SALAMANCA, CB DMS MEET WITH BRONX POSTMASTER
Councilman Rafael Salamanca and Community Board district managers met with the Bronx Postmaster
to discuss postal service concerns from residents.
(Above) Councilman Salamanca (3rd from r) and local leaders met with the Bronx postmaster.
Photo courtesy of Councilman Rafael Salamanca’s Offi ce
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR UNE 21-27, 2019 65
How to Fail: A Lesson for
All
By James Jackowski Sr.
What strange tales I would
tell if I were the guest speaker
at a graduation, especially a
high-school graduation. To get
at those minds still fresh from
the accomplishment of 12 years
education – what an opportunity.
I would tell them something
they never thought they would
hear: I would tell how to fail.
You know, anyone can tell
you how to succeed. There are
thousands of books on the subject.
The blueprints and formulas
are all there for anyone to
follow. What is not found very
often are directions on how to
fail. I would tell the graduates
that success is never guaranteed,
no matter how closely you
follow the diagrams. Failure,
however, is pretty much a certainty,
and not just once, but
probably several times in your
life.
You will fail if you are inconsiderate
of others. So many
people think the world was created
just for them, and they disregard
the feelings of others.
We must share the space on
this planet with each other.
You will fail if you think
anybody owes you anything
because of your education. The
only ones who are owed anything
are those whose victories
and defeats paved the way for
all the opportunities available
to you. Among those might be
your great-grandparents who
now live in a nursing home.
You will fail if you start
your business life looking for
a job that suits you. You must
suit the job. Applying for any
kind of work in a T-shirt and
jeans will further enhance
your chance for failure.
You will fail if you climb a
corporate ladder by stepping
on people. As the saying goes,
“You will meet the same people
on the way down”.
You will fail if you are intolerant
of individuals with
strange-sounding names and
different color skin. Remember,
you are just as different to
them.
You will fail if you do not
try to right a wrong whenever
possible. You will fail if you
see abuse and do not speak out
against it. You will fail if you
see corruption and do not fi ght
it. You will fail if you suffer bad
politicians and do not bother to
vote.
You will experience the
biggest failure of all if you believe
the romantic notion that
“Love means never having to
say you’re sorry”. For in truth,
anyone who has lived long
enough to retire will tell you
that love means just the opposite.
It means being able to say,
“I’m sorry”.
Congratulations to all graduates
everywhere.
(James Jackowski Sr. was
a local columnist who passed
away in 2002. We are thankful
for the legacy of caring and compassion
that he left us.)
Next Meeting
No meeting in June. (Next
meeting September 30)
No newsletter or meeting in
July or August
Gjonaj #CleanUpNYCParks
Councilman Mark Gjonaj
would like for you to share
your photos on how neglected
our parks and green streets are
via social media. Share your
photos on your social media
with the hashtag #CleanUpNYCParks.
Also you can email
photos to mgjonaj@council.
nyc.gov or call (718) 931-1721
with information about parks
and green streets in your area
that have been neglected by the
Parks Department.
CB11 Health Fair
Health & Social Services
Committee of Community
Board 11 invites you to our 4th
Annual Health Fair.
Sunday, June 23, from noon
to 3 p.m, at Bronx House, 990
Pelham Parkway South.
Nutrition and fi tness information;
healthcare facilities
and providers; free demos and
giveaways. For more information
and/or to participate,
please contact: Community
Board 11 Offi ce at (718) 892-
6262.
From Da Prez…
By Vincent Prezioso
Morris Park Road Diet
On May 29, a Bronx Court
temporarily upheld an injunction
to halt the DOT’s redesign
of Morris Park Avenue. The injunction
is to be revisited soon,
and we will update you when
we get more information.
Andy King Speaks Out…
On Wednesday, May 29
Councilman Andy King held
a protest at the site of what
was the golf range on Gun Hill
Road. The property has not
been in use for almost 20 years
and is overgrown with weeds
and has been used as an illegal
dumping ground. King said
he has called on the MTA (who
currently controls the property)
to discuss options for this
property. He said it is disrespectful
to allow the property
to be overgrown with garbage
and debris.
You may recall that there
was a proposal in 2017 to develop
a shopping mall called
Baychester Square. However
that proposal was stopped at
the City Council due to concerns
over traffi c congestion.
You may also recall that the
MTA property is under the
jurisdiction of Community
Board 12. But as Pelham Gardens
is across the road from
this property, the Northeast
Bronx Association and Community
Board 11 are keenly interested
in whatever happens
at that site.
Pelham Parkway Updates
Thomas Alexander of the
NYC Department of Design and
Construction issues notices to
the community regarding what
will be happening on Pelham
Parkway North and/or any service
or traffi c interruptions the
reconstruction will cause. Obviously,
this newsletter cannot
warn you adequately. And although
we try to forward his
notices via email, it is still not
adequate. We encourage you to
sign up directly to receive the
DDC notices via email. Please
contact Thomas Alexander,
pelhampkwyccl@gmail.com,
or call him at (347) 810-1386 and
sign up to receive these messages
directly.
The Death of Common
Sense
By Lori Borgman
Three yards of black fabric
enshroud my computer terminal.
I am mourning the passing
of an old friend by the name
of Common Sense. His obituary
reads as follows: Common
Sense, aka C.S., lived a long
life, but died from heart failure
at the brink of the millennium.
No one really knows how old
he was, his birth records were
long ago entangled in miles
and miles of bureaucratic red
tape. Known affectionately to
close friends as Horse Sense
and Sound Thinking, he selflessly
devoted himself to a life
of service in homes, schools,
hospitals and offi ces, helping
folks get jobs done without a lot
of fanfare, whooping and hollering.
Rules and regulations and
petty, frivolous lawsuits held
no power over C.S. A most reliable
sage, he was credited with
cultivating the ability to know
when to come in out of the rain,
the discovery that the early
bird gets the worm and how to
take the bitter with the sweet.
C.S. also developed sound
fi nancial policies (don’t spend
more than you earn), reliable
parenting strategies (the adult
is in charge, not the kid) and
prudent dietary plans (offset
eggs and bacon with a little fi -
ber and orange juice).
A veteran of the Industrial
Revolution, the Great Depression,
the Technological Revolution
and the Smoking Crusades,
C.S. survived sundry cultural
and educational trends including
disco, the men’s movement,
body piercing, whole language
and new math. C.S.’s health began
declining in the late 1960s
when he became infected with
the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus.
In the following decades,
his waning strength proved no
match for the ravages of overbearing
federal and state rules
and regulations and an oppressive
tax code. C.S. was sapped
of strength and the will to live
as the Ten Commandments became
contraband, criminals
received better treatment than
victims and judges stuck their
noses in everything from Boy
Scouts to professional baseball
and golf.
His deterioration accelerated
as schools implemented
zero-tolerance policies. Reports
of 6-year-old boys charged with
sexual harassment for kissing
classmates, a teen suspended
for taking a swig of Scope
mouthwash after lunch, girls
suspended for possessing Midol
and an honor student expelled
for having a table knife in her
school lunch were more than
his heart could endure.
As the end neared, doctors
say C.S. drifted in and out of
logic but was kept informed of
developments regarding regulations
on low-fl ow toilets and
mandatory air bags. Finally,
upon hearing about a government
plan to ban inhalers from
14 million asthmatics due to a
trace of a pollutant that may be
harmful to the environment,
C.S. breathed his last.
Services will be at Whispering
Pines Cemetery. C.S.
was preceded in death by his
wife, Discretion; one daughter,
Responsibility; and one son,
Reason. He is survived by two
step-brothers, Half-Wit and
Dim-Wit.
Memorial contributions
may be sent to the Institute for
Rational Thought. Farewell,
Common Sense. May you rest
in peace.
Are we still grateful for
our Independence?
By Mark Saplicki
The founding fathers and
framers of the constitution
who initiated the separation of
church and state were humble
and grateful to God the great
ruler of nations. So what has
happened since then? In my
humble opinion it is because
we have steadily turned away
from that foundation, but more
importantly we have lost a national
respect for God in our
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