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Vol. VI No. XXXI
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
November Elections and Special Interests By MARY C. MARVIN, Page 14
Thursday, August 2, 2012 $1.00
BOB MARRONE
Right and Wrong
Page 3
MARK JEFFERS
News & Notes
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JOHN F. McMULLEN
Adaptability
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SHERIF AWAD
Solomon’s Talented Facets
Page 5
BOB FLOWER
Decline of Empire
Page 7
JOHN SIMON
Plus and Minus
Page 11
DPW: The Invisible Infrastructure By NANCY KING, Page 6 www.westchesterguardian.com
MATT BARBER
Culture of Death
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ED KOCH
Controversial Matters
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THE WESTcHESTER GUARDiAn THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THE WESTcHESTER GUARDiAn
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Of Significance Of Of Significance Significance
Community Section ...............................................................................4
Community Section ...............................................................................4 Community Section......................................................................................3 Business ................................................................................................4 Business ................................................................................................4 Books. . ..........................................................................................................3 Calendar ...............................................................................................4 Calendar ...............................................................................................4 Charity ..................................................................................................5 Calendar......................................................................................................4 Creative Disruption ............................................................................5 Charity ..................................................................................................5 Contest Disruption. ..................................................................................................6 Creative ..................................................................................4 Cultural Perspective ...........................................................................7 Contest ..................................................................................................6 CreativePerspective..................................................................................5 Disruption ............................................................................6 Cultural Energy Issues .......................................................................................8 Creative Disruption ............................................................................6 Education .............................................................................................7 Department................................................................................................6 In Memoriam ....................................................................................10 Education .............................................................................................7 Fashion ..................................................................................................8 Economic Development..........................................................................7 Medicine .............................................................................................10 Fashion ..................................................................................................8 Fitness....................................................................................................9 In Memoriam.............................................................................................7 Najah’s Corner ...................................................................................11 Fitness....................................................................................................9 Health ..................................................................................................10 Movie Review. ............................................................................................8 Movie Review ....................................................................................12 Health ..................................................................................................10 History ................................................................................................10 Music. . ..........................................................................................................8 Music ...................................................................................................12 History ................................................................................................10 Ed Koch Movie Review ...................................................................12 Community ........................................................................................13 People. ..........................................................................................................9 Ed Koch Movie Review ...................................................................12 Spoof ....................................................................................................13 Writers Collection.............................................................................14 Real Estate.................................................................................................10 Spoof ....................................................................................................13 Sports Scene .......................................................................................13 Books Sports Scene .......................................................................................13 Eye On...................................................................................................16 Theatre. ........................................................................................11 Najah’s Corner ...................................................................................13 People ..................................................................................................18 Najah’s Corner ...................................................................................13 Sports.........................................................................................................12 Writers Collection.............................................................................14 Eye On...................................................................................................16 Theatre ..................................................................................18 Writers Collection.............................................................................14 Government Section...................................................................................13 Books Leaving on a Jet Plane ......................................................................19 Books ...................................................................................................16 Art. ..............................................................................................................13 Transportation ...................................................................................17 Government Section Transportation ...................................................................................17 Government Section ............................................................................20 ............................................................................17 Campaign Trail........................................................................................13 Campaign Trail ..................................................................................20 Government Section ............................................................................17 AlbanyMarvin’s Correspondent Mayor Column. .....................................................................17 ......................................................................14 Economic Development....................................................................17 ..................................................................20 Albany Correspondent Mayor Marvin’s Column The Albany...........................................................................................21 Correspondent..................................................................18 ..................................................................15 Education Mayor Marvin’s Column .................................................................18 Government.......................................................................................19 Military......................................................................................................15 The Hezitorial ....................................................................................21 Government .......................................................................................19 OpEd Section...............................................................................................16 .........................................................................................23 OpEd Section. Legal ....................................................................................................23 OpEd Section .........................................................................................23 Ed Koch Commentary.....................................................................23 Ed Koch Commentary...........................................................................18 People ..................................................................................................24 Ed Koch Letters toCommentary.....................................................................23 the Editor ..........................................................................24 Strategy ...............................................................................................24 Letter totothe Editor..................................................................................19 Letters the Editor............................................................................25 ..........................................................................24 Weir Only Human OpEd Section .........................................................................................25 Legal Notices. . ...............................................................................................19 Weir Only Human ............................................................................25 Legal Notices ..........................................................................................26 ..........................................................................................27 Legal Notices ..........................................................................................26
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BOOKS
No Guarantees: One Man’s Road Through the Darkness of Depression Right and Wrong and Living with Doubt – Chapter Forty-Two By BOB MARRONE
As the fog and agitation of depression settled into its ever present place alongside the rest of me, therapy increasingly became about the issues of the day, and only where meaningful, about those events earlier in my life that affected my current experiences. Less and less, over long stretches of time, was it necessary for Dr. John Casarino to beat back my complaints about obsessions, symptoms or perceived slights; although, even during those moments the value of therapy began to have real value. For example, I might be going on and on obsessively about whether the something I did or believed made me a bad person, or whether a decision I made ten years ago was wrong. John’s responses were consistent and clear: “You can go on mind f##king yourself all you want. You are wasting your money and your time.” Or, he might respond, “I don’t know from right or wrong. What does that have to do with how you are feeling right now?” I came to realize that most anxiety, especially the more severe neurotic kind, came from a place of needing assurances and guarantees about things. Was I a good person? Was I wrong to do this or that? Was I a coward? In these instances John would simply say, “What do you think?” Or “keep your sense of self inside yourself.” There may have been incidents in one’s childhood that amplify one’s reactions, but the basics are the same, the need for assurance from an external source of validation. The need for such assurances, right down to needing others to identify who we are, and what our qualities are, or are not, run deep for the depressed person. Sadly, the more depressed you are, the worse it is. In my case, I was so suggestible that, even after I regained a modest ability to concentrate, I could not read newspapers, religious publications, essays on psychology or, especially, self help books. Anything and everything that in the least bit could be inferred by my weak and paranoid psyche as a judgment, I could not read without internalizing it as about me, and concluding that I was this or that way.
I was capable of believing that I was anything bad; you name it, a coward, an alcoholic… even though I rarely drank; gay… because I did not want to be; a drug addict… because I took medication; even a heretic assured of going to hell. Such convictions would almost always result in awful panic and obsessive behavior. This dynamic was worse in my day-to-day dealings with people. In the beginning of my troubles I would talk to anyone and everyone about them. I would ask people everything from “would I get well,” to ‘‘was I good enough to be a father?” If they did not give me the right answer, I would go on and on and on, refining the question until maybe I got the answer I wanted to hear; and then I would not believe them anyway. When I think about those tough days in my doctor’s office, trying to answer the unanswerable about the meaning of right and wrong, I am reminded of this line from Shakespeare, “nothing is either right or wrong, thinking makes it so.” I came to learn that there was another dynamic in this search for validation and identity outside of myself: abdication of responsibility. Taking responsibility for decisions and accepting the consequences may well be the most important part of maturity. It is easier to have someone else do them and not have to wrestle with the doubt with which one is left. Since my days fighting depression, I have come to understand how this kind of maturity is on a continuum. At one end are children, and we neurotics who cannot handle consequences that might have us think less of ourselves, or impact others. At the other end are surgeons, airline pilots and generals who know the buck stops with them. In the middle are most of us. One that always comes to mind is the extreme right to life lobby who feel safer leaving the notion of life in the hands of two meaningless cells united at the moment of conception, an event they believe is the work of a presumed God they have never met, rather than to make a more reasoned call that would require they take accountability. I use this example, not to knock those sincere religious beliefs. Rather, I point
it out, as how even among the most solid and mature of us, it is hard not to look for assurances or guarantees. As for the more commonly discussed issues of the day, new mantras that would stay with me the rest of my life, were handed down by my decent, brilliant doctor. If I was dealing with my daughter’s illness, my wife’s inability to cope, and my job all at once and slipping into panic, out came the word, “now remember Bob, you can’t have closure on all of these things at one time. Prioritize them, and then get busy with them.” Of all the things I learned in therapy, this one gets me through the worst of days, and is the most useful to any otherwise healthy person going through a crisis. Many people have a strong need for closure. Of course for the depressed, the need is extreme and toxic. One of the keys to learning to live with depression and its offshoot maladies, is learning to live with doubt. Moreover, I have come to believe that learning to live with doubt is a necessary element in living a satisfying life. Here again, the continuum: at one end, we find someone like me at my worst, needing to know if I will get well; am I doing the right thing?; is there a God?, and is he going to save me?; is he or she the right doctor?, how do I know?; what if a tick bits me?, will I die today?; etc. The middle is more interesting and we see it everyday. How many reading this book have had a boss that kept nagging them from the minute they got an assignment to the extent that they were at risk of not finishing it? The doubt of not knowing drives this kind of behavior and unmasks the insecurity of many who should never get to the corner office. They may be otherwise healthy, but they have never learned to live with doubt. In my days as a coach to writers and speechmakers, the most valuable lesson I give is to have the person yes himself or herself to death. Have you ever worked on a resume with someone who was unsure? Every sentence will bring an hour-long discussion. As for the high end of this, I don’t believe that there is anyone who does not have doubt in his or her lives. Indeed, as John Casarino taught me so well, doubt is part of life. One
of the hard truths I learned was that the neurotic, later sometimes evolving into the depressed person, has not yet learned to deal with it sufficiently well.
Bob Marrone is the host of a Monday to Friday local morning talk show heard on WVOX-1460 AM radio.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
CALENDAR
News & Notes from Northern Westchester By MARK JEFFERS
With all the heat we have been experiencing, it certainly was entertaining as the Jeffers gang once again celebrated Christmas in July, we decorated our house, played winter seasonal tunes and even dressed in red and green, the sweaters were a bit much, but it was a lot of fun…not to worry, we edited out all cold and snowy items for this week’s “frosty,” (I couldn’t resist) edition of “News and Notes…” Bold, bright and bursting with color, that is “The Art of Grace Lin”. The exhibit is on display through September 2nd at the Katonah Museum of Art. Speaking of bold and bright, how about “History Under the Stars,” being presented by the John Jay Homestead in Katonah on August 18-19, bring a
tent, a picnic and your flashlight and experience this overnight adventure. The good folks at the Community Action Program’s Summer Food Service Program in Peekskill provide free meals to children ages 18 and under, to lend your support give them a call at 914-7391451. My youngest daughter reports that a new self-serve frozen yogurt store is going to open at 120 Bedford Road in Katonah, the Twist Frozen Yogurt Store plans to replace Katonah Yarn in the A&P shopping center. The store will have six machines that each dispenses a different yogurt flavor for customers to fill their cups and top with various choices. My daughter is a big fan and sure to be a loyal customer, her dad may join her as well... More breaking food news, a new vegan restaurant Andy’s Pure Food has opened in Mount Kisco, serving
wheat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, but not flavor free choices. Share the power of a wish by donating your car to “Wheels for Wishes,” benefiting the MakeA-Wish of Hudson Valley, call 914-368-2319 for more information. The Blues Traveler, I wonder if they are sad?… will perform at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill on August 23rd. The Hudson Valley Restaurant Week will return from November 5 to 18; I am hungry just thinking of it… The Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem will present “Conversation with Local Gardeners,” on August 11th; my question always seems to be why I grow weeds faster than plants… Up in Peekskill at the Field Library there is an exhibit “Eugene Allen: A Memorial Retrospective
running through August 4th. How about some nature and wildlife?... then you will want to swing by the Pound Ridge Library and catch paintings, drawings and photographs by Stephen Kivisalu though August 11th. We want to wish good luck to two northern Westchester neighbors with Bedford connections who were just nominated for Emmys. Bedford Hills resident Glenn Close received a nomination for her role as the highpowered Manhattan attorney Patty Hewes on the legal drama “Damages,” and Bedford native Kate Mara played a recurring role on the FX series “American Horror Story.” This is the fourth time that our neighbor Glenn has received an Emmy nomination for best actress in a TV drama. She took home the award two of those times, and won a Golden Globe for best TV drama actress in 2008. Kate went to school at Fox Lane and is the older sister of Rooney Mara, also a Fox Lane graduate, who starred in the movie
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Just in time for the Olympics, Westchester County has opened a new 3-D archery range at the Blue Mountain Sportsman Center in Cortlandt. The 3-D archery course is a walking path through the woods, with 14 shooting stations and life-size foam animal targets along the way. Add this event to your calendar: the 51st annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show will take place September 29-30th featuring more than 165 artists. The Summer Thrift Shop in White Plains featuring men’s, women’s and kids clothes and shoes are looking for donations through August 31st, give them a call at 914-948-6211 for more information. It’s August, make a point to take a walk, play a game or just hang out with your children before the fall school bell rings… see you next week.
org/), and some sponsored by software firms, such as Microsoft and Oracle, attesting to competence with their particular products. Each of these certifications adds something of import to resumes and, as technology continues to pervade more of our environment, more and more certifications come into prominence. Certification Magazine (http://www.certmag. com/) is a very useful tool in keeping current with available certifications. Even more explosive than the growth of accepted certification has been the constantly expanding availability of college courses and degree programs online. From the early 1970s when Walden University (http:// info.waldenu.edu/) came into being as an online college to the present, the growth of on-line options has been staggering and the acceptance of such programs by employers and other higher education institutions has become commonplace.The University of Phoenix (http://www.phoenix. edu/), which for years was primarily an on-line school now has over 200 physical locations and is, by far, the largest college in the county (2010 enrollment - 307,965, compared to the next largest, Kaplan University, with 77,966 and Arizona State University with 70,440). Faced with the success of online programs and the continued development of computer educational tools, traditional “bricks and mortar” schools began to offer first courses and then
entire degree programs on line. Today, there are very few colleges that do not offer online education of some sort. In the last few years, the learning resources made available by colleges have grown exponentially. Stamford put some free courses up for online interested parties to audit. MIT then put its entire course material on line for all to peruse and for other professors to draw on in their course development. The move to free and online education accelerated when Apple opened “iTunes University” (available through iTunes) in 2007, allowing colleges and universities to link lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports, and campus tours. In October 2010, iTunes U surpassed 300 million downloads from more than 800 institutions and there are over 75,000 files available to download. One of the largest participants in iTunes University, with more than 40 million downloads, is the Open University in the UK (www.open. ac.uk), one of only three United Kingdom higher education institutions to gain accreditation in the United States of America by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Founded in 1969, the Open University calls itself “world’s first successful distance teaching university, founded on the belief that communications technology could bring high quality degree-level learning to people who had
Mark Jeffers resides in Bedford Hills, New York, with his wife Sarah, and three daughters, Kate, Amanda, and Claire.
creative disruption
“Adaptability” By JOHN F. McMULLEN
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Alvin Toffler Throughout my writing and lecturing on the subject of “Creative Disruption,” I’ve stressed the need for all those hoping to survive in this constantly changing Global Economy in which we live to constantly reeducate themselves. The 2010 version of the video “Did You Know” (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY) states “For students starting a 4 year technical degree this means that half of what they learned in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study.”
Wow! How can anyone keep up with that? – and, -- what about the expense of constantly going back to school to “retool”? The first step in “keeping up” is to understand the problem and come up with a strategy for dealing with it. All jobs are in danger! – they may be “offshored,” eliminated by technological innovation, or be lost due to merger, downsizing, or company failure. It is up to the jobholder to face this reality and constantly, without paranoia, be examining the state of the company, the particular job, and her/ his skill set. Some questions to be asked that may help in this analysis: Is my industry in trouble? People in the film processing, music, newspaper, and retail industries should have been asking this for a long time as Digital Photography, iTunes, Craig’s
List, and Amazon decimated their businesses. Is my company still competitive in my industry or is it a target for acquisition, merger, or bankruptcy? Can my job be done almost as well “offshored”? If so, it will soon be gone. Is my job part of the “critical path” of my company’s business or can it be “outsourced” (ex. payroll, computer processing, sales, product distribution, etc.)? Are my skills ready for challenges of new technologies, systems, and management changes? Am I “ahead of the curve” or behind it? Other than the last point, we can do little on our own to insure our market viability. Our options on the last point, however, continue to expand. There are many recognized certifications in the technical area – some sponsored by independent agencies, such as IDCP (idcp.org) and CompTIA (http://www.comptia.
Continued on page 5
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
creative disruption
“Adaptability” Continued from page 4
not had the opportunity to attend traditional campus universities.” (http:// www8.open.ac.uk/about/main/ the-ou-explained/history-the-ou). Finally (for the time being), a new level of free courses, with certificates, came into being when Coursera (http://www.coursera. org) was announced (http:// www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/ education/top-universities-testthe-online-appeal-of-free.html). Coursera provides courses from Duke, Stanford, Harvard, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, and other leading universities (Harvard is also partners with MIT and the University of California, Berkeley, in edX (www. edx.org/), another free nonprofit online course provider.) Coursera presently offers more than 150 courses. The offering of certificates for each course completed seems very important as it provides a student with something visible to an employer. edX plans, at some point, to charge
for certificates – they are free now – while Cousera’s are free (at least, for the present). While it is not totally clear what in what direction online education will go as more an more players enter the arena, it is clear that there is free information “out there” that will aid us in remaining competitive in the everdemanding global workplace. It’s up to us to use everything available -- We must keep adapting! 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. John F.McMullen has been involved in technology for over 40 years and has written about it for major publications. He may be found on Facebook and his current non-technical writing, a novel, “The Inwood Book” and “New & Collected Poems by johnmac the bard” are available on Amazon. He is a professor at Purchase College and has previously taught at Monroe College, Marist College, and the New School for Social Research.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
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CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Solomon’s Talented Facets By SHERIF AWAD
Rising actress Christine Solomon is of Egyptian, Syrian and Lebanese ethnicity. Talent runs in the family as she is related to notable Egyptian director Sandra Nashaat and Egyptian director of photography Victor Credi.
her her first American TV appearance. While growing up in Canada, In Basra (2008).
In Heliopolis. Born in Egypt, Christine developed an interest in the performing arts while growing up in Cairo before her parents decided to emigrate to Canada when she was only seven. Two years later, while visiting her aunt in the US, a casting director noticed her acting abilities by chance; he gave
Solomon by Kim Doucet. Christine did some modeling, winning several competitions, including The International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) and Model Search America. Three years later, at the age of sixteen, she joined a theatrical
troupe in Toronto and began to study acting for another three years. “After graduating, I started to seek acting and modeling careers between New York, Los Angeles, and even Buffalo,” said Solomon, who succeeded to land two bit roles in two major American productions: The Score (2001) starring Robert de Niro and Head in the Clouds (2004) starring Charlize Theron. However, the two roles were cut in the editing room. “While on the Canadian set of Head in the Clouds, I hurt my foot, so the production rushed me home. The Canadians did not question why I was hurt because they did not want to shake the relationship with Americans coming to shoot in Canada”, she advised. Unlike many actresses of her age, Solomon likes to prove herself in Egyptian cinema despite being closer Continued on page 6
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Solomon’s Talented Facets
Continued from page 5
closer to the American industry. “My biggest dream was also to go back to Egypt and work in the Egyptian cinema I grew up watching. Egypt is still the Hollywood of the Middle East and it is a privilege to be part of it”, she says. This dream became a reality a few years ago just after she was interviewed
With Harvey Keitel at Cairo Festival 2007.
on the George Saad show that airs on Metro 14, the Canadian multicultural television station in Montreal, Canada. “Egyptian producer Medhat Al-Adl contacted me after watching the interview to urge me to attend the Cairo International Film Festival 2007. It was a great opportunity to meet many Egyptian filmmakers in addition to the festival’s American invitees like Harvey Keitel and Matt Dillon. I got many working invitations to appear on Egyptian theatre with leading actordirector Mohamed Sobhy and also many film roles as well”, she explains. This led to two films for Solomon in Egypt by two Egyptian directors who cast her in their independently produced films. In Basra by Ahmed Rashwan, she went to play Bouthina, the love interest of photojournalist Tarek who is mesmerized by the airstrike of Iraq in 2003. Then came the role of an unnamed weird girl in Ahmad Abdalla’s Heliopolis, an ensemble drama that depicted a multitude of characters living in
this cosmopolitan Cairo neighborhood. Both films were screened in world festivals, winning many awards including one for Christine for her role in Heliopolis. Christine has recently wrapped two major roles; the first in the new intercultural drama Betroit that will premier 12-12-12 in three cities: Dubai, Detroit and Beirut. Written and directed by Adel Serhan, the movie addresses issues of domestic violence, culture, love and relationships through three different couples. Solomon plays Rola who is happily married in Detroit and yet she tries to help her sister Leila, played by Lebanese actress Darine Hamze, to escape from her abusive husband in Beirut. On the other hand, there is the story of Lisa (Derek Kelly) who wants to leave her husband in order to pursue a Hollywood career. Christine’s newest appearance will also be in the TV movie Fakers in which she plays an exotic dancer that gets entangled in a
She is currently working on a book, and has opened her own acting career consultancy boutique, Muze Consultancy, which provides career guidance and support for aspiring actors, working either in Canada or elsewhere. She also supports the Breast Cancer Foundation and Make Poverty History.
On the set of the new film Betroit with Maria Safi. major counterfeiting scam. The multi-talented Christine is also an author and entrepreneur.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sherif Awad is a film / video critic and curator. He is the film editor of Egypt Today Magazine (www.EgyptToday.com), and the artistic director for both the Alexandria Film Festival, in Egypt, and the Arab Rotterdam Festival, in The Netherlands. He also contributes to Variety, in the United States, and is the film critic of Variety Arabia (http://varietyarabia. com/), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Al-Masry Al-Youm Website (http://www.almasryalyoum.com/ en/node/198132) and The Westchester Guardian (www.WestchesterGuardian. com).
DEPARTMENTS
DPW: The Invisible Infrastructure By NANCY KING
In this era of consolidations, downsizing, and contract negotiation with workers, municipalities are faced with the constant challenge of providing quality of life services while keeping taxes manageable. When hearing about safety and quality of life services, most individuals often think immediately of police officers and firefighters. No doubt, without those public services we would all be probably running amok. But seldom do we ever hear about a municipality’s Department of Public Works and just how important they are to making a city, town or village function. The Westchester Guardian took a look at the City of White Plain’s Department of Public Works this past week. The city, which is the county seat of Westchester boasts a population of approximately 56,000 people
and covers an area of 9.8 square miles. It’s a moderately sized city that swells to nearly 200,000 people during an average weekday when people converge upon the city for work and the city quite frankly always looks beautiful and well maintained. If you’ve ever wondered who maintains the appearance of the city; it’s the Department of Public Works. In White Plains the department is comprised of seven bureaus which is made up of the Bureau of Administration, Water, Engineering, Highway, Sanitation Garage and Shop and Public Facilities. What these bureaus actually do for us is quite impressive. The Water Department not only deals with the quality of our drinking water but also oversees the sewer system and the always fragile ecosystem that goes along with wastewater management and the massive sewer system that runs beneath the city streets. The Highway Department maintains city
and residential streets along with some county roadways that intersect the city and also makes sure that snow is plowed during the winter months. In addition to maintaining the general repair of roadways, the Highway Department also clean the streets with a state of the art street cleaner. The downtown area is cleaned every other night after midnight and residential streets are cleaned on a weekly basis based on the amount of traffic on those streets. The Garage and Shop Department maintains all of the vehicles from sanitation trucks to fire trucks and police cars. Public Facilities oversees and maintains all city buildings and their grounds. But perhaps the most visible of the Department of Public Works is the Sanitation Department. Twice a week, residents and businesses alike, have their trash removed without question. Garbage collection and the crews that provide it are the ambassadors of any DPW department,
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and it is no different in White Plains. Most are three-man crews with a driver and two “chugs”, the guys who actually collect the garbage, put it into the truck and operate the compactor. These guys are faced every day of the week with lifting containers weighing in around 70 lbs. each They also swing back on their routes to collect the recycling after the initial garbage collection is done. However, upon observing these crews throughout White Plains, one is struck by the intimate relationships that they have with those on their routes, whether they be private homeowners or businesses. When you actually think about it, these crews are the eyes and ears of a neighborhood.They know who is a new resident,are friendly and helpful to older residents, and know exactly who does and doesn’t belong in a neighborhood. In essence, these crews are a mobile neighborhood watch that can assist a police department in maintaining the quality of life in a neighborhood. The Sanitation Department has also been testing a one arm automated truck that only requires a driver and that picks up
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trash containers provided by the city. White Plains DPW is also going green. Many of their trucks are fueled by a mixture of 20% vegetable oil. It burns cleaner and removes the soot that normal trucks emit. The Lighting Department is testing street lamps which contain LED bulbs and has compost available for local gardeners. Also interesting is the Take It or Leave It Shed where White Plains residents can drop off items no longer needed by them but may be of some use to others. This shed is open twice a week and staffed by volunteers. All too often the only time we hear about municipal employees is when there is a breakdown in a contract negotiation or when there is a general problem between management and their employees. In the time spent chatting with various members of the White Plains DPW, never once did a single employee utter one negative comment about Commissioner Bud Nicoletti. It seems that Nicoletti appreciates if the employee isn’t happy it stands to reason the customer won’t be happy either. By and large, the residents and businesses that call White Plains home are very happy with their quality of life services. Nancy King is a freelance investigative reporter; a resident of White Plains, New York.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
IN MEMORIAM
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Decline of The Great American Empire By ROBERT FLOWER
Recently, I came up with the idea of reaching out to the international business community with the thought that all of the unrest and uncertainty on the world stage would engender an understanding the United States will once again become a great haven for security and growth. What a blunder that was! You would think Greece’s loss of 18,000 businesses over the last ten months, Spain’s losing over 6, 000 businesses in the past six months, along with Portugal, Argentina, Venezuela similarly suffering equal or greater pain and decline, it would be a no-brainer to entice investors into the American marketplace. Cultural differences were not a significant deterrent to those who would consider investment in the U.S. Since cultural differences are not of great concern, it became pertinent to learn if other factors might exist that would deflect a foreign investor in taking root in the U.S. One of the most obvious is the prospects’ interest in expanding beyond their markets; their bottom-line. Again, here you would think the US, with all its wealth would be ideal for strong consideration. Shock again! It seems the Euro’s 25 to 33% valuation differential versus the American Dollar can readily negate this possibility! Strike one! While it is evidently beneficial for companies to relocate to the US, it
Savor
the
is however, detrimental to rationalize expansion stateside. The other factors foreign businesses must contemplate in their consideration of making a primary move to the U.S. are additional cost related factors: reducing manufacturing costs, logistical costs, managerial and back office function cost, and research and development costs and functions. One of the major problems that foreign corporations have with Westchester County are the relatively small communities found within its borders, except for the likes of the City of Yonkers, and White Plains. The restricted marketing possibilities are negatively impacted by small land mass, sparse population density, and constrained logistics. Together, these factors reduce the prospects for most municipalities throughout the county to entice industrial or office type facilities. Of course, most municipalities in Westchester County are not industrially inclined and therefore further restrict relocation possibilities. While a city such as Yonkers would be more inclined to accommodate all types of businesses it’s low median income, approximately $38,000 per year, would have little to offer in the area of market expansion. White Plains on the other hand enjoys a much higher disposable income factor but is much smaller geographically and therefore may be limited in its ability to facilitate a number of foreign businesses. While some of the above
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restrictions may be resolvable, it is interesting to note that primary restrictive consideration to foreign development in our area lies in two areas; taxation and governmental regulation. As we are all well aware, taxation in Westchester County is at the highest level in the United States. Strike two! While foreign businesses are fleeing their home countries because of their economic instability, the notion of having to comply with the degree and amount of government regulation, such as restrictive zoning and building codes, and environmental regulations, leads to painful and dramatic rejection of Westchester County by foreign business prospects. Strike three! Dr. Robert Flower has used his expertise as a General Systems Specialist to bring clarity to a broad range of complex issues that span business, science, psychology and mystery for almost three decades. His discovery of Natural Thinking and Intelligence (NATI) and the Laws of Potential have been the topic of his three successful books as well as the basis for his consulting and counseling practice. As Director of The Gilchrist Institute for the Achievement Sciences, he is currently developing Potentia, a new paradigm for understanding, communication and community based upon the Laws of Potential.
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Condolences Expressed Upon the Loss of New Rochelle Firefighter Keith Morris NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- From City Manager Chuck Strome, “It is with deep regret that I announce the confirmation by Stamford police this afternoon (July 23, 2012), that a boating accident yesterday has claimed the life of a member of our staff, Firefighter Keith Morris. We offer our sincere condolences to the Morris family and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.” From Fire Chief Lou DiMeglio, “The entire department is shocked and devastated by this heartwrenching news. Keith was a good firefighter, dedicated to the job. We haven’t even begun to feel the impact of our loss, which will be great.” From Mayor Noam Bramson, “This is an awful tragedy. Keith Morris was much admired by colleagues and friends, and by the many residents he touched through his dedication to the New Rochelle Fire Department. To
Keith’s family, we offer our thoughts and prayers, as well as deep gratitude for his service to our city.” Firefighter Keith Morris joined the department in August 2004 and served with Ladder Company 12, at Fire Station #2, on Webster Avenue.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
MOVIE REVIEW
Ed Koch Movie Reviews By Edward I. Koch Movie Review: “The Dark Knight Rises” (-)
how much importance Manohla Dargis of the Times placed on Nolan’s vision and this picture. It was as though she were reviewing the works of Norman Mailer or Dostoyevsky. I’ve never been taken with comic book scripts, but since I saw the first two movies, I decided to see this one as well. It is boring, notwithstanding the violence displayed. After all, how many ways can a man die? The story picks up eight years after the second one when Gotham City’s corrupt district attorney, Harvey Dent, was killed. Batman (Christian Bale), who when out of cape and mask is
known as Bruce Wayne, is somewhat of an invalid and a recluse in his mansion. When we meet him, Catwoman, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), is stealing a very precious pearl necklace from his safe. Batman soon ventures outside to protect the citizens of Gotham City. The same characters reappear: Bruce’s faithful valet, Alfred (Michael Caine), his business manager, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Gotham’s police chief, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), and now the two villains, Bane (Tom Hardy) and Miranda (Marion Cotillard). A new character
is introduced, police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Rest assured Blake, who will emerge as “Robin,” will be the first in a new series of sequels and prequels. There are some special effects but not many. Bane wears a lower face mask which shows a lot of artificial saber teeth, making him look a lot like Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs,” which was a great picture. Regrettably, this one is not, but it will, hopefully, satisfy the appetites of Batman fans.
Movie Review: “The Imposter” (+)
Texas, in 1994. Nearly four years later his family received a call from Linares, Spain, informing them that their son had been located. Nicholas’s sister, Carey Gibson, went to Spain and returned with Nicholas to their family home. She and her family accepted the boy as their missing family member even though Nicholas had blond hair and blue eyes, and the young man claiming to be Nicolas has dark hair and brown eyes. The question is why they were
so easily fooled. Some suggest that the family members may have been responsible for Nicholas’s disappearance or possibly worse. We soon learn that the imposter is Frederic Bourdin, a 23-year-old French con artist seeking to avoid arrest for crimes he committed. By calling a number of U.S. agencies, he was able to obtain information on missing children. He decided to pose as Nicholas, hoping the family would take him in. A private detective,
Charlie Parker, is on to the imposter. Interviews conducted with the detective are the most interesting. I really enjoyed this film. It is definitely worth seeing.
I went to see this film on the day of the shootings (July 23, 2012), in Aurora, Colorado, where 12 moviegoers were killed and 58 were injured. Two police officers were in front of the theater. No doubt that police action was occurring around the country at other theaters where this movie was showing. Authorities feared a copycat version of the shootings might take place. “The Dark Knight Rises” is the last of the “Batman” trilogy films directed by Christopher Nolan. I was shocked at
This brilliant picture is both a documentary and a docudrama. The principal people actually involved in the events that took place provide their analysis of what occurred, and some actors present a reenactment of those events. The story concerns a 13-year-old boy, Nicholas Barclay, who disappeared from his home near San Antonio,
Visit the Mayor at the Movies to learn more: http://www.mayorkoch.com/. The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served as a member of Congress from New York State from 1969 through 1977, and New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989.
MUSIC
Waters, The Rolling Stones “Checkerboard THE SOUNDS Muddy Lounge, Live Chicago 1981” DVD/CD Eagle Vision OFBLUE Four Stones Jamming with Their Blues Heroes” Rating: 8 By Bob Putignano I would have to assume that this previously unreleased performance has probably been available on YouTube and other boots, but thanks to Eagle Vision this performance shines through clearly, both the audio and the video shine on this thirty year old performance. Kudos to Bob Clearmountain’s audio mix! This DVD runs for one hundred and six minutes with eighteen tracks (that is if you count the two bonus footage tracks,) the CD has eleven tunes that include mostly the real good ones from the DVD.
Though billed as Rolling Stones release with Muddy Waters, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman are nowhere to be found, but for all their talents they are not needed here, though all of the Stones (including Ernie Watts’ sax) can be found on one of the bonus tracks on the DVD only. The story supposedly goes that the Stones had a night off and decided to check in with Muddy at Buddy Guy’s Checkerboard Lounge, whatever. The night starts with Muddy’s band performing “Sweet Little
Angel,” and “Flip Flop and Fly” with pianist Lovie Lee vocals, and excellent guitar licks by John Primer and Rick Kreher. Mojo Bruford introduces Muddy who croons on “You Don’t Have To Go” with another tasty solo from Primer’s axe. A lengthy “Country Boy” features Muddy’s slide that eventually explodes on guitar near the end of the tune. The tempo quickens with “Baby Please Don’t Go” Bruford’s harp is sharp but is interrupted as Jagger, Richards, Wood and Stewart enter the room to sit at a table to enjoy the show. Not long afterwards Muddy calls out to Jagger
(wearing a red jogging suit) who trades vocals with Waters, Muddy then calls for Keith and Ronnie to join in and this hearty party becomes mighty. Waters segues into “Hoochie Coochie Man” with more vocal tradeoffs with Mick. Ron Wood’s slide introduces “Long Distance Call” that closes with a sermon like reading of Muddy concluding with the classic line; “There’s another mule kicking in your stall.” “Mannish Boy” starts slowly but is ignited when Jagger takes the microphone, not to be outdone Waters jumps from his stool Continued on page 9
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
Page 9
MUSIC
The Sounds of Blue Continued from page 8 and does his own rebel rousing, it’s here the both legends are smiling at each other’s antics and are thoroughly have a ball. Muddy calls out to Buddy Guy who’s wearing a white suit, first Buddy is guitar-less and just singing, but that doesn’t last for long, and Lefty Dizz chimes in looking pretty blitzed, but he sounds good. Waters takes a well
deserved break as Junior Wells tears into “Got My Mojo Workin’” where it’s great to see Buddy, Keith and Wood stacked across the screen for a guitar heaven photo op. Guy’s guitar intros “Next Time You See Me” that Buddy also sings, Guy nicely trades leads with Richards who falls into a scintillating groove, Buddy gets wild on guitar, as Ron Wood looks lost. The jam continues as Buddy exits and Junior Wells takes over the vocal chores, and we finally get to see Ian Stewart on
piano too, and Lefty Dizz explodes on guitar. Now it’s Dizz’ turn to lead the band with “One Eyed Woman” Dizz lets Wood take a solo and he’s okay, but it’s Dizz who solos white-hot on this track. Instrumentally Dizz leads the band into another “Baby Please Don’t Go” which is used as a setup to bring Muddy back on stage, Waters breaks things down and delivers “Clouds in My Heart,” and closes the night with “Champagne and Reefer” calling Jagger back to the stage who both yuk
is up and the party’s over. There’s two bonus footage songs, a version of “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” with the Muddy Waters band (sans Waters) at the club, and a live Stones “Black Limousine” recorded at the Hampton Coliseum in ’81, so finally we have all the Stones collected here. Is this an amazing performance? Yes and no, as there are many fine moments contained, and a few others that border on sloppy musicianship.
But considering how many of these masters are no longer with us, it sure is nice to see many of them jamming and smiling here, with four members of the Rolling Stones! Long story short, this DVD/CD set is certainly worth owning as it captures an intimate night with four UK rock stars (who always loved the blues) jamming with their blues heroes. Bob Putignano www.SoundsofBlue. com
PEOPLE
Jeff Pearlman Comes Home to Discuss His Latest Book “Sweetness” By RICH MONETTI
Several Months ago, New Rochelle based author Jeff Pearlman came back to his hometown of Mahopac, New York, to discuss his most recent book Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton. At the Mahopac Library, before an audience of about 30, Mr. Pearlman not only delved into the complex life of a giant but also the controversy he endured in light of an
account that had much of the sports world aligned in outrage by the book’s insights. “Google my name and Douche Bag,” he said, “it’s unbelievable; and it hurt deeply, because I developed such a love for Walter Payton in doing this book.” Of course, the brunt of the controversy ensued out of the obligatory Sports Illustrated excerpt that ran prior to publication. Set around Payton’s induction into the Hall of
Fame, the scene with his wife in the front row and his long time mistress in the second, encapsulated the running back’s struggles with infidelity, depression and painkillers. “He was a great iconic football player. People loved him and no one had a bad word to say about him. The problem is, if you’re going to write a biography, I believe you can’t really appreciate their greatness if you don’t understand where they came from and the struggles they went through,” he said.
That said, the New Rochelle, New York, author loves the opportunity to get into the psyche of his subjects, and in this case, the journey in pursuit of Walter Payton’s ghost took him to Columbia, Mississippi, where the NFL’s second all-time leading rusher grew up. “The Supreme Court instituted the desegregation of schools in 1954,” he said, “but Columbia simply ignored the law until 1970.” The stereotype of a small southern Continued on page 10 Commercial • Industrial & Residential Services Roll-Off Containers 1-30 Yards Home Clean-up Containers Turn-key Demolition Services
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
PEOPLE
Jeff Pearlman Comes Home to Discusses His Latest Book “Sweetness” Continued from page 9
town steeped in racism was so pronounced that integration literally shook people in their seats. “White parents refused to allow their children into the black high school until all the toilet seat covers were replaced,” he said. Walter Payton’s senior year coincided with the upheaval and his influence had a marked effect on bringing the community together but it had a lot more to do with success on the field and all the defenders left in the dust. “He was such a great kid and did more than any single one person to bring change to Columbia,” said Pearlman, who also wrote The Bad Guys Won,” on the ’86 Mets and an expose on Barry Bonds called, Love Me, Hate Me. Sociological study aside, Payton’s athleticism set him apart from all college contemporaries. Pearlman recalled Steve Bartkowski’s introduction and an entrance that had everyone on the balls of their feet – save the standout from Jackson State. “Walter Payton walked in on his hands and didn’t come down until he covered the field three times,” Pearlman relayed the account of the former Altanta Falcons Quarterback. His sense of humor also went the distance and could put friends and teammates at a playful loss. With the
high pitched voice, he would call the wives of teammates and claim to be a girlfriend on the side. “This is Ginger and our baby really needs shoes,” was a Thanksgiving Day message he once left, according to the author. Only after a good deal of begging – among a front lawn full of the teammate’s belongings – did Payton let the wife in on the joke. But playing for the horrendous Bear teams of the 70’s, a sense of humor provided the only cover for the workhorse back. “I’m a brother so you don’t see my black and blues,” Pearlman said he once told a reporter. Sadly, his nickname implied a sensitivity that also had a downside and came at the moment of his greatest success. As the mighty Bear defense eyed a shutout in the 1985 Super Bowl, Payton fumbled on the opening play. Leading to the Patriots only points, says Pearlman, “He was devastated.” The ultimate indignity came later when William “The Refrigerator” Perry barreled his caricature into the end zone instead of the Bears’ all-time great. “He just about donated a kidney to the organization,” said Pearlman, and as the team went onto to celebrate victory, Payton disappeared into a broom closet to cry over the slight. Payton’s agent eventually coaxed him out into the celebration but if the pinnacle of his career amounted to
such an emotional low point, retirement would have to be typical of what most athletes go through. “When professional athletes retire, it’s a nightmare. You basically go from being a fixture to becoming a storyteller of past glories, he said. And as a sportswriter, who first gained national attention from the Sports Illustrated story on John Rocker, he knows nothing angers an ex-athlete more than retelling old stories. Still, Payton positioned himself at the end of his career to become the first NFL player to partially own a franchise. The Cardinals having vacated St Louis, he spent all his time there for about two years. Unfortunately, the NFL would expand to Jacksonville and Charlotte – thus killing his dream and future. “His life fell off a cliff,” he says. He went on instead to take up racecar driving and was almost killed before quickly giving up on the dangerous outlet. Payton then succumbed to a wave of suicide notes and phone messages in which he would tell friends they would never see him again. But it was the contraction of a rare liver disease that eventually undid him and the ending revealed the chaos in which his personal life descended into. Never officially ending his marriage, among a string of affairs, he moved back home to an obviously awkward situation with his wife.
Complicating matters was that he was never a very good father, according to the author, so nobody really cared about him or helped him through his last days. His actual death was the culmination and embodiment of the decline that began when his ownership dreams fell through. There was no one to even call the funeral home or decide what clothes to put him in and the family disputed whether to honor his wish to be cremated. Out of those circumstances, the funeral service was a farce in which a slick haired televangelist-type preacher stated, “He was elected into the Hall of Fame and now he’s elected into the Hall of Faith.” “It was the worst funeral I’ve ever seen,” said Pearlman. In turn, the dynamic among the mourners would become a preview of sorts for what the author would later find himself embroiled in. “A wife who was “full of it,” a “crazy” brother, an assortment of girlfriends and a collection of children born in and out of wedlock created a room full of factions. All knowing full well I was writing the book, he says, “It was really complicated,” and he could feel the ire as he circulated among the groups. On the other hand, Pearlman believes Walter Payton’s true shinning moment came in the midst of all the life ending turmoil. In his dire state, there was no real possibility for a liver transplant or even the chance to survive if one was available. Nonetheless, the
Chicago hero allowed momentum to build on his behalf for a liver and he began making public service messages on organ transplants. “Organ donors skyrocketed in Illinois,” he said. Regardless, for Mr. Pearlman, delivering both sides of the Walter Payton story gave rise to the vitriolic backlash. His justification is simple. “That’s the process of understanding history,” he says, but the effect on him was not something that was easy to endure. “It was like getting stabbed in the heart,” he said – especially given the effort and love put into it. Of course, the twitter driven anger, which he says has drastically changed our discourse, would eventually subside. Former players and fans had time to read the book and come around. Mike Ditka who initially told a reporter he wanted to spit on Pearlman, has since apologized. All told, Mr. Pearlman doesn’t elevate his difficulties to a level anywhere near that of Walter Payton. Despite the god-like place he occupied in Chicago and the respect and friendships accumulated as a player, the title tragically provides the epilogue. “Nobody really knew him and nobody had a full grasp of his life,” Pearlman concludes. Rich Monetti lives in Somers. He’s been a freelance writer covering Westchester County since 2003. Peruse his work at www.monetti.blogspot.com.
REAL ESTATE
New Lifestyle, Surprising Prices Beckon Homebuyers to Orange County Neighborhood MIDDLETOWN, NY -- Set on a country hillside, surrounded by scenic woodlands in New York’s Hudson Valley, Highrose Ridge, a brandnew neighborhood of single-family townhomes with on-site recreation, promises to fulfill the dreams of many young potential home-buying families. Now building an Interest List for a projected fall opening, Highrose Ridge presents an unparalleled, achievable opportunity for buyers, from firsttimers to empty-nesters, to attain a whole new country lifestyle. Offering incomparable value, Highrose Ridge will appeal to many throughout the metro New York City region who, until now, didn’t dream homeownership would ever be within their reach. Nestled on cul de sacs in a wooded setting, the homes at Highrose Ridge
feature traditional exteriors and open, contemporary interiors that encourage active living. These exciting, innovative 3-bedroom, 2 ½-bathroom home plans feature kitchens that open to family living spaces, and architectdesigned master suites with designer baths and walk-in closets. Home styles include a wide-open Great Room house; a premier-value family home with both formal and informal living spaces; an end home with a side entry that opens to a traditional center-hall design; and a spacious main-living level master suite design that’s ideal for empty-nesters and older families. Every home will be distinguished by nine-foot ceilings on the main living level, wide expanses of glass that bring the outdoors in, and finished lower level activity spaces. Residents will be
Artist’s rendering of new, single-family townhomes to be built at Highrose Ridge, featuring 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, with nine-foot ceilings on the main level.
offered a variety of finish choices, so each home will be personalized by the new owner.
Highrose Ridge is set on a spectacular site with an abundance of open green space, enhanced by natural
stone walls weaving throughout. The Highrose Ridge Clubhouse is the heart of the neighborhood, where neighbors and friends can gather for recreation, relaxation and fun times. Set on a park-like landscape, the clubhouse will feature a gracious gathering room with fireplace, a fitness center, a carry-in kitchen, and an outdoor pool with sundecks, a shade arbor and patio. Children can also have fun in a special kids’ splash fountain and on the on-site playground. The convenient Middletown location of Highrose Ridge offers close proximity to major highways including I-84, Route 17 and the New York State Thruway, providing easy commuter access to New York City, the outer boroughs, Continued on page 11
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
REAL ESTATE New Lifestyle, Surprising Prices Beckon Homebuyers to Orange County Neighborhood Continued from page 10
Westchester, New Jersey, or anywhere in the tri-state area. Highrose Ridge is also only five minutes from Orange Regional Medical Center, the area’s brand-new, renowned major stateof-the-art medical facility. Stewart International Airport is only 24 miles away. Homeowners will appreciate the variety of great shopping right nearby in Middletown, and the popular Woodbury Commons outlet destination, just over 20 miles up Route 17.
“Our goal for Highrose Ridge is to design and develop a truly extraordinary neighborhood that offers exceptional value and a great family lifestyle,” said builder Brian Rosen of Rosen Property Group. “Prices will start from $239,000 to the low $300,000s, making Highrose Ridge ideal for first-time buyers, growing families, or anyone looking for a special place to settle down, with plenty of room to grow. We’re confident people will quickly recognize the tremendous
value and all that the neighborhood has to offer, so now is the time to put your name on our Interest List, to make sure you don’t miss this rare opportunity.” To place your name on the Interest List, or to keep up to date on this exceptional opportunity at Highrose Ridge, visit HighroseRidge.com, or call 845-344-4600. At Highrose Ridge, your dreams have finally found a home! About Rosen Property Group
LLC: For more than thirty years, the principals of Rosen Property Group have built, developed, managed and owned residential and commercial properties in strategic markets throughout the eastern United States, as well as internationally. They have created or own close to 5,000 residential units. Today, at Highrose Ridge, this second- and third-generation family business returns to its roots as a hands-on residential homebuilder with tremendous attention to detail and a strong commitment to
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value-driven housing. Headquartered in Bergen County, New Jersey, Rosen Property Group is experienced in all aspects of development, from acquisition and construction to turn-key delivery of homes. Marked by a genuine commitment to quality and design, solid economic strength and stability, three decades of experience, and exceptional homebuilding expertise, Rosen Property Group’s unique ability to bring added value to properties is the cornerstone of its success.
EYE ON THEATRE
Plus and Minus By JOHN SIMON
The last time Anna Christie, the new girl in town, was in New York was in Eugene O’Neill’s play of that name, valiantly enacted by the spouses Liam Neeson and the late lamented Natasha Richardson. Now the girl is the protagonist in the play’s musical adaptation, “New Girl in Town,” revived by The Irish Repertory Theatre in one of their usual modest but
Margaret Loesser Robinson, Patrick Cummings and Cliff Bemis.
heartfelt productions, capturing the show’s essence if not the elaborate production values. It requires several sets: the New York harbor The ensemble of “New Girl in Town”. Cliff Bemis, Danielle Ferland and ensemble. in 1926, a saloon, Abbott, but Ms. Moore has elected to lighting. a barge, a ballroom. Thanks to James give us more O’Neill and less Abbott. This is the story of Anna Christie, Morgan’s ingenuity, these locations What she has come up with may who, as an orphan farmed out to harsh are nicely suggested, but there are be less smooth, but had to be more Midwestern relatives, was driven into times when full scenery—itself only a O’Neill, given that the musical was prostitution. Now she has come back suggestion—would have contributed largely a show piece for Ms. Verdon’s to her blowhard father, barge captain some invaluable atmospherics. compelling dancing in the choreog- Chris Christopherson, who adoringly This said, the production directed raphy by her brilliant husband, Bob tries to blot out her past and turn her by Charlotte Moore has much to Fosse. With the limitation of a small into a sweet, innocent and obedient recommend it. There is of course the stage and a gifted Anna not princi- daughter, She, however, falls in love score, music and lyrics by Bob Merrill, pally a dancer, more O’Neill dialogue with Matt, a naïve but manly sailor, lustily evoking Irish-American period was helpful. Which is not to take away who returns her love and, despite music, with only minimally updated from Barry McNabb’s likable chore- paternal jealousy, marriage is in the lyrics. The original Broadway produc- ography, abetted tion, starring the marvelous Gwen by China Lee’s Verdon, ran for 461 performances. The costumes and Mary book was by the legendary George Jo Dondlinger’s
Margaret Loesser Robinson and Cliff Bemis.
Patrick Cummings and Margaret Loesser Robinson.
Margaret Loesser Robinson. offing. But the rambunctious Marthy, an old friend of Chriss’s, finds out about Anna’s past, and her gossip reaches Matt, who is deeply hurt and furiously rejects Anna, who is now fully transformed and truly loving. Can love triumph over all sorts of obstacles? I say no more, and leave it to you to find out by attending this endearing show. What helps make it click is a first-rate four-piece orchestra, plus Continued on page 12
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
EYE ON THEATRE
Plus and Minus Continued from page 11
an amusingly roving saxophonist. John Bell neatly conducts from the keyboard Josh Clayton’s stylish orchestrations. And then there is Ms. Moore’s lively direction of an able and enthusiastic cast. What Margaret Loesser Robinson’s Anna may lack as a dancer is more than compensated for by her intensive acting and glowing insight into the character’s psyche. Patrick Cummings is an exceptionally attractive Matt, who acts and sings manfully to boot. The two of them prove genuinely moving. Chris Bemis’s Chris provides much-needed drama and cheer as well as sturdy vocalizing. As Marthy, the rowdily bouncy Danielle Ferland offers robust comedy. Sincere praise must go also to the seven-person ensemble aptly filling supporting roles, as well as constituting a first-rate singing and dancing chorus. Check it all out for yourselves: you will happily extend your welcome to this Anna, seeing to the new girl’s becoming joyously ensconced in our old town.
Not much good, alas, can be said for “Black Milk,” by the young Russian playwright Vassily Sigarev, translated by Sacha Dugdale, and produced jointly by Palo de Agua and High Stakes Theatre. It is punchdrunkly directed by Michel Hausmann and raggedly enacted by an eager but mostly uncharismatic cast, from which only Anna Wilson, as a railway clerk, stands pleasantly out. It takes place at a “train station, somewhere in Russia” in an alleged present, though compared to any play by Chekhov it is maddeningly retrograde to at least well before Gorky. Principals are a married couple, brutal Lyovchik and bitchy, pregnant Poppet, who have come to this burg for him to sell dubious Russian-made toasters, and her only to give unexpectedly and undesirably premature birth. Much of Act One, which also involves a female station clerk, consists of the couple fighting when not interminably proffering, withholding or refusing cigarettes and popsicles, both items often used as projectiles. There is also a Narrator who ends up dead, poisoned by the vodka with which
“Black Milk” poster. the Clerk moonlights. There are also various villagers dissatisfied with the toasters, one of them even brandishing a shotgun. In this act, Poppet is the chief aggressor, but there is endless roughhousing by both spouses, with chokes, shoves, blows and wipings up of the floor with each other. Hausmann’s frenzied direction peppers the proceedings with far more boxing and wrestling than the script calls for, and there is also a rampaging stream of four-letter words, which in the text is only a modest rivulet. Act Two has Lyovchik as the fiercer combatant, but there is always
Black Milk Ensemble. someone being pushed down on a Photos of “New Girl in Town” and “Black bench or flying to the floor. By now Milk” by and courtesy of Carol Rosegg. Poppet has produced a baby girl, John Simon has written for over 50 years over whose getting her and Poppet’s on theatre, film, literature, music and fine not wishing to catch a train back arts for the Hudson Review, New Leader, home with Lovchik there is ceaseless New Criterion, National Review, New infighting. There are also two older York Magazine, Opera News, Weekly women, one per act, but neither adding Standard, Broadway.com and Bloomberg much interest to the proceedings. News. Mr. Simon holds a PhD from The play is like one of those fair- Harvard University in Comparative ground gizmos, where you hit a block Literature and has taught at MIT, of wood with a hammer as hard as Harvard University, Bard College and you can, hoping to drive the mercury Marymount Manhattan College. in a huge thermometer, if possible, winningly to the top. Sigarev’s play To learn more, visit the JohnSimonhammers away doggedly and franti- Uncensored.com cally, but unfortunately no sigar.
SPORTS
Eight Young Stars Earn Fall 2012 Scholarships To John McEnroe Tennis Academy New York, July 27, 2012 –Eight boys and girls ranging in age from 7-16 were introduced this week as winners of full or partial scholarships to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA). Each were among approximately 170 participants ages 6-17 in an open tryout on July 21, and the eight were honored on-court on Wednesday night during the World TeamTennis matchup between the New York Sportimes and Washington Kastles at Sportime Randall’s Island. The eight winners are: Cameron Daniels, Oakland Gardens, 15, N.Y.; Diane McCready, 11, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Leonte Wilder, 11, Plainfield, N.J.; Sean Wei, 12, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; Natalie Eordekian, 7, Woodside, N.Y.; Palmer Clare, 16, North Bellmore, N.Y.; Tomas Kopczynski, 12, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; and Amber O’Dell, 11, Chesterfield, Mich. In all, 23 semi-finalists advanced to an afternoon session at the tryout, from which the winners were selected. “These eight boys and girls showed a great deal of potential and positive,
winning attitude,” said McEnroe. “I was pleased with how much talent and competitive spirit we saw at the tryout, and my Academy staff and I are looking forward to working with these exceptional young athletes to maximize their abilities.” The JMTA, expanding with annexes on Long Island and in Westchester to open in September 2012, continues to draw a wide range of talented young people from all walks of life who are interested in learning tennis from its Hall of Fame namesake and from the elite team of JMTA coaches that have been assembled. The third annual session of the Academy will begin in September. The day-long tryout was held at the JMTA Flagship location, Sportime Randall’s Island, with young players between the ages of 6 and 17 having worked out for JMTA coaches. McEnroe observed and evaluated the players in the second opportunity for young players to participate in open tryouts for spots in the JMTA. In July 2010, over 300 young people
2012 Scholarship winners selected forJohn McEnroe Tennis Academy scholarhips are honored at halftime of the NY Sportimes vs. Washington Kastles World TeamTennis match at Sportimes Randall’s Island. L to R: John McEnroe; Leonte Wilder, 11, Plainfield, N.J.; Sean Wei, 12, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.; Natalie Eordekian, 7, Woodside, N.Y.; Palmer Clare, 16, North Bellmore, N.Y.; Tomas Kopczynski, 12, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; and Amber O’Dell, 11, Chesterfield, Mich. (winners not pictured: Cameron Daniels, Oakland Gardens, 15, N.Y.; Diane McCready, 11, Brooklyn, N.Y) (Photo by and courtesy of NY Sportimes). participated in try-outs, with five boys and seven girls awarded full or partial scholarships to the JMTA. Founded in 2010 at Sportime
Randall’s Island, the John McEnroe Tennis Academy provides tennis training to many of NY’s best and highest ranked junior players. Full and
partial scholarships are available for qualified and promising young players who could not otherwise afford JMTA participation. JMTA corporate partners Nike and Dunlop provide JMTA students with equipment and apparel for their use, both at the Academy and in tournament play. Lawrence Kleger supervises a team of over 30 instructors, including Associate Academy Director and former ATP player player, Fritz Buehning, former top 100 WTA players Hana Sromova and Martina Sucha, and Assistant Academy Directors Karim Balagh, Bruce Haddad and Nate Emge. John McEnroe is routinely involved in the daily program at Randall’s Island, personally supervising and training staff and coaching and inspiring young players. The Academy’s first two years of operation at Randall’s Island exceeded expectations, with over 400 aspiring future champions enrolled. SPORTIME is New York State’s tennis leader. Operating 13 clubs across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
ENVIRONMENT
Fracking as Seen Through Local Photographer’s Lens
HISTORY THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012
Page 9
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
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Debunking More Historical Myths
GOVERNMENTSection By ROBERT SCOTT
American history is Continued from page 8 replete with enhanced ART As for the notion that Fracking incidents that actually will bring jobs, he outsources that turn out to be myths misconception in the name of the when they are closely workers who won’t hail from the local examined. Here are a few more to set White Plains, NY – At a press Jenkins. “We are fortunate that communities that would be Fracked. the historical record straight: conference yesterday heralding the ArtsWestchester keeps our resi“The workers are usually specialized release of a study that shows the arts dents intrigued and entertained and wildcat workers,” in Westchester had he anadvised. economic involved—with so many free events. Include the burdenIt makes perfect sense that all of this impact of over $156 million last Hydrofracking puts on the local year, Westchester County Board ofinfra-great arts activity is beneficial to structure(WCBoL) and the arithmetic against itWestchester’s economy.” Legislators Chairman is simple. “All of this should add up to The study that ArtsWestchester Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers), congratuour governor and legislators rejectingpresented yesterday notes that lated ArtsWestchester, the county’s this endeavor,” he concludes. arts advocacy organization, for its supporting the arts financially in Unfortunately, he’s“creating not all thatthe county is a very good investsuccess and work toward confidentengine this will be matters.” the case. an economic that ment—to the tune of 156 million Note : also In the coming weeks, Idollars this past year. Moreover, this Jenkins promised The $12,360,000 continued supportindustry for aeconomic investment hasflag created hope toWCBoL give the fracking ArtsWestchester, and noted that the approximately 4,800Ridge jobs here in chance to reply. The Pound $12 WCBoL Mr. approved $1.5 millionRecord for Westchester. Fair’s Photographic Million arts funding in the County’s 2012 “The artsFlag need supporters http://www.jhenryfair.com/mtr/ An auction record was and set on Budget. with energy and enthusiasm, June 14, 2006, when the winning Rich Monetti lives in Somers. He’ s been “All of us on the Board that’s what is you have here at bid for a flag said fromJenkins. the American a freelance writer covering WestchesterArtsWestchester,” of Legislators who support “But Revolution reached the County since 2003. Peruse histhe work atthis organization deservesimprobably ArtsWestchester appreciate wider bid of $12,360,000 at a Sotheby’ www.monetti.blogspot.com. amount and scope of the events that andhigh more sustained support. We s are presented, promoted or backed are hopeful that the Administration each year by this organization,” said will step up and promise to support
auction. (Previously the record paid King’s Dragoon Guards. Only 21 for a Revolutionary War flag was when he became a lieutenant in 1775, $700,000.) Appropriately, the date was Tarleton rocketed to the rank of lieuFlag Day. tenant colonel quickly because of his The fragile, hand-stitched and reckless daring. hand-painted silk pennant of the Many of his troopers in the British 2nd Regiment of Continental Light Legion were volunteers recruited theDragoons arts in Westchester, in that fetched especially this price was among the sons of Tory families in light of the “captured” study released today.” allegedly at Pound Ridge, New York, one of the most loyal of Jenkins noted that the funding N.Y., on July 2, 1779, by one of the the original colonies. Outfitted in a formostArtsWestchester approved despised British officers during distinctive green uniform, his British forthetheRevolution, County’s 2011 andBanastre 2012 Lt. Col. Legion was stationed at Mile Square Budgets was vetoed by the County Tarleton. in Yonkers. Executive Astorino, This Robert flag andP.three others but actuTo the north, at Pound Ridge, Banastre Tarleton: To embellish his that WCBoL to restore allythe captured by was him able in May of 1780 was a troop of about 90 American image, he lied about capturing a flag thein funding with bipartisan vetoby cavalry from Connecticut, the 2nd South Carolina were auctioned override votes. a Tarleton descendant in Britain who Continental Light Dragoons under Kinnicut, warned Col. Sheldon of the “I “no don’t have to toask could longer afford keepJanet them Col. Elisha Sheldon. Pound Ridge impending raid, although he could not Langsam and because of thethe highArtsWestchester cost of insurance.” was also the home of Maj. Ebenezer tell him when it would happen. staff and to keep the For associates all four flags, an up exciting Lockwood, a widely respected patriot Tarleton chose a rainy night to great because they are making totalwork, of $17,416,000 changed hands. who served in the New York Provincial move his 360 mounted British and it Inhappen every day,” Jenkins the words of one observer, “this Congress. Hessian troops toward Pound Ridge. remarked. on cost behalf of entire the was more“Now, than the of the Tarleton was ordered to make Firearms were useless in a drenching Westchester RevolutionaryCounty War.” Board of a surprise raid on Pound Ridge and rain, and sentries were less likely to Legislators, I’d like to offer “Bloody them Banastre (nicknamed capture Lockwood on whose head a be alert. Moving north by way of ourBan”) sincere thanks—for creating Tarleton was a short, redheaded reward of forty guineas had been set. Bedford, they arrived at Pound Ridge ancavalry economic engine matters colonel from that Liverpool who (A guinea was a gold coin equivalent to on the morning of July 2, 1779, and andgave supporting an ofinvestment that up the study law and accepted ArtsWestchester CEO Janetwas Langsam, Chairman Kenback Jenkins andtwo Americans 21 shillings; the pound worth WCBoL 20 drove Sheldon about miles is right for Westchester in him so many a commission bought for in the shillings.) An American spy,Randy Leonard for the Arts Vice President Cohen at the July 27, 2012Continued press conference. on page 10 ways.”
Westchester County Legislators Chairman Jenkins Promises Continued Support for ArtsWestchester
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Liar, Liar…Filing On Fire Wacky Wagner Caught in Lie
WHITE PLAINS, NY -According to Wacky Wagner’s official campaign website, “Democrat Justin Wagner’s campaign will report raising more than $210,000 this fundraising cycle” yet a quick review of the state board of elections shows the candidate is short on facts, by a cool $100,000. Westchester County Republican Chairman Doug Colety commented on Thursday, July 26, 2012, saying “Even during a struggling economy, when most other responsible candidates are focused on job creation and lowering taxes, this extremist is focused on raising taxes, increasing Albany spending and outsourcing our jobs. The fact that he boldly played loose with the facts, hoping to gain media attention by slyly bolstering an anemic filing, shows that not only is Wagner too extreme to serve, it also shows he evidently lacks basic integrity.” Putnam County Republican Chairman
Jim DiBella, expressed similar concerns saying, “Wagner needs to be held accountable and should issue a formal correction and apology. While his extreme tax and spend policies are already placing his candidacy in question, he still has the opportunity to salvage his integrity. If he can’t be trusted to be truthful with a finical report how can he be trusted to be a public servant?” Dutchess County Republican Chairman Michael McCormack said, “What a ridiculous first step for a candidate to take, especially a candidate as extreme as Wagner, to lie to both the press and the community about such a trivial detail. The last thing we need is another self serving, big talking politician in Albany who plays hard with the people’s money and lose with the facts.”
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Villanova Asserts Otis’ Independent Party Petitions Loaded With Questionable Signatures RYE, NY -- “Our campaign thoroughly reviewed the Independent Party petitions filed for Mr. Otis, and in the process discovered a high number of questionable items that include but are not limited to: signatures without dates, duplicate signatures, incorrect towns and cities, missing signature counts, etc...” Deputy Supervisor, Rye Town Board Councilman and Candidate for State Assembly, Bill Villanova (R-91ST) said in a statement released today. “...In addition, many of these petitions appear to have been carried within our district by notaries from
Rye Deputy Supervisor Bill Villanova, candidate for New York State Assembly.
MAYOR Marvin’s COLUMN
Albany, Rensselear, Saratoga and Schenectady counties. It makes one wonder how much faith Mr. Otis has in his local support if he has to rely on the help and resources of so many outsiders to get him on the ballot...” “...Given that these petitions are wrought with inconsistencies, if we chose to there is no doubt that we would win in court...” Mr. Villanova went on to say. “... But that is not the path we are choosing. To question these petitions in court is not part of my campaign plan going forward and would just serve as another distraction from the
Port Chester with their 3 children; Gianna, William and Nicholas. Commonly known as the “Sound Shore District”, Mr. Villanova seeks the seat being vacated by George Latimer in the 91st Assembly District, which includes The Village of Port Chester, City of Rye, Village of Mamaroneck, Village of Rye Brook, Village of Larchmont, and portions of the City of New Rochelle (Town of Rye and Town of Mamaroneck.
Nationally, the public sector is far more unionized at 37% versus the private sector at 6.9 million. By way of comparison, in 1954 the peak year for American unions, 35% of workers were union members. In 2010, private sector unions lost 10% of their membership, the single largest decline in 25 years. In a worldwide comparison, 18.6% of workers in Germany are unionized as are 27.5% in Canada and a full 70% in Finland. Union membership now represents a vastly different slice of America than it did at the height of our manufacturing dominance. One quarter of union membership is non-white; there is gender parity and members are now more likely to live in the suburbs. Unionized workers in 2012 are more likely to be teachers, librarians, trash collectors, policemen and firefighters than carpenters, electricians, plumbers, autoworkers or miners. In 28 states, unions have the right to demand any employer fire any employee who does not want to join the union. The top 20 labor unions over
the past 20 years have donated over $500,000 million to Federal election campaigns. 95% of this money went to candidates from the Democratic Party. A major thrust of the current union organizations is to amend the Labor Relations Act to allow a union to be certified as the official union to bargain with an employer if union officials can collect signatures of a majority of the workers. This “Employee Free Choice Bill” would remove the present right of the employer to demand a separate secret ballot election. The original bill was sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy, then taken up by Senator Al Franken. President Obama is in support of the passage of this amendment. In New York State, 70% of state employees are union members. This so named “public sector union” has significant advantages over traditional unions. By using the political process, public sector unions can exert great influence over their members’employer i.e., the government by helping to get elected those who will sit across the bargaining table as the management in Continued on page 15
Learn more at www.BillVillanova.us.
GOVERNMENT
November Elections and Special Interest Groups By MARY C. MARVIN As a major election approaches this fall, there is much talk about the role of special interest groups, often with unions mentioned in
message I will be taking to the voters of this district in the months ahead. The people know me in this district! They know me as a proven tax cutter! I will win this election and it will be solely from a grass roots effort!... Mr. Villanova concluded. “I intend to run a clean and dignified campaign worthy of the voters of the Sound Shore... I hope Mr. Otis follows suite... Only time will tell.” Mr. Villanova is currently the Deputy Supervisor for the town of Rye and is serving his second term as a Councilman on the Rye Town Board. Villanova and his wife Sandra live in
the first breath. I thought it instructive to research the make-up of unions as the general election approaches, with an emphasis on our home state. Nationally, 11.8% of the American workforce belongs to a union representing the lowest rate in the past 70 years.
By contrast, New York State is more than double the national average with 24.1% of workers represented by a union (the lowest percentage rate recorded since 1989). New York union membership percentage peaked in 1991 at 29.1%. New York still has the highest percentage in the country followed by Alaska (22.1%), Hawaii (21.5%) and Washington State (19.0%). New York has had the highest union membership rate for the past 15 years. 1,906,000 New York residents are union members. As a comparison, Texas has approximately one fourth as many union members as New York despite having 2.3 million salaried employees. The states with the lowest percentage of union membership are North and South Carolina (below 3%). Nationally, 16.3 million citizens are represented by a union with over half of the membership concentrated in just seven states – California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
MAYOR Marvin’s COLUMN
a way that cannot happen in a corporation. As the famous New York labor leader Victor Gotbaum said, “We have the ability, in a sense, to elect our own boss.” In private sector unions, labor
Page 15
GOVERNMENT
November Elections and Special Interest Groups Continued from page 14
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
demands can render their employers uncompetitive thus threatening long term job security as market forces are always changing. There is not the same market pressure in public sector negotiating as taxes can be raised to cover any way wage or benefit increases.
Also, public sector union dues must be deducted directly from paychecks by the government entity vastly reducing administrative costs as well as guaranteeing 100% payment participation. In Bronxville, our police officers are represented by their independent local union, the Bronxville Police Benevolent Association. Our
Department of Public Works staff is represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, an international union. Library staff is represented by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), a State-wide organization. The Village’s administrative staff is nonaffiliated. The Teamsters and CSEA are member organizations to the
nationwide AFL-CIO.
Voters to Pols - “Take a Hike on Pay”
since 1999. Most lawmakers also earn several thousand dollars more for leadership positions and serving on committees, as well as a $165per-day per diem payment each day they’re in Albany. The issue has become a sensitive one as all 212 state lawmakers face re-election next year, leading some to believe the Legislature may wait until after the November election to broach the subject. Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Bronx, has been one of the few rank-and-file members of the Legislature to voice her full support for a raise, in addition to a Rochester lawmaker. “It’s ignorant from the public in terms of really being educated about what their legislators really do,” said Hassel-Thompson. “Half of the people don’t even know what the hell we do. We don’t do enough to educate people.”
This is the same lawmaker who allegedly siphoned $180 for a bagel records show. The mixed verdict against Councilman Larry Seabrook came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the fraud charges in federal court in Manhattan. Seabrook, 61, sat motionless Thursday as he listened to the forewoman respond “not guilty” when asked for verdicts on the first three counts but then reel off guilty verdicts on the remaining nine. “I have faith in the system,” said the disgraced lawmaker. “I have faith in God, and now I’ll prepare myself for what’s next.” Said defense lawyer Edward Wilford: “We respect the jury’s verdict. We don’t agree with it.” Seabrook is no stranger to Albany, whereas he served in the past as an elected member of the New York State Senate. Reaction from Albany: Everyone seems glad the conviction is not of a sitting member of the Senate or Assembly.
Mary C. Marvin is the mayor of the Village of Bronxville, New York. If you have a suggestion or comment, consider directing your perspective by directing email to mayor@vobny.com.⁄
THE ALBANY CORRESPONDENT
AG Aide Loss By CARLOS GONZALEZ
ALBANY, NY -An aide to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was killed on Thursday
night. Veteran Assistant AG Richard Schwartz lost his life when a lightning strike caused scaffolding to collapse off Christ Church in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood. “I send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Assistant Attorney General Richard Schwartz who was tragically killed last night as a result of the storm,” said Schneiderman in a statement. “For over 25 years, Richard served the people of New York State with integrity as an expert antitrust lawyer in the Office of the Attorney General’s economic justice division. New York is a better place because of Richard’s commitment to fairness and legal excellence. Richard’s loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers as we mourn the untimely loss of one of our own.”
Schwartz was in the news a year ago when he wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and seeking information about the potential economic impact of last summer’s lockout. Governor Cuomo, who formally served as Attorney General, offered a statement on the tragedy. “On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to express my sympathy 3to the loved ones of Assistant Attorney General Richard Schwartz, who tragically lost his life during last night’s severe storm,” said Cuomo. “Richard was a dedicated public servant and attorney who served the State of New York in the Office of the Attorney General for over 25 years. His commitment to placing the needs of New Yorkers above all else will be remembered and cherished. His work ethic and his passion were an inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and colleagues with whom he worked during his many years in State service.” The Westchester Guardian offers it’s condolences to the surviving family of Richard Schwartz.
Last week in The Westchester Guardian, we reported news pertaining to a growing momentum around the Capital to increase the pay of state lawmakers. However, 8 in 10 New York voters oppose a pay raise for state lawmakers, a poll released Thursday found. “The talk in Albany says there’ll be a legislative pay raise voted in a special session after the election, but it doesn’t look like a popular idea,” Quinnipiac pollster Maurice Carroll said in a statement. Opposition remained even when pairing a raise with issues that recent polls have found great support for. Only sixteen percent support a pay increase. Sixty-three percent of voters said combining a lawmaker’s raise with a law limiting the size of campaign donations isn’t a good idea, while 66 percent did not support linking it with a minimum-wage hike. The poll comes as legislative leaders have said lawmakers deserve an increase in their $79,500 base salary, which has remained stagnant
Bars for Bagels
A veteran politician was convicted Thursday on 9 of 12 counts in a corruption case accusing him of putting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars meant for community projects in the pockets of his girlfriend and family.
Share your thoughts with Carlos Gonzalez, The Albany Correspondent, by directing email to carlgonz1@gmail.com.
MILITARY
County Executive Astorino Allowed Military Benefits to Expire Three Months Ago WCBoL Chairman Jenkins Ready to Extend County’s Military Leave Law When It is Received WHITE PLAINS, NY – Westchester County Board of Legislators (WCBoL) Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) stated today that the WCBoL will gladly present a county law for approval that guarantees that county employees who are serving on active duty are held harmless on their pay—once the WCBoL receives the legislation
from County Executive Robert P. Astorino. Unfortunately, the legislation, which was first adopted in 2001 and has been unanimously extended by the WCBoL every year since, expired in April 2012 because of either inaction or an oversight by the Astorino Administration. “I’m confident that the Board of
Legislators will once again unanimously approve a bill that supports our active service members,” said Jenkins. “I will call a special meeting of the WCBoL to consider this legislation as soon as I receive it. I’d like to know why we did not receive the legislation on a timely basis to prevent its expiration. Let’s hope there are no serious ramifications for
the Administration failing to present this law for renewal.” The law gives the County the authority to pay the service members the difference between their regular county salary and their military salary. Also, the law ensures that the service members continue to receive their health, dental and vision benefits.
Page 16
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
OP-EDSection
Culture of Death and the Batman Shooting By MATT BARBER
Clearly, what our nation needs is more “separation of church and state.” If those obnoxious, right-wing Bible thumpers would simply quit bellowing about the need for revival – a return to the deeply held JudeoChristian principles embraced by our Founding Fathers – America would be a much better place. Secular-humanism – that’s the ticket! We need more reliance on man and less on God. At the time of this writing, I’m sitting just a few miles from a Century 16 theatre in Aurora, Colo., where, in the early morning hours of July 20, 2012, a deranged, fame-starved gunman shot dead at least 12 innocent people and wounded scores more at a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a Batman sequel. One of the victims killed was a 3-month-old baby. Another was 6. I won’t even share the gutless dirt bag’s name because that’s exactly what he wants. I had an entirely different column prepared for this week, but, in light of this horrific event, its subject matter seemed trivial and inappropriate. Like most decent Americans, I am sickened today – mournful in a way words cannot describe. Please join me in the coming hours, days and weeks
in, yes, praying for the victims, their families and the state of our lost union. It’s times like this when we’re reminded that, when the smoke clears, we’re left with our relationships alone: family, friends, prayer and, most importantly, a deep, childlike need for God’s love, mercy and comfort. Still, we shouldn’t be surprised by this mass murder. In fact, if we’re honest, we’re not surprised. We’ve become almost numb to such reports – desensitized to what only a few short decades ago would have been unimaginable. Although no one is to blame for this man’s objectively evil actions but he alone, those actions are, sadly, a dreadful sign of our desperate times. Today, children are reared in a culture that glorifies – even worships – death and violence. But brutal crimes such as this are not the cause of our culture of death; they are merely a symptom. In an opinion piece penned for the Telegraph in 2008, columnist Jenny McCartney used a prior Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” to illustrate, in a cursory way, our rising death-culture problem. In many ways her words were eerily prophetic and sickly ironic. “But the greatest surprise of all – even for me, after eight years spent working as a film critic,”she wrote,“has been the sustained level of intensely sadistic brutality throughout the film.”
McCartney went on to describe, in gory detail, the movie’s severely violent opening scene, lamenting that millions of parents would choose to expose their children to it. She concluded by chastising Hollywood for its complicity in an increasingly violent youth culture. “Even since 2002, the public’s willingness to expose children to previously unthinkable levels of screen violence has soared,” she noted. “The poet WB Yeats once wrote, ‘In dreams begins responsibility,’ yet Hollywood will never take responsibility for its most brutal dreams so long as the paying public still flocks to the theatre of cruelty.” I think McCartney was on to something but believe there’s plenty more responsibility to go around. I submit that our culture of death derives from somewhere far beyond just Hollywood. The “theatre of cruelty” spans from sea to shining sea. Just one example, though a big one, is America’s ongoing capitulation to the horrific abortion violence carried out under cover of manmade law each day – an equally evil phenomenon. Beneath the euphemistic banner of “reproductive choice,” hundreds of women elect to have their own babies slaughtered in the womb daily. Children – those who dodged the abortion bullet anyway – aren’t stupid; they’re just young. From this, they
can only deduce that, according to our culture, human life is cheap and meaningless. So why are we surprised when people like the “Batman killer” act accordingly? Indeed, in our perverse society, a woman exercising her “right to choose” death for her innocent child represents “courage,” while the Batman shooter’s “choice” to kill innocent moviegoers represents cowardice. And it is. They are both acts of cowardice. The only relevant difference is the victims’ age. Let me be clear: Am I comparing this incredibly wicked, illegal mass murder at Aurora’s Century Theatre to the incredibly wicked, legal mass murder committed at Planned Parenthoods across the country each day? Absolutely – and you can quote me on it. But again, like the Batman murders, our nation’s 55-plus million abortion murders post Roe v. Wade are not the cause of our culture of death; they are merely a symptom. Ultimately, the cause stems from something much less complicated. We as a nation – as a people – have turned our backs on God. We have rebelled against Him and have forgotten that it was He and He alone who gave us 200-plus years of prosperity, unprecedented in world history. We have left Him, so why are we surprised He’s leaving us? We have said, “We don’t need you, leave us alone.” And so He has. Recently, Secretary of Agriculture
Thomas Vilsack acknowledged at a White House briefing that he’s been praying for rain to alleviate the widespread drought plaguing our nation. “I get on my knees every day,” he admitted. “And I’m saying an extra prayer now.” Predictably, godless “progressives” are up in arms over his statement. Tom Flynn, executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism, quickly pounced, saying that Vilsack’s mere mention of prayer “sends the wrong message to distraught farmers.” “[Praying] for rain? That’s not just government entangling itself with religion, that’s government publicly practicing it, and wallowing in superstition,” he said. Oh, please. In the coming days and weeks, politicians, entertainers, media-types – public figures of every stripe – will call for prayer in response to the Batman shootings. But don’t expect to hear much from the aforementioned godless “progressives.” They generally know when to shut up. Still, prayer is only the beginning. It can’t just be superficial prayer. It can’t just be an emotional response to this horrible tragedy. For any real national healing to occur – in order to un-ring the culture-of-death bell – we must collectively surrender. We must recommit ourselves as “one nation, under God,” to the underlying culture of life that such a commitment presupposes. If we don’t, we’re done. 2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us hope: Continued on page 17
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
Page 17
op-ed
Culture of Death and the Batman Shooting Continued from page 16
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from
heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” Indeed, the restoration of our land begins with you and me. It ends with Him.
Let’s begin. Matt Barber (@jmattbarber on Twitter) is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action. (This information is provided for identification purposes only.)
op-ed
Rally at One Police Plaza By DAMON JONES
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, Grand Council of Guardians, Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, their legal counsel Civil Rights Lawyer, Bonita E. Zelman, community leaders, clergy and activists joined forces in the courtyard of One Police Plaza to protest and denounce New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly’s latest charge that the City’s Black Leadership, who have successfully challenged his illegal “stop and frisk” tactics, are “shockingly silent” about recent shootings in minority communities. “The fact of the matter is that 96 percent of shooting victims are people of color, yet the community leaders are not speaking out about this. We’d like to hear from them,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told the press on July 17, 2012. Fortunately or unfortunately, Commissioner Kelly has been hearing the community leaders loud and clear since his statement fiasco. There have been Black Community groups, Black Clergy and Black elected officials from all over the New York Metro Area condemning Commissioner Kelly’s statements. The rally was organized through the social network of Facebook. Approximately 100 people attended thanks to the effort of Ms. I.C. Payne. “We must all stand in solidarity against this evil that is being done in the City of NewYork, 700,000 stops, numerous murders and brutality from police officers in NYC and all Commissioner Kelly could try to do is pass the buck and claim that we as community persons do not stand against violence in our own communities when in fact we do,” Payne said. Reverend Conrad Tillard, Senior Pastor of the Nazarene Congregational Church in Brooklyn said, “Kelly has never condemned the leaders in the
Italian community for Mob violence, he has never condemned the Chinese community for Chinese gang violence, but when it comes to black people, you want to grand stand for some political reason. This is wrong and will not be tolerated.” New York City Council Member, Jumaane D. Williams, co-chair of the Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, charged, “I am outraged at the presumptuous and patently false comments of Commissioner Kelly, which directly insult communities like mine, which are grieving for our lost and trying to save our young people every day. In New York City, the police are stopping hundreds of thousands of law-abiding residents each year, the vast majority of which are African American, Latino and youth - and, on average, 9 out of every 10 stops. Data analyzed by the New York Civil Liberties Union show that last year New Yorkers were stopped by the police 685,724 times or approximately 1,879 times a day. Of those stops, 88 percent yielded no violation, fifty-three percent of those stopped were African American, 34 percent were Latino, and fifty-one percent were between the ages of 14 and 24. Despite insistence by Commissioner Kelly that stop-andfrisk has helped reduce crime, the practice has never been shown to yield a statistically-relevant reduction in crime. In fact, the weapons and contraband yield from stop-and-frisk is the same as that from random check points, despite the Commissioner Kelly’s attempts to justify the program as key to confiscating illegal weapons. The Black and Latino communities throughout New York City are like every other ethnic community; we want a safe community. Why should they tolerate the continuous disrespect, disregard and the use of policies like “Stop and Frisk” that violate law abiding citizens as a cover of keeping
our community safe? Stop-and-frisk data has repeatedly shown that NYPD officers use physical force at a significantly higher rate during stops of Blacks and Latinos. Would any other ethnic community accept this disrespect? I don’t think so. In the 1968 Supreme Court case, Terry v Ohio, Chief Justice Earl Waren wrote about problematic searches “It is a serious intrusion upon the sanctity of the person, which may inflict great indignity and arouse strong resentment, and is not to be undertaken lightly”. Recently, a federal judge in Manhattan granted class action status to a lawsuit over the practice and said she had troubling questions about its constitutionality, especially because in many cases there is no evidence of crime or cause for suspicion. Other judges have raised questions of its fairness. And Philadelphia has reduced its use of the tactic under a Department of Justice consent decree. State Senator Eric Adams claims Kelly is the one who is disconnected, saying that Stop and Frisk actually adds to the problem. “Unfortunately, distrust and lack of communication between police and the community has fostered an uneasy and strained relationship between the two groups,” says Adams. Many protesters that gathered at the rally also felt that Commissioner Kelly’s statement was a political smoke screen for his lack of his own accountability or outrage of police crimes and questionable police shootings of unarmed black men under his command. One protester said, “He’s just grandstanding because he thinks he’s going to be mayor. He has said nothing about his police officers shooting unarmed black men. We will make sure that won’t happen.” Frank Sha Francois of Fathers Alive in the Hood (F.A.I.T.H.) said, “We are out in the streets working with the youth. Instead of working with the youth on the Continued on page 18
“I’m not afraid to be the pale girl in the bathing suit. It doesn’t bother me anymore.” “I have friends who use tanning beds or lie out in the sun. I tell them about Jaime. Jaime died from melanoma right before she turned 30. One person dies from melanoma every hour. After Jaime’s death, I completely walked away from tanning. People think it’s safe. But I know it’s not. You could die just like Jaime did.” -Amanda Asplin
Learn more about Jaime’s skin cancer story at www.aad.org/PSA
Page 18
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THE WESTcHESTER GUARDiAn
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012
Page 25
op-ed WEIR ONLY HUMAN There have been 14 questionable at the the discriminatory practices of police Standing beside Zelman was “Accountability is a two way slipped history and Graham, service asstreet muchCommissioner more than a Kelly”, job, but rather hands of law enforcement in 2012. A departments throughout Newthrough York the thecracks motherof of Ramarley said Ms. ended up dashed against the rocks of obscua very special calling. Keep in mind that Continued from page 17 report called “No More Travons” says State said, “We continue to call for Constance, whose son was shot and Chavis, “You have the nerve to say wea rity dueantoindeimproperkilled direction. A teacher talent, devotion to create by police in theis aBronx,teacher’s The are not combined accountablewith when you have crime problem, the police are every 36 hours a black man, woman or the City Council to liberator; onethe who opens the mind and releases the causeyet of learning, is the foundation of our child is killed by law enforcement or pendent Inspector General for Parents of Brianna Ojeda, whose to be accountable for you officers BOB WEIR becoming theBy problem”. theforpower of thought. Youngsters, preeminence asunarmed a civilization. police department, and legislation daughter died afterwhether a NYPD officer killing men”. And, if someIn New York State alone there Security Guards nationwide. starting out in preschool or advancing into the where out there, in the land of great, retired Each new ear brings new chalare those who strive for excellence and those Civil rights attorney and advo- that explicitly bans racial profiling and refused to give her CPR and Danette have been 215 questionable deaths at Damon is named, executiveMrs. director of higher levels of academic life, are family like human teachers, there’s a Jones woman Davis, lenges that many refer to as who strive for a paycheck. If you’re really cate, Bonita E. Zelman, who has illegal, unjust “stop and frisks” simply Chavis, whose member was also the hands of law enforcement since Blacks in Law Enforcement of America. sponges, absorbing the instructional fluid from JHS 72 in Manhattan, I would like to resolutions. decidelongto foughtlucky have the most self-driven for you’ll a major overhaul of creative, because the victims are people of color.” killed by police. the death of Amadou DialloSome in 1999. of their mentors. That fluid is the bloodline profoundly thank her for putting up with this get back on that special diet, educators in your schools, those who take pride that will determine the path to their respecwretch of a student and looking beyond my others start new ones and some assure themin molding those little, mainly disinterested, ED KOCH COMMENTARY balls of clay into motivated, goal oriented tive destinies. A painter starts with an empty obvious failings while working assiduously to selves that they will dedicate the year to new canvass, a sculptor, there a hunk of metal or glass, find something worthwhile in treasure me. Godinbless would be no great outcry against sacrifices of blood and Iraq academic pursuits or higher levels of achieveparagons of adulthood. A good teacher is able but a teacher begins seeking improve youheMrs.and Davis; I’ll never forget hisby right of selftodefense. But when Afghanistan. Let you. the Muslim ment at work. Most resolutions will last to discipline the pupils in order that they are on the greatest worksends of arthisever designed, army to kill and innocent Bob civil- countries accept to slightly longer than it took to bespeak them, forced to learn; a great teacher is able to inspire is a veteran of 20their yearsresponsibility with the New Amendment. refuses to pledge to support and vote I. Koch the most complex computer ever made; theand artilleryWeir save ians using tanks, infantry their(NYPD), co-religionists inwhich Syria. were and the rest By willEdward change with the seasons. them so that they develop a craving to learn. York Police Dept. ten of closing of loopholemind. should Insidealong that with mindmurderous is the curegroups for rivaling millions of The problem with resolutions is that they’reThe National Socrates Rifle wrote:Association “I can’t teach for youthe anything; I the human performed in President plainclothesObama, undercover assignGUNS has pressured Congress into providing be defeated. cancer, the formulaic unlockand the the Soviet theequation Nazis intoPoland Americans want you to continue to too often about improving ourselves, and too can only make you think.” There’s no amount ments. Bob began a writing career about 12 Michaelothers. Bloom-Someone a loopholeofinmoney the law requires AscompenMayor Bloomberg cogently mysteries of the Universe, and the leadership Union who deliberately kill innocent of some members in of seldom aboutMayor improving youthat can pay to adequately years ago resist and the had effort his first book published berg is absolutely right dealers to check any purchasers to see stated, let the President and Mitt principles to usher inmen, a newwomen era of world peace. civilians and children Congress like Senator John McCain, once said: You can achieve anything in life if sate a great teacher because the services she or 1999. Bob went on to write and publish a total call gets uponthe President if they havehea renders felony record or if they tellthan us how they will deal withproceed Hence, as we further this new caught in theinto crossfire, he is guilty of novels, a very decent, American and you don’t caretowho credit. It seems are infinitely more Romney significant of seven “Murderpatriotic in Black and White,” Barack Obama and his opponent Mitt were ever institutionalized for mental this issue and, in particular, these loopyear, why not make a resolution to honorand intolerwar crimes. As outrageous genuine Vietnam War hero, to drag to me that if we strive to improve the lot of any monetary consideration could possibly “City to Die For,” “Powers that Be,” “Ruthie’s Romney do more than sympathize problems using a listInprovided by the holes. issue is as important as any teachers those dedicated who swork able as Assad’ actionsindehave been, the “Deadly us intotoanother putting ourofyoung others, wetowill be improved as a byproduct of measure. classrooms all across theThis country, Kids,” Love,”war “Short Stories Life with the families and friends of the 12 government. The Congress inserted issue facing our country. If they want fatigably to carve out each new generation of United States should not be treated by men and women into harm’ s way. Let that accomplishment. When I think about the minds are being opened and potential is being and Death,” and “Out of Sight.” He also became people were improving shot and killed by Ia immedia provisiontapped. that Mary such background our votes, us whereAmericans, they stand. making the us the well-educated restmost of the world as, using Bobby the Muslim world take on that obligasubject who of people others, may have no idea what tell abilia syndicated columnist under the title “Weir Only clearly crazed in Aurora, Colorado checks areties notlierequired if the guns enlightened people on the planet? Kennedy’ s phrase, theLet’s “policeman of tion. McCain is simply wrong on this ately think ofguy teachers. What would the world dormant in her brain,INITIATING until someone A U.S.and MILITARY Human.” last week. More than fifty others are purchased at gun shows, where recognize the value theirWe contribution the ofworld.” should not be using issue. be like without those who dedicate themcares enough to awaken the power within. were in the incident. Offering believe, 40 percent of guns in hasRESPONSE to society and thank them for viewing their Syria, even American soldiers to invade selvesinjured to educating our children? If you’reI like Once aroused, suchsold power immeasurableIN SYRIA Great pressure is being applied to protect the innocent Syrian civil- UNFAIRLY BULLIED BY bromides of sympathy is not enough. the U.S. are purchased. Closing this most people, you can remember one or more possibilities. to President Obama to initiate a U.S. ians, when the Muslim countries that MITT ROMNEY The President andathe leader impact of the onloophole would have affected teachers who had profound your As Johnnot Greenleaf Whittier wrote: For all sad LETTERS TO THE EDITOR military response opposition party have a duty to lead President Obama is being unfairly this recent event. Nevertheless, it has life. Perhaps she or he motivated you to take words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: to the brutal attacks are Syria’s neighbors can do the job. by Syrian president Bashir Assad the country and take on the National hectored by Mitt Please submit your Letter to the Editor electronically, thatRomney is by and by and will in“Itthe future, if not closed, There are a million or more soldiers in an interest in English literature, or science. might have been.” I don’t even like to think against his own people, using the Rifle Association that has frightened much of the media for rejecting the idea directing email to WHYTeditor@gmail.com Please confine your writing affect other events. This current case the Turkish army, not to mention the Maybe they captured your attention with about how many children never had a chance Syrian Army to crush a revolt against members of Congress to follow its that government is evil. The President to between 350 and 500 words. Your name, address, and telephone was affected by Congress refusing Egyptian army. There are also armies Renaissance Art, or class projects in biology. to discover their talents because there was dictates and of notthe exercise the power of towas defended role to of the government, contact is requested forSaudi verification only. the A Letter Editor continuenotheteacher ban onwho selling semiin Iraq, Lebanon and Arabia. purpose Regardless subject, the catalyst cared enoughhistogovernment. organize a Had Assad simply to eliminate those Syrian forces Congress regulate possession will be accepted at the editor’s discretion when space permits. rifles that act never like machine We have made enormous always thetoteacher. Asthe in all professions automatic there search. We’ll know how sought much greatness Continued on page 19 of guns without violating the Second guns. Any member of Congress who seeking to remove him from office, A maximum of one submission per month may be accepted.
Rally at One Police Plaza
Why I Love and Admire Teachers
Short Takes on Controversial Matters
Call 1-800-4STROKE or visit www.strokeassociation.org THIS IS THE
FACE OF A PERSON AFFECTED BY
STROKE.
Whether the stroke is your own or that of a friend, parent, child, spouse or loved one, your life is affected. So learn the warning signs and call 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone else experiences them.
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
Page 19
ED KOCH COMMENTARY
Short Takes on Controversial Matters Continued from page 18
stating, “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” While the thought isn’t as well articulated as it could have been, isn’t it true? Without the government building infrastructure – the roads, bridges and tunnels – without the government providing security – police and army – to keep us safe, without the government providing other basic services such as public education, hospitals, etc., could anything of consequence for a great society be accomplished? Aren’t we proud of the fact that each generation builds on the successes of the prior generation? The President was not diminishing the individual successes of citizens. He was pointing out what we all know to be true – that even the most successful and brilliant among us have had help along the way. The help of other individuals including teachers who taught and inspired them, friends who helped and comforted them, cops and firefighters who protected them. Government, if it does its job, provides
that which an individual cannot provide alone in building our civilization and society. Our election process is disintegrating with these petty attacks being engaged in by both Democrats and Republicans and they should stop.This election should be fought on the basis of what each candidate offers on the important issues confronting us, e.g., jobs, the solvency of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, improving education, providing medical care for all of our citizens, reducing the nation’s deficit, providing for an annual federal balanced budget, dealing with foreign affairs, preventing wars and acts of terrorism, and a host of other key issues. Both candidates have to address these issues and tell us how they would handle them if they were to win.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND THE BOYS SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Isn’t it outrageous that the adult leaders of Boy Scouts of America recently reaffirmed their policy of discriminating against children whose sexual orientation is homosexual, as well as employees, including Scoutmasters, whose sexual orientation is homosexual? Shouldn’t decisions on being able to serve in the Boy Scouts as a Scout, Scoutmaster or employee be made on the basis of the
conduct of the individual? Girl Scouts, I believe, have no such ban. If a Boy Scout or Scoutmaster engages in inappropriate conduct in carrying out his duties to the organization, including sexual conduct, kick him out. Whether the sexual conduct is heterosexual or homosexual is immaterial. We no longer have a drafted army where the young men of this country can learn to live cooperatively with one another and respect one another. The next best place to do that is in the volunteer Scout movement which attracts millions of young people. If the Boy Scouts officials say to their young charges, by excluding boys who are gay, they are to be avoided and condemned because of their sexual orientation, they are contributing to the problem of bullying against homosexual youths. If the Boy Scout leaders refuse to change their policy, every city and state where Boy Scouts are provided any special privileges by government should immediately end them. How wonderful it would be if fair and likeminded people supporting the Scout movement created an alternative to the existing bigoted organization. The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served as a member of Congress from New York State from 1969 through 1977, and New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Obama, NAACP Pervert Civil Rights
The op-ed piece “Obama, NAACP Pervert Civil Rights “ by Matt Barber 7/26/12 published in The Westchester Guardian’s July 26, 2012 edition makes this claim - “that this pleasure based, sex-centric movement, delineated by deviant proclivities and behaviors would dare to equate its demands for celebrating bad behavior to Chritian notions of equality” while I can accept that traditional religions do not sanction gay attraction, in the Old testament, there are 2 or 3 verses
regarding men to not sleep with men, (no mention of lesbian), in a country that talks about ‘our freedoms’ we should be able to allow for people to behave as they wish, if they are not hurting anyone or breaking any laws. Mr. Barber constantly attempts to decide for everyone that these verses in the Old Testament must be followed by everyone, including those who don’t believe in this religion. And why not follow all of the Old Testament laws? Because some of them may have had relevance at that time but today are considered outdated and ignored. It is not anyone’s business what 2 consenting adults do, indeed many hetero couples engage in activities that Mr. Barber would find equally offensive, yet he never mentions them. It is this being in everyone’s personal business that is completely un-American. Especially galling is that I thought Conservatives wanted less government, yet for this population it
is all right for Mr. Barber to demonize and not grant basic human rights. It is this attitude of some Conservatives and Republicans that I most fear, and while I didn’t vote for Obama and not sure that I would now, I do fear the Far Right as reflected by Mr. Barber more so than the current president, or the Left’s agenda. What two consenting adults do is not ‘deviant proclivities’ any more than other people. Let us start to have acceptance of people different than us, and we will be better off. Please note also that NY State has received about $230 million in gay wedding revenues so far this year so I wouldn’t be so fast to destroy any jobs creation opportunities. There are far greater issues to be so concerned about. Let them have their weddings and happiness. Thank you, Adam Stein Hawthorne, NY
LEGAL NOTICES
Bridge Builders Translators, LLC Articles of Org. filed with the NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 5/7/12. Office in Westchester County. SSNY design. agent of LLC upon whom service of process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of same to 2072 Baldwin Road, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598. Purpose: Translation Services.
NEW WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/31/12. Office location: Westchester Co. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/24/12 SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporate Creations Network Inc. 15 N. Mill ST Nyack, NY 10960. DE address of LLC: 3411 Silverside RD #104 Wilmington, DE 19810. Arts. Of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, PO Box 898 Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of MONA SOLUTION PRODUCTS L.L.C. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on FEBRUARY 24, 2012 . Office location: Page 26 Westchester County. SSNY is des-The WesTchesTer Guardian ignated as agent of LLC upon whom QUICK CASH OF WALLKILL LLC Arprocess against it may be served. ticles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State SSNY shall mail process to: P.O. Box (SSNY) 6/5/12. Office in Westchester 68 Yonkers NY 10705. Purpose: any Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon lawful activity. whom process may be served. SSNY Office Space Availableshall mail copy LLC 400 Rt. 211 E PrimeThe Location, Yorktown Heights - Store #16 NYWilca: 10940. 1,000 Sq.Middletown, Ft.: $1800. Contact 914.632.1 Purpose: Any lawful activity.
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A non profit Performing Arts Center is seeking two job pos tor of Development- FT-must have a background in develo rience fundraising, knowledge of what development ent ence working with sponsors/donors; 2) Operations Manag good knowledge of computers/software/ticketing system overseeing all box office, concessions, movie staffing, da staffing such as Merchandise seller, bar sales. Must be fa system and willing to organize concessions. Full time plus 438-5795 and ask for Julie or Allison
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THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2012
WWW.WESTCHESTERGUARDIAN.COM