Wednesday, July 18, 2012

won't one of these lawyers tell Andrew Cuomo that NY Const. Art 1, Sec 3

does not permit the State of New York to close the OTBs on Andrew Cuomo's Easter Sunday in preference to Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday. Working and betting is for people who are not Governor.


Contact Information:
Governor's Press Office
NYC Press Office: 212.681.4640
Albany Press Office: 518.474.8418
press.office@exec.ny.gov
Andrew M. Cuomo - Governor

Governor Cuomo Announces Appointments Within State Government

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Albany, NY (March 2, 2011)

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the following appointments within state government.
Joseph M. Bress and Todd R. Snyder will serve as the Governor's Labor Negotiating Team.
Mr. Bress was the Vice President of Labor Relations at the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) from 1997-2010. Prior to working at Amtrak, he was appointed head of the Governor's Office of Employee Relations, under Governor Mario M. Cuomo. The office was responsible for labor relations and human resources policies for over 200,000 New York State employees. He also served as Chair and Executive Director of the New York State Ethics Commission. Mr. Bress holds a B.A. from Harpur College, Binghamton University and a J.D. from Buffalo Law School, SUNY Buffalo.
Mr. Snyder is a Senior Managing Director of Rothschild Inc. and Co-Head of Rothschild's Restructuring and Reorganization group, a leading international investment banking and financial advisory firm. He has been an advisor to Rothschild Inc.'s companies in restructurings and reorganizations for twenty-three years. He has been instrumental in a diverse selection of complex transactions including reorganizations, restructurings, financings, workouts, exchange offers, mergers, divestitures and management led buyouts. He advised the Bush and Obama administrations on the restructuring of the auto industry. Prior to joining Rothschild Inc., Mr. Snyder held a series of positions in restructuring and reorganization. Prior to his move to investment banking, Mr. Snyder practiced law in the Business Reorganization department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Mr. Snyder graduated with honors from Wesleyan University and received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In addition, Mr. Snyder is an adjunct professor at New York University Law School and New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business.



HI-
Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik
(631) 913-4244
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012



Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.


###
Home New York State Unified Court System
 
 

 
 
 
 

Attorney Detail
as of 07/18/2012
 
Registration Number: 2275444
   

TODD R. SNYDER

ROTHSCHILD INC

1251 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS FL 51ST

NEW YORK, NY 10020-1104

United States

(212) 403-5246
   
Year Admitted in NY: 1989
Appellate Division Department of Admission: 1
Law School: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Registration Status: Due to reregister within 30 days of birthday
Next Registration: Nov 2011

The Detail Report above contains information that has been provided by the attorney listed, with the exception of REGISTRATION STATUS, which is generated from the OCA database. Every effort is made to insure the information in the database is accurate and up-to-date.
The good standing of an attorney and/or any information regarding disciplinary actions must be confirmed with the appropriate Appellate Division Department. Information on how to contact the Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court in New York is available at www.nycourts.gov/courts.
If the name of the attorney you are searching for does not appear, please try again with a different spelling. In addition, please be advised that attorneys listed in this database are listed by the name that corresponds to their name in the Appellate Division Admissions file. There are attorneys who currently use a name that differs from the name under which they were admitted. If you need additional information, please contact the NYS Office of Court Administration, Attorney Registration Unit at 212-428-2800.
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famous alumni of New York City and/or Nassau OTB

Roger Corbin found guilty of bribe receiving

Originally published: July 17, 2012 4:57 PM
Updated: July 17, 2012 10:30 PM
By JENNIFER BARRIOS  jennifer.barrios@newsday.com
A Nassau jury returns a partial verdict for former county Legis. Roger Corbin, finding him guilty of bribe receiving and official misconduct in a "pay-to-play" scheme involving a redevelopment project in New Cassel. Corbin was found not guilty of defrauding the government, falsifying business records and another count of official misconduct. Jurors continue to deliberate on several other charges against him and two former officials. Videojournalist: Jim Staubitser (July 17, 2012)
Jurors in the New Cassel corruption trial of three public officials returned a partial verdict Tuesday, finding former Nassau Legis. Roger Corbin guilty of bribe receiving and official misconduct.
The jury also found the former head of North Hempstead Town's Community Development Agency, Neville Mullings, guilty of official misconduct.
Corbin was found not guilty of defrauding the government, falsifying business records and another count of official misconduct, while Mullings was found not guilty of defrauding the government, falsifying business records and two additional counts of official misconduct.
Former Nassau Legis. Patrick Williams was found not guilty of two counts of grand larceny.
Attorneys for the three men offered no comment as they left Nassau County Court Tuesday afternoon.
The assistant district attorney in the case, Teresa Corrigan, also declined to comment.
After the jurors returned the partial verdict, they retired to continue their deliberations for another hour on the remaining 16 charges against Mullings, eight charges against Corbin and five charges against Williams.
The trial centered around allegations that the three had schemed to steer a redevelopment project in New Cassel to a developer willing to "pay to play," sell fake exclusive rights to a bank and steal $150,000 in public funds.
Corbin, Williams, Mullings and a fourth man, former North Hempstead Town building and planning Commissioner David Wasserman, were indicted in 2010 with steering a redevelopment project in New Cassel to developer Ranjan Batheja in exchange for $400,000 in bribes and other payments.
All charges against Wasserman were dismissed June 13.
In Tuesday's verdict, Corbin was convicted of receiving more than $200,000 from Batheja in bribes, and was convicted of official misconduct after he called the Bank of New York as a legislator to lobby it to allow Batheja to continue his project. The bank was foreclosing on Batheja's loan at the time.
Mullings' conviction stemmed from a private meeting at which he offered to steer the community development agency's board to vote for a developer.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Alan Honorof said he wanted to hear the partial verdict before a lengthy break in deliberations necessitated by several jurors, despite concerns from the three defense attorneys.
Honorof said in court that he was concerned that something could happen to prevent one or more jurors from returning to deliberate after the planned 10-day break scheduled to begin Thursday.
Only one alternate juror remains from the original pool of five since the trial began in February.
"We have the opportunity to, without a mistrial, get a verdict on 12 of these counts," Honorof said before the partial verdict.
"If there is subsequently a mistrial, there are 12 fewer counts for the people to prove and for the defense to defend."
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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

We don't care where Andrew Cuomo hides or what he does on the Sunday

that he may call Easter Sunday as long as Nassau OTB is open so we can bet while he is invisible, out of the country or on a top secret mission to China.



Cuomo doesn't use state email, avoids disclosure

Originally published: July 16, 2012 12:14 PM
Updated: July 16, 2012 5:34 PM
By The Associated Press  MICHAEL GORMLEY (Associated Press)
ALBANY, N.Y. - (AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who promised the most transparent government in history, doesn't conduct any state business on a state email account or through his personal email, according to a records request by The Associated Press.
Cuomo, a Democrat, instead makes frequent telephone calls and uses the PIN messaging system from his BlackBerry cellphone, neither of which leaves a record of the communication.
That seems like an attempt to circumvent open-records law requirements, said Mark Caramanica, freedom of information director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a nonprofit organization that provides legal help to journalists.
"Public officials should know better," Caramanica said. "If it doesn't pass the smell test, they shouldn't be doing it. Obviously this does not reflect well ... for someone who ran on a platform of being transparent. This certainly runs counter to that."
No emails from Cuomo concerning official business exist dating to his first day in office on Jan. 1, 2011, his counsel said in response to the AP's request for records under the Freedom of Information Law. Cuomo's use of PIN, or personal identification number, messages was first reported by the New York Daily News.
And earlier this month, Cuomo announced a new archives policy for long-term storage of internal data. It states emails "are not records and are therefore suitable for immediate destruction."
"The Executive Chamber adopts the NYS Archives' policy with respect to e-mails but goes further to state that all electronic communications, whether by e-mail, text or Blackberry PIN, will fall under this policy," Cuomo's policy states.
State- and national-level politicians rarely conduct business using the email accounts assigned to them after several corporate investigations and political scandals hinged on the records, such as when then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with perjury after text messages contradicted testimony he gave during a 2007 police whistle-blowers' trial. The sexually explicit messages showed he lied when he denied under oath that he had a romantic relationship with a one-time chief of staff. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, resigned and served 99 days in jail.
Elected officials in only a few states, including Florida, Colorado and Tennessee, make their electronic communications paid for by taxpayers subject to open-records laws, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said. Last year, Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signed into law a measure to prohibit release of public officials' text messages, voice mails and other electronic communications, following concern that access had been abused by journalists.
But any emails that are kept can be subpoenaed by local, state and federal prosecutors, as Cuomo did when he was state attorney general.
Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, a state agency that advises the government, the public and the news media on openness and privacy laws, said that if emails from Cuomo concerning state business existed they would be considered state records. But he said the records likely would be considered preliminary, interagency communication, which wouldn't have to be released short of a court's subpoena.
Freeman said the Freedom of Information Law defines a record "broadly" to mean data in any physical form.
Common Cause-NY, a citizens' lobbyist that seeks clean elections and ethical standards for elected officials, said there is a legitimate need to allow officials to freely discuss ideas privately. But its executive director, Susan Lerner, said there also is a need for the public and historians to see how decisions were made, even if the data release is delayed, in part to avoid repeating mistakes and to replicate successes.
"No historic record is equally unacceptable," she said. "There is a sweet spot in the middle. Unfortunately, this administration has not found it."
Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto had no comment on Monday.


Andrew Cuomo does not hire Greeks and does not know one calendar from another.. ....is Great and  Andrew Cuomo is GREATER telling the bettors of New  York, you can't bet when I am not in town! Go to hell and not to OTB!



HI-
Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik
(631) 913-4244
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012



Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

Posted by at No comments:

Monday, July 16, 2012

Andrew Cuomo, the thief who tells, OTB bettors to go to hell and that he

is going to church. For a lazy lawyer he out to know that he can't pick and chose Easter Sunday.



07/16/2012 5:05PM

New NYRA board timetable uncertain

By Matt Hegarty
Nearly eight weeks after the New York Racing Association and Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached an agreement to dissolve the association’s current board of directors in favor of a board controlled by state politicians, it remains unclear when state officials will seek to replace the current NYRA board.
Officials in the Cuomo administration did not respond on Monday to requests for comment on when Cuomo would make his appointments to the board, the same day that a columnist for the New York Post, citing a “source with direct knowledge of the planned action,” said that Cuomo would pick his eight directors immediately after the close of the Saratoga meet on Sept. 3. The meet opens on Friday.
Given the high profile of the Saratoga meet, it would be logical to assume that Cuomo will wait until the end of the stand to make his picks, in the interests of allowing the meet to proceed without purposeful disruption. Under legislation passed last month, the new board will “become effective” when seven of the 12 state appointments to the board are announced. Cuomo has the power to appoint eight board members, while the leaderships of the state Assembly and Senate each will have the power to appoint two board members.
NYRA’s current board has 25 members, 14 of whom are appointed by NYRA. The other 11 appointments are controlled by the state.
Board members on Monday said that they had not had any communications with Gov. Cuomo’s office about his plans for the board since the agreement was struck to dissolve the current board in late May.
The New York Post column also said that Cuomo planned to fire Ellen McClain, NYRA’s current chief operating officer and the president of the NYRA board. The column, however, called McClain NYRA’s “chief executive officer,” a position at NYRA that remains unfilled since NYRA’s former chief executive, Charles Hayward, was fired in connection with a state report suggesting that Hayward and other NYRA officials were aware that NYRA had applied the wrong takeout rates to many superexotic wagers over a 15-month period in 2010 and 2011.
Board members said they had no knowledge of any plan to fire McClain, who was elevated to president of the board after Hayward’s departure left the position vacant.
Earlier this year, Cuomo said that the new NYRA board would conduct a “nationwide search” to fill the chief executive position.
NYRA chairman Stephen Duncker would not comment on the report, but he released a statement specifically noting that McClain was the association’s “chief operating officer,” not its chief executive.
“[McClain] is an extremely talented executive and the NYRA board of directors is very happy with the job that she has done running the company,” the statement read. “We are immediately focused on maintaining the terrific success that we have had at Saratoga Race Course.”



I-
Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik
(631) 913-4244
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012



Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.


Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The oversight board cares not about bettors else it would see that

Nassau OTB is open every day of the year that tracks are running all across the United States that bettors want to bet.  Most everyone except for Andrew Cuomo knows that Andrew Cuomo is not in charge of telling people when "Easter Sunday" is. The Emperor has no clothes! 


POST TIME!
Oversight board warns NYRA not to rely on VLT revenue
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3:02 PM, July 6, 2012 ι By ED FOUNTAINE

Is horse racing's golden goose about to stop laying her golden eggs?

In its 2011 annual report to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature, the New York State Franchise Oversight Board, responsible for overseeing the operations of the New York Racing Association, has warned NYRA about relying too heavily on video lottery revenue from the casino at Aqueduct.

"NYRA must establish a long-term financial goal to end its reliance on VLT subsidies and immediately develop plans on how it will meet this goal," the report reads. "A number of Board members have expressed that it would be appropriate to conduct a review of the distribution of Video Lottery revenue to purses as it relates to the impact on racing and the overall marketing of the sport."

The report also chastises NYRA for runaway expenditures.

"The Board also remains focused on NYRA's growing expense structure in the face of declining (betting) handle across the industry. This status quo is simply unsustainable. If expenses are allowed to continue to grow, not even the substantial investment made by the State into NYRA through the VLT support payments will be enough to cover the losses incurred by NYRA's operations."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/posttime/oversight_board_warns_nyra_not_to_GbqmniWcd01t3fOxEsTpaP#ixzz20enbvEsk





HI-
Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik
(631) 913-4244
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012



Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

Posted by at No comments:

Friday, July 13, 2012

Secret Agent Kevin McCaffrey President of Teamsters Local 707

which also represents Nassau OTB employees whose pension plan (is not  yet?) in critical status no details about S3157. All sentient taxpayers and residents of the State of New York including Nassau OTB employees might do well to read about same from the Library of Congress' website before forming their opinion. You certainly will find no details on the Unions website even though retirees are asked to send letters to politicians. Local 707's pension plan is in critical status.

Bill Summary & Status
111th Congress (2009 - 2010)
S.3157
CRS Summary

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Back to BSS Back to Bill Summary and Status
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S.3157
Latest Title: Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act of 2010
Sponsor: Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] (introduced 3/23/2010)      Cosponsors (5)
Latest Major Action: 3/23/2010 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
SUMMARY AS OF:
3/23/2010--Introduced.
Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act of 2010 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit multiemployer pension plans to merge or form alliances with other plans; (2) increase Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) guarantees for insolvent plans to increase participant benefits; and (3) increase from $8.00 to $16.00 the annual premium rate payable to the PBGC for each individual who is a participant of a multiemployer plan after December 31, 2010.
Requires the PBGC, upon the plan sponsor's written notice of election to partition an eligible multiemployer plan in critical status and likely to become insolvent, to order the interim partition of such plan if it would significantly reduce the likelihood that the plan will become insolvent. Requires the PBGC, similarly, to order an interim partition of an eligible multiemployer plan in endangered status because it has suffered a substantial reduction in the amount of contribution base units as a result of declining employment within the industry of employers covered by the plan.
Requires a partition order to provide for transfer to a successor plan created by the partition of nonforfeitable benefits directly attributable to service with eligible partition employers as well as specified assets of the mutliemployer plan in critical or endangered status.
Prescribes requirements for payment of the withdrawal liability of an employer that completely withdraws from a plan within 60 months after a partition order.
Prohibits a plan that elects a partition from adopting, within five years after the partition order, any plan amendment that would increase liabilities by reason of any increase in benefits.
Waives certain rehabilitation plan requirements for an eligible multiemployer plan in critical status that elects a partition to the extent that any required action, option, or measure under the rehabilitation plan would adversely affect the future level of covered employment under the plan.
Establishes a fifth revolving fund to finance obligations undertaken by the PBGC to protect the assets of multiemployer plans the PBGC has partitioned.



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Local 707 Retirees Club

Local 707 Retirees Club News

Letter to your Senator

A letter urging your senator to co-sponsor the bill s-3157, the Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act of 2010
Download or print this letter and sign as well as print your name and put your address on it and mail it to your senator.
Also print a few extra and give them to family, friends and neighbors. This letter is of high importance to get your senator to support this bill to preserve your benefits.
Letter to Senator link click here 






 








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Posted by at No comments:

Andrew Cuomo shall not express his religious preference NY Const. Art. 1,

Sec. 3 over the preference of others.  Andrew Cuomo is culturally illiterate, indifferent and a lousy lawyer.
See below whether you bet horses or not or are Greek or not.

Guides Hotels Wineries Hamptons Montauk North Fork Fire Island
Print



Hamptons Greek Festival in Southampton

Originally published: July 10, 2012 5:35 PM
Updated: July 11, 2012 9:24 AM
By LAUREN R. HARRISON  lauren.harrison@newsday.com
The Hamptons Hellenic Dancers prepare to go on
Photo credit: Stavroula Raia | The Hamptons Hellenic Dancers prepare to go on stage at the Hamptons Greek Festival in Southampton. (2011)
Experience authentic Greek food and culture without breaking out a passport at this week's 27th Annual Hamptons Greek Festival. The Southampton event features performances, food and shops under open-air tents. Best of all, admission and parking are free.
"It's just a really fun celebration," says Megan McKendrick, 29, of Southampton, who has attended the past four years to get her gyro and baklava fix. "You're going to see all different kinds of dances, foods and drinks that you don't normally get to see out in Southampton, ever."

Here are three ways to go get your Greek on.
EAT AND DRINK
Most of the festival's elaborate menu is homemade by parishioners of Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Southampton, which organizes the event. Popular items such as gyros, chicken souvlaki, moussaka and spanakopita abound ($4-$8). Specialty meals include lamb shank with orzo and string beans, and pastitso -- a Greek version of lasagna ($18-$22). For kids, there's souvlaki on a stick ($5).
Sweet tooth? Baklava, butter cookies and other treats will go for $3-$5 -- or go for the $25 pastry platter that includes a mix of everything. Bonus: You can order food online in advance for pickup (allow at least two hours' notice). Wash it all down with Greek coffee ($3-$4), imported beer ($5 a bottle) or wine ($5 a glass).

SHOP AND PLAY
Eighteen vendors will sell handbags and clothing ($20-$200) under tents. If you're in the market for Greek goods, there will be fine Greek jewelry ($50-$300), as well as jams, honey and olive oil ($5-$40).
Active kids will want to hit the rides -- 10 will be running, including a carousel and a wagon roller coaster ($4 a ride or $25 for an all-day pass). Adults who feel lucky can try their hand at 16 raffle prizes, which will be drawn at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $50 each for prizes such as $15,000 cash or a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle and various East End weekend getaways.

DANCE AND HEAR MUSIC
It's not a true celebration without dancing and live music. "Greek dancing is a big part of our culture," says dance instructor Maria Sopasis, 39, of Bayside. "There's a lot of dances that mean different things. . . . We dance for happiness; we dance for sorrow."
In this case, visitors will see the Hellenic Dancers -- about 20 children ages 5 to 16 -- perform each evening. Wearing authentic dress, they'll showcase dances such as the kotsari -- a circle dance in which performers hold each other's shoulders, moving rapidly with stomps and kicks, or the kalamatiano -- the first dance at weddings in some Greek regions. Festivalgoers often hit the dance floor after performances.
Also keeping the atmosphere lively: The Trojans, a five-piece Greek band (Saturday only), and DJ Bobby Karounos, who will spin pop tunes. Yianni Papastefanou and Orchestra will perform folk and contemporary Greek music as well as original songs sung in Greek with a bouzouki, violin, drums and keyboard.
"It's nice for people to come and become part of our family for the weekend," says Xanthi Karloutsos, 62, of Southampton, an event organizer. "We're very proud of who we are."

Hamptons Greek Festival
WHEN | WHERE 4-11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3-9 p.m. Sunday at Southampton Elks Lodge, 605 County Rd., Southampton
INFO 631-283-6169, hamptonsgreekfestival.com








HI-
Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik
(631) 913-4244
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012



Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

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