Recycling not only protects our environment, it also provides revenue to the Villages. Nyack receives $26 per ton of material.

Please follow the guidelines to avoid delay in the pickup.
All cardboard must be flat & cut into pieces no larger than 4×4.
Please do not place cardboard pieces in a cardboard box. Do not mix plastics with cardboard.
Keep paper products and containers in separate recycling bins. Containers should be washed clean and free of lids, etc.
Make sure your recycling bins are placed curbside on the evening prior to your pick-up date.

Nyack:
recycling pick-up dates are:
Main Street South from the River to Clarkstown Border: First and Third Wednesday of the month.
Main Street North from the River to Clarkstown Border: Second and Fourth Wednesday of the month.

Piermont:
recycling pick up days in May are Thursdays, May 2, 16 and 30.
In June, July, and August pick-up days are the second and fourth Thursdays.

Palisades:
recycling pick-up days: every Wednesday.

Plastic bags pollute parks, rivers, and roadways, clog storm drains, and kill wildlife  to say nothing of the raft of plastic trash twice the size of Texas (and growing) that floats in mid-Pacific Ocean.

Chemical industry Dlays Dumb
Two more studies released last month confirm that common pesticides are scrambling the circuits in bees  brains, leaving them unable to learn, smell or remember all critical abilities for foraging honey bees.

The chemicals in the latest study, neonicotinoids and coumaphos pesticides, both widely used in agriculture, have been shown to undermine bees  ability to do their critical work. As almost no human food grows without help from honeybees, our pantry could be bare within a few decades unless we rein in the use of agricultural poisons.

And yet, manufacturers of pesticides continue to make believe the cause of the massive bee die-off is unknown.

None of us can accomplish much alone so we support the following organizations and hope you will too 
The Nature Conservancy www.nature.org/newyork
Greenpeace www.greenpeace.org/
Hudson Riverkeeper www.riverkeeper.org/

The U.S. Postal Service has been around since the first draft of our Constitution and has never, ever had any special financial requirements placed on it. Until now.
In 2006 the Bush-era Congress passed a bill to effectively kill the Postal Service, requiring it to pre-fund their workers  health benefits 75 YEARS into the future.

No country, corporation or government service has EVER been required to fund the full retiree health benefits for workers who aren t even born yet there is literally no financial reason to do so unless you wanted to kill the Postal Service. And right on cue the Postal Service announced it is being forced to cut Saturday mail.

ENOUGH! Tell Congress to stop destroying our mail system:

http://other98.com/congress-stop-destroying-our-postal-service

After you sign, please forward it to your friends and family. 

The move will accommodate a growing student population. The campus in Lower Manhattan currently serves 1,400 students, most of whom are from the tri-state area.

Nyack College represents the city s culturally and ethnically diverse population and serves as a premier Christian college for the New York community. It is expected that the new campus will bring students closer to the heart of Manhattan s business and financial industries.

In its new location, the college will occupy 166,385 square feet in a modern structure neighboring Wall Street and the 9/11 memorial. As Mayor Bloomberg said, Nyack College’s planned expansion affirms the attractiveness of New York City s higher education institutions and the revitalization and diversification of Lower Manhattan. 

May 16 
11am to 1pm Paul Del
11am to 1pm Star Blossom Goddess, psychic and tarot card readings

May 23 
11am to 1pm R&R Music

The pier is open. You can come and hear jazz at the Turning Point, and enjoy the restaurants. The Piermont Chamber of Commerce is preparing for Bastille Day on July 14, with fireworks, a busy street fair and entertainment. Everybody come.

It was discovered by accident in 2010 that Christ Church, built in 1864 in the Gothic Revival style, was an early work by the Rev. Charles Babcock (1829-1913), one of the most influential designers of the 19th century. Babcock was a founder of both the American Institute of Architects and Cornell University s School of Architecture. Moreover, documents show that Babcock provided the plans to build Christ Church at no charge.

Babcock appears to have designed Christ Church as an early solo project, not long after a major life change prompted him to seek ordination as a priest.

The open house takes place Sat May 18, from 10am to 4 pm, and Sun May 19, from 2 to 4pm. The tour is free. The other participating churches are St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Scarborough (in Westchester County), and New Hempstead Presbyterian Church of New City (in Rockland).

This is a very interesting find for the Sparkill-Piermont community,  said William Krattinger, site specialist for the New York State Department of Parks and Historic Preservation. It looks as though Christ Church s historical importance has been hiding in plain sight. More info: www.christchurch-sparkill.org

The first magic word I learned as a small child was Abracadabra.

I associated it with stage magic, unaware that the incantation dated to the third century. Roman emperor Caracalla recommended that it be worn as an amulet to keep diseases away. It seems to have been a popular charm all during the Middle Ages, though it was out of favor by the time Increase Mather dismissed it as bereft of power. Increase Mather (1639 to 1720), was a major figure in the history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Cotton Mather s dad. Daniel Defoe, of Robinson Crusoe fame (1660 to 1731) said he wished Londoners would stop posting the word on doorways during the Great Plague of London as it was useless agass against sickness.

Alakazam, another word associated with stage magic, may have its roots in an Arabic incantational phrase, Al Qsam, meaning oath. It has also been traced to a Hindu word meaning flawless. Among countless variations is Alakazot, used by the Wizard of Id  in the comic strip of the same name.

Hocus Pocus may be derived from an ancient language; it is sometimes spoken by magicians when bringing about some sort of change. The Anglican prelate, John Tillotson, wrote in 1694, that, in all probability, it originated from a corruption (or parody) of Roman Catholic liturgy containing the phrase Hoc est corpus meum, meaning “This is my body.” Others speculate that Hocus Pocus derived from the Welsh term Hovea Pwca, a hoax perpetrated by a hob-goblin or will o’ the wisp. Called a Pooka, this creature was a shape-shifter whose name recurs throughout Europe as a name of the devil, Ochus Bachus.

Open Sesame is the magical phrase in the story, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves in the collection of stories entitled, One Thousand and One Nights. The phrase opens the mouth of a cave in which forty thieves have hidden a treasure. There are numerous theories about its origin; some think it may be a kabbalistic word representing the Talmudic
aem-
aam·
/m (“shem-shamayim”), ‘name of heaven’

Among more recent magic words are Alla Peanut Butter Sandwiches, used by The Amazing Mumford on Sesame Street. Though Mumford has some great chops, his tricks often go awry often at the hands of Grover, his overly eager assistant.

Bippity, Boppity, Boo is the spell used by Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother in the animated Disney movie. She uses it to transform Cinderella from scullery maid to belle of the royal ball.

By speaking the word, Shazam! a poor newsboy with a crutch is transformed into the comic book superhero, Captain Marvel, with flying abilities, red cape and rippling muscles.
Shazam! is an acronym that summoned the powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury and is also the name of the wizard who imparted the spell.

There have always been magic words in fiction especially in children s literature but J.K. Rowling really opened the floodgates in her Harry Potter series.

Incantations taught at Hogwarts sound a lot like Latin though they are not proper Latin nor are they grammatically correct in any language. But they are fun. Expelliarmus (pronounced eks-pel-ee-ar-mes) disarms an adversary, causing a weapon to fly out of reach. Incendio (in-send-dee-oh) produces a spectacular burst of flames. Muffliato (muf-lee-ah-toh) keeps nearby people from hearing a conversation. Expecto Patronum (eks-pek-toh pe-troh-nem translation: I expect a patron), conjures up a protector.

The Word Hound welcomes your questions, comments & pet words.

In normal animals, glucose (sugar) from the diet is transported into the cells of the body with the help of insulin. Let s ignore the Tappan Zee Bridge for a moment. If glucose is in Wesstchester and needs to get to Rockland, it needs to take the Insulin ferry to get there. In most dogs, and Type 1 diabetics (in people), there are no ferries to be had i.e. the pancreas is not producing any insulin at all. Most diabetic cats are like people with Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetics have the Insulin ferry but it is old, slow, never runs on time, and can t meet the demand for service. The result of either type of Diabetes is a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream because it can t get transported into the cells of the body, due to little or no insulin.

Typical symptoms of Diabetes include increased thirst, increased urination, and increased appetite accompanied by weight loss. The diagnosis is made by doing a blood glucose test. Cats that are stressed when a blood test is taken may have a temporary rise in blood glucose. A blood test called fructosamine gives an average of blood glucose over the prior 1-2 weeks and can help rule out an elevation in blood glucose due to a single stressful episode.

If your pet is diagnosed with Diabetes your veterinarian may screen for additional problems, such as a urinary tract infection, which frequently accompanies diabetes. It is very important to treat and resolve urinary tract and dental infections, because these conditions can make regulating the insulin level much more difficult.
Unfortunately, there is just no substitute for insulin. Insulin must be provided to the patient, either by injection or by oral medication. Oral medication, such as Glipizide, can occasionally be used to increase the pancreas  production of insulin. It will only work if the pancreas still has some ability to produce insulin (the ferry is there, but it is sluggish).

Oral medication is usually not an option in diabetic dogs since their pancreas doesn’t have the ability to produce insulin.
A minority of cats are able to be stabilized with oral diabetic medication alone. Most pets will need insulin injections administered by their owners. Your veterinarian will use blood glucose curves and fructos-amine levels to best determine the optimal insulin level to give to your diabetic pet.

Diet plays an important role in regulation of diabetes. Overweight cats can be difficult to regulate, so a medically supervised weight loss program may be beneficial. Diet recommendations differ for dogs vs. cats. The optimal diet for diabetic cats is a low carbo- hydrate, high protein diet. Diabetic dogs generally do best with a high fiber diet.

Monitoring of your pet s diabetic control can be done at home with dipstick testing of the urine. Some owners elect to purchase glucometer kits which allow blood glucose testing at home.

The diagnosis of diabetes in your pet need not be a cause for concern. With the help and support of your veterinarian, you and your pet will get through it!

Co-owner of Valley Cottage Animal Hospital, Dr. Diane Tortorice earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1991 from North Carolina State University. She is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners specializing in canine & feline practice. Dr. Tortorice has served as a veterinary volunteer at both the World Trade Center and New Orleans animal disaster sites.