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16 The Courier sun • FEBRUARY 20, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com editorial letters   Working to get to the Core of the problem The D-Day invasion at Normandy was postponed because the elements weren’t favorable. But that didn’t mean its participants renounced the liberation of Europe. Rockets have been aborted seconds before takeoff, but that didn’t deter us from a commitment to space exploration. Beethoven ripped up reams of musical sketches but after some corrective action got the notes right and audiences haven’t stopped applauding in 200 years. Plans of all kinds often need to be changed. That doesn’t mean they were conceived in error. The Common Core may or not be a sinful enterprise. Many of our finest thinkers and education experts condemn it on numerous grounds that eminently lend themselves to rational justification. There is a groundswell of hostility to it from parents and gathering doubt from the public. But that’s a different debate from the current focus on how Common Core has been launched. Almost everybody, regardless of how they stand on the Common Core overall, admits its roll-out has been a total disaster. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, and State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, jointly called for a moratorium  on using the high-stakes Common-Core-aligned tests. That makes compelling sense. Governor Andrew Cuomo has assembled a panel to get to the root of the problems and sort them out. It’s been suggested that the panel is stacked with fans of the Common Core, but we shall see. It’s refreshing to see the bi-partisan state government accessible to discourse and hopefully subject to the persuasion of the wisdom of its citizens, for a change. Ron Isaac Fresh Meadows RIP Shirley Temple Shirley Temple, America’s child star of the 1930s, was a true American treasure. Her precious smile, along with those curls and dimples, made her endearing to the public. She brought joy and laughter to all of us at a time when this nation was going through the Great Depression. She also devoted many years of public service to our country as our ambassador to the United Nations, among other things. Our deepest sympathy to her family, friends and colleagues. We have lost a truly wonderful person. John Amato Fresh Meadows Potholes are a pain In regard to your article on potholes (February 13-19) I would like to bring to your attention the poor conditions of whole sections of Northern Boulevard from the 59th Street Bridge to 114th Street in Corona, a heavily traveled road especially for trucks, the roadway has been repaired numerous times over the last few years but is in dire need of a full repaving in some sections. It isn’t enough to just fill potholes, they keep opening up even under rain conditions and I sincerely hope the Department of Transportation would make an effort to repave once the warmer weather sets in. Martin Wishnewitz, Jackson Heights End of an era The deaths of Shirley Temple and Sid Caesar make me realize how lucky my generation was to remember these special celebrities in their prime. The child who could dance, sing, cry on cue and flash her dimpled smile brought pleasure to adults and other kids in the 1930s, when our country had record unemployment and strife. The era of Disney films, radio and street games, being able to walk to a nearby playground or to the candy store with pals is over for today’s child. The manic Sid Caesar and his zany team of writers and actors regaled us on TV in the 1950s and 60s, and we can still laugh when these shows are run on special TV programs. Humor is known to keep us healthy and help us weather our difficulties. Unfortunately, the current style of humor seems obsessed with bodily functions, vulgar language and sex. Violence in films numbs the senses and may contribute to the violence we see in the media. Perhaps a new generation can reprise the wholesome humor of the past: Bill Cosby, Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason and so many others. R.I.P. Little Shirley and Sid. In the words of Bob Hope, “Thanks for the memories.” B K Brumberg Howard Beach IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is Queens — the place to be So we all know how great our borough is. We boast some of the best schools, safest neighborhoods, great shopping and dining — and an international flavor that nearly no one else has. And it seems that everyone else agrees. You see, despite reports to the contrary, Crystal Window and Door Systems CEO Steve Chen emphatically told The Courier that his company Located in the College Point Corporate Park, the fenestration headquarters and main production facility “will remain where it is for the foreseeable future.” Why would the company move? Located off the Whitestone Expressway, Crystal has easy access to the highway for transportation, as well as a plethora of other pluses for doing business here. And over in Long Island City, it seems that residents “get it” about our borough too. In just eight months, the largest luxury rental in Long Island City, TF Cornerstone’s 45-45 Center Boulevard 41-story, 82-unit building, has leased 100 percent of its units. “This is a testament to the high demand for Long Island City, as the area continues to grow and offer more and more for residents,” said Sofia Estevez, executive vice president of TF Cornerstone Inc. Nearby, real estate firm Modern Spaces announced the luxury condominium called The Vista, located at 44-15 Purves Street, hit its 100 percent sold mark. The Vista was feng shui-certified by consultant Laura Cerrano of Feng Shui Long Island. Cerrano advised the developers on every part of the design and construction of the building since the beginning. But it doesn’t take an expert to figure out what we already knew — Queens is hot! Snow much for a quiet dinner All they wanted to do was have a meal. But diners at Exo Cafe on Austin Street had an unwelcome dinner guest when a New York City Department of Sanitation plow truck sent a trash can of snow and ice into the Forest Hills restaurant. The accident damaged the restaurant’s winter vestibule and shattered some of its windows, and a 36-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Exo’s owner said the truck driver, who said he didn’t know what had happened, kept going, but was flagged down. Our question is -- why wasn’t the driver more careful? We understand the streets are terrible to navigate with all the snow piled up, but that means that drivers must be even more cautious. We applaud the Department of Sanitation for conducting an investigation into the accident and for “taking disciplinary action against the operators of the equipment.” sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM 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 Maria Romero Warren Susman Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps “is not moving.” 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 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 website: www.couriersun.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2014 by The Courier Sun All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN 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. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. 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 COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. VIctoria Media Services 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 Courier SUN 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.


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