt- Covanta Power DESCRIPTION:This morning we had a presentation from John Waffenschmidt\, Vice President of Covanta Energy. Covanta is an energy from waste\noperator. The plant in Hempstead is a state of the art facility that converts some of Long Islands waste stream into energy. The recovery of electric power from waste has been done successful elsewhere. In Europe they are way ahead of us in various conservation measures. According to John\, the pollutants from energy to waste are substantially less than that which would be emitted by trucks if the waste stream were carted off-island and landfilled. \nThe plant is able to segregate metals and recover them. One of the most cost effective recovery of metals is aluminum. Making new metal from recovered aluminum uses 85% less energy than making aluminum from bauxite ore. But other metals are successfully and profitably recovered as well\, and metal coins are found every day in the recovery process and that too is part of the salvage stream. \n The co2 that is emitted in burning is of course a by-product of the process\, but no methane is created. This is important because landfills do create methane\, and methane is many more times more damaging to the atmosphere than co2.\nMr Waffenschmidt did not limit his talk to his project but spoke about the larger problem of global warming and the potential for improvement. The United States has the potential of reducing greenhouse gasses by a giga ton. That’s a huge amount\, but it also tells us that we have not been doing as good a job as we could. Waffenschmidt made these remarks after going through the dangers of global warming\, and the exposure this area has to it. \nCovanta is building an extension to it’s present operation and made reassurances that the new plant as well as the old one will not contribute to producing odors in the surrounding area. The plant contains odors by creating a negative pressure inside the plant. As air is sucked into the building it is fed to the burning process. The air leaves the plant after the burning has taken place. \nThe existing facility creates a net of 600KW/ton and the new facility will produce 675KW/ton. The plant itself uses a lot of power to operate all its equipment\, but these figures are net after all that is considered. \nTo see this entire meeting on video go to http://proimagegroupinc.com/limba/11-21-09 \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/john-waffenschmidt-covanta-power/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091113T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091113T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091113T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091113T050000Z UID:4374-1258070400-1258070400@limba.net SUMMARY:No scheduled meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/no-scheduled-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091112T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091112T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091112T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091112T050000Z UID:4371-1257984000-1257984000@limba.net SUMMARY:LIMBA Networking and Karaoke night at Dave & Busters DESCRIPTION:This event is always a big hit. The last time we had John Kominicki and Richard Kessel sing. They rocked the house. John will likely sing again and we have a surprise celeb waiting in the wings.There will be some of the great singers in our midst that you did no know existed. \nThe media room at Dave & Busters works great for this event. there will be a buffet and soft drinks as well as a cash bar \nWe will have the always enertaining and vivacious Anita Bloom guiding us on our Karaoke songs. What a knockout\, Holy Cow! \nLIMLong IslanBd Metro BAusiness Action\nPresents the\n3rd Annual Karaoke Night\nWhen: Thursday\, November 12\, 2009\nWhere: Dave & Buster’s\n1856 Veteran’s Memorial Highway\, Islandia\nTime: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.\nDonation: $35 LIMBA Members\, $40 Non-Members\nLong Island Metro Business Action is hosting an entertaining\nevening of networking\, food and fun!\nThis after-hours event of singing & karaoke will be held in\nthe showroom at the Dave & Buster ’s in Islandia.\nYou and your colleagues are invited to get up and belt out a tune!\nGuest singers include some of Long Island’s most recognized\nbusiness leaders including John Kominicki\, publisher of the\nLong Island Business News.\nFor pre-registration: 631-757-1698\, e-mail info@limba.net\, or\npay on-line with paypal at www.limba.net.\nBecome a sponsor for only $300:\nIncludes premier event recognition and two event tickets. Call 631-757-1698\nfor more information. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/limba-networking-and-karaoke-night-at-dave-busters/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091106T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091106T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091106T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091106T050000Z UID:4372-1257465600-1257465600@limba.net SUMMARY:Gary Bixhorn Chief operating officer Eastern Suffolk Boces DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker was Gary Bixhorn. Mr. Bixhorn is the Chief Operating Officer of Eastern Suffolk BOCES. We generally think of BOCES as the special education arm of our education system. That was its original function\, but over time it added the vocational training\, then the buying cooperative services was added. Today BOCES has a substantial mission in many areas that service the school districts in that area. It has no separate tax base for funding its operations. All funding comes from the school districts on an apportionment basis. \nMr. Bixhorn spoke about the cost of schooling on Long Island and stated that the Long Island region was not getting its fair share of state revenues that are allocated to all schools in the state. \nAs the conversation about costs were explored the questions from the audience asked; Why in hard economic times\, do the schools maintain their budgets as if all were normal? \nThe discussion revealed some important ways that savings could be realized. For example; there is little doubt that consolidation of districts would save some money when most of the $200K plus administrators would not be needed. \nWhile industry has changed the way pensions have been funded\, the school personnel have the same high cost defined benefit plans they have always had. Modifying pensions would provide additional savings. Another problem that is directly related to the multiple school districts is labor contract negotiations. Each school district negotiates its own contracts and those contracts are jack-sawed by comparing their salaries to the last contract that was signed. Each new contract is incrementally higher than the last. The solution to this never-ending escalation in costs is to have salaries and benefits. negotiated on a regional basis. \nUnfortunately no politician has had the courage to fight back. Each year goes by and the tax burden gets worse. Now we are at a juncture where we have an angrier taxpayer than anytime in my memory. The education industry has held these politicos in check by virtue of their vast campaign resources. Maybe the taxpayers will just fire these elected officials now that we are a lot angrier. \nSee video of todays meeting http://www.proimagegroupinc.com/limba/11-6-09/ \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/gary-bixhorn-chief-operating-officer-eastern-suffolk-boces/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091030T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091030T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091030T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091030T040000Z UID:4368-1256860800-1256860800@limba.net SUMMARY:Intermodal Freight in Brkhvn Gerald Drumm & Andrew Kauffmann DESCRIPTION:Presentation by Andrew Kaufman and Gerald Drumm  – Sills Road Realty and US Rail \nThis morning we had two speakers that gave us information on the new intermodal yard that has been proposed and permitted at Sills Rd and the Long Island Expressway. Andrew Kaufman and Gerald Drumm brought a large design plan for us to see as they spoke.\nThe facility has partners that are in the asphalt business and presently move 340\,000 tons of stone and aggregate onto Long Island. This is done using mostly trucks. This facility is designed to remove that truck traffic from the roads when this project is finished. The site has the benefit of having the LIRR tracks close-by. A short spur will have to be built to service the yard. \nThe yard will be operated by a midwestern company\, US Rail\, that has a lot of rail experience. It will still be serviced by NY & Atlantic Railroad\, the company that owns the freight franchise on Long Island.\nOne of the reasons that this site was chosen is the American Power and Light had purchased it to build a power plant\, and had spent $7 million on an extensive environmental review. They did not win the bid to build to service LIPA\,so they were interested in selling the property. Having that extensive review behind them made the property that much more attractive. It\, more importantly\, is in a strategic place to receive and distribute freight. \nThe aggregate business will be the anchor tenant\, but the facility will also be able to bring in lumber and sheet rock as well as other heavy loads. These heavy loads lend themselves to movement by rail. Removing trucks from our roads will save our roads from considerable wear and tear.\nThe facility is large enough to be able to accommodate a large train and off-load it quickly. \nThis facility is one of several that will be needed to accommodate future rail projects\, including the rail freight tunnel from Bayonne to Brooklyn that congressman Gerald Nadler spoke about when he came to LIMBA awhile back. The Port Authority of NY & NJ has expressed interest in making that link a reality and is appropriating funds to design it.\nAll of this fits into the picture that was outlined by LIMBA a few years ago of moving up to 10% of our freight by rail instead of the present 2% \n\nIf you would like to see the entire discussion by streaming video use this link.http://www.proimagegroupinc.com/limba/10-30-09 \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/intermodal-freight-in-brkhvn-gerald-drumm-andrew-kauffmann/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091023T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091023T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091023T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091023T040000Z UID:4363-1256256000-1256256000@limba.net SUMMARY:VHB Engineering Rob. Eshbacher - Infrastructure Issues DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker was Robert Eschbacher of VHB Engineering. He and his firm specialize in infrastructure engineering. After a brief description of what infrastructure consisted of\, Mr. Eschbacher read a report card on the state of repair of existing infrastructure. Roads\, bridges\, aviation facilities\, rail\, and several other categories were cited. The grade for bridges was the best at C\, with an average being D. \nThe cost of repairing\, replacing and adding the new infrastructure that we presently need is $2.2trillion. As enormous as that number is\, it may be conservative. \nIt was a disheartening realization the America has fallen so far behind\, while other modern societies are in much better physical shape\, and each year we get further behind. \nIn the Q&A portion of the meeting questions of solving problems suggested that we are probably never going to build our way out of a road deficit. If we do not embrace new transportation and city planning we will always be behind in our needs. \nThis was not an uplifting and hopeful picture being painted for us. On the other hand if we don’t look at these problems honestly\, we will be less likely to be successful in the future. \nWhen we built the Erie Canal in NY State it was a boon to business. When we built the railroads we brought the country together and developed the west. When we built the Interstate Highway we facilitated commerce on a new scale. We are no longer thinking in those terms\, and that’s a shame. \nOn the other hand all of the problems we have\, present themselves as great opportunities to build great systems that work. \nErnie Fazio \nTo watch the video of this presentation\, please click HERE. \nPro-Image Studios are having a large networking event   — see  http://proimagegroupinc.com/network1.jpg URL:https://limba.net/calendar/vhb-engineering-rob-eshbacher-infrastructure-issues/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091016T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091016T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091016T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091016T040000Z UID:4367-1255651200-1255651200@limba.net SUMMARY:Marcia Bystryn\, Pres NY League Conservation Voters DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker was Marcia Bystryn\, President of The New York League of Conservation Voters. Ms Bystryn explained the role of the organization to the LIMBA audience. NYLCV Education Fund examines conservation issues in a non-partisan forum creating a body of information to be used by voters when electing public officials. Among the issues are Smart Growth\, Energy Conservation & Climate Action\, Transportation\, Natural Resource Protection\, and Open Space Preservation.\nSometimes the issues have a conflict with each other. In those cases an opinion will come out in favor of the greater good. For example; we don’t want to lose parkland but if a ferry point needs to be built to remove traffic from the roads\, they may opt to sacrifice a small area for that purpose. \nThe New York League of Conservation Voters is affiliated with a national version and Ms Bystryn is a member of the national board. Her organization has the ear of all the politically important office holders because under their charter they are able to fund political campaigns. Choosing a political figure to support has a lot less to do with party affiliation than it does with policy goals. In short if a person running for office has goals that are congruent with NYLCV’s agenda\, they have a good chance at getting monetary support. \nMarcia appears to be keenly aware of the needs of Long Island’s transportation needs such as; Increased rail freight\, LIRR Third Track\, Bayonne to Brooklyn Tunnel\, and intermodal transfer yards. We brought up the possibility of supporting the building of MAGLEV and after a brief explanation she was very interested. \nWe came away from this morning’s meeting that Long Island has found a new ally. \nTo view the video\, please click here: http://www.proimagegroupinc.com/limba/10-16-09/ URL:https://limba.net/calendar/marcia-bystryn-pres-ny-league-conservation-voters/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091009T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091009T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091009T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091009T040000Z UID:4361-1255046400-1255046400@limba.net SUMMARY:Tom Cilmi- Candidate 10th Suffolk Legislator Dist DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends\, \nThis morning our speaker was Tom Cilmi. Tom is running for the Suffolk County Legislature in the 10th district. \nThat post is now held Cameron Alden. Mr. Alden is a Republican who is leaving because of term limits. Mr. Cilmi is also a Republican. \nCilmi is a political newcomer\, however he did work in the campaign of Rick Lazio in 1992. Presently he owns a small printing company which he has owned for the last 12 years. He has a fairly impressive record of community involvment and he sees governing in terms of management practices that can always be improved. \nThe issues of Long Island are pretty much the same whether you are Democrat or Republican according to Cilmi. Taxes\, bureaucracy\, public safety and protection of the environment are the issues. How we improve things is the mission. \nOne of the issues Mr. Cilmi spoke about was public safety. We now have fewer policemen than we have had in the recent past. He would like to augment the force since the quality of life issues require adequate policing. \nTaxes and bureaucracy have a detrimental effect on business\, particularly small business. The small business owner simply does not have the time or the money to wade through the labyrinth of regulations. \nUltimately we must create efficiencies rather than expect government to get smaller\, in much the same way that Toyota approaches their ability to improve outcomes. \nTo watch a video replay\, click here. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/tom-cilmi-candidate-10th-suffolk-legislator-dist/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091002T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091002T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20091002T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20091002T040000Z UID:4365-1254441600-1254441600@limba.net SUMMARY:No LIMBA meeting DESCRIPTION:There will be a meeting of the Long Island Business Development Council at Montauk. LIMBA will be participating. Therefore there will be no meeting on Oct 2nd URL:https://limba.net/calendar/no-limba-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090925T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090925T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090925T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090925T040000Z UID:4356-1253836800-1253836800@limba.net SUMMARY:Carol Ash\, NY State Parks Comissioner DESCRIPTION: We had the pleasure of hearing from the NYS Commissioner of Parks\, Recreation\, and Historic Preservation\, Carol Ash.  Pro Image Studios recorded the video of her talk and the Q&A\, which can be found here:   Ms. Ash is a long time champion of downstate parks and the environment.  Her most recent past position was Executive Director of the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission\, and her full biography can be found on the NYS Parks website.   Commissioner Ash\, a tireless advocate for the parks system and it’s constituency\, gave us a rundown of what is happening with the state park system\, that was both sobering and optimistic.  The 28 parks and one state! historic site ( Walt Whitman’s home ) on Long Island are some of the jewels in the system..  Mentioning Ken Burns’ newest epic on the formation of the National Parks System\,  she let us know that the model for the NPS was the Adirondack State Park\, created by then Governor Teddy Roosevelt\, and that New York state has always been a pioneer in the development of parks and historic preservation. \nOne of the misconceptions that Ms. Ash came to dispel is that the expense of Parks is a drag on the economy\, and that investment in them performs poorly.  Citing a University of Massachusetts study\, she posited that parks are linchpins of local economies\, that produce a 5-1 return on dollars invested in park improvements.  On Long Island\, that translates to a $410MM boost to the local economy\, supporting about 4000 private sector jobs.  The Long Island region has the highest parks attendance of the state.  40% of park revenue is generated by tourists\, the US Opens in 2002 and 2009 brought in over $10MM to Long Island’s economy\, in spite of the dismally rainy conditions in ’09. \nWith that\, she began her pitch for continued investments in park infrastructure to keep those tourists coming.  Times are tough\, money is tight\, but upgrades need to be done.  There is an estimated $650MM backlog of deferred work overdue in the parks to keep them in shape.  This year\, the legislature has allocated $200MM towards that.  Later today\, she will attend a ribbon cutting at Brentwood State Park\, where part of that $200MM will go to create state of the art professional quality soccer\, baseball \, and lacrosse fields\, in an economically disadvantaged community.  Disappointingly\, the NYS parks system is not eligible for Federal Stimulus Funds\, but in a creative partnership with the Department of Labor\, the Parks department was able to obtain $3.3MM to start a Civilian Conservation Corps in the Long Island and Niagar! a regions.  The first phase was to put 90 kids through a training program where they did basic maintenance projects throughout the regional parks.  The second phase will take the stars of that phase\, and move them into a more skilled trade learning program\, having them work on more sophisticated tasks. \nDespite these tough times\, the Parks department was able to hold the line on the $8.00 per car entry fee for the parks\, and the $56.00 Empire Passport is still a good bargain.  In this time of staycations\, park usage is going up. \nThe Q&A portion of the program was lively\, with some advocates from the Kings Park community and allies of the Trump at Jones Beach project in attendance.  One of the great things about LIMBA is the ability for local folks to talk to people of influence and hear their opinions and concerns\, and in turn be heard. \nMs. Ash couldn’t say much about the Trump project due to the ongoing litigation\, and it was clear from the audience questions that they were much in favor of the project. \nA question about which parks paid their ways\, was met with the response that the Golf Courses  and Campgrounds are the revenue stars\, supporting the rest of the system. \nThe discussion around Kings Park was summarized by her stance of embracing the local advocates and taking a long look at the issues\, and finding the real costs of remediating the site.  The first phase of the study is done\, the second is due to complete in about 18 months. \nOn the question of raising revenue\, the department is trying to find sponsorships for the Empire State Games\, working with the “I love NY” people to market the parks more\, and looking at creating public-private partnerships similar to the California Parks Foundation\, and the Central Park Conservancy. \nYet another productive Friday morning at LIMBA\, where regular folks get to meet movers and shakers that directly affect our lives.. \nComplete video of this meeting is available \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/carol-ash-ny-state-parks-comissioner/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090918T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090918T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090918T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090918T040000Z UID:4369-1253232000-1253232000@limba.net SUMMARY:Bruce Germano\, LIPA- Smart Grid Initiatives DESCRIPTION:Our speaker this morning was LIPA VP\, Bruce Germano.  Bruce opened his talk this morning by recounting his experiences with Smart Grid technology dating back to 2002.  Back then\, we were thinking Smart Grids\, but there wasn’t a name for them.  With time\, new definitions emerged\, of a power network that has intelligence built into it\, with the ability to control pushed further out to the edge of the network.  Currently\, there are limitations in the power system that prevent that control  being extended. \nAccording to Bruce\, a smart grid is a communications network overlaid on to the power network\, giving customers the ability to decide the best time to use power based on price signaling.  A Smart Grid helps bring down peak load demand.  It enables a customer and a utility to understand and control demand on a real-time basis.  In 2002 this was just a dream\, but advances in technology are making it possible.  Utilities are looking for ways to provide customer choice and one of these ways is to introduce a Smart Grid. \nTo facilitate that LIPA\, in concert with Stony Brook University and SUNY-Farmingdale\, is seeking stimulus funding to implement a Smart Grid technology pilot project.  There are a lot of technology gaps to be filled\, but if a go\, the project has the following three goals: \n\nSmart Grid Demonstration – Show that the technology to connect customer s to markets in real time is feasible\,  and allow them to control their demand according to price signals they receive.\nGreen Job Creation – The deployment Smart Grid technology will require specialized skills and custom assembly of hardware and software to build the sensor networks required and the software backend to communicate the information gathered and control signals sent.\nGreen Skill Training – To move beyond a pilot phase\, the original lessons of the project have to be translated into repeatable steps.  Developing the work force to implement Smart Grid technology on a wide scale will require educating a large number of subject matter experts that can grow the grid commercially.\n\n\nThe vehicle to achieve these goals is the building of a smart energy corridor along Route 110 from the Long Island Expressway\, down to the southern border of Republic Airport.  This area brings together a lot of partners and ties together many existing efforts.  A diverse mix of customer types exists along the corridor\, with commercial\, industrial\, residential\, and municipal located there.  SBU is looking into two areas\, load modeling systems\, and the communications security risks associated with remote control.  SUNY-Farmingdale is bringing their exiting energy research labs\, plus their investigations into sensor technology. \nThe technology gaps are being filled\, but it is an evolutionary process and all the pieces are not in place yet.  Many big players like IBM\, GE and Hitron are aiming to compete in this space.  Appliances manufacturers are integrating communications and control into consumer devices\, allowing the owner to program the timer for the cheapest time to use electricity.  The opportunity to evolve electric meters to support this exists\, but there are no standards for Smart Grids and their devices. \nThe Department of Energy published 15 characteristics of a Smart Grid\, and the National Institute of Standards is developing those specifications for devices and systems to interoperate.  Stability of the system is paramount\, as we don’t want the repeat of another 2003 blackout\, which was caused by a cascading system failure of the grid’s control structures. \nBruce wrapped up by letting us know that the stimulus application was filed about two weeks ago\, along with thousands of other applications\, and is waiting for the federal government to get through the review process. \nOpening the floor to questions\, Ernie opened the session by asking if Smart Grid technology will eliminate the need for new power plants\, and would Plug-in  Hybrid Electric Vehicles help our situation.  Bruce responded by reminding us of Long Island’s insatiable need for electricity\, and noting that although PHEV’s may help smooth out demand peaks\, they increase total demand on the grid because they are getting their stored energy from the grid rather than burning fuel. \nJohn Howell asked if every building by default be able to participate in the smart grid.  Bruce projected that the meter connecting the business would be smart and able to participate\, but it would be up to the building owner to install the controls necessary to implement variable price consumption strategies. \nPat Halpin of the Suffolk County Water Authority asked if there will be incentives for customers to interrupt their power and use off peak power.    A discussion of the various ways pricing regimes could be constructed followed\, with the net result being\, we’ll see when we get there. \nThe ensuing discussion concluded yet another well spent Friday morning at LIMBA\, where you get to meet a diverse set of leaders from across Long Island industries and organizations\, and learn something valuable in an hour as you start the last day of the work week.\nTodays recap was written by Craig Plunkett \nPro-Image Studios will tape our meetings and the Q&A that follows. That video will be available through streaming video on LIMBA’s website \nHere is this week  http://www.proimagegroupinc.com/limba/9-18-09 URL:https://limba.net/calendar/bruce-germano-lipa-smart-grid-initiatives/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090911T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090911T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090911T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090911T040000Z UID:4362-1252627200-1252627200@limba.net SUMMARY:Ken Morelly\, Pres LIFT DESCRIPTION:This morning our speaker at LIMBA was Ken Morelly\, President of Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT). LIFT has been the agency on Long Island that has helped the small\, and not so small technology companies in their pursuit of bringing their products and services to market. The services provided  has has a remarkable record of being helpful. \nThis morning the emphasis was on the Homeland Security Center that LIFT has been in charge of organizing. The major players in this effort are Globecom\, Siemens\, and LIFT. The center is an elaborate array of comunications that provide information and coordination among the various entities that would be involved in major events such as a Katrina level huricane. FEMA\, the US Coast Guard\, The National Weather Service\, the Suffolk and Nassau Offices of Emergency Management\, and fire and police departments are all part of the mix. \nThe security of the unit is understandably robust with three levels of security being needed to enter the heart of the operations. But this is not just an emergency center that gears up only for the "big event". It is a working research center where the participating companies and government entities are constantly talking to each other and developing stratagies and products that compliment each others efforts. \nThe possibilities and opporetunities that are\, and will be created by this effort are in some ways obvious. On the other hand\, once we embark on ambitios plans there is a serendipity that brings us to new levels of curiosity and discovery. \nMr Morelly spent some time on discussing "green jobs". LIFT is putting efforts into developing these jobs and while all of the classifications of green jobs look  a lot like the crafts we have known\, they are now being applied to the green technologies. A welder or an electrician working on a solar array is now part of the green technology as much as the worker who designs and invents the the green apparatus. \nOn a less optimistic note we are seeinfg a shortage of engineers\, and that shortage has a lot to do with the cost of living on Long Island. The wages on Long Island have in the past been higher than the rest of the nation. We are now seeing a convergence where Long Islanders earn salaries that are similar to other parts of the country while their cost of living is much higher. \nTo see entire meeting click here \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/ken-morelly-pres-lift-2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090904T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090904T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090904T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090904T040000Z UID:4357-1252022400-1252022400@limba.net SUMMARY:Labor Day wekend NO MEETING DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/labor-day-wekend-no-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090828T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090828T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090828T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090828T040000Z UID:4370-1251417600-1251417600@limba.net SUMMARY:Peter Maniscalco-Should LIPA buy Nat Grid generating assets? DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends  \n\nOur speaker this morning was Peter Maniscalco. Peter has been an energy policy analyst for more than 30 years. This and his experience as a professor of environmental ethics has honed his sense of what can happen if the right questions are not asked. \nThe topic was; What questions should be asked when deciding on monumental changes in policy?  LIPA is considering the purchase of the old LILCO plants that were later owned by Keyspan and are now owned by the British company National Grid. \nLet me begin by saying that\, when LIPA VP Bruce Germano was asked about the purchase of the plants at an HIA meeting he indicated that only the Barret plant was being considered for purchase at this time. \nHaving said that LIPA’s financial consultant Lazard is trying to determine the financial viability of buying all the plants. They are also are in the process of hiring a firm to determine the envirnmental liabilities. The environmental section will not be completed within the time frame LIPA set. Here is the question that situation raises. How can they determine financial aspects without knowing the cost of envirnmental liabilities? With asbestos issues\, the cost cold be substantial. \nThe question was raised about the old gas manufacturing sites. The environmental liabilities on these sites are known although the costs for clean-up are probably not known. When the question was asked about those sites being included in any sale\, we had the benefit of having National Grid’s Ed Carr in the room\, and he assured us that none of those sites were on the same footprint of the electric generating plants\, and therefore would not be included. \nTo our speaker\, and to some of the people in our audience\, there was a disturbing lack of transparency in the process\, and the time frame was too compressed to make a meaningful evaluation of the benefits of a LIPA purchase. The fear expressed is that one day we will wake up and read about the completed deal in the papers\, and it may not be a good deal for the ratepayers and taxpayers. \nHere are a few more questions posed after the meeting in an email from Shelly Sackstein; \nWhat did LIPA know a number of years ago  that caused them to not exercise their previous options to purchase the Keyspan power plants? \n\nIf LIPA did not previously exercise their options to purchase those same power plants\, what has Grid or Keyspan done in the intervening years to make those power more attractive for LIPA to now acquire them ?\nIf the previous LIPA decision was to not purchase the Keyspan power plants\, why did LIPA vote to spend additional ratepayer money to hire\, (once again with no RFP or bid process)\, financial consultants to once again evaluate the same transaction?\n\n\nPeter Maniscalco came to this meeting with no preconceived notion that some nefarious plan was being hatched\, but serious questions have yet to asked and answered. I was encouraged by the participation of so many diverse\, and well informed individuals and organizations especially Action Long Island\, Shelly Sackstein\, LIA Energy Committe Chairman Harry Davitian\,  NYPIRG’s Todd Stebbins\, and National Grid’s Ed Carr. \n  URL:https://limba.net/calendar/peter-maniscalco-should-lipa-buy-nat-grid-generating-assets-2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090821T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090821T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090821T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090821T040000Z UID:4360-1250812800-1250812800@limba.net SUMMARY:Hon. Jon Cooper\, Suffolk County Legislator DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends  \n\nSuffolk County legislator and Majority Leader Jon Cooper was our speaker at LIMBA this morning. In Jon’s introduction of himself he stressed that he was a small business owner and had the sensibilities of a person who understood business. He also has been motivated to serve in public office. It is a role he savors\, and would like to continue. He has been in the legislature for 10 years\, but will be term limited after 12 years. Will he seek higher office? He may think about it\, but not for now. \nJon has been a champion of Business Improvement Districts (BID’s)\, and promoting doing business locally. Money spent locally has a multiplier effect of 4. In other words for each dollar spent in the community there will be 3 additional dollars realized by other businesses in the area. \nMr. Cooper spoke about the conflicts that leadership brings. He had learned that certain drugs and supplements using ephedrine were causing deaths. He proposed a ban on the sale of these products in Suffolk County. He learned that the two largest manufacturers of these substances were in located in Suffolk. At the same time he was the charged with improving the business climate in the committee he led in the legislature. He chose to ban the production. \nJon reminded us that he was an early supporter of Barack Obama for president. I was at the meeting where Jon announced his support. I told him I just rolled my eyes in disbelief\, but he thought Obama could win\, and he was right \nWhen asked what he sees as the biggest issue facing Suffolk\, he did not hesitate to say that the $120 million deficit is a huge problem and getting worse due to take backs by the state government adding another $14 million to the deficit. \nOn the other hand he sees the great opportunity on Long Island being green technology development. He subscribes to the vision set forth earlier by congressman Steve Israel. That vision would see Long Island as The go-to place for these new and still developing technologies. \nMr. Cooper lamented the recent loss of OSI Pharmeceuticals\, and without going into any detail\, stated that Long Island\, politically dropped the ball on that one. He also indicated that the loss will probably preclude Long Island from being a leader in that field of science \nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/hon-jon-cooper-suffolk-county-legislator/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090814T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090814T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090814T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190717T181320Z UID:4359-1250208000-1250208000@limba.net SUMMARY:Hon. Judge Salvatore Alamia-Topic- Restorative Justice DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends \nWe certainly took a departure from our usual programming this morning. Our speaker was district court judge Hon. Salvatore Alamia. \nJudge Alamia is engaged in the area of “restorative justice”. He emphasized the crimes arising from drug use and crimes related to drugs. Bringing these people back into society is sometimes considered “coddling”. That was his term\, but not his opinion. \nJudge Alamia stressed that the need to reintegrate offenders was not only possible but also practical. Citing the cost and detrimental effects on the violator and society are enormous. \nThe better solution to “lock ’em up and get them out of here” is having people who have broken the law\, to acknowledge their crime\, serve the appropriate penalty and place them back in society. According to the judge\, we already incarcerate more citizens than most other nations. The goal is to limit the number of required incarcerations. \nHe cited the councils that existed among the American Indians. They would place all the participants in a circle and that circle expressed an equality of the participants. The elders would discuss remedies to the bad behavior they were judging and how to re-integrate the offender. In a simple society this makes sense\, but there is also an application for our own lives. \nIn modern society there are always multiple “victims”. The family of the offender suffers the embarrassment\, and cost of legal defense. The neighbors feel less secure in their homes\, and of course\, there is the direct victim of a crime. The perpetrator of a crime is affected by his actions too\, but he is a less sympathetic figure. Never the less\, he has to be considered\, if for no other reason than to prevent a repeat performance. In restorative justice these interested parties are assembled for the purpose of closure of the matter\, with reasonable reassurance that the crime would not be repeated. \nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/hon-judge-salvatore-alamia-topic-restorative-justice/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090807T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090807T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090807T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090807T040000Z UID:4358-1249603200-1249603200@limba.net SUMMARY:Dr. Matthew C. Cordaro\, Dean\, Townsend Bus. Dowling College DESCRIPTION:Matt Cordaro has been known to the audience at LIMBA for as long anybody who attends can remember. Dr. Cordaro has assumed many roles in his life\, and as the case with many talented and well educated people he keeps getting asked to do more. After many years as a high level power utility executive he went into the acedemic arena\, taking a position at the CW Post campus of LIU where he created The Center for Management Analysis. \nRecently he embarked on a new role as Dean of the Townsend School of Business at Dowling College. Each leader brings to a job a vision of what can and should be done. This morning Matt shared his thoughts with the LIMBA audience \nThe school has specialty programs in business encompassing healthcare\, corporate finance\, construction management and other business specialties. These disciplines benefit by having practioners of those specialties teaching in those courses. According to Cordaro\, that is not always the case at other schools\, but it is at Dowling. \nThere are  benefits of an intimate learning experience to students because they are comfortable in their environment.  Dowling according to Matt provides that environment. \nThe school also has distance learning programs\, and accelerated courses. There are discounted programs that are partially supported by the area corporations. The school is also financially advantageous to the students with the cost of education being very competitive. \nThe business school is planning a trading center where students can learn how Wall Street works.  Matt will preside over that function\, having created one at LIU. As far as exporing the contoversial\, Dowling has been doing that over the years\, Cordaro plans to continue in that tradition\, especially as it pertains to his expertise  in the energy generation and distribution field. He will continue to write\, and comment on those issues\, in conjunction with the corriculum. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/dr-matthew-c-cordaro-dean-townsend-bus-dowling-college/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090731T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090731T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090731T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090731T040000Z UID:4354-1248998400-1248998400@limba.net SUMMARY:Paul Victor\, President NY & Atlantic RR DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends    \nThis morning our guest speaker was Paul Victor\, president of NY & Atlantic Rail road. NY&A is the freight rail company that serves Long Island. Paul is a real railroad man having worked in various capacities in railroads across the country\, as well as South America and Africa \nLong Island is the "end of the line" for many of the nationwide fright lines that operate in the US\, and NY&A facilitates the operations of all that come here. \nThe products that are carried best by rail are heavy loads such as rock\, building materials and construction debris. But there are also a lot of shipments in consumables too. Beer is a big item and it is transported in from as far away as Mexico. \nThe railroad calls itself a "green industry" by virtue of the fact that so little fuel is used to move the materials it carries\, while displacing thousands of trucks. Mr. Victor told us that fuel costs are one of their smallest expenses. \nAnd speaking of expenses\, the personnel needed to run the operation is incredibly small. Thirty nine people run the whole operation. The personnel are all cross-trained. The president himself must have thorough knowledge of the system including the ability to run a train as an engineer\, and he will occasionally. \nHe explained the relationship that NY&L has with the LIRR. They must take a second position on the rails\, giving priority to passenger train operations. \nIn the Q&A portion we discussed the limitations the freight had in terms of weight allowances and clearances. Some of these limits have been corrected since Mr. Victor’s predecessor spoke at LIMBA. Other items are still outstanding. \nThe proposed building of a tunnel into Brooklyn (Congressman Nadler’s concept) will serve the freight system well\, but that is many years off. More immediate benefits will be realized by the refurbishing of the "float system" that was recently taken over by the NY Port Authority. PA of NY purchased the rail company that comes to the shoreline on the Jersey side. From there cars are floated to Brooklyn where they enter the established rail system that comes to Long Island \nTo have a fully functioning rail system the height requirements in all tunnels and bridges must be 22′. This will allow freight cars to flow seamlessly in out of the city and Long Island and complete a journey any where in the country without having to reload on smaller freight cars.  Are we there yet? No\, but we’ll keep you posted. Mr. Victor said he would be happy to return next year to give us an update. \nThis meeting was sponsored by Brian Dolan and HDR Engineering \nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/paul-victor-president-ny-atlantic-rr/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090724T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090724T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090724T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090724T040000Z UID:4364-1248393600-1248393600@limba.net SUMMARY:vacation week no meeting DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/vacation-week-no-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090717T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090717T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090717T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090717T040000Z UID:4355-1247788800-1247788800@limba.net SUMMARY:Panel Discussion on the Funding of Not For Profits DESCRIPTION:Today we had a panel discussion that dealt with the challenges of the not-for-profit sector. The economy has hit almost every segnment of the buisiness community and the results have created a daunting situation for charitable organizations. \nParticipating in the discussion were Michael Cooney-United Way\, Diane Amorosa-American Red Cross\, Jovanna Little- Leslie Munzer Neurological Institute\, Paul Pachter- Long Island Cares\, and Michael Stoltz-Clubhouse of Suffolk. \nSome of these charities depend on recurring grants from government\, but local and state governments have been experiencing unprecedented revenue problems of their own. Some charities have endowments funded by the benefactor and others are funding themselves through the generousity of the general public through fund drives. All of them in fact depend on each of these sources in varying degrees. \nThe question posed this morning asked what are these various units doing to survive these challenging economic times. We know that all of these funding channels are not what they have been in the past. Even those charities that are blessed with substantial endowments are not seeing the returns they were receivcing in the past. Indeed some lost substantial sums of money which may never be recovered. With job losses\, the individual donor is contributing less or not at all. \nOn top of this the need for most of these services rises dramatically with a faltering economy. Between 280\,000 and 300\,000 people on Long Island (about 10%) needing some degree of food assistance program it is clear we are doing something wrong. \nThe answers we got ran from the obvious to the more creative. In one case some staff was let go. Of course that further burdens the remaining staff at a time when there is great need. Most of the focus was on seeing where they could obtain services and products more economically\, relying on volunteers where possible\, and jetisoning less productive programs. \nIn the case of Long Island Cares they have partnered with a radio station that has a target demographic that ranges from 20 to 34 years old. At first glance that would seem to be counter-intuitive since we traditionally look to the established and economicly secure segment of the population\, but their plan is to engage this part of the population and keep them in the fold as they grow and prosper themselves. \nIn the end the conversation led us to the way we are all very much squeezed by the high taxes of this balkanized Long Island. The school districts are killing our ability to pay for almost everything else\, partly because teachers are highly paid\, but more because schools are over administrated. The 127 school districts and the army of administrators that are employed are redundant and prohibitivly costly.   \nAnother drain on our overall dollars are the Taj-Mahal firehouse that abound all over Long Island and they are costing us dearly. A more rational system would dictate a fire force that was designed for the kind of fires we usually need to fight. We have fire fighting equipment to fight fires in buildings we do not have on Long Island. \nThese charities\, that we all recognize as needed\, are scrambling for what scraps are left after the politically well connected entities gorge themselves on our tax dollars.  Theese taxes are forcing people to leave for cheap places to live. One man told me he’s moving to Waco Texas because he can live nicely on his social security. I guess what he meant was he could afford to eat. To most of us think living nicely means living right here on Long Island\, and yes\, eating too. \nMan! If we only had some leadership. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/panel-discussion-on-the-funding-of-not-for-profits/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090710T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090710T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090710T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090710T040000Z UID:4346-1247184000-1247184000@limba.net SUMMARY:Hofstra Med School Dr Lawrence Smith\, Dean DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends \nDr. Lawrence Smith was our speaker this morning and he is the new Dean of the Hofstra Medical School. The medical school is being established under a joint venture with Northshore LIJ. It was conceived during a fortuitous breakfast between Northshore’s president\, Michael Dowling\, and Hofstra’s president\, Dr. Stuart Rabinowit. \n\nDr Smith began by describing the long drift the field of medicine has taken. The community based general practitioner has been replaced by an ever increasing number of specialists. The trend has divided the patient doctor relationship and presently\, while there is not a shortage of doctors in the region\, there is a shortage of family practitioners. \n\nThe new school is a 50/50 partnership between the two respected entities. According to Dr. Smith the "Ivory Tower" concept of medical research facilities will not be the guiding vision of the new school. \nSmith\, who has been on the education side of medicine\, said new techniques in teaching medical proffessionals of all levels will be the emphasis. The school will have a world class "Simulation Center." Simulators will be fashioned after those created for the airline industry. When "flying" a simulator you can crash the plane because you made an error\, and you can walk out of the room and go to lunch with on one being killed. The simulation facility will allow medical students to initiate procedures on very life-like manequins. Errors in procedures may cause the "patient" to "die" and the feeling for the doctor will be very real\, but again\, a real person does not die. \nIn the present and past models an intern doctor worked under the supervision of an experienced doctor\, learning all he could\, but when it came time to work on his own first patient\, it was essentially a new experience. By learning on these fake patients that are programed to react the same way a real patient would\, the doctor has already had many successful training excersizes. This facility will be the largest simulator trainning facility upon the schools openning. The facility\, overall\, will be in the mid-size of all such facilities in the country. These are ambitious plans\, but because of the size and strength of the founding entities\, it can be acheived. There is no scarcity of scientific knowlege in the region when you consider the resources of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory\, Brookhaven National Laboratories and the universities of Long Island. In addition the planners are learning about successful medical schools around ! the country and around the world and employing those methods that are proven winners. \nDr Smith told us that there is a scarce of knowledge in dealing with the suburban elderly\, while we know a lot about city dwelling elderly. This is an area that will be explored by the school. The physical plant will be 11 acres adjacent to Hofstra and the Lighthouse Development project. \nThis plan for a new medical school on Long Island is very exciting in various ways\, and the economic impact will be formidable. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/hofstra-med-school-dr-lawrence-smith-dean/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090703T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090703T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090703T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090703T040000Z UID:4351-1246579200-1246579200@limba.net SUMMARY:4Th july wekend -NO MEETING DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/4th-july-wekend-no-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090626T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090626T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090626T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090626T040000Z UID:4352-1245974400-1245974400@limba.net SUMMARY:NY Parks Dept Commissioner\, Carol Ash (TBC) DESCRIPTION:Ms Ash has not yet confirmed her appearance at LIMBA URL:https://limba.net/calendar/ny-parks-dept-commissioner-carol-ash-tbc/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090619T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090619T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090619T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090619T040000Z UID:4350-1245369600-1245369600@limba.net SUMMARY:Round Table Discussion DESCRIPTION:Members and friends\, \nOur round table discusion revisited some of the goals to see where we are\, and then we discussed the Long Island Economy from the various points of veiw from each of the people attending \n\nThe goal of repowering the power plants appears to be heading toward the building of new power plants at new sites rather than changing out the old infrastructure at existing sites\, with one or two exceptions\, but the result will be the same in terms of efficiency and cleaner air. \nThere has been no progress on our proposed high speed ferry to Connectticut. There is\, however another route being explored from Port Jefferson to New Haven by an existing ferry company \nThe Long Island Rail Road is planning to buy new diesel locomotives for the east end of Long Island. I met with the LIRR staff with Gordon Danby and Jim Powell\, the inventors of MagLev and suggested that the new design may make MagLev a credible alternative. The LIRR is studying the idea. \nWe dicussed the economy and the first hand reports from the people in the room. We noted how the present economy is effecting each of us. Most of the remarks were pesemistic. The not for profits reported that they were feeling a lot of pain. \nHealth care was discussed and the prospect of universal health-care was lauded by some\, and feared by others. But even in this small group good ideas came out.  Among those ideas were medical malpractice suits being capped\, and medical malpractice compensation boards. A medical malpractice compensation board would pay awards according to a reasonable assesment of the financial loss to the agreived party\, instead of the unpredictable liabilities in the usual law suit\, where a deserving party may get nothing or gets an award that is totally unreasonable. \n\n Ernie Fazio\, Chairman URL:https://limba.net/calendar/round-table-discussion-5/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090612T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090612T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090612T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090612T040000Z UID:4345-1244764800-1244764800@limba.net SUMMARY:Interim Suffolk Community College President\, George Gatta DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/interim-suffolk-community-college-president-george-gatta/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090605T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090605T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090605T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090605T040000Z UID:4344-1244160000-1244160000@limba.net SUMMARY:Robert Yaro\, Pres Regional Plan NY DESCRIPTION:We had the pleasure of welcoming to our June 5th meeting\, Robert Yaro\, head of the Regional Plan Association. Robert gave a talk and engaged in Q & A about the important role that Long Island plays in the tri-state region\, and the RPA’s goals for the region in general. Introducing the RPA to the meeting\, he described its mission as a mix of about 80% NYC regional\, and 20% national issues\, where the RPA is promulgating the notion of Mega-Regions\, linked together by metropolises\, such as the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington\, connected by efficient transportation and\ntelecommunication systems. \nRail\, both commuter and high-speed intercity\, is an important component of the RPA’s planning toolset. Founded in 1922 with the goals of improving mobility within the NYC region\, it has expanded its view to meeting global and regional environmental goals around the transformation of urban and suburban centers. The RPA’s first plan\, published in 1929\, envisioned the George Washington and Verrazano Narrows bridges\, JFK Airport\, the Merritt Parkway\, and the Long Island and Palisades Parks and Parkway systems. \nThe next plan\, of 1968\, called for the restoration of mass transit systems\, through the creation of the MTA\, put forth ideas for open space preservation\, and the revitalization of urban areas through the focus on a network of centers\, both urban and suburban. \nThe third plan of 1996\, called for seamless mass transit and a greensward network through the region. It contained concepts for the JFK and Newark AirTrains\, East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal for the LIRR\, and the completion of the 2nd Avenue subway. \nIn talking about Long Island\, it is important to remember that it is tied to NYC\, physically\, economically\, and geo-politically. The last 50 years of its development has been car-centered\, and it needs to refocus on mass transit. The RPA’s past work for Long Island has involved the Parks and Parkway system\, the original concept of a Nassau Hub\, LIRR electrification to Ronkonkoma\, and the promotion of East Side Access. The current work includes continual support for the completion of ESA\, the Pine Barrens commission and management plan\, along with the newly created Long Island Sound Stewardship Act. \nMr. Yaro described some of Long Island’s assets as an excellent quality of life\, safe communities\, and a superior education system from elementary through graduate institutions. A highly skilled workforce\, extraordinary natural beauty\, the nation’s largest commuter rail network and membership in the NY metro economy that is larger than the GDP of many large developed countries round out the lineup. \nThe long island paradox\, is that there is a brain drain of this skill\, and 901 units of government at all levels\, one for every 3\,000 residents. He posited that it is the last remaining medieval English system of governance left in the Western Hemisphere. Long Island is also out of developable land\, suffering from job losses\, at the mercy of climate change\, hamstrung by housing expense\, choked by traffic\, and is one of the most segregated areas of the United States. \nAs a non-profit regional think tank\, the RPA promotes long-term\, regionally centered planning among elected officials\, and planning development agencies. To that end\, they have developed Long Island 2035\, a vision for Long Island based on the successes of Salt Lake City and Portland\, Oregon. It is a plan to help deal with the expected 460\,000 new residents and 250\,000 additional jobs. It is promoting this plan by working with many regional players\, such as NYMTC and the Long Island Regional Planning Commission. Long Island must acknowledge the need for higher density development and get its\npoliticians to develop a regional focus\, rather than hold to the traditional parochial ways. The Empire State Transportation Alliance is an important vehicle to move the plan forward\, components of which include the LIRR’s third track program\, East Side Access\, and regionalizing the balkanized bus systems existing. \nClosing with a description of the Nissequogue Action Plan as a blue print for protecting other environmentally significant areas\, it contains a set of 110 concrete goals and actions for implementing groups\, geared toward incrementally improving the area\, which can be replicated across the region.\nAs usual\, the Q&A was pointed\, leading off with questioning whether ESA was in jeopardy of not being finished. Robert’s response was that there’s a paradox\, if you don’t finish it\, then billions in Federal funds already spent towards its construction must be returned to Washington. What the real issue is here is the lack of a complete 5 year capital plan. \nThe RPA’s opinion of the Lighthouse project was asked. The answer was in general it is a good concept\, but incomplete without transit connections. \n\nOnce again\, another well spent Friday morning with an engaging speaker that is influential on our daily lives and in the directing of our region. \n### \nWritten by Craig Plunkett URL:https://limba.net/calendar/robert-yaro-pres-regional-plan-ny/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090529T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090529T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090529T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090529T040000Z UID:4353-1243555200-1243555200@limba.net SUMMARY:Brookhaven National Laboratory- on site meeting DESCRIPTION:This morning’s LIMBA meeting was a little unusual. We had an off-site meeting that was hosted by Brookhaven National Laboratories at their location. \nBNL is an enormously important research center that prides itself as being the home base of 6 Nobel Prize winners. This is more than any other National Research Center except for Lawrence Livermore in California and they include Nobel Laureates from Berkeley \nWe started off with a video overview of the facility at Berkner Hall. The past scientific accomplishments and important international cooperation was discussed. The Laboratory is open to scientific research that comes from around the world. The science that is discovered there is open for any one to see\, except for projects that are wholly reimbursed to the Lab by the research companies that frequently use the lab’s equipment. \nIn the days of my schooling microscopes that can see things on a molecular scale were thought to be impossible to build. Today we take it for granted\, although an electron microscope does not come cheap\, about $1.3million. \nWe visited the new Nano Center where nanotechnology is being developed in various fields. Nano will be important in medicine\, material development\, energy\, and applications that have not yet been thought of. When I asked; “Where is all this science taking us? Our guide\, Dr Sherman answered “If we knew exactly what we were doing we wouldn’t be scientists” \nWhen the new National Synchrotron Light Source II is built it will be a valuable asset in developing nano- science. (We recently had  Dr. Steve Dierker visit us at LIMBA to discuss the possibilities of that machine) This new light source will be 10\,000 times brighter than any other similar machine that has been built in the world. \nOn the campus there is an accelerator building\, which consists of a large ring\, where matter is accelerated and guided by magnetic fields and destroyed under precise conditions to learn more about the nature of the universe. This apparatus has been in service for many years and has been the source of many important discoveries. \nOut of these continued efforts\, which have been going on here since 1947\, we can expect to see developments in science that will allow us to produce lighter and stronger automobiles\, advancements in  medicine\, building technology\, energy technology\, and materials development.  \nI cannot be anything but optimistic about the future\, as long as we keep putting resources into the science we find here. Long Islanders have a gem in their backyard. \nErnie Fazio URL:https://limba.net/calendar/brookhaven-national-laboratory-on-site-meeting/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090522T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090522T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T033509 CREATED:20090522T040000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20090522T040000Z UID:4340-1242950400-1242950400@limba.net SUMMARY:No meeting- Memorial Day Weekend celebrated DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/no-meeting-memorial-day-weekend-celebrated/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR