Our staff and team of journalists proudly welcome world traveling-adventurist and Rockland County aficionado Liz Craig. Ms. Craig will be Rockland Lifestyle’s guide to the unsuspected hidden places that are truly pleasurable and illustrate Rockland County in a completely different light. Her unique insight doesn’t just encompass intriguing destinations ensconced through our local grounds, but sensational food delicacies offered by local chefs, boutique markets carrying items you can’t find in your conventional grocery, and mini-getaways, all in our backyard. Allow Ms. Craig to take you off the beaten path, introduce the...

Sometimes, the smartest people are those who’ve lived it. As a 22 year old aspiring to my first elected position, I had the good fortune of meeting Bob Crable, who at one point over his 50-year involvement in local and state politics was the youngest Democratic Committee Chairman and who, in 2007, became the oldest. There is something to be said for institutional knowledge. Through his guidance and that of his good friend, Jeanne Goldstein, I learned tips and tricks that helped immensely during the campaign, especially which people inside and outside the party to connect with as an upstart public servant. Crable’s contemporary, Rockland...

Two stories making headlines this week got me thinking about that old age debate, nature versus nurture. The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate. According to this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our experience. The first story that got me thinking about this debate...

Outside of New York City, Orangetown lays claim to the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York, which attracted more than 80,000 marchers and spectators to downtown Pearl River. If you include the businesses that support the Ancient Order of Hibernians, which organizes the parade, you’re talking about over a hundred organizations that came together for a day of sport, family, and community (and partying). What is the net effect? There are objective measures and there are subjective measures. Some businesses can get as much as 20% of their revenue on this weekend, and certainly all would agree the member businesses of the...