LIers speak out on Miley Cyrus

August 10, 2009

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Lisa Mladinich, of Huntington is a writer and mother of a girl, 10.

"What we're seeing is not role models - we're seeing the media machine that destroys the innocence of young girls. It takes these talented girls who they portray as supposed role models and presents a distorted, even perverted, view of femininity. These images are shown under the pretense of giving young women power, when in fact it's exploitation."

Theresa Mladinich, 10, of Huntington.

"I like her songs, but not necessarily her. It's not just singing good that makes a good person. She's gotten a bit far-fetched. The only thing about her that I want to copy is her voice."

Veronica Farias, of Bellmore, is the mother of two boys, ages 7 and 12.

"I don't judge anybody on how they raise their children, as long as they don't touch my children, but still I don't like this stuff. I want my children to live the way they should at their ages, enjoy what they're supposed to enjoy while they are still young. I've lived here for 17 years. I'm from Chile, and this kind of thing that Miley did - it isn't done there.

Jim Schimmenti of Franklin Square, a landscaping contractor, is the father of three girls, ages 6, 9 and 11.

"It's something you get scared of. Girls look up to Miley; they want to mimic her. They grow up too fast as it is. You want to keep their innocence - let kids be kids as long as they can. I do realize that it's not going to effect how younger kids look at Miley - her 'Hannah Montana' show appeals to a much different audience. Now she must be trying to win over a broader, older audience."

Adrienne Mack of North Babylon is an administrative assistant and mother of two grown children as well as grandmother of two girls.

"Miley is so popular - I saw her on a morning show giving a concert in Manhattan and the crowd was huge. What she did on this Teen Choice Awards show was inappropriate; that's not the way to be a role model for girls, or boys, for that matter. Kids will see this on the Internet, even if they don't catch it on TV. You're trying to bring your children up in a wholesome way, but this society is messed up."

Kenneth Kaufman, a psychologist, director of the Institute of Behavioral Health in Commack.

"I saw the video, and I did feel there was some mild aggressiveness in the dancing and some screaming. When I went to Disney World with my grandchildren in April, I felt there was a lot of hitting and aggressiveness in a show there. This video is not as terrible as some things children are exposed to. I didn't think the way they were dressed was so inappropriate - it's no different than the way they dress on the beach."

Janet Olesen of Huntington is a music teacher and the mother of a boy, 12, and a girl, 10.

"I'm very disappointed because so many girls look up to Miley. I'm horrified that they're portraying a girl in that light. There aren't enough good role models, especially for girls. I don't know if Miley is being manipulated in order to reach a whole new audience or if she's initiating it, but either way it's wrong."

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Helicopters crashed in new jersey

Nine believed dead in Hudson River crash

August 8, 2009

Two bodies have been recovered in a midair helicopter-plane collision over the Hudson River that New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg called "not survivable" on Saturday afternoon.

Bloomberg said there were five Italian tourists and a pilot aboard the sightseeing helicopter and three people, including a child, aboard the small plane. He said other bodies have been spotted in the debris.

"This is not going to have a happy ending," Bloomberg said. He added that "this has changed from a rescue to a recovery mission." The crash sent debris from both aircraft into the water between Manhattan and New Jersey.

Divers are searching the water at the crash site, which is near West 14th Street in Manhattan, said Paul Browne, the New York Police Department's chief spokesman.

The helicopter belongs to Liberty Helicopter Sightseeing Tours, Browne said.

"It had taken off from West 30th Street heliport just prior to collision," said Jim Peters, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

The plane, a Piper PA-32, was flying south, bound for Ocean City, N.J., Peters said.

The plane had taken off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey heading south along the Hudson, Peters said, adding that the plane was owned by LCA Partnerships of Fort Washington, Pa. The chopper is a Eurocopter AS 350, the AP reported.

Deena Glanzberg, who is visiting from Miami and was having lunch with her son at a sidewalk cafe near Chelsea Market with a straight-shot view of the Hudson, said she saw the collision.

"The helicopter - it just stopped in midair. It was just a drop. It was not a big crash," Glanzberg said.

Referring to the chopper, she added: "It was just quiet - it was in the air, and then it went down very quietly."

Another witness who told the AP that he saw the crash from the shore in Hoboken, N.J., said the helicopter "dropped like a rock" and that the plane lost its wing. He said he heard a loud pop that sounded like a car backfire.

Browne, the police spokesman, said authorities have received reports of debris found on the New Jersey side of the river including a "tire that appears to have come from one of the aircraft."

A jogger told Newsday that she saw a body covered with a sheet lying on the pier near a staging area being used by rescuers.

Along the esplanade on the Manhattan side, dozens of bicyclists, runners and skaters stopped to watch the rescue efforts.

The Hudson River was the site of a miraculous emergency landing in January of this year in which a jetliner safely splash-landed on the water, and all 155 people aboard were rescued, after birds struck the plane.

And Saturday's crash wasn't the first time a chopper belonging to Liberty - whose Web site promises "a once in a lifetime experience" - has gone into the Hudson.

In July 2007, a sightseeing chopper crashed into the river between midtown and Weehawken, N.J. None of the eight people on board - the pilot and seven passengers - were injured.

Weeks later, smoke from a broken lightbulb forced a Liberty helicopter to make an emergency landing in Manhattan's Riverside Park.

Man shoots daughter, wife in murder-suicide

August 7, 2009

A man whose wife and daughter were moving away from the Roslyn Heights home where they had been living apart from him for the past year shot them and his mother-in-law Friday before turning the gun on himself, Nassau police said, in a bloodbath that rocked a quiet neighborhood.

The man's estranged wife was the sole survivor of the shotgun blasts that took her daughter and mother, and then her husband, police said.

A neighbor, her hands still trembling in shock hours later, described hearing terrifying sounds as she walked by the street.

"I heard three shots," said Ambreen Saleen, who was on her way to a cafe shortly after noon. "I tried to go home and get my cell phone and dial 911. I'm shaking. It's terrible."

Mohamed Shojaeifard, 49, who lived elsewhere in Roslyn Heights, apparently shot his mother in-law, Batool Biraman, 66, of Greenvale, his daughter, Mandana Shojaeifard, 17, and his estranged wife, Haleh Mohseni, 40, who both lived in the same Elm Street house, police said.

Mohamed Shojaeifard then turned the shotgun on himself, they said.

He and Biraman were found dead at the scene. Mandana Shojaeifard was taken to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, where she later died.

Haleh Mohseni was in serious but stable condition Friday night. Det. Lt. Richard Laursen said her wounds were not life-threatening.

The couple had been estranged for about a year, Laursen said, adding that witnesses reported an argument at the home earlier in the day. He said the husband returned later carrying a case that may have contained the shotgun.

The couple were divorcing, Laursen said. Neighbor Leon Malinoski said he saw a moving truck in front of the house about 10 a.m. Friday.

Soon after the shooting, a relative of the victims ran past the police tape and screamed, "Oh, Jesus!" as police tried to comfort her.

Police blocked off the narrow street off Mineola Avenue as passersby looked at the home beyond the yellow tape.

Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey personally responded to the shootings. "It's very unusual that we have three, possibly four people shot dead," he said as he walked onto the crime scene.

Neighbors stood nearby in disbelief.

"I'm shocked that it would happen around here because we're pretty close around here," said Emanuel Elias, who said he lives on a nearby street. "Everybody's like family."

Saleen said she has lived in the area for 15 years but has never heard of such extreme violence there.

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levittown teens reach for the stars

Two Levittown Teens Reach for the Stars

In Nassau County Talent Search Competition

Levittown teens Daniel Brenner and Samantha Jo Siclari will be singing their hearts out at the 2009 Reach for the Stars Teen Talent Search on Aug. 8 at Eisenhower Park.

The annual competition, presented by Nassau County, is for solo vocal talent only. Twenty-five finalists were chosen from over 65 applicants. Winners will receive trophies, gift certificates and cash prizes.
“We are proud to be celebrating the seventh year of the Reach for the Stars Teen Talent Search,” Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi. “This program showcases the best in young vocal talent in Nassau County.”

Daniel Brenner

Daniel Brenner, 15, and a sophomore at Division Avenue High School is self-taught.
“I go on the computer on YouTube.com and look at Michael Jackson, Josh Groban and Declan Galbraith and practice,” he said. “I change the tone in my voice to match how it is.”
Brenner has competed in two similar competitions – LIPA’s Energy Star Idol and Division Idol. He won Division Idol with the song he’s singing at Reach for the Stars – You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban.
“What really got me into singing was the movie Oliver Twist,” he said. “The first time I saw it, I mimicked what they did, their British accents and the way that they sang. I was 7 or 8 and after my mom gave me some more songs to memorize and sing.”
A few years ago, Brenner performed while on a family cruise on a Carnival ship.
“The feeling was great and right then I knew I wanted to perform in front of people,” he added. “This past April I went on another cruise and played Ricky Martin in a show on the cruise.”
His mother, Cristina said Daniel “just has it in him.”
“It comes naturally,” she added.
Too young for American Idol try-out this year, Daniel said, “next year I’m definitely going to do it.”
Daniel is also involved in the school’s Drama Club and plays baseball for Levittown Central’s Dodgers team.

Samantha Jo Siclari

Samantha Jo Siclari, 13, and a student at Salk Middle School has been training since she was a second-grader. Her then-piano teacher informed parents, Theresa and Joseph of Samantha’s vocal ability.
“It makes me want to cry because she’s only 5-feet tall and this big voice comes out of such a small person,” Theresa Siclari said.
A 90-average student and Tri-M Honor Society member, Samantha also crams in chorus, orchestra and chamber choir into her school routine.
“Her whole life is music,” her mother said. “Her goal is to be a Broadway star or a singer/songwriter.”
Samantha writes her own music now, in addition to playing the piano, guitar and violin.
“Last year she had the lead in Bye, Bye Birdie at Salk,” her mother said.
An avid performer in the BroadHollow Theatre Company, Samantha has chosen to perform Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid.
Her parents said they are “proud that she has the ability to do this and she wants to do this.” They have sent letters to Nickelodeon and Disney to get some national recognition, but are hoping the Reach for the Stars competition will help get her foot in the door.
“To love what you do is the best,” Theresa said.
The competition will begin at 7:15 p.m., with a rain date of Tuesday, Aug. 11.
“We are particularly delighted that Kevin Covais of American Idol fame (and a winner in the first Reach for the Stars) will be among our judges,” said Cindy Gillen of the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums.
Other musical and entertainment professionals will serve on the panel as well. The finals show will be broadcast on Radio Disney.
The Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre is located near parking fields 6 and 6A in Eisenhower Park. Special accommodations are available for disabled patrons, including reserved parking, easily accessible restrooms, and a convenient reserved location on the hill. Assistive hearing devices are available for the hearing impaired. There is no formal seating at Lakeside Theatre, so concertgoers are urged to bring folding chairs. If weather conditions are doubtful, call 572-0355 after 6:30 p.m. for updated performance information.
Eisenhower Park, operated by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, is located in East Meadow, with entrances on Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue. For further information, contact the Parks Public Information Office at 572-0200 or visit www.nassaucountyny.gov.

IT middle school in trouble...

IT Teacher Indicted on Child Porn Charges

Written by Jaime L. Tomeo Friday, 31 July 2009 00:00

The Island Trees Memorial Middle School teacher arrested in June on federal charges of downloading videos of child pornography was indicted July 14.

Handout photo of Richard Hartig.

U.S. District Court documents revealed that Richard Hartig, 43, using the computer screen name, “Skyper,” “intentionally received visual depictions…involving the use of one or more minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct” between October 2008 and June 2009. Hartig was caught after undercover FBI officials discovered him in an Internet chat room for child pornography.

At the indictment, he pleaded not guilty to six counts of distributing and possessing child pornography.

Hartig lived in a basement apartment in Lindenhurst and has been a science teacher at ITMMS for the last 15 years.

“As of now, he is considered on ‘unauthorized leave,’” explained Interim Superintendent of Island Trees Schools Jim Parla. “If he is released from jail prior to the final disposition of his case, my recommendation would be immediate suspension.”

According to Robert Nardoza of the United States Department of Justice, the case against Hartig is pending.

“We cannot comment on the specifics of the case,” he added. “He is currently being held without bail.”

Nardoza said Hartig’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 26.

Hartig is being represented by Anthony Colleluori of Anthony J. Colleluori & Associates in Woodbury.

“The case is a complicated one with a lot of issues,” Colleluori said. “At this point in time we are working very hard on behalf of Mr. Hartig.”

obama vs cops

Cop in Gates controversy: We agree to

disagree

President Barack Obama, Sgt. James Crowley, professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Vice President Joe Biden drink beers at the White House. / July 30, 2009/ MCT Photo

With mugs of beer and calming words, President Barack Obama and the professor and policeman engulfed in a national uproar over race pledged Thursday to move on and try to pull country with them.

There was no acrimony — nor apology — from any of the three: black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., white Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley who had arrested him for disorderly conduct, and Obama who declared on national TV that the police had “acted stupidly.” But neither Gates nor Crowley backtracked either, agreeing they still had differences.

Said Obama after the highly anticipated, 40-minute chat at a picnic table on the White House South Lawn: “I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.” “I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode,” said the nation’s first black president.

Under the canopy of a magnolia tree in the early evening, Obama joined the other players in a story that had knocked the White House off stride. Vice President Joe Biden joined them for drinks and snacks.

The policeman and the professor both expressed respect for each other after their dispute had unleashed a furor over racial profiling in America.

It all began when Crowley was called to investigate a potential burglary at Gates’ house and ended up arresting the protesting professor for disorderly conduct. The matter mushroomed when Obama made his comment in a prime-time news conference. He later expressed regret.

“We agreed to move forward,” Crowley said Thursday night when asked if anything was solved in the meeting. “I think what you had today was two gentlemen agreeing to disagree on a particular issue. I don’t think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future.”

For his part, Gates said he and Crowley had been caught up as characters in a much larger narrative about race over which they had no control.

“It is incumbent upon Sgt. Crowley and me to utilize the great opportunity that fate has given us,” Gates said in a statement. He said their task must be to foster sympathy among Americans about “the daily perils of policing on the one hand, and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand.” Although Obama had invited Crowley and Gates as part of what he called a “teachable moment,” it wasn’t quite reachable for the masses. The coverage allowed the public to get the we’ve-come-together photos and video footage that the White House wanted, while keeping the discussion private among the men.

They were seen chatting with each other, each with a mug of beer — except Biden, who had a nonalcoholic drink. The media were stationed far away, out of earshot, and ushered away quickly.

In Massachusetts, meanwhile, a black sergeant who was with Crowley at Gates’ home said he’s been maligned as an “Uncle Tom” for supporting the actions of his white colleague, according to an e-mail that CNN said it received from the sergeant.

The officer, Leon Lashley, said he “spoke the truth” about the arrest, and he said Gates should consider whether he “may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony.”

Jordin Sparks talks about her new album 'Battlefield'

Jordin Sparks talks about her new album

'Battlefield'

Jordin Sparks is living a high-decibel life. She's traveling across the country as a special guest on the Jonas Brothers' tour, performing at arenas packed with girls who, as Sparks puts it, "scream way up here, and they just hold it for four hours straight." And even away from the stage, resting in her downtown Chicago hotel room on a weekend afternoon, the 2007 "American Idol" winner is met with the shrill yelps of yet another fan. This time, it's her dog, Maggie. These days, Maggie serves as Sparks' main companion on the road.

Now 19, Sparks has grown up a bit, and she says you can tell from listening to her sophomore CD, "Battlefield." She spoke recently with Melanie Sims of The Associated Press.

How do you compare "Battlefield" with your 2007 debut?

There's a lot more growth, so my voice sounds a little bit more mature. I wanted to pick songs that I related to on some sort of level and that I wouldn't mind singing for the rest of my life. . . . Then, there's four songs that I actually wrote and I'm really, really excited about.

If you could choose one song from the album for someone to listen to, which would it be?

One of the songs that is really, really important to me - and it's one that I wrote - it's called "Faith." We wrote that four days before the [presidential] inauguration, and it was one of those things. And we were thinking about everything going on in the world and our economy and how there's a sense of hopelessness around for a lot of people. And I was thinking about one of my best friends who passed away two years ago - thinking, [what] if I was the person to tell her, "It's going to be OK," and keep her head up, and that she's got people that love her - if she would still be here?

With everything going on around you in the music world, how do you stay connected with what's happening in the real world?

It's when you detach from the real world that your head starts to get bigger, and you're like, "Hey, the world revolves around me." So I definitely try to keep my inner circle really tight, and I keep my friends really close. I need people who are going to tell me exactly how it is - tell me if my outfit looks bad or . . . if my performance is horrible.

You're a big fan of Michael Jackson. How did you take the news of his death?

The crazy thing is, the day before - literally, the day before - I sang "P.Y.T." in my set. And I've been doing that a lot. I love singing his [songs]. So I did "P.Y.T." and "The Way You Make Me Feel" last year on tour and all these different things. Then, all of a sudden he passed away, and [I said], "I totally did his song yesterday." And we were doing "A-B-C, as easy as . . ." and doing the dance and everything, and all of a sudden he was gone. And we were just like, "This is insane."

Michael was always in the public eye. How do you deal with protecting yourself when it comes to the media?

I'm open to an extent. I give them just enough to where they're satisfied, but I don't go too in-depth. . . . Because of "American Idol," you get to know people a lot. There's a lot of people who think I'm like their best friend. And they'll come up and want to hug me . . . I don't think I'll ever get used to it. But it's still really cool I have that kind of relationship with my fans.