Author: metanet

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By William Lewis

TimesLedger Newspapers

New York State election law recognizes two committees as representing a political party: the County Committee and the State Committee.

Here in Queens and adjoining counties, we have a number of political clubs, particularly within the Democratic Party. These clubs, although not recognized by the state authorities as political entities in a legal sense, contribute much to the political activities of their party. It is usually the Assembly district leader who is instrumental in creating clubs, which are usually named after the Assembly district, the town that they are in, or in some cases, former elected officials.

Most clubs meet on a monthly basis and have a roster of elected officers, including chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer and whoever else may be needed to run the organization. People join the club because they are interested in politics or they want to work for political candidates. It seems that they also want to join a political club to meet people of similar backgrounds and ideals. They might be looking for jobs or special assistance from elected officials.

It is advantageous for elected officials to have a working relationship with political clubs. During political campaigns, club members can be used for a variety of campaign jobs, including sending out mailings, telephone banking and greeting people at shopping centers to encourage them to vote for the political club’s candidates.

Most political clubs support the candidates, whoever they might be. However there are times when there are primaries where the insurgent candidate may be challenging the candidate supported by the party’s county organization. In that case, there are sometimes political clubs that support the insurgent candidate against the county’s candidate.

This happens in all political parties. In past years it has occurred in the Democratic Party since they have had a lot of clubs in Queens and in the surrounding counties. But it has also occurred in the Republican, Conservative and Liberal parties. When that happens, different petitions are circulated by club members in accordance with which candidate they are supporting.

Most elected officials try to have a good working relationship with the clubs in their area. When election time comes, these elected officials will look to the clubs for support.

Political clubs have been around a long time and have been prevalent in Queens and contributed much to the political activities in New York City. Without these clubs, political activities would be considerably different from what they are today. When political clubs are having their meetings, it is a usual practice to invite elected officials as guest speakers who also use this opportunity to confer with club leaders and their members.

Political clubs are the grassroots of political activity that goes on constantly. Some of our highest elected officials began their careers as club members and advanced to become club officers before running for elected office. A significant number of public official staff members also come from clubs in their area. Here in New York City the political club is an integral part of the political system. It has contributed much to the politics of our day.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

In celebration of National Pet Month, Council members Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Robert Holden (R-Maspeth) will be hosting a mobile pet adoption event with Animal Care Centers of NYC this Saturday.

“As someone who has always been passionate about animal welfare, I am excited about this new partnership with the ACC,” Ulrich said. “National Pet Month is a celebration of the benefits that pets bring to people’s lives – and vice versa. What better way to celebrate than to add a new member to your family and adopting an animal in need?”

Dogs (age 7 months and over – $150), puppies (6 months and under – $75), kittens (6 months and under – $75), cats (7 months and over – $50), and rabbits ($50) will be up for adoption May 19 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Forest Park Bandshell parking lot — located on Forest Park Drive in Woodhaven, where adoption counselors and volunteers will guide prospective pet owners through the adoption process.

To end animal homelessness in New York City, the Animal Care Centers of NYC’s mission is to find loving, forever homes for homeless and abandoned dogs and cats.

“Each year more than 25,000 animals come to us from all over the city. Many of these wonderful ‘boroughbreds’ are ready to make Queens their home,” said ACC President and CEO Risa Weinstock.

According to Holden, there are many dogs and cats in need of a loving home and mobile pet adoption events are a great way to connect families with pets in need.

“I adopted a cat from an ACC event earlier this year and had a great experience,” Holden said. “I encourage anyone looking for a pet to take in one of these animals.”

All animals up for adoption are spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and micro-chipped ready to go home. To adopt an animal, individuals must fill out a pre-adoption form with references provided, a valid photo ID, and be 18 years of age or older with current proof of address.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed 11 bills last week to combat sexual harassment in the workplace in both the private and public sector with support from Queens’ delegates, other elected officials throughout the city and first lady Chirlane McCray.

One of the bills signed on May 9 was Intro 613-A, the first solo piece of legislation introduced by City Councilwoman Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica). Intro 613-A requires all city agencies and the offices of the mayor, borough presidents, comptroller and public advocate to assess workplace risk factors associated with sexual harassment as identified by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Select Task Force on the harassment in the workplace, according to the mayor’s office.

The bill was created to help agencies better develop responsive strategies to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace.

“Every person, whether they work in government or private industry, should be able to do their jobs without fear of being sexually harassed,” Adams said. “We now know that sexual harassment in the workplace is so prevalent that we need to take active measures to stop it before it begins which is why I am joining my colleagues to bring attention to this important issue.”

Intro 693, another bill that was signed by the mayor, was sponsored by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside).

Van Bramer’s bill stipulates that contractors and subcontractors that apply for city contracts include their employment practices, policies and procedures as they relate to preventing and addressing sexual harassment an employment report.

“This new law requires that organizations seeking to do business with or receive funding from the city provide details of their practices, policies and procedures as they relate to preventing and addressing sexual harassment,” Van Bramer said.

Among the bills, Intros 612-A and 632-A require anti-sexual harassment trainings for city agencies, the offices of the mayor, borough presidents, comptroller and public advocate, and asks that employers with 15 or more employees conduct annual anti-sexual harassment training for all employees, according to the mayor’s office.

Intros 664-A and 653-A are requesting reports from city agencies and the offices of the top city officials after they conduct office surveys to assess general awareness and knowledge of the city’s EEO and harassment policies, in addition to accounts of workplace sexual harassment to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

Intros 657-A, 660-A and 663-A expand sexual harassment protections under the New York City Human Rights Law by applying provisions related to gender-based discrimination to all employers, regardless of the number of employees, by including sexual harassment as a form of discrimination that can be eliminated and prevented, and by increasing the statue of limitations for filing harassment claims based on unwelcome conduct from one to three years from when the alleged harassment occurred.

The remaining two bills were Intros 614-A and 630-A, which ensure New Yorkers know their rights by making sure employers and the city’s Commission on Human Rights post their resources on sexual harassment on their websites and explain that sexual harassment is unlawful.

“When women step forward with a grievance, it is the employer’s responsibility to listen and take appropriate action,” said McCray. “With this new package of bills, New York City is holding all employers accountable for what they do when employees come forward to report sexual harassment in the workplace.”

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The body of an unidentified 39-year-old man was discovered in the attic of a scorched home in Corona the day after FDNY had extinguished the fire that killed him, according to police

The two-alarm fire that erupted at the single-family home at 40-46 Case St. in Corona at around 5 a.m. last Friday sent four civilians and seven firefighters who responded to the hospital.

Relatives of the man found dead Saturday reported to the 110th Precinct that a family member was still missing and FDNY re-entered the building and discovered the victim unresponsive in the attic. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the police.

“My heart goes out to the family of the man discovered in the attic of the Case Street home that caught on fire Friday morning,” City Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) said. “Friends of the victim described him as a Bangladeshi man who was working toward a college degree — which is to say this is a tragic end to the life of a man who, like so many other immigrants, came to this country is in search of the American Dream.”

The FDNY said the fire in Corona was attributed to unattended candles.

It was not the only fire in area crews were responding to on Friday morning with FDNY praising Ladder 154, Engine 307 and Rescue 4 for their actions saving lives on the second floor of the Corona fire and another earlier fire in Jackson Heights just five hours apart.

In both fires smoke alarms were either not present or not operational, according to the FDNY, and multiple civilians and firefighters were taken to area hospitals.

“During the first fire this morning, we got multiple reports of people trapped, so we knew that we were going to be arriving to a fire condition. It was a panicky scene. We made our way in, went up the stairs, and were met by fire walking in the doors. It was a heavy fire condition with a lot of smoke. I went to the left, and [Firefighter Akira] Rodriguez went to the right,” Ladder 154 Lt. Kevin O’Hare said.

The first fire broke out at 30-46 71st St. just after midnight Friday morning that left six victims needing to be treated for injuries alongside four responders, the according to the fire department.

“I heard screaming from the back bedroom. I made contact with the patient and from there, the smoke started to lift. I was then able to see that there was a rear door so I pushed it out. That’s when the patient told me there were others still inside,” Rodriguez said. The reference to the patient was

The Jackson Heights fire was still under investigation.

“When I arrived on scene, I ran up the stairs. I made my way to the apartment as Rodriguez was making his way out with the patient. I continued the search of that room and found an unresponsive young person. I was able to carry them out by myself and moved them to the street. They were not breathing, so we began our interventions. When we passed the patient to EMS, they were breathing on their own,” Lt. Todd Smith of Rescue 4 said.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Lenore Skenazy

TimesLedger Newspapers

Little Red Riding Hood went into the woods to take a basket of bread and jam to her ailing grandmother. On her way there she met a wolf, who asked where she was going and when Red Riding Hood told him, the wolf replied, “Oh my God, I haven’t visited my grandmother in, like, a month!” Guiltily he slunk off to gather some nuts for his vegan grandmother, who was delighted to see him, and asked him why he was still single.

On the way home the wolf and Red Riding Hood ran into each other again and agreed: Visiting grandma is something you should do.

And that, my friends, is how some people, somewhere, are introducing their children to the fabulous world of fairy tales.

A study of 2,000 parents commissioned by a British website called “musicMagpie” found that one quarter of moms and dads change parts of the story when they read them to kids.

Generally, this is because they think the original tale is too disturbing for tots to handle. And at the top of their “to alter” list is Little Red, because in the original version, the wolf runs ahead, gobbles granny up, and dons the lady’s clothing. Little Red Riding Hood comes by and marvels, “Why grandmother, what big arms you have!” and feet, and eyes, etc., etc., right down to the big teeth, which are, of course, the issue at hand.

Depending on which version you read, quick-thinking Little Red Riding Hood dives into the closet and stays there until a passing woodsman saves her or slower-thinking Little Red gets gobbled up, but then a woodsman slices the wolf open to liberate both the girl and her grandmother (both miraculously unchewed, despite said teeth). Or if you read the version I grew up with — “The Blue Fairy Book” by Charles Perrault — Little Red gets devoured and that’s the end of the story. And her.

What does it mean when parents find this too cruel a fate to expose their kids to? After all, this same study found that about a fourth of all parents abhor the Gingerbread Man for the same reason (being eaten alive) even though the Gingerbread Man is, you guessed it, gingerbread!

Three in 10 hate on Hansel and Gretel because the kids are left alone in the forest (Without cellphones!). And 25 percent feel the Ugly Duckling encourages body shaming.

Which, of course, it does — if you are a duck.

What is galling is not that parents ad lib. What’s galling is that they think fairy tales are not supposed to be disturbing.

Obviously, a tale where a child gets devoured was never meant to be sweet. It was meant to scare the crackers out of any kid who doesn’t do what mama says. (Little Red Riding Hood begins with her mom instructing her to go straight to grandma’s. Instead she not only talks to the wolf, she picks flowers and generally dawdles her way to disaster.)

Aside from basic “Listen to your parents” instruction, telling our kids scary stories is the bedtime version of letting them go outside — another classic childhood activity being curtailed for “safety’s sake.” Fairy tales, like life, are sometimes surprising, and sometimes a little frightening, but the more that kids encounter them, the braver they become.

Or think of climbing a tree. Kids go up a little higher each time as they acclimate to the challenge. Reading and rereading fairy tales, they acclimate to fear. Then they triumph over it.

Once upon a time, humans understood that. The original version of Little Red Riding Hood can be traced to about 1000 A.D. What does that say about us that only this latest generation of kids can’t handle it? Or rather, we think our kids can’t handle it?

Should every fairy tale start out with a boy and a girl going into the woods, accompanied by a background-checked nanny, wisely avoiding the candy house (Cavities! Sugar rush!), gathering some leaves for a class project, and hurrying home so they have time for homework and lacrosse before a dinner of braised quinoa? How didactic do we have to be?

I recently read about a children’s bible that tells kids, “And then Jesus went away.” To where? Paris? Acapulco? A cruise? Did he enjoy the trip?

If parents find an age-old story so traumatizing that they don’t want their kids to read it — fine. Tuck it away for a later date. But treating this generation as more fragile than any other is insulting and untrue. Kids are as fragile as we make them.

If generations have heard a story and turned around and told it to their own kids, it’s probably a tale that should live happily ever after.

Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, and founder of Free-Range Kids.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger