Nassau County Government Homepage

Hi All,

The Nassau County government homepage is chock full of informative and helpful links. Not only is the site easy to navigate - great colors, easy to read, good contrasting links and well organized - there are many ways for visitors to contact various departments on the Nassau County site. Click here for a good start to figure out who/what/where to contact if you have any issues.

One of the best things about the site is eServices link on the homepage. Click here for the direct link.

On the EServices page on the site you have two sections - one for residents and another for business. I'm going to discuss the various parts of the resident section in this blog entry. There is more than enough to talk about on the site for the entry.

So, what's on the resident site? Well, users can view assessment information via the Land Records Viewer, appeal your assessment via the Assessment Review (AROW), make golf reservations (seriously!), pay parking tickets online and find a section on contractor lookup and initiate contractor complaints.

Starting from the top....the Land Records Viewer enables users to view area maps, tax maps, view a property sketch and view correspondence. General and School tax information, property description, recent sales and assessment question information are all available on the site.

The AROW (an acronym for Assessment Review on the Web) section of the site enables homeowners to answer the question, 'Do I have a good case for filing an appeal"? Users can search for residential sales, file an appeal or look up information about pending or prior appeals.

Sorry, but the Golf Reservation section of the site is one of the more clever uses of technology that I've seen recently. Using this service, users can reserve tee time at either the Red, White, or blue courses at Eisenhower Park up to one week in advance of the date you wish to play. Funstuff - especially now that Spring is somewhat around the corner.

The 'My Nassau' part of the site enables users to find information on elected officials, road management authorities, school district information, police/fire/sewage district information. That could be very helpful when you need to lodge a complaint about a fire or sewage issue...

Go figure - park in the wrong place now, get a ticket and you can pay online with a credit card. Want to do just that? Just click on this link to pay your outstanding parking tickets that are returnable to the Nassau County (TPVA) Traffic Court. Easy - and you don't have to go to 16 Cooper Street in Hempstead to pay the ticket. FYI, click on this link to go to the TPVA website directly.

Finally, visitors to the Contractor Lookup/Complaint section of the website can find and check on the license status of prospective contractors and vendors. Visitors can also file complaints with the Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs from this site as well. Neat stuff -and very helpful when you are doing a renovation or building project on or in your house (think kitchen remodeling or basement finishing or an addition to the house...).

Enjoy the site - there is a huge amount of timely, valuable, helpful information that is available to visitors!

Regards,
Stu

The Academy Awards

Hi All,

Unless you live under a rock - or if you are completely uninterested in the movies and the Academy Awards - you might have missed the Academy Awards last night.

Yes - I am delivering a blog entry about the Academy Awards. Don't worry, if you follow through to the end of the entry, you'll see why I'm writing this entry. (How's that for a hook - I bet that'll get a lot of folks to work their way through the entry!)

Okay, okay...onto the red carpet we go.

So...if you did miss the AA (Academy Awards from here on out will be denoted by AA), click on this link for all the winners for 2012.

You know you want it - click here for lots of AA photos. Note that the pictures came from the AA website at this link. Look at all the pretty stars and actors and actresses!

This next link has interviews and commentary of actors and actresses interviewed on the 'Red Carpet' before the AA's. Can you imagine how many reporters and news hounds were 'on the story' of the AA's? Well, just to give you an idea, click on this link from the AA blog site. Amazing how much is written about the AA's.

This next link - called Oscar Buzz - is basically a real-time feed of readers comments about the AA's. Note that these are really short comments - basically in Twitter format. Funstuff.

Now, for all the back stories, interviews, comments and more, you can click on this link from EW - Entertainment Weekly. More funstuff. Especially with all the pictures and articles the site has.

You might also want to click on this link from EW that is dedicated to just the 2012 AA's. Wow - so much information. On the page there are sections on 'Oscars 2012: Behind the Scenes', and 'Oscards 2012: Myth Busters', and 'Oscars 2012: Nominated For...Nothing'.

Finally, if you click on this link, you'll find all the books in the Farmingdale Public Library that deal with the Academy Awards.

Enjoy the recap and the sites of the 2012 Academy Awards!

Regards,
Stu

High Wind Watch For Friday and Saturday

Hi All,

If you haven't realized it yet - its windy outside. Very windy in fact. Click here for a link to the Wunderground - a weather website that gives forecasts, weather news and more.

But wait, there's more. Click on this link for this weekends' weather in Farmingdale - link is from Yahoo! Weather.

If we have high winds, what does that mean for homeowners? What should they do in case of really, really strong winds?

Click on this link from the NOAA - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The information at the bottom of the page has a section for 'High Wind Safety Actions'. In this case the example is if a hurricane is approaching your region.

Some of the more obvious things that homeowners should do include bringing in all lawn furniture, barbecues, and dog houses. More info can be found on this link.

Find out if you home meets current building code requirements for high winds by clicking on this link. If you need to reinforce your garage door because of heavy wind, click here. Click here for more information about shuttering the windows on your house.

Finally, click on this link for the modern version of the Beaufort Wind Scale. If you want a really neat picture, click on the last category for a great picture of what hurricane force winds look like on the ocean!

You also might want to click on this link for the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Summary Table - neat stuff and the categories they cover are really helpful.

Finally, you might want to click on this link for some fun 'Wind Facts'. Click here for the link to the site by the name of 'Wind' from a site called 'Clouds R Us'.

Included on the site is a table of wind chill factors, information on global wind patterns, and winds that have been named (ie. Mistral, Pampero, Levante, etc...)

I hope the links I provided blow you away :)

Regards,
Stu

Crime Statistics From the Nassau County Police Department

Hi All,

Back on February 1st I wrote about crime statistics that are available on the Newsday.com website. That information is good - very good - and very helpful.

At the end of that blog entry, in passing I mentioned that there is a section on the Nassau County Police Department website that contains crime statistics. With all the attention being paid to the new Community Policing Plan - click here for the link to learn more about the plan - I wanted to go into more detail about the data that is presented on the Nassau County Police Department website.

First though, click here on a link from CBS New York's website for an article titled, 'Nassau County Residents Voice Displeasure About Plan to Close 4 Police Precincts'. Also, you might want to click on this link from ABC News titled 'Burglaries Up In Nassau County Amid Precinct Closures'.

Now, on to the statistics. The main page for the Crime Statistics can be reached by clicking on this link. Click on the link for whichever precincts crime statistics that you are interested in. Note also that there is a link for 'Grand Totals' as well.

When you click on a precinct link a document opens up in pdf format. Click here to get a free version of Adobe Acrobat for free.

When you click on any of the links the Crime Report comes up. Interesting columns to note are the comparison's between 2012 and 2011 and the fact that the report has Weekly, 28 Day, Year-to-Date and Year-to-Date Prior Year columns. There is a LOT of information on the chart!

The first column on the left side of the document has the type of crime. Murders, Rapes, Sexual Abuse, Robberies, Assaults, Burglaries, Stolen Vehicle, Grand Larceny and more are included in the report. Note also that the last row on the sheet includes a 'Total Crime Report'. Basically that is a cumulative total...

Other items to note about the report: these stats are for the week and are by precinct. Sometimes the percent change column is drastically large due to few occurrences. For example, if there were 2 residential burglaries in a particular week and then there was only one residential burglary in the next week - the percent change would show that it dropped by 50%. If there were 3 residential burglaries in the next week, the percent increase would show an increase of 200%. Make sure you understand the statistics before coming to any arbitrary conclusions.

Finally, remember that the main Crime Statistics page has a Grand Total link.
Regards,

Stu

Happiness - Finding It and Holding On To It

Hi All,

Wow - what an ambitious topic I chose for this blog entry!

Happiness - it seems like a vague, general term. How can we find it and keep it and share it?

Indeed - these are some of the topics that I'll discuss in this entry.

First - click on this link for a good definition of happiness - link is from Wikipedia. This next link goes to website called 'The Pursuit of Happiness' - from an organization called The Pursuit of Happiness. This site has an interesting link to the history of happiness. Click here for that very link.

How does one 'become happy'? Indeed, great question. Click on this link for a site that claims to have figured out two components of 'how to be happy'. Hint: gratitude and appreciation are factors in happiness.

So, why is happiness so important? Clicking on any of these three links will get you started to figuring out why happiness is so important.

Lifecoachexpert.com

Selfcreation.com

Happiness Show.com

Evidently folks who create quotes and wrote poetry think happiness is very important. Click on this link from Motivating Quotes.com. Some of the quotes are pretty darn funny, clever and insightful.

Enjoy the links!

Stu

N is for...

Hi All,

Onward and upward in my slow, but steady, project of finding interesting websites that represent various letters of the alphabet.

We are now up to the letter N....amazing.

Netflix - Users can watch movies & television shows online or streaming video right to your TV via Xbox, Wii, PS3 & many other devices. Free trials available before you decide to purchase.

Nordstrom - upscale retailer has lots of clothing for men, women, juniors, babys/kids and more. Other goods they sell includees shoes, handbag, 'stuff' for the house, jewelry and watches. Can get email updates and buy online.

NFL - great link to one of the big four sports in America today. Get stats, player news, team news, highlights, standings, play fantasy fooball, schedules, video, tickets and merchandise and more on the site.

National Grid - get customer service, pay bills, find products and services for your home or for you business and more on the site. Users can view and pay bills, learn about various billing programs, find out why your bill may vary, view bills and payments and more.

National Geographic - wonderful non-profit website with gigantic sections on video, photography, animals, environment, travel, adventure, NatGeoTV, Kids and National Geographic, buy NG related goods and more. Don't miss Photo of the Day, the section on Maps, Explorers and Blogs. You'll be here for hours and hours if you like 'things natural' and related topics. Users can also subscribe to the publication on the site as well.

New York Times - internationally known newspaper that covers the world of news. Don't miss sections include the Dealbook, Style, Arts and Opinion! Readers can subscribe for home delivery, sign up for podcasts, find obituaries, look in the event guide and much, much more.

Newsday - the local Long Island newspaper. One of the highest circulating newspapers in the United States! Users can find a limited amount of information since the newspaper makes users enter their account information to get the full newspaper...fyi, Newsday is owned by Cablevision.

Nook - the Barnes&Noble e-reader that competes with the Kindle, Ipad and other e-devices. Click on this link to go to the page that has informationon the Nook Simple Touch, Nook Color and the Nook Tablet. Nook users can get over 2.5 million books, popular magazines, newspapers, interactive kids books, movies, tv shows, music and apps. Whew - take a gander! And remember, you can download free books via the library website by clicking on this link to Overdrive.

NOAA - learn all about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Taken from the NOAA webpage, the NOAA is..."an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them.

From daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product. NOAA’s dedicated scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with reliable information they need when they need it."

Be sure not to miss the National Weather Service part of the site. Also, check the National Ocean Service link

Numerology - click on this link to Wikipedia that discusses Numerology. Sections in the link include various systems of numerology like Alphabetic Systems, Abjad Systems and Pythagorean Systems. More information on Chinese Number Systems is available as well. External links are available for numerology as well.

Enjoy.
Stu

Red-Light Cameras in Nassau County

Hi All,

Newsday has a very interesting and useful database of red-light cameras in Nassau County. You might have seen these cameras sitting atop the signal at busy intersections in Nassau County.

Or not. You might not have known what they are...but they are around Nassau. Click here for a list of them - both a map and a long list - of where these cameras are located.

Interestingly enough, click on this link that says that red-light cameras reduce crashes.

Alternatively, click on this link that says that red-light cameras are not about safety.

You might also want to click on this link from AOL Autos that discusses whether or not red-light cameras reduce crashes.

Finally, readers who have teenagers who are about to learn to drive might consider taking a peak at this video we have in our collection at the library. The name of the video is 'Rules of the Road' and it is in DVD format and you can find it in the library in the 629.28 section. FYI, the video is mixed in with the rest of our non-fiction books!

Okay, one last plug for the library! Did you know that the library offers defensive driving classes for Senior Citizens and for adults under the age of 50? Well, we do - and if you click on this linkand scroll to the last page of the newsletter, you'll find our most current classes for AARP members and for folks under 50 years old. Attendees can save money on their insurance for up to 3 years.

Hope this helps - safe driving.

Regards,
Stu

Milk and Cookies - The Best Snack Ever!!!

Hi All,

I was just thinking about what some of the 'best things in life are?' My list includes pizza, a Yankee game on a warm summer day, sleeping late on a Sunday morning and of course, the title of this entry: milk and cookies.

Wouldn't it be great if we all - I mean everyone who works or babysits or is on vacation - could take a half hour milk and cookie break every day at 3pm? That would be amazingly productive! It would cut down on the afternoon blahs and we'd get a snack to boot. Remember how you used to have milk and cookies after school when you were younger? Those were the days, eh?

Click on this link for the nutritional aspects of milk. Now click on this link for the nutritional aspects of cookies.

Click on this link for a fun chocolate chip recipe from Allrecipes.com. And if you didn't like the previous chocolate chip recipe, click on this link for another one!

What about reading about a history of chocolate chip cookies while reading this blog entry? Here ya go - click on this link for an essay on just that topic!

As if that's not enough, you might want to click on this link to get 'Interesting Facts About Chocolate Chip Cookies'. Yum, yum, yum!

Finally, click on this link for even more fun facts about cookies!

Enjoy the cookies, and the next time you are enjoying milk and cookies, think about this blog entry!

Regards,

Stu

Literary Terms

Hi All,

I try to make the blog interesting AND educational. This is one of those entries where I'm trying to do both things at the same time. I hope I succeed!

Also, since this is a library blog, I try - sometimes - to make it a bit literary. This is one of those entries.

There are lots of literary terms out there. So whether or not you are reading a book - the paper version - or reading a book on your Ipad, Kindle, Nook or other device, you might come into contact with some of these words...they help you understand what you are reading even more. And you'll come to appreciate the work also.

So, click on this link for a very digestible list of literary terms like 'allegory', 'allusion', "caesura' (what the heck is that?), 'epithet', 'imagery', 'malapropism', 'portmanteau' or 'syllepsis'. Cool words that will definitely help you appreciate what you are reading even more - and, if you are in high school or college, you'll possibly get an even better grade.

Click here for another link to literary terms. This time the link is from a college called Carson-Newman College in Tennessee.

Finally, if you have an assignment for school where you need to learn about literary terms, readers can use our online database entitled 'Credo Reference'. Just click on the Reference link on the Farmingdale Public Library homepage. Click on reference again when you get to the database page. Scroll down a bit to the link that says Credo Reference. Before you actually use the database, you'll need to enter your library card number in the box. Once you do that though, you'll have access to the database. Great stuff -and helpful to boot.

Finally, for a less serious - but still educational - take on literary terms, click on this link. Links are available for the various literary terms but also for figurative language and other literary devices. There is also a fun section 'For Kids' which has a quiz on literary terms. Site also has a link for teachers. Enjoy!

Stu

Trends - What's Hot and What's Not

Hi All,

Let's talk tech and trends and things 'cool' today. I suspect you've all used Google to do a search on the web. That's all well and good - but did you know that the folks at Google have created a way to find out what terms are popular at a particular time and place?

Yep - its cool. It'll totally change the way you do research and that way you use Google.

Just click on this link and you'll visit the main Google Trends page.

Users can type in their own search or click on various links of 10 or so very popular searches.

Users who are interested in exploring more about the advanced features can click on this link entitled 'Google Insights For Search'. This is where users can compare search volume patters across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. Super cool for the geeky searcher in all of us. :)

Here is an example of what you'll find if you use Google Trends. I did a search for 'snow new york' and got back a chart that prety much looked like an EKG report you get at a doctors office. Specifically though it showed that there was an increase in these search terms (and a dramatic increase in these terms at that) during the months of December, January and February. This is pretty much what you would expect in New York during these months since there is more snow at this time of year. Hence you would expect there to be more people searching for these terms at this time of year. Click on this link for the chart.

Now, if you scroll down further on the result page, you can click on links under the category of Regions. Users can also click on a link at the top right on the page for 'All Regions' and 'All Years'. Interesting stuff. I wonder what would happen if you did a search for 'snow', 'New York', and 'blizzard' and then narrowed the search down by region?

So, the whole point of Google Trends is for users to be able to parse (aka break out and divide in ever smaller parts) data and then to actually use it in a practical way.

I would imagine that advertisers, marketers, PR and publicity professionals would find this an interesting tool - as would information professionals and folks who love to search for data.

Enjoy!
Stu

Introducing the Number 6

Hi All,

Full entry ahead - beware of information and trivia. You might even get a laugh or a giggle or two from the entry. Heck, with the shape of the number 6 - round, curvy and just plain fun - who wouldn't be laughing? Anyway, onward and upward to 6.

Motel 6: Make reservations and find locations on the company's website. You can also become a member and get information about programs (read: sales and discounts) when you sign up. Learn all about various Motel 6 locations and find out about their pet friendly program on the site as well.

For the musician in all of us...6 is the number of strings on a standard guitar. Click here for more information on string numbers and guitars. Also, click on this link for info on a group of Frenchman in the 1920's who were known as 'Les Six'.

In the world of sports, LeBron James has the number 6 on his uniform. Click on this link to get masses and masses of LJ stats.

Lots of Major League Baseball players who ultimately became Hall of Famers wore the number 6 on their uniform. For example, Al Kaline and Stan Musial wore the number. Same thing for the NBA - Bill Russell and Julius Erving wore it. In the NHL Larry Aurie wore the number 6.

And in other fields it is said that there is no more than six degrees of separation between any two people on Earth. Click here for the fascinating story of the 6DOS theory.

Other meanings for the number '6' include:
1. ESP is also known as the 'sixth sense'.
2. There are six cardinal directions - North, South, East, West, Up and Down.
3. Six dynasties form part of Chinese History. (And the number 6 is a lucky number in Chinese culture.)
4. Six is also used as informal slang for the British Secret Intelligence Service - MI6.
and finally...
5. the sextant - the measuring instrument - got its name because its shape forms one- sixth of a whole circle.

Click on any of the above links to find out more about that particular topic relating to the number 6. Enjoy the links!

Stu

The SuperBowl Post

Hi All,

As far as I can remember I've been doing a SuperBowl entry the day or two before the big game.

So...here we go again - since the big game is on Sunday!!!

Readers can click on this link for WCBS880's link to 'all things SuperBowl'. There are lots of interesting links...some of which include links about a New Hyde Park Pizzeria Delivering Pizza to Giants in Indianapolis, two NYGiants who are promising a Giant win, the Feds Have Seized $400,000 in Counterfeit NFL Goods and other articles and information.

For gameday information it would be best to visit the SuperBowl site at NFL.com Did you know that you can watch the game live via streaming video at the NFL.com website? Yep - you can.

Click on this link that talks about NYGiants coach Coughlin and the hall-of-fame. For information about the coaching matchup during the game click here - lots of statistics! And to be fair about it, click here for a Wikipedia entry about Bill Belichik - coach of the NE Patriots.

Click on these links for information about the two quarterbacks that lead their respective teams:
Eli Manning - click on this link for the Wikipedia entry for Eli Manning.
Tom Brady - click on this link for the Wikipedia entry for Tom Brady.

Check out this site from Indianapolis Superbowl.com - interesting links to things related to the SB46. Site has links to the Super Bowl village, events and information, transportation and parking, and more.

Okay, so if you are hosting an SB46 party, click on this link from Ehow. Lots of good links and ideas on how to spruce of the house and host a party for the game. There's also a list of things you'll need for the party on the side of the page.

Ack...from Boston.com comes this site on how to host a SB46 party as well.

From the boston.com site comes this site that has a host of links like healthy SB recipes. Click on this link for super foods for your SB party - I'm getting hungry already!

From About.com comes this entry entitled, Super Bowl Recipes and Quick Party Food Tips - hint: finger foods play a part in the fiesta.

Okay, so if you don't want to have to cook for the big game, click on any of these links and you'll be able to order pizza, wings or pretty much anything that might be good to eat on game day. Many of the pizza places do delivery - ask when you call.

PapaJohns.com
Dominoes.com
Domenico's - for all you football fans in Farmingdale - local pizza that is great!!!
Bellagio Neighborhood Pizza and Restaurant - off Route 110

Oh, and if you aren't a football fan - and there are folks out there who aren't interested in football - you might want to click on this link from TheStreet.com entitled, '4 Things To do Instead of Watching the Super Bowl' - very cute - and number 3 is a must for animal lovers. Here's the link to the site for the video.

Finally, advertising and commercials are a big, big part of the SuperBowl hype and advertising. Click here for a link to Superbowl-ads.com for an overview of the last 14 years worth of Super Bowl commercials. Click on this link for the 2012 SuperBowl commercials - great stuff...

Enjoy the game - enjoy the links. Go Giants!

Oh, and the final score: NY Giants 34 - NE Patriots 24. Woohoo!

Regards,
Stu

E is for.....Eggplant

Hi All,

Well, I'm back again with the fruit of the day. Previously I've discussed fruits and/or vegetables with the letters A, B, C and D. Now I'm up to the letter E.

E is for eggplant - for today at least :)

Did you know that eggplant is closely related to tomatoes and potatoes? No - well click on this link from Wikipedia and you'll learn all about our friendly eggplant. Did you also know that botanically speaking the eggplant is classified as a berry?

As Wikipedia explains, 'The raw fruit can have a somewhat bitter taste, but becomes tender when cooked and develops a rich, complex flavor. Traditionally, recipes would advise the salting, rinsing and draining of the sliced fruit (known as "degorging") to soften it and to reduce the amount of fat absorbed during cooking, but mainly to remove the bitterness of the earlier cultivars.'

China and India are huge producers of eggplant - both produce over 10 million tons each year.

Eggplant is helpful in the fight against high blood cholesterol - and, interestingly, enough, eggplant is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant. Don't be scared...on average 20lbs of eggplant contains about the same amount of nicotine as a single cigarette. Interesting.

Click on this link from the 'World's Healthiest Foods' site - which has a nice, simple and understandable table of the nutrients in a cup of eggplant. Note that you are getting your fair share of dietary fiber and manganese when you eat eggplant.

Health benefits of eggplant are included in the next section of the site - fyi, eggplant is great brain food, has phenolic antioxidant compounds, is excellent for maintaining and increasing cardiovascular health. What a fruit!

Later on in the article are tips for preparing eggplant - which brings me to the heart of this entry: eggplant recipes!

This link goes to the search page on Allrecipes.com doing a search for 'eggplant'. With names like Spicy Eggplant, Eggplant Rollatini, Eggplant Pizzas, Eggplant Bake and Eggplant with Pesto, I just might make one of these dishes for the Superbowl. Yum!

Note that when you use Allrecipes.com you can get user reviews (some go back to 2007 or so) of the recipe you are looking at. Users can also print out or email the recipe. Information like preparation time, cook time, and ready time is included in the recipe. Servings are calculated in a US or Metric basis as well. Also on Allrecipes, users can create an account so they can create a 'digital recipe box'. How cool is that?

All Allrecipe.com recipes have nutritional information (calories, total fat, cholesterol) on the page as well. Finally, on the left side of the page where you find a recipe, you'll fine a tab/box that says 'More Recipes Like This'. This is exactly what it says - if you like Eggplant Rollatini, you'll find excellent recipes for Eggplant Tomato Bake, Eggplant Parmesan II and others. Yum.

Regards, and enjoy the recipes.
Stu

Crime Statistics for Nassau and Suffolk County

Hi All,

Just found these really, really interesting website from Newsday: Long Island Crime and Police Reports. Users can select a community and a specific date range to view incidents in the area and time period requested. Specific events include drug/alcohol, robbery, assault, homicide, theft, burglary, property damage and an 'other' category.

Amazingly useful data - imagine that you are buying or selling a home and using the data?

But wait, there's more: below the map itself is a description of the various incidents that are detailed. For example, age and details about various incidents are included in narrative format. Clicking on the 'Read More' link takes readers to an expanded entry of the incident.

Also, you can find crime statistics by precinct at this site from the Nassau County Police Department. Interesting stuff - and helpful to boot.

Regards,
Stu