Second — An Irish Blessing

A Long Island Four-Leaf Clover. Photo by Katheryn Laible

While the Irish shutting down their pubs on the Eve of St. Paddy’s day is a sure sign that this stuff is serious, locally we’ve seen more than a few Suffolk folks find a silver lining in that they can now get cocktails to go.

For our part, we are choosing to celebrate that The Dropkick Murphys have decided, since they can’t play to a crowd in Boston tonight, they’re going to live stream it the world instead, 7PM EST.

It’s a lovely addition to these amazing videos of balcony performances in Italy.

Play on…

First — Puppies!!!

Image provided by the Guide Dog Foundation

If there’s one silver lining, it’s that the dogs of the world have not only been cleared of their own virus scare, they also suddenly have their people home a lot more!

Of course, some very special canines get to stay with their people wherever they go. We were going to share our adventures learning about the incredible service dogs at the Guide Dog Foundation, and Americas Vet Dogs, but realize they are probably occupied with more important things this month than helping us edit a long-form article.

So…soon…

Meanwhile, we invite you to please support the valuable work of the Guide Dog Foundation, and Americas Vet Dogs and to check out their newsletter and testimonials. The stories are incredibly uplifting and heartwarming. Check ’em out here and here

NOTE! There may be special ways folks can help them navigate the current situation soon. Watch their websites and social media as well as our Facebook Page for details!!!

COVID-19: Sources of Good Information from Reputable Sources

 

There’s a lot of great news coverage out there…and a lot of not-so-helpful, possibly even dangerous stuff going around that’s spreading even faster than the virus.

We are thankful that, while the media industry has been challenged to figure out how to stay in business overall, LI has so far still managed to maintain a fairly robust local media landscape…While a lot of places struggle to keep one decent paper together, we don’t have room here to mention all the smart, caring and conscientious sources LI has for good information about what’s happening and what it means here. We’ll just mention a few that have stood out to us in the last 36 hours:

There are lots of important press conferences going on with local elected leadership. News 12 LI and Newsday have been great resources for that.

Long Island Business News has been doing an excellent job of covering how this impacts the economy from a local standpoint, including offering tips on what employers need to know. The LI Press has been keeping up on more everyday aspects. Meanwhile, Innovate LI has been offering their ever-witty views on the technical side of things.

We have been reminded every morning lately how much we love LI Classic Rock 102.3 WBAB’s local care and down to Earth approach to helping regular folks weather all sorts of storms (and tickled to learn they’re naming a stretch of Deer Park Ave. after JP!).

Huntington NOW has been offering excellent local reporting and resources.

And…BTW…while they remain clear eyed and flexible, the ever Intrepid Fair Media Council is keeping the faith regarding their April 23rd Folio Awards…May they get to honor Carol Silva right on schedule!!!

For the Virus Itself, Where to Go Straight to the Science…

Here are some of the best, most direct sources of reputable information on COVID-19 that we have found:

Northwell Health Coronavirus Digital Resource Center

NYS Department of Health

CDC

National Institute of Health

World Health Organization

Johns Hopkins University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Info out of SUNY Stony Brook

Warning! We have already heard of computer viruses being spread via emails that claim to contain Johns Hopkins information…we suggest it’s best to avoid clicking links and go independently to sources!

Another great local resource for all things science is Science Advocacy of Long Island…we hear they’ll be having good resources up soon, too!

And this…it’s not politics, it’s community service…

Suffolk County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer has been offering some really good “virtual house calls” in the form of public service announcements that he is particularly qualified to offer.

He’s known as “Doc”, because he also happens to be Chief of Otolaryngology at Huntington Hospital, an Associate Clinical Professor at Stony Brook University Hospital, and the Past President of the Suffolk County Medical Society. In our experience, he generally seems to be committed to public service in the best sense of the word. Exceptionally well rounded, he also happens to be a Baptist Minister.

In this video, Doc gives a good rundown of “Corona Virus: Myths and Scams” covering a range of health-related topics, including what you can do to report price gouging and bad information. He has an calm, kind, straightforward bedside manner, and is offering regular updates and thoughtful analysis.

We are grateful.

The Philosophy That Guides Us

We’ve been reflecting quite a bit as we endeavor to develop this communications platform centered on our Synchronicity Network Newsletter. Our mission, as currently understood, is this:

“The mission of Synchronicity Planning & Communications is to serve and celebrate folks who care for art, science and the common good, improving the quantity and quality of community engagement on Long Island via a networking and communications platform centered on the Synchronicity Network and its Flagship Newsletter.”

Digging deeper, we ask ourselves WHY? For her part, Katie has offered the following:

Continue reading

Kindness Matters – Visit the Lonely, Feed the Hungry, Magnify Your Blessings!

Now, Cindy is not going to discourage remarkable giving, but she shares our belief that the small things also matter tremendously. A cup of coffee, a friendly smile, a held door…these all count!!! Please also consider checking in on folks who may be alone for Thanksgiving, and helping make sure our neighbors don’t go cold and hungry for the holidays.

Continue reading

Profile in Kindness: Mackenzie Johnston

Sometimes, social media is terrible. There are certain people, though, who make it wonderful. We have been fans of Kim Skillen since we met her back in 2012 as part of an intrepid tribe, the “Friends of Long Island,” who rose up in the wake of Superstorm Sandy to help their neighbors across the South Shore. Soon after we “friended” her, we started seeing posts about her artistically talented, delightfully, uniquely-herself daughter, Mackenzie.

Continue reading

Pal-O-Mine Equestrian: Harnessing the Healing Power of Horses

The overwhelming sense we had when visiting Pal-O-Mine Equestrian was peace. Peace, love and deep, deep commitment to serving the folks of diverse needs who come to learn and receive therapy. They say the word “miracle” comes up a lot here. We’re not surprised.

Continue reading

PARTING WAYS doesn’t mean you can’t keep it together

Photo by Nathan McBride on Unsplash

This is the happiest time of the year and ironically one of the times that people are most likely to get divorced. Troubled couples often hope that the holidays will make everything better, and then ultimately when it doesn’t, it’s time to make a change.

Continue reading

Gus Scutari: Syosset’s Humble Champion of Americanism

We read this over and over and learn something new each time — WWII Veteran, Memorial Day Parade Organizer, and ardent booster of continuing to endeavor to be a good American in all sorts of ways, Gus Scutari reflects on life.

Continue reading