Rich Monetti
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I am, I write.
Stories (717/0)
Mahopac Trio Bring Home Gaelic football Crown from Ireland
Photo by Suzanne Dolan In February, 24 girls were selected from the Gaelic Athletic Association of NY to play in the Féile Gaelic Football Championships. The tournament played on July 2 in Dublin, New York was obviously a long way from home and had a pretty tall order competing in Europe’s game. Still, the Irish didn’t thumb their noses at their little American sisters and were genuinely welcoming, according to Mahopac’s Gianna Dolan. “Everywhere we went, wearing the New York gear made me feel like a celebrity. People wanted to meet us and take pictures. It was a wonderful experience, and I am proud to be a part of the team.” So the field was probably just as obliging to send New York home with the Irish version of a participation trophy. But these girls had other things in mind and weren’t quite as hospitable as guests.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Unbalanced
Irvington Author Brings Napoleon to Life in 'Betsy and the Emperor'
Photo by daves_archive1 Coming from a family of writers, author Staton Rabin of Irvington can easily point to the connection her family tree represents to her career path. But academically as a preteen, her roots did not initially flower where one would expect. "In the English department, they were always complaining and it took too long to read my work," she remembered. So in order to plant her future in the world of literature and film, she had to find her inspiration elsewhere.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Education
Eugene Jarecki and the American Way of War
With Americans dreaming that change begins and ends on Pennsylvania Avenue, Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki provides the real home address of its implementation and gives definition to what the word should mean to Americans thinking about living there. With the release of his new book, "The American Way of War," he said politicians need an "unrelenting mandate" from us to face down the threat President Eisenhower prophesied in his farewell address on the Military Industrial Complex.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in The Swamp
Part IV : Snippets of Somers Teachers
Click link for Photos from the 1970s https://rmonetti.blogspot.com/2022/11/somers-in-70s.html Mr. Carr. I never had the pleasure of going into Mr. Carr’s inner sanctum and receive introduction to his paddle. That said, us Junior High students did all we could to not get to know Mr. Carr any better than you did. But he knew you. In transit, he’d look you in the eye, call you by name and always asked how you were doing. In other words, he gave us the respect we were due, and the sincerity had a message that was clear as day. Mr. Carr cared about every single one of us and that was really the foundation of the pulpit he sat on for the students of Somers Junior High.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Education
Wladimir Klitschko Leaves Nothing to Chance by Preparing 100%
Photo by Web Summit Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko was born in the Ukraine to a military father and spent much of his childhood moving around. The life on the run included the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Kazakhstan, but things settled down when California became his home front in 1991. Still, the slow down didn’t obstruct his 59-3 career record, and the four heavyweight championship belts that he owns. On the way, the deadly blows he inflicts have him nicknamed the steel hammer. But being the toughest guy on Earth doesn’t prevent him from admitting to a frailty that the rest of us could certainly identify with.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Unbalanced
'The Walking Dead' is More About Now and the Beginning of the World Than the End
Photo by Gage Skidmore Zombies ate my neighbors and are everywhere. So much so, that all I could think was "When will we be done with all this?" as The Walking Dead commercials ran incessantly. But I was told that it held great thought provoking science fiction currency so I decided to take a look after several years on the sidelines.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Geeks
Mahopac Tenor Drummer Enjoys Stepping in Place with Bagpipe Band
Photo by Jon Wick The Blackthorn Pipe Band can usually be found ascending 5th Avenue every March 17 in New York City, where they proudly march to the Irish spirit of St. Patrick. They also answer the call for a number of other parades and celebrations in Yonkers, Peekskill and White Plains throughout the calendar year. Either way, each piper knows how off they sound if going without practice for a week or so. That said, everyone else in listening proximity is well aware if the lapse lags past a seven day stretch, according to the band’s tenor drummer, Cathleen Benson of Mahopac, New York. But there’s more involved in being part of this type of band than just having the pipes to make this ancient Irish instrument sing triumphantly.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Beat
The Real Dracula – A Saint in His Homeland
Photo by David Stanley If you ever happen to go to the resting place of Vlad III in Snagov, Romania, one must tread lightly. You definitely do not want to offend the saintly deference the sight and its occupant are given. Statues of this iconic medieval prince are in no short supply either. Almost 600 years later, and to the world over, old Vlad goes by another name that puts him in an entirely different light—Dracula.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Humans
White Plains High School Athletes to Remember
Photo by Tim Reckmann White Plains QB ready to Step into Starting Role White Plains Quarterback Jeff Avery looks back to last year’s game against Suffern as his high point. "It was the most playing time I got—cleanup duty in a rout," said the two year backup. But the inevitable roster turnover has him ready to take the helm and make a mess of opponents this fall.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Unbalanced
Giada Valenti Brings the Romance of Italy in Her Music
Photo by Kumar's Edit Born in Venice, Giada Valenti never sat down and made a conscious decision to become a singer. The Valenti family was inherently musical and her grandmother was a well known professional singer in the local community. Clearly rubbing off, Valenti took the stage by four-years-old, and was writing musical notes before she could pen the alphabet. Performance and music part of her DNA, she studied music theory at the Santa Cecilia Music School in Venice, and got her degree at Giuseppe Tartini in Trieste.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Beat
Brian Dennehy, 'The Island of Dr. Moreau,' and 'The Making of Monsters' at the Bedford Playhouse
Photo by The Huntington On Thursday February 21, The Bedford Playhouse hosted a live theatrical event with Golden Globe Winner Brian Dennehy, Emmy Award Winning Screenwriter Ron Hutchinson and screen actor Kevin O’Brien. The trio read Hutchinson’s musings on The Island of Dr. Moreau and a 1996 disaster that starred Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. But despite almost looking like a self-inflicted catastrophe, Hutchinson’s place as a credited writer did at least reassure with one recurring message.
By Rich Monetti2 years ago in Geeks