Limba

Microsoft Seminar-"Productively using the Cloud" 8:30 AM
2014-08-22 00:00 (America/New_York)
Microsoft will host a seminar at their Walt Whitman location in Huntington. This program is being offerred as an educational function by LIMBA and seating at this event is strictly limited so that the interaction between the presenter and the audience is meaningful. We recommend early registration. Please go to www.LIMBA. net and register If we are overbooked, the last to register will be unregistered.
Coffee, Juice, pastry and bagels will be peovided.

Congressman Hon. Tim Bishop
2014-09-12 00:00
Congressman Tim Bishop was our guest speaker this morning and he began with telling us how difficult it was for many people in that body to embrace compromise.

He gave this example: One of the tools of international business that many smaller firms rely on is the Import/ Export Bank. This government entity facilitates international trade. Renewing Import-Export Bank is routinely handled in Congress because it is popular in both parties. In addition it produces revenues for the government. Why is it being delayed or blocked? Who knows?

LIMBA asked Mr. Bishop to address the prospects of going to war. He responded by telling the audience that ISIS is a complex and dangerous enemy. He stated the president was correct when he emphasized the enemy was not the Muslims but the terrorists." This is not a sectarian war" Bishop said. "In fact most of the victims of this war are Muslims." He told us that the president is leaning on the moderate states in the region to ultimately quell this mayhem.

The congressman went on to speak on the agenda items that need to be addressed. Immigration reform, infrastructure, and unemployment insurance will not be completed in this congress. Mr. Bishop lamented the ability to compromise and both parties at various times have been guilty, but this congresses record is the worst in history.

However the congressman did give us one example that was successful. That was the "Water Reconstruction Planning."

During the Q&A portion he was asked why we could not tie adequate spending on veteran’s health and education to any new war efforts, so returning soldiers are not neglected.

Bishop welcomed that question because that was one area where the congress was successful. In New York State the tuition rate is pegged at the highest state school level, which is $16,000 per year. "Any soldier that wants to pursue a college education will have the funds." He also stated that the healthcare funds have been dramatically increased, and he added more has to be done.

He was also was asked why we are saddled with "Common Core" standards mandated by congress. He made a factual correction on the question saying that the Common Core program was not mandated by congress, but a measurable standard was mandated. It turned out to be Common Core and he told us that the role-out of the program was deeply flawed. On the other hand the Common Core goals were met in other states with a high degree of success.

Ernie Fazio

The sponsors of this event were and we appreciate the support – Thanks.

Greenman Pedersen Inc. This company has engineered numerous infrastructure achievements in the region and in other cities.

And

Long Island Forum for Technology. LIFT operates as a not-for-profit agency helping technology companies gather resources from industry and government to further their work.

Many thanks to the Clarion Hotel and their attentive staff.

Our wonderful staff including Ken Nevor, Annette Krauss, Bill Miller, Marguerite Moore, and Michelle Zere deserve a lot of credit for helping make these programs possible.

Islip Supv Tom Croci- descussing The Free Trade Zone
2014-09-26 00:00
LIMBA speaker this morning was Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci. Mr. Croci began be expressing the notion of good government is borne out of a workable philosophy. Tom chose to use his experience in Afghanistan to make his point.

He told a story of meeting an enterprising youth that was selling cheap knock-off knives from Pakistan when on an earlier tour of duty. He purchased one of his $5 knives. When he returned years later he came across the same person, now a grown man. The Afghan man was now a millionaire and he explained the transformation by the fact that the Taliban was no longer frustrating the will of the people. The way that Croci explained it, the government was no longer in the way of someone determined to succeed.

When asked about his own style in running town government, he went a little further. Empower people who want to help, was essentially his message. On the other hand you need to upset an established culture if it is not succeeding.

When discussing Long Island’s ability to compete he enumerated several problems, namely taxes, and energy costs. But we can compete in terms of quality educated people with any region. He pointed out that there are pockets of wealth such as the Hamptons and much of Long Island’ North Shore that tells you we have something going for us.

During Q&A he addressed the tax cap which he thought was a good idea because it was supposed to include mandate relief, but it didn’t.

Mr. Croci is a man that comes across as a problem solver, and at the end of the meeting that was the consensus opinion.

Ernie Fazio

Michelle Zere asked LIMBA to put on this program and we thank her. Our staff people Annette Krauss and Ken Nevor. Ken Nevor’s efforts calling people to remind them of the meeting helped fill the room. Thanks

Bill Miller is now with Gold Coast Bank and we all congratulate him.

We thank our sponsors Covanta Energy and The Islip Free Trade Zone . They each had an important message on how they serve the community

Nassau DA Kathleen Rice- Sponsors Epoch 5 & NICE Bus
2014-10-03 00:00
LIMBA recap 10 3 14
LIMBA conducted a program at Adelphi University this morning featuring Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Ms Rice has made a compelling case against the toleration of drunk driving, and now wants the same scrutiny of drugged driving. The technology has not kept pace with the problem of drugs and she would like to see the problem addressed.
She then talked about the corrosive effect of financial crimes. The District Attorney stated that these crimes have a serious adverse effect on the lives of so many band should be prosecuted more vigorously.
Kathleen is now running for the US Congress in the same district as Carolyn McCarthy is retiring from and she began to tell of problems and possible remedies on that level. She decried the partisan gridlock and promised that she work toward resolving problems and leaving the partisanship behind.
Here are some of her concerns
We need to foster growth by building and maintaining our infrastructure. She believes infrastructure creates and sustains other jobs long after the construction crews move on. -We need to continue the Import – Export Bank because it is vital to our smaller businesses conducting international trade-We need to make sure that federal funds be paid as promised after disasters such as Hurricane Sandy.
Related to that topic was climate change which she believes would be mitigated by solar and wind generation, and of course, there would be numerous jobs created
This morning’s meeting was attended by about 15 Adelphi students in addition to our usual members. They were invited as an educational experience and they enthusiastically participated in the exchange with the speaker
Our sponsors for this morning’s meeting were Epoch 5 Public Relations, a formidable company that has an impressive array of clients that include King Kullen Grocers, Cablevision, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s, Bethpage Federal and Adelphi University as well as our co-sponsor NICE Bus.
NICE Bus is a public/private partnership that has been providing quality public transportation throughout Nassau County
Thank you sponsors.
Ernie Fazio
Assisting Bill Miller and me today was Annette Krause and Ken Nevor. A special thanks to Dr. Scott Adelphi’s president for making the venue available

JOHN Kaiman Storm Recovery Update
2014-10-17 00:00
This morning’s speaker was NY Rising Director Jon Kaiman. His opening remarks noted that hurricane Sandy was a once in a hundred year event or one we could see again in a year.

The point being this is not an event we usually plan for. On the other hand we can make our structures more resilient to all kinds of disasters.

He noted that the rest of the country was reluctant to make funds available despite the fact that this region has always been forthcoming in helping other regions and we are a net exporter of funds to the federal government.

Mr. Kaiman has been dealing with angry people that feel resentful which may not be fair since the payments are difficult to administer when the integration on private insurance, National Flood Insurance and uninsured properties all have to be coordinated as well as investigated. And in some cases engineering studies have to be completed.

Essentially the federal government has no legal obligation to pay anybody and according to Kaiman they are doing a good job for most people, the question of directing some of those funds to women and minority owned businesses came up. Kaiman recognized that was an area that they could have done better.
Eligibility was discussed as well and the fact that of the matter is that not everybody qualifies. Primary residences and small businesses including rental homes are the losses that are being addressed.

What Kaiman faced at LIMBA was an audience that was seeking information. It appeared that he was expecting some hostility and that manifested itself in Jon being a little defensive.

Nevertheless the LIMBA audience understood the frustration he has been experienced while trying to do his job.

Ernie Fazio

Staff members assisting today were Ken Nevor, Michelle Marie Zere and Marguerite Moore.

Richard Amper- Water quality seriously at risk.
2014-10-31 00:00
Bottled Water Or A Sip @ the Water Fountain –
Drink Up Long Island!

by Michelle Marie Zere

Richard Amper, Environmental Activist and President of the Pine Barrens Society of Long Island recently spoke at the most recent Friday LIMBA meeting. The event hosts were LIMBA President, Bill Miller and LIMBA Vice President, Michelle Marie Zere. The meeting was well attended with a cross section of business leaders, associates and concerned citizens. Mr. Amper addressed the critical issues of water quality and sustainability on Long Island‘s continued population growth going forward.

Most recently, he was instrumental in creating the Clean Water Partnership with a goal of reversing declining drinking and surface water quality Island-wide. The principal culprit is the elevated levels of nitrogen in the water. Levels have risen over 200% in the last twenty years primarily from damaged insufficient septic systems, cesspools, aging sewer plants and storm runoff, fertilizers, toxic chemicals and now algae blooms that reduce oxygen in the water that kills fish and has closed shellfish beds. He stated that all private wells should be tested.

Homes and businesses: Sewage and toxic household chemicals in septic systems can leach nitrogen pollution into the groundwater. In Suffolk, 70 percent of homes and businesses are on septic systems. In Nassau, just 30 percent are.

Sewage treatment plants: Leaks and spills from aging municipal sewage systems can also contribute to the nitrogen loading. Superstorm Sandy crippled the Bay Park and Long Beach plants, sending thousands of gallons of raw or partly treated sewage into the channels and bays.

Farms: Runoff carrying pesticides, fertilizers and livestock waste adds nitrogen and other pollutants to the ground and surface water. New York State has restricted when and where highly polluting fertilizers can be applied.

Bays and waterways: Runoff and pollution from groundwater can add nitrogen to surface water, leading to vast algae blooms that block sunlight and reduce oxygen in the water. These ultimately kill fish and other marine life, affecting the fishing and tourism industries.

Active LIMBA member Bob Bender of R.B. Bender Group asked a an informative question and stated ” The present power structure and politicians are holding back from technology that is already existing and available to reduce the nitrogen levels in the water and fix broken infrastructure to make water cleaner on Long Island.”

Other “Smarty Pants” questions from the well informed business audience were as follows:
“ Everyone has a bright green lawn with landscaper chemicals on it where is the legislation on that?”
“ Pollution and pharmaceuticals in the water supply.”
“ There is no place for companies to expand on Long Island due to open space Suffolk County land purchases.”
“ Solar is a friendly use other than sod farms because there are no fertilizers leeching into ground water.”
“ Excessive multifamily housing developments will add to the existing problems.”
“ Proposal 5 on back of the ballot on election day.”
“ Airplane chemical spraying across Long Island leaving strange streaks in the sky – see “Chem Trails In The Sky.”

In closing, Long Island’s Suffolk County water is the cleanest in New York State and in the nation. There is no easy fix for existing and ongoing future water issues, but it was stated that Federal, State and Nassau & Suffolk Counties are engaged in enormous initiatives for public health and continued water quality.

LIMBA welcomes all viewpoints and active Long Islanders that contribute to the quality of life on Long Island.
Drink Up Long Island.

North Shore LIJ CareConnect-Rachelle Neuwirth
2014-11-14 00:00
The program presented by Rachelle Neuwirth at LIMBA this morning was about an approach to healthcare delivery that is considerably different than we have come to expect. The fee for services method of medical care is being replaced by a concept that can be called Wellness Maintenance.

The system we know is predicated on large insuring units creating multiple configurations of policies that in the final analyses make understanding the product difficult if not incomprehensible. When payments are made they are made on the basis of the amount of procedures delivered and the complexities of those procedures. This is a system the incentivizes maximum care with little regard for effectiveness.

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandates that there be several levels of insurance that you can buy. The choices may be Platinum Gold, Silver, etc., but the coverage within those descriptions is all the same, whether the issuer is ABC Company or XYZ Company. By creating levels of insurance that are consistent from one company to another forces the issuers to compete on price. The system is designed to lower premiums.
Narrow networks of coverage such as CareConnect, which was also the sponsor, are emerging. The so called narrow networks are more responsive than the giants and even get into doctor referrals. They are developing medical databases that help each physician that treats a patient with information that is essential to good care. Eventually Integrated Medical Records will be the standard.

By having a thorough understanding of the patients under care allows the insurance company to act more quickly to the questions of eligible procedures. We were told that the denial for care rate in health insurance business is a whopping 18%. In the smaller networks it is much lower. CareConnect boasts a 2% denial rate by comparison.

Under this concept of wellness maintenance it is conceivable that an Rx could read; take a 10 minute walk twice daily instead of a pill. Advice on lifestyle changes such as smoking we have been doing for years, but there are other behaviors as well that should be addressed. Such as; how long should we sit at a computer screen before getting up to get a drink of water.

The presentation was thought provoking and there were many questions at the end.

Ernie Fazio

Thanksgiving- no meeting
2014-11-28 00:00

HOLIDAY Party at Windows on the lake
2014-12-12 00:00
How do you capture in words a performance that we saw at LIMBA this morning? The answer is that you don’t.
Steve DePass performed at our annual Holiday Breakfast and all that have seen him in the past got what they expected. He was as inventive and engaging as ever. Some old friends showed up but there were many new people as well.
The event was held at Windows on the Lake in Ronkonkoma and the venue was beautiful. The house staff made last minute changes that were required to make the performance arena more accessible to the audience. Anthony and Ellen Pellegrino operate a first class operation-Thank You
The musicians consisted of the always top performing drummer Peter Greco, and Don Stein was at the keyboard. Between them they made Ernie Fazio look good when he sang “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays”
Brookhaven Rail Terminal, Covanta Energy, and Gershow Recycling sponsored the breakfast and all three were given a musical and humorous thank you in the way that only Steve DePass could create. DePass poked a little good natured fun at several people in the audience including Suffolk Presiding Officer Dwayne Gregory, Legislator, Kate Browning, Gold Coast Bank Chairman John Tsunis. To be singled out by Steve means you have to brace yourself for a good laugh.
In closing out this year I want to thank the people who help make LIMBA happen. They include Ken Nevor, Annette Krauss, Michelle Zere, Marguerite Moore Fazio and my partner Bill Miller. We all look forward to providing interesting and meaningful programs throughout the new year. We will begin the New Year hosting New York State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli on January 9th in our usual location at the Clarion Hotel in Ronkonkoma.
Meanwhile may you all have a wonderful holiday season and a healthy prosperous New Year
Ernie Fazio

District Attorney Tom Spota TBC
2015-01-08 00:00

NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli
2015-01-09 00:00
Our speaker this morning was New York State Comptroller the Honorable Tom DiNapoli. He began by telling us that the state’s economy is not as robust as we would like it to be, but it has been improving. Unemployment is down to 4.6% on Long Island. (That’s good news, but during Q&A it was pointed out to him that much of those gains in employment went to lower paying jobs than those that were previously lost)
The state budget which has been late year after year has been on time in each of the last four years. (That is important because it avoids costly short term borrowing on the local level). Employment is up but not all sectors of the economy and regions of the state are enjoying the same level of growth. Upstate New York is a challenge to reinvigorate. On the other hand New York City is the state’s leader in job growth
Housing affordability is still not where it should be. The accepted percentage of income that is spent on housing is 25%. Housing costs are about 30% if you are fortunate, but more often it is 40% and even 50%
Infrastructure needs are not being met and that leads to other increased costs. According to the comptroller we are funding about 30% of our infrastructure needs.
DiNapoli discussed the idea of accountability in the local government budgets. He stated that the impression that school budgets are a special target is not quite accurate, but the truth is that they are very large budgets and there is a potential for improving allocations of resources is greater when you have a large budget. Some school budget audits were requested by an incoming board.
The Q&A was lively and we ran out of time before we ran out of questions.
Ernie Fazio
Today’s sponsor was Gold Coast Bank- Thank You
Staff of LIMBA that helped today was Bill Miller, Marguerite Moore, and Ken Nevor.

Open Forum on Community Issues
2015-01-23 00:00
Bob Bender of the RB Bender Group and Suffolk legislator Rob Trotta helped launch our LIMBA open forum meeting this morning. Our format was different from our usual presentation. Instead of having one featured speaker we had an open forum.

Bob Bender gave us food for thought about water in the region. “We are collecting large amounts of grease that is produced by the many restaurants. The restaurants pay for this disposal service and the collection companies add chemicals to break it down and send into our municipal sewer treatment plants.” This process is costly to the taxpayers and detrimental to the environment due to the chemicals that are added. Bender poses the question of why are we doing this when a more effective way of processing grease would to break it down into methane gas that gas could be used to produce electricity at the sewage disposal facility.

Bender went on to point out the environmental cost in dollars is substantial, but the closing of beaches and the dangers to our water supply has an impact on our quality of life.

Rob Trotta had a completely separate issue about the enormous cost of municipal governments caused by the pensions that have been negotiated. He pointed to the fact that due to a feature in the state law municipal workers get raises even when a new labor contract is not negotiated pay raises happen anyway. It called the Triborough Amendments. Beside the written inequities there is political fear that politicians don’t want to deal with. Elected officials would rather give the unions almost anything they want than antagonize them and lose an election.

Rob Forstrom has been an ally of the Maglev transportation system. Regarding that thought the geographical Long Island including Brooklyn and Queens has over 7 million people. With natural disasters such hurricane Sandy and terrorist attacks the likes of which would dwarf the one we have already seen, there are inadequate ways of either exiting the island or supplying the island. Forstrom suggested that the Cross harbor tunnel that Congressman Nadler spoke about at LIMBA could be completed and the more than adequate rail system that is underground in Brooklyn and Queens could be extended to the Long Island Expressway and turn at William Floyd Parkway and cross the Long Island Sound by bridge or tunnel.

This would be a massive undertaking but there are no technical reasons that it couldn’t be done. Ideally it would be serviced by Maglev because the operational costs are low and the technology is fast, safe, and clean.

We had no shortage of topics and we will do this again.

Ernie Fazio

Mayor Paul Pontieri of Patchogue
2015-02-06 00:00
Our speaker this morning at LIMBA was Patchogue mayor Paul Pontieri. Mr. Pontieri began his account of becoming mayor by saying when he was elected the village was in need of a general clean-up. He told us that the development efforts in the village created greater density and that good design makes higher density acceptable. His words were “density doesn’t matter”. From his perspective a village needs many elements to make it more livable.
He noted that through cooperation with Cablevision, for example wi-fi was made available in a children’s playground. In the same playground a small putting green was installed. These amenities create activities for parents watching the children while still being nearby. In his view a village must feel like a family friendly community, and with that end in sight Paul has pursued his efforts.
In keeping with that message he pointed out the Patchogue Theater. It has served an anchor to the village because of its cultural contribution to for residents and visitors. During the Q&A period he was asked if the theater was profitable. The answer was that on balance it was enough of a draw to support other taxpaying entities.
Mayor Pontieri cited a small Grucci fireworks display on New Year’s Eve that took place in the middle of town that was a big hit. He admitted that there was still work to be done and problems to be solved. Another question that came up during Q&A was the lack of quality office space in the village and the mayor agreed that is where the village must do better.
He then explained that a four year elected term allowed him to concentrate of the things that need to be done instead of planning for the next election. That rule should be more universal according to Pontieri.

John Kennedy
2015-02-20 00:00
Our speaker at LIMBA this Friday morning was Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy began by telling us of his experience in the ranks of labor as a lineman for Broadway Maintenance. He was inspired to get a college education and enrolled in St Johns law school. Later he studied municipal finance and had other educational life experiences. After establishing his credentials Kennedy gave us his take on his current position.

Among the most important things that must be accomplished is the building out of sewers and stewardship of the environment. We must make sure that money exists for those purposes. Without the support structures business cannot grow and flourish. He stressed that small business cannot be neglected.

Streamlining government by putting in place modern accounting methods and easy access to information brings down cost. According to Kennedy our method of recording land sales was “little different than it was when the Mayflower landed”. Today that information can be obtained from any computer or any sophisticated mobile device.

Getting the value we expect for the taxpayers dollar is the primary goal of the comptroller. A carton of 100 pencils better contain 100 pencils. Ferreting out waste and disposing of poor performing venders saves the taxpayers money. Discrepancies with vendors where the County was overcharged will be corrected in a reasonable period of time or the County will take them to court. Venders in turn will be paid within 60 days if they submit the winning bid.

Creating policies that promote the idea of home ownership is important to Kennedy and he has asked for policies that make it possible.

The comptroller’s office is staffed by a crew of 62 people. Recent additions have been in auditing. The payroll for auditing is well worth the expense. They find fraud, duplication and unnecessary spending that often amounts to millions.

He cited a statistic that 100% of the audits done by NY State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli were in some small or big way deficient.

Ernie Fazio

Our staff for today’s program was Annette Krause, Marguerite Moore, Ken Nevor, Michelle Zere, Bill Miller and Ernie Fazio.

Cinematographer was Verizon FIOS Josh Wein working in Waldo Cabrera’s unit excerpts will appear on FIOS next week.

:LIMBA Speaker Peter Curtis
2015-03-06 00:00
Peter Curtis

Peter Curtis is the founder of Power Management Concepts, LLC an Engineering, Research and Technology Company formed in 1998. Mr. Curtis has been at the forefront of developing new technology innovations for products such as M.C. Access, GreenBUS, and SmartWALK along with the development of education content/LMS all to reduce human error and improve energy security for the Digital Society.

Mr. Curtis has thirty years of experience working in the mission critical engineering industry having worked for Bankers Trust/Deutsche Bank, Securities Industry Automation Company (SIAC), the Suffolk County Water Authority, and Sperry Corporation. Mr. Curtis has been responsible for critical systems design, construction, operations, energy, and budgets for multi-megawatt infrastructures; and oversaw a major railroad electrification project.

Since 1994, Mr. Curtis has been an associate professor at New York Institute of Technology, and is on the Board of Directors of NYIT Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC) Advisory Board, focusing on hands on research and product execution for the Smart Grid and Cyber Security Industries. Additionally, Mr. Curtis sits on the NYIT President’s Advisory Board and DCD Board of Directors as an observer. He also teaches at Marist College.

The author of two books on mission critical facilities operations, Curtis is a frequent speaker at IFMA, AFE, and DCD. He also serves as educational advisor for AFE and has provided briefings to the White House on critical infrastructure protection. He graduated New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) with a B.S. in Electro-Mechanical Computer Technology and received his M.S. in Energy Management in 1994.

Meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel 3845 Veterans Memorial Highway, Ronkonkoma
Meeting doors open at 8AM for registration, networking and continental breakfast
Meeting begins Register online https://limba.net/breakfastform.php or call 631 7 57-1698

LIMBA invites LIA President Kevin Law
2015-03-27 00:00
Our speaker at LIMBA this morning was the president of the Long Island Association, Kevin Law. He began by giving us a briefing on the origins of the organization The LIA was created almost 90 years ago. The first meeting place was Penn Station, and while the venue was New York City, the purpose was to lure NYC business to Long Island
The organization moved to the Garden City Hotel. Then for a time it was located in Commack and is now in Melville. The organization functions on finances derived from dues and meeting fees as well as fund raising events. It receives no government funds allowing it to be free to be critical of government when they deem it to be needed.
The LIA has had a significant focus and impact on tax policy over the years. Presently they are concentrating on the disparity of revenues going out to Albany and Washington and revenues coming back. The outflow of dollars according to Kevin Law is $60 billion and the dollars that come back are $ 30 billion. While Mr. Law expects there to be some disparity he feels this difference cannot be justified.
Kevin spoke about the so-called $5 billion dollar surplus which in reality is a one-time recovery brought about by several legal settlements. Law said he would like to see that money go into infrastructure improvements. Included in his recommendations were improvements to the Long Island Railroad, MacArthur Airport, and our sewer systems.
The Q&A period was quite lively and covered a number of topics. He was asked about immigration policy and his response to that question was that we need to have a general reform. The audience was appreciative of the fact that Kevin tried to answer all of the questions thoughtfully.
Ernie Fazio
We appreciate the efforts of the LIMBA staff Ken Nevor, Marguerite Moore Fazio, Bill Miller, Annette Krauss and Michelle Zere,
Our sponsor was Gold Coast Bank – presentation was made by Jim Johnis- Thank you
Our reliable associate Annette Krauss has been unemployed and would appreciate any help or suggestions regarding employment opportunities. Her resume is available through LIMBA
Radio interviews on LI News Radio can be heard at various times on Saturday and Sunday. However they can be heard at any time on www.ernestlyspeakingradio.com our podcast.
Please be sure to attend next week when the WSHU station manager will be presenting at LIMBA. WSHU is a public radio affiliate and has access to the most sophisticated journalists in the country. You can sponsor this meeting

LIMBA invites WSHU"s GM George Lombardi TBC
2015-04-03 00:00
Our ever expanding field of topics was extended to public radio. Our speaker this morning was WSHU General Manager George Lombardi.
Public supported radio goes back to nearly the beginning of radio. The early stations were created at colleges to explore the education and entertainment value of this media.
WSHU is part of the public radio system that exists in every place in America. There are also systems in places like Guam, Samoa, and Indian Reservations. Not for profit radio began years before The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was formed in the Johnson administration, but that legislation more or less guaranteed that this voice that serves the population so well would continue to exist. While radio stations in the network are now largely self-sufficient by virtue of donations from listeners, there may be smaller markets that depend more on the CPB . The stations vary in size. WSHU is considered a mid size operation reaching 2.7 million people in Long Island and Connecticut. WNYC, in New York City is very large reaching 17 million people.
One of the more famous system wide programs is “All Things Considered”. This program delivers the news from around the world and around the nation but it handles lengthy facets of the news that the commercial stations will not. In depth coverage develops a story that endeavors to give the whole picture. With that success launched “Morning Edition” was created. Again the focus was on understanding the news and not just reporting it.
Public radio systems have been innovators. They started the first satellite transmission system and assembled a vast listening audience all over the nation and now PRI- Public Radio International is heard in many parts of the world. The affiliates in the system receive most of their funds from donations from the listeners, and while there is some corporate underwriting of programs, they are beholding to them. The loss of an underwriter will not be significant enough to quash a story or a program.
The quality of public radio is impressive. Read more using the link below.
http://www.npr.org/about-npr/192827079/overview-and-history
Ernie Fazio
Thanks to a staff that supports our efforts LIMBA is able to produce interesting programs such as this. Thank you Bill Miller, Ken Nevor, Michelle Zere, Annette Krauss, and Marguerite Moore Fazio

LIMBA Marc Herbst will lead infrustructure Panel TBC
2015-04-17 00:00
Our speaker this morning was Marc Herbst. Marc is the executive director of the Long Island Contractors Association and the topic was infrastructure. Mitch Pally Executive Director of the Long Island Builders Institute, and Gil Hanse also contributed to the conversation.
Marc began by speaking about the cost to each of us as a result of inefficient transportation systems. The loss of time we experience in snarled traffic he estimated as $1250/year. The last time we had ample funds allocated to infrastructure was in the 1970’s and the backlog of investments have accumulated over the years.
The funding for roads and bridges comes out of gasoline taxes, and those federal taxes have not been increased from the 18 cents per gallon since 1992. We drive more efficient cars so the revenues have decreased while construction costs have increased.
State gasoline taxes are more at 59 cents per gallon. However those revenues have been raided by other state agencies. Only 23% of that number winds up going to roads.
On the federal level we have been funding infrastructure using “continuing resolutions”. Funding by these short term commitments of one month or six months does not allow for long term projects that take years to plan and complete. Next month if no funds are voted on there will be no more funds. None! As it is the United States spends only 2% of its budget on infrastructure. That is less than half of what the European nations allot for the same purpose.
In New York State most of the road needs are in this downstate region. In the past we received 23% of those funds to match our needs. It is now 9%. On Long Island 61% of the bridges are reported to be below acceptable safety standards.
Mitch Pally weighed in on the need for sewers noting that the village of Patchogue was able develop because a gift of sewers were planned and built by his predecessors. The future of the islands’s growth is dependent on the building of sewers.
He then spoke about the need for unsnarling the track layout at Jamaica that encumbers train traffic there. He explained the need for building second tracks on several lines. He then explained how a robust train service indirectly helps the situation on the roads by luring the commuters to the rails and off the roads
Gil Hanse then gave a wrap-up of various infrastructure he is responsible for with a concentration again on sewers
Ernie Fazio
This meeting was sponsored by SFM Company and Principal Mark Pinnata- Thank you
LIMBA staff today was Ken Nevor, Bill Miller and Ernie Fazio
In the photo – Ken Nevor, Bill Miller, Mark Pinna (today’s sponsor}.Ernie Fazio, Marc Hebst-LICA, Mitch Pally- LIBI, and Gil Hanse

Steve Levy- Cost Effective Government
2015-05-01 00:00
5/1/15 Steve Levy, Center for Cost Effective Government, Former county executive Levy has identified several government practices that lead to costing taxpayers exorbitant and unsustainable taxes. His group has had some wins. He’ll explain.
Sponsor this meeting
Meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel 3845 Veterans Memorial Highway, Ronkonkoma
Meeting doors open at 8AM for registration, networking and continental breakfast
Meeting begins Register online https://limba.net/breakfastform.php or call 631 7 57-1698

Maglev scientist - Jesse Powell
2015-05-15 00:00
Dr. Powell will explain the workings of the Maglev transportation system and how it can be easily adapted to Long Island Rail Road infrastructure.
Sponsor this program

LIMBA- Margot Garant-Mayor of Port Jefferson
2015-05-29 00:00
This popular mayor of Port Jefferson usually fills the room
She will discuss the business climate in the village. Please join us.

Frank Boulton
2015-06-12 00:00
Frank Boulton is hosting a meeting at the Bethpage Stadium, home of the Long Island Ducks located at 3 Couthouse Rd, Central Islip

Brookhaven Nat Labs
2015-06-26 00:00
BNL Light Source Tour
We have requested a tour and presentation on the Light Source project at Brookhaven National Laboratories and the tour has been approved.
There are security measures in place all attendees must pre-register and prepay. There will be no money taken at the facility. When coming into the gate you will be directed to the field office to be checked-in You will be directed to the building where our breakfast will be available.
We will start at 8AM and the tour is scheduled for 8:30 Brookhaven National Laboratory is on William Floyd Parkway on the east side of the road and is north of the Long Island Expressway

Ross Ain - Caithness Energy
2015-07-10 00:00
Ross Ain is president of Caithness Long Island.
The discussion will be about the proposed power plant that will be called Caithness 2 and will be adjacent to Gaithness 1, which has been operating for several years.
Please join us

Summer Round Table
2015-07-24 00:00

Mark Lesko- Accelerate Long Island
2015-08-07 00:00
Mark Lesko is the Executive Director

No Meeting
2015-08-21 00:00
The Supervisor will give us an assessment of current efforts in the town.

Diana CherryHolmes- Suffolk County Film Commissiomor
2015-09-18 00:00
The film industry on Long Island has hosted numerous films. The commissioner will discuss the economic importance of this industry and give a little history of film making in our back yard
Sponsored by Dale Carnegie Training

Meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel 3845 Veterans Memorial Highway Ronkonkoma NY 11779 $15 members / $25 nonmembers Breakfast: 8:00 A.M. Program: 8:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. Call: (631)7571698 Email: info@limba.net Register: www.limba.net Share: www.limbasocialnetwork.com

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter
2015-10-02 00:00
Superviser Carpenter will discuss the needs and problems that are facing the townor
The sponsor for this meeting is Gold Coast Bank
Meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel 3845 Veterans Memorial Highway Ronkonkoma NY 11779
$15 members / $25 nonmembers
Breakfast: 8:00 A.M.
Program: 8:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.
? Call:? (631)7571698? Email:? ? info@limba.net

Register:? ? www.limba.net? Share: ? www.limbasocialnetwork.com

NYS Senator Tom Croci
2015-10-16 00:00
Tom Croci will bring the LIMBA audience up to date on Albany matters We will have more on the topic later
Michelle Zere will Host and lead the discussion

Meeting spoansors are Summit Security & All Star Installations
Meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel 3845 Veterans Memorial Highway Ronkonkoma NY 11779
$15 members / $25 nonmembers
Breakfast: 8:00 A.M.
Program: 8:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M.
? Call:? (631)7571698? Email:? ? info@limba.net
Register:? ? www.limba.net? Share: ? www.limbasocialnetwork.com
