vol 3 no 43 may 28 2009.indd - WestchesterGuardian.com

VOL. III NO. XXXXIIIWestchester’s Most Influential WeeklyA Formula For Disaster:Rogue CopTHURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009+ Corrupt Mayor+ Corrupt Comm.+ Corrupt D.A.= Police BrutalityThis Week...In Our Opinion, p4:Mr. LaFayette, Is There Nothing YouWouldn’t Stoop To?Northern Westchester, p16:Water Safety And Drowning PreventionThe Advocate, p.5Ridley Witnesses File FederalRetaliation ComplaintCourt Report, pg 3

PAGE 2 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009New York State Legislature Should Expand Proposed Law That WillAuthorize Voter Initiatives To Consolidate Local GovernmentsGreenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, founder of RethinkingWestchester Gov.Com, a group that has been advocatingthe possible elimination/consolidation of county government,commended the leadership of the New York State Legislatureand Attorney General AndrewCuomo for their effortsto provide citizens withthe ability to put proposalson the ballot to consolidategovernments if they get signaturesof 10% of voters or5,000 whichever is less. Areport in the Gannet Newspaperson May 20th indicatedthat the legislation is expectedto pass this summer.Feiner is suggesting thatthe legislation be modifiedto provide for voter initiativesto consolidate countygovernments. “The taxpayersshould have the ability toIndexAttorney General Andrew Cuomodetermine the size of their governments. If voters have the abilityto consolidate local & firefighting services they should alsobe able to petition for a ballot referendum to consolidate countygovernments. It would be great if we could also petition for theconsolidation of some of the state authorities and agencies – tocut costs.”The Advocate:Simoes Trial Lays Bare Unlawful Relationship, DA DiFiore/Yonkers Police .......... 5, 6Classified ......................................................................................................... 26Community Calendar .......................................................................... 22, 23The Court Report:Two Witnesses To Ridley Murder File Federal Complaint Against WP Police .......... 3, 7Horoscope: Shimmering Stars, May 28 - June 3 ....................................14, 15In Our Opinion:Mr. LaFayette, Is There Nothing You Wouldn’t Stoop To? ............................. 4Jeff Deskovic:Exposing The Death Penalty, Part 3 ..................................................................... 20, 21Northern Westchester:Water Safety And Drowning Prevention ..................................................... 16, 17On The National Scene:Facing Failure In Health Care Reform, Again .................................................. 10, 11Our Readers Respond: .......................................................................... 4, 12, 18The World Traveler:Common Grounds ................................................................................................ 8, 9This Week in History: May 28 - June 3 ................................................. 24, 25Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul FeinerWestchester taxes are the highest in the nation. This initiativewill provide taxpayers with the opportunity to eliminate thatdistinction by making government more efficient. Initiative andreferendum procedures will enable the taxpayers to bypass thespecial interests. Feiner said,“Everything should be on thetable; we need to discuss all optionsthat could lead to significanttaxpayer savings.”When Feiner was a highschool student in the early 1970she started a lobbying campaignto provide voters with the abilityto propose laws and placethem on the ballot. Twenty-twostate governments provide initiativeand referendum procedures.“Although the law that the NewYork State Legislature is expectedto pass does not allow votersto place legislation on the ballot– the new law is a start that couldlead to greater voter participation. I have always believed that governmentshould be a partnership with the people,” Feiner said.Feiner will be calling for a study of the three paid fire districtsin Greenburgh to determine if consolidation could save taxpayersmoney. An initial report on financing that could start thediscussion will be released shortly.2 William Street, Suite 406 White Plains, NY 10601Westchester’s Most Influential WeeklyPublisher:Editor-in-Chief:Guardian News Corp.Guardian News Corp.Sam Zherka, President Richard Blassberg, Vice Presidenteditor@westchesterguardian.comGraphic Designer/Newspaper & Advertising Design:John TuftsEditorial: 914.328.3096 • F. 914.328.3824 • editor@westchesterguardian.comAdvertising: 914.576.1481 • F. 914.633.0806 • advertising@westchesterguardian.comPublished Every Thursdaywww.westchesterguardianonline.com

THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009PAGE Two Witnesses To Ridley Murder File FederalComplaint Against White Plains PoliceTwo of the four eyewitnesses to the murder of Mount Vernon PoliceOfficer Christopher Ridley in White Plains on January 25, 2008, who cameforward on April 22, 2009 at the site where he was shot, filed a Civil Rightsaction against officers of the White Plains Police Department and the Cityof White Plains alleging incidents of retaliatory harrassment since comingforward.John Fiumara and Kathy Allan maintain that Officer Ridley, alreadyshot in the thighs and torso, rendering him disabled and disarmed, was thenunnecessarily shot in the head at point-blank range, killing him instantly.They mutually filed a Summons and Complaint on May 13th in UnitedStates District Court, White Plains.File Photos: Richard BlassbergFiumara and Allan speaking out at press conference at 85 Court St., White PlainsContinued on page 7

PAGE THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009In Our Opinion...Mr. LaFayette, Is There Nothing You Wouldn’t Stoop To?We believe that Reginald LaFayette has some serious explaining to do with respectto a number of important issues. For openers, the mere notion that hecan wear the Democratic Party Chairman’s hat and also the Commissioner of Elections’at the same time, is obnoxious to begin with. There is no way he can ethically beboth the advocate and the arbitor and do justice to Democratic candidates and theirconstituents alike.Truth be told, Reginald LaFayette has demonstrated, on numerous occasions, preciselywhere his loyalty lies; and, for him, it’s a bread-and-butter issue. He is in eachposition to carry out the wishes and whim of Andrew Spano, without regard forwhose rights will get trampled. In 2004, when Andrew Spano wanted RepublicanNick Spano to be re-elected to the State Senate for the 10th time, LaFayette did everythinghe could possibly do, over a period of three months following the electionright into February of 2005, to turn Andrea Stewart-Cousins’ 355 vote victory intoan 18 vote loss.He could not have worked harder to elect Republican Nick Spano if he were his campaigndirector. We know because we were there every day over the three months atthe Board of Elections. And, we asked Mr. LaFayette why he wasn’t starting the countof votes to certify Andrea’s victory, but was instead waiting for Nick’s former attorney,Appellate Court Judge Robert Spalzino, to show up and start the cycle of events thatwould rob Andrea and the people of the 35th State Senatorial District of her victory.We were there when he refused to answer our question, preferring, instead, to turnthat election into the longest post-election dispute in New York State history.For his “carrying of water” for Andrew Spano and Larry Schwartz, LaFayette, despitethe fact that he holds merely a part-time job as Election Commissioner, one that paysonly $75,000 in Nassau County and less elsewhere, earns $155,000 as Westchester’sDemocratic Election Commissioner, plus all he can grab from the so-called Chairman’sFund, not to mention a credit card for gas for the big Suburban gas-guzzler hedrives, for a total of about $200,000.Now, he is busy trying to “re-elect” the incompetent, unscrupulous Republican hehelped install for Andrew Spano in the District Attorney’s Office four years ago, JanetDiFiore. He is working hard at it because Spano, and all of his Spanocrat Cronies donot want an honest, competent prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office. For them,only the likes of Jeanine Pirro and Janet DiFiore, unethical, power-hungry individualswho prosecute innocent citizens while covering up the crimes of corrupt officials,will do.In the present effort to put across the Counterfeit Democrat, there came in the mail,last week, to party members, an invitation to a fundraising dinner to be held June 18,which read: “Chairman Reginald A. LaFayette invites you to the Westchester CountyDemocratic Committee Gala Dinner.” Immediately below that it read, “Keynote SpeakerKerry Kennedy, Human Rights Activist and Author.”Our Readers Respond...Comptroller Walker Responds To Democratic ChairDear Editor:I find it necessary to respond to the statement made byChairman Devereaux Cannick in The Journal News.The statement is short on facts and long on fiction. Asthe incumbent Comptroller, I indicated my interest in seekingre-election and sought the party’s endorsement as I did inthe past. This was done out of respect for what I thought wasa democratic process and to follow protocol. For those of youwho attended Nomination Night, you are fully aware of thecharade that took place.The statement by Mr. Cannick that I was not willing tocommit to supporting other candidates on the ticket is completelyuntrue. I challenge Mr. Cannick to disclose when thisstatement was made and to whom it was made. It appears thatMr. Cannick is having second thoughts about the viability ofthe ticket he hand-picked and is trying to sell to the wary votingpublic.As it relates to the party’s choice for Comptroller, I cancategorically state that I am more qualified, more experiencedand more knowledgeable than the individual who was handpickedfor the position. I am and have always been an electedofficial who is not afraid to make the tough decisions that theComptroller is required to make. In tough economic times,strong independent leadership is needed in the City Comptroller’sOffice. I have provided this leadership in the past andwill continue to do so in the future.Maureen Walker,Comptroller, City of Mount VernonA True Mt. Vernon Community Leader Speaks OutDear Editor:On the night of May 14th, I witnessed the Mount VernonCity Democratic Comedy Club in action with their selectionof candidates for political offices here in Mount Vernon.The most telling thing about this comedy special is, at thebeginning of the proceedings, a list of recommended candidateswere handed out to all who were present at the headquartersand, at the end of this ruse, all of these candidateswere magically selected.The second most telling thing in this comic show is thatthe names of the two most independent voices currently incity government: Maureen Walker, Comptroller, and YuhannaEdwards, City Councilman, were not on the recommendedlist of candidates and they were not selected. The puppet mastersand their power brokers instead selected a young manwho was recently elected to the City Council complimentsof a ride on the Obama coat-tail. This poor sacrificial lambbecame a substitute for the comptroller candidacy after thecandidate who was being groomed to run against MaureenOur question for Mr. LaFayette: How do you have the gall to bring Kerry Kennedy, agenuine human rights activist and author, to speak at a fundraiser for the likes of JanetDiFiore, a vindictive, self promoting politician who persists in violating the humanrights of individuals such as Irma Marquez, Rui Florim, Tina and Mary Bostwick,Dr. Sherry Bobrowsky, Alexander Washington Herrera, and scores of other innocentindividuals who she wrongfully prosecutes on bogus charges to cover up police brutality,at times near-fatal, committed against them by rogue cops while, at the sametime, crushing honest, hard-working cops who disagree with her. Continued on pg. 12

THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009PAGE Simoes Trial Lays Bare Unlawful RelationshipBetween DA DiFiore And Yonkers PoliceLast Tuesday the long-awaitedtrial of Yonkers Police Officer WayneSimoes, 39, before Federal DistrictJudge Kenneth M. Karas, got underwayin White Plains. Simoes is formallycharged with violating IrmaMarquez’ Constitutional right to befree from excessive police force, andfaces a maximum of 10 years in federalprison if found guilty by the juryof eight men and four women hearingthe case.In laying out the Government’sburden of proof, Assistant UnitedStates Attorney Benjamin Torrance,in a ten-minute opening statement,told jurors that prosecutors wouldanswer the issues of “whether he usedexcessive force, and, whether he didso intentionally,” the two elements ofthe crime. Torrance assured the jury,“The Defendant meant to do what hedid; the body slam was intentional.”Torrance reasoned with them,“A small woman in a room full ofpolice officers was no threat.” Hedescribed Wayne Simoes’ criminalact as, “suddenly, and with no goodreason, hoisting the victim up anddeliberately, intentionally, and powerfullythrowing her to the floor.”The United States Attorney’s Office,from the outset, was making itclear that the videotape would speakfor itself, and that it wouldn’t take arocket scientist to figure out what happened.Though Torrance made theopening statement, Assistant U.S. AttorneyAnna Skotko would be the leadprosecutor, as AUSA Cynthia Dunnerounded out the team seated betweenthem, serving as an on-site consultant.Seated at the Defense table waslead attorney Andrew Quinn ofWhite Plains, well-known defenderof criminally charged police officers.Second seat was John Patton, wholast went up against Cynthia Dunnein the Paul Cote case. Between themwas Defense investigator John Alessandro.Quinn opened his remarks declaring,“Bad investigations makefor bad indictments.”Speaking in overconfidenttones, he told thejurors, “This is a timelapsevideo. It is notdesigned to judge motion,speed, and force.What we are going todo is break it down foryou.”Attorney Quinnthen told the jurors, “Itwas a poorly-lit, filthyrestaurant.” He then said, “The Governmenttold you my client bodyslammedher; the evidence is goingto show you otherwise. Ms. Marquezwas highly intoxicated, belligerent,with a .25 blood alcohol, three timesthe legal limit.”The Justice Department attorneyshad taken precisely ten minutes to tellthe jurors, and the People of Westchester,that because of the videotape,the case, and the guilty verdict, wouldbe a “no-brainer.” Mr. Quinn, takingjust under 15 minutes, not surprisinglytold the same audience that thevery same footage, the penultimateevidence, would, in fact, when viewed“frame by frame,” produce the conclusionthat his client, Wayne Simoes,was innocent of any wrongdoing. HeFederal District Court JudgeKenneth M. Karasseemed to be more than merely suggestingthat the victim was at fault,given her high level of intoxication,and that the operators of the “poorlylit,filthy” bar and grill were, as well;anyone but Officer Simoes.As the trial proceeded, we lookedaround the room and observed verylight media coverage. Of course, TheJournal News, The Associated Press,and News12 were present,but other than TheGuardian, there waslittle or no other coveragesuggesting that,perhaps, the trial wasviewed by most majormedia as being of purelylocal interest.Yes, a single Yonkerspolice officer,Wayne Simoes, was ontrial in Federal Court,for a heinous, mindless act of violence,a singular act of police brutality;but a singular act in a longstream of such acts by many differentYonkers police officers oversome three decades or more. WhatSimoes is charged with doing wasdone to Dr. Sherry Bobrowsky onthe sidewalk in front of her homesome three years ago, by a Yonkerspolice officer.And, what about Rui Florim,beaten nearly to death two years agoby six Yonkers police officers in plainclothes, driving unmarked cars, inthe Town of Greenburgh. Like IrmaMarquez, Florim was brought to St.Joseph’s Hospital, opposite YonkersPolice Headquarters, where he remainedin the Intensive Care Unitfor four days under police guard.Restricted from any visitors, includinghis attorney and his parents, Florimrequired 70 staples and suturesto close the injuries to his face andhead after six Yonkers police cowardspulled him from the passenger seatof a friend’s car in Hartsdale, handcuffedhim and took turns using himas a punching bag in the back seatof their unmarked police car on thedrive all the way down to St. Joseph’s.In reality, Wayne Simoes was ontrial for what he did without justificationto a defenseless, five-foot-tall,120-lb intoxicated Irma Marquez onMarch 3, 2007; but, truth be told,Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone, PoliceCommissioner Edmund Hartnett,and District Attorney Janet DiFiore,all stand accused beside him.After all, had the mayor, andhis so-called police commissioner,moved to establish a meaningful CivilianComplaint Review Board inlight of the recommendations of theMurphy-Mayo Report on the YonkersPolice Department some 20 yearsago, and the repeated calls for oneby The Guardian since Septemberof 2006, the Marquez, Florim, andscores of other incidents that followed,might never have occurred.Similarly, had there been a lawful,competent, District Attorneyin place rather than Janet DiFiore,whose very installation into officein 2005 involved an incestuous relationshipwith the Yonkers PoliceDepartment, the District Attorney’sOffice would not be covering upYonkers police brutality, but prose-Continued on page 6

PAGE THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009The Advocate, continued from page 5cuting it instead of the innocent victimsof it. That fact alone might havedeterred Simoes, and probably some20 or so other rogue cops in Yonkers,from the brutality they continue toroutinely mete out to men, womenand children.The Government’s first witnesswas Yonkers Police Officer John Liberatore,a man whose name mightironically define his role. Liberatore,a man with 10 years on the force, aman who, from his own perspectivehad the misfortune of being on dutythe morning of the Marquez incident,but a man who, nonetheless, reportedlyasked his partner, who likehimself was a few feet from WayneSimoes as he brutally bodyslammedIrma Marquez, “What the f--k justhappened here?” Of course, not oneofficer, including then-Duty Captain,now Deputy Chief, Edward Geiss,amongst six other police officers presentat the scene, had the presence ofmind, the inclination, or the courageto place Officer Simoes under arrestfor his unjustified assault upon anunarmed, defenseless woman. Neitherwould they file a report thereafterwith their superiors. In fact, whenquestioned by officers from InternalAffairs, they would do their best to fitneatly into the coverup effort.As the trial got underway, therewere one dozen of Simoes’ fellowofficers, including PBA PresidentEddie Armour, who always refusesto respond to our inquiries, seatedon the Defense side of the courtroom,in support of the Defendant.No doubt, to their way of thinking,Simoes did nothing they wouldn’thave done, only he had the misfortuneof getting caught by a hiddensecurity camera.One had to feel for Officer Liberatoreas he took the stand, “Damnedif he did, damned if he didn’t.”Liberatore described Marquezas agitated and intoxicated. He saidshe appeared concerned about herniece, Anna. Asked by ProsecutorSkotko, “What was Ms. Marquez doingjust before Officer Simoes liftedher,” Officer Liberatore responded,“She was standing by my partner;about four or five feet from the unconsciouswoman’s feet.”Skotko asked, “Did it appear theDefendant dropped her?” Liberatoreresponded, “No.”Skotko: “Did she slip out of hisarms?”Liberatore: “No.”Skotko asked if the floor wasslippery or wet, to which the witnessanswered, “No.” She asked if Simoes’movements appeared “controlled,” towhich Officer Liberatore responded,“Yes.”After eliciting a statement fromthe witness that upon hitting thefloor Irma Marquez was “unconsciousand bleeding,” AUSA playedGovernment Exhibit $#1, a sevenminuteclip of the videotape includingthe body slam. The jurors wereclearly impacted and were given ahalf-hour break.Officer Liberatore’s testimonywas interrupted to accommodate theschedule of the Emergency RoomDoctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital, whotestified on direct examination thathe found Marquez, who had beenbrought in at 3am, with her righthand cuffed to the bed, accompaniedby two Yonkers police officers,heavily sedated and with her righteye swollen shut, her mandible dislocated,and bleeding from her mouthwhen he arrived at 6am. He addedthat he could not open her mouth,and that she needed a facial surgeonnot available at St. Joseph’s.Defense Attorney Quinn, oncross-examination, succeeded, forwhatever it was worth, in getting thedoctor to state, “She was uncooperativeupon arrival,” by way of explainingwhy she had been put on twodrugs, including Haldol, a powerfulanti-psychotic.When Officer Liberatore returnedto the witness stand, Prosecutorsgot him to acknowledge that hehad not been truthful and forthcomingwhen interviewed by InternalAffairs investigators two months afterthe incident despite having beenwarned that he had to tell the truth.On cross-examination, DefenseAttorney Quinn at first tried to rehabilitatehis client’s image by emphasizingthrough Officer Liberatore’stestimony that within minutes ofbodyslamming her, Simoes was onthe phone, calling for a second ambulance;and, that by making thatcall he was effectively reporting theincident he had been involved in.Quinn then attempted to suggestthat the presence of the Duty Captain,now Deputy Chief Geiss, wouldmake those officers present act ontheir “best behavior.”Quinn would further attemptto discredit Liberatore for his failureto be truthful with Internal Affairs,drawing weak responses from thewitness, at one point saying, “I wastrying to figure out what I had missed.I should have said I wasn’t sure;” and,at another point, admitting, “I didn’twant to go out on a limb and passjudgment on another officer.”Tuesday’s session would drawto a close without the completion ofthe Defense’s cross-examination ofOfficer Liberatore.When the Defense cross-examinationof Officer Liberatore resumedon Wednesday, an issue cameup that was the direct result of DAJanet DiFiore’s mindless prosecutionof Irma Marquez in Yonkers CityCourt in May of 2008 on trumpedupcharges filed by Officer Simoes 14months earlier.Defense Attorney Quinn wasattempting to impeach Officer Liberatore,who at the State trial of IrmaMarquez, had gone on record as havingnot seen her actions as attemptswere reportedly made to remove herfrom the restaurant. Liberatore, inKaras’ Court, but out of the jury’spresence, said that he was only focusedon Marquez in the prior proceedingbecause she was on trial forresisting arrest. But Quinn was takinghis comment to mean that he hadn’tseen Simoes interacting with her.The Government was concernedthat in his pursuit of the issue, Quinnwould make reference to the fact thatMarquez had been prosecuted, a clearlyunnecessary prejudicial reference withno probative value. We could not helpbut think how much damage Janet Di-Fiore had done, and was continuingto do, to the cause of Justice by her incestuousrelationship with the YonkersPolice Department and her repeatedcover-ups of their police brutality, instead,prosecuting their victims.Officer Liberatore would not bethe only Yonkers policeman to admit,under oath, in Federal Court,that he had been previously untruthfulunder oath at a State Courttrial as well as before Internal Affairsinvestigators. Deputy Chief of InvestigationsEdward Geiss, a witness forthe Government, would make thesame admissions; the more embarrassingbecause there were some20 Yonkers cops in the Courtroom.The damage to the Yonkers PoliceDepartment from Janet DiFiore’smisguided scheming with MayorAmicone and Police CommissionerHarnett, is incalculable.Asked by AUSA Skotko to describethe sounds that he heard whenIrma Marquez’ face hit the floor,Deputy Chief Geiss said, “The loudestslap anybody could ever receiveaccompanied by a loud thud like abowling ball falling from the secondfloor.” He said he called for InternalAffairs, but they refused to come.It is clearer than ever that theUnited States Attorney’s Office PublicCorruption Unit and the FBImust immediately step in to theWestchester District Attorney’s Officeand bring a halt to the kindsof prosecutorial misconduct andmalfeasance Janet DiFiore has beenengaging in for the past three and ahalf years. Her repeated coverup ofrogue cops, and her vindictive prosecutionof good ones, can not be tolerateda moment longer. n

THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009PAGE Court Report, continued from page 3

PAGE THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Common GroundsIt is not easy to stay upbeatabout mankind’s future these days.Reciting a litany of current andlurking dangers, threats, and menacesalone would be dishearteningenough to put down my keyboard.Much media coverage feeds intothe negative energy being emitted,as it often arouses the fears andparanoia we are all subject, andunfortunately, attracted to. Evenif we hear good news, we are inclinedto say or think, yeah, butwhat’s the downside?One avenue of encouragementis the now near universal understandingand acceptance of, andcritical mass of interest in, the needto stop treating the planet as disposableincome. The combinationof technology, cheap energy, andDirect Hard Money Lender14% Interest1-yr. Bridge Loans$20k - $ 1 millionSecured by Real EstateImmediate AnswerClosing In 7 DaysCall: G. Morales914-632-1243M-F 10am-6pmfor the most part, market capitalism,has brought forth the greatestincrease in worldwide wealth inhuman history in the past half-centuryor so. That so much of it hasbeen destroyed by human naturerecently, along with gross inequitiesalso linked to the worst humanproclivities that bring many if notmost to despise it all, appears fornow to negate the positives.Yet, the pendulum has indeedswung to the point that nearly everyone,from far left to far right,from market capitalists and egalitariansocialists, seems to be morethan ever in agreement that being‘conservative’ has never had abroader and more positive definitionwhen it comes to living on aplanet worth living on. Conservingman-made cultural, as well asnatural, capital is what the followingis about. Personally, I wouldn’t give theUnited Nations the time of daymost of the time, but one branchof this highly conflicted and onceadulated behemoth is its promotionof ‘WorldHeritage Sites’.The WorldHeritage List includes878 propertiesformingpart of the culturaland naturalheritage that theWorld HeritageCommittee considersas havingoutstanding universalvalue. Theseinclude 679 cultural, 174 naturaland 25 mixed properties in 145States Parties. As of April 2009,186 States Parties have ratified theWorld Heritage Convention.‘States Parties’ are countriesthat have adhered to the WorldHeritage Convention.They thereby agree toidentify and nominateproperties ontheir national territoryto be consideredfor inscription on theWorld Heritage List.“The overarchingbenefit of ratifyingthe World HeritageConvention is thatof belonging to an internationalcommunity of appreciation andconcern for universally significantproperties that embody aworld of outstanding examplesof cultural diversity and naturalwealth.”‘The List’ is interesting inits own rite, as it gives a profileof each participating country’snumber and quality of significantcultural properties, naturalor man-made orboth. Much is notsurprising, withItaly, the UK,Germany, France,China and Spainnear the top intotal numbers.However, don’tbe surprised tofind Mexico wayup there, whileJapan’s not allthat hot. Keep inmind that these are sites that havebeen submitted and certified.The usual suspects are thereof course: the Taj Mahal, but thenthere are at least twenty othersites listed for India, most ofwhich you’re probably not familiarwith. Naturally, France has itsNotre Dame and the Banks of theSeine, but how many of the othersites are you familiar with, much

less visited? The List then is wellworth checking out as a checklistof places “to see before you die”,as the depressing expression goesthese days.How about US? Like Australia,we have enormous naturalbeauty and a relativelyshort history. Yes, theStatue of Liberty andIndependence Hallare in, yet the majorityof our elected sitesare of nature. That theUS is ‘the’ pioneer ofenvironmental preservationin the worldis no mistake. I dohope you are familiar with atleast some of its history. So yes,Yosemite, the Grand Canyon,and numerous others are on thelist for sure.It must be humbling for manynations to count how many eggsare in their baskets, as many onlyhave a few points of cultural pridewithin these parameters. Nonetheless,it invites us all to contributeand justify our nominations,and just to be on The List at allshould be considered an achievement.Many surprises are awaitingthe curious; travel withoutcuriosity is pointless.You certainly don’t need achecklist to travel this wonderfulworld of ours, but I do highlyTHE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009recommend reviewing this listshould you be in the neighborhoodof any of these sites in anyof these nations, if not plan a tripwith these sites in mind. It is trulyeye opening, especiallywhen you realizethese are just thebasics of any WorldTraveler’s must-sees.Can you name anyof Argentina’s eightsites? There are dozensof nominees onthe waiting, of ‘Tentative’list. What inthe world would younominate? Go to http://whc.unesco.org/en/list. PS: The New York Post recentlyput together an interactivelist of 100 places within 6 hoursof New York City to visit thissummer, broken down into sixsubcategories. Go to NYPost.com,click on entertainment, then travel,where you will see the link:nypost.com/entertainment/travel/100destinations/. Travel Quote of the WeekLife is short, and we neverhave enough time for gladdeningthe hearts of those who travel theway with us. Oh, be swift to love!Make haste to be kind.–Henri Frederic AmielGive A ChildWith A Cleft ASecond ChanceAt Life.The Smile Train provides lifechanging free cleft surgerywhich takes as little as 45 minutesand costs as little as $250.It gives desperate childrennot just a new smile — but anew life.“...one of the most productivecharities—dollar for deed—in the world.”—The New York TimesMr./Mrs./Ms.AddressCity State ZipPAGE Your support can provide free treatment for poor children withclefts and other problems. $250 Surgery for one child. $ 50 Medications for one surgery. $125 Half the cost of one surgery. $ We’ll gratefully accept any amount.TelephoneeMailCharge my gift to my credit card: Visa MasterCard AMEX DiscoverAccount No.Signature My check is enclosed.The SmileTrain-Dept.NPPRP.O. Box 96231Washington, DC 20090-6231Exp. DateN09053F17NQAN53Donate online: www.smiletrain.org or call: 1-800-932-9541The Smile Train is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit recognized by the IRS, and all donations to The Smile Train are tax-deductible in accordance with IRSregulations. © 2009 The Smile Train.

PAGE 10 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Fred PolvereFacing Failure inHealth Care Reform, AgainThe United States is the onlyadvanced country in the world notto have universal health care coverage.Attempts were made in thelast century to provide health carefor all, but in almost every case, thepolitical power of people makinga profit from health care trumpedthe care of ordinary people.President Theodore Rooseveltsuggested a national health insuranceprogram as a way to make thecountry stronger. He argued that acountry that ignores the health ofits poor is in poor health itself.There was a strong impetusfor national health insuranceduring the Great Depression, butPresident Franklin Delano Roosevelthusbanded his political capitalto pass unemployment insuranceand social security, which hefelt were more urgent at the time.President Harry Truman, ahumble man willing to take boldaction, showed true courage byintegrating the armed forces. Healso attempted to provide medicalcoverage for all Americans,but was stopped by conservativeSenator Robert Taft (R-Ohio),who refused to allow his committeeto hold hearings on the issue.Taft said: “I consider it socialism.It is to my mind the most socialisticmeasure this Congress hasever had before it.” Sound familiar?In 1965, President LyndonJohnson was able to pass Medi-care and Medicaid, insuring theelderly and the indigent. FormerTheodore RooseveltFranklin RooseveltHarry S. TrumanPresident Truman was Medicare’sfirst enrollee. This remains theonly significant step this countryhas taken toward making healthcare coverage a right, not a privilege.In 1993,President Clinton,promisingthat health carereform was athand, appointedhis wife, Hillary,to chair the TaskForce on NationalHealth Care Reform.Republicanspounced onHillary Clinton’sinexperience andpolitical naïveté.The Health InsuranceAssociationof Americasponsored a seriesLyndon JohnsonBill Clintonof commercials(Harry and Louise)that stoked thefires of fear againstany change. Theystopped reform inits tracks.In 2003, RepublicansrailroadedtheMedicare ModernizationActthrough theHouse of Representativesafter anunprecedented three-hour votewhich started at 3:00 am andended shortly after 6:00 am. ThisBarack Obamainappropriately-named bill wasa gift to the pharmaceutical industrybecause it prohibited pricenegotiation on drugs insuring bigprofits for manufacturers at taxpayerexpense.The health care crisis hasbecome dire in this country. Asof last year, at least 46 millionAmericans had NO health care atall. Another 50 million were underinsured.Since last year, dueto our economic crisis even morepeople have lost or cannot affordtheir coverage premiums. Thinkof it: one of every three Americanshas little or no health carecoverage! And medical debt isthe leading cause of bankruptcyin the United States.When President Obama tookoffice, he promised real healthcare reform and the stars seemedaligned for bold action. Pollingshowed that the word “socialist”did not invoke more negativesthan the word “capitalist.”The Health Insurance companiescan’t scare us with their Harryand Louise commercials that wewon’t be able to choose our owndoctors when they do that for usnow. Well, at least those of us whohave coverage.On May 11 th , President Obamaannounced that he had achievedan “historic” breakthrough: representativesof insurance companies,hospitals, doctors, medicaltechnology manufacturers and

pharmaceuticals voluntarily offered$2 trillion in cost reductionsover 10 years. This reduction inthe costs of medical care wouldenable major health care reformand allow Obama to reduce thedeficit at the same time.However, the cost reductionsoffered by the health care industrywere voluntary and non-specific.The lesson from Bush’s eight yearswas that voluntary compliance is nocompliance at all. Pressure mountedon the President to extract specificand enforceable agreementsfrom the health companies. Themost pro-health-reform Democraticmembers of Congress toldthe President that laws would notbe passed based on such abstractpromises of savings.As a consequence, withinthree days of the President’s announcement,the health careprofiteers said that it all had beena big mistake; the President, theysaid, had overstated their commitments.In fact, health associationleaders realized that (a) theyweren’t going to be able get awaywith vague promises and (b) theirmembers were irate at the prospectof any reduction in profits.Now, there seems to be littleTHE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009chance of a government-runMedicare-type plan which wouldcompete with private insurers.President Obama has shown adisconcerting unwillingness toruffle partisan feathers over anysignificant issue. He allowed thebill to let homeowners seek foreclosurerelief in bankruptcy courtgo down to defeat with nary aprotest. He hasn’t used his bullypulpit to weigh in on usuriouscredit card rates, even thoughCongress is negotiating this issuenow. He won’t investigate governmentofficials who broke thelaw by allowing torture, becausehe doesn’t want to fight with Republicans.The House of Representativescould act boldly and pass a government-runhealth option. SenateMajority Leader Harry Reidcould bring it up for a vote undera reconciliation bill needing only51 votes. But he would need PresidentObama to lead the fight andthat seems unlikely.I hope I am wrong, but I suspectAmerica will have a healthcare compromise that will barelybe reform. Failure to enact realreform at this advantageous momentwill be a step backward. ■PAGE 11Firefighters Won’t Need Commercial Driver Licenses ToCarry Out Non-Emergency Duties Under New LegislationAssemblyman George Latimer (D-Westchester, 91 st A.D.) announcedthe Assembly passed legislation he supported that will allow firefighterswithout commercial driver licenses (CDLs) to carry out non-emergencyofficial duties and activities that are related to emergency governmentalfunctions involving fire vehicles (A.6051-A). The legislation is designedto further rectify a controversial state law that forbade trained firefighterswithout CDLs from driving trucks in any capacity apart from responding toan emergency.“The current situation has hindered firefighters in their training andin carrying out official, non-emergency duties, such as safety inspectionsand parades,” Assemblyman Latimer said. “There’s more to a firefighter’s jobthan just answering emergency calls. They’re highly visible, active membersof our communities, and it’s important that they be able to drive trucks withoutfear of penalty. This amendment will give firefighters the freedom toparticipate in the entire range of their duties so they can better do their jobsand better serve the community.“I’m pushing to have this legislation signed into law in time for MemorialDay Weekend parades so fire departments can fully participate in honoringthose who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation,”Latimer added. “It was unfortunate to see so many fire departments planningto sideline their vehicles for local parades because of a law that causedunintended hardship.”In this year’s budget, legislators corrected a technicality in the law thatpermitted first responders with a valid class-D driver license to legally drivean emergency vehicle to the scene of an emergency but required only thosewith a CDL to drive the truck back to the station (Ch. 59 of 2009). However,the correction in the law did not permit firefighters without a CDL to drivethe apparatus in parades, training exercises or non-emergency situationsunless they held a CDL.Assemblyman Latimer said this new legislation takes the amendmenta step further to allow emergency workers to carry out all aspects of theirjobs without incurring the expense or inconvenience of securing a CDL.Under the legislation, non-CDL drivers would be able to freely participate intraining exercises, funerals, hydrant maintenance and commercial buildinginspections.The legislation would also keep New York in conformity with federalregulations promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,which grants states discretion in exempting firefighters and operatorsof other emergency motor vehicles. By staying in conformance with federalregulations, the state would preserve approximately $31 million in federalhighway aid.

PAGE 12 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Readers Respond, continued from page 4Walker, the infamous John Boykin,was unwittingly taped by SammyRivers. Three new council membersand William Randolph were selectedfor the Council seats.When a resident of the Southsideof Mount Vernon noted thatnone of these selected candidates forthe Council resides on the Southsideof Mount Vernon, one of theprime geniuses behind this comedyof errors responded that there is oneMount Vernon. At that point, I informedthis all-knowing individualthat the residents of the Southside ofMount Vernon have a totally differentexperience than any other areain Mount Vernon. Our sleep cannotin any way be peaceful due to continuousgunshot noises. We live in acontinuous state of fear and the puppeteersin this magic show, on theirown and without any input from us,the people who continuously livethis nightmarish hell, have the audacityto speak for us and purportVincent E. D’Agnillo& Associates, Inc.Commercial R.E. FinancingBelow-market rateson the followingproperty types:to make decisions to address theseproblems.The mere fact that the MountVernon City Democratic ComedyClub would select an entire slate ofcandidates with none being a residentof the Southside of Mount Vernonto serve as our representativespeaks volumes. Just recently, I readin the local paper that there is anorganization offering bribe moneyof $30,000 for members of one particularethnic group to relocate toFleetwood, the Northside of MountVernon. Are we noticing a patternhere?Residents of Mount Vernon, wecannot permit this “wholesale” ofMount Vernon to continue. Becauseyou are a Democrat does not meanthat you must vote for the peoplethat are selected by the DemocraticParty. You must understand that theDemocratic Party is controlled bypeople and it is those people who setthe agenda in selecting their partic-• Office Buildings• Underlying Coops• Apartment Buildings• Mixed Use– Res. & Comm.Licensed Real Estate BrokersVincent E. D’Agnillo, Pres.T. 718-997-1085 F. 718-997-6229ular comedians. They select candidatesthat they know are going to dowhat they order them to do or else.These candidates must represent theinterest of the greedy power brokersand puppet masters who are currentlyrunning this comedy show.You do not need me to tell you thatthe puppet masters and power brokersinterest conflict with the interestof the people of Mount Vernon.Take a good look around you andrealize what is happening. We votedfor change and we got change frombad to worse. Do you want to continueon this slippery slope downinto the abyss? None of us thoughtthat things could have been anyworse than they were under the DavisAdministration but, guess what,they are worse.You can go to youtube.com andlisten for yourself to the conversationbetween Sammy Zherka andour current mayor Clinton Young.In the mayor’s own voice!We can no longer sit back andbe silent. We must speak out loudlyagainst this comedy of errors. Thebest way you can speak out is by refusingto sign petitions for any individualsthat were selected by thisDemocratic Comedy Club. Someof these people appear to be verynice people. I don’t have anythingagainst them personally. They maybe good people but, good peopletoo can be used by individuals withbad intentions. To ensure that thesepeople are not placed in a positionwhere they will have to repay politicalfavors and also to return integrity,honesty and a true sense of communityservice to our community,do not elect any of these selectedcandidates. If you vote for thesecandidates, you will be strengtheningthe corruption and empoweringthe political puppeteers and theirpower brokers. We must purgeMount Vernon from any perceptionof corruption.Please join me in electing thosecandidates that have the people’s interestat heart. Mount Vernon has seriousissues that must be addressed.This administration has shown usthat they lack direction and solutionsto our problems. We cannotcontinue to blindly give our supportto them. We must put all personalissues aside at this time and putMount Vernon first. We must cometogether as one loud and thunderousvoice and elect candidates that haveindependent voices and courage tospeak out against injustices. Historyhas taught us some very serious andhorrendous lessons in human destructionwhen good people remainsilent. Let us not repeat the mistakesof the past. Let us become involvedby registering to vote, signing petitionsof those individuals who havenot been selected by the DemocraticComedy Club only, volunteeringto help to elect these communityminded individuals and elect onlythese individuals to the positionfor which they are running. MountVernon this one is on us. If we messit up, we have no one to blame but,ourselves!Helena R. EdwardsParent Of Disabled ChildMishandled By ConvictedFormer Senator Joe PisaniSpeaks OutDear Editor:Your article re: The Justice Departmentwas perfect. I’ve encloseda copy of the response I receivedfrom “The Justice Department.”I wrote them, and enclosed copiesof Catherine Wilson’s articles. Ihave written so many legal departments,organizations, etc., I’ve lostcount, usually with no response.This response was interesting. What“exceptional circumstances” couldthis person mean? Did, or does, mychild have to die for “Justice”? Wouldit even matter?I’m turning my focus to the media,sending to the Moore Institutethis week.Ann MasattiContinued on page 18

THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009PAGE 13INDEPENDENCE PARTY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTYP.O. Box 126Bronxville, NY 10708INDEPENDENCE PARTY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTYDr. Giulio A. Cavallo, ChairmanP.O. Box 126Bronxville, NY 10708FOR Dr. Giulio RELEASE: A. Cavallo, Immediate ChairmanMay 20, 2009CONTACT: Dr. Giulio A. Cavallo, Chairman 914 774-8056Westchester Independence Party Endorses Rob Astorino for WestchesterCounty ExecutiveFOR RELEASE: Immediate May 20, 2009CONTACT: Dr. Giulio A. Cavallo, Chairman 914 774-8056White Plains, N.Y. (May 20, 2009) -- The Westchester County Independence Party today announced thatit has endorsed Rob Astorino for Westchester County Executive, hoping to “clear the stale thinking fromthe halls of county government with the fresh air of new and vigorous leadership.”Westchester Independence Party Endorses Rob Astorino for WestchesterCounty ExecutiveWhite Mr. Astorino Plains, N.Y. is running (May for 20, County 2009) -- Executive The Westchester to reduce County the tax Independence load in Westchester Party today County, announced by thatit streamlining has endorsed county Rob Astorino services, for and Westchester to restore a high County standard Executive, of ethics hoping county to “clear government. the stale thinking fromthe halls of county government with the fresh air of new and vigorous leadership.”In endorsing Mr. Astorino for County Executive, the Independence Party is starkly rejecting thecandidacy Mr. Astorino of incumbent is running County for County Executive Executive Andy to Spano, reduce who the tax previously load in Westchester ran on the Party’s County, line. bystreamlining county services, and to restore a high standard of ethics in county government.“These are challenging times that require new thinking and intellectual vigor, and those are the qualitiesIn we endorsing find Rob Mr. Astorino.for County Executive, the Independence Party is starkly rejecting thecandidacy of incumbent County Executive Andy Spano, who previously ran on the Party’s line.“There are compelling reasons why change for Westchester’s highest elected office is necessary in 2009,”said “These Dr. are Giulio challenging A. Cavallo, times Chairman that require of the new Westchester thinking and Independence intellectual vigor, Party. and “One-party those are rule the has qualitieswe effectively find in Rob dismantled Astorino. the system of checks and balances in the County Charter resulting in a bloatedbureaucracy that continues to punish taxpayers. Instead of a healthy tension between the two branches of“There county government, are compelling we reasons have a why mutual change admiration for Westchester’s society. As a highest result, elected Westchester office families is necessary are hurting2009,”said financially Dr. Giulio and the A. Cavallo, current administration Chairman of the just Westchester does not understand Independence their Party. pain. “One-party rule haseffectively dismantled the system of checks and balances in the County Charter resulting in a bloatedbureaucracy “The people that of Westchester continues to are punish paying taxpayers. for it every Instead day. Spano’s of a healthy arrogance tension and between recklessness the two have branches ofcounty destroyed government, the dreams we of have thousands a mutual who admiration have been society. forced to As move a result, or significantly Westchester sacrifice families their are hurting life plansfinancially because of and his high the current taxes. Rob administration Astorino is just an does independent not understand thinker with their the pain. vision and character to get thiscounty back on track,” Cavallo continued.“The people of Westchester are paying for it every day. Spano’s arrogance and recklessness havedestroyed “I thank the the Independence dreams of thousands Party for who its endorsement,” have been forced said to Astorino move or “and significantly I look forward sacrifice to their justifying life plans theirbecause confidence of his in me high by taxes. delivering Rob Astorino leaner, smarter is an independent and less expensive thinker county with the government vision and after character I am to sworn get this incounty on January back 1, on 2010.” track,” Cavallo continued.“I “Our thank endorsement the Independence should send Party a for clear its message endorsement,” to non-affiliated said Astorino voters “and and I look independent forward –minded to justifying theirconfidence Democrats that in me Rob by Astorino’s delivering leaner, vision of smarter a retooled and less county expensive government county is government the right vision after for I am the sworn future in ofon this January county,” 1, Cavallo 2010.” said.“Our endorsement should send a clear message to non-affiliated voters and independent –mindedDemocrats that Rob Astorino’s vision of a retooled county government is the right vision for the future of

PAGE 14 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Shelley AckermanMay 28 - June 3By Shelley AckermanDuring Gemini Month WomenWriters Honor Anne Frank onHer 80 th Birthday:On June 12, 1942, thirteen yearold Anne Frank was given a diaryby her father Otto for her birthday.She wrote in it almost immediatelyand her first entry read, “I hope Iwill be able to confide everythingto you, as I have never been able toconfide in anyone, and I hope youwill be a great source of comfort andsupport.” Three weeks later, on July6 th , Anne and her family went intohiding in what became the worldfamous ‘attic’ in Amsterdam.Next to the Bible, The Diaryof Anne Frank is the most widelyread book in the world. On June12 th , on what would have beenAries (March 21-April 19): Asdreamy and hard-to-pin down Neptunepermeates and temporarilyfogs up your 11th house of friendsand community, it may be wise topick up and/or reread the 1972 selfhelpclassic, “How to Be Your OwnBest Friend”. No, this week’s transits(which include your ruler, Mars’ fiveweek foray into your 2 nd house offinance) aren’t issuing a license forunabashed selfishness, but will serveas a primer in self-reliance basedon self-value. Mercury, the tricksterplanet of communication and transportationturns direct in your 2 ndNeptune Stations Retrograde,Mercury Stations Direct;Mars Enters TaurusAnne Frank’s 80 th birthday, MaureenMcNeil, the director of educationfor the Anne FrankCenter in New York Citywill join me, HanneloreHahn, founder and directorof the InternationalWomen’s Writing Guildand several hundred othersat Skidmore College inSaratoga Springs, NY at the openingceremony of our 32 nd annual IWWG“Remember the Magic” conference,which is a Mecca and a miracle forwriters, artists, healers, teachers,mothers, daughters, wives, and singlewomen from every walk of life.When I asked Ms. McNeill ifAnne had any expectation of beingknown she replied: “Before Annewent into hiding she wanted to be ahouse: Those stalled money issueswill begin to show signs of movement.Forecastsfilm star (because of her relationshipwith her father and his camera). Duringtwo years in hiding,and a great deal of reading,writing and observing, shewanted to be a writer andhelp change the world. So Idon’t think she would havebeen so surprised that herdiary had been saved andpublished but she would have beenproud. I think she was planning onusing it for material for a novel. Infact she was writing a novel Caddy’sStory and other short stories as well,published as a collection called ‘Talesfrom the Attic’.”“Did she have any inkling thather diary would be read?” I asked,to which MS. McNeill replied: OnWednesday, March 29, 1944 AnneTaurus (April 20-May 20): WhileNeptune does its glamour thing atthe top of your chart, making youthe man (or woman) of the hour, bekind and cut your boss some slack(and do the same for a parent, or anauthority figure) - they’re a bit ‘lesswith the program’ than usual. Mercuryturns direct in your first houseand your thoughts and words, whichhave had you tongue-tied in the pastfew weeks, will begin flow and goingforward, you’ll make a hell of alot more sense. Mars, the planet ofmojo enters your sign and throughthe 4 th of July your ‘amped up’ lifeforce will enable you to achieve theimpossible.Gemini (May 21-June 21): Thestandstill of Neptune in your 9 thhouse of foreign and legal affairscould be quite comical by way of atipsy judge who spaces out and accidentallythrows your case out ofcourt. But the reverse is true too: Errorsor omissions with legalities canthrow you for a loop. Bottom line:heard (on the radio) that the Dutchgovernment would be collecting lettersand diaries after the war. “Ofcourse, everyone pounced on my diary.Just imagine how interesting itwould be if I were to publish a novelabout the Secret Annex. The titlealone would make people think itwas a detective story.” Anne immediatelyrewrote her entire diary (versionB). Otto published version C, acombination of version A and B.We never know what will happenwhen we put pen to paper whichis why I so heartily recommend thisconference and the IWWG to everyoneI know and care about.During Gemini month, thefocus is on the power of the writtenand spoken word. Make yourscount.Keep tabs on everything and be vigilantwith all documents and anythingthat involves business and/or visitorsfrom abroad, and resist the temptationto leave it all behind and join acult. Your quixotic ruler, Mercury,turns direct in your ‘under-the-radar12 th house and as impatient Marsmoves into that same spot (throughJuly 4 th ) with a stealth-like approach,you can move a few mountains.Cancer (June 22-July 22): Ratherthan wasting your precious energyplaying the ‘blame-game’, which willget you nowhere. Here’s what to be

aware of as confusing Neptune takesa stand in your 8 th house of sharedresources and investments: At thevery least, pay very close attentionto all paperwork and those handlingyour accounts as bank errors, slipups, and even a little dubious behaviorare quite possible. Mercury directin 11 th house and Mars’ entrance tosame communal environment putsemphasis on the quality of the companyyou keep. Seek out only thosewith unquestionable integrity.Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): All royalLeos want and expect an audienceand their supporting players to beon call and in tip-top shape 24/7.Perhaps the biggest lesson (and test)of the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron trilogyin your 7 th house of partnershipis to force you to see and deal withthe flaws and frailties in others sothat you may better accept them inyourself. On a positive note, Mercuryturns direct in your 10 th house,and with that there’s forward motionin the financials- thank goodness!Mars enters Taurus and the topof your chart for five weeks. A littleaggression tempered with patienceand stamina will yield substantialwins career-wise.Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Neptunestandstill in your 6 th house ofwork may bring you more tasksand little extra jobs than there areenough hours in the day to complete:That’s wonderful, as long as the conditionsyou’re working in are clean,healthy, and up to par and the termsof your employment are equally asTHE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009This Week’s Planets (Times are EDT):May 28: Moon enters Leo @ 3:44 amMay 29: Neptune Stations Retrograde @ 12:31 AMMay 30: Moon V/C @ 4:18 am, enters Virgo @ 6:17 am Mercury Stations Direct@ 9:22 pmMay 31: Mars enters Taurus @ 5:18 pmclear. Your ruler, Mercury goes forwardin your 9 th house paving theway for legalities to be resolved andcontracts signed. Mars enters Taurus(and your 9 th house too)- emphasizingenergy directed to formulating aphilosophy or core belief that servesyou on a practical level. You may getpolitically pro-active- and why not?Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): DemandingSaturn in your 12 th househas ruled the day, so much so thatyou’ve hardly had a chance to enjoythe good feeling and romanticenergy that Jupiter and Neptune inyour theatrical and playful 5 th housewould ordinarily provide. Andthough it seems unfair, there’s someredemption in mars’ entrance intoyour 8 th house of shared resources.Though it’s uncomfortable to ask,you must be adamant about gettingwhat’s due you. Generosity of spiritis wonderful, but not at the expenseof your self-worth.Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Unlessyou’re expecting a visit fromthe Dalai Lama, the all encompassingspacey energy of the Neptunestandstill in your 4 th house can literallyoverwhelm you by placing youinto an altered state. That’s why it’simportant to be in touch with someonewho keeps you grounded. On apractical level, make sure that thereare no gas or carbon dioxide leaks inand around the home. A parent orfamily member may need attention.Check in on them as well. As Marsenters your 7 th house of partnership,a spouse, partner, or BFF may getJune 1: Moon V/C @ 4:32 am, enters Libra @ 11:17 amJune 2: Venus sextile Neptune @ 11:45 am, Venus sextile Jupiter @ 7:40 pmJune 3: Moon V/C @ 2:00 pm, enters Scorpio @ 6:44 pm*Moon V/C = Void of Course, Best for spiritual not Earthly pursuitstesty. Don’t engage in a battle butwelcome their vim and vigor as thesign of life that it is.Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): TheNeptune ‘standstill’ in your 3 rd housespeaks of a range of possibilities: Onthe most mundane level, you needto be mindful of gas leaks, germs anasleep at the wheel cabbie, or drugsin the hood. But on a higher level,there’s the possibility of a ‘Pocketfulof Miracles’, i.e. you and your neighborsmaking a huge difference in thelives of one another and for thoseless fortunate. Yes, a plethora ofgoodwill and many random acts ofkindness can change your immediateenvironment big time. Mercuryturns direct and heroic Mars entersyour 6 th house of health and labor.Is it possible that a knight in shiningarmor with fabulous tool belt willshow up on your doorstep to savethe day? You bet!Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan 19): It’srare that anyone can hoodwink you,but while spacey Neptune takes astand in your 2 nd house of moneymatters, you must be extra presentand at every exchange lest you enterthe wrong amount at an ATMor subtract a zero on your depositslip. Mercury turns direct in your5 th house, and coupled with Mars’presence there too you shouldget busy on a creative/speculativeproject that has legs andsings to your soul. As Junebegins, so does the ise of a new love (with oldprom-money).Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18): Yes, the Neptunestation in your sign lendsoodles of glamour and another-worldly magic to youraura and while there is somethingto be said for a ‘peak experience’of oneself every nowand then, you must be carefulnot to drink the entire bottleof Kool-Aid (or believe ALL ofyour own press) lest you landon your bottom in the twilightMars Enters TaurusMay 31, 2009, 5:18pm EDTNew York, N.Y.Solarfire Chart courtesy of AstrolabePAGE 15zone. Keeping you grounded is Mars’entrance into earthy Taurus and your4 th house of family and real estate.It’s time to get pro-active with thatwhich needs fixin’ in and around thehouse and to mend fences and clearmisunderstandings with kin.Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): “Whylive on Earth when heaven and thoseother inner planes are so much softer,kinder, and lovelier” you ask? Asyour two ruling planets, Neptuneand Jupiter meet up with Chiron(the healing Centaur), now, morethan ever, you are acutely aware ofthe psychic pain in your world aswell as the list of injurious behaviorin the world at large. It might be agood time to work at establishinghealthy boundaries so that you donot become of victim of your ownsensitivity. Mars, the planet of drive,enters practical Taurus and your 3 rdhouse of thought and communication.For the next few weeks, logiccan and should be your only guidinglight. And when that fails, chat up asolid sibling or a neighbor with his/her feet on the ground. ■

PAGE 16 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Catherine Wilson, Bureau ChiefThis year, 2009, marks the 400 th anniversaryof the discovery of the HudsonRiver by the Dutch explorer, HenryHudson. Throughout the year the entireHudson Valley region will be celebratingHudson’s discovery with a series ofevents both on and off the river. Manyof these events, such as the “Watch Fires”on the Piermont Pier this weekend, May29 th and 30 th , will draw attention to therole the Hudson River plays in the livesof the residents of this area, thereby attractpeople to the water.Westchester is bordered by majorbodies of water on the east, the LongIsland Sound, and west, the HudsonRiver, and is fortunate to have manystreams, lakes, and reservoirs along withcommunity pools and beaches scatteredthroughout the County for its residents’enjoyment. While all that water addsto the beauty of our area, it also posesunique safety problems. Learning toswim is a must for all local children. Butlearning basic water safety guidelines isalso critical for all Westchester residentssince at any time any of the local watersources could pose a potential threat totheir personal safety.Those dangers were evident in severalincidents in our area just this monthalone. Last week a New York Waterwaysferry rescued four people from acapsized boat in the Hudson River. Twoof the victims rescued were not wearinglife jackets. On Mother’s Day a teenageboy drowned when his SUV rolled overinto the Bronx River. The men in thecapsized boat who were not wearinglife jackets averted tragedy thanks to aquick response from a passing ferry andits crew. However, their decision not towear a life jacket could have cost themtheir lives.The brother of a childhood friend ofthe teenage boy who died on the BronxRiver Parkway informed the Guardianthat the young man was speeding whiletexting a friend who was at the partyhe was on his way to attend. Sadly theyoung man did not realize that one ofthe reasons for the lower speed limits inareas of the Bronx River Parkway is becauseof its proximity to water, a hazardWater Safety And Drowning Prevention“Victims Can Be Gone in 60 Seconds”that requires a driver’s full attention andcontrol.Any car out of control on theHutchinson River, Saw Mill River, orBronx River Parkways has the potentialto veer into the adjacent bodies of water.And while those “rivers” appear to anobserver to be innocent looking streams,as is evident from this tragic accident, itis still possible to drown in them. All localresidents need to be aware of the potentiallyfatal consequences when nearany of the bodies of water in our area,no matter how calm or innocuous thosebodies of water may appear to be.Fortunately there are many localorganizations who offer a wealth of watersafety courses for Westchester residents.Chief among them are the auxiliarybranches of the United States CoastGuard, the Westchester County chapterof the American Red Cross, and theYWCA in White Plains. Ms. K.C. Kent,the Aquatics Director for the ‘Y’ spoketo the Guardian about the importanceof both personal safety courses and theneed to know basic rescue information.“At a minimum, everyone needs toknow how to swim” Kent noted. “Butthey also need to know elements of abasic rescue such as what a drowningchild looks like”. Kent referenced thestudies of Dr. Frank Pia, PhD, a Mamaroneckresident and a national expert indrowning accident causes and lifeguardand water safety training. Pia has developeda “Distress vs. Drowning” classifierto identify individuals in danger.According to basic lifeguard training,the conditions for drowning to occurare:• The individual’s lack of educationabout water safety or local conditions• A lack of safety information (tideinformation, rip currents, local conditions)• A lack of protection (no floatationdevice for a poor swimmer)• Lack of safety supervision (nolifeguards, inattentive family members)• Inability and inexperience (deeperwater, surf too strong for a weak swimmer)Lifeguards prefer to define the primaryfunction of their jobs as preventionand focus their attention on anticipatingpotential problems. Lifeguardsidentify swimmers as:• Healthy – normal swimmers• Distressed – tired swimmers orother individuals having trouble swimming.Such swimmers may or may notbe calling out for help and generallyonly need assistance to shore or the sideof the pool.• Active drowning victim – aswimmer who is taking in water whileattempting to stay at the surface of thewater. These swimmers may be flailingtheir arms vertically, while their bodiesremain vertical with no supportingkicks – this is known as the “instinctivedrowning response”.• Passive drowning victim – aswimmer who is inactive and possiblysubmerged.Dr. Pia spoke to the Guardian atlength about the dangers of water activitiesand what to look for in potentialdrowning victims. “People whoare drowning are not moving forward”Pia noted. “They are not calling outfor help. They are concentrating all oftheir efforts on just trying to get air”.Pia stressed that drowning victims donot look like the victims portrayed ontelevision shows and in the movies.“To an observer, a drowning victimlooks like they are simply playingin the water. But if they are not makinga sound, they are in difficulty”. Theresponse is similar to those of chokingvictims who cannot make a soundsince their air ways are blocked; likewisedrowning victims do not cry outfor help because their lungs are losingthe air needed for their vocal chords tofunction properly.In his “Observations on the Drowningsof Nonswimmers”, Pia noted that“breathing, not speech, is the primaryfunctions of the respiratory system.Therefore, in time of extreme peril inwater, breathing must take precedenceover speech”. Pia also describes the instinctualarm movements of a drowningvictim in this article: “(the) armmovements which, unlike the hailing orwaving of persons in distress, appear topush the victim upward in the water bythrashing the water with both arms partiallyextended from his sides.Analysis … has shown that the armmovements of the non-swimmers areactually instinctive efforts to keep theirheads above water and remain breathing.Because this action is instinctive,it is common to all non-swimmers,regardless of swimming areas. Once anon-swimmer is in water over his head,instinct forces him to react….. This typeof arm movement cannot propel thevictim in any direction, but can merelyraise and lower the drowning person inthe water as he tries to breathe”.Pia also stressed the importance ofpreventing a situation where a drowningmay occur, especially for owners ofbackyard pools. He recommended followingthe “Safety Barrier Guidelines forHome Pools “ of the Consumer ProductSafety Commission (CPSC).The CPSC estimates that about 300children under the age of 5 drown eachyear in swimming pools, 75% of thembetween 1 and 3 years of age, and mostin their own backyards while being supervisedby at least one family member.The CPSC recommends a barrieraround all four sides of a backyard poolspa, or hot tub to prevent access by ayoung child. The barrier should be atleast four feet high with no footholdsor handholds for a child to use to climbover. Access steps to an above-groundpool should be behind locked gates;pools off of a deck or patio, as well as ingroundpools should have a pool alarmand covers. Full details of the CPSCsafety recommendations can be foundon their web site www.cpsc.gov.Most children who drown in backyardpools do so in their own pools orthose of friends and family members,while being supervised by others. Piastresses that “it is not a lack of supervisionthat causes the drowning; it is alapse of supervision. Many parents saythey only turned their back ‘for a moment’”.Pia recommends that if a childhas suddenly left your line of vision tocheck the pool first. “Time is critical”

Pia stresses. “An adult in difficulty inthe water can be submerged within 60seconds, a child can be submerged inas little as 20 seconds”. Pia also notesthat having a child within earshot isnot enough: “I recommend that parentsshould practice ‘touch supervision’;if your child is too far away in the poolor pool area for you to reach out andtouch them, then they are too far away,period.”Sadly many local parents do notpractice ‘touch supervision’ while at areapools, beaches, and lakes. “Lifeguardsare not babysitters” Kent noted. She recommendedthat parents get comfortablewith being in the water, alongside theirchildren. The YWCA offers a variety ofclasses for both children and adults todevelop their swimming skills and watersafety knowledge.The YWCA is also offering a “CommunityWater Safety Day” on Friday,June 19 th from 8-9 p.m. to foster safeswimming practices. Kent agreed withDr. Pia that individuals should not onlylearn how to swim but also take watersafety training to be able to identify potentialdrowning victims.In addition, Kent notes that “anyonewho owns a pool should take basicCPR and lifesaving classes. They do nothave to become fully licensed; they cansimply audit our classes to get basic safetyinformation”. Kent also stressed thatthe biggest obstacle to children learninghow to swim are the parents themselveswho often misinterpret their child’s abilityto splash around in a pool as swimming.“What most children do is recreationalswimming which does not meanthey know what to do if they encounterdifficulties” Kent said. “The YWCAoffer courses at all levels of swimmingabilities, even for adults, so that anyonecan learn to become a strong swimmer”.Adults who cannot swim presentdifferent problems for instructors. Suchadults may be afraid of the water due toan early trauma and are usually embarrassedto admit they cannot swim evento their friends. Local organizationssuch as the YWCA have group classesspecifically geared to adults, even specialclasses for women taught by femaleinstructors. For individuals who havea severe fear of the water or who areextremely embarrassed by their lack ofswimming skills, the YWCA also offersprivate lessons.Both Kent and Dr. Pia stress othersafety measures to be followed whennear water:• Have lifejackets and shepherd’sTHE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009crooks near pools for rescues• If a child cannot stand in the watersafely, they need to wear a lifejacket• Do not leave toys in or near a poolto attract children• Do not leave large flotation devicesin a pool which can hide childrenunderneath• Do not leave anything near a poolfence that could be used to climb over it• Take a lifeguard and CPR class• Keep all children within touchdistance while near water• Do not allow yourself to be distracted– no answering the phone whilebathing a child• Do not keep buckets of wateraround children who can be easily submergedin them• Only swim in protected areas ofbeaches while a lifeguard is on duty• Learn local conditions – ask residentsand lifeguards about currents andtides• Be aware of water temperature– deeper, open water will be colder andmore dangerousDrowning is the 4 th major cause ofaccidental deaths and most cases can beavoided. “The incidents of drowning ata supervised (lifeguard) beach are onlyone in 20 million” Dr. Pia notes. Lifeguardscan alert swimmers to hiddendangers and treacherous conditionssuch as rip tides.A rip current will not be visibleto the untrained eye. Rip currents arecreated when the waves washing backto sea are doing so at a faster pace thanthe waves breaking onto the shore. Thearea of the rip current will not have anywaves breaking on the surface, makingit appear to be a calm place to swim,especially attractive for young and inexperiencedswimmers who do not wishto be knocked about by waves. Dr. Piarecommends that “if caught in a ripcurrent, the swimmer should not tryto swim directly to shoe. Instead theswimmer should swim parallel to theshore to get past the current”.Boating on our local rivers andlakes present other safety issues. Boaters,however, require licenses and trainingto sail or motor on our waterways.The local auxiliary Coast Guard and RedCross offer extensive training coursesfor all levels of boaters. The U.S. CoastGuard Auxiliary’s “About Boating Safety”(ABS) course is being offered throughoutthe summer in Ossining. The courseis certified by the National Associationof State Boating Law Adminstrators andmeets the boating safety course completionrequirements of most states. TheFee is $75 per person.This basic boating safety course alsoincludes the NYS PWC operator certification.According to the Coast Guard,the “About Boating Safety” course willbe given on:• Saturday, June 6, 9am-5pm at theOssining Library;• Saturday, June 20, 9am-5pm at theOssining Library;• Saturday, July 18, 9am-5pm at theOssining Rec Center;• Saturday, August 1, 9am-5pm atthe Ossining Rec Center;• Saturday, August 15, 9am-5pm atthe Ossining Rec Center.For more information contactRaymond Hitney 914-319-3470, vfc@force67.com.The course topics cover all areas ofboating including boating law, safetyequipment, navigation, problems, storingand protecting your boat, and allaspects of boat usage including waterskiing.The majority of accidents and fatalitiesin boating are mostly due to humanerror and reckless operation of thevessel, not weather conditions or equipmentfailures. Therefore safety trainingand the “rules of the road” instructionis critical for any boater to know beforepartaking in this activity.The Coast Guard Auxiliary alsoconducts free safety checks of all vessels.The checks will cover:Personal Flotation Devices (life jackets)Registration and numberingNavigation lightsVentilationFire extinguishersDistress signals (flares, horn, etc.)Battery cover and connectionsThe YWCA offers a variety ofcourses as well from Aquatic Fitnessto Scuba instruction to basic sailingand even synchronized swimming andan introduction to water polo in addi-PAGE 17tion to their extensive range of swimmingand diving classes. Lessons startfor children as young as six months toadults of any age. Information on theYWCA classes can be obtained at 914-949-6227 or www.ywcawhiteplains.com.The Westchester Chapter of theAmerican Red Cross offers a “SummerSafety School”. Among the courses offeredby the Red Cross are:• Standard First Aid/CPR/AED -Adult;• CPR/AED - Adult;• CPR/AED – Adult - Review;• CPR/AED – Adult/Child plusCPR – Infant;• CPR/AED – Adult/Child plusCPR – Infant Review;• CPR/AED – Child plus CPR – Infant;• First Aid;• Responding to Emergencies(RTE);• Babysitter’s Training;• Lifeguarding;• Lifeguard Review;• Lifeguard Management;• Waterfront Lifeguarding.Information on any of these coursescan be obtained from the Red Crossat 914-949-6500 or on their web site atwww.westchestercounty.redcross.org.All of the experts the Guardianinterviewed on this subject agreed thattraining was the best way to prevent wateraccidents and drownings. A quick,trained response, even from a lay person,can save a life. The New York Waterwayferry crew who rescued the four men inthe Hudson River last week proved theirtraining paid off by their quick and successfulresponse to the capsized men. Ofcourse, several of those ferry workersproved their training before – they wereamong the first responders to the downedUS Airways flight in the Hudson River inJanuary. In a situation where secondscount, those capsized men in the Hudsonwere in the best of hands. n

PAGE 18 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Readers Respond, continued from page 12A True Journalistic PatriotExplains Governmental PowersAt The County LevelDear Editor:I have taken note of Dr. RichardCirulli’s comments on County Governmentand thought you may wantto publish my answer. We must realizethe seat of the people’s power lies inthe County government. We must takeback our country one county at a time:“In the formation of our ConstitutionalRepublic, the county has alwaysbeen, and remains to this day,the true seat of the government for itsinhabitants. The County Sheriff is theonly legal law enforcement officer inthese United States of America.The Sheriff can mobilize allmen between the ages of 18 and 45who are in good health and not inthe federal military service. Otherinhabitants can volunteer! The bodyof County inhabitants who composethe Sheriff ’s posse can be called uponat any time to serve at the Sheriff ’sbehest. The title of this body ofCounty inhabitants so mobilized isPosse Comitatus.The Posse is the entire body ofthose inhabitants who may be summonedby the Sheriff, or who mayvolunteer, to preserve the publicpeace or execute any lawful need.Since the Sheriff is the servant ofthe County inhabitants, it is not hischoice as to whether or not the Posseis organized and brought into being.It is only his choice to use or not touse the Posse.The Sheriff is under Oath of Officeto uphold, preserve and defendthe Constitution of the Union andthe State in which the County is situated,nothing more. It is his duty toprotect those whom he serves fromall unlawful acts, including agenciesof government. It should be emphasizedthat this protection extends toinhabitants who are being subjectedto unlawful acts by officials of government,whether these be judges ofCourts or Federal or State Agents.The Constitution of these unitedStates is th Supreme Law for thestates of the Union as well as forthe federal government. The federalgovernment was created by the statesof the Union. The Constitution isthe compact (contract) by which thefederal government is bound.The Constitution is a standingagreement between the Peopleinhabiting the States. Each State is aRepublic created to serve its inhabitants.The Constitution created afederal republic to serve the statesand thereby their inhabitants. Letone thing be clear: the federal governmentis merely an agency of thestates. The federal government is a“servant” of the states and the peopletherein. Under no circumstances isthe federal government the master ofeither the states or its inhabitants.The Constitution is a simpledocument. It is based on CommonLaw derived from England. Much ofit has been with us from time immemorialas it is found in the Bible andother ancient writings.The Constitution is a veryprecisely written instrument andmeans exactly what it says. It is noless applicable today than when itwas adopted. For instance, the NinthAmendment says, “The enumerationin the Constitution of certain rightsshall not be construed to deny or disparageothers retained by the people.”The Sheriff may employ thoseenforcement powers and personnelappropriate and necessary for dealingwith the unlawful acts committedagainst its inhabitants individuallyor collectively or those threatenedagainst the same.It is the duty of the sheriff toprotect County inhabitants at alltimes against unlawful acts. If he hasbeen advised of unlawful acts andrefuses to perform his lawful dutiesin accord with his commitment to hisconstituents and Oath of Office, thenit is the lawful right of the inhabitantsthrough the Posse Comitatusto assume the enforcement powersrequisite to protect the County andits inhabitants.Since the Second Amendmentto the Constitution says, “the rightof the people to keep and bear Arms,shall not be infringed” the Peoplehave the right and the power todefend against unlawful acts throughthe Posse Comitatus should the sherifffail to do so.At all times, power rests with thePeople. If their elected representativeand servant, the Sheriff, refuses orfails to execute his duties he took anOath of Office to perform, the peoplehave the right to uphold the law intheir own behalf. This right exists evenin the face of directives to the contraryby the Legislature, the Judiciary or theExecutive arms of government.Arrests may be made by thePeople or their lawful agency, thePosse Comitatus. Those arrested maybe remanded to the custody of theCounty Sheriff for trial by a Jury oftheir Peers impaneled by the Sheriff(Juries may not be convened by theCourts as is currently done in mostcounties. This has no basis in law.).The unlawful use of CountySheriffs as “lackeys” of the Courtsshould be discontinued at once.There is no lawful basis for Judgesand the Courts to direct the lawenforcement activities of a CountySheriff. His sole obligation is to hisconstituents. It bears reiterationthat the Sheriff is accountable andresponsible only to the inhabitants ofhis County! He took an Oath of Officeto serve only them, not to followunlawful orders from Judges or theCourts. Judges and the Courts arethe Judiciary but the Sheriff is theExecutive branch of the County government.He is responsible to protectinhabitants, even from unlawful actsof officials of government; yes, evenJudges and the Courts.”Anthony RussoA Patriot

PAGE 19THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Wells of Love and Hope:Transforming Lives and Landscapes In Kenya, One Well And Tree At A TimePhoto: Alex GuzmanTop row, l to r: Teacher Carmela Fava, StephanieMcSpedon, Chrissy Torres, Paola Toledo, Kim Micceri,Grainne Stack. Catherine Abramo,GladysBollbrock,Allie Gatto.Bottom row, l to r: Michelle Jazzo, Kasey Romero,Briana Belluscio, Alyssa Sperlongano, Laeh DiPietroSophia Zherka.By MarikeTurn on the faucet and clean, potablewater comes out, an event we areable to take for granted but in manycountries, this is truly a miraculousoccurance.• “Searching for potable water isa daily task for over 2 billion peopleworldwide.” *• Fetching water isa chore usually delegatedto women and children,who must plantheir day around theoften harrowing journeyto the nearest watersupply -one that may bemany miles from theirhome-and take hoursto accomplish. Childrenare often assaulted,raped and abductedwhile fetching water.They are also vulnerableto attacks by crocodiles and largecats.*• The time devoted to this is timethat cannot be spent more productively-playing,getting an education orworking to rise out of subsistence.*• Every 15 seconds, a child dies of awater borne illness.*• More than 400,000,000 people inAfrica still do not have clean water.*• The death toll from the lack of sanitationand fresh water is far greater thanthe death toll due to war and guns.*These are some of the lessonssenior students learned during theirGlobal Peace Course at Good CounselAcademy in White Plains. Led bytheir teacher, Carmela Fava, the fifteensenior-level students researchedmany projects which attempt to re-Photos: Irene Kabotd r e s sthe results of war, internalconflicts, drought, misplacedpriorites, lack ofeducation, primitive soiltilling practices and ineffectivegovernance. “The pointof the course is to find causesand issues that affect teenagers,especially young femaleteenagers in different countries,”saidMs. Fava.“This is a differentway of learning thatempowers studentsto relate to an issueby doing the researchand the work to bringpositive change to thesituation.”The “technology”needed to provideclean water ispretty accessible, inexpensive,“low tech”and has been availablein the U.S. forover 100 years: buildwells, create propersanitation systemsand educate people.Several monthsago, student SophiaZherka had the opportunity to meetWestchester resident and educator,Irene Kabot, founder of Wells of Loveand Hope, and invited her to speak tothe class. Kabot is a Peace Magnet Facilitatorand a Peace Education/PhysicalEd teacher at William B. Ward ElementarySchool in New Rochelle.Kabot aids the efforts of the honorableAgnes Ndetei, a Kenyancitizen, and founder of SolaceSelf Help to raise money tobuild wells and to plant trees inthe Kibwezi district of Kenya.The organization has identifiedsimple goals to implement, onevillage at a time, to help the residentsof Kibwezi access the aquiferbeneath them, and improvetheir standard of living:• Build wells and plant trees tobring balance back into the environment.The wells are planned at thesite of village schools, and cost only$4000 to build. 100% of the contributiongoes directly to build wells andplant trees.• Train local people to build thewells and learn useful skills.• Plant mango, guava and acaciatrees as a future source of food and incomefor the villagers.• Educate women in other ways ofself-support.• Free children and young womenfrom the task of retrieving water sothat they can pursue education.The collateral benefits are a reductionin death from disease andmalnutrition while empowering villagersto gain more control over theirlives and their destinies.In her remarks, following theGood Counsel presentation, PrincipalSr. Carol A. Peterson, RDC, applaudedthe work that the Global Peace Classhas done over the year and pointedout, “How great it would be to have awell on the other side of the world, thatyou helped to build.”To date, Good Counsel seniorshave raised $2000 toward their goal ofbuying one well for one village. Anyonewishing to contribute to the wellfund can email Ms. Fava at: cfava@goodcounselacademyhs.orgIn a telephone interview, Ms.Kabot explained that what she lovesabout the program is, “That it is childrenhelping children, andnow, teenagers helping children.“Ex-ParlimentarianNdetei focuses on projectsthat are sustainable. Ndeteitasked 25 students withplanting trees and nurturingthem for 6 months until thetrees were properly rooted.The students were rewardedfor their efforts with schoolsupplies.”So far, Wells of Love andHope has built one well atthe Utini Primary Schooland they have planted 50trees. ‘‘There is a big effort toplant moringa trees, which grow well inarid soil. The leaves are edible and can beground into a powder that can be usedas a food supplement,” said Kabot. “Adonation of $20 purchases one seedlingmoringa tree.”The next project, to fund a $40,000bore hole project, is more ambitious.This will involve a drilling rig and theinstallation of pipes to bring water intoa wider area, including homes. A DinnerDance Fundraiser planned for May29 at the Pelham Bay Country Club,has been cancelled. Instead, an AfricanCookout Fundraiser is being plannedfor June at the William B. Ward Schoolto jumpstart the effort. For more informationabout Wells of Love and Hope,visit the website at www.WellsofLoveandHope.org.*Statistics and data supplied tostudents by the UN Speaker’s Bureau.

PAGE 20 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Exposing The Death Penalty, Part 3In my effort to raise awarenessabout the problem ofwrongful convictions, as wellas seeking legislative changes tomake the criminal justic systemmore accurate, I have always includedabolishing the death penaltyamongst the reforms I advocate.My reasoning is simple;any system of justice that resultsin wrongful convictions will, if ithas a death penalty as a sentencingoption, inevitably execute innocentpeople.This past March 17 NewMexico legislatively abolishedthe death penalty citing, amongstother issues, that very real possibility.In this three-part seriesI have been reviewing likelywrongful executions, near-misses,ongoing cases of potentialwrongful execution, systemicdeficiencies, along with one caseexample wherein innocent peoplewere wrongly convicted andsentenced to death before beingcleared. I will look at moderndayrecognition that the deathpenalty risks the execution of innocentpeople.On December 17, 2007, NewJersey became the first state since1976, when the U.S. SupremeCourt reauthorized the deathpenalty, to legislatively abolish it.In his speech following the signingof the bill, New Jersey Gov.Corzine made several referencesto the risk that the death penaltyposes to executing innocent people,taken from Death PenaltyInformation Center’s website:“We evolve, if you believe as I do,that government cannot provide afoolproof death penalty that precludesthe possibility of executingthe innocent. Society must ask - Isit not morally superior to imprison100 people for life than it is toexecute all 100 when it is probablewe execute an innocent?”On March 17, 2009 NewMexico Governor Richardsonsigned a bill which repealed thedeath penalty, saying, as reportedby the website FBIHOP, “thesystem is not perfect.” “Innocentpeople have been put on deathrow all across the country.” Thegovernor also said, “We cannot be100% sure that innocent peoplearen’t convicted. Regardless of mypersonal opinion about the deathpenalty, I do not have confidencein the criminal justice system as itcurrently operatesto be the final arbiterwhen it comesto who lives andwho dies for theircrime. If the Stateis going to undertakethis awesomeresponsibility, thesystem to impose this ultimatepenalty must be perfect and cannever be wrong. But the reality isthe system is not perfect - far fromit. The system is inherently defective.DNA testing has proven that.Innocent people have been put ondeath row all across the country.Even with advances in DNA andother forensic evidence technologies,we can’t be 100-percent surethat only the truly guilty are convictedof capital crimes.Evidence, including DNAevidence, can be manipulated.Prosecutors can still abuse theirpowers. We cannot ensure competentdefense counsel for all defendants.The sad truth is the wrong personcan still be convicted in thisday and age, and in cases wherethat conviction carries with it theultimate sanction, we must haveultimate confidence - I wouldsay certitude - that the system iswithout flaw or prejudice. Unfortunately,this is demonstrably notthe case. “Systemic DeficienciesThe Innocence Project hasreported that to date there havebeen 235 people proven to havebeen wrongfully convicted andproven innocent by DNA evidenceOut of those two hundredand thirty five people, seventeenof them had been sentenced todeath. Thus the same systemicdeficiencies that exist in noncapitalcases exist in capital cases.Below are listed some of thesystemic deficiencies.A) Misidentification: Misidentificationhas been thecause of wrongful convictionsin 75% of the now 235 DNAproven wrongful convictions.Kirk Bloodsworth served eightyears in prison, including two ondeath row for murder and rapein Maryland before being proveninnocent by DNA. At trial,five witnesses testified that theyhad seen Bloodsworth with thevictim.B) False Confessions: Falseconfessions have accounted for25% of the nation’s 235 DNAproven wrongful convictions. Accordingto The Innocence Project,Robert Miller was sentenced todeath in Oklahoma for murder,rape, and robbery. His wrongfulconviction was based in part ona false confession. Police conducteda 12-hour interview thatfollowed. In this interview, policedetectives took advantage ofMiller’s fragile mental state, playingalong with Miller’s admissionthat he had special powers andwas deeply religious, even joininghim in group prayer.Police eventually led him towhat the State called an admissionof guilt. Later, an examinationof the taped interviewsrevealed many inconsistenciesbetween Miller’s statements andthe actual circumstances of eachcrime.There were several key differences;for example, Miller

claimed that one of the victim’swas only a little older than himself.She was eighty-three at thetime of her death and Miller wastwenty-eight. He was later proveninnocent by DNA.C) Incentivized Witnessing:Incentivized witnessing is whena witness receives a benefit in exchangefor testifying, such as gettinga lesser sentence or havingcharges dropped against themaltogether. The problem with thispractice is that when desperateprisoners are caught red handedand they have no truthful informationto trade on, they resort tofalsely implicating other people.Incentivized witnessing hasresulted in wrongful convictionsin 15% of the 235 DNA provenwrongful convictions. CharlesFain was sentenced to deathin Idaho for murder, rape, andkidnapping. His conviction wascaused in part by incentivizedwitnessing. The two jailhouse informantstestified that Fain hadtold them of his involvement inthe crime and provided graphicdetails while they shared a cellwith him. He was later proveninnocent by DNA.D) Bad Lawyering: Withoutcompetent representation to adequatelyinvestigate a case and toput on the best possible defensefor the client, a defendant standsa good chance to be wrongfullyconvicted. Some of the systemicdeficiencies include: no realoversight to maintain qualitycontrol and the enforcement ofstandards, a big disparity betweenthe financial resourcesand manpower between a districtattorney’s office and a publicdefenders, and too large a caseload.The quality of representationTHE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009that the poor receive as comparedto the wealthy, is like thedifference between night andday. Although quality representationcan be hard for the poorto obtain, establishing ineffectiveassistance of counsel on appeal isquite difficult.Examples of outrageousand ipso facto ineffective representationthat was nonethelessnot found to be so by appellatecourts include sleeping in thecourtroom during trial, failureto investigate alibis, failure to callor consult experts on forensic issues,failure to show up for hearings,and being disbarred shortlyafter finishing a death penaltycase.Although in death penaltycases it is commonly believedthat because the death penalty involvesa lot of interest and passionthat therefore defendants chargedwith a capital crime receive betterrepresentation. That is not alwaysthe case. Dennis Williams wasconvicted of rape and murder inIllinois, in part based upon badlawyering. The Innocence Projectreported, “A state expert testifiedimproperly that a hair foundin Williams’ car microscopically‘matched’ Williams’ hair, saying:‘Just like if you drop two dollarbills and you see dollar bills on thefloor. You see two one dollar bills.It’s obvious.’ Microscopic hair comparisoncan never prove a conclusivematch, but his attorney failedto challenge this evidence. Hairevidence cannot be individualizedbased on microscopic analysis. Becausethere is not adequate empiricaldata on the frequency of variousclass characteristics in humanhair, it is impossible to say definitivelythat strands of hair ‘matched’a particular person. He was laterPAGE 21proven innocent by DNA.”In explaining his decision tocommute the death sentences ofall death row inmates in Illinois,Gov. Ryan referenced inadequaterepresentation as being a cause ofwrongful convictions. Accordingto the website salon.com, Ryansaid “Thirty-three percent ofthe death row inmates were representedat trial by an attorneywho had later been disbarred orat some point suspended fromthe practice of law”E) Junk Science: Junk scienceis when “expert” testimony is presentedregarding a science whichhas no sound scientific principleson which it is based, no statisticalfoundation, and no reliability, althoughthe impact at a trial is tomake a case seem legitimate. RayKrone was sentenced to deathin Arizona for murder and kidnapping.The Innocence Projectreported, “Bite marks were foundupon the victims neck and breast.Police had Krone make a Styrofoamimpression with his teethfor comparison. Experts for theprosecution testified that the bitemarksfound on the victim’s bodymatched the impression that Kronehad made on the Styrofoam.Krone was wrongfully convictedand sentenced to death, won anappeal and was retried. He waslater proven innocent by DNA.”F) Governmental Misconduct:Governmental misconductcan occur at the level of thepolice or the prosecutor’s office,and/or involveexperts. Someexamples includewithholding informationfromthe defense, deliberatemishandlingor destructionof evidence, the fabricationof test results, perjury, and notcorrecting perjury.It also can include areaswhich overlap the other causes,such as deliberate suggestivenessin identification procedures, thecoercion of false confession, andthe use of unreliable governmentinformants or snitches.Curtis McCarty was wrongfullyconvicted of a murder twiceand sentenced to death threetimes in Oklahoma before hewas proven innocent by DNA.A forensic analyst comparedhairs from the crime scene withMcCarty’s and found that theywere not similar. However, oncehe was arrested she changed hernotes and reversed her findings,saying that the crime scene hairscould be attributed to him andthat he was at the crime scene.ConclusionClearly, the death penaltyrisks the execution of innocentpeople. To be wrongfully convictedis bad enough. but tobe sentenced to death, whichthereby limits the time that indigentdefendants with meager resourceshave to clear themselves,makes the situation even worse.To my way of thinking, toimpose a penalty as irreversibleas death, knowing that the criminaljustice system is broken, is tobe willing to execute innocentpeople. Is that moral? n

PAGE 22 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009ongoingthru june 17:• Music And Merriment. Interactivestories and songs for childrenages 1-1/2 to 4. Free. Wednesdays,9:30am; 11am. Crestwood Library,16 Thompson St., Yonkers. Info:914.337.1500 x360.thru August 6:• Citizenship Class. The MamaroneckLibrary, 102 MamaroneckAve., Mamaroneck, will be holding acitizenship class to help participantsprepare for their citizenship exam andinterview. Classes will be held Thursdaysat the CAP Center, 134 CenterAve., Mamaroneck, from 6-8pm. Free.Interested parties are to register eitherat the library or by phone. Sponsoredby Mamaroneck Library & TheFriends of Mamaroneck Library. Info/registration: 914.698.1250 x28.Events for publication in our calendar are free and open to all.Listings must be submitted at least two (2) weeks in advance.Email listings to: editor@westchesterguardian.com, att: John.For info call 914.328.3096.Through Aug. 31• Gallery In Park Art Show.Artist Grace Knowlton is exhibitingsculpture, photos, and mixedmedia inside the gallery on thegrounds at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.Free. Gallery In The Park,Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Rts.35 & 121 South, Cross River. Info:914.864.7317.thurs., may 28• The New Rochelle public librarywill screen the 1969 movieMississippi Mermaid, directed byFrancoise Truffaut and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve.Movie is in French with English subtitles.Free; $2 donation suggested.7pm in the Ossie Davis Theater, OneLibrary Plaza, New Rochelle. Info:914.632.7878 x34.• The 26 th annual Jules BauerAward Show, sponsored by the NewRochelle Art Association, will be featuredin the Lumen Winter Galleryof the New Rochelle Public Librarythrough June 18. The show is open toall exhibiting members of the Association.There will be a $75 cash prizeawarded in Jules Bauer’s name for thebest watercolor and ribbons will alsobe awarded for outstanding entries inall media. Receiving for the exhibitwill be on Saturday, May 31 from10-11:30am. One Library Plaza, NewRochelle. Info: 914.632.7878 x34.sat., may 30• Introduction to Digital Photography.Photographer Sally Delmericowill help participants becomefamiliar with their camera, settingsand functions, as well as basic compositionof a photograph. She willalso provide the basics in digital terminology,how to download picturefiles to a computer and email them,as well as editing tips. No prior experiencenecessary. Participants areencouraged to bring their own camerasto class. Enrollment is limitedso early registration recommended.Free. 11am-1pm in the MeetingRoom, New Rochelle Public Library,One Library Plaza, New Rochelle.Info/registration: 632.7878 x33.• Feng Shui Workshop. LindaBoney, Certified Feng Shui Practitioner,will provide inspiration and“how-to” guidance to get participantsstarted in de-cluttering theirlives. Registration not required.Free. 2pm in the Ossie Davis Theater,New Rochelle Public Library,One Library Plaza, New Rochelle.Info: 914.632.7878 x34.• Coping With Job Loss. A representativefrom Chase will discusscoping with losing your job. The programis open to the public. Free. 10amin the Meeting Room (Mezzaninelevel), Grinton I. Will Library, 1500Central Park Ave., Yonkers. Info/registration:914.337.1500 x317.• Horray FOR Hollywood. Thissalute to Hollywood Movie MusicMagic will be hosted by Kaz Galas.Free. 2pm in the Auditoriumat the Grinton I. Will Library, 1500Central Park Ave., Yonkers. Info:914.337.1500 x315.sun., may 31• The Eastern Music FestivalOpera Company will perform aconcert of opera selections at theNew Rochelle Public Library. Free;$2 donation suggested. 3pm in thelibrary’s Ossie Davis Theater, OneLibrary Plaza, New Rochelle. Info:914.632.7878 x34.wed., june 3• Downtown Music at Grace’sNoonday Getaway Series presentsPyrotechnics For Trumpet. JohnCharles Thomas is joined by pianistBari Mort performing worksby Bernardino Monterde (arrangementby Rafael Mendez), GeorgeEnescu, and Enrique Granados (arrengementby Rafael Mendez). Free.12:10-12:40pm, Grace Church, MamaroneckAve. @ Main St., WhitePlains. Info: 914.949.0384.homework help• Homework Helper. Afterschoolhomework help with a certifiedteacher when Yonkers schoolsare in session. Grades 1-6. Mon.thru Thurs. Free. 4-6pm, Grinton I.

THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009PAGE 23Will Library, 1500 Central Park Ave.,Yonkers. Info: 914.337-1500 x306.• Homework Help. The NewRochelle Public Library offers freehomework help, grades 1-6, Mon.thru Thurs. when school is in session.3:30-5pm. Info: 914.632.7878.• Homework Help. The MamaroneckPublic Library offers TeacherIn The Library, when school is insession, Mon. & Thurs. only. Free.3:30-6pm, 102 Mamaroneck Ave.,Mamaroneck. Info: 914.698.1250.up and comingthurs., june 4• The acclaimed 1992 Icelandicfilm, Children of Nature, will beshown in the Ossie Davis Theater,New Rochelle Public Library, OneLibrary Plaza, New Rochelle. Directedby Friðrik Þór Friðriksson,the film was the Academy AwardAround The Countynomination for Best Foreign LanguageFilm in 1992. Icelandic withEnglish subtitles. Free; $2 donationsuggested. Info: 914.632.7878 x34.Sat., june 6• Classical Indian Dance. SriBharathakamalalaya, the IndianClassical Dance School of PadmabushanKamala Laxman, will presentOm Namashivaya: Vetri Vel!Veera Vel! In celebration of its 28 thanniversary. Free. 1:30-4:30pm inthe Auditorium at the Riverfront Library,One Larkin Center, Yonkers.Info: 914.337.1500 x461.• M and M Productions and theYonkers Public Library present a readingof Holding Pattern, a romanticcomedy about relationships in a library,by William Morton. Free. 2pm in thePincus Auditorium at the Grinton I.Will Library, 1500 Central Park Ave.,Yonkers. Info: 914.337.1500 x315.Croton-on-Hudson: Van Cortlandt Manor - 18th and 19th century estateknown for elegant antique furnishings and gardens. Was home of the Van Cortlandtfamily. Tours, special events and demonstrations. Hrs: 10am-5pm daily(except Tues.), April-Dec. 10am-5pm Sat. & Sun., Jan.-March. Admission. SouthRiverside Ave. (just off Rt. 9). 914.631.8200.Ossining Historical Museum - 19th and 20th century decorative arts, costumesand Indian artifacts, as well as a Victorian dollhouse. The program featurespermanent and rotating exhibits. Hrs: 2-4pm Mon., Wed., Fri. and by app’t.Donation. 196 Croton Ave. 914.941.0001.Peekskill: Peekskill Museum - Clothing from the 18th through 20th century,furnishings, decorative arts, tools and products from local foundries. Hrs:2-4pm Sat., Sun. and holidays, March through Dec. and by app’t. Donation. 124Union Ave. 914.737.6130.Sleepy Hollow: Philipsburg Manor, Upper Mills - Early 18th centuryfarm owned by the Philipse family; includes a fully furnished Dutch-style manorhouse, barn and a restored gristmill, gardens, reception center, gift shop and orientationfilm. Special events throughout the year. 10am-5pm daily April-Dec.;10am-5pm Sat. & Sun., Jan.-March. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear’s Day. Admission. Route 9. 914.631.8200.Tarrytown: Sunnyside - 1835 Romantic/Dutch Colonial Revival-style estateonce occupied by author Washington Irving. Tours, an orientation film,demonstrations, special events, gift shop. 10am–5pm daily, April – Dec.. Admission.West Sunnyside Lane. 914.631.8200.Yonkers: Hudson River Museum - A cultural complex which displayschanging exhibitions from its permanent collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-centuryAmerican art. The Museum combines elements of art, history andscience. The modern wing houses The Red Grooms Gift Shop and the MuseumCafe. Weekly Sun. Family Programs and workshops for families, bi-weekly Seniorsand the Arts programs, tours by appt. and many special events. Hrs: May-Sep.: Wed.-Sun. 12-5pm, Fri. 12-9pm. Admission. 914.963.4550.Free Computer ClassesThe New Rochelle Public Library will be presenting the following freecomputer classes to assist those just learning computer skills or those wishingto upgrade their skills:fri., june 5: Internet for Beginners. Provides the basics for navigatingthe world wide web. An understanding of Windows and keyboard/mouseis required. 10-11:30am. This class will be repeated on tues., june 16 from6-7:30pm.tue., june 9: Internet for Beginners for Spanish-speakers. 6-7:30pmfri., june 12: Intermediate Internet. Provides helpful search tools andsites that go beyong ‘googling’. 10-11:30am.thurs., june 11: Introduction to Blogs. Helps participants set up blogaccounts and learn the basics of online means of communication. 6-7:30pmthurs., june 18: Email Basics. Learn how to set up a free email accountand compose, send and reply to messages. 6-7:30pm.fri., june 26: How To Scan Documents and Upload Photographs.Learn how to scan photos or images, changing resolution and size of photos,selecting file formats and saving images. 10-11:30am.Classes are free and early registration is required. One Library Plaza,New Rochelle. Info/registration: 914.632.7878 x34.

PAGE 24 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009This Week In History: May 28 - June 3By John Leo Tufts, Jr.Babe Ruth RetiresJune 2, 1935 - One of the greatest baseball players in history, Babe Ruth, ended hismajor league career after 22 seasons, 10 World Series, and 714 home runs. Ruth, alarger-than-life figure whose name became synonymous with baseball, was one of fiveplayers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the following year. Born February 6,1895, Ruth attended St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys where he learned to playbaseball. At 19 he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles, then a Baltimore Red Soxminor league team. He made his Major League debut, as a left-handed pitcher, withthe Red Sox in July 1914 and pitched 89 winning games for them before 1920, whenhe was traded to the New York Yankees. Ruth’s position with the Yankees changed tooutfielder, and he led the team to seven American League pennants and four World Series victories. He was a hugestar in New York, and attracted so many fans the team was able to build their new stadium in 1923. In his finalseason, in 1935, he was playing with the Boston Braves. Ruth died on August 16, 1948 of throat cancer.May 281961 – The Appeal For Amnesty1961 campaign was launched with thepublishing of an article, The ForgottenPrisoners by lawyer Peter Benenson inThe London Observer. The campaigncalled for the release of all peopleimprisoned for their peaceful expressionof their beliefs in various parts of theworld. In July delegates from Belgium,Great Britain, France, the United States,Germany, Ireland and Switzerland metto begin a permanent internationalmovement in defense of freedomof opinion and religion which, thefollowing year, became the human rightsorganization, Amnesty International.1754 - In a surprise attack, the firstengagement of the French and IndianWar, the Virginia Militia, under thecommand of 22-year-old LieutenantColonel George Washington, defeateda French reconnaissance party insouthwestern Pennsylvania. Frenchcommander Coulon de Jumonville and10 of his men, from Fort Duquesne, werekilled and 21 others were taken prisoner.The Virginia Militia only lost one man.The French and Indian War was the last,and most important, of colonial conflictsbetween the British and the Americancolonists on one side, and the Frenchand their Native American allies on theother. Although fighting began in 1754,the French and the British did not declarewar on each other until May 1756 andthe outbreak of the Seven Years Warin Europe. In recognition of his victory,Washington was promoted to full coloneland reinforced with several hundredVirginia and North Carolina troops.May 291843 - Recently after returning fromhis first western expedition, John C.Fremont again departed St. Louis for asecond expedition. His first expedition,which lasted five months, took himthrough the South Pass in centralWyoming, and he explored the WindyRiver Mountains. His guide on this tripwas Kit Carson. The second expeditionwould take him to Oregon country.In Colorado the expedition again metup with Carson. In September theyreached the Great Salt Lake in Utah;by November they arrived at FortVancouver, across the Columbia Riverfrom present-day Portland, Oregon. Aftersurveying the Oregon country, he wasordered to return via the Oregon Trail.Fremont decided to instead to head southand cross the Sierra Nevada during thewinter season. Despite near disaster,struggling through deep snow and bittercold, often getting lost, they emergedfrom the mountains, with Carson’s skilland knowledge, and arrived at Sutter’sFort on March 6, 1844. They returnedeast three weeks later, traveling throughthe Wasatch and Uinta Mountains inUtah.1953 - Edmund Hillary of NewZealand and Tenzig Norgay, aNepalese Sherpa, became the firstexplorers to reach the summit ofMount Everest. The two, part of aBritish expedition, reached the 29,035-foot summit at 11:30am. News of theachievement broke on June 2, the sameday of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronationin England. Mount Everest sits on thecrest of the Great Himalayas in Asia onthe border between Nepal and Tibet.Known to the Tibetans as Chomo-Lungma, Mother Goddess of the Land,the mountain was named after SirGeorge Everest, a 19th century Englishsurveyor.May 301431 - Joan of Arc, peasant girlwho became the savior of France, wasburned at the stake for heresy in Rouen,in English-controlled Normandy,France. She was born in 1412, daughterof a farmer, at Domremy between theFrance of the Dauphin and the Anglo-Burgundians. At age 16 she beganhearing voices of three Christian saints– St. Michael, St. Catherine and St.Margaret – who exhorted her to aidthe Dauphin in capturing Reims andthe French throne. After meeting withKing Charles VI he furnished herwith a small army, which took part inan attack on Paris in September 1429,where she was wounded. In May 1430Joan was captured during the siegeof Compiegne. Charged with heresy,she went on trial before ecclesiasticalauthorities and was ordered turnedover to secular authorities andexecuted. She was burned at the stake atthe Place du Vieux-Marche in Rouen.In 1920 the Roman Catholic Churchcanonized her as a Christian saint.1806 - Future president AndrewJackson killed Charles Dickinson ina duel in Logan County, Kentucky.Jackson, a former senator andrepresentative of Tennessee, had calledfor the duel after Dickinson, a lawyer,had slandered Jackson’s wife Rachel asa bigamist in reference to a legal errorin the divorce from her first husband in1791. The two met at Harrison’s Mills onthe Red River. In accordance with duelingcustom, the foes stood 24 feet apart, withpistols pointed downward. At the signal,Dickinson fired first, grazing Jackson’sbreastbone and breaking some of hisribs. Jackson fired back, fatally woundinghis opponent. It was one of severalduels Jackson participated in during hislifetime.1868 - The first major Memorial Dayobservance was held to honor those whodied in defense of their country duringthe late rebellion by proclamation ofGeneral John A. Logan of the GrandArmy of the Republic. During this firstofficial observance, General JamesGarfield made a speech at ArlingtonNational Cemetery, after which some5,000 participants helped to decoratethe graves of more than 20,000 Unionand Confederate soldiers buried in thecemetery. Congress declared the day anational holiday to be celebrated on thelast Monday in May in 1971, honoringthe dead of all America’s wars.May 311775 - Responding to the news ofthe Battles of Lexington and Concord,the first battles of the AmericanRevolution, the committeemen ofMecklenberg County, North Carolina,met and drafted a series of 20 patrioticresolutions which were published in1819 by the Raleigh Register under thename of Mecklenberg Declaration ofIndependence from May 20, 1775. Thesewere an apparently misdated and editedversion of the original resolves whichwere recorded on May 31. The original 20resolutions suspended crown authorityin North Carolina without declaringindependence.1859 - The famous tower clock,Big Ben, rang out over the Houses ofParliament in Westminster, London, forthe first time. Big Ben, weighing morethan 13 tons, sits at the top of the 320-foot tall St. Stephen’s Tower, and wasdesigned by Edmund Beckett Denison,and built by E.J. Dent & Co. Two monthsfollowing Big Ben’s debut, the heavyhammer cracked the bell, and Big Benwas silent until a lighter hammer wasadded three years later. The cracked bell,which was never replaced, was rotated sothe hammer would strike another partof its surface and not cause any furtherdamage.June 11779 - The court martial of BenedictArnold, charged with 13 counts of

misbehavior including misusinggovernment wagons and illegallybuying and selling goods, convened inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. Althoughhis final betrayal was months away,his resentment over this order, and hisperceived mistreatment by the AmericanArmy, pushed him further towardscommitting treason the following year.The court martial, delayed temporarily atits outset by a British attack north of NewYork City, cleared him of most of thecharges. General George Washingtonfurther angered Arnold by issuing areprimand against him. It wasn’t untilAugust 1780 that Sir Henry Clintonoffered Arnold 20,000 British poundsfor delivering West Point and 3,000troops. He informed Washington thatWest Point was adequately preparedfor an attack, though he was makingsure it wasn’t. Arnold’s defection to theBritish was revealed when British officerJohn Andre, acting as a messenger, wasrobbed, and notes were found, one ofwhich revealed Arnold’s agreement withClinton, in one of his boots.1900 - Future president HerbertHoover, working as a mining consultantto the Chinese emperor, and his wife Lou,were living in Tientsin, China, when theBoxer Rebellion, Chinese nationalistsTHE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009rebelled against colonial control of theirnation, began. The rebellion endangeredsome 800 westerners in the city. Hooverled his group in building barricadesaround Tientsin’s residential section forprotection while his wife volunteered inthe local hospital. Later Hoover headedthe American Child Health Associationand, inspired by their experience inChina, were active in helping refugeesand tourists stranded in foreigncountries.1942 - An underground newspaperpublished in Warsaw, the LibertyBrigade, made public for the first timethe gassing of tens of thousands ofJews by the Nazis at the Polish deathcamp Chelmno, seven months afterthe extermination of prisoners began.The article was the story of EmanuelRingelblum, who had escaped the deathcamp after being forced to bury bodies asthey were thrown from the “gas vans” inwhich the prisoners were killed.June 21865 - Confederate GeneralEdmund Kirby Smith, commanderof Confederate Forces west of theMississippi, signed the surrender termsoffered by Union negotiators. With hissurrender the Confederate Army ceasedto exist, and four long years after it began,the American Civil War, which cost atotal of 620,000 Union and Confederatelives, came to a formal end.1924 - President Calvin Coolidgesigned into law the Indian Citizen Act.The Act granted automatic Americancitizenship to Native Americans born inthe United States. It attempted to finalizeIndian assimilation into White culturewhile allowing them to retain some oftheir tribal traditions. While the Actinfers that the granting of citizenshipshall not impair or affect the right ofany Indian to tribal or other property,federal treatment of tribal sovereigntystill remains a troubled and ill-definedsubject.June 31965 - Major Edward H. White IIbecame the first American to walk inspace when he opened the door of theGemini 4 capsule and stepped outside,120 miles above the earth. Attached tothe craft by a 25-foot tether, he controlledhis movements with an oxygen jetpropulsiongun. He stayed outside for 20minutes. Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei A.Leonov preceded him as the first manever to walk in space, on March 18, 1965.1989 - Following the death of HuYaobang, a former Communist PartyPAGE 25member who supported democraticreforms, some 100,000 Chinese studentsgathered at Beijing’s Tiananmen Squareto commemorate him and voice theirdiscontent with China’s authoritativegovernment. Student representativesrequested a meeting with PremierLi Peng, which was refused, and thatled to a general boycott of Chineseuniversities and widespread calls fordemocratic reform. Students from morethan 40 universities, joined by workers,intellectuals and civil servants began theirmarch to Tiananmen Square on April27, ignoring government warnings ofsuppression of any mass demonstration.By mid-May more than a millionpeople filled the square. On May 20the government declared martial lawin Beijing, and tanks and troops werecalled in to disperse the demonstrators.Students and citizens blocked the army’sadvance and, by May 23, the forces hadpulled back to the city’s outskirts. OnJune 3, the troops received orders toseize control of Tiananmen and Beijing’sstreets. Hundreds of people were killedand thousands arrested.• BACHELOR & BACHELORETTE PARTIES• TABLESIDE DANCING• PRIVATE VIP ROOMS• 100S OF TOP FEMALE ENTERTAINERS• NEW YORK’S PREMIER GENTLEMEN’S CABA-

PAGE 26 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009Distress SaleFree computerized printoutof Distress Sales and BankForeclosures. No Cost or Obligation.Free 24hr. Toll Free1.866.297.4134ext 3456CLASSIFIEDFor Rentoffice space for rentPrime Ossining loc - Rt. 9.950 sq. ft. & 500 sq. ft.917.363.4366Investment PropertyUnimprovedMount Vernon - Commercialbldg lot, 9500 sq. ft. Cornerbldg. Apts with stores. Must sell.$875K. Make offer.914.632.1230LEGAL NOTICENotice of formation of 324 Packman Associates,LLC. Articles of Organizationwere filed with the SSNY on 4/17/2009.Office Location: Westchester County.SSNYdesignated as agent of LLC whomprocess against may be served. SSNYshall mail process to LLC at 324 PackmanAvenue, Mt. Vernon, NY 10552.Purpose: Any lawful activity.72 Ogden Place, LLC Articles of Org.filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/32009.Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design.Agent of LLC upon whom process may beserved. SSNY shall mail copy of processto THE LLC C/O Leonard Joseph Bonadies15 Horseshoe Road MT. Kisco, NY10549. Purpose: Any lawful activityThe Westchester GuardianMission StatementThe Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting ofevents and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/or employedin, Westchester County. The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliableinformation without favor or compromise. Our first duty will be to the People’s RightTo Know, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, no matter where the pursuitmay lead, in the finest tradition of Freedom Of The Press.The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all overWestchester County. As a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associatedwith daily journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader, more comprehensive,chronological step-by-step accounting of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate.From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what, when, where, why, and how, thewhy and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, toget past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, toreach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understandingand insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere.To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is not necessarily better. And,furthermore, we will acknowledge that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefullybalance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with featuresand columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We muststay trim and flexible if we are to succeed.LEGAL NOTICEGrand Travel Experience LLCArticles of Org. filed NY Sec.of State (SSNY) 4/10/2009. Officein Westchester Co. SSNYdesign. Agent of LLC uponwhom process may be served.SSNY shall mail copy of processto The LLC 7 Mount HollyDrive Rye, NY 10580. Purpose:Any lawful activity. RegisteredAgent: Gordon Paris 7 MountHolly Drive Rye, NY 10580..At Fidelis Care NY, we know that hiring the best people is important to oursuccess. We are committed to providing access to healthcare for low-income,medically underserved members of all ages. Our continued growth hascreated outstanding opportunities for talented professionals to join our team.‘SALES SUPERVISOR - ROCKLAND COUNTYIn this important managerial position, you will coach Outside Sales Reps to enroll members; meet quality& sales goals; and ensure that compliance standards are met. To qualify, you must possess a BachelorsDegree and 3-5 years supervisory exp in sales in a healthcare environment, a proven track record in asimilar capacity, excellent written and oral communication skills, valid Driver’s License and owntransportation req’d.OUTSIDE SALES REP- ROCKLAND or WESTCHESTERThe dynamic, results-oriented achiever we seek will participate in community events to increase awarenessand sales of our products (Medicaid, CHP &/or FHP); determine eligibility for enrollment and assist withthe completion of enrollment forms. Additionally, you will use your marketing skills to pursue new sites andvenues to increase enrollment.The ideal candidate must possess 1-3 years sales relevant exp, strong customer service skills and somecollege. Outside sales experience is pref’d, valid Driver’s License and own transportation req’d.Bilingual skills are preferred.We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and visioncoverage, 403(b) retirement savings plan, short and long-term disability, educational assistance, generouspaid time off, and more! To apply, please email your resume torecruiting@fideliscare.orgwith cover letter & salary reqs stating which position you are applying for.Come GROWWith Us!We have a weekly readershipin excess of 60,000 and growing.The Westchester Guardian can be found atMORE THAN1,100 locations throughout Westchester.To advertise your goods & services,contact us at 914.576.1481or email us atadvertising @westchesterguardian.comThe Westchester GuardianThe WestchesterGuardian reserves theright to edit, re-classify, rejector cancel any classified ad.The WestchesterGuardian will not acceptany advertising whichwillingly violates Section296 of the Human RightsLaw which makes it illegalto advertise any preference,limitation or discriminationbased upon race, color,creed, national origin, disability,marital status, sex,age, or arrest convictionrecord, or an intention tomake any such preference,limitation or discrimination.

THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009PAGE 27N.Y.S. SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARYMonday, June 8th, 2009, 10:00 am - 3:00 pmSUBJECT:NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGThe Appellate Division First Department Departmental Disciplinary Committee,the grievance committees of the various Judicial Districts and the New YorkState Commission on Judicial ConductPURPOSE: This hearing will review the mission, procedures and level of public satisfaction withthe Appellate Division First Department Departmental Disciplinary Committee, thegrievance committees of the various Judicial Districts as well as the New York StateCommission on Judicial ConductMonday June 8, 2009 10 A.M.Meeting Room 6 Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12247ORAL TESTIMONY BY INVITATION ONLYThe Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is the entity that is legally responsible for enforcing the Rulesof Professional Conduct governing the conduct of attorneys in New York State. The Appellate DivisionDepartments have created grievance committees that are charged with the investigation of complaints againstattorneys. Within the First Judicial Department the Departmental Disciplinary Committee of the AppellateDivision investigates complaints against attorneys. The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct wascreated by the State Constitution and is charged with investigating complaints against Judges and Justices ofthe Unified Court System.According to the 2009 Report of the Commission on Judicial Conduct, there were 1,923 complaints filed in2008. Yet of these complaints only 262 were investigated and of those, 173 were dismissed. This hearing willexamine the processes and procedures that are followed by the various agencies charged with the responsibilityof enforcing the rules and regulations that must be followed by the Judiciary and the Bar in the State of NewYork. It will also evaluate public satisfaction with the disciplinary process.Twenty copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committeeswould appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements. In order to further publicize these hearings, pleaseinform interested parties and organizations of the Committees’ interest in considering testimony from allsources. In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Senate, in accordance with its policyof non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities,accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admissionto Senate facilities and activities.Senator John Sampson, ChairSenate Standing Committee on the JudiciaryPersons wishing to testify may contact Senator Sampson at:District Office: 9114 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11236 Tel: 718.649.7653 Fax: 718.649.7661Albany Office: 409 Legislative Office Bldg., Albany, NY 12247 Tel: 518-455-2788 Fax: 518-426-6806Email: sampson@senate.state.ny.us

PAGE 28 THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009