A Tasty Way To Support The Harrison Library

Discover the fabulous restaurants in downtown Harrison and support the Harrison Public Library through this Friends of the Harrison Public Library fundraiser.

At your own pace, you may visit all of the restaurants in any order you wish and enjoy a delicious sample of the chef’s specialties.

Al Dente Restaurant

Amici’s Deli

Craftsman Ale House

Demilios Deli & Café

Emilio’s Restaurant

Fu-Ji

Gus’s Franklin Park Restaurant

Goldberg’s Bagels

Halstead Avenue Bistro

Harrison Bagels

Harrison Bake Shop

Harrison  Donuts

Harrison Pizza & Pasta

Harrison Wine Vault

Lisa Marie’s Ice Shop

Murphy’s Law Irish Pub

NY Pizza Station

Oakland Grill/new name SOHO grille

Oishinbo Japanese Gourmet

Pizza 2000

Powell’s Clam Bar & Grill

Quenas Peruvian Restaurant

Re Aldo’s

This Little Piggy

T-N-T Luncheonette

Trattoria Vivolo

Trinity

Uncle Henry’s

World Wine

Adults: $20 in advance /$25 day of event *Children under 12: $10 in advance/$15 day of event

To get your wristband(s) that will let the restaurants know you signed up for this event, send your name, address, phone and number of wristbands with your check payable to and mail to:
Friends of the Harrison Public Library 2 Bruce Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528.

Upon receipt of your payment, we will deliver or mail wristband(s) to you, along with a map of the participating restaurants. Each establishment will have balloons outside so you will know where to go. There will be ample parking in the Commuter Parking Lot on Halstead and Harrison Avenues.

Supervisor/Mayor Ron Belmont has arranged for the Harrison Senior Transport minivan to be available. On May 20, we will have an information table set up in front of the Commuter Parking Lot on Halstead and Harrison Avenues.

Questions? Call one of the Friends: Mena Gambacorta 914/835-0544 Angela Kaufman 914/835-2429 Connie Perrotta 914/315-1922 Email: cpcpone@yahoo.com

Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Weird Golf Goes Priceless

Free books? How weird is that?
Check out this offer from Goodreads.com.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Weird Golf

by Dave Donelson

Giveaway ends May 23, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Harrison Library Presents Provocative Panel On Diversity

The first of a series of programs titled "Building Common Ground: Discussion of Community, Civility, and Compassion" will be held Monday, May 14 at 7:30 PM at the Harrison (NY) Public Library. It is programs like these that demonstrate the deep value of libraries to their communities.

The first event is Compassion and the Search for Common Understanding through World Religions: Panel Discussion on Diversity.

A panel discussion led by Rabbi Barry Kenter, President of the Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding, will foster discussions on compassion, diversity and inclusion. Rabbi Barry Kenter, has been rabbi of the Greenburgh Hebrew Center of Dobbs Ferry, NY, since 1984. Rabbi Kenter is a member of the GreenFaith organization, an interfaith group for the environment. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the New York Board of Rabbis.

Also appearing on the panel are Dr. Mahjabeen Hassan, Dr. Saleem Mir, and Hondi Duncan Brasco. All are members of the Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding, Inc., which began shortly after September 11, 2001, when its founders discovered they were working with a great many people who had experienced personal trauma and direct losses as a result of the tragic events of that day. Four Jews, four Christians, and four Muslims comprise its board of directors. Several are members of the clergy. All believe that the people of the faiths of Abraham can, despite the challenges they face, learn to live together in mutual respect and greater harmony.

The Harrison library is one of 30 nationwide receiving grants to host this series of programs, which is organized by the Fetzer Institute and the American Library Association. 

Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Frank Bensel Talks About Winning Golf Tournaments

When Frank Bensel talks about winning golf tournaments, we should all listen, take notes, and study them over and over. The assistant pro at Century Country Club has so many trophies he needs a full-time staff just to polish them. Bensel offered some practical advice at the Met PGA Spring Forum on how to prepare for tournament play.

"Get your body ready for the tournament," he urges "You have to have stamina when walking several days in an event so it is helpful to walk on the course in practice rounds or just at the club carrying your bag." Bensel says he works on his own flexibility far in advance of playing a tournament. "I have to do a series of exercises on my hamstrings, hips, back, and shoulders that I can't stretch the day of a tournament."

Bensel also reminds us to have our clubs and equipment ready. "Make sure you have the correct set makeup for the course you will be playing," he advises. "If you need to add a hybrid or an extra wedge, be sure to have them ready."

When it comes to practice, Bensel says we should prepare specific aspects of our game for particular courses. He cites the need for an accurate driver and long irons for Bethpage Black, for example, or the ability to put on fast, undulating greens when playing Deepdale. "I try to play more prior to a tournament rather than beating balls," he says.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Better Putting From Michael Breed

Who would have thought a high-energy, rapid-fire guy like Michael Breed would have the patience for scientific research? Yet that's just exactly what he did to confirm his approach to the putting stroke. The results are in Breed's latest book, The 3-Degree Putting Solution: The Comprehensive, Scientifically Proven Guide To Better Putting. The Sunningdale CC head pro and Golf Channel star wrote the book with John Steinbreder.

After a personal epiphany on the practice green, Breed spent years teaching his pupils to change their stroke to take the putterface from the normal positive loft to a negative one. That, he knew, would eliminate backspin and produce a truer roll. He based his approach on years of practice and observation with hundreds of pupils as well as his studies of putting greats like Dave Stockton, Billy Casper, and Horton Smith. Recently he funded research into the question by a golf lab in Dallas and determined that the optimum  face angle for a putt is three degrees of negative loft. His book details that research while providing much, much more useful information for the golfer serious about improving his performance on the green.

Breed provides a comprehensive guide to grip, posture, alignment, club path, and tempo as well as putterface angle. He also talks about mental conditioning and reading greens. With dozens of practice drills and 150 instructional photos, the book is a comprehensive guide to success with the flat stick.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Metro NY Golf Season Gets Underway

The Metropolitan Golf Association put the ball in play yesterday at Plainfield Country Club. The annual MGA Media Day featured a review of a very full calendar of competitions as well as a panel discussion featuring 2009 Met Open winner Andrew Giuliani, PGA Tour winner Bill Britton, and Plainfield head pro Scott Paris. Some notes from the event:

MGA Director of Competitions Brian Mahoney is praying for clear skies since there just aren't any dates to make up rainouts in a calendar packed this year with 22 events. The year begins with the MGA Senior Amateur Championship at Metedeconk on May 7-8 and ends with the French-American Challenge October 16-17 at Sebonack. Highlights include the Met Open to be played at Plainfield August 21-23, the Ike June 25-26 at Atlantic, the Met Amateur August 2-5 at Hollywood, and the MGA Senior Open August 27-28 at Garden City. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Met Junior Championship, which will be celebrated at Nissequogue Golf Club. Mahoney also pointed out that the MGA has teamed up with the Met Women's Golf Assn to present three events including the Women's Met Amateur June 5 at the Stanwich Club and the Women's Public Links Championship July 11 at Flanders Valley.

Plainfield CC head pro Scott Paris said that the Barclay's will return to the club in 2015 with another spot on the rota scheduled for either 2018 or 2019. The 2011 FedEx Cup event was shortened to 54 holes by Hurricane Irene. Paris explained that the Donald Ross masterpiece underwent a ten-year reconstruction under architect Gil Hanse, who also masterminded the Sleepy Hollow restoration. Using Ross's original drawings and photos of the course in its early days, Hanse removed a forest of trees, stretched the greens back to their generally expansive size, restored fairway widths and lines, removed two water hazards that were really just there to handle drainage anyway, and added a scant 150 yards to the course. The green contours weren't changed although seven collection areas were restored to add variety to the approaches that can be played.

Bill Britton, who won the 1979 Met Open at Plainfield as well the 1989 PGA Tour Centel Classic and tied for seventh in the 1990 Masters, pointed out that while the course has been substantially improved, the angles into the greens remain crucial to shooting a decent score. Britton is currently head pro at Trump National Colt's Neck

In addition to his victory in the 2009 Met Open, Andrew Giuliani won the 2005 Ike Championship at Plainfield. He also starred in the Golf Channel's Big Break series shortly after turning pro. The ebullient Giuliani said the experience was a positive one despite the reality TV sturm und drang that viewers see on the screen in their living rooms. "In regular golf," he says, "you have a few holes to settle into your game. On the Big Break, you warm up then sit on the bench for two hours before you have to hit one shot--perfectly. It was actually a good way to learn to focus on playing one shot at a time."

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Advice For Winning Golf From Danny Balin

Want to play like a winner? You'd be hard pressed to find someone better to emulate than Danny Balin, assistant pro at Burning Tree Country Club in Greenwich, and winner of the 2011 Lincoln Met PGA Championship. Balin was one of several panelists at this spring's Met PGA Best Practices Forum who had excellent advice for those of us who want to score better in tournament play--or anytime.

"During your practice rounds, spend 80% of your time on chipping and putting and 20% on everything else," Balin recommends. When it comes to putting, he suggest using a chalk line to help train your eyes and a tee gate made just wide enough for your putter to fit through to groove your stroke. He also only practices straight putts since playing a break starts by rolling the ball straight on the proper line. Finally, he reminds us to train our eyes to see the ball go into the hole. "Do your eyes focus on one target, or flit around?" he asks.

When it comes to course management, Balin says, "Par is a great score." He believes a big part of the mental game is understanding that fact and knowing when (and when NOT) to go pin hunting, be too aggressive, be too conservative. To help your mental game, Balin recommends reading books--not just about golf--dealing with training athletes' minds. One he favors is Mind Gym by Gary Mack.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

HR Pros Offer Advice At 914Inc Power Breakfast

I'll be moderating a panel of Human Resource professionals next week, addressing issues from how you should (and can) control your employee's social media usage to what will happen if the Supreme Court overturns the healthcare legislation--and what if it doesn't? The event is a 914Inc. Magazine's Power Breakfast to be held Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30 AM at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown, NY.

Joining me on the panel are five experts who bring different viewpoints on these and other issues:

Susan Corcoran
Jackson Lewis (a labor and employment law firm)
White Plains

Greg Chartier
Principal, The Office of Gregory J Chartier
Chair of the Human Resources Council of the Westchester Business Council

Ann Henning
Human Resources Manager, Sprint

Edwin L. Bowman
Principal, BowmanBecker Consultancy, LLC
Past President, Westchester Human Resources Management Association

Joseph DiCarlo
Director of HR, WESTMED
Former VP of HR, Porter Novelli

Tickets are complementary, but seats are limited, so make your reservations today.

Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Weird Golf Debuts On The Links

The first edition of my new golf anthology, WEIRD GOLF, is now available in all formats.

The subtitle tells it all: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf.

It's available for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other ebook readers and a trade paperback edition was released Friday.

Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.

Negotiating With Honor

How do you negotiate honorably and successfully? By negotiating both value and price with the goal of striking the most favorable deal for both the buyer and the seller. If there is a morality problem with a negotiated sale, it’s when one party’s aim is to “win” the game at the expense of the other. If both the buyer and the seller can believe in and practice win/win negotiations, everybody’s life is easier and they can sleep better at night.

Unfortunately, too many people engage in win/lose negotiation. They believe that the only way they can gain value is by taking it away from the other person. They view every transaction as a zero-sum game. This belief is anathema to the Creative Selling System. You can’t build long term customer relationships based on taking advantage of the customer every time you sell them something. Sooner or later they’ll figure it out.

When you engage in win/lose negotiation, you create an adversarial relationship with your prospect. That lifeblood of Creative Selling, information about the prospect’s needs, is cut off at the source because the prospect soon realizes that you’re using that information to gain the upper hand in the negotiations.

That’s one of the main reasons, by the way, that the traditional consultive selling approach is so ineffective—many prospects fear that giving information to the consultive seller will just give him ammunition to use in future negotiations. So they clam up or even give misleading information to confuse the seller.

You can’t create solutions to the prospect’s needs unless you learn what those needs are. Without that information, your selling effort degenerates into a guessing game where you have to keep offering different proposals without having the feedback necessary to come up with good ones. And because your ideas don’t very accurately meet the prospect’s needs, fewer sales occur. The win/lose negotiation attitude may produce a larger single order today, but it reduces the probability of getting better orders tomorrow.

Dave Donelson distills the experiences of hundreds of entrepreneurs into practical advice for small business owners and managers in the Dynamic Manager's Guides, a series of how-to books about marketing and advertising, sales techniques, motivating personnel, financial management, and business strategy.