Social media shocks the media; Long Island developers, not so much

Stealing from Jack Shafer, I call bogusity on this AP social media trend story.

"Opponents of building developments are taking a page from birthday party planners and flash mobbers, employing social media sites like Facebook to coalesce their cause — and the industry is sitting up and taking notice."

As evidence to back up that claim, the writer uses as his primary example a Facebook page built by mommy bloggers against a Huntington Town development. He also throws in a few random examples throughout the country. Unfortunately, the trend story here is an old trend story, at least as it concerns Huntington:

"[One lawmaker] withdrew his support because Huntington Democratic Party insiders wanted to take the housing issue off the table so Republicans couldn't use it against the Democratic incumbents in the elections next year. Councilwoman Susan Berland, who had straddled the fence for months, finally came out against the AvalonBay proposal this summer. She wanted less density."

Well, at least one developer wasn't taken in.

"We've been very nervous," developer Mitchell D. Rechler said. "The good news is you can get the facts out, but what we've also seen is that the facts can continually get buried with misinformation.

"Do you really want to … respond to every single comment that comes through? Is that the best way to dedicate your time and money? I don’t personally think so."

But I guess it's easier to give credit to mommy bloggers than it is to blame typical, myopic politics.

White Islip and Heroin

Two terms I've lately heard used about West Islip.

I moved to West Islip when I was eight. Moving to the suburbs from Kew Gardens, Queens was a culture shock, not least because all the people around me were only white faces. The first black kid I saw at school was at Beach Street Junior High. He was beat up and soon migrated to another school if I remember correctly.  Others called the town "White Islip." 

But that was 30 years ago. I see more diversity, blacks, Latinos, than I ever did before. But the numbers don't lie. According to the latest census numbers, we're still more than 90 percent white. But then again, several towns around us -- Bayshore, Brightwaters, Babylon Village, North Babylon and Lindenhurst -- are all predominantly white. 

What that means, I'm not sure. Maybe that things don't really change that much in the suburbs. Or do they? 

There has always been drugs in West Islip. It was never hard to find, especially among the rich kids. But the latest drug people say is rampant is heroin. But, unlike the census numbers for whites, the crime numbers don't back it up. Police blare an uptick in heroin arrests and others to an uptick in overdose deaths in Long Island but those could be linked to numerous reasons. One of which is a greater focus on the drug. 

A study that came out a few years ago show a flat line when it comes to heroin usage in New York and Suffolk County. It doesn't break it down to towns. Off the record conversations with police say people should be more worried about illicit prescription drug use rather than heroin.