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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com NOVEMBER 26, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 21 oped  We recently came across this picture on the Facebook page, “You must have lived in Ridgewood if you remember...,” a community of Ridgewood residents past and present sharing pictures of how the neighborhood of the station and Rentar Plaza at far left. The sign is cut off but Rentar Plaza was once home to Robert Hall department store. In subsequent years, Robert Hall gave way to Times Square Store (TSS), followed by Caldor and its current occupant, K-Mart. Macy’s also had a distribution center at Rentar Plaza. Have a historic photo of Queens that you’d like to share? Send it to editorial@queenscourier.com or write to The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.  A LOOK BACK and surrounding areas looked long ago. This picture shows the old double-S Myrtle Avenue shuttle train at the Metropolitan Avenue station in Middle Village during the 1970s. Note the wooden platform TIME TO SAVE SOME MONEY FOR SENIORS AND VETERANS In 2016, for only the third time in 40 years, Social Security recipients and veterans will receive no cost of living adjustment (COLA). By some miracle of accounting, our government claims there is no infl ation. They certainly don’t consider how most seniors actually spend their money. The costs of all necessities are skyrocketing, and they are increasingly unaffordable. Such things as food, health care, drugs, utilities and rent aren’t included when infl ation is calculated. The majority of seniors receive most or all of their income from Social Security and they depend on small increases to keep up with rising prices. To remedy this injustice, Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a bill called the Seniors and Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefi ts Act, which provides a one-time 3.9 percent payment of about $581 to Social Security recipients and veterans in 2016. To pay for this, Warren proposes the closure of a tax loophole that allows corporations to write off obscenely high executive bonuses as a business expense. New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand support this bill. Several hundred thousand have signed a MoveOn petition for it. We always seem to have plenty of money to wage wars, and can give big tax breaks to very profi table businesses, but we don’t protect our most vulnerable citizens. Linda Imhauser, Whitestone LEAVING OUT REFUGEES IS UNAMERICAN AND UN-CHRISTIAN Throughout the year 2015, close to 1 million Syrians have migrated from the horrors of an internecine war in Syria into the continent of Europe; Germany has maintained open borders to accommodate these suffering men, women and children and give them a new home. Although most of these migrants are Muslims, to date only one Syrian passport was believed to have been found near the body of a suspected Islamic jihadist in the recent terror attacks in Paris. Some European nations have been closing their borders even before this recent terrorism, and now many states in the United States are opposing Syrian immigrants. This is un-American, inhumane and un-Christian to discriminate against people because of their Syrian national origin, Arab ethnicity and Islamic religion. The perpetrators of this Parisian terrorism included an Algerian Muslim jihadist who was French-born, not 999,999 Syrian Muslim (and Christian) migrants, who fled the Islamic State and their fundamentalist distortions of al-Quran. As a Christian, the scenario is reminiscent of the story of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. Despite the fact that some people are not Christians, we are called to love our neighbors. These Syrian refugees are our neighbors. Today is the time to comfort our suffering neighbors, especially the totally innocent children. The perpetrators of the heinous murders in Paris must indeed be brought to justice, but the majority of Syrians must not be punished for these crimes. And the Quran itself says, “Glory be to him who has dominion over all things. To him you shall all return” (al-Quran 36). They will know we are Christians by our love. Joseph N. Manago, Flushing STEM scholarships open new doors for New York students BY ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE MILLER Choosing a college major can be an intimidating process. Students entering higher education today have a vast selection of colleges and majors to choose from, but they face the decision knowing they are likely to take on burdensome student debt to fi nance their futures. For students who love to solve problems, want to make the world a better place and constantly wonder about how things work, a career in a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fi eld can be an attractive option. This is especially true because many of the best-paying, most secure jobs are STEM-related, and these opportunities continue to multiply. In New York State, STEM jobs are expected to grow 14 percent between 2014 and 2024, while other jobs will grow just 9 percent. Yet employers struggle to fi ll these positions because there are more jobs than there are workers qualifi ed to do them, which hurts our state’s businesses. To solve this mismatch, New York State created an exciting new scholarship program for high-achieving high school students. Under the New York State Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Incentive Program, students in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes who plan to study STEM at a SUNY or CUNY school can earn full-tuition scholarships for four- or fi veyear programs. In return, those students must keep their grades up and work and live in the state for fi ve consecutive years after graduation in a STEM-related fi eld. Not only will this scholarship help inspire more students to enroll in STEM majors, it also keeps them from being saddled with crushing student loan debt upon graduation. This incentive program is a win-win for employers searching for top talent and for high school students interested in pursuing rewarding STEM careers. By offering scholarships to our best and brightest, we’re helping put more kids on the path to a brighter future and investing in the future of our state. It’s vital to New York State’s success that STEM-educated professionals connect with the employers who need their unique talents. A strong economic future in New York State depends on preparing students for the jobs of today and tomorrow as well as encouraging graduates to stay and put down roots. Ultimately, their talents will benefi t all of us. For more information or to apply for this scholarship, visit the program’s website (www.hesc.ny.gov/stem). As always, if you have questions about this or any other issue, please call me at 718-805-0950 or send me an email at millermg@assembly.state.ny.us. Assemblyman Mike Miller represents the 38th Assembly District, which covers all or parts of Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Woodhaven. A LOOK BACK letters & comments


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