50 The QUEE NS Courier • SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial letters THE QUEENS Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Jan DiGeronimo Maria Romero Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Director, Business Developm ent Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. 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NEVER FORGET As we approach the 12th anniversary of the horrific and devastating 9/11 attacks on America, we must continue to reflect on the tragic loss of life and remember the innocent people who perished on that awful day. While our nation has significantly improved its ability to fight terrorism, we as individuals must continue to be on guard while living our daily lives and going about our daily routines. The adage “if you see something say something” is still very much necessary. We all have an obligation to do this. September11, 2001 was a day that saw the innocence of our nation blown awaygone with the wind forever. It is a date that will always be seared in the hearts and consciences of every single American for generations to come. We shall never forget. John Amato Fresh Meadows How different it is today Music reflects our values, uplifts, inspires and reveals our dreams and aspirations. Some composers and artists, however, no longer idolize the beautiful and elegant, but glorify the coarse and vulgar. I was a student at the High School of Music and Art in the late 1950s. Each morning as I waited in the auditorium for classes to begin, strains of “doo-wop” emanated from every corner. It was here that the “new sounds” were created and experimented with by students both black and white. One of my classmates wrote several hits for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and had a successful career of his own. The “doo-wop” sounds couldn’t be categorized or easily identified as “black” or “white.” It was poetry celebrating the joys of love and life accompanied by lyrical melodies and sung by harmonious voices full of hope and aspirations. By contrast, the pop culture of today features “rap music,” an oxymoron by any standards, which is often full of expressions of hate and depictions of violence, not to mention profanity. f anything can be said about the music of the 1950s, it is that it did not oppress but offered freedom of expression, created opportunities, and most importantly, uplifted and celebrated the simple joys of life that bind us together as human beings. Ed Konecnik Flushing Ode to the US Open Queens owes the US Open many thanks, and not just for the money that it brings. The water flows more swiftly through the tanks and higher ‘round the Unisphere it springs. No children risk themselves among the jets that gird the looming globe of stainless steel. Dog walkers keep an eye upon their pets, and picnickers are neater with their meals. The lights around the fountains burn so bright,and later do they shine, it must be told, while tennis players battle for the right to best themselves, a trophy for to hold. The greatest gift of all that I have seen: The public restrooms are being kept so clean! I wish the park could be kept as nicely for the rest of us the rest of the year, for those of us who live and work here and pay taxes here, and the rule keeping children out of the Unisphere fountain for their safety could be more dutifully enforced when there are no tourists around. Ana Keveney Jackson Heights Not happy with Olympic decision So the 2020 Olympics have been awarded to Japan. Good choice. Japan will save millions on electric lighting for the night time events because the audience will be glowing from the radiation that is STILL leaking from the nuclear reactor. However, won’t the Japanese gymnasts who’ve sprouted a third leg (due to mutation) have an unfair advantage? Has the Olympic Committee chosen North Korea as the standby? Robert La Rosa Whitestone NEVER FORGET Our world changed forever on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:46 a.m. Foreign supported, funded and trained terrorists dealt the worst sneak attack since Pearl Harbor. They had hijacked four jet planes and took them on suicide missions to blow up the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. Thousands of innocent men and women, as well as firefighters, police and other first responders died that day. Twelve years later we are still at war with terrorists – foreign and home grown – who want to strike at our Democracy. And many of those who risked their lives, spending countless hours “on the pile” are just now beginning the fight for their lives. Our lives, our worlds, were shaken to the core that day, and many have never fully recovered. The adage goes that, “time heals all wounds,” but in this case, time is the enemy as more and more first responders discover they are sick. Over years we have learned to be patient in lines at the airports. We have learned to watch and report the odd, the abandoned package, the out of place car or truck. We must remember those who died; those who cleaned up the site and those who are rebuilding Ground Zero. We must take care of those who have become sick after working at the site too. Twelve years or twelve decades, WE MUST NEVER FORGET. PHOENIX RISING Like a phoenix from the ashes, slowly but surely Breezy Point is coming back. Nearly a year after Sandy tore through the neighborhood, leaving 350 homes uninhabitable, the roar of bulldozers and banging of hammers can be heard around the once-silent streets of the sleepy beach town. It’s about time. Residents and homeowners, displaced by fire and flood, were forced to wait as new FEMA, insurance and city standards were set for their homes. The majority of these people are still living in various places throughout the city. Some residents have taken a different approach to rebuilding, though: one family installed a two-story modular home on Reid Avenue to get back into Breezy. Now, approaching the storm’s one year anniversary, the Breezy Point Cooperative has received 85 sets of plans from various property owners and their architects, proposing a way to rebuild. The cooperative is the first to receive the architects’ plans to rebuild and restructure lost property, which are then sent to the borough’s Buildings Department. After the department approves the plan, the process to receive the appropriate city permits begins, and construction can start. But only 20 applications have been approved in the city’s system so far. We urge city officials to expedite the process. Help get the plans approved – as quickly as possible – so that Breezy can bounce back. IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is VISIT queenscourier.com
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