Former Smithtown Resident Pen's The Awakening Of Agnostos - Myths of the Olympians

The Awakening of Agnostos - Myths of the Olympians by Jennifer Paquette and Nicholas Perrotti

Author Jennifer Paquette,  a former Smithtown resident, has turned to the Greek gods and mythology to explain the Bermuda Triangle. The creative idea to use mythology in a new way was not Ms. Paquette’s, the idea came from her son Nicholas Perrotti, who at age 14 developed an interest in mythology and encouraged his mother to write about it and to be “creative”.

Paquette liked Nicholas’  idea of writing about the gods of Olympus and began to jot down her thoughts. Her ideas  were met with “it has already been done before”.  Thus began the collaboration of mother and son that led to The Awakening of Agnostos - Myths of the Olympians. 

The Awakening of Agnostos tells the story of the Bermuda Triangle named Agnostos - The Triangle of the Unknown, a mysterious place on earth and the only place where the gods of Olympus have no power. Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, is banished to Agnostos and stumbles upon the a gateway to the center of the earth where a god more powerful than the Olympians lives. Five Olympians must enter the abyss and fight the unknown god to maintain their positions as supreme rulers of Olympus and save Earth.

Nicholas Perrotti and Jennifer PaquetteThe Awakening of Agnostos - Myths of the Olympians is the first in a series the mother - son team is collaborating on. The book is published by Write More Publications and is available on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. 

Author Jennifer Paquette grew up in Smithtown and currently lives in New York City with her husband John and their two teenage sons John and Nicholas. She enjoys writing.  Her published works and soon to be published works include: The Haircut, Kiss of Eris, Kiss of the Mer-Zombie and The Awakening of Agnostos. 

Nicholas Perrotti was born in Cleveland, Ohio and currently lives in New York City. He is entering his junior year at Stuyvesant High School. Nicholas is described as having an undying love for good books, mythology, movies, art and architecture.

14-Year-Old Pedestrian Critically Injured In Nesconset

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a crash that critically injured a female pedestrian in Nesconset on Sunday night.

Natalie Maloney, 14, of Ronkonkoma was attempting to cross Nesconset Highway and Middle Country Road in Nesconset last night at approximately 11:40 p.m. when she was struck by a 2012 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Domiciano Rubi, 64, of Brentwood.

Maloney was transported by Nesconset Ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital where she is listed in critical, but guarded, condition. Rubi and his passenger were not injured in the crash.

The Suburban was impounded for a safety inspection. The investigation is continuing. Anyone who may have any information regarding this crash is asked to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

Fitness Week 3 - Getting Serious About Staying Healthy

By Kia Edwards

As a trainer who mainly focuses on in-home exercise, I can tell you that a gym is not necessary to keep fit. A few pieces of basic equipment and a small space can help you achieve or maintain a healthy fitness level. This month, I’ll give you weekly exercise plans to help you reach your goals without having to go to the gym. They are simple, yet effective and can be done by nearly everybody.  Each workout should start with a short warm-up to get your muscles ready and end with a quick stretch.  

If you’re just starting, don’t worry!  It’s not too late to join.  Additionally, if you found weeks 1 and 2 to be particularly challenging, you can repeat one of them this week in order to continue building necessary strength.  The workouts will become more challenging throughout the month.  Should you have any questions, please contact me at  HYPERLINK “mailto:kia@lafortesse.com”Kia@LaFortesse.com and I will respond as quickly as possible.  Good luck!  

What you’ll need: 

Dumb bells: 10-15lbs or Resistance Bands 

An exercise mat, preferably one with good padding to protect your back

Good sneakers 

Optional pieces: 

Exercise ball

Medicine Ball (8-12lbs typically work well)

Jump rope 

Monday: Lower Body Interval Training

First: light warm up and stretch 

Jump rope: 50 to 75 reps

Lunges with dumbbell: 15-20

Calf Raises: 25

Jump rope: 50 to 75 reps

Squats (dumb bells optional): 20-25

Standing Leg Raises

Jump Rope: 50 to 75 reps

Hip Raises: 20-25

Lying side leg raises

Repeat 1x

Tuesday:

Cardio: 30-45 minutes of your favorite cardio exercise 

Wednesday: Rest and Stretch

Thursday: Interval Cardio

30min alternating between moderate to high intensity cardio and low intensity cardio

For example: jogging with a mixture of moderate running 

Friday: Upper Body 

Bicep Curls: 15

Lateral raises: 15

Front Raises: 15

Push-Ups (or beginner push-ups if necessary): 15 

Plank: 45 second hold

Jump rope: 75-100 reps

Weighted sit-ups (use your medicine ball): 25

Leg Raises: 20

Bicycle crunches: 25 

Repeat 1x

Saturday: Cardio with some resistance training 

Resistance

Squats: 25

1min squat hold against the wall

Push-ups: 15  

Overhead Presses: 15 each

20 minutes of light cardio

Sunday: Rest and Stretch 

Great job!

Kia Edwards is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist who lives in New York City. She studied French and Economics at Colgate University, spent 15 years as a high-level competitive gymnast and 6 years as a gymnastics coach.  Her business, La Fortesse At Home Fitness Training, helps clients get healthy with simple at home exercises and nutrition counseling. www.LaFortesse.com    

Theater Review - ''Singin' in the Rain"

THEATER REVIEW

“Singin’ in the Rain”

Produced by: The Gateway Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County

Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

Jeremy Benton (Don Lockwood). Photo by Jeff BellanteWhen Jeremy Benton, Shannon O’Bryan, and John Scacchetti signed on for the key roles in this slickest of Long Island stage shows, they had to know the size of the shoes they’d be asked to fill. Indeed, the 1952 motion picture “Singin’ in the Rain” starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor was voted the best film musical of all time by the American Film Institute. Happily, the trio was not intimidated, and the upshot is that we Islanders are being treated to a solid gold smash musical thru August 10^th. The venue is the South Shore’s magnificent Patchogue Theater.

The Justifiably famed Gateway Playhouse isn’t the first organization to stage Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s classic film—that distinction was earned by the London Palladium in 1983, after which the show was snatched-up by Broadway in 1985 and performed more than 400 times at the Gershwin Theater. Though “Singin’s” year-long run was modest, critics loved the play and it has since garnered nine international award nominations, including a couple of Tony nods.

But it was the movie that really won the hearts of the theater-going public. Accordingly The Gateway, under director Rick Conant and choreographer Kelli Barclay, has wisely chosen to follow Hollywood’s version of the show, and the result is a smooth-as-silk offering that will be talked about in entertainment circles for a long time to come.

Of course, the prime contributors to this landmark production are the three multi-talented stars, Benton, O’Bryan, and Scacchetti (who play Don Lockwood, Kathy Selden, and Cosmo Brown respectively). All act, sing, and dance with equal excellence. One wonders how they manage to inject so much flair, grace, and stamina into every song they interpret. Here it should be said that the show-stopping number they perform together, “Good Mornin’,” is alone worth the price of admission.

But there are eighteen other tunes in this amazingly lyrical show, and every one (even the not to be taken seriously parody,“Would You?”) feels tailor-made to the Comden-Green story. Notable among the ballads are the three “You” pieces, “You Stepped Out of a Dream”, “You Are My Lucky Star”, and “You Were Meant for Me.” (Purists might insist on adding the charming “All I do is Dream of You.” Good enough.)

While every musical comedy seems to have a double-jointed, double-taking freewheeler, very few can boast the inclusion of an honest-to-God clown like John Scacchetti. The young actor is perfectly cast as leading man Don Lockwood’s sidekick,Cosmo Brown. When Scacchetti is finished with his “Make ‘Em Laugh” routine (falling over a sofa, taking repeated smacks by men carrying a board, running through a brick wall—among other misadventures) you’ll find yourself gasping for air. The guy’s endurance is incredible! What’s more he’s singing on key and doesn’t miss a dance step the whole time.

Scacchetti’s female counterpart is the comedic “Lina Lamont”, played by stage-savvy Gretchen Bieber. Her screeching voice (like fingernails scraping a blackboard) provides the play’s theme. Without the ingénue’s unique ability to affect the ‘dumb blonde’ mystique while looking like a million bucks, the show would never work.

As for the other players in this Gateway winner—I didn’t see a clinker in the 20-person ensemble on Press Night. They were precise, charmingly costumed, and obviously having great fun as they romped across a wonderfully adaptable, beautifully lit set—which does get rained on, as a matter of fact!

Award-winning Smithtown author Jeb Ladouceur has published seven novels. His theater reviews appear in dozens of L. I. newspapers. In Ladouceur’s next thriller, “The Dealer” due this summer, Israeli extortionists threaten to destroy Hoover Dam demolishing the Las Vegas Strip - if casino operators don’t pay millions.

Are You A Grandparent Responsible For Grandchildren? "Parenting The Second Time Around" Offered By Cornell

Free Program Aimed at Helping Suffolk Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Outside of the five boroughs of New York City, Suffolk County has the greatest number of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren in New York State.

With a grant of $60,000 awarded by Pritchard Charitable Trust, the Family Health and Wellness program at Cornell Cooperative Extension will provide assistance to grandparents and other relative caregivers through “Parenting the Second Time Around” (PASTA), Cornell University’s award winning curriculum for grandparents raising grandchildren.

The free workshops will be held at the Middle County Library in Selden on Wednesdays, July 24 through September 11 from 6pm-8:30pm. A light dinner and child care will be provided. To register for the workshops, call 727-7850, ext. 340 or abl98@cornell.edu. 

 According to the 2010 U.S. Census 29,591 children live in grandparent-headed households in Suffolk County. These caregivers have specific needs as they struggle to raise grandchildren in an era very different from the years when they raised their own children. 

As part of PASTA, grandparents will be offered support, advice, workshops, and as the program winds down, reunions with other participants and mentoring. 

• It Wasn’t Supposed To Be Like This—acknowledges the ambivalent feelings accompanying changing roles as grandparents assume parenting responsibilities and children adjust to new living arrangements
• Getting to Know You—helps them feel more confident, comfortable and informed about the community resources available to them and provides an overview of child development
• Rebuilding a Family—provides a forum for discussion about sensitive issues, practice of effective communication skills and information about mental health resources
• Discipline is Not a Dirty Word, But it May Look Different Today—offers information and practical tips about authoritative (loving but firm) discipline
• Legal Concerns of Relatives Raising Children—provides an overview of possible legal issues including custody, visitation and child support that are common in relative care situations
• Standing up for Grandparent’s/Grandchildren’s Rights—encourages caregivers to see themselves as advocates for their grandchildren particularly in accessing legal, medical, social and educational services
• Grandparents and Teens Living Together—reviews key points about adolescent development in order to establish expectations for teen behaviors and explore changing relationships within the family
• Living With Teens Can Be Challenging—introduces indicators of high risk adolescent behavior and discusses strategies and resources to help caregivers keep teen children safe

For additional information on PASTA, contact Dinah Torres Castro at 727-7850, ext. 351.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is a non-profit educational agency dedicated to strengthening families and communities, enhancing and protecting the environment, promoting sustainable agriculture, and fostering countywide economic development.  Affiliated with Cornell University, and funded in part by Suffolk County government, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is part of the state and national extension system that includes the land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CCE’s sites and program areas include Agriculture, Marine, 4-H Youth Development, Family Health and Wellness, Suffolk County Farm and Education Center and Suffolk County Peconic Dunes Camp.