NorthEast Bronx Association Inc.
Newsletter
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Next
Meeting: to be announced in September THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTERS OR MEETINGS DURING JUNE, JULY & AUGUST. HAVE
A LOVELY SUMMER! We will keep you apprised of any important issues via email and on our website-see rear
panel. |
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How To Fail – A Lesson For Us All! By James Jackowski Sr. What strange tales I would tell if I were the
guest speaker at a graduation, especially a high-school graduation. To get at those minds still fresh from
the accomplishment of 12 years education – what an opportunity. I would tell them something they never thought they would hear: I would tell
how to fail. You
know, anyone can tell you how to succeed. There are thousands of books on the subject. The
blueprints and formulas are all there for anyone to follow. What is not found very often are directions
on how to fail. I would tell the graduates that success is never guaranteed, no matter how closely you
follow the diagrams. Failure, however, is pretty much a certainty, and not just once, but probably several
times in your life.
You will fail if you are inconsiderate of others. So many people think the world was created just
for them, and they disregard the feelings of others. We must share the space on this planet with each other. You will fail if you think
anybody owes you anything because of your education. The only ones who are owed anything are those whose
victories and defeats paved the way for all the opportunities available to you. Among those might be your
great-grandparents who now live in a nursing home.
You will fail if you start your business life looking for a job that suits you. You must suit the
job. Applying for any kind of work in a T-shirt and jeans will further enhance your chance for failure. You will fail
if you climb a corporate ladder by stepping on people. As the saying goes, “You will meet the same
people on the way down”.
You will fail if you are intolerant of individuals with strange-sounding names and different color skin.
Remember, you are just as different to them.
You will fail if you do not try to right a wrong whenever possible. You will fail if you see abuse
and do not speak out against it. You will fail if you see corruption and do not fight it. You
will fail if you suffer bad politicians and do not bother to vote. You will experience the biggest failure of all if you believe the romantic
notion that “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. For in truth, anyone who has
lived long enough to retire will tell you that love means just the opposite. It means being able to say,
“I’m sorry”.
Congratulations to all graduates everywhere. James
Jackowski Sr. was a local columnist who passed away in 2002. We are thankful for the legacy of caring and
compassion that he left us. Next Meeting Next Meeting: Monday May 24,
7:30PM at Kings Harbor MultiCare Center, 2000 East Gun Hill Road at Stillwell Ave. Guest Speaker: Councilman Jimmy Vacca Let Your Voice Be Heard! If you have a situation that requires attention, please attend
our next meeting and we will be happy to record your concern and have it investigated. Also, any resident
who wishes to address a concern relative to our neighborhood can do so at any of our meetings. However
you must register with us prior to the beginning of the meeting. You will be given 3 minutes to speak. THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTERS OR MEETINGS
DURING JUNE, JULY & AUGUST. HAVE A LOVELY SUMMER! We will keep you apprised of any important issues
via email and on our website-see rear panel. From Da Prez! Vincent T. Prezioso From all of us here
at NEBA to all of you…a happy and healthy summer season! Remember there will be no newsletters published,
nor any public meetings, during the months of June, July or August. However our website will be updated
periodically with news of interest to the community. And if we do receive any critical information it will
be passed along to our email subscribers. Not on our email list yet? Send an email to
info@nebxassn.com and you will be kept informed in a quicker manner than this newsletter. Joe Bacote We want to wish Joe Bacote a speedy recovery from his recent illness. Over the years Joe has been
an invaluable asset to our community and to NEBA, especially in relation to our Civilian Patrol. Joe, may
God bless you and restore you to good health, because the truth is…we need you! The Seniors are still going… And going and going, just like little
Energizer bunnies! Our wonderful Seniors Day Out program is in full swing with the onset of fairer weather. In
March, April and May they have already traveled to a few resorts, and been treated to a few Chinese buffet luncheons. Thanks to Councilman Jimmy
Vacca and Borough President Ruben Diaz for funding this program by sponsoring grants for NEBA and allowing us to offer these
programs without any cost to the seniors – and they deserve it! NEBA believes that our fine community
is what it is today because of those who are now seniors, and it is only fitting that we provide these programs as a small
token of our appreciation for their efforts. NEBA and NYPD to assist Holy Rosary By
Mark Saplicki Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood
of Christ On Sunday June 6, the clergy and parishioners
of the Church of the Holy Rosary will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. After Mass the pastor Fr. Robert Quarato will
lead the faithful in a procession through a part of the parish, beginning at the Holy Rosary church traveling down Eastchester
Road south to Allerton Ave; turning left on Allerton to Mickle Ave, then turning right on Mickle to Mace Ave, then turning
right on Mace to Woodhull Ave, then turning left on to Bantam Place and continuing back to the church. At
Fr. Quarato’s request, NEBA was asked to coordinate the procession route with the 49th Pct. and to assist with security
for the procession that will include over 100 marchers, who will chant the Rosary and sing psalms along the way.
We at NEBA are very grateful to the officers of the 49th precinct who will accompany the procession and especially
to Captain Kevin Nicholson for his support. As a member of the Holy Name Society I would like to express
my gratitude to Vinny Prezioso and the Civilian Patrol for being there for Holy Rosary…again! Is Your Sidewalk in Disrepair? It better be, or you are risking a summons from the city. NEBA
has received a number of calls from residents who have received summonses for having cracked or raised sidewalks resulting
from the expanding roots of city trees in front of their properties. Employees of the Parks Department
have been walking our streets and examining our walkways. If the walkway is damaged you are issued a summons
and you have 45 days to correct the problem or pay the consequences. We have been informed that the old
law of being able to call the Parks Department to deal with the tree roots is no longer in effect. The
new law states that residents are responsible to correct the problem. Furthermore, you must call 311 to
receive the specifications that your contractor must follow to replace the sidewalk. All this at the homeowner’s
expense. Of course this amounts to another tax on homeowners, in addition to having to keep sidewalks clean,
including the street 18 inches from the curb, and replacing the curb itself if it is damaged. Of course
we all know the city is desperate for funds, so who will they pick on if not the middle class homeowner? The
poor? Obviously not. The rich? Doubtful since they are in positions
of influence. The middle class has been deserting this city for years now. What will
the city do when the middle class deserts this city altogether? I wonder if anyone has thought about bringing
a class-action suit against the city for harassment? I also wonder why the average homeowner has 45 days
to correct these issues, but the city can take months or even years to correct potentially dangerous issues on the roadways,
like sink holes, damaged sewer drains and other city owned properties? Stop Telemarketer Calls Courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission Are You Getting Telemarketing Calls You Don’t Want? Here’s How to Stop Them. The Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) launched the National Do Not Call Registry to give Americans a choice about getting telemarketing calls
at home. According to a recent Harris Interactive poll, 92 percent of people who reported placing a number on the registry
said they are receiving fewer calls; a total of 78 percent said they’re getting “far fewer calls” or none
at all. If
you think you put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, and you’re still getting telemarketing sales calls,
the Federal Trade Commission recommends that you check to see that your number is on the registry. You can verify that your
number is on the registry two ways: online at DONOTCALL.GOV (click on “Verify A Registration”), or by calling
1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to verify. Follow the prompts. You also can add your number to the registry
using the same Web site or phone number (call from the number you want to register). If you register online, you will receive
an email from donotcall.gov as part of the confirmation process. You will need to click on the link in this email within 72
hours after you receive it. If you don’t click on the link in the email, the number you tried to register will not be
added to the registry, and telemarketers may continue to call. Crime Watch Alerts & Community Bulletins Online Whenever a situation, event or concern arises that requires residents to be
informed quickly we will send an email with the details that are available. The information is also posted
on our website http://www.nebxassn.com. To join the alert program, please send an email to info@nebxassn.com
with your full name and email address. NEBA does not share email or postal mailing addresses with third
parties. Also posted on the website are other items we believe might be of interest to the community at
large, as well as links to the local Community Board and other State or City agencies. This Newsletter
is also posted on our website. Are we still grateful
for our Independence? By Mark Saplicki The founding fathers and framers of the constitution who initiated
the separation of church and state were humble and grateful to God the great ruler of nations. So what
has happened since then? In my humble opinion it is because we have steadily turned away from that foundation,
but more importantly we have lost a national respect for God in our society and have become ungrateful for all the blessings
He has bestowed upon us. George Washington’s issued the following proclamation in 1795.
See if you do not see the irony when comparing those times to ours. When we review the calamities which afflict
so many other nations, the present condition of the United States affords much matter of consolation and satisfaction.
Our exemption hitherto from foreign war – an increasing prospect of the continuance of that exemption –
the great degree of internal tranquility we have enjoyed – the recent confirmation of that tranquility, by the suppression
of an insurrection which so wantonly threatened it – the happy course of our public affairs in general – the unexampled
prosperity of all classes of our citizens, are circumstances which peculiarly mark our situation with indications of the divine
beneficence towards us. In such a state of things it is, in an especial manner, our duty as a people, with
devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to ALMIGHT GOD, and to implore
him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience. Deeply Penetrated with this sentiment, I George Washington, President of the
United States, do recommend to all religious societies and denominations, and to all persons whomsoever within the United
States, to set apart and observe a day of PUBLIC THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER; and on that day to meet together and render their
sincere and hearty thanks to the Great Ruler of Nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a
nation; particularly for the possession of constitutions of government, which unite, by their union establish liberty with
order – for the preservation of our peace foreign and domestic – for the seasonable control which has been given
to a spirit of disorder, in the suppression of the late insurrection – and generally, for the prosperous course of our
affairs, public and private; and at the same time, humbly and fervently to beseech the kind Author of these blessings graciously
to prolong them to us – to imprint on our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to Him for them –
to teach us rightly to estimate their immense value – to preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity, and from hazarding
the advantages we enjoy by delusive pursuits – to dispose us to merit the continuance of His favors, by not abusing
them, by our gratitude for them, and by a corresponding conduct as citizens and as men – to extend among us a true and
useful knowledge – to diffuse and establish habits of sobriety, order, morality, and piety; and finally, to impart all
the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves, to the whole family of mankind. George Washington This Memorial Day, say a prayer
for all who sacrificed their lives for your freedom. Freedom is not free! God bless
you and your families and God bless America! |
