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QC11062014

30 The QUEE NS Courier • NOVEMBER 6, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial “Identify This Place” to find out where this is letters IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search ‘SAFE SUBWAYS’ NOT ENOUGH A recent study, which ranked NYC Transit System as safest for women, overlooked many daily challenges both men and women face in our travels. Subway riders have to deal with conductors who close the doors while we cross platforms attempting to transfer from a local to the express train. Try looking for the proper way to dispose of newspapers as more trash cans are removed from stations. Riders have to deal with aggressive panhandlers, eating as if one is at home or restaurant, those hogging two seats, yawning, coughing or sneezing without covering up and the release of flatulence. Entertainers use crowded cars as their own personal gym. Women may still be accosted by gropers while perverts engage in other unhealthy sexual activities. Everyone has grown tired of dealing with rats, mice and litter. The odds of finding a working, safe, clean bathroom for “relief” in time are still limited. Larry Penner, Great Neck SWIFT PRAISE Taylor Swift is not a New Yorker by birth or rearing, but like a native of the five boroughs, she learns fast what the real deal is. When it comes to education, our public schools are the genuine article. So showing mature judgment and her Gotham spirit, the 24-year-old recording artist is donating all the proceeds from her current No. 1 single to our innovative traditional public school system. Wise move, young lady! Ron Isaac, Fresh Meadows DON’T BLAME OBAMA FOR EBOLA CRISIS The GOP is trying to place the blame for Ebola entirely on Obama! They point out that the United States has been without a surgeon general for more than a year. However they neglect to mention the reason is the threat of the GOP filibuster. The GOP cut funding by 40 percent on hospital preparedness programs, cut funding for the National Institute of Health by over 10 percent and cut funding for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention by over 17 percent. The fact that nurses are sent into these quarantined rooms without the proper protective clothing is criminal. And Republicans are responsible! Disgraceful GOP supporters are selling bumper stickers that say things like “EBOLA-Obama’s Legacy to America.” Absolutely sickening! Robert LaRosa, Whitestone PRAYERS FOR INJURED COPS The four rookie police officers who were attacked by a machete-wielding maniac in Queens did what they needed to do to defend themselves and protect the public. Three of them were injured, one seriously, and they managed to bring down this lunatic with gunfire. Our thoughts and prayers are with all four of these brave rookie officers and their families, and we hope for a speedy recovery for all of those injured officers. Our police officers are the best and always put their lives on the line in order to protect the citizens of this city. God bless all of them, along with our brave firefighters and EMS personnel. They are the lifelines of this city. John Amato, Fresh Meadows ASTORIA COVE SUPPORT I have been living in Astoria Houses for 37 years. My husband and I are raising our family here. Astoria Cove is a great project because it is going to create lots of new opportunities for the entire neighborhood. I am particularly excited about the developers’ commitment to create a cooperatively-owned supermarket. Through this supermarket, our community will have access to fresh food, and, as owners, have opportunities to benefit from the infusion of new residents and investment. I have worked in a supermarket for the past 17 years as a merchandiser and manager. I am eager to be a founding member of this cooperative supermarket and be not just a worker but also an owner. All too often when new development happens in neighborhoods, outside corporations come in and are able to take advantage of new residents’ consumer spending. Through this cooperative supermarket, existing Astoria residents will be able to build wealth and equity – keeping money within the neighborhood. I am looking forward to sharing my skills and experience to be a part of it. It would be a privilege for me to work in my neighborhood and serve the members of my community. For a long time there has been a lack of infrastructure upgrades in and around the Astoria Houses/Hallets Cove neighborhood. The Astoria Cove development, especially the new park, esplanade and open waterfront that my family can enjoy and visit on the weekends will be great. I also look forward to welcoming the new faces and neighbors that this development will bring to the community because it needs a makeover. Count me as a strong supporter of Astoria Cove. Teresa McKinney, Astoria SALUTING OUR VETERANS Veterans Day approaches and we urge everyone to be mindful of the sacrifices of our servicemen and servicewomen. Armistice Day, as the commemoration was originally known, began in the wake of World War I, the war to end all wars. Of course, war didn’t end then and the battles and skirmishes continue to this day. There are different enemies and different tactics and different theaters of war, but our safety and security as a nation are defended by volunteers who brave all sorts of danger for our sake. We salute all who have served in the military. We mourn those who have died in the service of others and we pray for the safety of everyone serving in the military. QUEENS IS FOR THE BIRDS Hoo knew? The great-horned owl, the Iceland gulls and the wood ducks all knew, apparently, that Queens is a great winter destination. The snow birds might flee to sunny Florida for the winter, but the wise ones know where to winter: the parks of Queens. We welcome them, along with all the other birds who nest here for the winter. TOILET TRAINING Hats off to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for their clever plan to conserve water and to eliminate waste. Wasted toilets, that is. The agency is in the midst of replacing 200,000 waterwasting toilets with new, high-efficiency units. That will save a considerable amount of water as one of the upstate reservoirs undergoes repairs. But we really like the agency’s plan to recycle the porcelain units. The DEP has put out a bid for a contractor to crush the toilets so the porcelain bits can be used as the underlayment of sidewalks and also as a replacement for stones in bioswales. It’s a neat idea all around. Kudos to the DEP. THE QUEENS Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan William J. Gorta Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola, Angy Altamirano Katrina Medoff, Eric Jankiewicz, Salvatore Licata Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Demetra Plagakis 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 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 www.queenscourier.com editorial e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com for advertising e-mail: ads@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2014 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. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Quens Courier and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.


QC11062014
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