PRESORTED STANDARD PERMIT #3036 WHITE PLAINS NY
Vol. VI, No. XLVII
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
Thursday, November 20, 2014 • $1.00
THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN Reflecting Upon The 25th Anniversary Of The Fall Of The Berlin Wall By Kurt Colucci, Page 3
WWW.WESTCHESTERGUARDIAN.COM
Page 2
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Community/GovernmentSection Letter to the Editor
To Mary Keon, Acting Editor of The Westchester Guardian, I am writing to you about an article your paper published on Thursday October 30th entitled “Multiculturalism: The Social Equivalent to a Participation Trophy” written by Luke Hamilton. I was first shocked by the placement of the article. The Westchester Guardian clearly articulates in its Mission Statement that “The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without favor or compromise”. Hamilton’s article does not meet any of these criteria. It is clearly an opinion piece without supporting facts. Instead of referencing other authors’ works, statistics, or even interviewing authorities on the subject of multiculturalism, Hamilton confines himself to using mindless words such as “silly” and “dumbest” in an effort to promote his own ideas that have little or no basis in reality; yet your newspaper has placed it in the Government/Community section where it could be mistaken for “reliable information”. The content of the article is even more disturbing than the placement. Hamilton dismisses the idea that all cultures are equally valid, saying that “it is a silly idea that all cultures are worthwhile” and deems it even less valid to view ideas of a certain culture “through the context of that culture itself ”. Hamilton lacks a basic understanding of what a culture is. According to
Webster’s New World Dictionary a culture is “the ideas, customs, skills, arts, etc. of a people or group, that are transferred, communicated, or passed along, as in or to succeeding generations”. A culture is an ensemble of values and ways of thinking that matures over generations and was shaped by its environment, which is why it is important to consider every culture as a whole and not as separate ideas or concepts. For instance, it is appropriate to condemn the harsh and unfair treatment of women in Muslim countries but completely inappropriate and nearsighted to dismiss Islamic culture as a whole because of it. In fact, America’s culture has been and is infected by racism and sexism for centuries, yet Hamilton condemns Islamic culture while hypocritically overlooking the discrimination in our own culture. Hamilton’s only arguments are poor analogies that do not support his main point that people from different cultures who come to the US should abandon the traits he deems unproductive and contribute things that he approves of. Firstly, he uses GM as a microcosm of society and argues that to have every culture acknowledged would be “mind numbingly stupid” and that all these cultures are “incompatible”. This is completely false; acknowledging a culture is not the same thing as imposing that culture on the whole of society or on a part of it. It is also possible for cultures to coexist peacefully in a society that is open-minded, understanding, and orderly, a society which Hamilton is clearly incapable of being a part of.
His second analogy, taken from economist Thomas Sowell, is that “’When Europeans first discovered paper and printing from China they did not ‘celebrate diversity’(…) they started letting the printing presses do the work” is flawed on many different levels. Sowell confuse cultures with the spread of technical progress. The adoption of paper was simply the adoption of a technical innovation, not of a part of a culture. This invalidates Hamilton’s theory that a country can simply integrate a desirable part of a culture to make itself more productive or “influential”. Hamilton does not seem to understand that there are multitude of cultures throughout the world that developed and matured in distinctive ways through interaction with each other, and that they do not solely exist to enhance American culture as he would lead his readers to believe when he says that “America’s culture was at its most vibrant and influential” when “we incorporated what worked and ditched what didn’t”, which as I have stated is an invalid idea. This phrase is also problematic because of its vagueness: Hamilton never specifies when American culture was at its most “vibrant”, making this argument completely invalid for lack of precision. Hamilton is condoning the exploitation of other cultures, and this is in unacceptable for a country that prides itself in being a “melting pot” where we strive for social, political, and cultural equality. Hamilton’s article is not only completely wrong in its illogic and confusion but is also
offensive and hateful because of its thinly veiled support of racism and bigotry. It is an example of the prejudices and ignorance that we must fight against if we wish to create an inclusive society. Sincerely, Margaux Salz
Acting Editor’s Response, page 8
Reserve Now for Holiday Parties! ITALIAN CUISINE
Zagat Rated “Excellent” Voted “Best Italian Restaurant ” Westchester Magazine, 2006
Open 7 Days : Mon.-Thurs. Noon - 10PM • Fri. Sat. & Sun. Noon -11PM RESERVE NOW FOR HOLIDAY PARTIES 2 PARTY ROOMS AVAIL. SEATING 75 & 100
914.779.4646
www.ciaoeastchester.com Ciao • 5-7 JOHN ALBANESE PLACE, EASTCHESTER, NY 10709
Table of Contents Community/Government Section.............................................2 Letter to the Editor.................................................................2 Global......................................................................................3 Community.............................................................................4 Economy..................................................................................4 Commentary...........................................................................5 Politics......................................................................................5 Council Report........................................................................6 Creative Disruption.................................................................7 Editorial Response..................................................................8 Arts/Entertainment.....................................................................9 Eye on Theatre.........................................................................9 Cultural Perspectives.............................................................10 Travel.....................................................................................12 Calendar................................................................................13 Movie Review........................................................................15 Shopping...............................................................................16 Legal Notices.............................................................................14
When not writing articles combatting ignorance and hatred in her community, Margaux Salz attends high school in Mamaroneck and will be graduating in June 2015.
Mission Statement
Sam Zherka, Publisher Mary Keon, Acting Editor /Advertising Publication is every Thursday Write to us in confidence at: The Westchester Guardian Post Office Box 8 New Rochelle, NY 10801
Send publicity 3 weeks in advance of your event. Ads due Tuesdays, one week prior to publication date. Letters to the Editor & Press Releases can only be submitted via Email: WestGuardEditor@aol.com westguardpressreleases@aol.com westguardadvertising@aol.com Office Hours: 11A-5P M-F 914.216.1674 Cell • 914.576.1481 Office Read us online at: www.WestchesterGuardian.com
The Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events 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 information 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, no matter where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with daily journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive, chronological step-by-step accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate.
From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what, when, where, why, and how, the why and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere. To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necessarily better. And, furthermore, we will acknowledge that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 3
GLOBAL
A Prelude To A New Cold War? An Ominous Warning From The Not So Distant Past. By KURT COLUCCI Amid a dark cloud of instability that is once again hovering over Eastern Europe, the world paid homage to one of the most momentous events in human history. November 9th 2014 marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Over a million people gathered in the German capitol of Berlin to celebrate the occasion. It is hard to believe that it’s been quarter of a century since that symbolic relic of the Cold War between the world’s two major nuclear superpowers crumbled. The fall of this cultural icon, representing subjugation and isolation for many in the East
the catalyst for change, and not to take anything away from President Reagan, but it was Gorbachev who played the larger part. Both men presided over a fascinating series of events in human history and have since become cultural icons. Both are worthy of such a title. Together they took the world from the brink of madness and made meaningful change in a time defined by fear and uncertainty. At one of the celebratory events of this past week, Gorbachev gave a speech, in which he delivered a sobering and ominous warning, saying he “feared that a new Cold War was brewing.” Many people living in America today have no recollection of the Cold War and
“Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.”
President Ronald Reagan Berlin. The individual most responsible for this unification was Mikhail Gorbachev; to see him standing there warning us that our current geopolitical trajectory has us on a path to a new Cold War was nothing less than chilling. The baby boomer generation can clearly remember what it was like to go to school every day and have to take part in “nuclear bomb” drills where they would have to crouch down under their desks as an exercise to prepare themselves for a nuclear attack. I heard the stories growing up and they terrified me. I remember seeing signs for nuclear fallout shelters in churches and schools and other buildings around town. Most people who are
President Mikhail Gorbachev in college today have parents and grandparents who experienced this first hand. It would be difficult for most schoolchildren today to even comprehend such a fear inducing exercise, but for the two generations preceding them, this was a part of their daily life. The greatest and most immediate threat to our national security is not radical Islamic fundamentalism or even terrorism. Instead it is our indifference to geopolitical affairs. I’ll never forget when I walked into my first college class, History 101. On the chalkboard (yes, chalkboard) was the phrase “Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.” At the time I recognized that it was a profound statement, but
The Berlin Wall and West alike, shook up the world in a manner that is on equal footing with the September 11 attacks on America. A quarter century ago a new paradigm in the sphere of geopolitics was born. The old world, defined for twenty five years, by fear, force, misery and isolation was finally introduced to the new world – defined by rock, freedom, McDonalds and economic opportunity. Amid the televised celebrations and frenzied media coverage of this past week’s event, I noticed a familiar face, though shrouded with age he was unmistakable, due to a noticeable skin defect on his forehead. It was none other than Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the USSR who, contrary to our current popular belief was the reformer responsible for bringing the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union to an end. Many people mistakenly believe that former President Ronald Reagan was
how terrifying it was to live through. But for those who heard the former Soviet President warn of a new Cold War, this was a haunting premonition. I’m in my late 30’s, which makes me old enough to remember what it was like to live in fear of potential nuclear holocaust on any given day. Barely a teenager at the time, I can remember in vivid detail, the day that the people of East and West Germany took sledgehammers and began tearing down the wall, which represented an old and divided world. This was far more than a symbolic event in world affairs and world history. The physical barrier that divided Eastern Europe from the West was dismantled peacefully, by those who lived there; onlookers soon joining in to help, once they realized no one was going to stop them. Not a shot was fired and this was best possible tribute to all who died trying to escape East
I didn’t understand just how profound a statement it was. And it seems that now in our modern world of relative comfort and security that we have forgotten our past and as a result we are doomed to repeat it. While there are tensions brewing between the East and West, once again we must remember that there is no argument, whether it be social, political, economic or geopolitical that is worth reliving the Cold War, that threatened to wipe away civilized world and all of humanity and the with it. As a species, we must not let cultural hubris or the arrogance of nationalism bring us to the brink of extinction on a world scale. Patriotism is nothing more than cultural vanity. We all feel a direct and strong affinity for our cultural ties. But we cannot let the ignorance of political indifference steal our humanity. There was a reason why the people of the Europe, United States and the world rejoiced and celebrated the fall of the Berlin wall and the dissolution of the former Soviet Empire. The reason was simple: the terrifying threat of nuclear war was over. This may not resonate strongly with our current generation but just a few decades ago, people around the globe were living in fear of a real threat. We cannot afford to summon that demon from its seemingly comfortable sleep…conjuring the spirit of conflict serves none of us.
Commercial • Industrial & Residential Services Roll-Off Containers 1-30 Yards Home Cleanup Containers Turn-Key Demolition Services DEC Licensed Transfer Station
www.citycarting.net City Carting of Westchester Somers Sanitation B & S Carting AAA Paper Recycling Bria Carting City Confidential Shredding
DEP Licensed Rail Serve Transfer & Recyling Services Licensed Demolition Contractor Locally Owned & Operated Radio Dispatched Fully Insured - FREE Estimates
800.872.7405 • 203.324.4090
On-Site Document Destruction
8 Viaduct Road, Stamford, CT 06907
Same Day Roll Off Service
Page 4
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
COMMUNITY
White Plains Lawyer Resigns Position After Racist Tweet By NANCY KING Westchester based attorney Andrew Barovick resigned from his position as a committee chair with the New York City Bar Association a little over a week after he sent out a racist tweet about Sheriff Chris Moss, the African American man who was Rob Astorino’s running mate during the recent New York State Gubernatorial race. On November 5th, Barovick had tweeted that Sheriff Moss was mulling offers to be the new spokes model for either Cream of Wheat or Uncle Ben’s
Rice. Both of those products’s labeling depict black men on them. Barovick’s tweet led to a maelstrom of controversy when it was revealed that there had been earlier racist tweets directed at Republicans of color. Further investigation revealed that Barovick was a high ranking official with the New York City Bar Association. Prior to his resignation, this week, Mr. Barovick chaired the Medical Malpractice Committee of the New York City Bar Association. Initially, Mr. Barovick had refused to even apologize for his tweet about Sheriff Moss and then issued a weak apology a few days later claiming that his tweet
was only meant as a joke. Westchester Citizens Against Racism, headed by New Rochelle attorney, Richard St. Paul found this weak non apology to be disingenuous and called for Barovick to resign his position with the Bar. More than a week later, Barovick did indeed resign his position but his reputation will more than likely be damaged forever. Upon further investigation, it has been revealed that going back as far as 2010, Andy Barovick had been using his twitter feed to spew his racist views. Back in 2010 he called the then national Republican Chairman Michael Steele an “Uncle Tom” black. Barovick may have
apologized for his most recent tweet this election cycle but it is clear that though he may be an ardent Democrat, he’s an ardent racist as well. Barovick will more than likely pay the price for this tweet for a long time. He’s lost his plumb position with the Bar Association and more than likely his private law practice, with offices in White Plains and Manhattan will suffer as well; no person black, white or inbetween would ever want to to hire an attorney who spews hatred from behind a keyboard. The County Democratic Committee will surely politely and quietly dump him and of course Governor
Cuomo’s team claim that Barovick acted alone with no urging from them. Since that tweet on November 4th, Barovick has issued a single tweet on his timeline. The silence has been golden. Andy Barovick’s racist tweet however has given all of us time to not only pause and think but to come to this harsh realization; Racism crosses not only the socio-economic line but political lines as well. The Democratic Party, which has been the traditional party of social change and inclusion has got a few foxes in the hen house and Andy Barovick, just happened to open the door for us to peep in . What we saw isn’t pretty; in 2014, racism is alive and well and living in all political parties.
ECONOMY
Westchester Budget Remains Flat for 2015 By NANCY KING For the fifth consecutive year, County Executive Rob Astorino has proposed a budget that he promises will deliver services to county residents without increasing the tax levy. The 1.6 billion dollar budget keeps the spending rate below inflation, maintains the current staffing numbers and holds the line on those taxes. Holding the line on those taxes is partly due to the five million dollars gained by having seven of the eight labor unions in the county contribute to their health care benefits when their new contracts were negotiated. CSEA Unit 9200 remains the only union in the county that has not agreed to a contract or the stipulation of employee contributions for health care. Earlier in the year an independent mediator was brought in to see if
the stalemate between the union and the County Executive could be resolved and even recommended that union members contribute to their benefits but they have declined the recommendation. CSEA membership makes up the bulk of county
employees and their number is currently 4,854. This new budget increases spending by about 1% or roughly 21 million dollars. However even with this modest increase, most taxpayers won’t see a rise in their
taxes. Much of the spending however comes from those unfunded mandates such as pensions and Medicaid and those are handed down by lawmakers in Albany so there is little that the County can do about that spending. Though spending has increased, the savings are also being realized by not filling any non-essential vacancies. If essential vacancies are to be filled through retirement or attrition, they will be filled with younger less expensive employees. The county is also saving money by consolidating the office of the County Clerk with the Consumer Protection Department which will eliminate a position. The county is also enjoying increased revenues with the sales tax projected to rise by 4% and an additional 32% garnered from the existing county tax levy. Astorino also explained that he hopes that the county will not have to use the un-restricted rainy day fund and to leave it as is for the sole purpose of acting as a reserve in the event of an emergency. Astorino, a conservative Republican
ADVERTISE YOUR DISPLAY HELP WANTED ADS IN THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN! Do you have jobs available at your business? The Westchester Guardian publishes every Thursday and we would love to run your Help Wanted Display Ads, due Wednesday one week prior to publication date.
Call today to reserve Display Ad Space in our next issue: 914.216.1674
has always come under fire for in previous years for cutting the services and safety net for the neediest of Westchester residents but this budget kept all of the benefits intact for the neediest residents. The Department of Social Services saw programs and manpower uncut as well. The child-care subsidy remains $6.00 a day for needy families; the county picks up the rest of the tab. This budget also saw a 3% increase for non-profits that improve the quality of life for Westchester residents. With the exception of the stale-mate with CSEA in regard to their contract benefit contribution, this appears to be a responsible and thoughtful budget. The County Board still has to review this budget and then vote to either accept it or reject it. However, this year the Democratic majority of the board has not gone ballistic about this budget so one must assume that even they find it to be a well thought out and responsibly created budget.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 5
lobbyists, but the grassroots networks they’ve built back home. They understand that at heart, lobbying is about establishing relationships long before any particular issue affecting them comes up, so that when they go to talk about a bill, they’re going in to see a friend. They build relationships in several ways. There are all kinds of approaches to members — the annual policy conferences to which members of Congress flock, the sponsored trips and meetings in out-of-the-way resorts where a lobbyist can get a few days of a member’s undivided attention. But the best lobbyists are also friendly, approachable people who know how to talk to members and policy-makers of both parties. The best lobbying groups also have a lot of money and resources not just to woo policy makers, but to shape public discourse. They make good information available to their advocates, and make sure that the advocates who speak for them on television, online, and in newspapers are well informed. They know that part of the battle is to shape public dialogue. The best lobbyists are masters at making the system work for them. My guess is that their influence over policy surpasses the media’s clout, and they have now become the
fourth branch of government. Lee Hamilton is Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. For information about educational resources and programs, explore the website at www.centeroncongress.org. Go to Facebook to share your thoughts about Congress, civic education, and the citizen’s role in representative democracy. “Like” us on Facebook at “Center on Congress at Indiana University.”
shutdown. Yet even Boehner himself admits that he had to be talked into it and was against the idea from the beginning. New Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is at least as spineless as Boehner and coupled with the fact that these two men now control the entire Federal legislative machinery yet haven’t advanced the slightest hint of a conservative agenda over the past 4 years, can Americans have any hope in the success of a newly-elected conservative majority?
It is a question which is impossible to accurately answer at this juncture. Conservative politicians are not immune to legislating much differently than they campaigned. Given the number of Establishment-endorsed GOP candidates who won, I think there will be more than a fair number of newly-minted RINOs in D.C. come next year. It remains to be seen
COMMENTARY
What Makes A Strong Lobbyist By Lee Hamilton, Commentary Lobbyists are not allpowerful. They don’t win every battle. But they do win most of them. Because of its power to influence public affairs, the press has long been known as “the Fourth Estate.” But I think the media may have been displaced. These days, it’s lobbyists who seem to carry the most clout in Washington. Here’s a case in point. When Congress closed at the beginning of August for its end-of-summer recess, it faced wide-scale derision for having accomplished next to nothing during the year. In fact, the Pew Center ranked the session as the least productive in two decades. But it wasn’t entirely unproductive. Just before they left town, members of Congress did manage to get three things done: they passed a Veterans Administration reform package; they increased aid to Israel; and they kept highway construction projects around the country from losing funding.
Why did these three measures find success when so many others did not? There’s a two-word answer: Powerful lobbyists. Veterans, supporters of Israel, and the combined weight of highway construction interests and state and local governments are among the most influential forces in Washington. Last year, some 12,000 active lobbyists spent $3.24 billion on trying to influence the federal government, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. I don’t know of any other country where lobbyists have those kinds of numbers, spend that kind of money, or get the kinds of results they’re able to achieve here — in Congress, in the executive branch and, increasingly, in statehouses around the country. But even among all those lobbyists, some stand out for their effectiveness. The National Rifle Association (NRA), the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), veterans’ groups, the AARP: all are very good at obtaining laws and policies in their interests and blocking laws and policies they consider harmful. I don’t mean by this that they’re
all-powerful. They don’t win every battle. But they do win most of them. How do they do this? To start, lawmakers have to get elected. Good lobbyists don’t just provide large amounts of money for campaigns, they provide early money and expert help. They donate, they introduce you to other donors, and they help you establish connections that can help during your campaign and later on. Early money in politics is better than late money. Candidates remember that sort of thing. They also remember that if you oppose these organizations’ views, they’ll come at you hard. Good lobbyists and their organizations also provide information in easily digestible form. They’ll assign particular staffers to develop relationships with members of Congress — people who can write a speech or testimony or legislative language quickly. They and their colleagues are sophisticated observers of public affairs who know whether, when, and how to approach government policy makers, along with the particular policy maker who can help them best. They are deeply knowledgeable about the process of government and have a wide network of friends on Capitol Hill, in the agencies, and in members’ districts — often, their most effective voices aren’t Washington
Published on The Center On Congress at Indiana University (http://congress.indiana.edu)
Home > ABOUT THE CENTER > Commentaries > Lee Hamilton Comments on Congress > Printer-friendly Reprinted with permission from The Center on Congress at Indiana University.
The Center on Congress is a research center of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Indiana University Bloomington The Center on Congress | 1315 E. Tenth St, Suite 320, Bloomington, IN 474051701 | 812-856-4706 | congress@indiana. edu Copyright © 2011 The Trustees of Indiana University | Copyright Complaints
POLITICS
Storage Wars: The Midterm Edition By LUKE HAMILTON, Columnist
Now that the heady rush of jubilation has faded from the election, it’s time to take stock of what we actually achieved. The numbers couldn’t be more forthright. It’s as if the American people interrupted the President to interject, “Now, let me be clear…” The 2014 election was an epic political repudiation of President Obama, Harry Reid, and the Progressive agenda in Washington. It was a demonstration that all but the most white-eyed leftist loons in America are tired of Obama’s ineptitude, deliberate or otherwise. How amusing now to think about those talking heads on cable who tried to suggest that the Democrats might not lose the Senate, the day before America catapulted the Senate back to the Republicans in a resounding fashion. But what has been achieved? What has our political support purchased? In a strange way, American voters are like folks on that Storage Wars show.Turn on any episode and you’ll see people bidding crazy amounts of money on a garage-worth of stuff they’ve only glimpsed from a distance. Could be
treasure, could be rubbish. And just like those storage-capitalists, we don’t yet know what we just purchased. In the majority of races, it would be very difficult to elucidate just what the Republican candidate ran on, since the only discernable plank in the 2014 GOP campaign strategy was “We’re not Obama”. It could be that we’ve only traded progressive Democrats for progressive Republicans. The reality is that the GOP has controlled arguably the most powerful organ in the Federal government for the past four years. The power of the House of Representatives lies in the purse. It is through the House that all the rest of the government is funded, since all bills for raising revenue originate in the House (ala Article I, Section VII). Of course this is by design, providing one more check and balance to offset the potential overreach of a Federal leviathan. Whoever controls the House, controls the funding of the entire US Government. And yet, this power was deliberately set aside by GOP leadership during one of the most egregious, tyrannical growths of Presidential power in American history. One could argue that there has never been a greater need for the House to check a
runaway Executive branch and yet the Speaker of the House sat on his hands for four years. No, even worse, the Speaker told his enemies about his plans to sit on his hands before he did so. When Speaker Boehner communicated time and again that the power of the purse was off the table, he surrendered before the enemy even took the field. Since Boehner took the Speaker’s gavel in 2010, Obama has: • Implemented (and funded) Obamacare • Directed his DOJ to blatantly flout federal law in cases involving DOMA • Prevented the Congressional inquiry into the deliberate harassment of conservative organizations by the Internal Revenue Service • Violated religious liberty of Americans via the contraception mandate • Stonewalled Congressional investigators attempting to get to the bottom of the murder of American diplomats in Libya • And this is just the low-hanging fruit! Obama’s abuse of presidential power has been beyond the wildest dreams of progressive radicals, yet Boehner’s House has achieved only one minor victory: Sequestration via a half-hearted government
Continued on page 6
Serving the trade and the public for over 45 years. Largest selection of lampshades in the Northeast. We can reline, recover or create a new shade. Greenwich location now selling lamps!
www.justshadesny.com 21 Spring St. , NY, NY • 212.966.2757 154 Prospect St., Greenwich CT • 203.681.2757
Page 6
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
POLITICS
Storage Wars: The Midterm Edition Continued from page 5
how much of a seat at the table Boehner and McConnell will give any true conservative who shows up. Based solely on their actions over the past 4 years, chances are that McBoehnell will work behind the scenes to erode support for any kind of conservative resistance which forms in either house. The encouraging thing is that there are several strong conservative voices headed to
Washington next year. Folks like Ben Sasse in Nebraska, Joni Ernst in Iowa, and Tom Cotton in Arkansas should revitalize the efforts of Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, men who have been holding the conservative line in the Senate. Similarly Dave Brat, Barry Loudermilk, Mia Love, John Ratcliffe, and Andy Mooney are headed to a House in desperate need of articulate, impassioned, principled conservatives.
These Congressional rookies probably think they’ve finally emerged from the political fight of their lives, but they haven’t seen anything yet. If there’s one thing the heartless Republican establishment will attack, it’s an unapologetic conservative. They’ll keep their powder dry until they spot the opportunity to turn on a Tea Partier and then it’ll be open season. If these freshmen are smart, they’ll realize that power lies in numbers and the tighter formation they can maintain, the better. There’s a reason why the Greek
phalanx and the Roman testudo were such effective fighting formations. With any luck, organizations like the Tea Party Caucuses in both houses can form rank around these fledgling representatives until they get their sea legs and prepare to carry the fight to the enemies of Liberty, foreign or domestic. Luke Hamilton is classically-trained, Shakespearean actor from Eugene, Oregon who happens to be a liberty-loving, rightwing, Christian constitutionalist. When not penning columns for ClashDaily.
com, Hamilton spends his time astride the Illinois-Wisconsin border, leading bands of liberty-starved citizens from the progressive gulags of Illinois to [relative] freedom. Hamilton is the creative mind/voice behind Pillar & Cloud Productions, a budding production company which resides at www. PillarCloudProductions.com. He owes all to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose strength is perfected in his weakness. © Luke Hamilton 2014
COUNCIL REPORT
The New Rochelle City Council Report November 12, 2014 By PEGGY GODFREY The New Rochelle City Council allotted 15 minutes of discussion for Gotham Government Relations Group, during their Nov. 12, meeting. It was obvious there was a lack of agreement as to how this firm, hired last year, would assist the city council’s efforts with regard to downtown development. Chuck Strome brought up the proposed RDRXR project. Gotham Government Relations Group consultants, Perry Ochacher and David M. Schwartz, explained that their company not only has the ability to lobby on behalf of clients, they also can organize campaigns to educate residents, via rallies to develop interest in a community for a proposal and social media. They
suggested that their methods offered supporters an avenue to show their support, to balance the views of opponents, who “always manage to find a way to express their viewpoint,” and told council members, “they have great success in getting people excited.” Luiz Aragon, Commissioner of Development has seen Gotham’s social media department. Ochracher also explained that his firm is currently tracking 100 bills and proposed legislation that can potentially affect the City of New Rochelle. Councilman Barry Fertel countered by saying the “opposition last time”was far more effective. He was all for “information” being circulated, but did not support lobbying. The consultants gave an example of a Jones Beach project. They lobbied the group, used social media and had a rally. The Parks department there worked out an agreement. Fertel
answered, this firm would have to work with the city and the consultants replied that they had never worked with a city. After some discussion, Mayor Noam Bramson said it was premature to have this conversation until if and when the city’s staff decides it makes sense to enter into a contract with this company, adding that the city needs to be even-handed. Councilman Hyden said that the consultants came across as lobbyists and he did not think that was their function, the firm should be seeking funds that may be available. Prior to this meeting The Westchester Guardian asked three council members their opinions on the recent downtown proposal by RDRXR. Councilwoman Shari Rackman felt the plan was an ambitious,
exciting project with an experienced and reliable developer. The process they have described, in her view, will include creating a fantastic project that will enhance the city and meet the needs of the citizens. The council only voted to enter into discussions with RDRXR and at this point, it is only a concept. The company is seeking exclusive development rights. With equal enthusiasm, Councilman Ivar Hyden said it is a wonderful opportunity for the “City of New Rochelle. Without more residential development, property taxes will continue to rise every year. This project gives the city the opportunity to create a new tax base and a new style and a new character for the downtown. I would also like to say, as the Councilman for most of the downtown area, I’m very careful when moving forward and paying attention to detail to make sure
we get more than we give.” Councilman Lou Trangucci is concerned that this development will be primarily residential with very little retail or commercial space. “If that’s the case, we will not generate the revenue the city needs for police, fire and the the Department of Public Works. If this development does not bring in suffiicient tax revenue, who is going to pay for needed services? Two properties this organization wants to build on are over the railroad and the library, and both properties generate no sales tax. When they build on these properties are they going to ask for tax abatements, thus building on the backs of taxpayers? The city is in no financial position to give away substantial tax breaks. If we had 20 million dollars in the fund balance, the situation might be different. Two and a half million dollars had to be taken out of the fund balance to operate the 2013 budget. I am very cautiously optimistic.”
FLEETWOOD
THE ROMA BUILDING
RENOVATED APARTMENTS FOR RENT
Prime Yorktown Location
Beautiful, Newly Renovated Apartments
COMMERICAL SPACE FOR RENT
Great Visibility • Centrally Located
STORE 950 Sq. Ft. Rent: $3250 /Month
OFFICE SPACE: 470 Sq. Ft. Rent $850/Month • 1160 Sq. Ft. Rent $1650/ Month
914.632.1230 2022 SAW MILL RIVER RD., YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY
1 Bedrooms Starting at $1350/month • Studios Starting at $1200/month Brand New Kitchens, Living Rooms & Bathrooms • Granite Counter Tops • Laundry On-Site New Cabinets, Stoves & Refrigerators, Credit Check Required Elevator Building • 1 Block from MetroNorth Fleetwood Station • Monthly Parking Nearby Available Immediately Call Management Office for details:
914.632.1230
80 West Grand Street, Fleetwood
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 7
sustainable environments, manageable debt and governing institutions adapted to the new speed.” While agreeing with his analysis, I am pessimistic about the probability of a nearterm solution. We have a dysfunctional government that may or may not do better in its new political alignment. We have an economy that is robust for the wealthy and large corporations but is not supporting wage gains for workers or full employment and we have an uneducated public that does not know enough to bring pressure on our lawmakers and those striving for election to do what is best for all citizens. I realize that most are concerned with their own jobs, their own decreased buying power, and rising house hold expenses to take time to be concerned about the “big picture.” Yet, it is the big picture that will shape the world for their children and grandchildren. It seems to me that those who, as Friedman and those I mentioned above, see these problems have a moral imperative to do whatever they can to educate and rouse the population on the big issues. It is not an easy task – but it must be done. Ethan Zuckerman concludes his 2013 book ”Digital Cosmopolitans” with “If we want a world that values diversity of perspective over the certainty of a privileged few, a world where many points of view
complicate issues and point us toward novel solutions, we need to build that world. To quote another rabbi (he quoted one earlier), the first-century CE Rabbi Tarfon, ‘It’s not incumbent for us to finish the work, but neither are we free to refrain from beginning it.’ Whether we transform our own behavior, the tools we use to encounter the world, or our society as a whole, we have an opportunity to start the process of rewiring the world.” Let’s get busy!
CREATIVE DISRUPTION
Thomas Friedman Gets It ... By John F. McMullen New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman gets it. Ex-Secretary of Labor Robert Reich gets it. MIT Professors and authors of “The Second Machine Age” Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson get it. Mother Jones columnist Kevin Drum gets it. – and I get it! I’m sure that others get it; we are beginning to see writing beginning on the subject and the National Science Foundation has a grant to explore the issue – but there is no public discussion on it. Instead, states haggle over birth control insurance issues and the Congress seems ready to try to take apart the Affordable Care Act with bills that the president is sure to veto. Psst to all – Technology is disrupting our employment market in a way that it has never done before. More and more people are losing jobs because of it and, with that loss, consumer buying power dries up. In a November 5th New York Times column, “The World Is Fast” (http://www. nytimes.com/2014/11/05/opinion/ the-world-is-fast.html), Friedman rails about our recent election, “We’ve just had a nonsense midterm election. Never has more money been spent to think so little about a future so in flux. What would we have discussed if we’d had a serious election? How about the biggest challenge we’re facing today: The resilience of our workers, environment and institutions.” He then proceeds to lay out the elements that make up this “biggest challenge” (regular readers of this column will recognize at least one of the elements) – “Why is that the biggest challenge? Because: The world is fast.(jfm:My bolding) The three biggest forces on the planet — the market, Mother Nature and Moore’s Law — are all surging, really fast, at the same time.” The brilliant Ray Kurzweil, author of “The Age of the Spiritual Machine” and “The Singularity Is Near,” has been writing and speaking for years about the exponential growth in technology; Friedman agrees with the ongoing increasing speed in technological power but expands the analysis beyond technology, writing “The market, i.e., globalization, is tying economies more tightly together than ever before, making our workers, investors and markets much more interdependent and exposed to global trends, without walls to protect them. Moore’s Law, the theory that the speed and power of microchips will double every two years, is, as Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson posit in their book, “The Second Machine Age,” so relentlessly increasing the power of software, computers and robots that they’re now replacing many more traditional white- and blue-collar
jobs, while spinning off new ones — all of which require more skills. And the rapid growth of carbon in our atmosphere and environmental degradation and deforestation because of population growth on earth — the only home we have — are destabilizing Mother Nature’s ecosystems faster.” Do we, the American citizens, have both the understanding of these issues and the so-called “fire in our bellies” to demand public discussion on the subject and action taken. I think not. Our own immediate concerns about jobs, healthcare, etc. are more pressing issues and, additionally, such large issues are hard to get our mental arms around. We know that the growing foreign manufacturing of our goods, particularly in China, leads to loss of jobs – but it keeps our prices low – so, unless we are immediately affected by a job loss, we don’t get worked up about it. Likewise, most don’t get worked up about the “destablization of Mother Nature’s ecosystems” unless vile smoke or exhaust is creating health problems for us. Without an impact on us, the subject is too abstract for most of us; even the words “destablization” and “ecosystems” sound hard to grasp. Similarly, “Moore’s Law” and the doubling of speed and power of microchips every two years seems hard to understand for those without a computer background. That’s where I come in! One does not have to understand computers to realize what impact technology has had on the world around us – if we are willing to pause and consider what is presented by those with credentials in the field. I have the credentials —50 years in the field as technologist, manager, owner of a consulting firm, college professor and writer – so consider: The local mall that you have walked through many times probably once had two bookstores – a Walden Books and a B. Dalton. They are both gone – eaten by Amazon – as has been Brentano’s and most local book stores. The same mall probably had two film processing stores and two music ones. All are gone now, eaten by Digital Cameras and iTunes. The checkout lines at the supermarket and Home Depot usually have less people working and long lines to encourage us to use the “Self-Checkout” lines. Banks built more than five years ago usually have spots for six-to-eight tellers but only 2 or 3 tellers are working as ATMs and OnLine Banking have eaten those jobs. People with very good salaries as chemical engineers working in film processing at Kodak and Fuji were out in the streets
when Digital Cameras (called correctly by Carly Farina, then CEO of Hewlett Packard, as “computers that take pictures”) took over picture taking. Computer programming, once high paying jobs, have been largely outsourced to India. Just 10 – 15 years ago, students that I taught in college who wound up with degrees in Information Systems had no trouble landing jobs with IBM, on Wall Street, or with government agencies. Now those jobs have, by in large, left the country. Manufacturing jobs have disappeared in many areas, both through outsourcing to the Far East and the automation of factories through robotics. The customer has become part of the processing chain – as we order through Amazon, pay bills at our computer, and check ourselves out in the supermarket – eliminating many jobs. Every new technology innovation in robotics or artificial intelligence creates high paying jobs while eliminating many more jobs through the developed automation. The list goes on. In my youth, many of my friends went to college – but some didn’t and started in entry level jobs at banks and brokerage firms (“office boy”, mail delivery, “runner”, etc.) and wound up as Vice Presidents at Merrill Lynch or CitiBank. The “entry level” positions at such firms now are vasty different and require college degrees. Other friends, usualy through connections of some sort, got into trade unious and were able to make significant incomes. There are many less jobs of those types today. Many of those displaced are either too old, too uneducated, or non-intelligent enough to be retrained for the new demanding positions in our high-tech world. These people are not in a particular state or Congressional District nor are they all members of a particular union, In short, they have no voice! What are we to do? How do we have a strong economy that provides for all of these people? That is one of the questions that Friedman raises. The exercise that I have gone through for my specialty could certainly be duplicated by experts in climate change or the global economy for their respective fields. In short, we have a problem. Friedman addresses the problem, writing “In sum, we’re in the middle of three “climate changes” at once: one digital, one ecological, one geo-economical. That’s why strong states are being stressed, weak ones are blowing up and Americans are feeling anxious that no one has a quick fix to ease their anxiety. And they’re right. The only fix involves big, hard things that can only be built together over time: resilient infrastructure, affordable health care, more start-ups and lifelong learning opportunities for new jobs, immigration policies that attract talent,
Creative Disruption Creative Disruption is a continuing series examining the impact of constantly accelerating technology on the world around us. These changers normally happen under our personal radar until we find that the world as we knew it is no more. Comments on this column to johnmac13@ gmail.com John F. McMullen is a writer, poet, college professor and radio host. Links to other writings, Podcasts, & Radio Broadcasts at www. johnmac13.com, his books are available on Amazon, and he blogs at http://open.salon. com/blog/johnmac13. © 2014 John F. McMullen
AUCTION
D E C E M B E R 1 0 th Four Home Sites in Two Established Communities in Prestigious Pawling, NY
Developer Directs Immediate Sale
• Fantastic opportunity to plan your dream home • Attention builders! Buy one, two or all four • Minutes to the quaint village of Pawling & Metro North train convenient to Manhattan • Majestic View Estates a spectacular six parcel estate community • The Highlands amenities includes pool & tennis Previews Nov. 17, 22, 24 11-1PM 13 Harmony Road, Pawling
888.299.1438 / maxspann.com
Page 8
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
EDITORIAL
Editor’s Response Nov 20 2014 Dear Ms. Salz, I am responding your Letter regarding Mr. Luke Hamilton’s Oct. 30th column on Mulitculturalism and I thank you for your interest in our paper. Mr. Hamilton is a columnist here, not a reporter; I will try to do a better job of making this clearer going forward. Columnists share with us, their views on many topics and I do not see how one would think he is a reporter, as there is no hard news here. I group him sometimes under a government heading as his remarks are often directed at government policy or politics in general. As the Acting Editor, I strive to present an interesting array of articles for our readers each week and this often involves a balancing act: weighing the merits of stories and columns I may or may not agree with entirely, but which I find have points that are worth consideration. As citizens of a pluralistic society, we will often come up against people who challenge our beliefs and this is a very good thing, for it forces each of us to truly examine the basis of the ideas we hold dear, against which ones may require further reflection and perhaps, refinement. I wish to point out that we do publish a weekly column on Cultural Perspectives in International Films, written very ably by Sherif Awad, a citizen of Egypt. Mr. Awad’s column focuses on films from the Mideast, Africa and South America, so I
think you must agree, we try to do our part -- and more than most, to foster Multicultural dialogue. As a young American woman, you have opportunities that are unrivaled in the history of the world. These opportunities are easily taken for granted for you have not earned them, but inherited them. They were won for you, by your Mother’s generation - breaking glass ceilings in the work force; your Grandmother’s generation insisted upon higher education for women and your Great-Grandmother’s generation was the first generation of women to work outside the home en-masse, keeping our economy going during World War II. Your great-great grandmothers perhaps supported suffragettes, gaining women the right to vote, a right first advocated by Abigail Adams, our second First Lady. As an American woman, you are free to choose your destiny, Margaux, limited only by your ambitions and the effort you invest, to realize your dreams. These are freedoms that our sisters in many corners of the earth can only dream of, for they are limited by misogyny, poverty, ignorance and sometimes, the beliefs of the cultures they have been born into. As women, they are prohibited, in many places, from enjoying many of the benefits their cultures have achieved. In 2012, A Pew research study of US 2010census data showed that 71% of High School female high school graduates
immediately enrolled in college, compared to 62% of their male counterparts. Your generation, Margaux, will make the vaulted leap to the boardrooms of corporations that run our economy, for enough women of your generation with have the necessary credentials to be there, in numbers too large to ignore. I hope you will have the opportunity to travel abroad, when you are older. I am sure you will find that most people, most places, are very nice. You may find that your international peers and business colleagues live comfortably, as you do. However, if you venture off the beaten path, you will realize that many of their compatriots do not, though they want the same things for their families that we want for ours. But back to Mr. Hamilton, God love him, who is even more conservative, than I am. Here’s the thing, Margaux, while all cultures can be said to be equally valid on some level – as an anthropologist will argue, they do not all provide equal opportunities for all of their people and that, I think, is Mr. Hamilton’s larger point. Liberals have used Multiculturalism as a wedge to divide our country, balkanizing it into isolated interest groups that fight each other for recognition, so that we do not have the time or the energy to recognize that our American identity is slipping away and our Mr. Hamilton is not wrong here. A fragmented citizenry serves those who seek power over us, at our expense. When we spend too much time focusing on our differences, we lose sight of the many things we share in common, along with the good will necessary to
work toward solutions that benefit our society as a whole. We are a nation forged by people who left the countries of their birth, to participate in a country where they are free to hold onto their heritage, should they choose to, and fuse it onto a uniquely American identity. To paraphrase Mr. Hamilton, “We are at our strongest and our healthiest when we channel our natural diversity into our national unity.” Mr. Hamilton’s analogy of departments at General Motors is not as inept as you suggest: like a corporation, the goals of various departments of a country need to be aligned, if that country is to succeed and our country is no longer succeeding at many levels. I sincerely hope this will change by the time you finish school and enter the work force. I can tell you I no longer recognize the country I grew up in and I can no longer explain it to my friends who grew up elsewhere. The adoption of printing and the printing press was the singular event that allowed Western Culture to blossom, allowing knowledge to be archived and transmitted to a much wider audience and down through subsequent generations, ultimately giving birth to our modern world. And to be sure, our world is in great part possible, due to the applications of Calculus, which the crusaders brought back from the Middle East. So there you have it, Margaux. We are a nation of some 317,000,000 people who perhaps believe only a few of the same things and that is OK, as long as we can work with each other to balance our sense of individual liberty to the greatest extent
possible, while maintaining a vibrant community life that offers an equal opportunity to all. It isn’t perfect, but it is all we have and at the end of the day, we have more far more than most people, in most other places. I am sorry we did not hit the mark with you on this article but I thank you for your letter and I hope you will continue to read our paper. Best regards, Mary Keon Acting Editor The Westchester Guardian.
BRONX APARTMENTS FOR RENT Newly Renovated Bronx Aparts for Rent
Near public transportation & shopping. Rent incl. heat & hot water. 24 Hr. On-Site Super. $25 non-refundable credit check. 1 BR Starts @ $1150/Month 3Br. Starts @ $1600/Month 4BR Starts @ $1900/Month No Broker Fee
Call Maria:
914.632.1230
Diana O’Neill Holistic Health Services
I will journey with you during challenging times such as grieving the loss of a loved one or recovering from a negative relationship. Counseling • Energy Healing • Hypnotism • Spiritual & Psychic Healing By Appointment, Only.
Free consultation given on first visit.
914.630.1928 Holistic Health Services • 212 North Ave. Suite 204 A, New Rochelle, NY 10801
• 914.630.1928
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 9
Arts/EnertainmentSection EYE ON THEATRE
By Sneaky Ways By JOHN SIMON
Lost Lake
In David Auburn’s “Lost Lake,” Veronica, a black nurse and mother of two young kids, rents a cottage for a short summer stay from a weird slacker, Hogan. It takes place by an unfashionable lake presumably somewhere in New England, and the two-hander concerns how a couple of very different people somehow manage to find a way toward an unlikely friendship. Auburn, the author of the impressive “Proof,” has not had a notable playwriting success since then, but has done rather better as a director. Here, however, he has been directed by Daniel Sullivan, one of our best directors going. It is a fairly long play performed without intermission, but our unflagging interest is rewarded if not by some major final revelation, only by a rather modest one, but one all the more credibly human.
laconically inquires. Veronica replies, “You mean besides the deck [in disarray], the boat [“more or less seaworthy’], the hot water [lacking], the disconnected phone, and the dead tree branch over the walkway looks like it’s about to fall and smash one of my children’s skull any second?” To which he responds cavalierly, “I wasn’t aware about the phone.” Hogan promises to take requisite steps, but hardly persuades Veronica, whether or not he does so himself. All along he has depended, financially and otherwise, on a younger brother who lives 45 minutes away by car, with his family that includes Debbie, a lawyer wife, who, according to Hogan, hates him, and can hardly wait to a acquire his cottage by fair means or foul. Hogan himself has one daughter about to become a student at Columbia and not very interested in him, and an ex-wife in Florida, even less so. Nevertheless, despite rubbing each other the wrong way, some sort of friendship evolves between this pair, and the actions and dialogue leading up to it have their idiomatic or idiosyncratic flavor. What brings the two closer is that his many small lies are matched by one rather bigger one of hers, which
she exudes authenticity from every pore. John Hawkes is, if possible, even more convincing: uninhibited, emaciated, longhaired and slovenly, and, to Veronica’s disgust, never leaves the property, but sleeps on its edge, in his truck. After hot water finally materializes, his long dispensed-with shower granted by the nurse, makes him emerge as a perhaps not better but certainly slicker person. “Lost Lake” is the sort of play that, intermittently funny and always downto-earth, can, if approached with modest enough expectations, be steadily satisfying.
Grand Concourse
The same can be said of Heidi Schreck’s “Grand Concourse,” to which I come somewhat belatedly. It takes place in a Bronx soup kitchen on the Grand Concourse, where things are, as you probably expect, anything but grand. Let me point out right off that Ms. Schreck is that rare phenomenon both actress and playwright. No piker at either, she even has the modesty of, at least in this instance, not writing a part for herself.
Lee Wilkoff and Quincy Tyler Bernstine in Grand Concourse, photo by Joan Marcus
19-year-old college dropout, who wants to do one good thing, she says, before dying of an incurable cancer by helping others, and thus, ultimately, herself. What makes her situation even more poignant, she avers,
is lack of maternal affection and sexual fulfillment. Rounding out the cast of four is Frog, a middle-aged comic fantast and regular
Continued on page 10
3 DAYS ONLY NOVEMBER 28TH, 29TH AND 30TH
BUY ONE get ONE 1/2 PRICE!
GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR TWO AT THE REGULAR PRICE
GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR TWO
Our Exciting 2015 Season Features Something for Everyone! Tracie Thoms and John Hawkes in Lost Lake, photo by Joan Marcus Veronica, qua nurse, favors order, but just barely manages to maintain it in a ramshackle, poorly kept cottage in which almost all amenities malfunction or are wholly missing. She has to indulge in some well-justified serious haggling with a lethargic owner that is not unamusing. Most contested is the extra deposit for potential damage by two unruly children—there is even a third, the daughter’s girlfriend—which, however, seems excessive to Veronica, who after some circumspection observes euphemistically that everything “looks pretty . . .broken in.” “Is there anything else?” Hogan
somehow evens things out. Besides Sullivan’s direction, as easefully naturalistic as can be, matters are also helped by a splendid mess of a set by J. Michael Griggs, apt costumes by Jess Goldstein, sensitive lighting by Robert Perry, and, of course, solid acting, based in part on very smart casting. Happily, we are not exposed to any of the children. Dreadlocked Tracey Thom makes a thoroughly likable Veronica, precisely because she makes no effort to be likable. Hardheaded, but not extremely so, casually outspoken and reasonably good-humored,
AT
CAMELOT PLUS A LINEUP OF CONCERTS, COMEDY NIGHTS AND MORE!
Ismenia Mendes in Grand Concourse, photo by Joan Marcus
ORDER ON-LINE AT____________ www.BroadwayTheatre.com
We have here, in efficacious charge of the kitchen, Shelley, a tough 38-year-old black nun, a tiny bit shaky in her mission and rather missing the basketball she apparently excels at, which she could be playing at a court across the street. There is also Oscar, a jolly young man from the Dominican Republic, a sort of factotum whose duties include chasing away the children who toss rocks at the window from outside. He is engaged to Lydia, an energetic young woman whom we don’t see, but hear quite a lot about. Yet he also has eyes—and other organs—for the pretty intern, Emma, a
VISIT OUR CONVENIENT MALL LOCATIONS (OPENING FRIDAY, NOV. 28)
VISIT OR CALL OUR BOX OFFICE (914) ____________
592-2222
JEFFERSON VALLEY MALL • POUGHKEEPSIE GALLERIA DANBURY FAIR____________ MALL • PALISADES CENTER
EARLY BIRD ONLINE ONLY SPECIAL: PURCHASE GIFT CERTIFICATES ONLINE THANKSGIVING DAY (NOV. 27), AND RECEIVE THIS SAME GREAT DISCOUNT!!! SECOND CERTIFICATE MUST BE OF EQUAL VALUE. Restrictions Apply. Complete details online.
Gift Certificates Purchased During the 2014 Holiday Season will be good thru Jan. 31, 2016 BOX OFFICE
(914) 592-2222 GROUP SALES
(914) 592-2225
LUXURY BOXES (914) 592--8730 The management reserves the right to make schedule or program changes if required. All sales final. No cash or credit card refunds.
Page 10
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
EYE ON THEATRE
By Sneaky Ways Continued from page 9
guest at the kitchen, shameless enough to raid the fridge, but at least entertaining everyone with improbable stories about a checkered life, while also selling jokes from a self-made joke book, which he admits to be overpriced at a dollar a piece. Watching the play is no problem, but reading the script is. For whatever reason, the punctuation is sparse and bizarre, whether out of carelessness or to stimulate the cast to greater immersion and ingenuity is hard to say. But Schreck does have her characters talk believably, even when Shelley seems to be speaking to God through the microwave, although she claims to be doing it only for the timer, to help her achieve prayers of the appropriate length. Expectably, its cold beep is not much of an answer. Shelley and Emma have an odd, not unfascinating relationship, which appears to culminate in their endless, simultaneous, conversation-accompanied slicing of vegetables, hers professionally fast and
Emma’s at a more amateurish tempo. It results in a kind of pseudo-mother-anddaughter relation. Even trickier is the nexus between Emma and Oscar, who have their topsy-turvy innings verging on the shattering, as the one between the women heads into. Under Kip Fagan’s astute direction, all roles are vividly embodied. As Shelley, Quincy Taylor Bernstine overcomes my previous dissatisfaction with her acting, and comes through with flying colors, as much as a non-flying nun can. Emma is Ismenia Mendes, one of our loveliest actresses, no less gifted than pretty. She emerges extremely moving in the role, earning some sympathy even when not a little peccant. Bobby Moreno (you guessed it, Oscar) and that old hand, Lee Wilcof, contribute goodly doses of comedy, whether of the Dominican or (in his case unstatedly) the Jewish kind. The play is in many short, telling scenes, which cover a good deal of time, a format well suited to the author’s purpose. Which is what, exactly? It argues, I think, for a kind of holiness about life, even that of an animal, that must
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Bobby Moreno, Ismenia Mendes and Lee Wilkoff in Grand Concourse, photo by Joan Marcus not be transgressed. This must be achieved directly or indirectly or not at all, in which case the problem is whether there can be forgiveness for the seemingly unforgivable. Both women undergo a change, we can only hope for the better. The men remain their messy but amusing selves, as the play
progresses with alternatingly dramatic and comic scenes firmly in hand. Rachel Hauck’s soup kitchen design is letter perfect, with Jessica Pabst’s costumes and Matt Frey’s lighting lending expert support. Bells from a nearby church and a radio also make significant contributions.
The final effect is one of controlled sadness and guarded hope. Despite her alarming name, Ms. Schreck manages in her sometimes quaint, but eventually compelling way, to entertain rather than frighten us.
nations and freedom. The first documentary caused me to flashback to February 1991, and the banning of a TV channel called TéléFreedom, which ignited the streets of La Réunion: the calm island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and southwest of
Mauritius. One of the twenty-seven overseas regions of France, the neighborhoods of La Réunion witnessed violent riots with angry young people throwing stones, burning cars and looting supermarkets following the ban. The angry
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The Revelations of African Documentaries By Sherif Awad After spending one night in Lagos; as a layover between international flights from Cairo
to Lagos and a national flight going to Calabar, I finally arrived at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), to start my jury duty as a judge of 18 films in the documentary competition.
Anaïs Charles Domenique
Documentaries made in or about Africa are always powerful tools to reflect the struggle of the African people and their fights for human rights, democratic
Miners speak to police hostage negotiators
Continued on page 11
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 11
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The Revelations of African Documentaries Continued from page 10
youth thought that Télé Freedom was a fresh breath of air in their corseted city entangled by mass unemployment, precariousness, and the stigma of a perceived injustice in a deeply unequal society. Twenty years later, a new documentary called Broken Horizon returned to interview the people who took part in these incidents in an effort to shed the light not only on the past, but also on the present, where 60% of the population aged 15 to 25 years is currently unemployed. The director of this documentary, Anaïs Charles-Dominique is in her mid-thirties and works both as a journalist and filmmaker. After obtaining a baccalaureate in social economy, she became a correspondent in South Africa for two years then moved to La Réunion where she shot this film. The second documentary revives an incident that took place in August 2012, when mineworkers in one of South Africa’s biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days later the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more. Using the point of view of the Marikana miners, Miners Shot Down follows the strike from day one, showing the courageous but isolated fight waged by a group of low-paid workers against the combined forces of the mining company Lonmin, the ANC government and their allies in the National Union of Mineworkers. Incredibly powerful and truly shocking, the footage of what is a cold blooded massacre is astonishing. The documentary shows the whole incident from literally all sides. The forensic care with which both the immediate
circumstances and the overall political context are explained make for riveting viewing. It is impossible not to be both appalled and deeply moved by not only the human injustice but also the political tragedy which Marikana represents. It is an extremely important documentary film, not simply to understand the specifics of this incident but also to understand the profound challenges that lie ahead for South Africa
Behind this powerful film is Rehad Desai, a director who first studied history at the University of Zimbabwe where he lived for three years. In 1996, he entered the TV and film industry as a producer/director and has since focused much of his energy on documentary productions, many of which have received critical acclaim. In 1997 Desai completed a Masters in Social History at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 2000 he completed a postgraduate degree in TV and film producing through AVEA,
and in 2009 he completed a course in European Documentary Production through Eurodoc. Desai currently runs Uhuru Productions a film and TV company producing documentary and drama work and he has been the Festival Director of the Tri Continental Film Festival for the last 10 years as well as the Conference Director of the People to People International Documentary Conference. Rehad Desal
The revolting kids in Broken Horizon
Arts Calendar
Celebrate Our Real Founding Fathers and Mothers This Weekend at The Bruce Museum! Native American Pottery Exhibit opens Saturday, November 22nd Redhawk Dancers Perform Sunday, November 23rd from 2:15-3:15PM All Thanksgiving stories of the Pilgrims make it very clear that the settlers at Plymouth would never have survived without the aid of the their Indian neighbors.
Visit The Bruce Museum this weekend where members of the Redhawk Council will perform dances of the Eastern
Woodlands region and the Southwest, on Sunday, November 23, from 2:15-3:15PM, as part of the museum’s month long
commemoration of our Native American Heritage. On Saturday, November 22nd, Native American Heritage Month Family Day at the Bruce, the Native American Pottery Exhibit opens, featuring pieces from the museum’s collection along with pottery created by legendary New Mexico potter, Maria Martinez and her family. The exhibition is underwritten by Gabelli Funds, along with the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund.
Page 12
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
TRAVEL
A Visit to one of France’s Most Beautiful Villages BY LEE DANIELS Ever since I was fortunate enough to have spent a year in France as a young man, I make an effort to return each year, as a pilgrimage of sorts, to what many consider as a country with some of the richest culture and most diverse beauty in the world. And on each return trip, I try to visit a different region, some place I have not seen before. One of the best times to visit France is in between the summer vacation rush and the cold winter weather. This year, fortunately, the end of October proved still warm enough to get around in shirt sleeves. My destination was Baume les Messieurs, a tiny hamlet on the edge of the Jura Mountain range in the FrancheComté region of eastern France, near the Swiss border. I had read about the village while browsing a compendium published by the Most Beautiful Villages in France association, and picked it due to its apparent beauty and its remoteness. What I did not anticipate, but what became an intriguing surprise, was that my two-night stay there ended up being a monastic retreat: the hotel I had chosen online turned out to be an old Benedictine abbey built in the 6th century that had been converted into an inn. Taking an early morning TGV express train from Paris’ Gare de Lyon station to the city of Bourg en Bresse, I switched to a smaller commuter train to Lons le Saunier, one of the principal cities of the Jura region. Arriving mid-morning on a Sunday during a holiday weekend, and seeing no taxis outside, I asked the chef du gare to call one for me. After a brief wait, my driver, Laurent, arrived, and we drove through bucolic countryside dotted with vineyards that were trimmed and golden, as the annual vindange, or harvest, had taken place the month before. We arrived after 20 minutes in the very picturesque village of Baume les Messieurs, nestled between several majestic rock formations with steep cliffs. I was greeted by the innkeeper, Ghislain, who welcomed me and showed me up and around a circular stone stairway inside one of the abbey’s entryways to my bedroom, which was adorned with antique wooden furniture, including a massive king bed with a large, ornate headboard. The room’s windows gave on to the abbey courtyard and a lovely view of the village. As it was a holiday (All Saints Day) weekend, and much was closed, I made reservations at a restaurant—one of three in the village—facing the abbey, and arriving that
Approach to Baume les Messieurs
Etoile appellation is produced in very small quantities and available almost uniquely in the Jura, and hardly ever sold for export. The name Etoile, or “star,” is a reference to the star-shaped fossils which make up a large part of the limestone-rich soils in the area, and to the five hills that surround the Etoile village bearing resemblance to the points of a star. The wine gets its taste from maturing in barrels under a film of yeast, known as the voile, on the wine’s surface. I let the second half of the bottle sit overnight, and the next day, it had grown slightly on my palate; at Ghislain Broulard evening at 7:00, when most restaurants in France begin serving dinner, I was seated by the proprietor, Christine. I ordered the fish of the day, which was pompano, served with a Citronelle sauce, a pyramid of black quinoa, and a steamed vegetable medley, with two velvety slices of foie gras to start. I asked Christine to recommend a local wine that was particular to the region, a chardonnay. She returned with a Domaine de Montbourgeau 2011, a variety of wine famous to the region known as “l’Etoile.” This was a complete departure from the dryer wines I was used to, and it took a while to acclimate to the taste, which was a bit heavy and slightly pungent, though not sweet, quite resembling a dry sherry. I discussed the wine with several others over the next two days, and each assured me that it was an acquired taste, as it is a very special type of wine known as “vin jaune,” or “yellow wine” unique to the area. I learned that the
$34, I was determined not to let it go to waste! The next morning, over continental breakfast served by Ghislain in the dining/ reception area, I inquired about the array of black-and-white photos that adorned two walls in the room—portraits of celebrities including Salvador Dali, Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon, Jane Fonda, and Anthony Perkins, among others. It turned out that Ghislain had grown up in the village, then moved to Paris as a teenager, at the behest of his father, who urged him to go to work
Dawn Pont Alexandre III, Paris
for the electronics firm Philips, which at the time, had revolutionized the hearing aid. Ghislain had other ideas, however, and worked as a photographer’s assistant and in film production to make ends meet until he could start his own business. In his 40 years in Paris, he became an accomplished and respected photographer, as well as model and actor, who worked as Tony Perkins’ double in several of his films. He decided to move back to Baume les Messieurs 20 years ago, and though he still travels to Paris frequently, is quite comfortable in a more tranquil existence as an innkeeper and entrepreneur in the village. As the two restaurants and one café in the village were closed due to the holiday, I decided to hike the 9-mile round trip into the neighboring village of Nevy-sur-Seille to buy groceries. A light rain fell as I walked past rolling apple orchards along the narrow Seille River, under remnants of a waterfall carved into the rock face of one of the steep escarpments to my right, credited as being the source of the Dard River, a tributary of the Seille, which runs for 100km in the region, joining with the larger Saône. A few kilometers outside of Nevy, I passed a road that led up to the hilltop village of Château Chalon, commanding a sweeping view of the valley in which Baume is situated, and renowned for its vin jaune production. The next morning, lacking an alarm, I was fortunately awakened by the abbey bells ringing at 7:00, and hurried to finish packing and enjoy a last coffee and croissant with Ghislain before the taxi arrived to take me back to Lons le Saunier. As the local train lines were on strike, a bus awaited passengers at the Lons station and made the 45-minute
Continued on page 13
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 13
TRAVEL
A Visit to one of France’s Most Beautiful Villages
If You Go to Baume les Messieurs: Getting there Train to Lons le Saunier: SNCF, http://www.sncf.com/en/services/ tickets-bookings Taxi to Baume les Messieurs: Laurent Sage @ Taxi Barbier: office: 011.33.3.843.53939; mobile: 011.33.6.876.02382 Lodging Gothique Café, L’Abbaye de Baume les Messieurs Ghislain Broulard, Innkeeper, 011.33.3.844.46447, mobile: 011.33.6.421.95601, ghislainbroulard@wanadoo.fr $$ Food Le Grand Jardin Christine & Didier Ferre, proprietors, 6, place Guillaume de Poupet, 39210 Baume les Messieurs, 011.33.3.844.46837, contact@ legrandjardin.fr $$$ Sights Baume Abbey, 39570, Baume les Messieurs, France, 011.3.338.444.9828, www.baumelesmessieurs.fr Caves at Baume les Messieurs: Open until the end of summer season, October 15.
Exterior, Picasso Museum, Paris
If You Go to Paris:
Continued from page 12
drive to the city of Dole, from where I caught the TGV back to Paris. Checking into the Hotel du Palais Bourbon in the 7th arrondissement, and welcomed by the personable receptionist, François, I left my pack and headed over to the 3rd arrondissement and the newly reopened Picasso Museum, housed in an elegant townhouse constructed in 1656. Luckily, I had bought tickets in advance, as the line waiting to buy tickets was very long. Afterward, I walked through the Marais
Fountain in Baume Abbey Courtyard
quarter, to visit the Salon Internationale de Photographie, which was featuring exhibits by Brazilian photographers, in addition to French photographers’ exhibits of scenes from around the world. Stopping at one of the falafel joints that the Marais is famous for, I was rewarded with the answer to one of the city’s best-kept secrets: how to exist on a budget in Paris and still eat well. That evening, however, cost was not an object, as I had decided to go to one of my favorite restaurants, Tante Marguerite, part of the Bernard Loiseau group, now run by his wife. Dominique. Greeted warmly by the
manager, Eric, and the sommelier, Benoit, I enjoyed the simple, three-course menu featuring pastry stuffed with sun-dried tomato paste and goat cheese, steak tenderloins with a delicate wine reduction sauce on the side, and apple tart with ice cream, along with a selection of three wine tastings. When the time finally came to ask for the check, Eric approached my table with a gentle smile, and said, “You are our guest tonight.” Who says the best things in life aren’t free?
Lodging Hotel de Nesle, 7, rue de Nesle, 75006 Paris, 011.33.1.4.354.6241, contact@hoteldenesle.net $$ Hotel du Palais Bourbon, 49 rue de Bourgogne, 75007 Paris, Metro: Varenne. 011.33.1. 441.13070. www. hote-palais-borbon.com/ $$$ Food L’As du Fallafel, 34 rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris $ Tante Marguerite, 5, rue de Bourgogne, 75007 Paris, 011.33.1.455.17942 $$$ Sights Picasso Museum, Hotel Sale, 8, rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris. Hours: Tues.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Sat./ Sun.: 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Closed Christmas, New Year’s and May 1. Metro: Saint-Paul or Chemin Vert. Tickets €11: billetterie@museepicassoparis.fr Salon Internationale de Photographie, 48, rue Vielle du Temple, 75004 Paris. Hours: 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Metro: Saint-Paul. Free admission. Medieval Morrocco, an Empire from Africa to Spain, at the Louvre Museum, Napolean Hall, near the Pyramid, daily except Tues., from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Through Jan. 19, 2015. €13. www.louvre.fr/expositions
THE CITY OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT
THE CITY OF STAMFORD IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
FIREFIGHTERS QUALIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS: At time of application, must have graduated from an accredited high school or received an equivalency diploma (G.E.D.) from a recognized authority. By date of written examination (01/10/2015) must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid driver’s license. At time of application, must have a CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test) card dated no earlier than 01/10/2014 OR by date of exam show proof of registration with the Connecticut Fire Academy for the Spring 2015 exam. Further information regarding the CPAT is available at
www.stamfordct.gov or at
www.ct.gov/cfpc. Pass a written examination, scheduled for January 10, 2015. Pass a comprehensive medical exam. The City of Stamford offers a comprehensive compen sation and benefits package, please visit our recruitment page at http://www.stamford ct.gov/human-resources/pages /entry-level-firefighter-recruitment for additional information, application and recruitment packet.
Page 14
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
LE G A L N O T I C E S
Open 7 Days A Week
NYC’s #1 TOPlESS SPORTS BAR • Gentlemen’s Club • sushi RestauRant • Fine DininG
NYC’s oNlY BoDY SUSHI
252 West 43rd St. 212-819-9300 (Between 7th & 8th Ave.)
www.mycheetahsnyc.com
FREE ADMISSION WITH THIS PASS
The New
Don’t Don’t Waste Waste Your Your Time Time Anywhere Anywhere Else Else
Club Club
New York
New York
NEW YORK’S NEW YORK’S PREMIER PREMIER GENTLEMEN’S GENTLEMEN’S CABARET
CABARET Escape Reality…
Escape The VIP Club! Escape to Reality… First Class Adult Entertainment, Sushi Bar and Lounge. HAPPY HOUR @ Entertainment, THE VIP! First Class Adult 2-For-1BarDrinks Sushi and Lounge. Mon – Sat Before 9PM
Escape to The VIP Club! HAPPY HOUR @ THE VIP! COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION 2-For-1 FOR TWODrinks WITH THIS PASS Mon – Sat Before 9PM 20 W. 20th ST. (btwn 5th & 6th) COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION 212-633-1199 FOR TWO WITH THIS PASSs thevipclubnyc.com
SUMMONS SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER ------------------------------------------------------------------------x CHAMPION MORTGAGE COMPANY, Plaintiff, Index No.: 54802/2013 D/O/F: April 4, 2013 Premises Address: 37 South 8th Avenue MOUNT VERNON, NY 10550 -againstGEORGE WASHINGTON TURNER AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF JEAN TURNER ; HERSCHEL RIVERS AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF JEAN TURNER; OLAMAE TURNER AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF JEAN TURNER; JOHN DOE 1 THROUGH 10; JANE DOE 1 THROUGH 10, INTENDING TO BE THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF JEAN TURNER WHO WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1934 AND DIED ON MAY 27, 2012, AND WHO DIED IN THE COUNTY OF BRONX, DECEASED AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF ANY OF THE AFORESAID DEFENDANTS WHO MAY BE DECEASED, AND THE RESPECTIVE HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, DISTRIBUTES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, TRUSTEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, ASSIGNEES AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF THE AFORESAID CLASSES OF PERSON, IF THEY OR ANY OF THEM BE DEAD, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE HUSBANDS, WIVES OR WIDOWS, IF ANY, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE ARE UNKNOWN TO THE PLAINTIFF; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA O/B/O SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK;; JOHN DOES’’ AND ‘‘JANE DOES’’, SAID NAMES BEING FICTITIOUS, PARTIES INTENDED BEING POSSIBLE TENANTS OR OCCUPANTS OF PREMISES, AND CORPORATIONS, OTHER ENTITIES OR PERSONS WHO CLAIM, OR MAY CLAIM, A LIEN AGAINST THE PREMISES, Defendant(s), ------------------------------------------------------------------------x TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your Answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the Plaintiff’s Attorneys within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, where service is made by delivery upon you personally within the State, or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner, and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The following notice is intended only for those defendants who are owners of the premises sought to be foreclosed or who are liable upon the debt for which the mortgage stands as security. YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. The present amount of the debt as of the date of this summons: $296,254.56 consisting of principal balance of $289,773.94 plus Broker`s Price Opinion, inspection and miscellaneous charges of $635.00; Corporate Advances of $4,307.93; Attorney fees of $1,000.00 and title search costs of $537.69. Because of interest and other charges that may vary from day to day, the amount due on the day you pay may be greater. Hence, if you pay the amount shown above, an adjustment may be necessary after we receive the check, in which event we will inform you. The name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed: Champion Mortgage Company. Unless you dispute the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, within thirty (30) days after receipt hereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the herein debt collector. If you notify the herein debt collector in writing within thirty (30) days after your receipt hereof that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, we will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of any judgment against you representing the debt and a copy of such verification or judgment will be mailed to you by the herein debt collector. Upon your written request within 30 days after receipt of this notice, the herein debt collector will provide you with the name and address of the original creditor if different from the current creditor. Note: Your time to respond to the summons and complaint differs from your time to dispute the validity of the debt or to request the name and address of the original creditor. Although you have as few as 20 days to respond to the summons and complaint, depending on the manner of service, you still have 30 days from receipt of this summons to dispute the validity of the debt and to request the name and address of the original creditor. TO THE DEFENDANTS: The Plaintiff makes no personal claim against you in this action. TO THE DEFENDANTS: If you have obtained an order of discharge from the Bankruptcy court, which includes this debt, and you have not reaffirmed your liability for this debt, this law firm is not alleging that you have any personal liability for this debt and does not seek a money judgment against you. Even if a discharge has been obtained, this lawsuit to foreclose the mortgage will continue and we will seek a judgment authorizing the sale of the mortgaged premises. Dated: March 31, 2013 ____________________________________ Tyne Modica, Esq. ROSICKI, ROSICKI & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Attorneys for Plaintiff Main Office 51 E Bethpage Road Plainview, NY 11803 516-741-2585 Help For Homeowners In Foreclosure New York State Law requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it carefully. Mortgage foreclosure is a complex process. Some people may approach you about “saving” your home. You should be extremely careful about any such promises. The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. There are government agencies, legal aid entities and other non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about foreclosure while you are working with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANKNYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the Department’s website at www.banking.state.ny.us. The State does not guarantee the advice of these agencies.
MAGEN INTERNATIONAL, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 9/8/14. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to C/O Stern Keiser & Panken, LLP 1025 Westchester Ave White Plains, NY 10604. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of formation of MORILLO PROPERTY, LLC . Art. of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/11/2014. Office in Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: P.O. Box 485, Fleetwood, New York 10552. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC). NAME: Unicorp International, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/19/14. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: Unicorp International, 128 Fuller Road, Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510, principal business location of the LLC. Purpose: any lawful business activity. MOUNT AIRE CAPITAL LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 6/20/2014 Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 16 Tioga Lane Pleasantville, NY 10570. Purpose: Any lawful activity
CJ FAMILY ENTERPRISES, L.P. Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 9/19/14. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LP upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LP 300 Mamaroneck Ave #805 White Plains, NY 10605. Purpose: Any lawful activity. SHANNON SIDE MECHANICAL LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/14/14. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 9-11 North West St Mount Vernon, NY 10550. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE is hereby given that a license, Serial # Pending for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in restaurant known as North Ave. Café Corp under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, located at 601 North Ave. in New Rochelle, NY 10801, for on-premise consumption. SIRI DIAGNOSTICS, PLLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/22/10. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of PLLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The PLLC 1 Oakway Scarsdale, NY 10583. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
20 W. 20th ST. (btwn 5th & 6th)
212-633-1199 s thevipclubnyc.com WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN LEGAL ADVERTISING WestGuardAdvertising@aol.com
PUBLICATION EVERY THURSDAY: 914.216.1674 M-F 11A- 5P SUBMIT ADS TUESDAY, 10 DAYS PRIOR TO RUN DATE
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Page 15
FOCUS ON FILM
Interstellar “We will find a way. We always have. - Cooper” Interstellar takes place in our near future, where the biosphere is crashing and Sahara style dust storms roll across the planet with increasing frequency. The combination of dust in the atmosphere, blight, along with lack of rain, cause crops to fail, the economy barely functions and lung infections are a leading cause of death. Though some technology is still available, society has focused all resources on agriculture to sustain the population. No one needs more TVs, radios, airplanes - -or the engineers that made them (so they think); there is no-where to go that is any better, and if you live on a farm, you are way better off than most.
Mackenzie Foy and Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, a widowed father of two children, still having nightmares after some kind of crash in his pre-farming days, when he was a hot shot NASA test pilot and engineer. Now he is back running the family farm with his fatherin-law, played by John Lithgow. As the plot develops, Cooper stumbles across mission control for a top-secret off-world space program that is searching other universes for earth-like planets. Cooper is persuaded to sign up to find a world his children can move to when he learns the planet will cease to support human life in their generation and whoever does not starve to death, will suffocate. Michael Caine is the theoretical physicist, Professor Brand, who dedicates his life to figuring out how large earth based space ships can escape gravity to evacuate humanity, en masse. Ann Hathaway is his equally brilliant daughter, Dr. Amelia Brand, who suits up with Cooper, to explore the worlds beyond the wormhole in their ship, The Endurance. No space trek is complete without an entertaining robot or two: the Endurance team has CASE (voiced by Josh Stewart) and TARS (voiced by Bill Irwin), who do not disappoint. Die-hard Treckies are already familiar with the heavy doses of science woven into the script and have no doubt already seen this film. But you do not need to be a rocket scientist to enjoy this thriller as Coop and
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and David Gyasi in Interstellar Brand make the jolting journey through the wormhole and investigate alien worlds to find a new home for humanity, following encouraging data sent back from earlier expeditions. Matt Damon plays the revered Dr. Mann, who spearheaded the human probe effort and whom the team awakens from his cryogenically induced sleep on an ammonia-frozen world. Mann has been transmitting back data that suggests his planet offers the best opportunity for colonization, a stark blow to Bard, whose lover is also transmitting encouraging data from another planet. The trouble is, there are not enough resources to investigate both planets and return to earth. Meanwhile, due to the relationships of
Jessica Chastain in Interstellar planetary mass, gravity and relativity, time is flying by back on earth, much faster than it is in space, and life is even bleaker than it was before. Coop’s son, an adult now with two children of his own, is having a harder time making a go of the farm with every year that goes by. Murph, Coop’s brilliant daughter, has joined mission control and taken Amelia’s place at Professor Brand’s side, to try and save her family’s future. Singularity data, a dying Professor Bard tells her, only available inside a black hole, is the holy grail that will enable scientists to complete their equations, uniting quantum mechanics with gravity to get their earth bound ships off the ground-- if it is even possible to get this data out of a black hole.
Time is running out for everyone. The film runs 169 minutes, but is so actionpacked you will not notice. The things that can go wrong in space, do so, and this is juxtaposed against the deteriorating conditions on earth. McConaughy and Hathaway deliver solid performances as explorers who do their best to play the hands they are dealt. Jessica Chastain is a very credible as Murph and Mackenzie Foy, who plays the young Murph gives an authentic performance of a young girl who believes her father has abandoned her. Matt Damon is a chilling Dr. Mann. What can propel someone across universes to follow the person they love? What can induce someone to leave his family to explore uncharted universes with no guarantee of return? All equations aside, what force is strong enough to transcend time, space and gravity? Brand tells us it is love. When you can use quantum physics to create dramatic tension, some very interesting things happen and the plot has many twists and turns. Theoretical Physicist Kip Thorne consulted on this film, contributing some of his own theories to the script and he also acted as executive producer. This movie is not to be missed. Director: Christopher Nolan. Cinematogrpahy: Hoyt van Hoytema. Matthew McConaugheyCooper. Anne Hathaway, Dr Bard, Matt Damon is Dr. Mann, Mackenzie Foy plays Murph as a young girl; Jessica Chastain is the young adult Murph, and Ellen Burstyn is the elderly Murph. John Lithgow plays Coop’s father, Donald. Timothee Chalamet plays Coop’s son Tom as an adolescent; Casey Affleck plays him as an adult. William Devane is a NASA official. John Lithgow is Daniel, Cooper’s fatherin-law. Casey Affleck is Tom Cooper, Coop’s son, David Gyasi is Romilly; Leah Cairns is Lois, Tom’s Wife; Topher Grace is Getty, Mruph’s husband, Wes Bentley is geographer Doyle. U.S. distribution by Paramount Pictures. Music composed by Hans Zimmer. All photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Open 10AM - 8PM Mon-Sat.
Juice Bar • Smoothies • Salads Paninis • Rice Bowls Dine In -Take-Out • Dobbs Ferry Delivery
914.479.5555 MIXONMAINNY.com 63 MAIN ST., DOBBS FERRY, NY
Page 16
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Thursday, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
SHOPPING
RETAIL RECON
By Mary Keon
Holiday shopping for my large family will be even more of a challenge this year, and I recall I lost a critical shopping weekend last year due to snow, so I am resolved to start - and FINISH early, this year! Don’t tell anyone, but here’s a sneak peak at my finds, so far: Keep your young budding capitalists from being bored on a snow day with board games: STEAM- Rails to Riches ($52) A game where players “build railroads and deliver goods along ever changing networks of tracks and stations,” the latest of Martin Wallace’s railroad game series. (MayfairGames.com) The game comes with different boards -northeastern USA and Canada is suitable for 3-4 players; the European map of the lower Rhine and Ruhr region works for 4-5 players. Contains small parts and is not for use for children under the age of 5.
Kids who love card games will enjoy Station Master by Mayfair Games, Inc. “where players compete to see who is best able to plan the right number of train carriages for each route and then direct passengers to the best route for their destination.” Being able to navigate mass transit systems is an important life/travel skill that will come in handy down the road and this will give kids a leg up when they start traveling on their own. The game contains small parts and is not suitable for children aged three and under. $22; for 2- 6 players. Purchasing these games at the NYC Transit Museum (Grand Central Terminal) helps support the museum; not just Mr. Wallace and Mayfair Games. While at the
museum, take a moment to peruse their many gift items and be sure to pick up a Train/Subway pass protector at the counter, which will keep your passes from getting bent and make them easier to find in your bag or wallet: $ 2.50. $1.00 snagged me a wallet sized NYC subway and MetroNorth train map. This is a great stocking stuffer for teens who are just starting to visit the city.
This year I found the perfect present for teens and Geeks on the Go: the iFrogz GoLite - 2600 Battery - a pocket size battery back up for cell phones with a built in mini-flashlight. The 2600 model comes in Magenta, Turquoise, Red & Black: $29.99. IFrogz also makes a slightly more powerful version, the 7800 for $49.99 which also has
a light and will power up smartphones to tablets. The 7800 comes in Orange, Black, Green, Magenta and Red. Depending upon spending guidelines, this can also be a perfect office grab-bag gift. I came across this in the electronics aisle at Target, while looking for something else, but you can also order it on-line: ifrogz.com. Give the gift of Theatre with Gift Certificates for The Westchester Broadway Theatre! This is a wonderful present and takes just a few minutes to arrange, with a call to the Box Office: 914.592.2222. The 2015 Season features Camelot, Westside Story, Backwards in High Heels, the Ginger Rogers Story and Showboat. Stop by the
Theatre Gift Shop and pick up CDs by George Dvorsky (Emile in South Pacific) and all of your evenings will be enchanted, as well! George has two CDs: In The Still Of The Night and All Through The Night. Buy some for presents but be sure to treat yourself, as well! George Dvorsky as Emile in Westchester Broadway Theatre’s South Pacific
CALENDAR
News and Notes From Northern Westchester By Mark Jeffers Why is picking the correct lane in traffic jam, so much like choosing the fastest checkout line in a crowded grocery store. Not sure I have the answer, but will think about it after I finish this week’s “patience is a virtue” edition of “News & Notes.” While the Jeffers gang does not decorate until after Thanksgiving, we do talk about Christmas all year long. With that in mind it is not too early to mention the Bedford Hills Christmas tree lighting at the Bedford Hills train station on Saturday, December 6th at 5:00pm. There was a fabulous turnout last year with joyous carols from local choirs, delicious cookies from neighboring Mimi’s Bakery and hot cocoa for all. It is a great chance to kick off the holiday season with
old friends and new! Three cheers and good luck goes out to Anthony Sinapi as he recently opened the new Sinapi’s Kettled Bagel Café in Mount Kisco, I personally like the onion bagels… How about Monday at Muscoot Farm in Somers…take a Bird Walk on Monday, December 1st at 8:30am with Ann Swaim from Saw Mill River Audubon for a stroll through the back roads at the farm, don’t forget your binoculars. Our friends and Bedford neighbors Mike and Jenny Weisburger are home from their wild ride across the country. Lafayette College graduates Mike and Jenny have spent the month of November driving an RV from California to Easton, PA to deliver the game ball for the 150th meeting of the Lehigh vs. Lafayette football game. In honor of the most played college rivalry,
the game will be played to a sell-out crowd at Yankee Stadium on November 22nd. With many stops along the way to build the excitement the Weissys will have many tales to tell. In honor of my wife, daughter, father-in-law and others…Go Pards! Celebrate the holiday season with Charles Dickens “Christmas Carol” at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, Saturday and Sundays this December. This sound like a must see…on November 22nd at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College,“Basetrack Live,” the latest offering from Anne Hamburger’s innovative theater company En Garde Arts; a gripping show that grew out of an ambitious and unique collaboration with corpsmen from 1st Battalion/8th Marines. It is based on the website and Facebook page One-Eight Basetrack. Using live music, film
and a cascade of images from independent photojournalists in Afghanistan to punctuate a performance drawn from genuine social media exchanges and interviews with military service personnel and their families, it confronts the complex truths and ambiguities of modern military experience head on. It is a dynamic, all-encompassing experience; it will leave you changed. The White Plains Performing Arts Center presents “My Life on a Diet,” starring Renee Taylor on November 21 and 22. Here’s a great way to run/walk off that wonderful Thanksgiving dinner: join the 10th Annual Bedford Turkey Trot on Saturday November 29th. Look for me; I’ll be walking the hills with the family. For the 30th consecutive year, 100.7 WHUD is proud to support the HOPE for Youth Foundation, Long Range Weather Calendar. The sale of the twenty-nine (29) previous years’ calendars raised well over $2,600,000 for charitable organizations
WWW.WESTCHESTERGUARDIAN.COM
involved with children. This year is no different. You can purchase a 2015 calendar with beautiful Hudson Valley photographs by Janusz and Renata Hojdysz, Vince Ferraro and Howard Copeland and includes Jim Witt’s long range weather forecasts for all of 2015, gives you a sneak peak at January 2016 and a page “Mother Nature’s Coming Attractions,” that highlights potential weather problems from the end of 2014 to dates in 2024. Calendars are $8 when purchased at a participating store or location, and $12 when you purchase them on-line or by mail. The Lionheart Gallery in Pound Ridge will showcase “Claudia Mengel: New Paintings and Works on Paper,” through December 29th. Our area is certainly filled with skilled and hardworking nurses and doctors, I just wanted to give a shout out to all of them, keep up the great work…see you next week.