PRESORTED STANDARD PERMIT #3036 WHITE PLAINS NY
Vol. VI No. XLIV
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
The Westchester Guardian
Influences Adam Bradley Appeal By SAM ZHERKA, Page 18
Thursday, November 1, 2012 $1.00
JOHN F. McMULLEN Hackers? CyberWar? Page 5 PEGGY GODFREY Parting Words Michael Freimuth Page 8 ROBERT SCOTT Star-Crossed Lovers Page 10 JOHN SIMON Terrorists in Apt. 2A Page 13 NANCY KING Boss Ryan Declares His Candidacy Page 15 ED KOCH Now On to Victory... Page 18
Inquiry Deserving of Clarification By Mayor MARY C. MARVIN
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HENRY J. STERN Greenbacks for Green Space Page 20 J. MATT BARBER Open Letter to Obama Voters Page 21
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THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
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THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
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CommunitySection BUSINESS: MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
Publishers, Weakly
All because publishers are English majors wearing Daddy’s work clothes and pretending to be business people, running their businesses on whim and gut feeling instead of figuring out what people want and giving it to them, the way smart businesses work. I have no pity for the fallen publishers. In Wall Street terms, there isn’t enough lipstick in the world to make these pigs kissable. They had the responsibility to shape society by providing it with books worth reading, to create a cultural legacy for our generation and generations to come. And instead, what did they give us? Ann Coulter, Navy SEALs, and Fifty Shades of Gray. The publishers will blame everyone in sight for their predicament, but this is a self-inflicted wound; what the Brits would call an “own goal.” You can’t run a successful business passively waiting for people (in this case, literary agents) to tell you what you should produce. You can’t run a successful business by throwing 10,000 strands of spaghetti (or 10,000 books a year, in
Random House’s case) against the wall of public opinion and seeing what sticks. You can’t run a successful business selling information in the form of printed books by putting them on trucks to distant cities, hoping that booksellers (anyone who can fog a mirror, run a cash register and repeat the phrase, “We don’t have it but we could order it for you”) will actively work to sell your stuff to people. Bottom line: you can’t run a successful business when you are essentially competing with yourself. If Barnes & Noble doesn’t sell a Simon & Schuster book within three weeks, it sends the book back to Simon & Schuster, at Simon & Schuster’s expense, only to have that same space on the shelf filled with… wait for it… a different Simon & Schuster book. That’s not marketing. That’s masochism. A New York editor who worked at Penguin once told me that his boss called all the employees into a meeting and said, “If there’s any merger talk, you’ll hear about it from me and not from the New York Times.”
A few days later, he was reading The New York Times on the subway on the way to work, and read that Penguin was merging with another publisher. Here we go again. If it weren’t for Fifty Shades of Gray, Random House (and Barnes & Noble, for that matter) would have been on life support. There would have been nothing left to merge. Penguin’s owner, Pearson LLC, is the smartest guy in the room, dumping off Penguin’s trade publishing on Bertlesmann, a German conglomerate which somehow still thinks it can make money selling books. And now a few thousand more publishing employees are going to leave the world of books and hit the bricks. So let the handwringing begin. The collapse of a once proud industry has taken a giant step forward. And there ain’t no synergies in that.
News & Notes from Northern Westchester
navigate in the woods. Be prepared for both indoor and outdoor activities... bring a lunch and some water. On November 3rd and 4th, The New Castle Historical Society is sponsoring the 45th Chappaqua Antiques Show at the Westorchard Elementary School. The event will feature extraordinary merchandise from more than 50 dealers including silver, decorative posters, mid-century furnishings, rare maps, books, folk art, fine jewelry, and unique collectibles. In addition to all of the treasures, Jon Felz a certified appraiser will provide appraisals at a nominal charge and Cami Weinstein will be available for free design advice. New Castle Historical Society is proud to announce that this year’s Honorary Chair is Dr.Kenneth Jackson,longtime Chappaqua resident, author, historian and ultimate New York-ologist. Congratulations to Ossining High School’s science program for being named the nation’s best by the Intel Foundation as they received the
Star Innovator Award. Way to go guys! It’s time again for “Conversations with Local Gardeners,” up in North Salem on November 10th at the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library. Yorktown Heights resident Richard Lopez, a Peace Corps volunteer has received the 2012 Franklin H. Williams Award from the Peace Corps for his commitment to community service. Let’s raise a glass and toast Westchester’s own Scott Vaccaro and his Captain Lawrence Brewing Company as they won three medals at the Great American Beer Festival recently held in Denver, Colorado. Now that’s a festival I need to attend… It certainly was a big week for outdoor chores: raking, cleaning the gutters, fall fertilizing, and sweeping the porch. I don’t know how my wife does it… see you next week.
What the Penguin/Random House Merger Really Means By MICHAEL LEVIN
When I saw the word “synergies” applied to the proposed merger of publishing giants Penguin and Random House, I laughed out loud. “Synergies” is Wall Street-speak for “Let’s merge two failing companies, fire half the employees, run the resulting business more cheaply, suck out all the money we can as quickly as we can, and then leave the wounded, gasping beast that is the resulting company to die a miserable, public death.” Which is exactly why “synergies” best describes the merger of two of the biggest names in the publishing industry, which is wringing its hands over the immediate consequences of this deal, which really represents one more death rattle of the once thriving book publishing trade. Here’s what happens now: lots of editorial, marketing, and other jobs will vanish. Agents will have fewer
places to sell books. Fewer books will be published. Authors will get even less money (if that’s even possible, since some publishers are paying zero advances whenever they can get away with it). And the pontificators will pontificate on what it all means to society (not much, since most of society has already given up on reading books). Here’s what happens next: the remaining major publishers will find it harder to compete, because the resulting publisher (Penguin House?) will be able to produce books more cheaply. So they’ll fire people, merge, fire more people, and eventually roll over and die. All because publishers never figured out how to deal with the Internet and how to sell books in a wired world. All because publishers considered themselves “special” and thought they could get away with selling products they didn’t market.
New York Times best selling author and Shark Tank survivor Michael Levin runs www.BusinessGhost.com, and is a nationally acknowledged thought leader on the future of book publishing.
CALENDAR
By MARK JEFFERS
So, this week we carved our crazy looking JackO-Lantern, what a face we made, scared me right after I cut it, but what scared me even more was the next day a bunch of squirrels devoured our fine artistic work. Hopefully you will enjoy this week’s edition of “News & Notes” as much as the varmints enjoyed their Halloween treat. Up in Peekskill, American Legion Post No. 274 will be renamed for lifelong resident U.S. Air Force Capt. Oliver C. Chase Jr. who died in action when the aircraft he was piloting crashed in South Vietnam on July 22, 1965. A dedication ceremony will held on November 10th. Grab your sneakers and get ready for the Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley’s 7th annual walk and 5K run to
be held at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown on November 4th. Three cheers and a job well done at the 3rd annual Great Chappaqua Bake Sale as they raised over $12,000 to support Share Our Strength’s mission of feeding hungry children. All proceeds from this fun event will help fund meal programs for kids in New York State. Good luck to Jeffrey Haydon as he has become the new CEO at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah. Hungry, it seems like I am always looking for a snack, if so, then swing by Memorial Plaza in Pleasantville any Saturday for their Community Farmers Market. See you there. It is the community theatre time of year… the Pound Ridge Theater Company presents “Love, Loss and What I Wore” starting Friday,
November 2nd at 8:00 pm and running the next three weekends with matinees on the 11th and 17th. This hilarious and poignant show is written by the late Nora Ephron and her sister Delia Ephron and is sure to provide a thoroughly entertaining evening. You are invited to gather your friends and bring your food and spirits to enjoy before the play. Cabaret seating... doors open one hour prior to curtain. For more information and ticket specials call 914-764-1902. As my darling wife often points out, I get lost driving out of our driveway, so this event has my name on it… Teatown Reservation is offering an adult program on finding your way on Sunday, November 4th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Getting lost is not an option in this program, which combines basic compass and map reading skills to help you better
Mark Jeffers resides in Bedford Hills, New York, with his wife Sarah, and three daughters, Kate, Amanda, and Claire.
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Of Significance Of Of Significance Significance
Community Section ...............................................................................4
Community Section ...............................................................................4 Community Section......................................................................................3 Business ................................................................................................4 Business ................................................................................................4 Calendar ...............................................................................................4 Business.......................................................................................................4 Calendar ...............................................................................................4 Charity ..................................................................................................5 Calendar......................................................................................................4 Creative Disruption ............................................................................5 Charity ..................................................................................................5 Contest Disruption. ..................................................................................................6 Creative ..................................................................................5 Cultural Perspective ...........................................................................7 Contest ..................................................................................................6 Creative Disruption ............................................................................6 Cultural Perspectives................................................................................6 Energy Issues .......................................................................................8 Creative Disruption ............................................................................6 Education .............................................................................................7 In Memoriam ....................................................................................10 Economic Development..........................................................................8 Education .............................................................................................7 Fashion ..................................................................................................8 Medicine .............................................................................................10 Fashion ..................................................................................................8 History.......................................................................................................10 Fitness....................................................................................................9 Najah’s Corner ...................................................................................11 Fitness....................................................................................................9 Mergers and Acquisitions......................................................................11 Health ..................................................................................................10 Movie Review ....................................................................................12 Health ..................................................................................................10 History ................................................................................................10 Music. .........................................................................................................11 Music ...................................................................................................12 History ................................................................................................10 Ed Koch Movie Review ...................................................................12 Movie Review. ..........................................................................................12 Community ........................................................................................13 Ed Koch Movie Review ...................................................................12 Spoof ....................................................................................................13 SportsScene. ..............................................................................................13 Writers Collection.............................................................................14 Spoof Sports....................................................................................................13 Scene .......................................................................................13 Books Eye On...................................................................................................16 Theatre. ........................................................................................13 Sports Scene .......................................................................................13 Najah’s Corner ...................................................................................13 People ..................................................................................................18 Najah’s Corner ...................................................................................13 Government Section...................................................................................14 Writers Collection.............................................................................14 Eye OnMarvin..........................................................................................14 Theatre ..................................................................................18 Writers Collection.............................................................................14 Mayor Books ...................................................................................................16 Leaving on a Jet Plane ......................................................................19 Books ...................................................................................................16 Transportation ...................................................................................17 Fault Lines.................................................................................................14 Government Section Transportation ...................................................................................17 Government Section ............................................................................20 ............................................................................17 Campaign Trail........................................................................................15 Campaign Trail ..................................................................................20 Government Section ............................................................................17 Albany Correspondent ....................................................................17 OpEd Section. ...............................................................................................18 Economic Development ..................................................................20 Albany Correspondent ....................................................................17 Mayor Marvin’s Column .................................................................18 Education ...........................................................................................21 Sam Zherks...............................................................................................18 Mayor Marvin’s Column .................................................................18 Government.......................................................................................19 TheKoch Hezitorial ....................................................................................21 Government .......................................................................................19 Ed Commentary...........................................................................18 OpEd Section .........................................................................................23 Legal ....................................................................................................23 OpEd Section .........................................................................................23 New York Commentary.....................................................................23 Civic........................................................................................20 Ed Koch People ..................................................................................................24 Ed Koch Letters toCommentary.....................................................................23 the Editor ..........................................................................24 Op-Ed........................................................................................................22 Strategyto...............................................................................................24 Letters the Editor............................................................................25 ..........................................................................24 Weir Only Human Help Wanted.................................................................................................22 OpEd Section .........................................................................................25 Weir Only Human ............................................................................25 Legal Notices ..........................................................................................26 Legal .......................................................................................................22 ..........................................................................................27 LegalAds. 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Westchester On the Level is heard from Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Westchester kersthe Philharmonic Orchestra Sadewhite is our scheduled Westchester On the Level is Conductor heard fromJames Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m.guest to 12Friday, Noon on Internet: http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/WestchesterOntheLevel. Join March 30. Jointoll-free the conversation by calling OntheLevel. on Internet: by http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/WestchesterOntheLevel. the the conversation calling to 1-877-674-2436. Please stay on topic. Join It is howeverby anticipatedtoll-free that thetojury will conclude its Please deliberation ontopic. either Monthe conversation 1-877-674-2436. stay on Please stay onbetopic. Richard Narog March andcalling Hezi Aris your co-hosts. thewe week day 1-347-205-9201. or Tuesday, 26 or 27.are Should that theIncase, willbeginning resume ourFebruary regular 20th and ending on Richard Narog andhave Hezi are entourage your InYonkers the week beginning February 24th,schedule we an Aris exciting of the guests. programming and announce thatco-hosts. fact on Tribune website.February 20th and ending on February 24th, we exciting entourage ofshow. guests. Richard Narog and HezianAris are co-hosts of the Every Monday is have special. On Monday, February 20th, Krystal Wade, a celebrated participant in http:// Every Monday is special. On Monday, 20th, Krystal a celebrated participant in http:// www.TheWritersCollection.com is ourFebruary guest. Krystal Wade isWade, a mother of three who works fifty miles www.TheWritersCollection.com our guest. Krystal is a novel mother threeaccepted who works fifty miles from home and writes in her “spare istime.” “Wilde’ s Fire,”Wade her debut hasofbeen for publication from home and writes ininher “spare “Wilde’iss her Fire,” her debut has sbeen accepted and should be available 2012. Nottime.” far behind second novel,novel “Wilde’ Army.” How for doespublication she do it? and available Tuneshould in andbefind out. in 2012. Not far behind is her second novel, “Wilde’s Army.” How does she do it? Tune in and find out. Co-hosts Richard Narog and Hezi Aris will relish the dissection of all things politics on Tuesday, February Co-hosts Richard andPresident Hezi ArisChuck will relish the dissection of his all things politicsfrom on Tuesday, February 21st. Yonkers CityNarog Council Lesnick will share perspective the august inner 21st. Yonkers Lesnick will share 22nd. his perspective from theEsq., august sanctum of theCity CityCouncil CouncilPresident ChambersChuck on Wednesday, February Stephen Cerrato, will inner share sanctum of the CityonCouncil Chambers Wednesday, February24th 22nd. Esq.,bewill share his political insight Thursday, Februaryon 23rd. Friday, February hasStephen yet to beCerrato, filled. It may a propihis political Thursday, February 23rd. Friday, February 24th has yet to be filled. It mayofbeThat a propitious day toinsight sum uponwhat transpired throughout the week. A sort of BlogTalk Radio version Was tious day to sum up what transpired throughout the week. A sort of BlogTalk Radio version of That Was The Week That Was (TWTWTW). The Week That Was (TWTWTW). For those who cannot join us live, consider listening to the show by way of an MP3 download, or on For thoseWithin who cannot join us consider listening the the show by wayinof MP3 that download, orlink on demand. 15 minutes of live, a show’ s ending, you cantofind segment ouranarchive you may demand. Within 15 minutes of a show’ s ending, you can find the segment in our archive that you may link to using the hyperlink provided in the opening paragraph. to using the hyperlink provided in the opening paragraph. The entire archive is available and maintained for your perusal. The easiest way to find a particular interview The is available and maintained forfor yourtheperusal. easiest to findofa the particular interview is toentire searcharchive Google, or any other search engine, subjectThe matter or way the name interviewee. For isexample, to search Google, or any other search engine, for the subject matter or the name of the interviewee. search Google, Yahoo, AOL Search for Westchester On the Level, Blog Talk Radio, or use For the example, hyperlinksearch above.Google, Yahoo, AOL Search for Westchester On the Level, Blog Talk Radio, or use the hyperlink above.
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The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the living unbiased reporting of events and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers in, and/or employed in, and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/or employed in, Westchester County. The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable informaWestchester County.tion Thewithout Guardian willor strive to report fairly, andduty objectively, reliable informafavor compromise. Our first will be to the PEOPLE’S tion without favor or compromise. Our first duty will be to the PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO KNOW, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, RIGHT KNOW, by themay exposure ofthe truth, without fearoforFREEDOM hesitation, no matterTO where the pursuit lead, in finest tradition no matter where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. OF THE PRESS. The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and The Guardian will cover news and eventsAs relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester County. a weekly, rather than businesses all over Westchester County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with daily focusingwe onwill the instead immediacy more associated daily journals, seek of to delivery provide the broader, morewith comprejournals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive, chronological step-by-step accounting of events, enlightened hensive, chronological step-by-step accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate. Professional Dominican with analysis, where appropriate. Hairstylists & Nail Technicians Professional Dominican Hair Cuts • Styling •Nail Wash Technicians & Set •journalism’ Perming From amongst s classic key-words: who, what, when, Hairstylists & Pedicure • Acrylic Nails • Fill Ins • Silk Wraps • Nail Art Designs From amongst journalism’ s classic key-words: who, what, when, Highights • Coloring Hair • Extensions • Manicure • Eyebrow Waxing Cuts • Styling • Wash & Set •how, Permingthe why and how will drive our pursuit. We where, why, and Pedicure • Acrylic Nails • Fill Ins • Silkwhy, Wraps •and Nail Art Designs where, how, the why andand how drive our will use our •more time, ourwill resources, to pursuit. get past We the Highights • Coloring • Extensions • Manicure Eyebrowabundant Waxing Yudi’s Salon 610 Main St, New Rochelle, NY 10801 914.633.7600 will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate initial and damage often characteristic immediate Yudi’s Salon 610 Main St, New Rochelle, NY ‘spin’ 10801 914.633.7600 news releases, to ‘reach thecontrol’ very heart of the matter: the of truth. We will news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight whichWe cannot take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere. be obtained elsewhere. To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necesTo succeed, must recognize from theacknowledge outset that bigger is not necessarily better.we And, furthermore, we will that we cannot be sarily better. And, furthermore, we will acknowledge that we cannot all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentationbe of all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed. county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.
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CREATIVE DISRUPTION
calendar
Veterans Day at Temple Israel Center
Hackers? CyberWar? By JOHN F. McMULLEN
The Hacker Ethic
Temple Israel Center info@templeisraelcenter.org On Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11, 2012, the Brotherhood of Temple Israel Center, White Plains, NY, will honor those men and women who served in the military during the World War II years of 1941 through 1945. Veterans will be introduced, and will present a few remarks about their service in the war. A bagel and lox breakfast will be served. The program begins at 9:30 AM and all are welcome to honor these great heroes who fought to preserve the freedom of our country and the world. The Honorable Samuel
Fredman, one of the honorees, will serve as master of ceremonies for the program. The program is open to the public. No RSVP s required. For more information, contact Harold Nissen at hal2syl@aol.com or at (914) 723-4533. Temple Israel Center, www. TempleIsraelCenter.org, 280 Old Mamaroneck Road, White Plains, NY 10605, is a community of 825 members, and is associated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
Access to computers—and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works—should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative! All information should be free Mistrust authority — promote decentralization Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not criteria such as degrees, age, race, sex, or position You can create art and beauty on a computer Computers can change your life for the better (Steven Levy “Hackers” 230:1984) Television stories and newspaper reports today tend to portray “hackers” as terrorists, virus writers, and criminals. Yet, if we are to accept
“The Hacker Ethic” above, that would not seem to be the case. Hackers, to be sure, have not helped their case over the years by committing illegal acts that in some cases have sent them to prison. Yet they have always maintained that any illegal acts by true hackers were nothing more than trespassing and that a true hacker would never do anything to cause damage or for monetary profit. In their vocabulary, the people who did such dastardly acts should have been called “crackers” or just plain “computer criminals.” The best known advocate for hackers is Emmanuel Goldstein, editor and publisher of “2600: The Hacker Quarterly” (www.2600. com) and host of the weekly radio show “Off The Hook” – live in New York, rebroadcast, and streamed on the Internet -- (http://www.2600. com/offthehook/). 2600 (named after 2600 megahertz, the frequency of the analog telephone system prevalent in the 1960 – 1990 time period) regularly prints descriptions of security holes
in banking, credit card, home security, and any systems reliant on electronics or code systems. When asked before a House of Representative committee whether his magazine wasn’t “a manual of computer crime,” Goldstein replied “No, we expose security problems both so consumers will understand their risks and businesses will repair the security holes.” When then asked why he just didn’t call the businesses and tell them of the weakness, Goldstein replied “Because they deny the weakness and don’t do anything.” Goldstein further pointed out that half of his subscribers were law enforcement officials and corporate security personnel. Nowhere was Goldstein’s contention more substantiated that in a 1991 episode shown on the “NBC Evening News with Tom Brokow” (story --
http://www.phrack.org/issues. html?issue=35&id=10&mode=txt
-- 3rd story after the introduction gives complete background) in which Goldstein places a big white envelope marked “2600’ in big letters into a Federal Express pickup box. A hacker then kneels in front of the box and, within 10 minutes, “breaks the Continued on page 6
where are the thinkers who will foresee the forces of nature?
OPEN HOUSE Saturday November 10 and 17 10:00 a.m.
Changing the world requires revolutionary thinking that goes above and beyond, and at Vaughn College that’s the type of thinking we instill in you. Our students come with vision and expectations and leave ready to challenge the ordinary in the fields of engineering, technology, management and aviation. Vaughn offers an array of master’s, bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs — including one of the only degree programs in mechatronic engineering in the New York metropolitan area — and a faculty that is grounded in real-life experience. It’s no wonder that 95 percent of our graduates are employed or continue their education within one year of graduation. Set your sights on Vaughn College and start thinking above and beyond.
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CREATIVE DISRUPTION
Hackers? CyberWar? Continued from page 5
code” on the supposedly “unbreakable” 5 button lock manufactured by the Simplex Corporation. Goldstein said that when a State University of New York (“SUNY”) at Stony Brook student and hacker, concerned about the security of the locks after another SUNY student was attacked in her room, was able to crack the lock, Goldstein called Simplex to report the problem and was told that he was incorrect and that the locks, also used at JFK Airport, and on FedEx and UPS boxes, were completely secure and had “infinite combinations.” Goldstein corrected the spokesperson, saying that there were really 1,085 combinations. The spokesperson reluctantly agreed to the number but said that it would take at least four hours for a person knowledgeable in the coding structures to begin to “crack the lock.” The hacker who actually cracked the lock, Scott Skinner, explained the error in security, saying at the time, “While Simplex prefers people to think that there is an endless number of permutations to the lock, there are actually only 1,085. In most cases, even this number is greatly reduced -- if one knows that only three buttons are being used, it reduces the possibilities to 135. Additionally, we found that, once we had the combination to one Federal Express dropbox, it worked in every other one that we tried in the New York area.” Companies were reluctant to admit security holes, feeling that such admissions would lead to lack
of customer confidence and drive customers away. Donald Delaney, New York State Police (“NYSP”) Senior Investigator and NYSP’s first investigator handling computer crime, said at the time that one of his biggest problems was after a representative of a company would call the State Police all upset that the firm “had been hacked,” usually resulting in loss of money or of damage due to vandalism. He and his group would investigate and, if successful in apprehending those responsible, would often then be told by the original complainant that the firm did not wish to prosecute. “It was extremely annoying,” said Delaney, “that we would spend the taxpayers’ time and money conducting a criminal investigation and, upon successfully completing the investigation and arresting the perpetrators, find that the complainant wanted to walk away from the case.” The NYSP soon began to require that, if a company initiated a complaint, it would be required to attest that it would aid in prosecution if the investigation was successful. The reader may now interject,“This all took place twenty-one years ago. It may be interesting ancient history but what does it have to do with today – things must have changed by now.” Well, not really – The New York Times reported on October 24th that there had been a massive stealing of customer credit card information at 53 stores throughout the country – and that the breech was found on September 15th, a over a month before the information was released to the public!
A company spokesperson, acknowledging the breach, was quoted by the Times as saying that “as a precaution, customers who used their credit card at any one of the 63 Barnes & Noble stores where information was stolen should change their PINS and scan their accounts for unauthorized transactions.” – Great advice – five weeks after it became obvious that there was a problem, particularly since a B&N “high-ranking official” admitted that “hackers had used information from some customers’ credit cards to make unauthorized purchases.” B&N’s reason for withholding the information from its customers was that the Justice Department requested that it do so in order for the FBI to investigate who might be behind the break-in. The firm said that it had received two letters from the United States Attorney ‘s office for the Southern District of New York, saying that it did not have to report the attacks to its customers during the investigation (at least one of the letters said the company could wait until December 24th to tell the customers – to this skeptical observer, it seems that holding the information that long would mean both that B&N’s Christmas sales would not be impacted by customer wariness and that the perpetrators would have more time to “max out” the customers’ credit cards.) The B&N break-in may be just the tip of world-wide security problems. On the same day that the B&N story appeared, there was a page one story in the same New York Times, “Cyberattack On Saudi Firm Disquiets U.S.,” describing how hackers,
presumed to be Iranian, unleashed a computer virus on August 15th on Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s most valuable companies. The hackers chose August 15th because more than 55,000 of the firm’s employees were home from work, preparing for a major Islamic religious holiday. The virus is said to have erased data on 3/4s of Aramco’s corporate PCs and replaced the documents, e-mails, spreadsheets, and other files with an image of a burning American flag. Initial examinations by American security experts led to the belief that the attack was perpetrated by Iranians in retaliation for the alleged 2010 cyberattack by the United States and Israel upon Iran with the “Stuxnet” computer virus responsible for destroying centrifuges in an Iranian nuclear facility. These stories point out a continued lack of security in computer systems worldwide. The world has changed dramatically since the “Cold War” of the “Berlin Wall” and the “Cuban Missile Crisis.” Then we all knew who the players were – large and powerful nations – both held in check, if not by ethics, by the understanding that attacks would bring “mutual destruction.” Osama bin Laden and his friends taught us that you do not need an Army or even a country to wage war – you only need money and dedicated people willing to lose their lives in carrying out mass destruction. Now, as Richard Clarke, former National Security Council counterterrorism official, was quoted as saying “It (the attack) proved that you don’t have
to be sophisticated to do a lot of damage. There are lots of targets in the US where they could do the same thing.” In other words, people with criminal or lethal intent don’t have to arm themselves and risk their own lives to steal and / or commit mayhem. They can, with the proper knowledge, “sit home” and exploit weakness in computer systems to wreck havoc – hospital systems, the electric grid, air traffic control systems, military defense systems, as well as our financial systems may all be vulnerable. It’s up to us to demand that our government, businesses, health-care organizations, and all public utilities install and maintain as close to unbreakable systems as possible, paying “hackers” to continually try to crack the systems. Our lives, as well as our fortunes, are in their hands and, 21 years after the 2600 / FedEx fiasco, they don’t seem to all be doing a much better job now than they were then. Creative Disruption is a continuing series examining the impact of constantly accelerating technology on the world around us. These changes normally happen under our personal radar until we find that the world as we knew it is no more. John F. McMullen has been involved in technology for over 40 years and has written about it for major publications. He may be found on Facebook and his current non-technical writing, a novel, “The Inwood Book” and “New & Collected Poems by johnmac the bard” are available on Amazon. He is a professor at Purchase College and has previously taught at Monroe College, Marist College, and the New School for Social Research.
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The Art of Ganzeer By SHERIF AWAD
In the middle of Tahrir Square and throughout Egypt, murals and graffiti have proven to be powerful tools in reflecting the Egyptian people’s thoughts and motivations even before the days of the revolution. Many talented artists also excelled in caricaturizing the sociopolitical turmoil during Mubarak’s rule over the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) during his reign in office, and the SCAF’s transitional period up to and including the present day.
Despite their collective and creative talent and international recognition, these Egyptian artists were not shielded, much less protected from being chased down or apprehended by police forces or state security for the lines and strokes of their hands that kept on drawing. One of these artists goes by the professional name Ganzeer; and in the last few years, he succeeded in infusing an Egyptian sensibility and sarcasm specific to Egypt into his drawings whose original influenced was extracted from Eastern and Western comics. He also extended
his work to include photography and videos as part of huge installation projects in Egypt and worldwide. Ganzeer’s latest solo exhibition The Virus is Spreading opened last month in Safar Khan Gallery, a space that used to be famous for the showings of traditional paintings and sculpture. Ganzeer, whose given name is Mohamed Fahmy, became a professional artist and a graphic designer in 2005. He began to use this nickname thereafter, when translated means “Chain”. In his mind, Ganzeer – Chain defines his drawing because they connect elements between different ideas and objects, similar to his intention and purpose of his
Makwa (Laundry) Boy.
artistry. In hindsight, and as strange as it
seems now, Ganzeer revealed that he was rejected in aptitude tests when he was trying to study fine arts or filmmaking a decade ago. He would however eventually be admitted to the Faculty of Commerce that he did not like very much but found a way to overcome. During his college years until his graduation, he did not stop drawing and learning and talking to artists on the internet until he began to contribute with his own covers and illustrations for different regional publications like Campus and G-Mag. Ganzeer’s artistry was always linked to controversy. He remembered that one of the early covers he Continued on page 7
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 7
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The Art of Ganzeer Continued from page 6
designed for Campus generated a lot of discussion in the media because it was the first to reflect presidential succession through entailment in the Arab world. It was the year 2000 when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had just come to power, while in Egypt, rumors started to circulate about Gamal Mubarak who was endorsed in some Egyptian media to be the successor to his father Hosni Mubarak. The cover illustrated by Ganzeer caught the eyes of Amr Adeeb, the loud host of the popular talk show al-Kahera al-Youm (Cairo Today) on Orbit Network. When Addeb accidently picked up the issue
Slip of the Tongue
from the newsstands, it attracted him to the point where he discussed it over an entire segment of the show. In 2007, Ganzeer realized his first solo exhibition in Cairo’s Townhouse Galley. Entitled Egypt’s Titans, Ganzeer worked on creating gigantic icons out of normal people with regular jobs. Ganzeer created superheroes out of taxi drivers, scavengers and even sabi el-makwaky, the young boy who delivers laundry from Laundromats. In the group exhibition Why Not held at the Art Palace two years ago, Ganzeer became more sociopolitical. He contributed with an installation of drawing and paintings called Slip of the Tongue through which he was showing the power of controlling the masses through strong
speeches or statements. Further, he showed how a few words, said by someone, can ultimately control his fate. It was like a premonition of what happened to Ganzeer a year later. A few months after the January 25 Revolution, he attempted to post one of his most controversial posters, The Liberty Mask, along the streets of Cairo. The poster heavily criticized SCAF in its depiction of a man wearing a gas mask whose mouth and eyes were completely sealed. It incorporated and mimicked an advertising poster. It was a metaphor for fake freedom promoted at that time on national TV with many “cheap” promotions showing people smiling and enjoying life. In the middle of the
Safar Khan- The Virus is spreading.
street mayhem some people are seen supportive of and others against the Liberty Mask poster, Ganzeer was apprehended by the military police while pasting the poster in those Cairo streets. He remembers while in the police car, the poster was redistributed and reprinted at many activities until it took the aura of a viral campaign. Because many protesters gathered around the place where Ganzeer was held, he was treated in a very gentle way and freed that same night. The masked man depicted in the Liberty poster became a famous icon in the newest work by Ganzeer who has also used it with many variations in his exhibition at Safar Khan. Entitled The Virus is Coming, Continued on page 8
Arab Monarchy on Campus Magazine cover.
Libery Mask.
Ganzeer.
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Page 8
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The Art of Ganzeer Continued from page 7
the exhibition has transformed the two-level gallery with two styles fighting each other. While the upper level has commonly exhibited drawings, the lower level resembles a long and chaotic street mural with many stickers and graffiti that are trying to spread like a virus onto the upper level. Ganzeer uses the word “virus” as an analogy to the counterculture that continues to shake up the establishment; whether it is political, social or cultural. Although it tries to spread, the establishment continues in its effort to thwart its adoption and / or to stop it outright. This fight is reflective of what many Egyptians are currently feeling during the postrevolution climate; that the revolution is still on going because Egyptians have yet to witness a trace of true change in their lives. While in the process of putting the show together, Ganzeer couldn’t help but notice the look of confusion on the faces of pedestrians who passed by the gallery across Hassan Sabri Street in Zamalek. Their looks were very similar to those who were passing by his first public mural across Cairo streets. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sherif Awad is a film / video critic and curator. He is the film editor of Egypt Today Magazine (www.EgyptToday.com), and the artistic director for both the Alexandria Film Festival, in Egypt, and the Arab Rotterdam Festival, in The Netherlands. He also contributes to Variety, in the United States, and is the film critic of Variety Arabia (http://varietyarabia. com/), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Al-Masry Al-Youm Website (http://www.almasryalyoum.com/ en/node/198132) and The Westchester Guardian (www.WestchesterGuardian. com).
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Parting Words from Michael Freimuth By PEGGY GODFREY
The Office of New Rochelle Commissioner of Development under the leadership of Michael Freimuth has been well served. His departure this month leaves a vacuum that will be difficult to fill. Before his departure he gave The Westchester Guardian answers to the questions posed; they are: GODFREY: How would you describe your resume of accomplishments in the Office of Commissioner of Development for New Rochelle? FREIMUTH: I wish there were more in the way of ‘brick and mortar’ accomplishments, but my short time [in office], and the economic cycle worked against that… still, I was able to close the financing loop, and get into construction several major projects… such as Shiloh Housing and Heritage Homes. We were able to build a stronger review process for the IDA. We launched the first comprehensive planning effort in 15 years, and built significant bridges to the county business community. The Echo Bay project advanced to its current critical threshold and new projects such as the proposed hospital medical building are in the offing. Hopefully, the future of North Avenue and Iona investments will become more certain. GODFREY: Are there any serious issues that could hamper future development in New Rochelle? FREIMUTH: The city’s tax base has been flat… therefore, its difficult to find the resources to make critical public investments to encourage new growth. GODFREY: What geographical areas of New Rochelle have the greatest potential for development which will be beneficial for the taxpayers and residents of New Rochelle?
FREIMUTH: Certainly the waterfront and the downtown; but the area with the best potential payback is around the train station and the Exit 16 ramps from I-95. GODFREY: Echo Bay and the Armory are currently under consideration for development. Do you believe any of the current proposals justify the costs for moving the City Yard to a new location? FREIMUTH: First, let’s agree that the public works garage is sorely deficient and a financial and operational problem for the city, with or without the Echo Bay proposal. Then, from a pure planning perspective, why place such a use on the limited, publicly controlled waterfront? So the question becomes, is the redevelopment of Echo Bay sufficiently beneficial to the city to pay for the costs of relocating and re-orienting the garage operation’s at this time, recognizing that the task is looming for the City regardless… I think the answer will prove to be it will. GODFREY: It has been reported New Rochelle’s Industrial Development Agency (NRIDA) had approved projects (2010) with the second highest costs per job (over $30,000) in New York State. Since you were given advisory status for the IDA can you explain how this cost was justified? FREIMUTH: The Comptroller and The Journal News reports do not fairly evaluate the mission accomplishments and objectives of the NRIDA relative to the costs… for the most part, NRIDA has undertaken affordable and market rate housing projects which are poor job generators. Yet the costs of housing projects are as high in creating a distorted picture when you’re simply evaluating cost per job. Further, many of these locations are not producing taxes of any kind as empty lots or buildings. New
taxes are therefore net gains and the argument that the discount from full taxes costs the general taxpayer fails to note the zero that sits on the books at the start. Further, such evaluation fails to fairly evaluate the service demand against the tax generation. GODFREY: Can development ever achieve a stronger tax base for New Rochelle if abatements continue to be granted? FREIMUTH: Yes, but they should graduate to a full value within some reasonable time frame, probably 10-15 years for commercial, maybe a little longer for housing. Certainly they must reach full taxation before the depreciation of the asset fully runs its course. The ‘pump has to be primed’ to quote an old New Dealer, stimulating investment for the long term with short term incentives can and does work. GODFREY: Are the taxpayers better off now than they were before recent developments? FREIMUTH: Some developments redefine a community, for better or for worse. For me personally, the high rises downtown attracted me to the city. Discovering the beautiful neighborhoods and the unique and urban surprises (food on Union Avenue, for instance!) are positive paybacks that don’t always get recognized. Fundamentally, New Rochelle suffers in that a large part of its ‘wealth’ leaks out to other areas (residents spending their money in White Plains rather than here for instance). Good developments need to capture that wealth. GODFREY: The Planning Department is working on a new comprehensive plan. Do you know the parameters that are being used to finalize a new plan? FREIMUTH: This is still very much a project in the making… citizen input has been growing as the word has gotten around. The
parameters, whether policy or physical areas, has yet to be defined. GODFREY: Are there any ways the approval process for new development proposals can be improved? FREIMUTH: It is necessary to free up the SEQRA regime. It is too cumbersome, laced with time delays, difficult to define risk, and subject to abuse. Clarity in the Master Plan and Zoning Code would go a long way to expediting projects. Of course, some do not want projects to advance in their neighborhoods. Improvement in the approval process will only come [about] when there is sound community consensus and trust in the decision making process. GODFREY: What is your vision for the future of New Rochelle? Do you feel it should remain a suburban community? If not, why should the city become more urbanized? FREIMUTH: New Rochelle is essentially built out with the exception of its downtown core, especially around the transit facility. It will become more urban because the market wants it to be. The trick is to drive the market to the best municipal payback through careful rules and plans, but also by being receptive to growth where it can be accommodated. Developers like clarity and minimal risk. Create this environment and the consequences of growth can be minimized while the benefits can be optimized. Commissioner Freimuth will be starting his new position in Hartford where he will run the Capital Regional Development Authority. The City of New Rochelle is already advertising for a new Commissioner. Whoever is selected will have a tough act to follow. Peggy Godfrey is a freelance writer, a community activist, and former educator.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 9
FORESTS AND TREES
It’s About the Buying Power Don’t Worry about China, Worry about The Fed By FREDERICK EUCLID Perhaps one of the most underrated comments in the October 3 Presidential Debate was when Mitt Romney inferred that he would evaluate the merits of government programs based upon the understanding that we would need to borrow the money from China to fund them. So who buys the approximately $16 trillion in US Treasury bonds and notes that floats our federal government?
We Lowly Citizens
We can ballpark the numbers, but between China and Japan, about $2.6 trillion can be tracked. The Social Security Trust Fund holds another $2.7 trillion or so. Those Social Security taxes we lowly nonmembers of the US Congress pay are converted to bonds so the government can use our retirement money for important things like welfare for
illegal aliens. US households own about another trillion dollars with pension funds and state and local governments owning another half of a trillion each. But here is the one that really should frighten you. The United States Federal Reserve currently owns between $3 and $7 trillion in US debt. Why such a wide range? Because the Fed is omnipotent. We are not allowed to know what the most powerful unelected institution in the history of mankind is doing.
Merry Band of Men
When you hear the media bubble heads droning on about “monetizing the debt” or “QE3” (quantitative easing round three), basically what they are talking about is Ben Bernake and his merry band of men cranking up the printing presses to create money from thin air which
is then used to enable the spend-aholics that run our government. If your reaction to learning this is “wow, what a great idea, we should do more of this”, then you should stop reading right now and rush out to buy up all the rose colored eyeglasses you can find. Because those eyeglasses may cost $5 today but when Ben and the boys are done, they should run you about $50. As is the case with all things in nature and economics, the bill eventually comes due.
It’s The Value of the Dollar
There is no mystery as to why gold has run to over $1700 per ounce. Have you ever wondered why oil is $90 per barrel even though US consumption keeps dropping while we keep pumping more every year from the wonder known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”? The answer is that these commodities are “dollardenominated”, meaning you need US Dollars to buy them. With no negative changes in the supply of these commodities, the price has sky rocketed due to the lack of buying power of the buck.
This is the greatest economic threat to average Americans and they don’t even realize it. Far worse than a tax increase is the loss of buying power. Ask any regular grocery shopper how many fewer bags of groceries their usual $200 buys today. If you believe the government’s inflation statistics, then we’ll assume you’ve already stocked up on your rose colored glasses.
Time is Ticking
The fuse to the bomb is lit and no one really knows how long that fuse really is. The bomb goes off when interest rates rise and the servicing cost on that debt becomes catastrophic or we run into another economic calamity or major terrorist attack. What’s even more disgraceful is that the answers are so simple yet painful. First and foremost we need to grow our economy by at least 3% per year to increase tax revenues. Second, we need to significantly scale back entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare and Medicaid. Serious
tax reform would be helpful. Let’s not forget that we really need to reign in the Fed so any future enabling could only come from the voters. If your vote this year is based upon which candidate is most likely to pay for your birth control, I would suggest that you are one of those folks who would have spent their time rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. It would be a travesty if we allowed this “oh so obvious” disaster to strike us without at least casting our votes for those that recognize the perdicament we are in. I can almost hear the conversations going on between The US Treasury and the Federal Reserve: “If we could just chop down a few dozen of these trees, I think we’ll be able to see the forest.” Forests and Trees The Commentary by Frederick Euclid can be viewed at http://forestsandtreescommentary.blogspot. com. eMail to Frederick Euclid can be directed to FrederickEuclid@gmail.com
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
CHRONICLES OF CROTON’S BOHEMIA
Star-Crossed Lovers: Jack Reed and Louise Bryant, 1 By ROBERT SCOTT Wait for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Off somewhere a bell will toll mournfully with a low, cheerless sound. Outside all will be gloomy and sodden. Now begin reading this sad tale of love and loss a lifetime ago. It opens in 1915 in Portland, Oregon.Louise Bryant,a bored homemaker with aspirations of becoming a poet and writer, is married to a dentist. With husband Paul Trullinger, she shares an unconventional home--a rented houseboat on the Willamette River. She is independent enough to keep her maiden name and have a separate studio in the city. She had heard about Jack Reed long before they met. Louise had diligently sold subscriptions to The Masses, the magazine edited by Max Eastman to which Jack Reed was a contributor. A Harvard graduate, Reed was a dashing war correspondent. In 1914, he covered Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution. Villa affectionately called him “Chatito” (pug nose). Reed was a big, burly bear of a man, six feet tall, large-boned and lanky, with green eyes and a mop of curly red hair. Reed had come home to Portland on a visit, speaking at luncheons and teas in his honor. It was inevitable that they should meet. At the time he was deep in a romance with wealthy Mabel Dodge but anxious to escape from her clutches. Louise and Jack met secretly until he was assigned to cover the European war on the eastern front in Serbia and Russia. They pledged their love, and Reed promised to come back to her in a year. He returned to Portland at Christmastime in 1915, and they renewed their trysts. It was obvious to everyone in their circle that they were hopelessly in love. In a letter to Sally Robinson, wife of the artist who had toured the eastern front with Reed, he
was ecstatic about Louise: “I have fallen in love again, and think I have found her at last. She’s two years younger than I.” [She was actually two years older.] Reed added, “She’s wild and brave and straight, and graceful and lovely to look at.” He admitted she was “the first person I’ve ever loved without mental reservations.” Louise decided she would leave her devoted husband of six years. Wearing the small bunch of violets her husband gave her, she boarded a train in Portland two days before New Year’s Eve. When her train pulled into Grand Central Terminal in New York City on January 4, 1916, Jack Reed was waiting. He had rented a room for her in his building on Washington Square South in Greenwich Village, but she never occupied it. Instead, she moved into his apartment.
Young and Beautiful
Roger Baldwin, director of the American Civil Liberties Union for thirty years, described her as “striking-of course young and beautiful in a very pure sort of way, not made up at all, and with a lot of courage needed to swim against the tide politically. Her hair was dark, her eyes gray-blue, Irish, changing.” Louise went to work as an assistant on The Masses. Dorothy Day, who later founded the Catholic Worker movement, also worked there. The staff, mostly male, were jealous of Louise, Day noted. “She had no right to have brains and be so pretty. They were constantly minimizing her.” Jack Reed finally made the break with Mabel Dodge. Early one evening the doorbell rang at Reed’s apartment. Louise, holding a lighted candle, opened the door. “Is Jack Reed here?” the woman caller asked. Reed appeared and recognized Mabel Dodge. He introduced the two women.
“Reed,” Mabel said, “I came to ask you for your old typewriter, if you’re not using it.” “Louise is using it,” Jack told her. “Oh, all right, I only thought. . . .” Mabel’s voice trailed off. She turned and left, her curiosity satisfied about her successor to Jack’s affection. Despite living openly with Louise, Jack Reed could not resist the temptation of an occasional affair. He admitted to five in the first 18 months of their relationship. For her part, perhaps as retribution, she was not above an occasional dalliance. She saw painter Andrew Dasburg, who walked with a slight limp, when Jack was out of town. When Jack and Louise went to Provincetown on Cape Cod for the summer, she succumbed to the dark Irish appeal of a rising new talent, Eugene O’Neill. After all, they were practicing free love--sexual relations without marriage or formal obligations.
To Croton
Tired of Greenwich Village’s round of parties and radical politics and desirous of finding a place where they could get some work done, Jack and Louise went house hunting in Croton-on-Hudson. Mabel Dodge and Max Eastman had found
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weekend homes there. Masses artist Boardman Robinson and his wife Sally had bought a house next to Max Eastman’s. Louise described Croton as “quiet and peaceful and happy,” a place they could “work out here uninterrupted, and play in town.” She told Jack, “We can’t put off real work year after year.” By the end of October, they had found a house for sale, a white cottage with black shutters, the same one Mabel Dodge had rented before deciding to lease Finney Farm. Jack had always had problems with an impaired kidney. When it became obvious that major surgery would be necessary, they decided to get married. Louise insisted on secrecy because the July 7 divorce from her dentist husband would not become final for six months. She later recalled their November 9 wedding in a memoir: “That year [1916] he suffered terribly and was ordered to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He said to me, ‘Well, honey, I think we’ll have to get married, because I might die, and there seems to be a good chance that I will, and I want you to have everything I’ve got.’”
Marriage
Louise misremembered the name of the city, thinking it was Poughkeepsie. It was Peekskill, an error perpetuated in the Croton Historical Society’s official 1976 history, which also gets the year wrong. It was 1916, not 1917. The date was November 9. “We were married at the little city hall,” Louise wrote. “The clerk, sitting in his shirt sleeves, called to someone in the other room, ‘Come in here, Bill,
and get another witness.’ So they all stood up and mumbled a few words, we signed our names, and the clerk handed me my wedding certificate, saying, ‘Hang on to this, lady, you may need it some day.’” She gave her age as 26 but she was actually 31. He was 29. Louise’s sole insecurity was her age. She repeatedly fibbed about it. Three days after their marriage, Jack left for Baltimore, where his diseased kidney was removed. Louise was suddenly stricken with a mysterious illness and returned to the city to be treated by Greenwich Village’s favorite gynecologist, rotund, Polishborn Dr. Harry Lorber. The gossip was that she was suffering from a botched abortion and the father was Eugene O’Neill. In 1917, Jack’s antiwar activities kept him away from Croton in May. Louise went to Provincetown to spend a week with O’Neill. When Jack returned to an empty house in Croton and discovered where she was, he sent her a cryptic telegram. “Peach tree blooming and wrens have taken their house,” it said. She returned immediately.
Reporting the War
Jack confessed to having had affairs while he was away. A blowup ensued. Louise concluded that a separation would do them both good. She decided to go to France to cover the war. Boardman Robinson got her credentials from the newly formed Bell Syndicate. She sailed alone for Europe through submarine-infested waters on the French liner Espagne in June, while Jack remained and buried himself in work for the New York Evening Mail, which was secretly German-owned. Louise demonstrated remarkable zeal in pursuing stories but was frustrated because the French had closed the front to female journalists and she could only gather material behind the lines. She managed to get to the front briefly.When American troops arrived, she was the only reporter present, and the soldiers greeted her with delight. On her return to the States in August, Jack, in a white Shantung suit and Panama hat, was at the dock to meet her with surprising news: They’d both be leaving for Russia in four days. Robert Scott is a semi-retired book publisher and local historian. He lives in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 11
BUSINESS: MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
When a Magazine Falls in the Forest, What Takes Its Place? By LARRY M. ELKIN
What is a magazine? The question may seem deceptively simple, or needlessly obtuse. But it is a real problem, and one that the many longstanding publications face. The most recent to face it is Newsweek, which announced last week that the 80-year-old magazine would transition to an all-digital format. The last print issue will appear on Dec. 31. The final paper issue will be a magazine by anyone’s definition. It will have printed pages containing photographs and text, held together by staples and folds. Will the following week’s issue still be a magazine when it arrives on browsers and iPads and Kindles? Or will it have become something else? I don’t quarrel with the decision by Tina Brown, Newsweek’s editor, to kill the paper edition. Digital delivery is unquestionably the future of news and information. I wonder, though, what the title “Newsweek” (or “Newsweek Global,” as the digital publication is to be called) will mean going forward. The Daily Beast, Newsweek’s online home,
updates more or less continuously, as other online news sources do. What will distinguish Newsweek from all other instant news media with which it competes? Many Newsweek readers have already switched from print to digital, or have found their news analysis elsewhere. Humorist Michael J. Nelson tweeted after the announcement, “Newsweek magazine to go out of print, prompting millions to cry out, ‘Newsweek was still in print?’” Though a joke, it has a ring of truth considering the magazine’s sharp falloff in subscribers – a 31.6 percent drop in 2010 alone, according to Pew Research. Blogger Andrew Sullivan, whose column “The Dish” appears on The Daily Beast, offered a longer and more thoughtful reaction to the shift in Newsweek’s format, asking, “But since every page on the web is now as accessible as every other page, how do you connect writers together with paper and staples, instead of having readers pick individual writers or pieces and ignore the rest?” He suggests that what defined magazines was that connection between writers, overseen by an editor and presented in a bundle. Though
writers are now often nominally housed together on websites, readers pick and choose with much more ease than preInternet media allowed. The weekly news magazine’s traditional role was to be more thoughtful or analytical than a daily newspaper. Back in the days when a daily paper was a household staple, news magazines permitted those readers who didn’t have the time or inclination to read the morning paper cover to cover to catch up on special or important events in the world. News magazines allowed such readers to be as well informed as – or sometimes better informed than – their daily paper-reading counterparts. It is unclear how this slower, more analytical style will adapt to a digital future.Will the fully digital “Newsweek” revisit an event, such as one of the recent presidential debates, substantially after it happens? How much later? A day? A few days? A week? Will journalists reflect on events from a chronological step back, or will they feel pressure to deliver their analysis as rapidly as CNN? Remaking the vehicle itself is probably the easiest part of the process. Newsweek already offers a digital edition; its tablet presence is growing
rapidly, according to Brown. Remaking the publication’s content to be relevant and competitive in a digital age, to an audience with a near-infinite variety of information sources from which to choose, will be a much greater challenge. Americans haven’t lost their appetite for news. They’ve just lost their appetite for news delivered via dead trees. USA Today reported recently on a Pew Research Center study that found only 23 percent of respondents in spring 2012 said they had read a print newspaper the day before the survey; in 2000, the figure was 47 percent. Magazine readers in the same study fell from 26 percent to 18 percent. Newsweek isn’t the first publication to take the plunge and go digital only. SmartMoney went all-digital in September. New Orleans’ newspaper, The Times-Picayune, transitioned to printing only three days a week earlier this year. Detroit’s newspapers, though they still appear on newsstands daily, are only available for home delivery three days a week. Bloomberg reported several months ago that Newsweek was projected to lose as much as $22 million this year, largely because of the cost of
printing and distributing its traditional, paper-based product. Depending on how you define a magazine, the form may or may not survive the transition away from paper. Whether that’s to be lamented will depend on what arises to take its place. Journalism itself is alive and well; it’s the old model of mass-circulation, advertising-supported, printed periodicals that is following the telegram into history. I don’t think we will ultimately lose the art of exploring current events deeply and reflectively. We are just in the process of creating new digital canvases on which journalists can practice that art.
Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®, has provided personal financial and tax counseling to a sophisticated client base since 1986. After six years with Arthur Andersen, where he was a senior manager for personal financial planning and family wealth planning, he founded his own firm in Hastings on Hudson, N.Y., in 1992. That firm grew steadily and became the Palisades Hudson organization, which moved to Scarsdale, N.Y., in 2002. The firm expanded to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2005 and to Atlanta in 2008.
MUSIC
THE SOUNDS OFBLUE By Bob Putignano
Merl Saunders Jerry Garcia “Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings” Fantasy/Concord
There’s no parallel between these tracks & the Grateful Dead! Rating: 8 Recorded live on July 10 and 11, 1973 at the Keystone club in Berkeley, California, and these four discs capture the mystical/musical kinship between Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia. For those of us who love bonus tracks; there are seven previously unreleased tracks. The solid and hard cardboard case is about one inch in height, plus there’s a twenty-eight page hi-gloss booklet featuring vintage photos with liner notes by Dead-head guru David Gans. Each disc is packaged
in a foldout digipack, and if that’s not enough there’s a poster, coaster, button, and a small notebook that I originally suspected were rolling papers, not! As usual John Kahn plays bass as he did on most of Jerry’s side projects, Bill Vitt drums, Merl on vocals and various keys, plus Jerry’s signature guitar and vocals. David Grisman sits in on mandolin for Dylan’s “Positively Fourth Street.” All in all there are twenty-four tracks included most of them chunky time-wise which should surprise no one. This band is not like the Grateful Continued on page 12
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MUSIC
The Sounds of Blue
Continued from page 11 Dead, let me repeat: this band is not Grateful Dead like music. This jazzy band is roots oriented they cover tunes by Chuck Willis, Junior Parker, Smokey Robinson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jimmy Cliff, Don Nix, Dan Penn, Arthur Crudup, Lightnin’ Hopkins, this should give you a good idea about the rootsy sounds created and the genre territories covered. There are also two tunes that Saunders
co-wrote, and none by Garcia which is an interesting tidbit. The birth of this band started at the long defunct Matrix club in San Francisco where they typically jammed weekly when Jerry was on not on the road with the Grateful Dead. Seventeen of twenty-four tracks were previously released as a double LP, and later on CD, originally recorded by longtime Dead associates Betty Cantor and Rex Jackson, production credits are equally dispersed amongst the four main musicians. So if you own
previous versions of this recording, the only reason to grab yourself a copy is for the seven bonus tracks, and the unique packaging. But if you ask me, the bonus tracks alone are worth it, and the price tag is very reasonable. There’s just not enough Merl-Jerry commercial product for me to ingest and I am always on the prowl looking for more. I’ve always felt the Saunders brought out and extracted a different side of Garcia, a side that was more jazz oriented, blues and rhythm and blues surfaced readily, and the deep
grooves (especially from Saunders B3) allowed Garcia alternate landscapes to explore. Additionally; within the Dead’s universe there was far more pressure and egos to deal with. With Merl it seemed obvious that the musical state-of-affairs were more casual, yet no intensity is lost.The tunes on these four CD’s are not analogous to the Grateful Dead, again; this is not Grateful Dead like music. Just turn it on, turn it up and be ready to explore and groove. No lava lamp or light show is required. Just straight-up music that
doesn’t take you to outer space nor does it ever space out. Bob Putignano www.SoundsofBlue.com
MOVIE REVIEW
Ed Koch Movie Reviews By Edward I. Koch
Movie Review: “Argo” (+)
Taylor (Victor Garber), the Canadian Ambassador to Iran at the time. The Central Intelligence Agency in Washington. D.C. began to plan a rescue mission. The agent in charge, Tony Mendez,is played by Ben Affleck who also directed the movie. Other cast members include Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham and Kerry Bishe. Every performer is superb. Even though the audience knows
that the hostages are ultimately rescued, the tension in the film is extraordinarily high and the music, which appropriately stirs emotions, is marvelous. There is a wonderful scene when the six escaped hostages are aboard a Swiss plane and the captain announces that they have just left Iranian airspace. Everyone applauds ending the tension. The same type of announcement used to be made when American planes were leaving the Soviet Union. Until an aircraft departs a country with a despotic government, those inside
a departing plane fear they will be called back, even when they have done nothing illegal. I was mayor when the 52 remaining hostages were freed on January 2, 1981. I immediately announced that we wanted to hold a ticker-tape parade in their honor. Although the State Department did not initially endorse the parade, it eventually blessed the event which was held 10 days later in lower Manhattan along the stretch of Broadway known as the Canyon of Heroes.
Movie Review: “Holy Motors” (-)
in a huge white stretch limousine as big as a bus. Mr. Oscar dons various disguises, and at each stop, he departs the car for an adventure generally ending in a death. No one sketch or episode is connected with another. It could be a dream or a surreal or inexplicable world. There was applause when the movie ended. One patron said to me,“What was that about?” I replied, “You’ll have to ask someone in the audience who applauded. It made no sense to me.” Other cast members include Michel
Piccoli, Edith Scob, Kylie Minogue and Eva Mendes. After seeing the film I read Manohla Dargis’s review in The New York Times. She apparently like this picture directed by Leos Carax, writing in part: “That world is full of laughter, horror, rapture and eddies and swells of despair. It’s an episodic work of great visual invention - from scene to scene, you never see what’s coming - that reminds you just how drearily conventional many movies are. You want three acts? How dull. A pretty
protagonist? Oh, please. The triumph of the human spirit? Go away. Mr. Carax has nothing for you. What he has are weird tales; beautifully whirling, gyrating bodies; an anguished song, a sense of drift and the steady (heart) beat of lament. And still, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet: at one point a diabolical creature crawls out of a Paris sewer, bites off a woman’s fingers and then licks Eva Mendes’s bare underarm, painting her creamy skin red with his tongue.” For me, this movie was a total waste of time.
on all parts of his body. Mark finds a sex therapist, Cheryl (Helen Hunt), who agrees to have intercourse with him as part of his therapy. She tells Mark that the difference between herself and a prostitute is that the latter wants the relationship to go on forever, while she will only commit to six sessions. The relationship between Mark and Cheryl is marvelous to behold. There are no salacious scenes, even though Mark at first ejaculates prematurely and worries that his penis might be too large to penetrate. Cheryl assures him it won’t be a problem. This film, based on a true story, is
warm, affectionate, endearing and witty, and the actors’ performances are brilliant. Henry Stern said: “The Sessions” is a serious movie about an important subject - male impotence. Mark, a gifted poet, paralyzed by polio, is likely to die young and wants to have sex with a woman before he goes. Despite its subject matter, the picture is not obscene in any way. People who attend to satisfy their prurient interests will be disappointed. For the rest of us, the movie explores a subject rarely discussed with such honesty and frankness. The movie aims to be enlightening and not boring. It remains,
however, an outlier of a film, unlikely to lead to a sequel or deeper inquiry into the subject. For this sort of film, the outcome is relatively happy. It does not, however, stir the emotions that Deborah Kerr showed in “Tea and Sympathy.”
This truly great film depicts the 1979 American hostage crisis in Iran. The Iranians had just expelled the Shah who fled to the U.S., and they welcomed the Ayatollah Khomeini back to their country. Iranian students took over the American embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Six American diplomatic employees who managed to escape were taken in by Ken
This French movie with English subtitles, playing at the Film Forum, was given five stars by Miriam Bale in her Daily News review. I went to see it because it started at a convenient time for me,and I thought her review assured a good flick.Was I wrong. The picture includes about a dozen, so to speak, chapters in the life of a man referred to as Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant). He is driven through the night
Movie Review: “The Sessions” (+)
It must have taken an enormous amount of courage to make this film because of its basic theme. Mark (John Hawkes) is a 38-yearold polio victim confined to an iron lung for most of the day, with the exception of a few hours. He confesses to Father Brendan (William H. Macy) that he is a virgin and wants to have an intimate relationship with a woman.Mark is unable to do anything for himself, and while his muscles have atrophied, he can feel the sensation of a touch
Visit the Mayor at the Movies to learn more: http://www.mayorkoch.com/. The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served as a member of Congress from New York State from 1969 through 1977, and New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 13
SPORTSSCENE
Sports Scene By MARK JEFFERS
Welcome to the fall sports sectional playoff edition of “Sports Scene,” where we take a look at the great sports action here in Westchester
County… Scarsdale resident NBA Commissioner David Stern has announced that he will retire on Feb. 1, 2014 after serving the league for 30 years. Our friend Adam Silver the Deputy Commissioner will then take over the top spot. Bronxville junior Mary Cain the two-time defending Class C State Champion in cross country, has officially signed on with famed coach and runner Alberto Salazar, this will form quite a powerful team for an Olympic run in 2016; good luck Mary.
Our Bedford buddy Carl Alexander has been named the recipient of the 2012 Horton Smith Award for outstanding and continuing contributions to professional golf education. Carl is the PGA director of golf at The Golf Club of Purchase and a frequent guest on our radio show “The Clubhouse”. Great work Carl. Harrison’s Louisa Chirico went undefeated in five singles matches to lead the U.S. tennis squad to the Junior Fed Cup World Championship recently held in Barcelona, Spain. Ossining High’s standout girls basketball star Saniya Chong has decided to shoot hoops for UConn next year, good luck Saniya. Bronxville’s Dylan Murray came up a bit short losing to Jullian Illingsworth in the U.S. Squash Championships. The high school action was record setting last week, legendary coach Tony DeMatteo became the first football in Section 1 history to win 300 games, DeMatteo 300th win was a 34-7 victory over Hen Hud. In a thriller, it was
Brewster over Panas 21 to 20. Sleepy Hollow crushed Saunders 34-0; Ronny Munoz scored 3 touchdowns for the Headless Horseman. In more record setting news, Lakeland High’s outstanding field hockey coach Sharon Sarsen collected her 500th victory as her Hornets beat Somers 6-0. Rye slipped past Harrison 1-0, Alex Bennett scored the lone goal, and Lacey Collins made 10 saves for the shutout. Mamaroneck fired past Edgemont 6-0; Rachel Brissette had a hat trick for the Tigers. In volleyball; Ossining got past Mamaroneck by the final score of 3 games to 1, Saniya Chong had 24 kills. Peekskill blanked Lakeland 3-0; Morgan Beechum smashed 10 kills for the winners. Turning to some boys’ soccer action, Sleepy Hollow beat Ardsley 3-1, Oscar Salazar popped in 2 goals for the winners. Peekskill shutout Panas 1-0, Axel Castillo made 10 saves for the Red Devils. On the girls’ side, Edgemont defeated Dobbs Ferry 4 to 1; Carolina
Sguerra scored twice and added an assist. Yorktown got by Carmel 1-0, Heidi Gspurning scored the game winner. In swimming action, White Plains swam past Eastchester 94 to 78. Horace Greeley edged out Fox Lane 95 to 90 at SUNY Purchase. Over on the tennis courts, Ursuline aced Horace Greeley 5-0 to win the section’s first-ever team championship, the Koalas finished the year 13-0. Running over to some cross country results, senior Natalie Tanner from Rye Neck ran through the pack to win the girls varsity Bobcat Run with a time of 19 minutes, 24.9 seconds, you know it takes me that long to just to tie my sneakers... In area college action, Iona Prep grad Alem Pelinkovic scored his first goal to lead Manhattanville College’s soccer squad to a 3-1 victory over DeSales.The lady Valiants also defeated DeSales by the same 3-1 score; Brittney Smith scored three goals to lead the way. Purchase College’s men’s golf team
tied for third at the Skyline Conference Championships, their coach James Alfredo was named the conference’s coach of the year. The Mercy College field hockey team beat visiting Richard Stockton College of New Jersey 2-0. The College of New Rochelle took seventh place at the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference Cross Country championships, Taylor Fisher was the top Blue Angel finisher placing 15th. In more CNR news, freshman Deanna Tozzo of Shrub Oak and a Lakeland High graduate was named conference rookie of the week for the third time. Good luck to all our local high school sports fall teams as they head into sectional playoffs…see you next time.
suicide bombings and Jerome’s relation with the gang. It begins amusingly enough. Rahim is preparing for his suicide bombing atop the Empire State Building. Quala, as the Somalian is known, kneels before him and rummages in Rahim’s underwear, fiddling with the deadly device concealed there. It is extremely uncomfortable as it painfully jostles Rahim’s testicles, which, moreover, may sweat and thus incapacitate the fuse, although Rahim protests that they never do. Quala insists on shaving the pubic hair, which Rahim hates to do, but wires may get entangled in it. And so on. Things become entangled too when, later, Jerome enters the scene. He brings a package with bomb ingredients that has been erroneously delivered to him, and for the longest time the terrorist trio considers eliminating him. But they come to an agreement. “That’s family,” Jerome concludes, “they make you feel terrible and stupid. And you have to love them anyway.’ He also wonders why the terrorists so hate America. Don’t
Americans do that sufficiently? But cuteness and pretentiousness prevail. The play is written out in some sort of verse. Take this passage, where Quala envies the martyr’s role:
Or I would take a crisp bite Into the sweet fruit of martyrdom, Martyr juice all just Just all dripping down my chin. Everyday I pray that Allah will Continued on page 14
Mark Jeffers resides in Bedford Hills, New York, with his wife Sarah, and three daughters, Kate, Amanda, and Claire.
EYE ON THEATRE
Terrorists in Apt. 2A By JOHN SIMON
Politics are beginning to creep into the current theater. This can be fine if the writing is good, but, of course, good writing can make any subject valid. In any case, “Modern Terrorism,” by Jon Kern, will appeal only to those who groove on things like the full title, which is “Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them.” The cast list reads: “Rahim Janjua, man, 20, Pakistani educated in America; Yalda Abbasi, woman, 24,
Pakistani-American.” So far, so good. But now: “Qualalaase (Abdi Dalmar Mohamed), man, 29, Somali educated in Western schools in Africa; rubs his chin because he’s uncomfortable being clean shaven; Jerome, man, 27, born and raised in the Midwest; living in Brooklyn; maybe trying to start a band; he doesn’t know.” How cute can you get? Jerome is a white slacker living in 3A, just above the gang in 2A, who gets involved with the terrorists, even falls in love with one of them, and joins in the terrorist activities. But eventually all goes wrong, both with the planned
(L-R): Steven Boyer, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Nitya Vidyasagar. Photo by and courtesy of Joan Marcus.
If only I wasn’t so valuable alive
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
EYE ON THEATRE
Terrorists in Apt. 2A Continued from page 13
grant my wish And make my life less important So that I could throw it all away.
There is some sporadic fun, as with Rahim’s obsession with “Star Wars, whose adored score he keeps humming, and which, in the form of a pillow case, will later be pulled over his head. (Don’t ask me to explain.) We also get a couple of fairly
preposterous love scenes—a sadomasochistic one and a Liebestod. But finally the play doesn’t make it in any of its scrambled genres—thriller, love story, farce. Nor is it helped by the rubatos the director, Peter DuBois, imposes on its rhythm. The casting,too,is uneven.Utkarsh Ambudkar does well by Rahim, and is particularly distinguished by excellent diction. Likewise convincing is William Jackson Harper as Quala, at least to the extent that the role allows. But as Jerome, Steven Boyer lapses
into caricature, even to the extent of a weird drawl rich in slurred syllables, damaging some genuinely comic moments. And although competent as Yalda, Nitya Vidyasagar, supposed to be beautiful, is anything but. Alexander Dodge’s set does full justice to the requisite small, cheap Brooklyn apartment, though he does indulge, once again, in a hobbyhorse: colored lights—in this case, pigeonholes in the top of a black backdrop, which nonsensically light up in different hues, and should not, I think,
be blamed on the lighting designer, Russell H. Champa. At one point, the tied up, threatened and terrified Jerome is supposed to have a runny nose, which must be visible to both Quala across the room and us in the audience. I myself could perceive snottiness only in Jon Kern’s writing. Second Stage Theatre, 305 West 43rd Street (@ 8th Avenue), New York, NY 10036, Tel: 212-246-4422. John Simon has written for over 50 years on theatre, film, literature, music and fine
GOVERNMENTSection MAYOR Marvin’s COLUMN
We receive many calls at Village Hall and track the concerns or issues of our residents. When the same issues seem to reoccur, we realize we are not doing our best at communicating to our constituents.
The following are subjects of inquiry that deserve clarification/ dissemination. Our senior citizens who have received yearly STAR exemptions should have received a letter from the Village with instructions as to how to continue this tax exemption. If you have not, please call Village Hall expeditiously. Also, if you are new to Bronxville and qualify for the Enhanced STAR school tax exemption (you must be 65 years old with a family income of $79,500 or less), call us for an application. Most home improvement projects require a building permit from the Village. The terms of a Village permit allow work to be done from 8AM to
To learn more, visit the JohnSimonUncensored.com
GOVERNMENT
Subjects of Inquiry Deserving of Clarification/Dissemination By MARY C. MARVIN
arts for the Hudson Review, New Leader, New Criterion, National Review, New York Magazine, Opera News, Weekly Standard, Broadway.com and Bloomberg News. Mr. Simon holds a PhD from Harvard University in Comparative Literature and has taught at MIT, Harvard University, Bard College and Marymount Manhattan College.
6PM on weekdays only. If the project is one for which a permit is not required, for example painting, work can be done on weekends. However, even work acceptable to do on weekends must respect the Village’s noise ordinance and not create an undue disturbance. Villagers can call the police department with any noise concerns. If you anticipate doing any work on your home, start by calling the Building Department at (914) 337-7338. The staff can guide you as to whether permits or variances are required. Undertaking work without permits results in a doubling of fees, both on the cost of the permit itself and the estimate of the value of the project. Many residents are running into this problem when they go to place their home on the market and find projects have no valid Certificate of Occupancy so the home cannot be transferred. Even seemingly small projects such as electrical or plumbing work need permits. The overriding concern is safety both for one’s own home and nearby neighbors. After a permit request is filed, work cannot commence until the permit
request is reviewed and signed off by the Building Department. All fences (even replacements), sheds and emergency generators require a permit regardless of the height or size. Since New York State no longer subsidizes the cost of dog licensing, dog owners in Tuckahoe and Bronxville will now need to get all licenses through the Town of Eastchester. Eastchester Town Hall is located at 40 Mill Road and is open daily from 8:30AM – 4:30PM. If you need additional new recycling bins, they can be purchased by mailing in a check or cash or stopping by Village Hall with the $10 fee. We do not keep a large quantity of bins on hand at Village Hall so we deliver to your home after purchase. On this coming Saturday, October 27th, the Village’s Green Committee is sponsoring a “Take Back” Day from 9AM – 1PM. Residents can recycle electronic waste (anything with a plug), scrap metal, up to two cartons of paper for on-site shredding, and linens, sheets and towels which will be donated to a local animal shelter.The service is drivethrough by entering the back of Village
Hall (Palumbo Place) via Pondfield Road. At 11AM on the same day, there will be a demonstration of mulching leaves in place on the Village Hall lawn. Residents of some of our townhomes and apartment complexes often rent parking spaces on a first come, first serve basis. However, when one sells or purchases a unit, the parking space is not part of the deed of transfer. This confusion has led to many frustrated new purchasers. However, there is a solution. If you plan on purchasing in the Village, one can put their name on the waiting list in anticipation of purchase. Conversely, if you plan on selling in the not too distant future, you may put your name on the waiting list as well. Parking in front of both Village Hall and the Library is a two hour zone and may be used by anyone doing business in the area. Absentee ballot requests are available at Village Hall or may be downloaded from the Westchester Board of Elections website. The deadlines for absentee voting are as follows: Oct. 30 - Last day to postmark
authoritarian rule for almost two years now. King Hamad and a small minority of his tribesmen and followers have full control of key government and security posts to the chagrin of both many Sunnis and most Shiites who have suffered from unjust treatment at the hands of Hamad and his loyalists who have benefited greatly at the expense of a majority of unprivileged Shiites and
Sunnis alike. Aside from inciting sectarian and divisive policies internally, King Hamad’s regime has used foreign mercenaries from Jordan, Pakistan, Syria and other countries to quell the daily demonstrations against the his regime demanding fair political representation and justice. The Obama administration has failed to take a leadership role in
application or letter of application for ballot Nov. 5 - Last day to apply in person for ballot at the Board of Elections in White Plains Nov. 5 - Last day to postmark ballot. Must be received by the Board of Elections no later than Nov. 13 Nov. 6 - Last day to deliver ballot in person to the Board of Elections in White Plains Upon completion of the absentee ballot application, you must mail it to the Board of Elections. Once they are in receipt of your application, a ballot will be mailed to you. An application for an absentee ballot is only valid for the calendar year of the request. If a street light goes out in front of your home, call the Department of Public Works at (914) 337-7338. The Village ban on the use of leaf blowers expired on September 30th so blowers may be used until the blackout period which extends from June 1st to September 30th. Mary C. Marvin is the mayor of the Village of Bronxville, New York. If you have a suggestion or comment, consider directing your perspective by directing email to mayor@vobny.com.
FAULT LINES
Obama’s Bahraini Failure By Dr. NASEER ALOMARI
President Barack Obama, who has done a phenomenal job in dealing with the Arab Spring, has done a poor job in dealing with the Bahraini
uprising by a majority of Bahraini citizens against the authoritarian regime of King Hamad of Bahrain. Bahrain, a tiny island off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia with a predominantly Shiite Muslim population, has risen against King Hamad’s
the Bahraini conflict and has opted instead but adopted the Saudi government’s stance on the conflict who, as an authoritarian regime has sided with a monarch against the wishes of his people. The Saudis have cited fear of Iranian influence to justify interfering militarily in Bahrain in order to prop up the unpopular regime of Continued on page 15
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
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FAULT LINES
Obama’s Bahraini Failure Continued from page 14
King Hamad. The oppressive practices of the Hamad regime recognized to have permitted and used foreign mercenaries and Saudi soldiers on their soil against its people have been condemned by human rights organizations as well as a committee that King Hamad himself had appointed. The Obama administration’s failure to grasp the intricacies of the Bahraini uprising is a serious failure on many levels. Firstly, adopting the Saudi position without careful consideration of the fact that King Hamad and his tribe
are ruling a majority against their own political will is doubly problematic and ironic since the Saudi government itself has engaged in oppressive practices against its citizens and have committed serious human rights violations. Secondly, it is a failure because it contradicts the Obama administration’s own strategy vis-à-vis other Arab countries who had risen against their oppressive governments. The demands of the Bahraini people are no different than those of the Syrian people; yet the double standard in treating the two revolutions is astoundingly glaring. It is finally a serious failure because it marks a return to faulty and unjust foreign policies which the Obama
administration has recognized as harmful to inciting hatred of America for siding with Arab dictatorial regimes against oppressed Arab citizens. The next president should immediately put pressure on King Hamad of Bahrain to agree to a form of representative government for all Bahrainis. Dr. Naseer Alomari is a political analyst whose linguistic capacity and familiarity with different peoples in the Islamic world, from Morocco to Indonesia, coupled with his role as a principal in Yonkers and an American educational background makes him the perfect translator of events and sensibilities beyond the “Fault Lines” on the ground.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Supreme Court Judge John LaCava a Volunteer and Advocate For Military Families with 27 Years Experience on the Bench Seeks Reelection to Supreme Court By BARY ALYSSA JOHNSON
Election Day is looming and The Westchester Guardian wants our readers to know that Judge John R. LaCava is up for re-election to the State-level Supreme Court.
LaCava, who lives in Westchester, is running against four other candidates for three open seats for Supreme Court justices in the 9th Judicial District. This district includes Westchester County as well as Dutchess, Orange, Rockland and Putnam Counties. “Among my duties… I serve as an
Appellate Justice on a part-time basis and I’m also a trial judge on the New York State Supreme Court,” LaCava told The Westchester Guardian in an interview. “I have been a judge for over 27 years.” LaCava’s judicial career began in 1973 when he was appointed as
an Assistant District Attorney in the Westchester County District Attorney’s office upon graduation from Fordham Law School. He went on to be elected as a Yonkers City Court Judge in 1985 and in 1988 was elected to the Westchester County Court. In 1998 he was elected to the New York State Supreme Court,
where he has been serving since. Earlier in his career, when he sat as a County Court judge, LaCava handled criminal cases – primarily felonies. He has presided over 30 murder, rape, robbery and burglary trials. As a Supreme Court judge, LaCava handles
Continued on page 16
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
LaCava Seeks Reelection to Supreme Court Continued from page 15 civil matters to the tune of accident cases, matrimonial cases, commercial cases, medical and dental malpractice cases and tax certiorari cases. LaCava has had a number of published decisions over the years as a judge. In the past three years alone he has had approximately 20-25 published decisions in the Law Journal and/or
other official reporting books. In addition, every year, LaCava and fellow New York State Supreme Court Justice Tom Dickerson write an article that they publish in the New York Law Journal called “The Survey of New York State Tax Certiorari Eminent Domain and Real Property Tax Exemption cases.” According to LaCava, religious and charitable organizations are fully or partially exempt from taxes and there
is a whole body of law on these types of cases. Each year the two judges look through all relevant published cases and then summarize and cite them in their article so that if somebody has a case that is similar or they are interested in keeping up development in the field they can read LaCava and Dickerson’s articles. “That’s another reason I’d like to stay on and continue on the job,”LaCava said.“I enjoy my work, I really do…I love being a judge.” Aside from sitting on the New
York State Supreme Court, LaCava also donates time, money and energy to charities like the Enrico Fermi Scholarship Fund, which raises money to give scholarships to Italian-American students. However, LaCava says the thing he is most proud of is that he served in the United States Army Reserves from 1970-1975. He continued on to serve on a voluntary basis as a Lieutenant Colonel in the New York Guard. “I am a staff judge advocate and along with other officers in my unit we
Boss Ryan Declares his Candidacy for Westchester County Executive By NANCY KING
Westchester County Legi-slator Bill Ryan announced his candidacy for the Office of Westchester County Executive with the approval of Westchester County Democratic Chair Reginald Lafayette. Mr Ryan’s campaign announcement took incumbent Republican CEO Rob Astorino by surprise. Ryan’s announcement shook up media pundits, and clipped the also rans in the bud while Westchesterites continued to focus their attention on the upcoming presidential election. Ryan asserts his early unexpected announcement was expressed in response to combination of reasons. Legislator Ryan advised his decision to challenge the incumbent was made one year ago when he recognized the county was at a crossroad and would require determined administrative focus better suited to administer the
crippling state mandates crushing the life out of the most tax county in the country. Ryan’s informing The Westchester Guardian of his telling Democratic Chair Reginald Lafayette of his intentions, and being afforded a green light to launch his campaign has yet to make the rounds among other reporters and pundits alike. It is a gargantuan first step, but a huge political head start nonetheless. Ryan must next gain 36 additional individual support among Democratic committees in the county. Seeking Democratic Committee Chair support is an arduous task for any and every candidate who must pursue the individual support among the political elite of the party; it is a process that tests one’s mettle. Undoubtedly Ryan knows some of these committees may have already formulated support for one candidate or another. Ryan’s task will be to re-introduce his bonafides into their minds once again. If Ryan is able to
garner the support of those committee people, fundraising becomes the next task that will need to be mastered by him Until Ryan’s announcement last week, potential Democratic hopefuls were said to be Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, County Clerk Tim Idoni, Supreme Court Judge Anthony Scarpino and Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Ken Jenkins . None of the conjectured candidates have made their intentions known publicly. It is believed who may consider launching a campaign effort are awaiting the outcome to the
November 6th presidential election contest before divulging their future political intentions. To his credit, Mr. Ryan has an impressive political resume that began in 1974 when he was elected District Leader in his home City of Peekskill. He served as a New York State Assemblyman for a term from 1981 until 1984 and continued to work for the New York State Assembly after losing his seat to then Peekskill Mayor, George Pataki. Ryan, a banker by trade, handled educational funding and inter-governmental finances during his time in Albany. But in 1993 Ryan set his sights on working for the County, ran against Joe Delfino for the District 5 seat and lost. However, when Delfino stepped away from the county legislature to run for Mayor of White Plains, Ryan saw his chance to make a bid for the legislative position and won. During his tenure on the County Board of Legislators, Bill Ryan has continued to be a driving force in
provide legal assistance to soldiers who are deployed overseas, including Marines and Air Force personnel,” LaCava said. “We do wills, power of attorney, living wills…for those soldiers and their spouses. We do it all on a volunteer basis and I’m very proud of that.” When he is not working, LaCava, who lives in Westchester with his wife, enjoys reading books, playing golf, watching movies, going to concerts and going on vacations to see new things, people and places. county politics. When he was elected the Westchester County Board Chairman, his nickname became “Boss” by political insiders who felt the Ryan was the driving force in putting forth many of the gains the Spano administration saw during that time in county politics. His greatest achievement may be the development and implementation of the Department of Emergency Services, which oversees, fire, police and EMS dispatches throughout the county. Mr. Ryan believes if he is elected to the office of County Executive, he will be able to bring a more balanced approach to government. He told The Westchester Guardian he plans on running on a platform that will focus on economic development and the creation of jobs for Westchester County while maintaining flat taxes and providing services that enhance the quality of life for all Westchester residents. Nancy King is a freelance investigative reporter; a resident of White Plains, New York.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012 Digiworks media Cohen 4.587 w by 9.875 h Guardian
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
37th District New York State Senate Seat Up For Grabs
JOIN BOB COHEN
By BARY ALYSSA JOHNSON
and HIS FIGHT
George Latimer education for all children. “If elected I will work tirelessly to make sure that Westchester County schools receive their fair share of State education aid,” Cohen said. “We can and must do better for our students and I will lead the charge for additional educational aid to our schools.” Cohen says he is also concerned about changes in our health care laws that will reduce services, increase taxes and strip billions of dollars from Medicare. “Medicare was supposed to be a promise to Americans, and it must be preserved for the next generation,” he said. When asked why he chose to run for Senate this year, Cohen’s reply was: “I felt compelled to step into New York politics. I could no longer watch the dysfunction in Albany,” Cohen said. “Governor Cuomo’s arrival inspired me even more. His performance thus far has convinced me that true bipartisan reformers can save this state.” Democratic candidate Latimer, a seasoned veteran in the political field seems in direct contrast to Cohen in many ways. When asked about running for Senator he said: “Westchester County deserves a fighter in the Senate,” Latimer told The Westchester Guardian in an interview. “Albany is a tough place to navigate successfully and get
Bbo Cohen results. I’m not just a go-along, get-along kind of guy and that gives me a defined advantage.” Latimer’s original career path was in the field of hotel development, though years ago he was recruited to be part of the Rye City Council and that’s what got him into public office “I didn’t seize power, I worked for it,” Latimer said. “I was on the Rye City Council, I went on to Assembly and now I’m going on to the Senate.” If elected, Latimer vows to focus on assisting with issues that include jobs and employment and cutting state spending. In terms of jobs and employment, Latimer emphasizes the need to provide tax incentives to small businesses in order for them to stabilize and grow so that they can hire people to bring on more jobs. When asked how he would go about achieving a State government that costs less and works better, Latimer responded: “We’re [already] in the process of doing that now, we’re on the path. In the past two years we’ve cut state spending to levels below where we were before and I think you’ve seen the turnaround start in New York State. We’ve turned the corner and I’m happy to be part of the team that has helped turn the corner, but we still have a long way to go.”
Westchester residents PAY THE HIGHEST PROPERTY TAXES IN THE NATION! BOB COHEN IS THE SMART CHOICE FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF AND JOB GROWTH He’s a businessman, not a politician. Bob supports Governor Cuomo’s Tax Cap. He’s fighting for State Mandate Relief for Westchester. As an independent, he’ll say “no” to special interests and party bosses. Bob will work to deliver jobs for Westchester. Endorsed by
PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF BOB COHEN
With Senator Suzi Oppenheimer retiring this year, a seat has been vacated for the 37th District of the New York State Senate and we are here to introduce voters to the candidates. Running for the now open spot are Assemblyman George Latimer (D) of Rye, NY, and Bob Cohen (R) of New Rochelle, NY. While Latimer is a seasoned politician, Cohen is new to the political field. Cohen has a unique perspective on his plans to serve as Senator if elected. “I am a businessman, not a career politician,” Cohen told The Westchester Guardian in an interview. “My plan is to do my part to help save this state and then return home.” In a bid to help save New York State, Cohen has a number of specific objectives. When asked why he decided to run for Senate, this is what Cohen had to say: “[There are] several reasons, but mostly I got tired of having to watch my friends and neighbors move away because of Westchester’s insanely high property taxes,” Cohen noted. “I am also deeply concerned about the lack of jobs in Westchester, especially for young people. If we don’t begin enacting pro-job-growth policies in New York, we’re going to be in trouble.” Cohen also has strong concerns over underage drinking, the County’s education system and health care. On the issue of underage drinking, Cohen says it has been a concern of his for years – particularly underage drinking and driving. He maintains that if elected he would do everything in his power in Albany to protect against it. When it comes to education in Westchester, Cohen applauds Oppenheimer’s efforts in education and says that like Oppenheimer, he is an advocate for providing a quality public
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg
BOB COHEN IS STANDING UP FOR WESTCHESTER! www.BobCohen2012.com - info@bobcohen2012.com - Office (914) 682-4262
Vote Election Day, Tuesday, November 6th.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Change vs. More of the Same By WILLIAM VILLANOVA
Almost a hundred years ago in the Province of Potenza, Italy, a dream began with the humble hopes of Giuseppe Schiro. His dream was to one day raise a family in a country with inherited God given freedoms… A community instilled with faith, family values, and a sense of purpose… and to follow a promise that with hard work, determination and personal responsibility,there was no dream his children and grandchildren could not realize. That country is America; that community is Westchester, and that dream is being realized as I endeavor to be the next New York State Assemblyman representing the Sound Shore community. As a life-long resident of Westchester, I grew up in Port Chester, as the oldest son of William and Joanne Villanova and it’s where I still live to this day with my wife Sandra, and our three children: Gianna 8, Bill Jr. 5, and
Nicholas our two year old. My family’s story is truly a Westchester story. Which is why it saddens me to no end to travel around this district and see how the failed policies of recent years have had a crushing effect on our neighborhood’s and town squares, from Larchmont to Rye, Port Chester to Rye Brook and New Rochelle to Mamaroneck… There are far too many signs that read: “For Sale” or “For Rent” – and not enough signs that say “Help Wanted.” Here in Westchester, we live in the most heavily-taxed area of the country… Jobs are lost… Innovation is stifled… and more and more hard working families and businesses are giving up on the area and simply moving out. It’s time for a change! As your next Assemblyman I will bring my 25 years of private sector business experience and implement a best in class government and bipartisan atmosphere in Albany. Governor Cuomo has begun to make changes but if we are
OP EDSection
to realize our full potential once again we need to make a clear change from within starting with the dysfunctional and ineffective legislator. Since 1999, 17 Legislators have left office due to ethical and illegal actions during the discharge of their duties. The NYS Assembly increased unfunded mandates from 2000 to 2010 by passing 111 bills that cost the taxpayers $77 Billion. New York State is currently ranked 50 out 50 as the worst state to do business in and New Yorkers have to work 121 days per year to pay for their combined taxes… And the list of failed policies from Albany goes on and on. It’s time for a change! As Councilman and Deputy Supervisor for the Town of Rye, I cut spending 4 years in a row, cut taxes 4 years in a row, delivered on time and responsible budgets each year and implemented a best in class government. I have a plan! A SENSIBLE SOLUTIONS PLAN FOR A SUSTAINABLE NEW YORK, which includes long overdue Tax and Mandate Relief, much needed Government Reform, statewide Economic Development, enhanced Education Program and Local School
Support, protection for Our Seniors, Our Veterans and Our Volunteers and The Government Reform portion of my plan identifies a potential $5,000,000 expense reduction for the upcoming 2012-2013 State Budget! It’s time for a change! My opponent is a career politician, a true creature of Albany and a symbol of everything that is wrong with the broken system. For three decades my opponent has been living off tax payer dollars to the tune of well over $2 million. As Mayor of Rye he raised taxes 11 times at an average of 6% per year, and increased municipal debt from $2.3 million to $20 million. Did nothing to repair the Central Avenue Bridge destroyed by hurricane Katrina, (this bridge still remains closed today). His inacton as a Park Commission Member cost the taxpayers $1.25 million and he has never held a private sector job or run a business and is out of touch with the residents of the 91st as well as his own community. It’s time for a change! As a former Flotilla Commander with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary we had a motto: “Semper Paratus”, which translates to “Always ready” or “Always prepared”... Well, I along with the voters
The Westchester Guardian Influences the Adam Bradley Appeal By SAM ZHERKA
When every single media outlet in this country banded together against Adam Bradley, the former Mayor of the City of White Plains, only The Westchester Guardian came out in support of a man that we believed to be innocent of the charges filed against him by Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore. The Westchester Guardian was the only print
paper that exposed the witch hunt of an innocent man accused of domestic violence by Assistant District Attorney Audrey Stone. And again, it was The Westchester Guardian that was the first and only newspaper anywhere to expose the unethical behavior of Judge Susan Capeci. This paper exposed the lies told by the court and we exposed the fact that Janet DiFiore and Judge Capeci refused to introduce evidence and never allowed witnesses to testify. This is the sort of planning and
scheming that got an innocent man convicted. The conviction ruined his career and left him separated and apart from his children. As the publisher of The Westchester Guardian I am happy to announce that the criminal charges against Adam Bradley have been withdrawn and the Court of Appeals has ruled that Adam Bradley should either be granted a new trial or have all charges against him dropped. The likes of District Attorney Janet DiFiore and Judge Susan Capeci
decided to further their respective political careers on the back of an innocent man. We were there, we were watching, and we reported it. The Westchester Guardian stood up and we were not afraid to report the truth about what was going on with this case. Adam Bradley will be going back to the Westchester County Courthouse on November 15. Scheming Janet DiFiore and Judge Susan Capeci will be deciding what to do with Adam Bradley.If they decide to drop all charges, DiFiore will lose the only case she got
of the Sound Shore and voters in every community of this state are finally ready and prepared to go to Albany, end this culture of corruption and send the career politicians packing. On November 6th vote for change!
Bill Villanova is currently the Deputy Supervisor for the Town of Rye and the candidate for New York State Assembly and has been endorsed by: Affiliated Police Association of Westchester
Uniformed Fire Fighters of New Rochelle New Yorkers for Growth
Police Conference of New York Commonly known as the “Sound Shore District”, Mr. Villanova seeks the seat being vacated by George Latimer in the 91st Assembly District, which includes The Village of Port Chester, City of Rye, Village of Mamaroneck, Village of Rye Brook, Village of Larchmont, and portions of the City of New Rochelle (Town of Rye and Town of Mamaroneck) Learn more about the Elect William Villanova for New York State Assembly 91st District at: www.BillVillanova.us.
to stick during her time as Westchester District Attorney and Judge Capeci should be thrown off the bench for her unethical treatment of witnesses and evidence. After the November 15 court date, The Westchester Guardian newspaper will be sitting down with Adam Bradley and his attorney, Amy Bellantoni, for an in depth interview about the entire case. As publisher of The Westchester Guardian, I can guarantee you that Adam Bradley was not the first man who had his life ruined by District Attorney Janet DiFiore and Judge Susan Capeci, but I promise all of our readers that he will be the last.
ED KOCH COMMENTARY
Now On to Victory and the Reelection of President Barack Obama By ED KOCH
I met with President Obama on September 21, 2011, after I supported Bob Turner, a Republican who won the Congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner. That seat had been held by a Democrat for nearly a
hundred years in prior elections and was the congressional district with the largest Jewish population in the country. I urged the residents of the district to vote for Turner and thereby send a message to the President that he was taking the Jewish community for granted. Turner, a Roman Catholic and a German-American, won against
a Democratic Jewish candidate by a margin of eight percent. When I met with the President, I expressed the anxieties of the Jewish community with respect to his administration’s treatment of Israel and its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and most importantly, with respect to the security needs of that small state
surrounded by Arab countries at war with it. The President got the message and by deed and language undertook to remedy the situation, and he did. He prevented the Palestinian Authority from gaining entry to the United Nations as a state, and he has championed Israel in his speeches at the U.N. The intelligence and military cooperation between the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.) and U.S. armed forces has never
been better.There are, in fact, large-scale military exercises being held right now in Israel with U.S. military forces. During the last year, I have urged the President to make clear to Iran that were it to attack Israel, it would be deemed an attack upon the U.S. In the debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney in Florida this week, when the moderator, Bob Schieffer, Continued on page 19
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 19
ED KOCH COMMENTARY Now On to Victory and the Reelection of President Barack Obama Continued from page 18
asked, “Would either of you - and you’ll have two minutes, and President Obama, you have the first go at this one - would either of you be willing to declare that an attack on Israel is an attack on the United States which, of course, is the same promise that we give to our close allies like Japan. And if you made such a declaration, would not that deter Iran? It’s certainly deterred the Soviet Union for a long time when we made that - we made - we made that promise to our allies. Mr. President?� The responses of the two candidates were virtually the same. Obama said, “And if Israel is attacked, America will stand with Israel.� Romney said, “When I’m President of the United States, we will stand with Israel. And if Israel is attacked, we have their back, not just diplomatically, not just culturally, but militarily.� Following is a larger extract of their statements: OBAMA: First of all, Israel is a true friend. It is our greatest ally in
the region. And if Israel is attacked, America will stand with Israel. I’ve made that clear throughout my presidency. And... SCHIEFFER: So you’re saying we’ve already made that declaration. OBAMA: I will stand with Israel if they are attacked. And this is the reason why, working with Israel, we have created the strongest military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries in history. In fact, this week we’ll be carrying out the largest military exercise with Israel in history, this very week. But to the issue of Iran, as long as I’m president of the United States Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. I made that clear when I came into office. OBAMA: We then organized the strongest coalition and the strongest sanctions against Iran in history, and it is crippling their economy. Their currency has dropped 80 percent. Their oil production has plunged to the lowest level since they were fighting a war with Iraq 20 years ago. So their economy is
in a shambles. And the reason we did this is because a nuclear Iran is a threat to our national security, and it is a threat to Israel’s national security. We cannot afford to have a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world. Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. And for them to be able to provide nuclear technology to non-state actors, that’s unacceptable. And they have said that they want to see Israel wiped off the map. So the work that we’ve done with respect to sanctions now offers Iran a choice. They can take the diplomatic route and end their nuclear program or they will have to face a united world and a United States president, me, who said we’re not going to take any options off the table. The disagreement I have with Governor Romney is that, during the course of this campaign, he’s often talked as if we should take premature military action. I think that would be a mistake, because when I’ve sent young men and women into harm’s way, I always understand that that is the last
resort, not the first resort. SCHIEFFER: Two minutes. ROMNEY: Well, first of all, I want to underscore the same point the president made which is that if I’m President of the United States, when I’m President of the United States, we will stand with Israel. And if Israel is attacked, we have their back, not just diplomatically, not just culturally, but militarily. That’s number one. Number two, with regards to Iran and the threat of Iran, there’s no question but that a nuclear Iran, a nuclear-capable Iran is unacceptable to America. It presents a threat not only to our friends but ultimately a threat to us to have Iran have nuclear material, nuclear weapons that could be used against us or used to be threatening to us. ROMNEY: It is also essential for us to understand what our mission is in Iran, and that is to dissuade Iran from having a nuclear weapon through peaceful and diplomatic means. And crippling sanctions are something I called for five years ago, when I was
in Israel, speaking at the Herzliya Conference. I laid out seven steps, crippling sanctions were number one. And they do work. You’re seeing it right now in the economy. It’s absolutely the right thing to do, to have crippling sanctions. I would have put them in place earlier. But it’s good that we have them. Number two, something I would add today is I would tighten those sanctions. I would say that ships that carry Iranian oil, can’t come into our ports. I imagine the E.U. would agree with us as well. Not only ships couldn’t, but I’d say companies that are moving their oil can’t, people who are trading in their oil can’t. I would tighten those sanctions further. Secondly, I’d take on diplomatic isolation efforts. I’d make sure that Ahmadinejad is indicted under the Genocide Convention. His words amount to genocide incitation. I would indict him for it. I would also make sure that their diplomats are treated like the pariah they are around the world. The same way we treated the apartheid diplomats of South Africa. We need to increase pressure time, Continued on page 20
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" #$ #$ " # Paid  for  by  Latimer  for  Senate;  Not  Printed  at  Taxpayer  Expense
Paid  for  by  Latimer  for  Senate;  Not  Printed  at  Taxpayer  Expense
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
ED KOCH COMMENTARY Now On to Victory and the Reelection of President Barack Obama Continued from page 19 REGINALD A. LAFAYETTE DOUGLAS A. COLETY 25 Quarropas Street Commissioner Commissioner White Plains, NY 10601 FAX:: 914.995.3190 Fax. 914.995.7753 914.995.5700 JEANNNIE L. PALAZOLA NANCY E. MEEHAN www.westchestergov.com/boe Deputy Commissioner Deputy Commissioner
OFFICIAL 2012 GENERAL ELECTION NOTICE
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 4-120 of the Election Law, notice is hereby given that the official General Election will be held on November 6, 2012 from 6:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. for registered voters in the County of Westchester for the public offices listed below:
PUBLIC OFFICE Presidential Electors: Democratic electors: ....................... Republican electors:....................... Conservative electors: Working Families electors: Green electors: Socialism & Liberation electors: Libertarian electors: Constitution
29 29 29 29 23 29 29 21
President/Vice President United State Senator State Supreme Court Justice 16th Congressional District 17th Congressional District 18th Congressional District 34th Senatorial District 35th Senatorial District 36th Senatorial District 37th Senatorial District 38th Senatorial District 40th Senatorial District 88th Assembly District 89th Assembly District 90th Assembly District 91st Assembly District 92nd Assembly District 93rd Assembly District 94th Assembly District 95th Assembly District County Court Judge Village of Croton-on-Hudson – Trustee Village of Ardsley - Trustee Village of Dobbs Ferry – Trustee Town of Bedford - Justice Town of Lewisboro – Town Clerk (Unexpired Term) Town of Mamaroneck – Councilmember (Unexpired Term) Town of Mamaroneck – Justice Village of Mamaroneck – Trustee Village of Mamaroneck - Justice Village of Mount Kisco – Trustee Town of Mount Kisco – Justice Village of Ossining – Mayor Village of Ossining – Trustee Town of Pelham – Justice Town of Somers – Councilmember (Unexpired Term) City of Rye – Councilman (Unexpired Term)
and time again on Iran because anything other than a -- a -- a solution to this, which says -- which stops this -- this nuclear folly of theirs, is unacceptable to America. And of course, a military action is the last resort. It is something one would only - only consider if all of the other avenues had been -- had been tried to their full extent.” I think it would be very helpful if the President issues a public statement that
the U.S. will respond militarily against Iran, if that country launches an attack upon Israel. The formal publication of the statement would deter Iran from launching an attack. I have made clear in prior commentaries that on all domestic issues, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, health care, abortion, food stamps, tax reform, including taxing the top two percent of taxpayers more,I support the positions of President Obama and the Democratic Party, and I believe the Republican positions and
those of Mitt Romney to be anathema and harmful to the social fabric and economy of the U.S. Whatever I can do to help reelect President Obama and provide him with a majority in both Houses of Congress so as to end the gridlock in Washington, D.C., I will do. I urge all other voters to do the same. The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served as a member of Congress from New York State from 1969 through 1977, and New York City as its 105thMayor from 1978 to 1989.
NEW YORK CIVIC
Greenbacks for Green Space
Largest Gift in Park’s History Will Preserve Central Park By HENRY J. STERN
NEW YORK, NY – This week we celebrate the largest gift ever made to a New York City park– probably to any park in the world. On an overcast early-fall morning at Bethesda Terrace, the architectural centerpiece of the park, Mayor Bloomberg announced a $100 million donation to the Central Park Conservancy. John A. Paulson, who grew up in Queens and made his fortune by predicting the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, deserves credit for his extraordinary generosity, which will benefit New Yorkers forever. The gift is unprecedented in its size and scope. It will not primarily be spent on buildings, but on landscape, horticulture, maintenance and playground restoration and upgrades. Central Park, a spectacular green oasis in a concrete jungle, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Such a large area, 843 acres, could only be assembled when the price of land was dirt cheap. In the 1850’s the area where the park is located was miles north of the built up section of Manhattan. By the 1900’s the park had become enveloped by apartment houses. It took more than a century of municipal growth for Central Park to be surrounded by luxurious buildings, much of whose value is now derived from their proximity to the park. Central Park has a unique base from which to appeal for private support, but that did not happen for many years. It required the catalyst of city action mixed with private vision to secure adoption of the restoration plan, originally proposed by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers in 1980.
At the time that she and other park reformers had come upon the scene, the park was in a shambles. Its large, formerly grassy areas had become dust bowls; rock outcrops, stone walls, and granite monument bases were blemished with graffiti. The park was considered unsafe at night, because of muggings and other violent crimes. Central Park jokes became a staple of national late night television, based on the theme that entering the park at night was inviting serious trouble. But Ms. Rogers, who led a small group called the Central Park Task Force was tenacious in her belief that, even in the depth’s of New York City’s fiscal crisis, the citizens of New York would rally to the cause of saving their park. Joined by Richard Gilder and other equally committed New Yorkers, she persisted in this mission and, following the election of Edward I. Koch as mayor, was appointed to the newly created position of Central Park Administrator. With this backing, she was able to launch the country’s first public-private partnership in support of a park. The Conservancy developed a management and restoration plan that continues to guide the renewal and maintenance of Central Park’s magnificent landscape to this day. In 1998, during the administration of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Commissioner Henry J. Stern, at the urging of then conservancy chairman Ira Millstein, the conservancy signed a management agreement with the city of New York to maintain the park. Public sovereignty over the park was continued and the necessary work of maintenance and operations was assigned to the conservancy. At the press event this week,in front of The Angel of the Waters Fountain, with hundreds of park workers present,
the conservancy’s current president and Central Park administrator, Douglas Blonsky, detailed the allocation of the newly acquired funds. The Paulson donation will be given evenly to the conservancy’s endowment fund and the capital projects which will enable major restorations to The North Woods, which are basically in the same condition they were a century ago, and Merchants’ Gate at the Southwest corner of the park – its most visited entrance. Hopefully, this gift will stimulate other donors to join in the effort so that more parks can be built up and maintained at the same high standard. The city simply cannot afford to make every park into the Gardens of Versailles It would be wonderful if every park in the city could be maintained at the level of Central Park. Multiple demands on the city budget have made substantial increases in the parks expense budget wholly unlikely.The Paulson gift should not be seen as a reason to relax the effort to increase private support. It shows us that an attractive, well maintained park will appeal to people seeking beauty in nature and the world around us. We thank Mr.Paulson and his family. The gift also illustrates one great advantage of capitalism: an individual starting from scratch can, by his own industry and good fortune, become successful beyond his dreams and join the philanthropists of the past and the present –Carnegie, Frick, Mellon, Rockefeller, Ford, Gates, Buffett and Bloomberg. Major and minor donors have initiated and supported foundations which may be more responsive and flexible when dealing with changing community needs. Paulson’s gift will preserve Central Park for the future and will hopefully stimulate other donors to support green spaces throughout the city. Henry J. Stern is the founder and president of New York Civic.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 21
OPED
An Open Letter to Obama Voters By J. MATT BARBER
Did you vote for Barack Obama in 2008? A lot of people did – obviously. What a time. There’s still room for improvement, but what a testimony to just how far we as a nation have come in terms of racial harmony, tolerance and diversity. Only decades earlier a man like Barack Obama – a black man – couldn’t even drink from the same water fountain as a white man, let alone become president of the United States. A hundred years prior to that, and he may well have been counted another man’s property. On Nov. 4, 2008, millions gathered at the ballot box to prove, once and for all, that, in large measure, we as a nation have healed from our disgraceful, self-inflicted wounds of racial abuse, bias and division. That we could elect an AfricanAmerican to lead the free world is indeed a very good thing. We just happened to elect the wrong African-American. In life, we sometimes find that the idea of a thing is far better than the thing itself. As a boy, I once ordered, from a comic book, a pair of X-ray glasses that promised to allow me to see the bones beneath my hand (my motives were a bit more ignoble). The two weeks it took for the glasses to arrive seemed like an eternity. Once they did arrive, I ripped into the package and put them on, darting my head to-and-fro. It’s difficult to express my level of disappointment. As I quickly discovered, the glasses merely formed a halo effect around objects, creating the illusion of transparency. I felt embarrassed. I got took. Barack Obama’s presidency has been a halo effect. Like I did so many years ago, in 2008 America fell victim to false advertising. As the past four years have demonstrated beyond any serious debate, the idea of President Obama was far better than the reality of President Obama. We were promised the world. We were promised transparency; but we were sold an illusion. We got took. Indeed, during the 2008 campaign, a then-Sen. Barack Obama promised us that, if elected, we would look back upon the moment he took office and “tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment
when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth.” That was the idea of President Obama.That was what many good, wellmeaning people voted for. That was the hope offered and the change promised. That was not what we got. Though it’s certainly not a comprehensive analysis, during the second presidential debate, Mitt Romney, in response to Mr. Obama’s attempts to gloss over his mounting leadership failures, summarized a few of the big ones. While addressing an audience member who, perhaps like you, voted for Obama in 2008, Romney observed, in part, the following: I think you know better. I think you know that these last four years haven’t been so good as the president just described and that you don’t feel like you’re confident that the next four years are going to be much better either. … He said that, by now, we’d have unemployment at 5.4 percent. The difference between where it is and 5.4 percent is 9 million Americans without work. … He said he would have, by now, put forward a plan to reform Medicare and Social Security, because he pointed out they’re on the road to bankruptcy. He would reform them. He’d get that done. He hasn’t even made a proposal on either one. He said in his first year he’d put out an immigration plan that would deal with our immigration challenges. Didn’t even file it. This is a president who has not been able to do what he said he’d do. He said that he’d cut in half the deficit. He hasn’t done that either. In fact, he doubled it. He said that by now middleincome families would have a reduction in their health insurance premiums by $2,500 a year. It’s gone up by $2,500 a year. And if Obamacare is … implemented fully, it’ll be another $2,500. … The middle class is getting crushed under the policies of a president who has not understood what it takes to get the economy working again. … [T]he number of people who are still looking for work is still 23 million Americans. There are more people in poverty, one out of six people in poverty. How about food stamps? When he took office, 32 million people were on food stamps. Today, 47 million people are on food stamps. How about the growth of the economy? It’s growing more slowly this year than last
year – and more slowly last year than the year before. … The president has tried, but his policies haven’t worked. Recently, my wife and I attended an outdoor festival in central Virginia. Although the event was not political, there were people from both the Obama and Romney camps handing out campaign stickers and other items. I suspect that if a poll were taken, liberals out-numbered conservatives by about two-to-one.
That’s why I was so taken aback. Although we saw dozens of people wearing Romney stickers, we only saw one man wearing an Obama sticker. We walked up to a fellow with a gray pony tail, John Lennon glasses and Birkenstocks. He was wearing a Romney sticker. “Mind if I ask why you’re voting for Mitt Romney?” I asked. “I assume you are.” His reply – and these were his words, not mine – was short and to
the point: “Because I refuse to be that stupid twice.” Changing one’s mind doesn’t always reveal a tendency toward indecision. Sometimes, changing one’s mind reveals a tendency toward wisdom. Matt Barber (@jmattbarber on Twitter) is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action. (This information is provided for identification purposes only.)
BILL VILLANOVA HAS THE COURAGE TO TAKE ON THE SPECIAL INTERESTS IN ALBANY AND FIGHT FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS. That's why New Yorkers For Growth has endorsed Bill's candidacy calling his plans for mandate relief and public pension reform "fiscally responsible". That's why the Affiliated Police Association and the New Rochelle Firefighters have joined forces to endorse Bill Villanova. Because Bill Villanova will give 100% to the people of New Rochelle, Larchmont and Mamaroneck, Rye Brook, Port Chester and Rye City.
Property taxes are making it impossible to stay in our home. These taxes are driving away businesses and making it difficult for our children and grandchildren to be able to afford to live here.
VOTE ! NOVEMBER 6, 2012 find Bill on Facebook | e-mail: bill@BillVillanova.us | www.BillVillanova.us
Only One Candidate For The Assembly Has Actually Cut Property Taxes BILL VILLANOVA HAS A RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT
Bill cut spending and taxes in Rye Town Bill led the fight to eliminate corruption and ushered in a new era of transparency and accountability in Rye Town
Bill will cut taxes on small businesses to promote job growth
Bill will make sure our schools receive their fair share of funding Bill will repeal the job killing MTA payroll tax
Bill supports Governor Cuomo’s historic property tax cap Bill will oppose corrupt back room deals and make Albany accountable to the taxpayers
Bill will fight bureaucratic red tape that hinders job growth Bill is a proven leader who will end the culture of corruption in Albany
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
OP-ED
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Response to “The Destruction of Westchester’s Middle Class and Poor” In his Op-Ed, “The Destruction of The Westchester Middle Class and Poor” (10/18/12) Damon Jones decries
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the fact that labor unions have been recently “AWOL” from the political arena. As a result of this fact and the election of Robert Astorino as County Executive, Jones says that he permitted “lower County wages and gave corporate Westchester tax breaks”. The present County Executive was elected precisely because of union activity, which increased County expenditures and the tax burden. Westchester under Andy Spano had the highest County tax rate in the United States. It was Astorino’s campaign promise to stem the Democrats’ high taxes and expenditures. that the middle class (so close to Jones’ heart) suffered and was thus responsible for his election in a County described in the article as “highly Democratic”.
It may surprise Mr. Jones to learn that labor costs are the most damaging to the bottom line of both private and municipal corporations. As stated, Astorino was elected because he promised the electorate to cut costs and alleviate the egregious tax burden on most Westchester residents. It was not an easy task and despite political opposition from Democrats on the Board of Supervisors he has been successful at least in stemming those spiraling tax costs. His efforts to privatize Playland should also be applauded since its transfer will save the County millions of dollars. If Mr. Jones’ assertion is true that the Westchester unions have been “AWOL”, the public can be thankful for small favors. Sal Dye, New Rochelle,NY
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BABY BOY DOE A/K/A BABY BOY PETRUCELLI A Child under the Age of Eighteen Years, Docket No: NN-09496-12 Alleged to be Neglected by F.U. No.: 130,489 JANE DOE A/K/A KRISTA PETRUCELLI, Respondent. IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK TO: JANE DOE A/K/A KRISTA PETRUCELLI A Petition having been filed in this Court alleging that the above-named child in the care of the Westchester County Department of Social Services is a neglected child. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear before this Court at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., 3rd Floor Annex, White Plains, New York, on the 4th day of DECEMBER, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon of said day, to answer to the neglect Petition. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that you have the right to be represented by a lawyer, and if the Court finds you are unable to pay for a lawyer, you have the right to have a lawyer assigned by the Court. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that if you fail to appear at the time and place noted above, the Court will hear and determine the petition as provided by law and may, after hearing, find that you neglected you child. BY ORDER OF THE COURT Dated: October 15, 2012
White Plains, New York COURT CLERK
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The Magnitude of the Mess We’re In By GEORGE P. SCHULTZ, JOHN B. TAYLOR, MICHAEL J. BOSKIN, JOHN F. COGAN, and ALLAN H. MELTZER
Sometimes a few facts tell important stories. The American economy now is full of facts that tell stories that you really don’t want, but need, to hear. Where are we now? Did you know that annual spending by the federal government now exceeds the 2007 level by about $1 trillion? With a slow economy, revenues are little changed. The result is an unprecedented string of federal budget deficits, $1.4 trillion in 2009, $1.3 trillion in 2010, $1.3 trillion in 2011, and another $1.2 trillion on the way this year. The four-year increase in borrowing amounts to $55,000 per U.S. household. The amount of debt is one thing. The burden of interest payments is another. The Treasury now has a preponderance of its debt issued in very short-term durations, to take advantage of low short-term interest rates. It must frequently refinance this debt which, when added to the current deficit, means Treasury must raise $4 trillion this year alone. So the debt burden will explode when interest rates go up. The government has to get the money to finance its spending by taxing or borrowing. While it might be tempting to conclude that we can just tax upper-income people, did you know that the U.S. income tax system is already very progressive? The top 1% pay 37% of all income taxes and 50% pay none. Did you know that, during the last fiscal year, around three-quarters of the deficit was financed by the Federal Reserve? Foreign governments accounted for most of the rest, as American citizens’ and institutions’ purchases and sales netted to about zero. The Fed now owns one in six dollars of the national debt, the largest percentage of GDP in history, larger than even at the end of World War II. The Fed has effectively replaced the entire interbank money market and large segments of other markets with itself. It determines the interest rate by declaring what it will pay on reserve balances at the Fed without regard for the supply and demand of money. By replacing large decentralized markets with centralized control by a few government officials, the Fed
is distorting incentives and interfering with price discovery with unintended economic consequences. Did you know that the Federal Reserve is now giving money to banks, effectively circumventing the appropriations process? To pay for quantitative easing—the purchase of government debt, mortgage-backed securities, etc.—the Fed credits banks with electronic deposits that are reserve balances at the Federal Reserve. These reserve balances have exploded to $1.5 trillion from $8 billion in September 2008. The Fed now pays 0.25% interest on reserves it holds. So the Fed is paying the banks almost $4 billion a year. If interest rates rise to 2%, and the Federal Reserve raises the rate it pays on reserves correspondingly, the payment rises to $30 billion a year. Would Congress appropriate that kind of money to give—not lend—to banks? The Fed’s policy of keeping interest rates so low for so long means that the real rate (after accounting for inflation) is negative, thereby cutting significantly the real income of those who have saved for retirement over their lifetime. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also being financed by the Federal Reserve rather than by appropriations, severing the checks and balances needed for good government. And the Fed’s Operation Twist, buying long-term and selling short-term debt, is substituting for the Treasury’s traditional debt management. This large expansion of reserves creates two-sided risks. If it is not unwound, the reserves could pour into the economy, causing inflation. In that event, the Fed will have effectively turned the government debt and mortgage-backed securities it purchased into money that will have an explosive impact. If reserves are unwound too quickly, banks may find it hard to adjust and pull back on loans. Unwinding would be hard to manage now, but will become ever harder the more the balance sheet rises. The issue is not merely how much we spend, but how wisely, how effectively. Did you know that the federal government had 46 separate job-training programs? Yet a 47th for Continued on page 23
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Page 23
OP-ED
The Magnitude of the Mess We’re In Continued from page 22
green jobs was added, and the success rate was so poor that the Department of Labor inspector general said it should be shut down. We need to get much better results from current programs, serving a more carefully targeted set of people with more effective programs that increase their opportunities. Did you know that funding for federal regulatory agencies and their employment levels are at alltime highs? In 2010, the number of Federal Register pages devoted to proposed new rules broke its previous all-time record for the second consecutive year. It’s up by 25% compared to 2008. These regulations alone will impose large costs and create heightened uncertainty for business and especially small business. This is all bad enough, but where we are headed is even worse. President Obama’s budget will raise the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to 80.4% in two years, about double its level at the end of 2008, and a larger percentage point increase than Greece from the end of 2008 to the beginning of this year. Under the president’s budget, for example, the debt expands rapidly to $18.8 trillion from $10.8 trillion in 10 years. The interest costs alone will reach $743 billion a year, more than we are currently spending on Social Security, Medicare or national defense, even under the benign assumption of no inflationary increase or adverse bond-market reaction. For every one percentage point increase in interest rates above this projection, interest costs rise by more than $100 billion, more than current spending on veterans’ health and the National Institutes of Health combined. Worse, the unfunded long-run liabilities of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid add tens of trillions of dollars to the debt, mostly due to rising real benefits per beneficiary. Before long, all the government will be able to do is finance the debt and pay pension and medical benefits. This spending will crowd out all other necessary government functions. What does this spending and debt mean in the long run if it is not controlled? One result will be everhigher income and payroll taxes on all taxpayers that will reach over 80%
at the top and 70% for many middleincome working couples. Did you know that the federal government used the bankruptcy of two auto companies to transfer money that belonged to debt holders such as pension funds and paid it to friendly labor unions? This greatly increased uncertainty about creditor rights under bankruptcy law. The Fed is adding to the uncertainty of current policy. Quantitative easing as a policy tool is very hard to manage. Traders speculate whether and when the Fed will intervene next. The Fed can intervene without limit in any credit market—not only mortgage-backed securities but also securities backed by automobile loans or student loans. This raises questions about why an independent agency of government should have this power. When businesses and households confront large-scale uncertainty, they tend to wait for more clarity to emerge before making major commitments to spend, invest and hire. Right now, they confront a mountain of regulatory uncertainty and a fiscal cliff that, if unattended, means a sharp increase in taxes and a sharp decline in spending bound to have adverse effect on the economy. Are you surprised that so much cash is waiting on the sidelines? What’s at stake? We cannot count on problems elsewhere in the world to make Treasury securities a safe haven forever. We risk eventually losing the privilege and great benefit of lower interest rates from the dollar’s role as the global reserve currency. In short, we risk passing an economic, fiscal and financial point of no return. Suppose you were offered the job of Treasury secretary a few months from now. Would you accept? You would confront problems that are so daunting even Alexander Hamilton would have trouble preserving the full faith and credit of the United States. Our first Treasury secretary famously argued that one of a nation’s greatest assets is its ability to issue debt, especially in a crisis. We needed to honor our Revolutionary War debt, he said, because the debt “foreign and domestic, was the price of liberty.” History has reconfirmed Hamilton’s wisdom. As historian John Steele Gordon has written, our
nation’s ability to issue debt helped preserve the Union in the 1860s and defeat totalitarian governments in the 1940s. Today, government officials are issuing debt to finance pet projects and payoffs to interest groups, not some vital, let alone existential, national purpose. The problems are close to being unmanageable now. If we stay on the current path, they will wind up being completely unmanageable, culminating in an unwelcome explosion and crisis. The fixes are blindingly obvious. Economic theory, empirical studies and historical experience teach that the solutions are the lowest possible tax rates on the broadest base, sufficient to fund the necessary functions of government on balance over the business cycle; sound monetary policy; trade liberalization; spending control and entitlement reform; and
regulatory, litigation and education reform. The need is clear. Why wait for disaster? The future is now. The authors are senior fellows at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. They have served in various federal government policy positions in the Treasury Department, the Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers. George P. Shultz (Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow; Chair, Energy Policy Task Force; and member of the Working Group on Economic Policy). John B. Taylor (George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Economics; Chair, Working Group on Economic Policy;and member of theTask Force on Energy Policy).
Michael J. Boskin (Senior Fellow; member of the Task Force on Energy Policy; and member of the Working Group on Economic Policy). J ohn F. Cogan (Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow; member of the Working Group on Economic Policy; member of the Working Group on Health Care Policy ; and member of the Task Force on Energy Policy). Allan H. (Distinguished Fellow).
OPEN HOUSE SAT.Nov. 10th 10AM-2PM
Meltzer Visiting
Page 24
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, november 1, 2012
Gettin’ it Done
As your Senator, this is what I’ve done. 9 Passed 37 Prime Sponsored and 62 Co-Sponsored Bills 9 Eliminated the MTA Payroll Tax for 290,000 small businesses and more than 410,000 self-employed 9 Eliminated the MTA Payroll Tax for libraries, saving $1.3 Million annually 9 Passed Pension Reform, resulting in $80+ billion savings 9 Passed the historic Property Tax Cap, saving $33.8 Million in 2012 9 Enacted the Middle Class Tax Cut, saving $3.3 Billion and bringing the middle class tax rate to the lowest in 58 years 9 Passed Cyber-Bullying Legislation to protect our youth 9 Delivered $67 Million of Regional Economic Development funding for local job creation 9 Passed Autism Insurance Reform 9 Secured $10.9 Million in additional state funding for New York State Veterans Homes 9 Delivered $277 Million in state school aid, a 5% increase year-to-year 9 Closed a $10 Billion Budget Gap without borrowing and with no new taxes 9 Reduced state spending for two consecutive years 9 Passed S6308 to extend the length of shelter stay for victims of domestic violence 9 Passed S7638 to protect victims of domestic violence 9 Secured a $100,000 grant for My Sister’s Place and a $50,000 grant for the Womens’ Resource Center 9 Passed Hannah’s Law (S5034A) 9 Restored $30.6 Million to EPIC 9 Held two Senior Health and Wellness Expos, serving over 600 seniors 9 Passed Out Of Network Insurance Reform 9 Increased the STAR Rebate by $383,536,252 total in Westchester, Putnam,
and Dutchess Counties 9 Secured $500,000 for a State Veterans Cemetery 9 Passed S7661 “Hire a Vet” legislation 9 Passed S7489A to provide a preference in NY contracts to businesses owned by service-disabled veterans 9 Passed S6799 to create a Veterans ID 9 Served over 600 veterans at the 1st Annual Veterans Thanksgiving Dinner 9 Served nearly 1000 first responders at the 1st Annual First Responders Appreciation Day at Camp Kiwi 9 Passed the “Puppy Mill Bill” (S7268A) to place standards of care on licensed pet dealers 9 Raised more than $10,000 for LCPL John Curtin, wounded in action 9 Inducted 27 local veterans into the 1st Class of the 40th Senate District Veterans Hall of Fame 9 Inducted Veterans Karl Rohde and Eugene Parrotta into the State Veterans Hall of Fame 9 Inducted 32 local women into the 1st Class of the 40th Senate District Women of Distinction Hall of Honor 9 Inducted Women of Distinction Ann Ellsworth and Erin Bentivegna into the State Hall of Honor 9 Hosted 54 local high school students for Mock Session on the floor of the New York State Senate 9 Brought dozens of local parents to meet with the Senate to maintain busing for parochial school students 9 Served dinner to hundreds of people at Beaver Ridge without power after the October 2011 snow storm 9 Delivered water and dry ice to communities without power throughout the Senate District after Hurricane Irene and the October 2011 snow storm
9Balanced Budget 9MTA Payroll Tax Repeal 9EPIC Restored 9Lowest Middle Class Taxes in 58 years 9Property Tax Cap
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