Dear Aviva, My daughter just returned from sleep-away camp and B”H she had a fantastic time. Of course, she wants to keep in touch with all her new friends who live in various cities across America and even in Israel. However, she says all her friends keep in touch via Facebook rather than email. more

Calendar for the week of Sept. 16, 2011 more

He once worked as a CPA and flirted with law school, and his business is very detail-oriented. Jeff Eisenberg’s trained staff pokes into the cracks between walls, gaps behind furniture and underneath mattresses, in search of bedbugs. “They’re not just found in beds, bedbugs have been around since the beginning of life,” Eisenberg said. “The ancient Egyptians, the Gemara, and Shakespeare wrote about them.” more

When Rabbi Raphael (Ralph) Pelcovitz moved into Far Rockaway in 1951, the Congregation Kneseth Israel (the White Shul) that he attends was a white structure, a single day school served the community, and the Long Island Railroad rattled above endless rows of summer bungalows. Much has changed since then. This Shabbat, the congregation honors Rabbi Pelcovitz, its Rabbi Emeritus, for his 60 years of service to the community. more

Though he says that the reorganization of Peninsula Hospital Center has just begun, Todd Miller, who is serving as the chief restructuring officer, has two main goals: improving the hospital’s technology, and providing programs that will motivate more area residents to turn to the 200-bed facility for hospital services. more

The “referendum on Obama” delivered a historic defeat for the president’s party, with a Republican upset victory of Bob Turner over Democrat David Weprin. Outmanned and outspent, Turner’s team faced an opponent armed with experience in elected office, endorsements from former President Bill Clinton and Senator Chuck Schumer and an army of union organizers. more

Unhappiness with President Obama may have swayed voters in a nearby congressional race, but it had little impact on Democrat Yeruchem Philip Goldfeder’s bid to succeed Audrey Pheffer in the 23rd State Assembly district. more

What happens when three enterprising local women bake up a cause? On Sept. 22, the former Ketzy’s kitchen supply store will reopen as Breezy’s at its new location with a challah cooking demonstration for Tziporah's Nest, a campaign to benefit sick individuals. more

Calendar for the week of Sept. 9, 2011 more

When you are up high on top of the mountain, it becomes much easier to see where you are going; everything seems so clear, and often the view is breathtaking. In the valley, on the other hand, the high walls of the mountains obscure where you really are, and it is much easier to get lost. more