Mike Richter Promotes Offshore Wind Power on Long Island
The Sierra Club launched new radio ads on major stations across Long Island featuring the former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter calling on Governor Cuomo and LIPA to lead the way with a commitment to offshore wind power. The ads will run for two weeks ahead of LIPA’s December 17th Board meeting where they’re expected to announce the winners of new renewable energy contracts. If they choose offshore wind, it will bring hundreds of new jobs and millions in economic growth to Long Island.
“This issue is important to me because New York has an opportunity to be a national leader. Governor Cuomo and LIPA could make a commitment this month to build one of the nation’s first-ever offshore wind projects off the coast of Long Island. We can’t afford to miss this shot at a healthier, more prosperous future for New York with offshore wind power,” said Richter.
“Whether you’re an environmentalist or not, most people think that it’s about the trees and the birds and the fish, but it’s about humans. It’s about our health, our quality of life.”
In 2010, Richter launched Athletes for a Healthy Planet (A4HP), which aims to promote “better understanding of the relationship between the health of the planet and our health, economy, jobs, national security, social justice, and quality of life.”
Sierra Club Radio Ad for Long Island Offshore Wind Power
Mike Richter, former NHL goalie, who helped lead the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup and the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team to a silver medal, is a founder of A4HP. Climate change hit home for Mike when he realized the frozen hockey ponds of his childhood had disappeared. Sports born in the outdoors now are played indoors. “No one has a greater stake in a cleaner, healthier planet than athletes,” says Mike. Our team now includes tennis greats Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, Olympic medalists Connie Carpenter and Angela Ruggiero, NHL icon Mark Messier, Professional Race Car Drive Leilani Münter, and more.
Former New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter promotes Offshore Wind Power on Long Island
The GREAT Mike Richter former New York Rangers Goalie #35, is one of my all-time sports heroes. He played goalie like an offensive position instead of the typical defensive mind set. He brought a poise and intensity to the position and game. As for myself when I played Varsity Soccer I was chosen and forced to play defense “not by my choosing,” but because I played defense like an offensive position and shutdown the opponents best strikers. As a Full-back (LB, FB) & Center-back/center-half/central defender (CB) you must be strong, fearless, and good at timing tackles and having an advantage to win the ball in the air, an essential skill in corner kick situations. With that said I always admired Richter’s offensive/defensive play.
Two other New York sport legends on the Athletes for a Healthy Planet team is tennis great and bad-ass John McEnroe and NHL icon Mark Messier, whom I both met at the 1994 MTV Video Music Award – After Party in Bryant Park. Mind you this was right after the New York Rangers had just won the glorious Stanley Cup back in 1994. So their these two guys were somewhat unrecognizable in their nice casual clothes because McEnroe was not wearing his old-school sweatband and Messier was not in a Rangers jersey. Their they were right in front of me and I was quite stunned to see them hanging together, and I was like “thanks Mark” and McEnroe was like “for what” and I said “come on.” I shook both their hands and said “it was an honor and a pleasure to meet you guys” and thanks for being such kick-ass athletes.
So with that said it is super cool to see these great New York Sports Heroes stepping it up with fellow athletes dedicated to finding breakthroughs for a cleaner, healthier planet.
Ever since Whole Foods Market opened their first New York City store in Chelsea, I’ve been a loyal customer and have shopped at locations throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After moving from the city back to Long Island, I was so disappointed to find that there wasn’t a Whole Foods in Suffolk County planned and was determined to get one built in the community. My diligence paid off, because after repeatedly calling the Northeast regional office over a period of ten years and speaking with the head real estate manager in charge, requesting that they come to the area, a Whole Foods Market finally made its way to Lake Grove in Suffolk County.
Since then, I have moved further east to the North Fork and once again find myself without a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe’s or a Wild by Nature, an independent subsidiary of King Kullen Grocery Company. After talking to friends and locals in the area, I discovered that I am not alone in wanting these specialty supermarkets to be built in the area. So once again, I have taken on the task to get a Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and a Wild by Nature somewhere between Riverhead and Southold.
Also as of fall 2014 in Port Jefferson Station their is needed infrastructure improvements being made to help support a revitalization of a well strategically placed shopping center complex, which will probable be totaly demolished in the years to come. This would be an ideal location as it is directly on New York State Route 347 at the intersection with New York State Route 112.
In order to accomplish this mission, I am asking anyone that lives in or frequents the East End, to help me in this endeavor. If you enjoy and have a need for a natural, organic diet and prefer all natural bath & body care products along with non-toxic natural household cleaners to please call and email Whole Foods Market’s Northeast regional office, Trader Joe’s corporate office and King Kullen/Wild by Nature’s corporate office to request new locations for store fronts to be built on Long Island’s North Fork and South Fork in Suffolk County here in New York State.
And once these stores are built, we must not forget to remind these companies to help support our community by sourcing produce from local farms and products from specialty vendors.
Signing off,
General GOBBI
Whole Foods Market Inc.
Northeast Regional Office
(201) 567-2090
Customer Service – Store Location Request
Trader Joe’s
(626) 599-3700
Location Requests
King Kullen / Wild by Nature
(516) 733-7100
Contact
A red Ferrari LaFerrari was spotted in The Hamptons departing an enclosed auto transportation company’s two 18-wheelers on Long Island’s East End for display at the new stunningly large Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York on a late lazy Tuesday afternoon this July 30th along with nine other rare Ferraris.
Ferrari LaFerrari American Premier Hamptons Dinner Party, Private Viewing
Ferrari LaFerrari American Premier Hamptons Dinner Party, Private Viewing
I was just taking a ride on my Ducati 1200 Multistrada S Sport out to the Hamptons just to clear my head and get some fresh sea air and seafood, and while I was there, I thought I’d check out the cool architecture of the new Parrish Art Museum, which happens to be the size of two soccer fields in length.
As my luck would have it, there just happen to be two enclosed auto transportation 18-wheeler big rigs parked in the lengthy driveway at the museum’s entrance. So I stopped in for a look, and lo and behold, I saw multiple gleaming red Ferraris stacked and ready for unloading. The guys of the Horseless Carriage Carriers, Inc. transportation company were super cool, and mentioned there was a super exclusive Ferrari event happening the next night on July 31st for an invitation-only private viewing. Well it wound up being held by Ferrari North America for the Ferrari LaFerrari American Premier and purchasers dinner for only 40 people of the new 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari hybrid supercar.
The Parrish Art Museum event manager – clearly not a car guy – was like “this is a private viewing”, and I was like ok – well I just got mine, but the event is not until tomorrow night, and there were only three people besides the guys unloading the cars, so I was like what’s the big deal, can I hang for a sec and take a look at the “new red paint,” meaning the new supercar. I was not there bothering anyone or there to take any pictures, I was out taking a ride and just happened to see something interesting out of the corner of my eye, so I stopped by. It seemed to be such a secret, like they were unloading the holy grail or something. If it wasn’t for me quickly mentioning to the transport crew to watch out, they would have ripped off the front fender lower air faring by almost hitting the side lip of the trailer ramp because no one – meaning the event managers – was not spotting them. That would have not been good if they damaged the supercar before the event. Timing is everything sometimes ;)
LaFerrari American Premier – Party Favor
Ferrari LaFerrari American Premier Hamptons Dinner Party at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York
All I can say is that the LaFerrari is totally stunning especially in person! I was lucky enough to stand just 2′ feet away from it glistening in the late afternoon sunset, the corporate stock photos do not do this sleek design justice. The other design concepts, (F150) Manta and the Tensostrutturaare are just as sleek as the LaFerrari (F70). What a stunning designs by Flavio Manzoni Ferrari’s Design Chief and the team of other designers and engineers. My hats off to them – crazy sexy! I will take mine in black with some black rims of course.
2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Hybrid Supercar in Black
And to the rich pricks that are going to snatch up these 499 limited sexy hybrid supercars, please just don’t have it sit around and collect dust. Drive the dam wheels off of it for god sakes and enjoy it!
LaFerrari Design Secrets Uncovered | autocar.co.uk
Fernando Alonso and the LaFerrari: “Remember, two slow laps…”
I absolutely agree with former New York Governor George Pataki’s assessment and opinion regarding the antiquated power-grid in his article at the Wall Street Journal website titled In Sandy’s Wake, Time to Upgrade the Power Grid.
The Federal State and local municipalities along with the utility companies need to create a smart electrical grid and to finally start burying our power lines underground. Not all power lines can be or should be buried under ground in low-lying or flood prone areas, but for the majority it is time to take action and invest in our modern day infrastructure. To have one fallen tree take out an entire town’s or state’s power grid is unacceptable. The industrial spaghetti of power lines detracts from the natural beauty of our environment and is just not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. We need to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions and implement them. It’s time to start using alternative power sources and focus more on renewable energy such as wind, solar, hydro and thermal power along with capturing methane gas from our local landfills in order to power our future’s ever growing energy needs. So what are we waiting for? Let do this already!
Superstorm Sandy exposed perhaps the greatest flaw underpinning the American way of life: insecure and unreliable electrical infrastructure. Four weeks after the storm, thousands of people in New York and New Jersey remain without power.
How did this happen? Under normal conditions, the energy systems of these areas are a complex but reliable network of pipelines, power plants, poles and wires. Under the stress of a major storm, however, these systems have proven inadequate in responding and recovering.
To make our electrical grid more reliable, serious consideration has to be given to burying electrical-distribution networks underground. This costly but critical investment would eliminate the need for utility poles and overhead wires, drastically reducing the need for repairs caused by wind and tree damage. New York’s Consolidated Edison is considering burying power lines, but it won’t be easy because utilities must earn government approval for rate increases before making most improvements. New Yorkers already pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, so hardening the system while keeping rates down will require creativity.
Another priority should be to harden and modernize the transmission systems that carry high-voltage electricity from large power plants down to the local distribution level. Modernization includes increasing the use of high-voltage direct-current (DC) transmission lines, which are less prone to failure than the alternating-current (AC) systems used throughout the country. DC lines can be buried underground or underwater, as is the Cross Sound Cable between Connecticut and Long Island, helping to enhance their reliability. (Conventional high-voltage AC lines can be placed below ground, but doing so is very costly when long distances are involved.)
Damage to substations, poles, transformers and power lines causes most power outages during storms. Even so, improvements to other parts of the grid can protect us against disasters. One improvement would be to expand the use of distributed power generation through fuel cells, microturbines, and the simultaneous “cogeneration” of both heat and power.
Such distributed power sources have very small installation footprints—fitting even on the roof of a building—and can provide secure power regardless of other outages on the electrical grid. During and after Sandy, cogeneration allowed pockets of New York City (such as the large Co-op City neighborhood) never to lose electricity or heat. Crucially, favorable amortization schedules and tax treatment, along with operational cost savings, can make these power sources attractive investments for building owners and other investors. They can even generate revenue by selling excess electricity back into the marketplace during times of peak demand, a practice known as demand response.
Finally, the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency works with electrical utilities after disasters needs reform. Under the current system, utilities receive federal emergency funding to replace damaged electrical components only if they replace them “in-kind” with the same technology. This means that all sorts of antiquated components are simply being replaced. This makes no sense. The federal government should promote modern technologies and best practices.
Officials at all levels of government should work to ensure that structures rebuilt after Sandy are more resilient and energy-efficient than their predecessors. They can do this by continuing to expand smart-grid technologies such as advanced meters, which communicate concise and instant information to repair teams in the event of an outage, instead of relying on customers to report general information via telephone.
Likewise, so-called self-healing transmission and electric-system technology can help the electrical grid react to system damage as it occurs by isolating outages. So instead of a blown transformer triggering a widespread power outage, the grid can automatically reroute electrical current to avoid the damaged area. Some parts of New York and New Jersey already use this technology, but it can be far more widely adopted.
No matter what, our utilities and governments will spend tens of billions of dollars repairing the damage caused last month. The question is whether Hurricane Sandy will be remembered as the moment America began embracing strategic infrastructure change, or as yet another wasted opportunity to move the country in the right direction.
Mr. Pataki, counsel to Chadbourne & Park LLP and chairman of the Pataki-Cahill Group, served as New York governor (1995-2006) and led the founding of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2003.
A version of this article appeared November 26, 2012, on page A15 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: In Sandy’s Wake, Time to Upgrade the Power Grid.
On Saturday, February 4, 2012, I got to meet, hear and hang out with Gregg Bissonette, one of my drumming heroes. The experience totally kicked ass!!! Gregg showcased his drum clinic for the Day of Percussion 2012 held at the Sayville High School in Sayville, NY, by the Suffolk County Music Educators Association (SCMEA) and co-sponsored by The Original Long Island Drum Center.
Gregg rocked out his drumming styles for the intimate crowd. The kids totally dug it, and so did I as he explained his drumming techniques, the music business and how to earn a living with drumsticks. He mentioned that his father was a drummer as well. Gregg is a technically trained drummer and can play from his heart and soul, which I personally prefer. He reads and composes music for movie scores and television as well as playing with bands. He really enjoys making a living at playing the drums, and why wouldn’t you? What is super cool is that he still has and plays his old Pearl large drum kit in jet black finish with white hardware from the 80s. Gregg is an all-around great drummer and most importantly he is an all-around great guy. Thanks Gregg, you ROCK, literally!
Gregg played drums with one of the best front men in Rock ‘n’ Roll, David Lee Roth and the amazing guitarists Steve Vai, and is currently playing drums for Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band.
Drummers Casey Gobbi and Gregg Bissonette hanging loose
I have seen and most importantly heard all of my childhood favorite drummers and deejays play live and am very lucky to be able to say that. I am still waiting to see Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, Rick Allen (aka ‘The Thunder God’) of Def Leppard, Rikki Rockett of Poison and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran play live. I was also fortunate enough to personally meet my drumming heros, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, along with Charles Benetti of Anthrax, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction and Infectious Grooves, Omar Hakim of Sting and now the great Gregg Bissonette, and even Jam Master Jay of Run of Run-DMC; how cool is that kids!
Gregg Bissonette: Game-Changing Moment
You are currently browsing the archives for the Long Island category.
35°F
Overcast Clouds