Have you ever met a person who seems to appear everywhere--volunteering at charitable functions, PTA president, selling raffles, participating in neighbohood clean-ups, running soup kitchens, teaching English to new Americans, tutoring students, reading to toddlers, working where needed in hospital settings, comforting hospice patients in their last days plus they take care of their own families, cook dinner, send their kids off to school with lunch in hand all with what seems like no effort.  Their pictures are in the newspapers and you question, "How do they find the time to be so involved?"

These people are busy for a reason.  The word "NO" is not in their vernacular.  Staten Island is honoring six women, pictured below, as the "Women of…

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OK, what is the box and why should we think out of it, you may ask?  

Many years ago, the expression in every corporate training program was, "THINK OUT OF THE BOX". How do we make our business grow?  How do we improve our methods of performing our tasks?  How do we clean our homes more proficiently? (The Roomba vacuum, maybe!)  If one method worked for so many years, it was inevitable that a better method awaited our stagnant brains to keep us on top of the game.  

Recently, I read of a new business on Staten Island that caused me to raise an eyebrow.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of bars, restaurants, clubs on the Island.  How so many can make a profit is of interest to me.  Each establishment has a gimmick or a clique, as a hangout for…

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A recent SILive.com poll was taken to discover whether Staten Islanders are willing to pay more for products manufactured in the United States.  Over 80% of the respondents agreed they would pay more for American-made products while over 19% said they could not afford the extra costs.  

Last year, I was in need of car mats.  A set at Walmart, sporting a little American flag on the tag, cost a bit over $20.  After I purchased the mats, in small print on the back of the tag was marked "Made in China"--bait and switch!  Within six months, there were rips on the mat on the driver's side.  Why was the rubber breaking down?  On a local radio channel and in the AAA magazine, the owner of an American-made manufacturer of car mats advertises; he is extremely…

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Gov. Cuomo's plan to discount the toll on the Verrazano Bridge was approved Monday by the MTA's Bridges and Tunnels and Finance Committees.  It will be voted on by the full board on Wednesday and is expected to be approved.     Staten Islanders with a New York issued EZ Pass will pay $5.50 per trip regardless of the amount of times they cross the Bridge each month.  Commercial vehicles will get a 20% toll discount.  Currently Islanders pay $6.36 per toll for one or two trips in a month and $6.00 for three or more in a month.  The cash toll is $15.    Random  

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In an article in the Staten Island Advance, it was noted that the Economic Development Corp. released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the purchase and redevelopment of the Department of Sanitation Garage in New Brighton.  This garage has been a thorn in the side of the neighborhood for over fifty years.  Elected officials and neighborhood activists have long considered the garage an environmental blight on the community and stumbling block to any plans to revitalize the Jersey Street corridor. In the winter, the Sanitation trucks idle for hours in the neighborhood awaiting the starting pistol to "move the plows" when the snow hits the pavement.  Pedestrians are forced to walk on the street as trucks block walk-ways.  In the summer, the…

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According to the Staten Island Advance, the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility is being sold to Broadway Stages, a premier TV, film and music video production company with 30 years in the business and ties to the major studios.  

When the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility was closed two years ago in a statewide cost-cutting move, employees were transferred to other facilities or lost their jobs and local businesses claimed a significant loss of revenue.  Vacant for these past two years, there were rumors of major retail chains interested in this site.  Of course, with retail comes traffic issues and alternative traffic patterns along the Arthur Kill Road corridor which is of concern to all residents.  

It is reported that Broadway Stages will…

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In a recent Wall Street Journal article, it was reported that Americans are favoring more historic designs, such as arts-and-crafts type homes their grandparents once lived in over the huge suburban homes that have been built over the last thirty years. McMansions are supposedly becoming a thing of the past!  Smaller, saner housing stock is growing, partly because oftheeconomy, partly because of nostalgia.

I grew up in a two-family home my Dad bought on the GI bill for $8,000 in 1950.  A four room apartment on the first floor, ditto the second floor, one bathroom per apartment. Mom, Dad and two daughters lived in those two bedrooms.  When my brother came along, the wrap-around porch gave way to an extension, adding an extra bedroom fortheonly son.…

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It has just been announced by the Governor's office that, under a new State program, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to receive the proper training needed for emergencies or disasters.  The Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program will equip residents with the tools and resources to prepare for emergencies and disasters, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions.  

Citizen Preparedness training will provide an introduction to responding to disasters, including developing a family emergency plan and stocking up on emergency supplies.  A response kit containing batteries, face masks, food bars, water bottles and a first aid kit will be distributed at the initial two-hour training session which will be held…

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A year ago, I received a letter from the DEP "inviting" me to purchase insurance to cover the cost of repair to the aging sewer and water lines that exist on Staten Island. I mulled it over, held on to the letter for a number of months and eventually sent it to the circular file.  

Recently, I again received the same letter from the DEP urging me to purchase said insurance which is being offered by American Water Resources.  Only 14% of all Staten Island homeowners have signed up for this program. Of the City's estimated 600,000 homeowners, only 103,021 homeowners have enrolled.

The cost is $4.49 a month for the water line protection and $7.99 a month for the sewer line protection. There are exclusions, naturally, to the insurance coverage.  The…

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How many of you made resolutions for the new year 2014 to get in shape, to feel young again? How many of you feel OLD?  Around Staten Island there are a multitude of sites to help you keep your resolutions.  Silver Lake Park on the North Shore of Staten Island is perfect at any time of the day. The sun rise and sun set on the water and throughout the park is breathtaking. Bloomingdale Park on the South Shore boasts scenic trails, a great play area for the children and a dog run for the pooches among other features.  Snug Harbor is a gem--the Botanical Garden, the Art Lab, galleries, the Children's Museum, the duck, fish and goose pond where you can sit and meditate. The boardwalk at South Beach is a perfect place to walk, run, meet people and breathe in…

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