vol6 issue 08

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

It’s your newspaper – you count!

Vol. 6 No. 8, Nov. 16-30, 2009

www.BayCurrents.net

The Vanishing stores Page 4

still apers

alive

Al

: e d i s so In

ool p h c S • High ? llyfish e j y t o •G meter e c a e than r o …

M • tinues n o c e it! t i d d a u m a ve • The uld ha o c n mpso • Tho

New rides for Coney?

Free RENT W/OPTION

TO BUY -

NEW

CONDOS

3.5% DOWN OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 12-6 pm

Page 4

FHA LOAN

ONLY 3.5% DOWN SELLER PAYS CLOSING FEES

SELL

ONLY 3.5% DOWN SELLER

PAY S

CLOSING

FEES

$8,000

Aaron Ivatorov

Aaron IVATOROV

· Residential · Commercial · · Investments ·

TAX CREDIT REAL ESTATE BROKER

Residential · Commercial · Investments

call 718-732-3899 x 8001 www.3165Emmons.com

SHORT SALE MUST

718-732-3899 x 8001 www.AaronBroker.com

CERTIFIED DISTRESSED EXPERT

www.AaronBroker.com

718-732-3899 x 8001

Writers Olga Privman Christina Pisano I. Friedin Michael Schlager Amadeo Constanzo Eric Lima Heeyen Park Contributors Kerry Donelli Jacqueline Donelli Matt Lassen Dale Neseman

ADVERTISING Bay Currents & Margin Maker

See our new website:

www.baycurrents.net

Publisher’s Notebook David J. Glenn

Empty is not good K

ings Highway, Avenue U, Coney Island Avenue, and the other shopping rows in oceanfront Brooklyn are not in any danger of becoming phantom strips, but, as we report in this issue, the number of “For Rent” signs popping up along these thoroughfares is disturbing.

We’re confident these storefronts soon will reopen as new businesses move in, but seeing all the vacant properties can be discouraging.

We have some suggestions to help ameliorate the problem.

Firstly, the landlords of the storefronts should earnestly try to reduce the rents they charge – especially since the business owners are saddled with paying the property taxes in addition to their rent. There’s nothing wrong with landlords wanting to make a profit, but you don’t need an

MBA to know that it’s best all around if the rents could be reduced to a level that won’t drive merchants out of business. Isn’t it better to have an occupant staying and paying than having a store sit vacant for month after month?

We also have a suggestion for how to handle the periods of vacancy. Why not let non-profit groups pay a minimal fee to temporarily use the store space? There is certainly no shortage of good-cause organizations around the Bay area that could well use extra, space for special events, fundraising and the like. Again, anything is better than letting the property stand empty.

Small business is not only the backbone, but also the heart and soul of southern Brooklyn’s economy. Let’s hope we soon will see fewer signs saying “For Rent,” and more declaring, “Open for Business.”

“You sold out, bro!”

Y

ou have accused others in the past of being invertebrates. Let’s see if you have the backbone to respond to these questions: 1. Does your endorsement of {Mayor] Bloomberg have any connection to the full-page ads you’ve run?

2. Was the ad contingent on your endorsement?

3. Do you really believe that Bloomberg has shown “perhaps a little favoritism to fellow businessmen and to developers”? [emphasis added] Goldman-Sachs, Bank of America, etc. get billions while most New Yorkers get crushed by 12 1/2 percent increases in sales tax, 15–16 percent increases in sewer rates, 18–49 percent increases in real estate taxes, 50–100 percent increases in parking ticket and homeowner environmental summonses.

4. If you are a liberal or progressive, why aren’t you calling for a 12 1/2 percent increase in the taxes on bonuses for financial-services millionaires?

5. I agree that mostly poor minorities have been the beneficiaries of Bloomberg’s crime and education initiatives. But why isn’t Bloomberg getting the money to rightfully help the poor from his wealthy confederates rather than taking it from working-class taxpayers, onefamily homeowners and retired people on fi xed incomes?

6. When you silence I. Friedin’s brilliant, righteous, decent, socially just and truthful voice, do you think your readers won’t notice or care?

As they said in the ’60s, “You sold out, Bro!” Joseph McCoppin Sheepshead Bay

Response: 1–2. My Publisher’s Notebook in the Oct. 19–31 issue was not an endorsement, as I made clear. I simply wanted to balance out the continuing blasting of Bloomberg by I. Page 2 Bay urrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

Friedin (whom, by the way, I have not “silenced” at all – see the response to Question 6). And the ads were scheduled – and paid for – long before I ever wrote the particular Publisher’s Notebook. If there had been any quid pro quo, as you suggest, I would have run a full endorsement, as most of the borough’s and city’s other newspapers did, and there certainly would not have been any column in the same issue proclaiming, “I was mugged by Bloomberg!”

3. You raise a good point here. Perhaps the choice of “little” was too mild. On the other hand, “favoritism” might not be the best choice, either. After all, Bloomberg couldn’t conceivably be interested in gaining anything financially from fellow big-businessmen – I think we can safely assume that he’s happy with his $17.5 billion. But it may be true that he is simply more comfortable with these people.

4. I wouldn’t call for a 12 percent increase in taxes on the bonuses for financial-services millionaires – I’d call for a 75 percent increase – and I think the feds should take back 100 percent of the bonuses if they were awarded as a result of the outrageous federal bailouts.

5. I agree with you here. Bloomberg should get the money from his fellow rich folk. But that’s easier said than done.

6. I don’t understand how you can accuse me of “silencing” I. Friedin when his columns have appeared regularly in Bay Currents for years now – including in the issue in which my so-called “endorsement” appeared – and will continue for the foreseeable future.

I am sincerely disappointed that you feel I have “sold out.” I hope my response has been effective in dispelling that notion.

David J. Glenn www.BayCurrents.net

The Captain in Coney Yankees captain Derek Jeter, fresh off the 27th World Series win for his team, earlier this month sported a dirty overcoat, frayed sneakers and a long, gray wig under a (non-Yankees, plain) baseball cap to play a Coney Island street bum in the “The Other Guys,” a film scheduled for release next August starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as mismatched NYPD detectives.

Staying in shape Seniors in Shape, the Fitness for Life Expo and Holiday Event, is set for Thursday, Dec. 3 at Aviator Sports at Floyd Bennett Field. The free expo, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offers activities for anyone 55 years old or older, including yoga, arthritis exercise, Tai Chi, “slimnastics,” cardio exercises, dance classes, and much more.

There will also be free health screenings, raffles, giveaways and entertainment.

More than 30 sponsors and vendors will display their products and services, including health/life insurance, physical therapy/rehabilitation, security, assisted living, senior housing and more.

For more information, contact Susan by email: susan@aviatorsports.com or call 718–758–7572. To exhibit, email: frostbiz@aol.com.

Of Mice and Men THE BROOKLYN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS at Brooklyn College continues its 2009–2010 Theater Series on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 3p.m.

with the Barter Theatre’s production of Of Mice and Men. Adapted by John Steinbeck from his 1937 novella of the same name, now a literary classic, the play tells the tragic story of George and Lennie, two migrant workers whose friendship is built on their common pursuit of The American Dream. Steinbeck originally titled it Something That Happened, but he changed the name after reading Robert Burns’ poem, “To a Mouse,” which includes the line, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley.”

Burns’ poem tells of the regret the narrator feels for having destroyed the home of a mouse while plowing his field – it suggests that no plan is fool-proof and no one can be completely prepared for the future.

Of Mice and Men was adapted for film several times, the first in 1939, only two years after the publication of the novel.

Barter Theatre, based in Abingdon, Va., was founded during the Great Depression

and is one of the nation’s oldest professional non-profit theatres Upcoming productions at the Brooklyn Center include its annual holiday presentation of The Colonial Nutcracker from the Dance Theatre in Westchester on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. and the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray on Sunday, Jan. 24.

For tickets or more information, call 718–951–4500, or visit BrooklynCenterOnline.org.

Food for the hungry Preparations to distribute food to needy neighbors in time for Thanksgiving, and a presentation by an official from the Department of Buildings are the featured items for the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association’s meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the King’s Chapel, Quentin Road and East 27th Street.

This month the civic group has been collecting non-perishable foods as well as financial donations to purchase turkeys.

Volunteers will sort the items at the meeting.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 718–934–8214.

School Open Houses P.S./I.S. 192 The Magnet School for Math & Science Inquiry 4715 18th Ave. 718–759–1977 Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 9:30 a.m.

I.S. 14

The Magnet School of Aquatic Research and Laboratory Studies 2424 Batchelder Street 718–743–0220 Nov. 18, 6 p.m.

Elmo is how old?

Yes, we know the way to Sesame Street – just take a train, bus, or car to the Central Library at Grand Army Plaza where the exhibit, “Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street” will be on display through Feb. 21. The multi-faceted exhibit explores the history of the internationally known children’s educational program started by the Children’s Television Workshop in 1969.

The Great American Smokeout The St. Francis College Smokeout Team and the American Cancer Society invite the public to join the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, Nov. 19 on the St. Francis College campus, 180 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights, and challenging smokers to quit smoking for 24 hours. Through the Smokeout, millions of smokers over the past 30 years have found the support, encouragement and resources they need to quit for good.

Those who pledge to quit will receive free support, free food, a free “Commit to Quit” gift bag and be able to take part in free events in the McArdle Student Center.

Not a smoker? You can adopt one! -- a friend, a professor, an administrator, or even someone outside of St. Francis College.

You’ll also get a free “Commit to Quit” gift bag and information on how you can help your adoptee stay smoke-free.

Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 3pm

5off

$

for Bay Currents readers with code

BAY20

2009-2010 SEASON

www.BrooklynCenterOnline.org or 718-951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm) Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College 2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn (on-site paid parking available) Affordable arts access for families and students made possible by:

www.BayCurrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

Page 3 Bay urrents.net

COVER STORIES

City promises new rides for Coney

By DAVID J. GLENN publisher@baycurrents.net

If you are lamenting the loss of most of the rides in Coney Island, the city has a number for you: 7

I

t’s the number of acres in the legendary amusement park that the Bloomberg administration says it has agreed to buy from controversial developer Joseph Sitt, with plans to build new rides on the property.

City officials are scheduled to attend a Las Vegas convention of amusement-ride operators in their search for a company to set up and operate a new amusement park, at least temporarily, to replace the shuttered Astroland Park.

Sitt, who had bought the acreage for $95 million, reportedly had demanded $165 million for it, and the city balked.

The final agreed-upon price was not disclosed.

Sitt still owns land along Surf Avenue, where he plans to build hotels and retail outlets.

Mayor Bloomberg is hailing the purchase as a way of “making sure Coney Island is an important part of our future.”

The site will” form the core of a new amusement park – the largest Coney Island amusement area since Steeplechase Park closed in 1964.”

Bloomberg said in his weekly Sunday morning radio address over 1010 WINS on Nov. 15, “As early as next summer, we intend to have nearly 10 acres [the seven just bought plus acreage already owned by the city] of amusements and attractions open for business, which is about double what was open this past summer.”

Not everyone is as excited about the city’s plans. “It’s a good step forward, but it’s too small of a piece of land to assure the future of Coney Island,” said Juan Rivero, a spokesman for “Save Coney Island,” a group of people – several from different parts of the city – who oppose the planned development of Coney. Rivero warned that Sitt “will still have plenty of space to build his wall of high-rises and a shopping mall,” which Rivero said will destroy the character of Coney Island as a seaside amusement mecca.

For Rent: Kings Highway

By KATERYNA STUPNEVICH stupnevich@baycurrents.net

Less than a decade ago Kings Highway was filled with eager customers, competitive stores, and steady flowing business. Today, the shopping area that was once one of the busiest in Brooklyn is marked with more than a few stores displaying “For Rent” signs – nine of them within six blocks at one point.

“I

t’s everywhere right now,” said Gabriel Betsch, an agent with Urban Realty. “Businesses shut because whoever is selling goods can’t survive.”

Urban Realty has two storefronts available on Kings Highway – a former variety store between East 8th and East 9th streets, and a former gourmet grocery store between East 10th Street and Coney Island Avenue. Both have been vacant for the past six months.

Despite all this, Betsch and others are confident that business will improve. “It’s not easy right now, but the locations won’t [stay empty] forever, that’s for sure,” he said.

Jack Israel, a landlord of a commercial property between East 7th and East 8th streets, recently rented out his storefront and is certain that merchants will flood the shopping strip quite soon. “Kings Highway has been affected particularly, but [vacancies] are happening all over the place,” he said. “There was a point where renting has been very slow, but in the past few months it has been picking up.”

Israel is not the only one who remains optimistic about business opportunities on Kings Highway.

“Mr. R,” a landlord of a vacant property that used to house a cell-phone store between East 12th and East 13th streets, said that business appeared to be in good shape on Kings Highway, but the property taxes – which actually are paid by the renters, merchants report – pose a large threat on the survival of retail stores. “The taxes are the biggest problem we have on Kings Highway,” he said, “It’s hard to afford.”

“The property value is higher on Kings Highway than many other neighborhoods, so the taxes are higher as Page 4 Bay urrents.net

well,” said Allen Sedaghati, a manager of Central Sports Inc., a sneaker store between East 14th and East 15th streets.

“Commercial properties have issues all across the board, but taxes are definitely a factor.”

November 16 30, 2009

He won’t let the situation get him down. “Business is tough, but we’re survivors,” he said. “After these tough economic times, only the best retailers will be left.” www.BayCurrents.net

‘They have food you can’t find in any other store’ A step into the Russian market

By KATERYNA STUPNEVICH stupnevich@baycurrents.net

Walking through a Russian food market is like going to the zoo for the first time – what you see may scare you, the smells may take a while to get used to, but after a few minutes you can’t wait to see what the place has to offer!

R

ussian cuisine is famous for its variety of starchy side dishes, its assortment of salads made out of atypical ingredient combinations, its diversity of hot and cold soups, and most importantly, its various bread dishes. A visit to one particular Russian supermarket, Brighton Bazaar on Brighton Beach Avenue, proved that Russian food is not only flavorful, but also very exotic.

Salads are one the most essential and most unusual appetizer dishes in the Russian culture. In food markets, salads like olivier, vinegrett, and shuba are served freshly made and ready to eat. Olivier, better known as “Russian salad,” is made out of potatoes, eggs, pickles, peas, carrots, onions, and bologna, all dressed with mayonnaise. Vinegrett is one of the most popular salads in Russian cuisine. It is a deep red-color salad made out of boiled beets, potatoes, and carrots, with a hint of pickled or salted cucumbers. Similarly, shuba (meaning “coat” in Russian) is also made of beets, potatoes, and carrots. But for the sake of variety, this salad is served in layers and also includes red onions, parsley, dill, and herring – certainly a combination one might not expect.

But if you think the salads are exotic, wait until you hear about the soups. Although they are rarely served prepared in a Russian food market, it would be a sin to discuss Russian food without discussing ukha and okroshka.

Ukha is a warm fish broth served with potatoes, vegetables, and a variety of fresh-water fish. In contrast, Okroshka is a soup served cold and frequently made out of either kvass, a Russian drink made of rye, or sour cream.

The soup must combine neutral and spicy vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, dill, parsley, and celery are commonly used. Usually, the soup is made with beef, although fish can sometimes be used as well.

The Russian food markets are also widely known for a tantalizing range of cold cuts. In the Russian language, cold cuts are referred to as kolbasa – an array of different sausages.

Generally, most cooked dishes offered in Russian food markets consist of meat products. While many dishes are common such as cutlets or kebobs, some foods like kholodets and pelmeni are rather unusual. Kholodets is a cold-served dish, made up of jellied pieces of pork or meat, with minimum vegetables.

Pelmeni is usually offered frozen at Russian food markets but is served warm. It consists of milled meat wrapped in thin dough. www.BayCurrents.net

Since Russians always say that no meal is complete without bread, it’s no wonder that Russian food markets offer such a large variety of breads, dough-based dishes, and pastries.

Pirozhki and blini are some of the most popular, yet extraordinary dough-based dishes. Pirozhki are small buns stuffed with nearly anything – from meat, to potatoes; from cabbage, to cherries. Blini are thin pancakes, usually topped with sour cream, caviar, or even fruit – any topping is fine, just don’t combine the three!

Low on jellyfish?

Just go to Avenue U…

By HEEYEN PARK park@baycurrents.net

It seems that on every other block along Avenue U west of Bedford Avenue, there’s an Asian supermarket – and these are not anything like Key Food or Stop & Shop.

T

he Chang Fa Food Market on the corner of East 15th Street, the Sea Bay Seafood and Meat Market between East 12th and 13th streets, and the Century Mart between East 23rd Street and East 24th – to cite just a few – have many rare items you won’t easily find elsewhere: sea snails, dried chrysanthemum, Korean bowl noodles, dried Tasa-ko, dried lacea, dried seaweed strips, shredded coconut, banana sauce, cans of pickled shrimp and pepper, and of course, jellyfish.

The Chang Fa Food Market has an array of fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood, including dragon fruits, thick leek, red soft tofu, various dried fishes and clams, duck eggs, Korean frozen shrimp, oyster and corns, chayote, Japanese pumpkins, winter melon, Jicama, red bean sauce, and soybean sauce. The Sea Bay Seafood and Meat Market has Korean toothpaste, Taiwan fried red onion, Taro root shreds, assorted body parts of pigs, ducks, and goats, and Korean pomegranate aloe drink.

Amy, 18, recently came into Century Mart for her first time. “I love junk food,” she said, “and they have a great variety of snacks!” In the Chang Fa Food Market, Vitali, a 40-yearold Russian-American, said he comes in for the unusual meats and seafood. Joice, 30, a Chinese-American who regularly shops for vegetables and fish, said she liked the exotic variety. A 47-year-old Anerican-born man echoed the sentiment: “I find rare items that are not found anywhere else,” he said.

At the Sea Bay Seafood and Meat Market, a 74-year-old old man said, “I buy fruits and meat. They have everything and have healthy food. The workers are gentlemen.”

Said Desimone Edwood, also 74: “I buy fish, noodles, chicken, meat, egg and milk. They have everything I like.

“They have things I can’t find in any other stores.”

Enjoy Great Savings, Service and Benefits … with the

AARP Auto & Home Insurance Program from The Hartford.

Call The Hartford Toll-Free Today to Request Your FREE Quote:

1-877-650-4878

CODE: 471103

Monday-Friday, 7AM-11PM Eastern Time Saturday & Sunday, 8AM-6PM Eastern Time ®

Most AARP members qualify for an immediate phone quote.

Please have your policy handy.

FREE Calculator/Clock!

Take our savings challenge! See how much we can save you over your current auto insurance, and you’ll receive this calculator/clock … just for requesting a quote.

The AARP Automobile and Homeowners Insurance Program is underwritten by Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates, Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06155. CA License # 5152. In Washington, the Program is underwritten by Hartford Casualty Insurance Company. In Texas, The Program is underwritten by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company through Hartford Fire General Agency. Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates are not financially responsible for insurance products underwritten and issued by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company. AARP and AARP Financial Inc. receive from The Hartford payments for AARP’s license of its intellectual property for use by The Hartford and for services rendered in connection with the Program. Amounts paid by The Hartford for this license are used for the general purposes of the Association and its members.

AARP membership is required for Program eligibility in most states. Applicants are individually underwritten and some may not qualify. Specific features, credits and discounts may vary and may not be available in all states in accordance with state filings and applicable law. The Program is currently unavailable in Massachusetts, Canada and U.S. Territories or Possessions. All first time responders receive the free gift. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. The free gift offer is not available in Georgia, but residents may still request a quote. Homeowners product is not available in all areas, including the state of Florida.

November 16 30, 2009

Page 5 Bay urrents.net

HEALTH CURRENTS

Bill targets ‘dog’ health policies Company officials justified dropping the entire line of policies in order to get rid of “the few dogs”.

J

oined by patients and insurance reform advocates, Senator Eric Schneiderman (DManhattan/Bronx) recently announced the introduction of major legislation designed to protect patients from what he described as “egregious insurance industry practices.”

“Ian’s Law” (S.6263) would make it illegal for insurers to drop entire classes of insurance as a pretext to deny coverage to individual policyholders; would require insurance companies to get prior approval from the state Insurance Department before discontinuing a class of insurance; and would expand the minimum length of time– to 18 months– that an insurance company must ensure that policyholders with total disabilities receive continued coverage after losing their policy due to the statewide cancellation of an entire class of policies.

The bill is named for Ian Pearl, a 37-yearold man with muscular dystrophy who lost his insurance when Guardian, acting under current New York law, terminated the entire class of policies in the state that covered Ian and others. Pearl became ventilator-dependent in 1991 and relies on a skilled nursing benefit under his insurance policy to receive care that has kept him alive since he suffered respiratory arrest.

The Pearl family charged in court that Guardian terminated the entire class of policies in New York in order to get around the fact that New York law prohibits an insurance company from dropping the policy of an individual simply because he or she needs care. An internal document from the insurer, released as a result of a legal challenge, showed that company officials justified dropping the entire line of policies statewide in order to get rid of “the few dogs” – cases like that of Pearl. Guardian, which denies any wrongdoing, has since settled with the Pearl family and restored Ian’s coverage.

“I am honored that this bill is named after me,” said Pearl.

“The practice of terminating an insurance policy line as a pretext to dropping coverage for individuals who need it most is not only absolutely disgraceful – it’s a matter of life and death,” said Schneiderman, chairman of the Senate Codes Committee and lead sponsor of the bill. “This bill holds the insurance industry accountable and protects patients like Ian – and other individuals who have paid for

insurance coverage – from being thrown off when they get sick. These people are not dogs, they are the struggling families behind the paperwork, and we have a moral obligation to protect them from abusive insurance industry practices.”

“I am pleased that Guardian has committed to continuing to provide Ian Pearl with coverage for the remainder of his life. Dropping an individual policyholder due to their claims experience or medical history is already illegal; therefore the same should be true for dropping an entire group of people based on the history of any particular individual,” said Sen. Neil Breslin, chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee and co-sponsor of the bill.

Ian’s Law would require insurers to prove they are not dropping a line of coverage as a pretext for dumping an individual policyholder. That means: Insurers must get permission from the Insurance Department to drop a line of coverage – and notify impacted policyholders when they apply.

Insurers must show the following to the Insurance Department: the claims and premium rates for each policy issued in the class, the historical profits and losses for the line of policies, and any other information requested by the Department. The Department must look at this information to determine if the dropping of a class of policies statewide is merely a pretext for dropping coverage of a particular individual.

Policyholders are given an opportunity to comment on the impact of the dropped policies, and the Insurance Department must take these comments into account.

Ian’s Law also empowers consumers to challenge insurance companies in court if they discontinue lines of coverage in violation of the new law. In addition, policyholders with severe disabilities will receive at least 18 months of coverage if they lose their policies due to the cancellation of a class of policies. (Current regulations require such care for only 12 months.)

“For those of us who have witnessed Ian’s lifelong advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities and special needs, it is exceptionally gratifying that Ian’s story may help remedy an inequity that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. It is therefore fitting that Ian’s Law, while inspired by my family’s personal insurance crisis, has the unique potential to benefit so many other Americans in the future,” said Susan Pearl, Ian’s mother.

Cindy Kief is the mother of 11-year-old twin sons, Jacob and Jesse, who are multiply

· ·

·

disabled with permanent brain damage. For years, the Kief family has been subject to insurance industry abuses similar to the Pearls, including policy termination.

“Just like the Pearls, we have been subject to a sudden, unforeseeable change in policy with no warning, no time to fight back, no alternative solutions,” she said. “While we speak on behalf of our sons, we have knowledge of so many families in New York State and around the country who live this life. We are a silent minority, faced with children who, just two decades ago, would have been institutionalized and forgotten. It is time to hold the insurance companies accountable and provide the coverage they have been handsomely paid to provide. This is not an abstract problem, these are real families, real children and adults whose lives have value.”

Ian’s Law is supported by a broad range of insurance reform, medical and consumer advocates, Schneiderman spokesman James Freedland said. “A top priority of the senator is to get this bill through,” he said, adding that it already has a sponsor in the Assembly, Danny O’Donnell, also a Democrat from Manhattan.

Freedland said that even guardian has expressed support for “the spirit” of the bill.

David Hannan, M.D., president of the Medical Society of the State of New York, said, “Patients and their physicians in seeking to assure that needed health care will be covered must deal everyday with a whole host of barriers which are imposed by health insurers.

New Yorkers who have paid for health insurance coverage must be able to count on that coverage when they or their family members become ill or are injured. Empowering the Superintendent of Insurance to approve or deny requests by an insurer to terminate coverage for a particular class of group or blanket policy of health insurance offered in the small or large group market will better assure that such decisions are made for appropriate reasons.

“Ian’s Law addresses the outrageous practice of some companies that cancel entire lines of health insurance just to avoid paying claims of individuals like Ian Pearl who need expensive care,” said Pam Bennett, director of New York City Citizen Action. “In an email, a Guardian executive called individuals with high-cost care ‘dogs.’ To us, they’re not dogs, but human beings entitled to coverage and legal protections. We need the Legislature to pass Ian’s Law, and the Congress to pass national health care reform legislation this year.”

“Consumers Union commends Sen. Schneiderman and Sen. Breslin for introducing Ian’s Law,” said Charles Bell, Programs Director for Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. “When health insurance companies precipitously drop a whole line of coverage, the results can be devastating for consumers. This critically important bill would give New York Insurance Department more authority to scrutinize such decisions, and ensure that companies are not dropping an entire line of coverage just to get rid of a few high-cost individuals. “

Own These Genuine 1 Carat Size Gemstone Pendants for only $9.95 each!

(A $50.00 Retail Value)

YOURS FOR ONLY

9

$

Enlarged to show detail.

Genuine Sapphire

95 each

Genuine Amethyst

Includes FREE shipping, handling, sales tax and a 1 year warranty*.

Genuine Black Onyx 18" Cable Chain included with every Pendant FREE!

Genuine Garnet

EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY!

Only have 20 minutes a day to get into shape?

Try Total Gym!

30 Day Trial Only $

4995

Call now for this special offer:

1.877.647.3482 Page 6 Bay urrents.net

Endorsed by Chuck Norris & Christie Brinkley

Purchase 2 or more pendants and receive a pair of Genuine Diamond Stud Earrings for FREE! Your choice of Goldtone or Silvertone.

Includes FREE shipping, handling, sales tax and a 1 year warranty*.

F

or over 36 years, we have been New York City’s premier manufacturer of Genuine Gemstone Jewelry. Now for the first time in our company history, we have cut out the wholesaler and importer and are passing the savings directly to you. You may wonder how we can offer you this incredible deal. It’s possible for the following reason. We recently made the Genuine Gemstone buy of a lifetime and purchased over 1 million carats of Genuine Gemstones from a well known mining company that needed fast cash. We were in the right place at the right time. Order your Pendants and Earrings TODAY! Once our inventory is gone, it’s gone for good. *Please visit our website www.LGPGEMS.com/Carat2 for the full details of our warranty*. If you place your order on our website you will automatically receive a 5 year warranty* on your purchase instead of a 1 year warranty* at NO EXTRA COST. We will replace any item that is damaged or lost NO QUESTIONS ASKED! for a full 5 years. Web Customers Only.

November 16 30, 2009

Mail to: Luxury For Less Gems, PO. Box. 3911, New York, NY 10185-3911 1 Carat Genuine Sapphire Pendant only $9.95 1 Carat Genuine Amethyst Pendant only $9.95 1 Carat Genuine Black Onyx Pendant only $9.95 1 Carat Genuine Garnet Pendant only $9.95

B

FREE Genuine Diamond Goldtone Stud Earrings FREE Genuine Diamond Silvertone Stud Earrings which includes FREE shipping & handling, sales tax, Gemological Certificate & a 1 year warranty*.

Name Address City State Home Phone # E-mail

Zip

VISIT OUR WEB SITE! www.LFLGEMS.com/Carat2

www.BayCurrents.net

Cemetery offers history, peace, and ‘inviting silence’

By CHRISTINA PISANO pisano@baycurrents.net

In his high school years, Richard Moylan began what would turn out to be a lifelong dedication to a place many instinctively shy away from.

M

oylan, president of the famed GreenWood Cemetery for nearly four decades now, had followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father who had both worked at the cemetery, and got his first job at Green-wood as a grass-cutter. Though he went through law school and passed the Bar, he found himself drawn back to the work at the cemetery – he liked working outdoors and participating in a variety of projects.

But in the beginning, he was hesitant to tell people his occupation.

“When meeting people I would give them my attorney card. People had the idea that working at a cemetery wasn’t a great thing,” Moylan said. “Now, I am so happy and proud to be president of this place.”

Moylan’s pride in Green-Wood comes from its public appeal, a place where people come in steady numbers not only to visit the deceased – many with legendary reputations – but also to revel in the beauty of the cemetery’s expansive landscape and rich history.

Though cemeteries can be a symbol of sadness – and an unlikely place to spend an afternoon, traipsing among headstones, heels sinking gently into the unnaturally sodden ground – Green-Wood can be a journey to an overlooked place of serenity and peace.

“At Green-Wood there are so many stories to be told about people who pretty much have been forgotten,” said Moylan. “Carrying on the interest in this place is important.”

Founded in 1838, Green-Wood Cemetery developed a reputation for its beauty and became the fashionable place to be buried. By 1860, Green-Wood was attracting 500,000 visitors a year, rivaling Niagara Falls as the country’s greatest tourist attraction. Seemingly unfamiliar to modern culture, crowds gathered at GreenWood to enjoy family outings, carriage rides, and sculpture-viewing. Today we associate this kind of afternoon leisure with Prospect Park or Marine Park – it was actually Green-Wood that helped inspire the creation of the city’s public parks.

“I’ve never felt compelled to enter cemeteries. I don’t know anyone buried in Green-Wood, and my rare visits to cemeteries happened on unwanted occasion,” nearby resident Rachel Lore said on a recent visit to the cemetery. “I’m not sure what I was expecting when I got there – ghosts, hands creeping up from the edges of the ground, maybe? But it was beautiful in the most unconventional way. And peaceful – a silence that was not ominous but inviting.”

Visiting the expansive grounds of Greenwood inspires curiosity about the lives that have long passed. With such notable figures as Charles Ebbets, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers; prominent newspaper editor Horace Greeley; Charles Feltman, creator of the hot dog; legions of Civil War generals, baseball figures, politicians, artists, entertainers, as well as everyday people, Green-Wood becomes a place where textual history can be experienced in an uncommon way.

Though Green-Wood has not always been www.BayCurrents.net

open to the public, it now provides walking and trolley tours of the grounds. In recent years, Green-Wood’s staff has been collecting artifacts left behind by families of the deceased, as well as paintings and other works from artists long buried in the grounds. Moylan and his staff hope for the day when Green-Wood could serve as a museum, offering new generations of visitors a rare look into the past.

“Sometimes it’s the notable figures buried here, the landscape, the monuments, the inscriptions, and sometimes it’s even the mushrooms grown here that attract people,” said Moylan. “We’re a living institution, and it’s a place to enjoy.”

Green-Wood is also a Revolutionary War historic site, where the Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776 on what are now its grounds, a designated site on the Civil War Discovery Trail and a registered site in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System.

On Sept. 27, 2006, Green-Wood was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior, which recognized its national significance in art, architecture, landscaping and history.

“Looking back, I would have been a very unhappy lawyer,” Moylan said with a gentle laugh. “It gave me good training that certainly helps me now. But here, you’re involved in so many things – landscape, building, tours.

It’s all pretty encompassing.”

Green-wood Cemetery, at 500 25th Street in Sunset Park, is open to visitors daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. For weekend hours, events, and tours, call 718–768–7300, or visit www.green-wood.com.

Main Entrance gate to Green-Wood cemetery on 5th Avenue

Graves at Green-Wood

Vista from the Hillside Mausoleum

ular “dime-store” novelist William Livingston (1723–1790), signer of the U.S. Constitution; first governor of New Jersey Pierre Lorillard IV (1833–1901), tobacco tycoon, introduced the tuxedo to the U.S. Susan McKinney Steward (1847– 1918) one of the first black women to earn a medical degree, and the first in the state of New York Ormsby M. Mitchel (1805–1862) American astronomer and major general in the American Civil War Samuel F.B. Morse (1791–1872), invented the code that bears his name, the dots and dashes of the telegraph James Kirke Paulding (1779–1860), U.S. Secretary of the Navy under Martin Van Buren; thought to be author of “Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers,” although it had already been published in children’s primers in Britain as early as 1813 Henry Jarvis Raymond (1820- 1869), an American journalist and politician and founder of the The New York Times Samuel C. Reid (1783–1861), suggested the design upon which all U.S. flags since 1818 have been based Alice Roosevelt (1861–1884) – first wife of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt Martha Bulloch Roosevelt (1834– 1884), mother of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt Robert Roosevelt (1829–1906), uncle of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (1831–1878), father of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt Margaret Sanger (1879–1966), birthcontrol and women’s reproductive rights advocate Frederick August Otto Schwarz (1836–1911), founder of famous toy retailer FAO Schwarz Henry Steinway (1797–1871), founder of Steinway & Sons, piano manufacturers William Steinway (1836–1896), son of Henry Steinway, and founder of Steinway, New York James S. T. Stranahan (1808–1898), “Father of Prospect Park,” an instrumental promoter of the park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the consolidation of Brooklyn into Greater New York Thomas William “Fightin’ Tom” Sweeny (1820–1892) Irish immigrant and American Civil War general Juan Trippe (1899–1981), airline pioneer, headed Pan Am from 1927 to 1968 William Marcy “Boss” Tweed (1823– 1878), notorious New York political boss, member of the U.S. House of Representatives and New York State Senate Steven C. Vincent (1955–2005), American journalist and author kidnapped and murdered in Iraq in August 2005 Thomas R. Whitney (1807–1858), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York Beekman Winthrop (1874–1940), Governor of Puerto Rico from 1904 to 1907, and later an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.

Frank Morgan Wupperman (1890– 1949), played the character of the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz.

· · ·

A few of the many mausoleums at Green-Wood

Some notable burials at Green-Wood

· ·

Samuel Akerly (1785–1845), founder of the New York Institute for the Blind William Holbrook Beard (1824– 1900), painter of Bulls and Bears representing the market cycle; a bear statue sits on top of his headstone James Gordon Bennett, Sr. (1795– 1872), founder/publisher of the New York Herald Henry Bergh (1818–1888), founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990), composer, conductor Henry Chadwick (1824–1908), Baseball Hall of Fame member (memorial).

DeWitt Clinton (1769–1828), seventh and ninth Governor of New York, unsuccessful U.S. presidential candidate 1812; U.S. Senator from New York Peter Cooper (1791–1883), inventor, manufacturer, abolitionist, founder of Cooper Union Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888), artist (“Currier and Ives”) James E. Davis (1962–2003), assassinated City Councilman, was buried here for a few days. Upon learning his killer’s ashes were also in Green-Wood, his family had his body exhumed and reinterred in the Cemetery of the Evergreens.

Thomas Clark Durant (1820–1885), key figure in building the First Transcontinental Railroad Charles Ebbets (1859–1925), owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers; built Ebbets Field Charles Feltman (1841–1910), claimed to be the first person to put a hot dog on a bun Horace Greeley (1811–1872), founder of the New York Tribune, famous for his advice, GO west, young man; unsuccessful U.S. presidential candidate 1872 William S. Hart (1864–1946), star of silent “Western” movies Abram S. Hewitt (1822 – 1903), teacher, lawyer, iron manufacturer, U.S. Congressman, and a mayor of New York.

Elias Howe (1819–1867), invented the sewing machine Walter Hunt (1785–1869), invented the safety pin James Merritt Ives (1824–1895), artist (“Currier and Ives”) Leonard Jerome (1817–1891), entrepreneur, grandfather of Winston Churchill Laura Keene (1826–1873), actress (on stage when Lincoln was shot) Laura Jean Libbey (1862–1924), pop-

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

November 16 30, 2009

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Page 7 Bay urrents.net

THE COMMUNITY BOARDS

CB 13

By HEEYEN PARK park@baycurrents.net

O

pponents to the proposed concertamphitheater at Asser Levy Park seem as persistent as the groupies who follow the rock groups that supporters want to bring in.

Residents crowded into the Coney Island Hospital auditorium on Oct. 28 to remind members of Community Board 13 at the board’s monthly meeting of why they don’t want the amphitheater, pushed by newly re-elected Borough President Marty Markowitz, built at the park at the heavily trafficked Brighton Beach-Coney Island border. “It will destroy the park!� said one Brighton Beach resident; “It’s already impossible to find parking,� said another; “How can we spend $64 million on an amphitheater that no one wants while we’re cutting back on schools and libraries?� said a third, all echoing the arguments against

the proposal that have been voiced for the past year and counting. They also asked why several benches at the park have gone missing. “Are they starting to make way for this fiasco already?� another Brighton resident wondered. The CB-13 members said they had no idea what happened to the benches.

Markowitz contends that the project is part of an extensive rehabilitation of the park, and that it will be an asset to oceanfront Brooklyn.

In other business, public library officials told the board members and audience about the library’s “Read, Write, and Learn� literacy program for adults (call 718–265– 3880 for more information on the program). The board members also discussed what they said were needed improvements at Kaiser Park and on streets in western Coney Island.

CB-13 normally meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month on the second floor of Coney Island Hospital. For changes in meeting schedules or more information on CB-13, call 718–266–3001.

Come study the

Torah

with us Wednesday evenings at

Young Israel of Bedford Bay We will welcome you in a warm, spiritual environment 8 p.m.

Free and open to members and non-members

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE OF BAY CURRENTS!

Call us about the many other programs and activities for all ages at Young Israel

Be sure that southern Brooklyn’s only independent, vibrant newspaper is regularly delivered to your door.

2114 Brown Street (off Avenue U) Marine Park

Call 347-492-4432

718-332-4120

FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION. Here are just a few of the places to pick up Bay Currents -- and some great coffee!

WHAT!? YOU MISSED THE LAST ISSUE OF BAY CURRENTS? Don’t let it happen again!

Make sure you always get the best of news and features of oceanfront Brooklyn by subscribing.

Only $25 will ensure that you’ll get all the thoughtprovoking features and columns of Bay Currents at your doorstep for six months -- or just $35 for a full year -- even if the nearby sidewalk box, store, or newsstand has run out.

Call 347-492-4432

e-mail: subscriptions@baycurrents.net

mail a check or money order to: Bay Currents, subscription department "WFOVF 6 4VJUF #SPPLMZO /:

ABS DISCOUNT GROCERY 2713 Ave. U (between East 27th and 28th Streets)

SICILY NEWS 2155 Utica Ave. (between Avenues M and N

AVENIUE U SUPERMARKET 1701 Ave. U (at East 17th Street)

APPLE NEWSSTAND 4404 18th Avenue 718-633-5722

JOSEPH’S CARDS & GIFTS 3042 Avenue U (at Coyle Street) 718-648-0105

LAUNDROMAT JOEY’S CARDS & & CAFE GIFTS 1244 3042Avenue AvenueUU (between and 12th St) (bet. Coyle11th and Brown streets)

CORNER MINIMART 2423 Ave. U (at Bedford Avenue)

CAFE VERTORIS More Than a Bagel 2803 Ave. U (at East 28th St

BAY STOP GROCERY 2970 Ocean Ave. (Ocean Avenue at Avenue Z)

Quick Stop Mini Mart & Deli, Coney Island Avenue at Avenue U

USA DELI MARKET QUIZNOS 1917 Avenue U 37 Hillel Place and (bet. Ocean Avenue (atEast Brooklyn College) 19th Street) 347-462-2540

RAJ NEWSSTAND 2811 Glenwood Road (off Flatbush Avenue)

SHAKESPEARE & CO. 14 Hillel Place (at Brooklyn College) 718-434-5326)

STARBUCKS 33 Hillel Place (at Brooklyn College)

718-648-0105

MILL BASIN STOP 61-22 Avenue U at Mill Avenue

Bay Currents in Coney Island: Brooklyn Public Library– .FSNBJE "WF Couldn’t find any issues left Sunshine of Coney Island Deli – .FSNBJE "WF Rite Aid – .FSNBJE "WF. at your favorite spot?

Key Food – /FQUVOF "WF Madeleine Jones Day Care – /FQUVOF "WF Call 347-492-4432 Circles Bistro – $POFZ *TMBOE "WF

Key Food – /FQUVOF "WF Walgreens Drug Store – /FQUVOF "WF CVS – /FQUVOF "WF Peggy O’Neill’s -- 4VSG "WF American Suds Laundromat – 4VSG "WF Community Care Pharmacy – 4VSG "WF Saul’s Pharmacy & Surgical Supply – .FSNBJE "WF Major Meats – .FSNBJE "WF

Page 8 Bay urrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

Surf & Turf Grill – 4VSG "WF

www.BayCurrents.net

Twice the Advice

By Jacqueline Donelli and Kerry Donelli Letter #1

Dear Twins, I am a 17 year old senior in high school. I get good grades, am very popular and am on the football team. I am an only child, and believe it or not, I am very close to both of my parents. Recently, I found out my father is cheating on my mother. There’s no mistake; I saw him with the other woman and I saw him kissing her passionately. It made me so upset, I became physically ill. I haven’t said anything , but my grades are suffering from it, I’ve dropped off the football team, and I don’t feel like going out with my friends. I’m completely devastated, and can’t get that picture out of my mind. I hate my father now for what he’s doing to my Mom. Should I tell her? I can’t stand hearing him lie to her!

Fuming in Framingham

Jacqueline says: Dear Fuming,

No, don’t tell your mother – most likely, she knows. She doesn’t need her

son to humiliate her further. Talk to your father – privately. Explain that you feel angry, devastated, disappointed and betrayed. The relationship you have with your father from this point on will depend on having this communication now. Try and listen with compassion at your father’s wrong-doing. Although he is your dad, he is as fallible as anyone else. Allow your father the chance to tell your mother. She would rather hear it from him than her son. Hopefully, your father will either make new vows to your mom and get marriage counseling, or get a divorce; however, prepare for the latter.

Kerry says: Dear Fuming,

I don’t agree with Jackie entirely about confronting your mom. Look, I realize how difficult this is for you to come between. Nonetheless, for your own sake you must address the issue. I agree with Jackie that you should confront your father. Give him a chance to speak and then let him know how you feel about what he’s doing. Ask him if he plans on telling your mother. Give him an opportunity to do so. I would think he would, but if he doesn’t then you must

tell her. Covering for your dad will only jeopardize your health and ultimately won’t be of any service to either of your parents. Once it’s all out on the table it’s out of your hands and up to your parents on whether they intend to save the marriage. Don’t let this affect your life any more than it already has.

Letter #2

Dear Twins, Having recently graduated from college, I got a great job as Assistant Art Director at a major magazine. However, my boss is constantly making suggestive sexual remarks to me that make me feel very uneasy, and he even at one point touched me inappropriately. I don’t want to report him because he is a very big deal here at this magazine, I am the new person, and I’m afraid he would accuse me of lying. Of course, no one else ever sees or hears any of this but me. I’m even afraid to say anything to him! The position I have is a very good one, pays very well, and can lead to a much higher position. How can I handle this diplomatically...and soon!

Tense in Tulsa

Kerry says: Dear Tense,

I am sure you’re not the first woman to be sexually harassed by this pig. The fact is he is the boss so you getting promoted down the road will not come without you having to put up with his sexual advances….and I guarantee it will only get worse.

Staying with this company will only cause you further heartache because you will start justifying his advances simply because you want to move up the ranks. I suggest you cut your losses now and report this jerk at once. You really want to make good money? Sue him for as much as you can.

Jacqueline says: Dear Tulsa,

I agree with Kerry – what your boss is doing is wrong and it should get reported.

You may want to find out who his boss is and go directly to him or her. But chances are this idiot put his hand on many a new young fresh face at the office. Chances are his supervisors know he is like this. If this is the case, they may turn a blind eye and you just may just lose your job over it. There are Internet sites and agencies you can report him to. Look into it.

.

1229 Avenue Y (off East 12th Street) Suite 5C • Phone 718-368-2322 • Fax 718-368-3938 • mairalaw.com www.BayCurrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

Page 9 Bay urrents.net

718-251-8030 6610 Avenue U, Key Food Shopping Center in Mill Basin

Catering for All Occasions Dine In • Take Out • Delivery Now serving pizza by the slice all day!

Ask us about our other two locations!

Free Convenient Parking

Bring in this ad for 5% off any bottle of wine, or 10 % off any case of wine (12 bottles)

2925 Avenue S at Nostrand Avenue

347.462.3300

Page 10 Bay urrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

www.BayCurrents.net

STARS

IT'S IN THE

In a galaxy far, far away…

The Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million light-years away from us

“Beyond the Milky Way lie billions of other galaxies, drifting a few million light years from one another like lily pads floating on the surface of a pond.”

– Timothy Ferris in “Seeing in the Dark” A century ago, the arrangement of the universe was not at all well understood. The majority opinion among astronomers was that everything our telescopes could see was organized into one vast celestial system– called the Milky Way. A minority view, however, held that the Milky Way was only one “island” of stars, gas, and dust, and that there were other such islands beyond.

An important clue to which perspective was right seemed to be hidden in the nebulae–fuzzy smears of light (“nebula” means “fuzzy”) whose nature had been a source of debate for centuries. Some were clearly groups of many stars, but in 1907 there was no way to say how far away each group might lie. Others were indistinct splotches, more likely to be the gas and dust that supplies the raw material for new stars and planets. New ways of finding distances to the nebulae were desperately needed, as were better telescopes www.BayCurrents.net

for getting clearer and brighter views of them.

The first decades of the twentieth century, among the most productive in the history of astronomy, would supply both. A way of using variable stars–stars that changed their light output in a repeating cycle–allowed astronomers to determine distances to star groups that had never been measured before, and the world’s largest telescope, located on Mount Wilson in Southern California, went into operation in 1918.

The key to settling the debate about the organization of the universe turned out to be a fuzzy object that had been observed and cataloged by many observers (including William Herschel) called the Andromeda Nebula (after the constellation in which it was located).

It was entry 31 in Charles Messier’s 18th century catalog of interesting fuzzy objects, and is thus also called M31 by astronomers.

By the 1920’s, M31 was clearly understood to be a grouping of stars, but nobody was sure where this group stood in the cosmic scheme of things. Using variable stars as distance markers and the giant telescope on Mount Wilson, Edwin Hubble (then a young and little-known astronomer) was able to show that the An-

dromeda Nebula was more than a million light years away from Earth. It was the largest distance ever measured, and its announcement earned a standing ovation at the meeting of astronomers at which it was first read in 1925.

Clearly, the Andromeda Nebula was a system of stars quite separate from the Milky Way, and in many ways comparable to it.

From this simple observation, soon repeated for other starry nebulae, it became clear that the Milky Way was only one star system (or galaxy) among myriad others. This was the birth of our modern universe of galaxies, so poetically celebrated in Seeing in the Dark.

Today, astronomers have measured the distance to the Andromeda Galaxy much more precisely; they find it to be about 2 1/2 million light years away. It is a majestic spiral-shaped galaxy, similar to our Milky Way, but containing many more stars.

The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest major galaxy to our own. (We do have closer neighbor galaxies, but they are much smaller.

Two of them, the Magellanic Clouds, can be seen with the naked eye from Earth’s southern hemisphere. They look like detached scraps of the Milky Way.) The Milky Way,

November 16 30, 2009

the Andromeda Galaxy, and their retinue of a few dozen smaller galaxies make up what astronomers call the Local Group. In recent decades, it has become clear that most galaxies are organized into small groups like our own, and that the groups typically belong to large galaxy clusters, sometimes containing thousands of galaxies.

Galaxy groups and clusters, in turn, often belong to vast superclusters measuring hundreds of millions of light years in diameter.

Before our minds start to reel at these scales, let’s return to the Andromeda Galaxy and examine it from our vantage point on the dustgrain planet we call Earth.

The remarkable thing is that the central bright region of the Andromeda Galaxy can–when it’s really dark, and you know just where to look–be glimpsed with the naked eye. A pair of good binoculars will show you some more of it, but don’t expect it to look anything like the dramatic photograph on this page. It takes a long exposure with a good telescope to capture enough faint light from the galaxy to reveal its colors and the details of its spiral structure.

– From PBS Page 11 Bay urrents.net

SENIOR CURRENTS

Baby boomers We offer the following as a preview of the type of articles coming up this winter in the Bay Currents Senior Care Guide and Supplement.

We welcome your feedback at 347–492–4432 or info@baycurrents.net

By DAVID J. GLENN publisher@baycurrents.net f it weren’t for the dearth of hair on the men and the gray color of it on the women, you might think the five-story building on Quentin Road and East 10th Street was a college student activity center.

But it’s the Senior Council Center, sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women and funded primarily by the city’s Department for the Aging. With some 8,000 members starting at age 60 and more than 400 in the building on any given day, the center is among the largest in the five boroughs.

And there may be more coming in. “The baby boomers are starting to come,” said center director Rosemary Fields, a baby boomer herself (who even was at Woodstock for one of the muddy days 40 summers ago). But she’s not worried about handling the influx. “We’re one of the most active centers in the city,” she said.

The different floors and rooms are dedicated to different activities, including a woodworking shop, computer room, and, mainly attended by the men, pool tables. (A small library of mostly paperback novels is tucked away in a corner of the pool room) The women congregate toward the Mahjong tables, and of course everyone is together for lunch at numbered tables in a large room on the second floor which doubles as an auditorium – which recently was used for a town hall –style meeting on health reform Congressman Anthony Weiner, as well as the “Council Has Talent” contest featuring

I

everything from an original piano composition to the winning rendition of “Hello Dolly” “I try to come here every day,” said Sophie, 73. “I have friends here, and it keeps me active.

It’s really better than sitting alone in my apartment.”

“I come about once a week,” said Rob, 82. “I usually beat everyone at pool.”

It’s not all Mahjong and pool. There’s a social worker on staff to help the seniors navigate the Medicare and Social security mazes, and assist them in getting benefits like food stamps or help in housing if they need it. Fields is currently trying to help a 62-year-old homeless man who has been sleeping in his car, usually parked near the center where he can come in for a hot lunch. He had kept five pet birds with him – to date three of them, including a large parakeet, died. The man, whom we’ll call Michael, said he has nonHodgkin’s cancer and receives disability checks (kept for him by a neighbor in the Sheepshead Bay building where he used to live with his late mother) He said he’s hit brick walls with the city and local politicians in trying to get a housing voucher for an apartment. “I can’t get anyone to help me,” he said.

Fields also conducts regular support meetings and helps the members who have recently lost a loved one with bereavement counseling.

The Department for the Aging has not been spared the city-wide ax swung by Mayor Bloomberg, but the National Council of Jewish Women – at least so far – has been able to take up the slack.

“We’ve been fortunate,” Fields said.

Seniors may not have to ‘hang up the keys’

BAY CURRENTS ADVERTORIAL

By BEN WEINSTOCK, PT

A

s people age, their driving skills often deteriorate. Seniors may slowly lose their ability to get in and out of a car, to move their bodies while coordinating the gas pedal and the brake pedal, and to react to various fast-moving situations.

If left untreated, their fear of driving increases. Loved ones inevitably pressure them to “hang up the keys” in order to avoid accidents. Unfortunately some seniors actually end their driving careers because of an accident. Nationally, more than 600,000 drivers over the age of 70 stop driving each year due to fears of accidents. However, recent research is now showing that these sad scenarios do not necessarily have to occur. Seniors who undergo detailed medical and physical therapy evaluations usually learn that the problems that are causing their driving skills to decrease are at least partially reversible. These problems generally fall into these categories: · Range of motion limitations: Tightness in the neck and trunk limit one’s ability to look sideways, needed primarily for changing lanes and for parking; · Force production limitations: Force is produced when one has the muscle strength and the ability to use that force quickly, such as when one has to brake suddenly or to accelerate quickly; · Coordination problems: Switching from brake pedal to gas pedal, and to use one’s

arms to efficiently turn the steering wheel require normal coordination and precision of movements; · Sensory integration problems: Driving requires one to use many messages from our senses: seeing, hearing, and touching.

These sensory messages must all be integrated by the brain without delay in order to avoid accidents. As more than 90 percent of the messages are visual, intervention by a trained eye professional is critical. Untreated cataracts, glaucoma, and other common eye problems usually lead to negative outcomes and an absolute loss of one’s ability to maintain the ability to drive. · Cognitive limitations: Driving requires rapid decision-making. Slow thinking puts one at a higher risk of getting into an accident.

A study by the Yale School of Medicine found that simple exercises, done on a regular basis, helped to reverse many of the physical limitations and enabled seniors not only to continue driving, but also to decrease their driving errors by almost 10 percent. Moreover, cognitive training programs specially designed for seniors have been found to speed up decision making needed for safe driving and to decrease accidents by over 20 percent in seniors.

Weinstock Physical Therapy, PC “The Physical Therapy Office That Travels to the Patient” 718–891–0780 e-mail: seniors@baycurrents.net

When

I am home

Who was Bill Brown?

ALONE

I feel safe. I am protected. I have Life Alert®.

help

One touch of a button sends quickly in the event of a medical emergency, fall, home invasion, fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

New!

Your choice of help buttons

Now we have two systems available:

Life Alert Classic for seniors Life Alert 50+ for people 50+

For a FREE brochure call:

®

I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!

Page 12 Bay urrents.net

1-877-609-9676

B

ill Brown Playground, bounded by Bedford Avenue, East 24th Street and Avenues X and Y, serves as a lasting memorial to World War I veteran William A. Brown. Brown lived only a few blocks from here at 1818 Voorhies Avenue. He served with Wagon Company G of the 108th Ammunition Train,

November 16 30, 2009

28th Army Division. On October 8, 1918, this young man made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he died of wounds sustained on the battlefield in France.

It’s indeed fitting that the Brooklyn/ Bedford Park 911 Memorial Committee holds its annual event at this park. www.BayCurrents.net

Natural next step for local art

By CHRISTINA PISANO pisano@baycurrents.net

The Brooklyn Streetcar Artists’ Group extended its effort to bring the culture of art to southern Brooklyn by holding a two-day exhibit earlier this month at the Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center.

T

he Artists’ Group, whose art is currently on display on the second floor of Coney Island Hospital, brought their work for appreciation and sale at the Nature Center. The works included photography, collage, oil and acrylic canvas, fused glass and paper, and watercolor. Prices for the work ranged from landscape prints at $50 to acrylic beach scenes at $2,000.

“For the artists at the show we had everything from firsttimers to well-experienced artists. The idea is really to bring the art world to southern Brooklyn,” said Arthur Melnick, show director, director of administration of the Brooklyn City Streetcar Company, as well as an editor of Bay currents.

The Artists’ Group was born from the efforts of the Brooklyn City Streetcar Company and its attempt to bring the trolley back to Brooklyn. Though some of the group members hold jobs aside from their art, their impact on the art culture of Brooklyn do not go unnoticed.

“There are an incredible number of talented people in the area,” said Melnick.

A steady crowd of locals passed through the show as some of the artists stayed briefly with their work during the show hours.

The group meets periodically to discuss such events, shows, and hopes for a permanent place where art could live in Brooklyn, housing a studio, classrooms, and theater space.. In surveys, southern Brooklyn residents have consistently ranked the lack of cultural activities as a key need for improvement.

The Artists’ Group is taking the first steps.

www.BayCurrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

Page 13 Bay urrents.net

By the Bay Currents staff

“BAY’s Anatomy” ACROSS 4 8 10 11 14 16 18 19 20

Brain cell Blood into the hearty Breaks down sugar Largest artery Secretes insulin Blood away from the heart Food pipe Breastbone “hammer, anvil and ______”

DOWN 1 2 3 5 6 7 9 12 13 15 17 Each Bay Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces.

Every row must contain one of each digit.

So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.

Back of the eye Windpipe Calf bone Lower chambers of the heart Genetic code Upper chambers of the heart Voice box Largest part of the brain Protective flap Tiny sacs in the lungs Rods and _______

We don’t want to beat a dead horse, but…

Do you know where Dead Horse Bay is? Did you even know we had such a place?

We do – it’s an inlet just southwest of Floyd Bennett Field,

named for its use in the 1850s as a site for making glue and other products from dead horses. Fittingly, the site has been reclaimed by the natural environment.

by Matt Lassen

Page 14 Bay urrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

www.BayCurrents.net

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

It’s cold out there – Would $1,500 warm you up?

2009 Home Improvement Tax Credits

By JOSEPH REISMAN financial@baycurrents.net you like a 30 % return on your inWInould vestment?

2009 and 2010 Uncle Sam is allowing homeowners to deduct 30 % on the first $5,000 of the cost for certain energy

efficient home improvement products on existing homes. This tax credit is worth $1,500 to you.

Here are the simple rules to follow: • The items you purchase must be installed during 2009 or 2010, which means the tax credit can be claimed in April 2010 or 2011.

• The items must be installed in your principal residence, not a rental or vacation home.

• The items must have a Manufacturer Certification Statement to qualify.

• NOT ALL Energy Star rated products qualify.

• Save your receipts and the Manufacturer Certification Statement. You will need them if you are audited.

turer’s Certification is a signed statement from the manufacturer certifying that the product or component qualifies for the tax credit. Many manufacturers are providing these Certifications on their website to facilitate identification of qualified products.

Taxpayers must keep a copy of the certification statement for their records, but do not have to submit a copy with their tax return.

Here are home improvement items that qualify: • Windows and Doors • Insulation • Roofs (Metal and Asphalt) • HVAC • Water Heaters (non-solar) • Biomass Stoves

What qualifies for the $1,500 tax credit?

Installation costs

The government is not allowing the tax credits unless the products meet certain energy criteria (which have increased in strictness this year), and have a Manufacturer’s Certification Statement. A Manufac-

• Installation costs are included in the total item cost for HVAC, Water Heaters, and Biomass Stoves.

• Installation costs are NOT included for windows and doors, insulation and roofs.

Even bigger tax credits are available If you are planning a major remodel between now and 2016, the government is giving a tax credit on 30 % of the cost for certain energy efficient items with NO UPPER LIMIT. That means you can claim up to 30 % on expenses that total in the tens of thousands. The other benefit is that these credits are available on new home construction as well, not just existing homes.

Items included in this more generous tax credit are: • Geothermal Heat Pumps • Solar Panels • Solar Water Heaters • Small Wind Energy Systems • Fuel Cells For detailed information on what the energy criteria are on these uncapped expenses, visit: http://www.energystar.gov/index. cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits.

Tax accountant Joseph Reisman’s practice is at 2751 Coney Island Avenue, 718–332–1040.

The Audit, Part 3

By MICHAEL SCHLAGER mschlager@baycurrents.net

Meeting the IRS agent It was a really nice day outside, but Jack could only feel gloomy. Alan, his accountant, told him they could only meet an hour before the audit. He seemed amazingly calm to Jack, who felt he should have shared some of Jack’s own anxiety about it.

They met at a downtown Brooklyn restaurant, Tim Horton’s. Alan tried to calm Jack by giving him a 10-minute history of Horton’s, to no avail.

Jack started pacing and going over each aspect of the investigation. He knew which items might seem suspicious and which seemed solid. He hoped that the agent would weigh the good with the bad and take a balanced view. Alan reminded him that much depended on the judgment of the agent, and that hopefully she would see him as a good, well-intentioned person who just kept bad records, and would be willing to work with him.

The interview Nervous that the big day was here, Jack took an extra bottle of spray deodorant with him, knowing he could probably use it. Jack said that the only other time he’d come close to being this frightened was when he’d been threatened by a gang as a child.

The agent went over everything – page by page, receipt by receipt. She’d spend two additional grueling hours going over two www.BayCurrents.net

pages, and then, just when Jack thought she was done, she went over it again. Jack couldn’t be sure of anything. He kept wondering what they’d completed – sometimes they’d review a receipt three times before it was accepted. Was there any pattern? Was she accepting only the smaller receipts?

Was she leaning in any particular direction?

Was there some hidden item they were secretly investigating? Which way was up?

Jack couldn’t wait to get out of there. He said he remembered his exams at school taking two hours at the most, but this was just the beginning.

Two feet planted firmly in mid-air “It was like we lifted off and before I knew it we were, well, somewhere... but where?”

We reviewed more than 500 receipts – many questioned, most substantiated.

What was she looking for? Alan was excellent – he kept summarizing and moving things along..Jack was amazed – he’d expected some kind of scene. In the end, things began to move very quickly. About five minutes later Alan must have decided it was time to wrap things up, since he’d presented what we had, and established what we needed to do and how much time we had to do it. Alan clarified a time frame.

The agent was satisfied for now, but Jack kept saying, “Where are we? What did we finish?” Alan said it went well, but that was only the first visit. They were digging.

Landing About two weeks later a letter arrived explaining that a third of his debt had been forgiven and that he should pay the rest or submit further evidence. Finally – progress.

Jack and his employees felt a brief surge of relief, hoping life might just begin to return to normal around the office – but most of the work was yet to come.

Collecting receipts Finding receipts in this post-Madoff time was not easy. People weren’t sure they could help, and very few wanted to become involved. When things are going well, everyone step forward – when things go wrong, they often become distant or they desert you., Jack was coming to reassess his opinion of the people whom he turned to for help.

One man he knew well seemed not to recall members of Jack’s staff who used to visit him. He requested proof that copies, prints, and laminations had been done at his shop. The receipts amounted to approximately $20 a week in petty cash, but he still couldn’t be persuaded to help. He offered stories to boost Jack’s morale, but refused to provide him with a receipt. He told Jack he never claimed cash payments on his taxes and couldn’t take the 1 % risk that he might be audited himself, thus having to justify this receipt which he wasn’t fully sure of. Jack thought it was so minor in the scheme of things that it shouldn’t matter to him.

November 16 30, 2009

Poor Jack, he couldn’t even remember some of the places that he did business with because there had been so many. He was really bewildered. He didn’t know which way to turn. He checked his calendar, phone records, credit cards and e-mails… it was starting to gel, but only starting.

Jack in the box Jack called everyone he knew. He couldn’t recall what happened in detail a few years ago, but figured someone would eventually jog his memory. He felt cornered – actually, he could have climbed out of a corner; this was being boxed in. Someone had to help. Then, along came the rabbi….

Answers Jack had been praying for some sort of a solution to all of this, and out of nowhere, along came this rabbi he hadn’t seen in 20 years who was just in the country visiting. Jack couldn’t help but tell him what was going on, so they held an impromptu meeting by the side of the street for almost an hour. Jack thought that maybe this was the answer to his prayers. The world around them didn’t exist. The rabbi asked many questions about the agent, and then he told Jack to insist that she tell him where things stood, and that she would probably show him some compassion. Jack had a hard time believing it… but finally gave in.

What happened then? Tune into the web or the next print edition.

Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Page 15 Bay urrents.net

Local high school papers still alive

A

braham Lincoln, Edward R. Murrow, Midwood, and Leon M. Goldstein high schools, to cite a few, continue to print despite the budget cuts.

Student newspapers “provide the student body with information from the outside world as well as what is currently going on in school,� said Darya Turbina, a senior at Goldstein HS. “Students are informed of what’s going on in the school; they could get involved and just generally get whatever message across.� Turbina last year wrote for the school newspaper, The Current (we like that name!) and says the experience was enlightening.

Renat Myaskovskiy, also a senior at Goldstein, agreed that school newspapers are advantageous, but their life span is at risk because not enough students participate. “Newspapers are useful if you want to see different views of your school,� he said. “I wouldn’t write for a school newspaper, because I don’t really have any particular interest in the matter.�

ested in the creative writing aspect, so that’s what we cater to,� she said.

While some students lack interest in school newspapers, other students lack the opportunity. John Dewey High School on Avenue X offered a newspaper last year, but the budget cuts combined with losing most of the students on the staff, forced the newspaper, Dewey Express, to be “held in abeyance.� “The kids naturally feel bad because we had to let the newspaper go,� said Thomas Talignani, assistant principal for English. “We just couldn’t sustain a program of 14 students.�

Dewey still offers a journalism class and a

Your Desktop

Post Office

™

í˘ą Click

í˘˛ Print

í˘ł Postage

Print official U.S. postage right from your PC and printer.

Never go to the Post OďŹƒce™ again!

Print exact postage and address in one step.

The fastest, easiest way to send letters and packages.

Save up to 80% compared to a postage meter.

4-week trial plus

To get the oer, you MUST enter the promo code print7

$100 Offer www.stamps.com/2009 Page 16 Bay urrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

newsletter; school officials hope to regain the newspaper in the near future because even though funding is limited, the newspaper is an essential part of the school, they said. “The purpose of having a school newspaper is not only to inform students of the events going on in their school, but also to offer students an opportunity to take part in an activity that interests them, “ said Dinora Yusupova, a senior at Goldstein. “Being a part of a newspaper staff is a great learning experience and a way to develop or improve leadership skills, responsibility, and working together as a team.�

Answers to the Bay Crossword from page 14

The time-honored student newspaper has not been spared the budget ax striking in many directions around the city – but several Bay area high schools are refusing to let their newspapers fold, even if it means printing as few as eight pages every three months or so.

Myaskovskiy is not alone. . “I think it’s better for the city to fund other activities, “ said Boris Ashurov, a sophomore in James Madison High School. “I don’t really care for newspapers.�

The students who are interested in writing are usually inclined to concentrate on their required classes first. Their hectic schedules rarely allow them to dedicate themselves to a newspaper; although many students say they would like to write for the school newspaper, few actually do. “The only disadvantage in having a school newspaper would be the risk of losing a lot of money if students don’t care for them, “ said Ralph Bascome, a senior at William E. Grady High School in Brighton Beach – one of the many Brooklyn high schools that do not offer a school newspaper. “From my opinion, I wouldn’t be too sure if all the students in my school would be interested in reading it,� said Bascome. If the school had a newspaper, Bascome says he would try to take part in it, but making the time for it would be challenging. “School newspapers are useful,� he said. “They’re great for informing students about important details that they should know concerning the school itself and how it may reflect upon the students.�

Evelyn Katz, an English teacher at Grady, said the school offers a literary magazine, but doesn’t offer a newspaper primarily because of funding, although most students don’t express interest in writing for a school newspaper anyway. “Most of our students are inter-

Answers to the Bay Sudoku from page 14

By KATERYNA STUPNEVICH stupnevich@baycurrents.net

www.BayCurrents.net

SPORTS CURRENTS

Sports and your child Want to give your children a head start on lifelong fitness– and cut their risk of being overweight?

One option may be to head to their school, neighborhood Y or other recreation center and sign them up for sports.

O

f course, it’s not always that simple.

Organized sports aren’t right for every child– certainly not for every

age.

If you encourage your child and set an example yourself, though, chances are a few sports will spark his or her interest.

Fan the flame by taking your child to local sporting events – like in Marine Park, at Floyd Bennett field, or other venues around the Bay – and explaining how different games are played. Then, when the time is right, provide opportunities for your child to try out equipment and play informally with other children.

Most of all, if you like playing particular sports, share your pleasure and skill with your children. Show them that effort and practice are their own rewards, and that you can get great satisfaction from playing whether you win or lose a particular game.

Age-appropriate Regardless of your child’s age, he or she will show some natural preferences.

Some children love the water from the first splash, while others react with fear.

Some get a charge out of rough-and-tumble games; others dislike the shoves and bumps. You may have been the star of your football team, but your child may prefer dancing, and that’s just fine.

Children don’t need organized athletics to develop athletic skills or to get physical activity. “A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to include sports,” said Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director of the Sports Medicine Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minn. “It’s more important that your child is involved in some sort of physical activity, whether it’s hiking and biking with the family or playing pickup baseball or basketball with the neighborhood kids.”

Every child develops at a different rate.

It’s best to work within your child’s maturity and skill level.

Ages 2 to 3 Very young kids are beginning to master many basic movements– running, catching, jumping– and they’re too young for most types of structured exercise. Try: · Running and walking, in a yard or playground · Swinging on a yard or playground set · Supervised water play · Toddler gymnastics classes led by professionals · Tumbling

Ages 4 to 6 · Dancing · Games such as hopscotch or tag · Jumping rope · Playing catch with a lightweight ball · Riding a tricycle or a bike with training wheels www.BayCurrents.net

After age 6, children’s motor skills and sense of safety improve. Your child may also be ready for team sports.

Ages 7 to 10 · Baseball · Gymnastics · Soccer · Swimming · Tennis · Biking

Age 10 and up · Carefully supervised weight training · Softball or other team sports · Rowing · Running and track and field events When it comes to organized sports, make sure your child really wants to play.

Never force a child to participate or join a team. Also consider your child’s schedule.

Children who are already signed up for music lessons and the school play may feel overwhelmed if athletics are added to the mix.

Practical matters If you want to get your child involved in sports, consider how sports differ, including the: · Amount and cost of equipment · Amount of physical contact · Emphasis on individual skill · Emphasis on team performance · Size of the team · Opportunity for each child to participate Allow your child to sample a range of activities. Younger children in particular may benefit from exploring several options before settling on one or two.

“The more that children can try different sports and activities and find something they’re good at doing, the more they’ll enjoy the activity,” said Laskowski.

Try team sports such as softball and soccer, as well as individual sports such as tennis, running and golf. Observe as you go. Is your child comfortable with contact sports? Does he or she have the hand-eye coordination to compete in certain sports that use a ball?

To gauge whether your child is in good hands, consider these points.

Team assignments Are the children in your child’s sport grouped into teams simply by age, which can increase risk of injury? Or are they grouped according to physical maturity and skill? Do they take time to warm up and cool down before and after each practice or event? How the organization assigns teams and emphasizes warm-ups and cooldowns may serve as an indication of the organization’s interest in injury prevention.

Your role: Sit back and watch Overall, be positive and encouraging.

Emphasize effort and improvement over winning or personal performance.

Attend events and practices as your schedule allows, and act as a good model of sportsmanship yourself. Above all, keep your child’s sport in perspective.

If your child decides to quit a sport or specific activity, look for signs of stress that seem tied to sports or overtraining. Your child can take up the same or another sport later, or build fitness through other activities, such as martial arts or dance.

Whether your child swims, runs track or plays Frisbee, keep your eye on the long-term goal– encouraging your child to be a fit, healthy and selfconfident adult.

-- From the Mayo Clinic

GoToMyPC: It’s this easy.

Quality of coaching Look first for an emphasis on safety and inclusive participation. Does the coach require that players follow the rules and use the proper safety equipment? Do only the best players play? Is the fitness or conditioning coach working with your child certified and sensitive to the fact that your child is not fully physically mature?

Observe instructions. Children should be taught proper movement and body positioning to avoid injuries.

Also consider a coach’s attitude toward the game. If a coach consistently yells at an umpire or the children or lets only the most skilled players into the game, your child may become discouraged. Get to know the coach and, if possible, talk to the coach’s former team members about their experiences.

Once children get to be 11 or 12 years old, they may be ready for a greater emphasis on competition and winning. “But a win-at-all-costs attitude drives many children away from sports,” said Laskowski.

GoToMyPC lets you instantly work on your office computer from any Internet connection, with complete access to your email, programs and files. The automatic setup takes just minutes, and there’s no hardware needed. Just click and take your office with you wherever you go.

November 16 30, 2009

FREE 30-Day Trial gotomypc.com | promo code: AD19

Page 17 Bay urrents.net

OPINION

No wine in grocery stores – right move

By Assemblyman STEVEN CYMBROWITZ District 45

Last year, the New York State Legislature rejected Governor Paterson’s attempt to legalize the sale of wine in 19,000 new outlets – and it’s a good thing we did. The recently released report from the New York State Law Commission on the State Liquor Authority makes plain that we made the right decision in rejecting a costly and dangerous idea.

C

onsider this: The State Liquor Authority has just 38 enforcement officers policing 70,000 license holders and, in the words of the Commission, “is unable to make prevention of underage drinking a statewide priority.”

The Commission found that New York State spends $3.2 billion annually dealing with the cost of underage drinking – a steep price that would only increase by making wine more readily available in every corner store, bodega, deli,

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz

mini-mart and grocery store in the state that sells beer.

That staggering price tag includes the cost of accidents, violence, treatment and other situations that teenagers find them-

selves in due to underage drinking. Rather than adding to that burden, we should be working to reduce underage drinking, and driving while intoxicated regardless of age.

In fact, New York doesn’t look so bad when compared with other states. In all, 37 states spend more to deal with underage drinking – per teen – than New York does. But making it easier to get wine – which has on the average twice the alcohol content as beer – would only increase our costs. We should be looking to improve our record, not move up this dubious list.

We know that legalizing the sale of wine so big-box stores can make more profits will kill about 1,000 small businesses and put more than 4,000 people out of work.

We also know that the big box stores will not create one more job to stack a different product on a shelf. That’s reason enough to reject this bad idea.

In addition, letting supermarkets sell wine amounts to a fiscal gimmick, generating one-shot revenues through the sale of licenses without any significant long-term revenue. It’s little more than a finger in a dike that has gaping holes.

That’s also reason enough to reject this bad idea.

But the Commission report makes clear that the SLA is ill equipped to do its job now, never mind dramatically adding to its burden by putting even more alcohol within easy reach of teenagers. The report also makes plain that New York already pays a high enough price for underage drinking.

Law enforcement officials from around the state, along with advocates such as Parents Who Host Lose the Most and Students Against Dangerous Decisions, worked hard to make that case last year.

It was a powerful argument that moved many legislators to reject the Governor’s plan.

There is no question that New York State faces serious budget issues. But we must focus on real solutions as opposed to gimmicks that carry long-term consequences for the people of New York State.

The Commission report makes clear that legalizing the sale of wine in 19,000 new outlets is not just a costly idea, but a dangerous one as well.

Governor Paterson would do well not to repeat the mistake of proposing this reckless idea again in his 2010–11 Executive Budget. But if he does, I am confident the New York State Legislature will make the right decision again, and reject it.

e-mail: mschlager@baycurrents.net Page 18 Bay urrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

www.BayCurrents.net

OPINION

What if…?

BY I. FRIEDIN opinion@baycurrents.net

The Bloomberg campaign blitz was overwhelming. Well before the traditional campaign season airwaves and mailboxes were flooded extolling the mayor’s virtues, dirty tricks were used to try to drive frontrunner Anthony Weiner out of the race, and although the deceitful games were exposed, he quit anyway rather than go up against the Bloomberg money machine. Throughout the campaign we heard little but how wonderful Bloomberg was and how he will continue his virtuous calling ever more vigorously. Even on Election Day we had to dodge the giant rolling billboards blaring loudly in every part of the city.

Thompson’s campaign, what there was of it, was relegated to a whisper; recipe for a Bloomberg landslide.

S

o, did anyone think the race would be so close? According to an article in the New York Times, the Bloomberg campaign seems to have had an idea but hid it lest the Democrats supporting him or straddling the fence go back where they belong; to their own party’s candidate. Just politics as usual. But isn’t “politics as usual” what Bloomberg was railing about throughout his campaign? Why didn’t the Democrats have a clue? Why did Bill Thompson and his people run such a lack-

Bill Thompson

luster campaign? As it turned out, only a bit more effort would have removed the scourge of working class New Yorkers from City Hall.

Personal observation indicated that most people actively (and honestly) involved in or concerned with community affairs were against Bloomberg’s policies as were many disaffected by his steamrolling over term limits. A recent article in the NY Times about rampant development criticized his shortsightedness concerning many of these projects, noting that with his background and expertise, he should have foreseen the economic turndown, if not its severity. On financial issues, the article was balanced although, as often the case, the negative social consequences of his zeal for development were omitted. Readers’ comments (a benefit of online news) were overwhelmingly antiBloomberg. Still, these are the people who are active, interested and aware and with his

cronies in the major media firmly behind him and his greater than lavish spending, Bloomberg seemed destined to charge full ahead into a third term. Instead, despite spending about $200 per vote to about $14 by Thompson he crawled in with a margin of victory less than 5 % and lost Brooklyn, the city’s most populous borough. And that was with little effort on the part of the Thompson campaign.

A problem with the Thompson campaign was the defection or inaction of many of the party “unfaithful.” Bloomberg’s tactics of “buy, bully or ignore” had been working with the majority of council members and other city officials for eight years and it surely persisted as many actively campaigned for him while others sat on their hands. But still, where was Thompson all those months while we were being swamped with Bloomberg ads and mailings? Without the money to finance anything like that kind of media blitz, surely Thompson was at a major disadvantage. But there was no reason to be invisible.

Why didn’t the local clubs, backbone of the Democratic Party in the city, send out the troops to spread the word from the start?

Surely, they could afford to pass out flyers, hang posters and talk it up around the city. Bloomberg’s transgressions against the poor and middle class have been so great, drumming the word to his victims surely would have been enough to shift the less than 3 % necessary into the Thompson camp or bring that many more to the polls; an effort far from insurmountable.

And then there were those who weren’t totally enamored with Bloomberg but voted for him rather than for the “unknown political hack”. When Thompson did get going, he managed to say the right things about Bloomberg’s exploitation of the city’s resources on behalf of the wealthy but made little note of his own accomplishments or of his platform. All he told us was that he was President of the Board of Education, which, by his own admission, was a relatively powerless position, and that his father was a judge.

In most people’s minds, that spells “political hack”. A bit of information about him would have been appropriate. And did anyone really know what he stood for? Expounding on the evils of the Bloomberg administration, he never provided real alternatives. Of course, with the money put into the campaign, whatever Thompson said was a mere whisper compared to the blaring of Bloomberg’s billions but that whisper could have been heard to the affect of 3 % of the electorate.

As a result, we have another four years for Bloomberg to dismantle our city for the benefit of the rich. He is on a mission to do so and acts as though his slim margin of victory is a mandate. Do the poor and middle class have any hope of surviving in the big city?

How many more will be driven out as our affordable housing, shopping and entertainment are replaced by Bloomberg’s “affordable only if you can afford it”? Hope possibly rests in the new City Council, where 13 new members, constituting a fourth of the membership, will take their seats and hopefully be more responsive to the general public and place restrictions on the tyranny that has occupied City Hall for the past eight years.

But we will always have to ask, “What if Thompson and his people actually ran a viable campaign?”

The divide deepens You have read on this page several times about the growing divide between rich and poor in this city and nation. The reported unemployment rate is at an unacceptably high 10.2 %, but that includes only those who collect benefits or report in. The Times recently reported that the real unemployment rate, those who are truly out of work, is actually 17.5 %, the highest since the Great Depression…but the stock market continues to rise.

I. Friedin

What will he do to help?

By KATERYNA STUPNEVICH opinion@baycurrents.net

“If I would have known that Bloomberg would be our mayor for three terms, I would have thought twice about moving to New York.”

T

his was my mother’s response when I asked her about her reaction to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re-election. Unlike other Russian immigrants, she’s clearly not a strong supporter of the controversial mayor.

“The lower class gets a lot of help from the government, but the middle class gets nothing. Bloomberg runs this city like a business,” my mother said. “Prices are increasing, but paychecks are decreasing, taxes are outrageous, people are losing jobs. What will he do to help?”

Her blunt response puzzled me, but she had a point – what will he do to help?

It was difficult to ignore the fact that Bloomberg appeared to have good intentions. His liberal political views of supporting abortion rights, gay marriage, and stricter gun control hit close to home for many New Yorkers, especially the Russian community.

Michael Bloomberg

“I agree with Bloomberg’s policies,” said Irina Gaydayeva, who immigrated to New York in 1994. “He sees crime, education, and health as the city’s first priorities and it makes sense. He’s very ambitious and he just needs

to stay on top of things daily.” Gaydayeva emphasized that she primarily supports Bloomberg because he contributed to various small changes that make a difference in the city, but other Russian immigrants simply prefer to continue seeing a familiar face.

“As an older Russian immigrant, I don’t know much about politics and I like knowing what to expect from the mayor of New York,” said Leonora Kaplan, a firm Bloomberg supporter. “It’s not that I don’t like Bill Thompson, I just like Michael Bloomberg better; I don’t know Thompson so I didn’t vote for him.” Kaplan said that Bloomberg’s financial contributions to charities, his efforts to stop crime and clean up the New York City streets also played a factor in her choosing. “I feel more comfortable with him because he’s made positive changes and been in the office for so long.”

While having one mayor for three terms is certainly reassuring, isn’t it time for a change? Isn’t there a better candidate who could offer more than the “comfort” of his $1 per year salary?

“I don’t mind if Bloomberg stays for five terms,” said Elizabeth Dobruskina, a Russian-American immigrant who came to New York in the late 1990’s. “He improved the quality of life in New York.”

“When I came to New York over a decade ago there was a lot of crime, education was bad, transportation was a disaster,” said Dobruskina. “All those things improved once Bloomberg became mayor.”

Although it’s argumentative, it does seem that Bloomberg has offered a lot to the city during the past eight years, from improving the graduation rates in public schools, to putting a strong emphasis on public health, to working on large-scale developments and recreational parks. But his improvements have a price – a high one. While he prides himself on turning the city’s $6 billion deficit into a $3 billion surplus, he also singlehandedly raised property taxes, the city’s sales tax, and the city’s yearly spending. And if there’s one thing that’s certain during this economic downfall, it’s that people don’t want to pay higher taxes, higher prices, higher anything.

“This society cannot go forward the way we have been going forward, where the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing,” Bloomberg once said. “It’s not politically viable; it’s not morally right; it’s just not going to happen.”

Easy to say for the richest man in New York.

The views and accounts related on the Opinion page are those of the writers, not necessarily of the editors or managers of Bay Currents. www.BayCurrents.net

November 16 30, 2009

Page 19 Bay urrents.net