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You have the chance to change a life

webadmin on August 25, 2021

You have the opportunity to help change someone’s life, and it won’t cost you a penny. All you have to do is tell someone you know about the School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center for Women right here in Woodhaven.
Perhaps you know a woman who never got the opportunity to finish high school. That diploma can often be the key to a better future, it can open the door to better job opportunities or maybe even a promotion at a current job. A high school diploma can be the first step in going to college.
In less than a month, the School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center for Women will begin holding open registration for their tuition-free classes for the 2021-2022 school year.
To ensure the safety of all students, you must have proof of vaccination in order to attend classes at SSNDEC Woodhaven.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center offers classes to prepare women to take the TASC (formerly the GED). To register, visit the center at 87-04 88th Avenue across from St. Thomas the Apostle Church on Monday, September 13, between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The classes are for women 20 years or older, who are committed to working toward their high school diploma and can attend classes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
They should also have sufficient reading and writing skills in English to work on the high school equivalency curriculum.
If you know someone whose English skills need some work, or perhaps they cannot speak the language at all, the School Sisters also offer ESL (English as a Second Language) courses.
Again, these classes are tuition-free and offered at six levels, from Introductory to Level 5. Classes are scheduled between Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The schedule will vary depending on the level.
All women must take a placement test to determine their level. This test will be given on Tuesday, September 14, at 10 a.m. and again in the afternoon at 1 p.m.
What a difference you could make in the life of the person you share this information with. Not only will it make a difference in the life of that person, but the impact will be felt by their children and the entire family.
Changing the lives of women and their families was exactly what SSNDEC executive director Sister Catherine Feeney had in mind when she and her fellow sisters opened the educational center in 2003 in Ozone Park.
In those early days, the center had just over a dozen students and it was strictly a GED program.
In short order, they also saw a need for an ESL class so they could serve a larger segment of the community. The classes were such a hit they soon needed to find larger quarters, and that’s what brought them to Woodhaven, taking up residence in the former convent that was the home to the nuns that taught in St. Thomas the Apostle.
After the move to Woodhaven, the School Sisters had the room to expand. And with convenient access to transportation – it is near the J train and the Q56 bus along Jamaica Avenue, the Q11, Q21, Q52Ltd, Q53Ltd, and QM15 along Woodhaven Boulevard, and the Q24 along Atlantic Avenue – they were able to greatly increase the number of women they could help.
Well over 2,000 women have been helped by the School Sisters in the years since they opened their doors. And as a byproduct of these classes, their children and entire families are helped. As a result, this can only help improve our neighborhood.
I have been honored to see the students of SSNDEC over the years thrive in the warm, encouraging environment provided by the teachers there.

If anyone has any questions or would like to RSVP for the open house, the School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center for Women in Woodhaven can be reached at (718) 738-0588 or email at ssndec@aol.com. Visit their newly renovated website for more information.

The mayor that once lived in Forest Hills

webadmin on August 25, 2021

Forest Hills has had a lot of notable residents over the years. Among them is former mayor John Francis Hylan, who resided in a charming stucco Mediterranean Revival home at 2 Olive Place and Continental Avenue in Forest Hills Gardens.
In May 1932, The New Yorker reported that two white light globes were installed in front to symbolize his mayoral terms.
Hylan was raised on a 60-acre farm in Greene County in the Catskill. With $3.50 in his pocket, he made his way by stage coach and boat to New York City. In 1918, he would become the city’s 96th mayor, serving until 1925.
In 1921, his re-election bid was a success after defeating a mass transit fare increase and founding a commission to reconfigure the transportation system. He played an integral role in the creation of a subway owned and operated by the public, the Independent Subway System, which began operations on March 14, 1925.
A complete city-operated subway would come to fruition 15 years later, when the ISS/IND merged with the IRT and BMT.
Before becoming mayor, a young Hylan was employed with the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad, which was renamed the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and operated streetcar trains in Brooklyn and Queens.
It joined forces with the Interborough Rapid Transit System to launch a dual contract system of unregulated and privately controlled transportation. Hylan’s eventually became a lawyer who fought Tammany Hall’s advances, but eventually became their loyal candidate.
Incidentally, the earliest known sound recording of a New York City mayor features Hylan’s 1921 speech accepting the nomination for mayor.
During his tenure, Hylan focused on the need for home rule, opposing the governor’s appointed transit commission, which he emphasized holds the power to “nullify subway contracts and take away the five-cent fare.” He advocated for taking away subway leases from private companies.
In 1920, the 19th amendment granted citizens the right to vote regardless of gender. In Hylan’s acceptance speech, he stated, “In the conduct of municipal affairs, the women of this city have been a most potent factor. This administration acknowledges the splendid and efficient service which they have rendered.”
If one looks closely for signs of Mayor John F. Hylan in Forest Hills, his name is inscribed on a plaque from 1923 at the landmarked Engine 305/H & L. Co. 151.
Hylan was active in local community life. He was a judge at the Forest Hills lady popularity contest in 1930 at the Forest Hills Theatre, which featured Agnes Geraghty of Olympic swimming fame and musical comedy star Dorothy Stone.
In the early 1930s, he served as Justice of the Queens Children’s Court.
At the time of his passing, the Associated Press reported, “Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia ordered flags on all public buildings lowered to half-staff and instructed Police Commissioner Valentine to mobilize a uniformed escort for the funeral.”
His final resting place is in St. John’s Cemetery in Middle Village.
In 1922, “Mayor Hylan of New York: An Autobiography” was published.
“In order to succeed, one cannot be selfish,” he wrote. “If you make rosy the path for another, your own path, beyond any doubt, will be bright. The lesson involved in this message applies equally to rich and poor, to the city lad as well as to the farmer’s son.”

Statue vandalized at St. Michael’s in Flushing

webadmin on August 25, 2021

At approximately 3:30 a.m. last Wednesday morning, a man vandalized a statue of St. Bernadette outside St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church at 136-76 41st Avenue in Flushing. The attack is the latest in a string of incidents at churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
The statue of St. Bernadette was dedicated earlier this summer as a memorial to parishioners who died from coronavirus. St. Bernadette is the patron saint of the poor, those ridiculed for their faith, and the sick.
Wednesday’s perpetrator jumped over the church fence and knocked the statue over, damaging portions near the left forearm and wrist.
While St. Michael’s is already planning to repair the statue, parish leaders are hoping to use the incident as an opportunity to strengthen the community.
“St. Michael’s plays a central role in the faith and care of our neighbors through our masses and faith-based services that feed the hungry,” said Father Vincentius Do, pastor of St. Michael’s Church. “For sure this act of vandalism is upsetting, but the faithful of St. Michael’s and I are praying for the person who committed this act against our church.
“It is important to find the good in all things, and so I wish to take this opportunity to encourage the public to respect our church and our property, as well as that of all houses of worship,” he added.
Authorities from the 109th Precinct are currently investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).
The St. Bernadette is the latest in series of vandalism incidents at churches in Queens and Brooklyn.
In July, a person damaged two statues outside of Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church at 70-01 Kissel Street in Forest Hills. The two statues had been in place since the church’s opening in 1937.
The vandal dragged the statues close to 200 feet across 70th Avenue before destroying them completely with a hammer.
In May, two separate incidents occurred at churches in Brooklyn. On May 14, a crucifix was toppled and damaged and an American flag lit on fire at St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church in Bensonhurst.
On May 17, a statue of Mary holding the Baby Jesus was found vandalized near the Diocese’s administrative office in Windsor Terrace.

Staff at Grand Care Pharmacy stays poised

webadmin on August 25, 2021

Since joining the staff at Grand Care Pharmacy inside of Key Food at 66-56 Grand Avenue in Maspeth as a nurse, Meliz Jimenez says she is enjoying working with the people in the community where she lives at a time when she is most needed.
“I remember in February I had someone say to me, ‘Thank you for saving my life’ and all I did was give them the vaccine,” says Jimenez, a Maspeth resident. “It was really touching.”
Jimenez, a recent graduate of St. Paul’s School of Nursing on Queens Boulevard, joined the staff at the full-service pharmacy to help in the vaccination effort. Since then, she’s worked through the highs, lows and resurgences of COVID-19.
“Back in February we were doing like 70 to 100 vaccinations a day,” says Jimenez, who grew up in East Elmhurst. “Now we’re doing about 20 vaccinations a day, but we’re seeing an uptick in testing. We did about 70 tests yesterday.”
According to the COVID Data Tracker on the Centers for Disease Control website, more than 1.5 million people in Queens have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and just under 1.4 million people have been fully vaccinated. The number of fully vaccinated people in Queens represents 62 percent of the borough’s population.
As the Delta variant presents challenges for healthcare workers, Grand Care Pharmacy has made an effort to relay the most current and accurate information to the community.
“A lot of people are concerned about the spikes and there’s a lot of myths and controversial information out there,” Jimenez says. “People come here very misinformed, and we do our best to inform them the best that we can.”
The pharmacy has focused on helping those who want to be vaccinated by not requiring appointments for tests or vaccines, even making house calls to do so.
“We’ve been going out and administering vaccines to patients at their homes because its been hard for some to come out with the recent heat waves,” says Dr. Trevor Latchminarain, pharmacist and owner at Grand Care Pharmacy. “My staff and I have been on the frontlines serving our community from the beginning of the pandemic, caring for patients who tested positive, building awareness about vaccinations, and maintaining communication with our patients to ensure that they receive care”.

Catholic schools announce back-to-school protocols

webadmin on August 25, 2021

The Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes 69 elementary schools throughout Brooklyn and Queens, has announced its COVID-19 safety protocols for the beginning of the school year. Students are set to return to classes on September 8.
Although there is no official mandate in place from the city, the state Department of Health has recommended that schools adopt universal indoor masking based on guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As such, Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens will require all students, faculty and staff to wear masks.
“As the numbers of coronavirus cases continue to spike in children, and the overall numbers of hospitalizations in New York City are on the rise, this is the most responsible approach to take when we begin the new school year,” said superintendent Thomas Chadzutko. “I know the return to these safety measures is not the situation parents, teachers or students were hoping to be the case in the 2021-2022 school year, but we cannot ignore the trends,”
“As this academic year moves along, we will revisit these guidelines and adjust them accordingly,” he added. “As much as we want a return to normalcy in our classrooms, we want our students, faculty, and staff to be safe.”
In addition to masks, Catholic schools will continue to heavily encourage vaccinations, social distancing, and frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Parents of students will also be instructed to keep their children home if they are sick to prevent any potential outbreaks.
The schools will also continue to follow city and state guidelines regarding contact tracing, quarantine and isolation protocols.
“I have received my vaccination and continue to encourage others to do so as well,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “It is our hope that the COVID-19 vaccines will help bring an end to this terrible virus that has controlled our lives for much of the past year and a half.”
Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens opened on time last school year and offered in-person instruction five days a week.
Currently, New York City public schools are also planning on a return to full, in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year.

Cuomo won’t go gentle into that good night

webadmin on August 25, 2021

Governor Andrew Cuomo exited the Governor’s Office in disgrace, but watching his pre-taped farewell speech on Monday you would think he was departing as a beloved leader.
Why Cuomo felt the need to give a farewell speech in the first place is one of – but not the only – curious thing about his final address to the people of New York State. We heard more than enough from him when he announced his resignation, proving that the only pity he feels about the sexual harassment allegations and coverup of COVID nursing home deaths is for himself.
And right on brand, he began his 15-minute farewell with another claim of innocence regarding the sexual harassment claims. To believe Cuomo’s version of events, 11 women lied about his actions, the others who testified in the exhaustive report by Attorney General Letitia James also lied, and James was politically motivated to take Cuomo down so she massaged the facts.
“The attorney general’s report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic,” Cuomo said. “And it worked.”
Apparently Cuomo is the only person telling the truth here. “Facts still matter,” he said, but only Cuomo’s facts.
And Cuomo would have you believe that he is resigning not because he is guilty of anything, but because he loves you and he loves New York and it’s the right thing to do.
“You know me, I am a fighter,” he said. “And my instinct is to fight this.”
In addition to restating his innocence, the speech was clearly a vehicle for Cuomo to highlight what he feels he accomplished while in office – lest we’ve all forgotten what a great governor he was and how much we’re going to miss him when he’s gone – as well as weigh in on several issues, as if his opinion on them carries any weight.
For example, we’re not sure why Cuomo decided to let us know that he is opposed to defunding the police as he is walking out the door, or why he is giving advice for the people who will serve in office after him. In fact, maybe he could take his own advice to them.
“It’s not what we say in life that matters, it’s what we do,” he said. “And the same is true for our elected officials and our government.”
And despite the controversy surrounding nursing home deaths and the fact that his publisher stopped printing his book about the state’s response to COVID because of a federal criminal investigation, he offered his opinion on dealing with coronavirus going forward.
Kathy Hochul became the first female governor when she was sworn in at midnight on Tuesday, and now the state can begin to move forward. We’re not sure what the future holds for Cuomo. A former aide was quoted on Twitter saying he has no interest in ever running for office again, but we’ll believe it when we see it.
It’s obvious from his speech that Cuomo will not be able to stay in the background for very long. He’s clearly angry and embarrassed, and those who know him attest that he doesn’t let a grudge go easily.
Just ask Mayo Bill de Blasio. Which brings us to what we think was the real point of the farewell speech: the opportunity to take one last shot at the mayor of New York City.
“Eric Adams will be the next mayor of New York City,” Cuomo said toward the end of his speech. “I think he will bring a new philosophy and competence to the position which can give New York City residents hope for the future.”
Mic drop!

Trade Enforcement Needs to be Top Priority

webadmin on August 25, 2021

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been in force for over a year, but our North American trading partners refuse to fully implement the deal.
Canada has failed to open its dairy market to U.S. farmers and producers, as promised. And Mexico continues to privilege state-owned energy companies over U.S. energy firms, among other violations.
Unfortunately, Canada and Mexico aren’t the only U.S. trading partners shirking their commitments. The United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, and Indonesia are also guilty of erecting trade barriers that threaten U.S. workers and businesses.
Luckily, U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai pledged that under her watch, the United States would “impart the values and rules that guide global commerce…[and] enforce those terms vigorously.”
This support for holding our trading partners accountable is extremely encouraging. Enforcing existing trade deals is one of the best ways to help American firms expand into new markets and create more jobs here at home.
International trade remains a pillar of the American economy. In 2019, U.S. companies imported and exported $5.6 trillion worth of goods and services. Forty million jobs depend on these transactions.
Unfortunately, when the federal government doesn’t properly enforce trade rules abroad, these businesses and their workers get ripped off – and that’s precisely what’s happening right now.
Consider that domestic policies in the United Kingdom and Japan undervalue American-made medicines and erect barriers to U.S. biopharmaceutical exports.
Meanwhile, local content laws in Brazil and Indonesia limit broadcasts of Hollywood films. Counterfeiting in Mexico also poses a challenge to American manufacturing firms and producers from a variety of IP-intensive sectors.
Individual governments aren’t the only ones blocking free and fair commerce. The World Trade Organization is currently considering a proposal that would invalidate IP protections for COVID-19 technologies.
Several WTO members, including the European Union, have opposed the proposal, which would chill research and development projects for years to come. So, it was particularly surprising when the Biden administration came out in support of the proposal earlier this summer.
There’s still time for the United States to disavow this position, and it’s in the best interest of American researchers and developers that they do.
Strictly enforcing existing agreements will also make it easier for Ambassador Tai to negotiate stronger treaties in the future, like those with Japan and the United Kingdom.
Prior to tabling U.S.-UK trade negotiations just before the 2020 election, negotiators had yet to finalize much-needed chapters on intellectual property and pharmaceutical regulation.
Writing robust IP protections into these chapters will generate a truly modern free trade agreement, one that ought to serve as a model for 21st-century negotiations going forward.
The previous USTR was also unable to secure protections for U.S. medicines in phase one of the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement. And he didn’t address the country’s onerous vehicle testing standards that make automobiles the largest source of our trade deficit with Japan. Ambassador Tai can correct both errors.
It’s no mystery why stricter enforcement is popular with both parties. Nearly everyone from top politicians to ordinary workers recognizes that enforcement benefits American businesses.
They’re right, and Ambassador Tai now has the opportunity to grow the U.S. economy by holding our trading partners accountable. Here’s hoping she’ll succeed.

Frank Samolis is a partner and co-chair of the International Trade Practice at Squire Patton Boggs.

Examining the Annual Check-up

webadmin on August 25, 2021

Over the past 18 months, many have had to – or elected to – forgo an annual physical exam. Does it matter? It’s a good question, one that’s not new to the pandemic era.
If an annual medical exam means lots of expensive diagnostic tests and invasive procedures, it may be time to put it to pasture. However, if it fosters a physician-patient relationship and allows for a partnership in prevention and treatment of diseases, then this alone may be a good reason to keep it.
So what are its pros and cons?

The cons
One of the downsides may be that it does not save lives. According to a Cochrane meta-analysis of 16 studies, an annual physical exam had no benefit related to mortality risk and morbidity (disease) risk.
The report went on to say that it did not have an effect on overall mortality, nor on cancer survival and/or cardiovascular mortality. The authors noted that primary care physicians may already be treating patients at high risk for diseases.
Another potential negative is that certain diagnostics, such as prostate-specific antigen screenings to test for prostate cancer, could be harmful.
The results of a meta-analysis presented at the European Cancer Conference show that routine screening for prostate cancer in the general, symptom-free male population may have more detrimental effects than benefits — a high PSA may lead to unnecessary invasive procedures, such as biopsies and prostatectomies (removal of the prostate).
Side effects could be impotence and infection and could result in hospitalization. The author acknowledged that there have been two large studies on PSAs, one touting the benefits and the other showing increased harm. This assessment may be the tiebreaker.

The pros
Not all diseases show symptoms, especially in the earlier stages. Examples include hypertension (high blood pressure) and chronic kidney disease. It is also an opportunity to discuss mental health. And, of course, there is the importance of lifestyle discussions.

Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes more deaths than prostate or breast cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five patients with high blood pressure has chronic kidney disease, and most are undiagnosed.
Early to moderate stages of the disease without symptoms can only be identified through blood tests and urinalysis.
Detecting CKD early may be the key to halting its progress and preventing end-stage kidney disease resulting in dialysis. Without the annual exam, we may miss this opportunity.

Hypertension
Like CKD, there are frequently no symptoms to detect high blood pressure until it is too late. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, high blood pressure may be responsible for almost half of all heart attacks and a quarter of premature deaths in the U.S.
To reduce the risk of this “silent killer,” a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests lifestyle modifications. In a meta-analysis, involving 54 small, randomized controlled trials, aerobic exercise had significant benefits in reducing blood pressure.

Depression
One of the most effective ways to know a patient is with a thorough discussion of history that identifies intangibles that may not show up in numbers, including mental health.
A presentation at the 26th European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress showed it is not what patients say, but how they say it that may be most important.
Short essays identified that those who were mildly depressed used significantly more verbs in the past tense than the present (100 versus 2.6 percent) and used less complex sentences, compared to the healthy control patients.
Ultimately, the success of an annual medical checkup is the physician’s approach. With a strong focus on a thorough history, rather than a predominance of diagnostic testing leading to invasive procedures, there is little downside.

BP holds vigil for Haiti, launches donation drive

webadmin on August 25, 2021

Borough President Donovan Richards hosted a vigil in partnership with Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP) to honor the more than 2,000 people who died in a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the island nation.
“From natural disasters to political turmoil, Haiti has been dealt blow after blow in recent years, but the resolve of the Haitian people and our Haitian American community is unmatched,” said Richards. “In the wake of this destructive earthquake, Queens stands ready to offer a helping hand to our Caribbean neighbors in their time of need.”
To assist in Haiti’s recovery, Richards launched a donation drive in support of the countless Haitian families impacted by the earthquake.
“As much as it saddens me to see Haiti go through yet another disaster in the midst of its existing challenges, I, along with my Haitian brothers and sisters, remain ever more committed to a better and stronger Haiti for generations to come,” said HAUP CEO and executive director Elsie Saint Louis. “My heartfelt gratitude to the friends and partners of the Haitian people who continue to reach out in so many big and small ways in support, empathy and collaboration.”
Until September 22, donations of bottled water, non-perishable food, personal care products, toiletries and feminine hygiene products can be dropped off at Borough Hall at 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens. The lobby is open 24 hours a day.
“I think the people of Haiti are not just resilient but we are strong, we are smart, we are determined,” said Saint Louis. “What we need is for you to stand by Haiti, this is not the time to give up on this country.”

Queensbridge residents sue NYCHA

webadmin on August 25, 2021

Residents of Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City filed a lawsuit against the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) this past week.
The suit seeks to force NYCHA to fix hazardous living conditions that plague the public housing complex, including asbestos, lead paint, mold, leaks, and backed-up trash shoots.
Residents argue the conditions became even worse during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent statewide stay-at-home orders. The suit also charges NYCHA with failing to conduct regular COVID-19 cleanings throughout the buildings in the largest public housing project in the Western Hemisphere.
“Any type of repairs that need to be done in my house, I have to wait forever to get them done,” said Marilyn Keller, a 58-year-old resident. “I put the ticket in, then NYCHA calls me back to tell me the date they are coming.
“So I prepare for the appointment, take everything out of the closet and cabinets, and ask for the day off from work but then they never come,” she continued. “They are a bunch of no-shows.”
Many of the tenants suing are older residents, including 72-year-old Pamela Wheeler.
“I am tired of living with mice, roaches, waterbugs, lack of heat, holes in my walls and sink, waterlogged and rotting cabinets, and many more repair issues that are a threat to my health and safety and an affront to my dignity,” Wheeler said. “NYCHA never repairs anything when I file a ticket, and it is so frustrating.”
The residents are working with the Justice For All Coalition, an organization that offers legal assistance to community groups in Astoria, Long Island City, and other parts of western Queens.
Residents then sought legal representation from Queens Legal Services, which filed the lawsuit on their behalf.
“For too long, NYCHA residents have suffered uninhabitable conditions due to neglect and lack of funding,” said Robert Sanderman, senior staff attorney at the Queens Legal Services Tenant Rights Coalition, who is representing the tenants. “There is little incentive for NYCHA to complete the repairs since the city will not record violations or pursue civil penalties against NYCHA for the numerous violations of the housing maintenance code.
“A great number of NYCHA residents are people of color who are also essential workers and are at high risk of health complications due to COVID-19,” he added. “These NYCHA residents are demanding systemic changes in the way they are neglected and ignored on account of their racial, social and economic status.”

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