Volume 5 Issue 4

Sheepshead Bay • Brighton Beach • Marine Park • Manhattan Beach • Coney Island • Flatlands • Gerritsen Beach • Mill Basin • Bergen Beach

Highlighting the Best Neighborhoods in Brooklyn

Vol. 5, No. 4, October 1 - 15, 2008

Is your baby’s bottle

ToxIc?

page 3

Coney: Enough already!

Absence of trust ‘It’s about how you finish’ Civil rights leader honored Unwelcome buses The Cutest Kid! -- We have a winner!

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David J. Glenn

Member of the New York Press Association David J. Glenn Publisher Suzanne H. Glenn Editor Rachel Berger Art Director Patrick Hickey Jr. Sports Editor

Writers I. Friedin Gisele Strauch Kerry Donelli Jacqueline Donelli Amadeo Constanzo

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Page 2

Publisher’s Notebook Absence of trust The classic cry of the 1960s, “Don’t trust anyone over 30” can be easily revised in the early 21st century to say, “Don’t trust anyone over there in government.”

We’ve already learned over the past few years that we couldn’t trust the first President Bush when he said, “Read my lips,” or President Clinton when he said, “I didn’t have sex with that woman,” or the second President Bush when he said – well, when he said just about anything.

More recently, though, we’ve found that we can’t trust the federal agencies, either. I’m thinking specifically of the Food and Drug Administration, which, as we show in our cover story, has failed to protect babies from the clear danger of

an estrogen-like chemical, BPA, used in the manufacture of most plastic baby bottles.

But this shouldn’t be surprising. Last April, the Reader’s Digest – hardly a lefty, radical, anti-establishment publication -- offered an investigative

report, “Strong Medicine: What’s Ailing the FDA?” In the piece, writer Alexis Jetter reported that there’s “pressure from the [pharmaceutical] industry to speed decisions, and there’s pressure to soft-pedal problems. That

October 1 - 15, 2008

means drugs may go on the market without adequate vetting – or followup.” A key problem is “the growing chunk of the agency’s budget that comes directly from drug companies,” Jetter reported. She quotes former FDA associate commissioner William Hubbard: “Think your pacemaker, heart valve, microwave oven or morning vitamin was inspected?

Dream on.”

We commend retailers who have taken baby bottles containing BPA off their shelves, manufacturers who have stopped using the chemical, and most of all, parents who have used common sense and have avoided BPA bottles.

Go away, FDA, you bother us.

Visit us at: www.BayCurrents.net

Is your baby’s bottle dangerous?

By Amadeo Constanzo Bay Currents writer If you have a baby, you likely are constantly careful about what you’re feeding him or her.

Just as likely, you haven’t given much thought to the bottle you’re using. But now parents in the Bay area and

beyond have some cause for concern. The Work Group for Safe Markets – a coalition of environmental scientists – and other groups have reported potential dangers from the chemical bisphenol A – a hormone that mimics estrogen -- which is used in the manufacture of many plastic

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containers, including most baby bottles The Work Group said in a recent report, “We conclude that the amount [of BPA] leaching from heated bottles is within the range shown to cause harm in animal studies and is therefore a health concern for infants.”

The group warned that levels of BPA even lower than that considered “acceptable” by the federal Environmental Protection Agency could lead to health problems including prostate and breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, and an altered immune system.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has concluded that BPA in baby bottles is safe. The federal Food and Drug Administration recently relied on the NIEHS studies to declare that there would be no governmental ban on the use of BPA in baby bottles.

But Bay area mothers are not taking any chances.

Enkeleida Abazi of Bensonhurst, mother of an infant son, said she couldn’t be 100 percent sure the FDA won’t change its position in the future if new scientific evidence

October 1 - 15, 2008

shows harmful effects from plastic bottles. In that case, any damage to her son’s health already would have been done.

Another young mother, who didn’t want her name used, agreed: “They [the FDA] always change their minds. It’s harmful, it’s not harmful, it’s harmful...”

Said another mother: “I don’t trust the FDA. They want to help the bottle companies. They don’t help us.”

In a report to the NIEHS, Dr. Sarah Janssen, a Science Fellow with the National Resource Defense Council, denounced the Institute for being “too dismissive” of what she said were possible dangers of BPA leading to cancer. She added that there were several flaws in the studies on which the FDA’s decision was based.

Reacting to mothers’ concerns, many major retailers have stopped carrying baby bottles with BPA, and several manufacturers have stopped using it, even labeling their products “No BPA.” Adults worried about using plastic food containers with BPA should avoid any containers that bear the number 7 or 3 in the recycling sign on the bottom of the container.

E-mail: health@baycurrents.net

Page 3

Twice the Advice

By Jacqueline Donelli and Kerry Donelli Dear Twins,

I’m a 34-year-old man and I’m seeing a wonderful 36-year-old woman. We spend all our free time together and we have a great time together. The problem is she won’t commit to me. I know she’s not involved with anyone else, so that isn’t the issue. She says she just needs some more time to be free -- but we’ve been seeing each other now for seven months! While I want to exclusively be with her, she refuses to refer to me as her boyfriend, and introduces us to people as her “friend.”

Other things bother me too. For instance, she refuses to partake in gestures like hand-holding. And when she leaves, she gives me a quick peck on the cheek. I really love this woman but I’m having a hard time with her aloofness. I’m crazy for her -what should I do?

Jacqueline says:

Dear Hopeless, Stop the presses now, because here it is: She’s just not that into you. I know this sounds a little harsh, but it’s the hard, cold truth. It appears you are more of a “boy toy” then anything. If that works for you, then great, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. You need to think of your needs first. You deserve a woman who wants to hold your hand, and who doesn’t refer to you as “a friend.” If she does not want to step up the relationship after seven months and you do, now is the time to get out.

not feel for you in any way like you feel for her -- that’s pretty evident when she refers to you as her “friend.” Besides, action speaks louder than words. The fact that she is unable to partake in meaningful gestures like handholding and goodbye kisses is a

Sounds like she’s having her cake and eating it, too.

Hopelessly in love

Kerry says:

Dear Hopeless, I agree with Jacqueline; you should walk away from this situation. This woman does

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expense. At your age it’s pointless to waste time on each other if you’re not on the same page. And it doesn’t appear like things are going to take a turn for her -- it’s already been seven months. As the song goes, “You can’t make them love you if they don’t.” I know it hurts, which is why you need to nip it in the bud sooner than later.

Have a problem?

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Contact them by writing to:

huge red flag. And while I’m sure she truly enjoys your companionship, that is exactly what it amounts to her companionship.

Instead of being alone, she is bidding time with you until she finds someone else. Sounds like she’s having her cake and eating it, too -- but at your emotional

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drug rehab center ‘does not belong’ in Coney already host to a plethora of mental and physical health centers, was subject to what they called “the dumping on of Coney Island.� “This does not belong in our community,� said Queenie Huling, an ACORN Political Action Committee representative. “It has to go.�

money than serving the community. And, the center, according to the proposal given to Community Board 13 and ACORN, is to cater to the Russian immigrant community – not a particularly large population in Coney Island, which, based on the latest census, is 42 percent African-American, 26 percent Hispanic, and 4 percent Asian. “It belongs in Brighton Beach,� said Huling. “Not here. We don’t need this in our area.�

After the rally, protesters headed to the Community Board 13 meeting at Coney Island Hospital. They were hardly reticent there, either. “This isn’t necessary in this particular area,� said resident John Cherry. “We have enough chemicaldependency centers in this area to address our needs. No one thought we were going to raise our voice in opposition to this. It’s great that all these diverse backgrounds in the community getting together and letting these people know they aren’t going to do this to us.�

Project esteem’s owner, Dr. Oleg Gutnik, wasn’t at the rally or meeting, Project spokesman C.J. Zelossce was at the meeting, and said, “Project Esteem BAY CURRENTS PHOTO / Ron Hatcher wants you to know that they want to be a working part of this community.

ACORN’s Queenie Huling talks to the crowd protesting Project Esteem.

They are really looking to interact Unlike the other centers in the area, with individuals and families. I know Holding signs in English, Chinese and Project Esteem is not non-profit, fueling there’s always a stigma when it comes to Spanish, and chanting “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, the perception that the center’s operators substance-abuse rehabilitation centers, Project Esteem must go,� the residents are more interested in simply making but anyone who walks the street in this were furious that their community, community knows that there are plenty of addicts walking around. As a matter of

By Patrick Hickey Jr. Bay Currents writer More than 150 residents of western Coney Island left their homes on Sept. 24 to protest the future home of the Project Esteem chemical-dependency center at 3114 Mermaid Avenue.

!RE 9OU !NXIOUS

fact, the levels are 40 percent higher here than the nation’s average.�

He cited a recent city survey reporting that Brooklyn is only at 65 percent of its potential capacity for substance-abuse centers. He did not emphasize, though, that the survey was based on all of Brooklyn, and neither did he define what “capacity� actually meant in the borough.

T he crowd of protesters at the meeting clearly was not buying what Zelossce was selling -- they chanted against Project Esteem as he walked back to his seat in the audience.

A woman at the meeting who didn’t give her name voiced support for Gutnik’s proposed center, calling him “a great man.� “My husband is a heroin addict and this doctor has provided us with counseling so we can get on with our lives,� she said. “He can help all of you. It’s easy to knock something when you don’t know all the facts. This man deserves a chance.�

CB 13 chairwoman Marion Cleaver announced the board was against the proposed project, but the board didn’t take a formal vote. “Why would they [Project Esteem] do this?� resident Linda Smith said. “With this in the middle of our community and the economy the way it is, this isn’t good news. We are all hard-working people that want something better for ourselves and our families. “We need things built here that will improve our community, not bring it down more.�

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“The people united will never be defeated� is among the signs carried by protesters.

October 1 - 15, 2008

Page 5

Continuing our quest to introduce classic children’s tales to kids whose imagination has been largely supplanted by images on a TV or computer screen, we present here Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.”

The Snow Queen beauty that he could not utter a word. Shy and timid, he did not dare speak. So he knelt in admiration before the Queen for hours on end, without opening his mouth. The Queen looked at him silently, thinking all the while that, provided he did not ask her hand in marriage, there was no need to call the goblins.

Then, to her great surprise, she discovered that his behavior touched her heart. She realized she was becoming quite fond of this hunter, much younger and more handsome than her other suitors. Time passed and the Snow Queen dared not admit, not even to herself, that she would actually like to marry the young man.

In the meantime, the goblins kept watch over their mistress; first they were astonished, then they became more and more upset. For they rightly feared that their Queen might be on the point of breaking the Law and bringing down on the heads of all the Mountain People the fury of Fate.

Seeing that the Queen was slow to give the order to get rid of her suitor, the goblins decided to take matters into their own hands. One night, as dusk fell, they slipped out of the cracks in the rock and clustered round the young chamois hunter. Then they hurled him into the abyss. The Snow Queen watched the whole scene from the window, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. However, her icy heart melted, and the beautiful cruel fairy suddenly became a woman.

A tear dropped from her eye, the first she had ever shed.

And the Snow Queen’s tear fell on to a stone where it turned into a little silvery star.

This was the first edelweiss ... the flower that grows only on the highest, most inaccessible peaks in the Alps, on the edge of the abyss and precipice.

By Hans Christian Andersen Illustrated by Edmund Dulac There is a legend that, once upon a time, a beautiful fairy, the Snow Queen, lived on the highest, most solitary peaks of the Alps. The mountain folk and shepherds climbed to the summits to admire her, and everyone fell head over heels in love with her.

Every man would have given anything, including his life, to marry her. Indeed, their lives are just what they did give, for Fate had decided that no mortal would every marry the Snow Queen. But in spite of that, many brave souls did their best to approach her, hoping always to persuade her.

Each suitor was allowed to enter the great ice palace with the crystal roof, where the Queen’s throne stood. But the second he declared his love and asked for her hand, thousands of goblins appeared to grasp him and push him over the rocks, down into bottomless abysses.

Without the slightest emotion, the Queen would watch the scene, her heart of ice unable to feel anything at all.

The legend of the crystal palace and the beautiful heartless Queen spread as far as the most distant alpine valley, the home of a fearless chamois hunter. Fascinated by the tale, he decided to set out and try his luck. Leaving his valley, he journeyed for days on end, climbing the snow clad mountain faces, scaling icebound peaks and defying the bitterly cold wind that swept through the alpine gullies.

More than once he felt all was lost, but the thought of the lovely Snow Queen gave him new strength and kept him moving onwards. At last, after many days climbing, he saw glinting in the sunshine before him, the tall transparent spires of the ice palace.

Summoning all his courage, the young man entered the Throne Room. But he was so struck by the Snow Queen’s

Page 6

October 1 - 15, 2008

Visit us at: www.BayCurrents.net

From Washington to Wall street to Coney Island, greed prevails

By I. Friedin Bay Currents columnist The Vietnam war signaled the end of the greatest period of enlightenment in American history since the Founding Fathers devised our system of “checks and balances” and the Bill of Rights. From that fateful election of 1968, when Richard Nixon squeaked into the White House by a nosehair, the average American has been losing ground at an ever greater pace to the forces of ignorance and greed. Too many Americans are diverted by relatively inconsequential social issues while entitlements are diminished or lost and regulations enacted to protect us from the excesses of big business watered down or eliminated.

Whereas common sense dictates regulation for industry, utilities and markets to assure that all members of society be dealt with evenhandedly, greed has prevailed, utilizing ignorance and bigotry as the tools to shepherd the masses to act against their own best interests. The Bush-Cheney Administration has taken a giant step in this direction as we observe corporate CEO’s rake in eight and nine figure bonuses while their employees lose benefits, pensions and often, their jobs. Virtual carte blanche is provided those on top of the economic food chain to rape the economy at our expense. But, without the safeguards provided by

proper regulation, whatever goes up must ultimately come crashing back down.

The bailout of our financial institutions will, as usual, harm those who can least afford it. The debt incurred will mean further cuts in services and entitlements as well as the prevention of necessary infrastructure improvements throughout the nation. Most agree that some form of bailout is necessary lest we face the possible collapse of our economy. But is covering the sins of those who have profiteered by preying on the weak the answer? We would hope that any bailout plan will be as fair as possible, taking hardships of victims into account, and that provisions are made to punish, rather than reward, the predators.

But as the consequences of the Bush-Cheney economic policies are further inflicted on the American public, we face the possibility of a certain Democratic victory for the White House being subverted by the ugliest of many Americans’ ignorant prejudices; that of racial bigotry.

The polls show a much closer race than it should be with McCain and his Miss America candidate for Vice President neck and neck with Obama; and this doesn’t account for those not admitting to voting their prejudice. As disastrous as another “Deregulation” Republican administration would be for the country, what if something happened to McCain himself? Foreign Policy is far from Sarah Palin’s only weak point. She doesn’t seem to know very much To advertise call 347.492.4432

about anything relevant; indicative of the ignorance that elected Bush in the first place.

But here in New York, it’s business as usual as our

while other operators and the residential community suffer utter neglect. Strictly a land grab, with neither side having a viable plan, Thor owns the real estate while the

businessman mayor mimics the policies of Bush-Cheney, feeding the top of the economic food chain at the expense of the rest of us. Neighborhoods in Bloomberg’s New York are invaded by billionaire developers, squeezing residents and businesses out in favor of those who will pay the most.

Stadiums are erected with admission unaffordable to most of the taxpayers subsidizing their construction. And now he’s dictating drastic cuts that will most affect: who else?: those who can least afford it!

The invaders intruding into communities before the onset of the economic turndown are still attempting to lift their heads above the carnage and move forward.

Atlantic Yards appears dead for lack of tenants, yet Bruce Ratner persists despite the efforts of the heroes in Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, the group fighting to save their neighborhood. Losing case after case in the courts to Ratner’s high priced legal team, they were able to stall long enough for the economy to take over.

Other like projects also seem doomed, despite a lack of acknowledgment from the mayor and developers.

And back in Coney Island, the battle of the titans continues as Mayor Bloomberg’s CIDC battles Joseph Sitt’s Thor Equities for control of the amusement district

city controls the zoning. Zoning changes planned by the city must therefore be at least partially placed on hold to prevent Thor from moving ahead. Both though, want to remake the area into yet another destination for those of greater means.

A new mayor, with an almost completely new City Council, will be seated in little over a year. Do you think they will give Sitt what he wants, abide by Bloomberg’s almost equally repugnant plan or do the right thing for the people by maintaining current zoning and allowing Coney Island to retain its cultural heritage as America’s Playground? And do you think that with the current state of the economy anything is going to be done in the near future? In their zeal however, to replace those who can enjoy Coney Island as it has been with a wealthier clientele, they have managed to destroy much of what was left.

We will see how these events play out, but meanwhile, ignorance and greed continue to pervade our society, leading to the same mistakes repeated over and over and over...

Will we ever learn?

(The views of our columnists are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher or editors of Bay Currents)

October 1 - 15, 2008

Page 7

Cutest Kid Contest It wasn’t easy, but we’ve finally decided on a winner and two runners-up in the Bay Currents Cutest Kid Contest!

Leo Litovsky

The envelope please...

OUR WINNER Leo Litovsky 9 years old

RUNNER-UP Emily Paige 9 years old

RUNNER-UP Taylor Shelonchik 11 years old

Leo and his family will be treated to dinner at the Mirage Diner on Kings Highway, and his parents will be given a free 30-minute consultation with a financial expert. Not only that, but he will also receive a basketful (including the basket) of stuff from Brooklyn’s own CLOSENUF rock group, offering their unique blend of music from the ‘60s and ‘70s and original pieces.

Emily Paige

Taylor Shelonchik

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Sports Currents

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

‘It’s about how you finish’ If looks could tell the whole story, then it’s safe to say that the 2008 NY-Penn League season took its toll on Brooklyn Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo.

Despite finishing with an impressive 45-30 record this season, the Mets Single-A affiliate failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005 -- and the first time in Alfonzo’s three years as skipper.

Dealing with injuries to stars Zach Lutz and Reese Havens and the ineffectiveness of 2008 top pick Ike Davis, Alfonzo’s high-energy style as coach seemed to be wearing thin by season’s end. Usually jovial to reporters in his customary post-game press conferences, Alfonzo looked emotionally exhausted by September.

However, in typical Alfonzo fashion, the former NYPenn League manager of the year has been outspoken about his team’s play this off-season, saying that he was pleased with the fortitude his young team showed on the field and was ultimately proud of the way they performed down the stretch.

“I told these guys all season that it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” said Alfonzo via telephone from the Mets Instructional League in Florida.

“We had so many injuries to deal with and they really came together in the end. We had the Wild Card spot until the last day of the season; we were right there. I was frustrated at times because of the injuries, but I know that these guys gave me everything they had.”

After the team’s last game of the season on September 5, Alfonzo joked that he needed a break from coaching, saying that he told Mets fielding coordinator Kevin Morgan he needed a month off. Three weeks after that statement and ten months from the start of the 2009 NY-Penn League season however, Alfonzo is back at it, coaching various prospects in the organization, most of them from Brooklyn.

“These guys are working very hard and are learning a lot,” Alfonzo, who has served at several Scott Shaw different positions in the organization over the past decade, said. “I’ve had a lot of fun with them here. Guys like [Cyclones outfielder] Sean Ratliff and [Cyclones first baseman] Ike Davis have shown me a lot. They are absorbing all the information and are playing very well.”

Before Alfonzo’s return in 2007, the team had a different manager every season of their history and since then, has become a fan favorite in Brooklyn and is synonymous with the team’s success.

In spite of that, Alfonzo himself said that he doesn’t know if the organization will ask him to come back to Brooklyn and while he refused to say what his own intentions are for next season, he did say that he’s loved every minute of his time at Keyspan Park.

“Aside from the big leagues, Brooklyn is the best To advertise call 347.492.4432

place to manage in the Mets organization,” said Alfonzo. “I don’t know what the organizations plans are for me next season, but I know that I’ve really enjoyed my time there.”

Players to watch Even though this year the Brooklyn Cyclones failed to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, they still boasted the best pitching staff in the New York-Penn League, holding down a stellar 2.76 ERA and a mindboggling 752 strikeouts in only 679 innings pitched. Chatting with the team’s pitching coach, Hector Jimmy Johnson Berrios, after the season finale, Bay Currents gets the inside scoop on the young and talented staff.

First up, the Starting Rotation: Brad Holt: “Holt has a power arm. He hit 100 miles per hour on the radar gun in Aberdeen and it was the first time I saw it live. That was impressive. We had a report on him that he threw 147 fastballs out of 152 pitches in a start in college. In the beginning, he told me, ‘I don’t even know what I throw.’ I told him, just throw whatever you have and we’ll take it from there. It turns out he has a power curve, 79-81 miles per hour with a big break.

He also started to incorporate his change up. He’s very athletic and he’s constantly learning. He’s got a world of talent and with that type of power, especially considering how far he’s come with his secondary pitches in such a short amount of time, the sky is the limit. I think in two or three years, he’ll be a guy on the front end of the Mets rotation.”

Scott Shaw and Chris Schwinden: “These guys are both tacticians on the mound and they rely on spotting the ball.

Their game is being able to locate their pitches and change speeds. They did an impressive job of that this season. I think Shaw was one of our most underrated pitchers and if you take two or three bad innings away from him, he was the best pitcher in the league this season.”

Pedro P. Martinez: “He was in the top 10 in the New York-Penn league up to his last few starts. But because of his youth, he was unable to sustain it. He still had a heck of a year though.”

Jenrry Mejia: “To be here at 18 and playing so well at this level is really impressive. He sits on 94 miles per hour and can get up to 97. He doesn’t quite have the extension of a guy like Holt has, but considering how young he is, I think he has a lot of potential.”

Now, the Bullpen: Jimmy Johnson: “At one point, he tried to shy away from contact, but after a while he looked like a veteran out there.

He has three pitches he can throw for strikes. He started the season as more of a lefty specialist, but ended it as someone who is very dependable in late innings.”

Roy Merritt: “He came down to his arm angle and really took to it. He was probably the biggest surprise we had October 1 - 15, 2008

here all year. He’s got good movement and has the same thing Joe Smith had when he was here. His pitch speed fluctuates to the point where you’ll see a fastball at 84 and then one at 89. That’s why it seems why hitters have trouble with the same pitches every night. He’s very good at what he does. Remember he was a center fielder a few years ago; he just picked this up and ran with it.”

Wendy Rosa: “He wasn’t anywhere near the strike zone and wasn’t on a team out of spring training. But through hard work at Extended Spring Training, he got called up to Savannah and then back here and he was a different pitcher. He’s another guy that just went out and surpassed our expectations. He can throw three pitches for a strike and is another one that can find himself in the big leagues with that plus slider and plus curve ball that he has.”

Mattias Carrillo: “He’s more of a specialty guy who has to change speeds and be where he wants to be in the strike zone. He has a good changeup to the lefties and a good curve ball to the righties. With that being said, he has to really rely on his command to be good. He did it this season.”

Jim Fuller: “To me, it’s a little disappointing that we didn’t get to see him very much, because he has so much talent. A really small guy with a power arm that can hit 91,92 and 93 miles per hour. He gets a lot of swings and misses at this level and is a guy to keep your eye on. He may be a special guy in the big leagues one day. He’s one of our best workers too and has been a pleasure to coach.”

Eric Turgeon: “He was a position player at UConn and came here with minimal experience, but he worked hard.

He was one of those guys that was always pulling at my coat and wanted to work with me. He ended up giving us some tremendous outings that bridged us into the eighth and ninth innings.”

Stephen Clyne and Yury Santana: “We had Clyne’s experience on the mound and Yury’s ability to throw a secondary pitch for strikes this season and it helped us a lot. Santana’s slider scored a 65 out of 80 on our rating scale. It gets up to 84-85 miles per hour at times and that’s why you saw all those swings and misses.”

York-Penn league up to his last few starts. But because of his youth, he was unable to sustain it. He still had a heck of a year though.”

Jenrry Mejia: “To be here at 18 and playing so well at this level is really impressive. He sits on 94 miles per hour and can get up to 97. He doesn’t quite have the extension of a guy like Holt has, but considering how young he is, I think he has a lot of potential.”

E-mail: sports@baycurrents.net Bay Currents Photos by Ron Hatcher Page 9

Around the Bay ‘A Man of Words and Action’

Family, friends, and colleagues gathered at Brooklyn College Sept. 23 for the opening reception of “Reverend Dr. William Augustus Jones: A Man of Words and Action.” The collection, donated to the college by the Jones family after his death in February 2006, includes photos, manuscripts, diaries, sermons and audio and video tapes from and about Jones, who served for 43 years as pastor of Brooklyn’s Bethany Baptist Church in Bedford Stuyvesant.

He was a leading voice in the coalition between the black and the Jewish communities in the civil rights movement.

The exhibit will be on display in the Brooklyn College Library through Nov. 30.

Buses unwelcome

Many Bergen Beach residents would like Atlantic Express to be bused out of their neighborhood.

The school-bus company last month turned a lot on East 69th Street between Avenues X and Y into a depot for some 150 yellow buses. Residents complain that the buses coming and going cause traffic jams and air pollution in the residential neighborhood.

An Atlantic Express spokeswoman said the company is “working to beautify the neighborhood and address all the concerns.”

reaction, “Oh no, not again!”

Still seething from the installation of a cell-phone tower atop another two-story building, on Avenue S, in 2005, residents are miffed over a new cell tower just placed atop the Quentin Road building. Highway Locksmiths occupies the first floor of the building, with apartments on the second floor.

Residents are worried about possible health effects from radio frequency waves from the cell towers.

Breaker, breaker, it’s a convoy!

Nearly 300 trucks spelled out “NEW YORK” at Floyd Bennett Field on Sept. 20, following a convoy across Queens and Brooklyn to set the Guinness World Record for “Largest Tow Truck Parade.” The Metropolitan New York Towing Association staged the parade.

BAY FACTOID Two Bay area high schools, Erasmus Hall and Lincoln, are the alma maters of two superstars.

Barbra Streisand graduated in 1959 third in her class at Erasmus, where she sang in the school choir with Neil Diamond. She was also friendly there with future World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer.

Diamond, the son of a drygoods merchant, grew up in several homes in Brooklyn, attending Erasmus and then graduating from Lincoln.

Hard cell for Marine Park

If Marine Park residents look up at the roof of a twostory building at 3623 Quentin Road, many might have the

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The pendulum has now swung to the use of microwave therapy before resorting to surgery. This modern non-surgical treatment performed in the office, requires no hospitalization or general anesthesia and involves no cutting or removal of tissue and no blood loss. Even patients not in good enough condition to undergo anesthesia or prostate surgery can easily tolerate the microwave treatment. Since the treatment is not surgical and the results are so beneficial, many patients have commented that, “It’s like having an operation but without the operation.” One of the first questions I’ve been asked on suggesting microwave therapy is whether or not this treatment would prevent the use of any other treatments in the future -- the answer is “absolutely not.” The internal and external anatomy of the genitals and prostate are kept intact, so there is no interference with the patient’s sex life. Following the treatment, there follows a steady and gradual improvement in the patient’s urinary pattern.

Whatever the patient may need in the years ahead, whether of a medical or a surgical nature for whatever condition he may develop, there is no concern whatsoever that having first undergone a microwave treatment will interfere with whatever proper, appropriate and timely care may be required by his condition at some time in the future.

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Tired of taking drugs to control these symptoms? unhappy with the effect of these drugs on your sex life? look into the one-time, non-surgical microwave prostate treatment called TherMatrx Herbert okun, M.d., A board-certified urologist, with more than 40 years of clinical experience, is trained to offer this advanced treatment.

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Bay resident takes love of cats really seriously

By David J. Glenn Bay Currents Publisher You could say that Rudy Farano of Sheepshead Bay has six cats.

Actually, though, it would be more accurate to say he has about 75, and counting.

The 81-year-old retired antique-car dealer and his wife Diane, 79 care for six felines at home, but for the past three years he has taken it upon himself to feed the dozens of stray cats and kittens on Emmons Avenue, Haring Street, Knapp Street, East 22nd Street, and Kings Highway.

He feeds them every evening, seven days a week, no matter how bad the weather, or his health, may be any particular day.

If anyone is to blame for the presence of so many hungry, stray cats on the street, it’s cat owners, Farano said. “Many people will adopt a kitten, then grow tired of it when it grows, and they’ll toss the poor thing on the street.�

Farano said New York should follow some other cities that have enacted laws requiring anyone taking in a cat to have it spayed or neutered. “It’s just common sense,� he said.

Diane has trouble walking, but she accompanies her husband on most of his nightly runs in their SUV. “She loves cats as much as I do,� he said.

In true Pavlovian fashion, the cats identify the sound of the SUV from any other car that may pass by, and come out ready for dinner when he pulls up.

Farano makes sure to leave the food – dry food as well as moist, and special treats like honeyed turkey for those cats who wait -- at fences or other public areas, away from homes. “I don’t want to bother anyone,� he said.

Not all neighborhood residents share Farano’s love for the strays. He has been threatened with everything from

Rudy Farano puts out dinner for homeless cats on a Marine Park sidewalk the police being called (although he’s not doing anything illegal) to physical violence. In fact, “one time I got into a fistfight with a man – at my age!� he said.

Farano’s self-imposed responsibility is not cheap. He spends about $30 a day on cat food – more than $900 a month. To anyone who might say that this money should be

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better spent on feeding hungry people in the neighborhood, Farano is quick to say, “I donate to that, too� – to City Harvest and other relief programs.

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Senior Currents

By Gisele Strauch

elder abuse – often it’s all in the family There’s a common misconception about elder abuse.

Many think it’s mainly a problem of home-health aides hitting or neglecting their clients.

In actuality, such incidents are very rare. If a senior is abused, it’s more likely to be at the hands of the elder’s family – the grown children or the spouse, who may try to shift the blame to the home aide – or in nursing homes.

Also, the accountant or lawyer handling the senior’s money may siphon off funds.

Very often, the senior is too ashamed, or frightened, to tell anyone, or just thinks no one can help.

Here are some common signs of elder abuse:

1. Wounds on the body.

2. Senior has unexplained medical problems, and appears underfed 3. He or she shows a sudden change in personality, becoming withdrawn and reluctant to talk.

4. Money is missing from the senior’s bank account.

immediately tell someone you trust, contact a senior center near you, or call the city at 311.

We received a considerable response to last issue’s “A Day at a Senior Center.”

Many readers wanted to know which center we highlighted, and where they could find a senior center near them.

We purposely did not identify the center where “Sadie” went, since we did not want to implicitly endorse one center over another. But here is a list of some of the senior centers in the Bay area. When choosing one, you might want to consider the religious affiliation, if any, how close it is to you, whether transportation is offered, and the kind of activities offered.

•Jay/Harama Center, 2600 Ocean Ave., 718- 891- 1110 Risa Erps, Director •Young Israel of Bedford Bay, 2114 Brown Street, 718-332-4120 Myrna Newman, Director •Kings Bay YM-YWHA Senior Center, 3495 Nostrand Ave., 718-648-7703

If you or someone you know is a victim of elder abuse,

•JASA Manhattan Beach Senior Center, 60 West End Ave., 718-891-8700 •Shorefront YM-YWHA in Brighton Beach, 3300 Coney Island Ave., 718-646-1444 •Young Israel of Midwood 1694 Ocean Ave., 718-253-7800 Sarah Klein, Director •Senior League of Flatbush Midwood Branch, 1625 Ocean Ave., 718- 253-0508, Lenore Freidman Executive Director •Senior League of Flatbush 550 Ocean Parkway, 718- 438- 7775 Lenore Freidman, Executive Director •National Council of Jewish Women 1001 Quentin Road, 718-627-7680

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site of lundy’s restaurant ‘desecrated’

By David J. Glenn Bay Currents Publisher As the city’s Landmark Preservation Commission considers issuing a stopwork order, developers are continuing what one local lawmaker calls “the desecration” of the historic Lundy’s building on Emmons Avenue.

The famous “LUNDY BROS” lettering has been removed, and scaffolding has been in place.

Developers are planning to turn the site into a Cherry Hill Gourmet Market.

State Sen. Carl Kruger said the removal of the signs, awnings, ornamental lanterns, shrubbery and sidewalks outside Lundy’s “is a clear violation of its landmark status and an attack on the entire Sheepshead Bay waterfront community.”

One of the city’s most famous seafood houses, Lundy’s could hold 2,500 people for dinner at its heyday. Following a sixyear community battle, it was declared a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in the mid 1990s.

“Lundy’s is one of the most recognizable sites in our borough – a major attraction that was given long-overdue protection by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission

to keep its familiar exterior intact and maintain it for future generations to enjoy. Now the location is being desecrated and destroyed,” Kruger said.

Theresa Scavo, chairwoman of Community Board 15, who joined Kruger at a Sept. 29 press conference in front of the shuttered Spanish Missionstyle building at 1901Emmons Avenue, called the removal of the Lundy’s sign “a despicable act and an assault on our community.”

Landmarks officials visited the site late last month and issued a warning giving the owner 60 days to respond. “This is an impractical and potentially heartbreaking solution given the speed with which bulldozers can effectively decimate this New York City landmark,’ Kruger said.

He said the “so-called gourmet market has turned out to be nothing more than a low-end fruit store, complete with outdoor stands to display fruits and vegetables,” Kruger added.

Officials of Cherry Hill could not be reached by press time.

Lundy’s opened its doors in the mid1930s, and served its signature dishes until the late 1970s. It re-opened with new owners in 1997, but closed again in early 2007.

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If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

Name your kids Willow, Trig, and Track, you’re a maverick.

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Attend five different small colleges before graduating, you’re well-grounded.

If you spend three years as a community organizer, become the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend eight years as a state senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend four years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.

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If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age-appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant by a guy who brags on the Internet that he’s a “redneck” who doesn’t want kids, you’re a model parent.

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