Editorial: Armed Forces Day – A Chance To Honor The Living

According to the Department of Defense, there are currently 1.4 million men and women on active duty with another 1.1 million serving in the National Guard and Reserve forces to go with more than 2 million military retirees and their family members receiving benefits. With the United States shifting from mandatory conscription to an all-volunteer military force in 1973, a large percentage of the civilian population has no interaction with active duty personnel, making the observation of this weekend’s Armed Forces Day all the more important. While the following weekend’s Memorial Day rightfully continues to be an important acknowledgement of the sacrifices made by the fallen in service of their country, Armed Forces Day is a chance to thank those who’ve taken up the call of duty from their fallen comrades.

Phil-osophically Speaking: May 17, 2012

New York State of Mind

They must soar into the clouds, they must be exalting, they must exude power, and they must, from their summit, lord over the earth. I’m talking about skyscrapers, a feature as identifiable to a major city as the red barn is to rural America. Exactly how tall a building has to be to qualify as a skyscraper is an academic question. There is no threshold, no line in the sky that has to be crossed and no metric yardstick to measure it by. But like Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of pornography, you may not be able to define it but you know it when you see it. How true: A skyscraper is axis-mundi —- a pillar that connects the terrestrial world with the heavens above.

Editorial: Memorializing Moms Everywhere

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s fallen on the second Sunday of May ever since Congress designated it so back in 1914. Since that time, it’s been a day in which mothers everywhere are rightfully feted with a myriad of cards, flowers and breakfasts in bed that come in varying states of edibility. And while this official designation is a relatively modern-day phenomenon, cultures over the centuries have honored those Mother Nature chose to endure hormonal and biological abuse for nine months.

Letter: Remembering Pete Fornatale

Just a quick note to say thanks for your piece on Pete. Growing up listening to him on WNEW and then WFUV, (my favorite radio station), it was indeed a loss to hear of his passing. There are few special DJs that we will always remember and Pete was one of them.

Kindest regards,
Lauren Marinelli
Port Washington

Letter: The Sun Is Shining; Just Look Out The Window

An April 27th letter to the editor [published in Anton Community Newspapers] authored by Philip H. Smith, president of the United University Professions, leads one to believe that Mr. Smith does not closely follow the topics or institutions about which he writes. In his letter, titled “Let the Sun Shine on SUNY Foundations,” Mr. Smith states that The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (“Research Foundation”) is “largely led by government officials”; that it feels “no...compulsion to share information with the public,” and that it is an organization that “cloak[s] [its] activities in secrecy.”

All three statements are easily refutable and simply untrue. The Research Foundation is not led by government officials. Most importantly it is an organization that over the past year has demonstrated, and has been recognized for, its pledge to accountability and transparency.

Editorial: A Great Place To Live

As a native Long Islander and a longtime Queens resident, the name Floral Park has crossed my radar numerous times. Geographically, I always had a sense of where it was, but for the most part, it’s always been one of those nebulous-sounding burgs like Lattingtown, Bayport or East Williston that you think you’d be able to find on a map, but couldn’t really do on a wager. Given the fact that the village proper rests on less than 1.5 square miles, it’s no wonder that I’ve overlooked it in the past. But in the brief two weeks that I’ve been training to take over the editorship of the Floral Park Dispatch from my esteemed ex-colleague Melissa Argueta, I’ve come to realize that despite what Floral Park may lack in geographic size, it more than makes up for in the friendliness of its denizens and the old-fashioned charm radiated by its community leaders.

Phil-osophically Speaking: May 3, 2012

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Even if you’re flying in a thick fog, you can’t miss the flailing semaphore signifying that the economy is headed for a crash landing. The recovery, the most enervating since the Great Depression, is kaput: Growth rates are anemic, unemployment levels frozen at more than 8 percent, (and that’s not counting the demoralized who have stopped looking for work), and the enormity of the debt can make a man with ice water in his veins grow pale with fright.

Editorial: Signing Off…

They say there’s a time for everything and the time is now for me to say goodbye to the noble citizens of Floral Park as I leave my post to pursue new endeavors. I’ve had the profound honor and privilege of getting to know so many residents and inspiring leaders of this community over the past two and a half years.

From my first day on the job, I have seen firsthand the special spirit that embodies the people who live here. As an outsider looking in, I have truly been in awe of your love and dedication to the beautiful village that you call home. I have been equally touched by your endless compassion for others in need and your strength in good times and bad. And it has been a pleasure telling all of your stories one word at a time.

Letter: A School Budget Message From the FPBSD PTA

At the April meetings of the Floral Park-Bellerose School PTA and the John Lewis Childs School PTA, the general memberships unanimously approved motions to support the proposed 2012-13 Floral Park-Bellerose Elementary School District budget.

The purpose of the PTA is to advocate for and to promote the welfare of children and youth in the home, school and community. The PTA recognizes that every child deserves excellence in education and in quality of life. Our PTAs believe that the board of education has prepared a fiscally responsible budget designed to achieve the goal of providing a continued quality educational experience for all of our children.

Phil-osophically Speaking: April 19, 2012

“Judge Not”

It’s always a good idea to refrain from being judgmental because you just may be condemning yourself. “Judge not lest ye be judged” is a timeless injunction of the Good Book. In his classic work, Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis has an interesting take on that Biblical admonition. Lewis says that before our lives are judged, we shall be granted the gift of omniscience about ourselves to see how we would have acted or behaved in every circumstance. The truth is we just don’t know how we would act or even feel in other situations and other circumstances.