Village Board Notes - April 16, 2010

The following are trustee reports from the April 6 Floral Park village board meeting.

Phil-osophically Speaking - April 16, 2010

The Age of Bionics

“Steve Austin, astronaut, a man barely alive: Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.”

From the Desk of Senator Craig Johnson - April 9, 2010

Letter to Commissioner David Steiner

Senator Craig M. Johnson, (D-Nassau), wrote the following letter to State Education Commissioner David Steiner in the wake of an April 1 New York Post report concerning State Ed.’s request to purchase high-end office furniture with federal Race to the Top funding, and the agency’s wasteful practice of giving away taxpayer funded furniture. Chairman Klein has agreed to hold a hearing on this issue.

Phil-osophically Speaking - April 9, 2010

The State of American Education

Poor Barry Goldwater— he just couldn’t catch a break. It was 1964 and Goldwater, running for president, was being pilloried for uttering this now famous, or infamous line, depending on one’s point of view: “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” It was a line given to him by Harry V. Jaffa, disciple of Leo Strauss, the influential political philosopher. But as soon as he said it, Goldwater owned it and it dogged him throughout the campaign as his opponents quoted it as proof that the Arizona senator was himself an extremist.

Around the Town: April 2, 2010

Veterans Services

I have great news for the almost 45,000 Hempstead Town veterans who fought to defend our nation’s freedom. The veteran’s booth at Hempstead Town Hall has reopened and is serving more clients than ever.

After being closed this past summer by the governor and the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs, we are pleased to say that thanks to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, veterans, as well as their spouses and children, can again come to our counseling center every Thursday at Hempstead Town Hall, to discuss veteran benefits and other veteran issues.

Phil-osophically Speaking: April 2, 2010

My Infatuation With Spring

Spring is here awakening a world of color and life that shimmers in the light of day. The sights and smells of the freshly born season appear, unhurried at first, but soon suffuse everything around it in an ancient ritual older than history itself.

Among other grand events, it is a sure sign that the American pastime is back. “Baseball made me understand,” mused the author Phillip Roth, “what patriotism is all about.” Roth made this observation, when he and thousands of others simultaneously rose from their seats to listen to the soaring notes of our National Anthem.

Around the Town: March 26, 2010

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

Preparing tax returns can be frustrating and confusing, but we can help. Hempstead Town’s VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program offers free tax assistance to senior citizens.

Phil-osophically Speaking: March 26, 2010

Our Relationship With the Animal Kingdom

My wife, Sonia, and I are animal lovers. Growing up on a farm, Sonia has lived with animals in a richer and more intimate way than most. As Whittaker Chambers movingly noted in the prologue of his great book, Witness, nothing more reflects the struggle for life and the certainty of death then life on a farm. If the local laws governing livestock allowed farm animals in our village, we would surely have had our own little menagerie. My neighbors, I’m certain, are eternally grateful for the existence of such laws.

Letter: ‘Stop the Destruction’ In Centennial Gardens

Floral Park is a great place to live. According to most of us who live here, it is a small, safe community. Unfortunately, situations have occurred that are making it clear that we have to take action to stop the destruction that is going on while most of us are sleeping. Recent events in Centennial Gardens need attention. Early Sunday morning, Feb. 28, after the heavy snowstorm on Feb. 26, Centennial Gardens had numerous footprints along the bridge path, on the stones by the bridge, and across the west basin from the dead end street. The hill near Raff Avenue had no snow left from sledding, and an aluminum post was removed from the fence on the bend by Raff Avenue and Floral Parkway. One week later on Sunday morning, March 7, the doll house in the Children’s Garden was found to be broken into, windows broken, statues stored inside taken out and broken, a picnic table propped on the roof, a chair on the roof, fence spindles on the porch of the house broken, and beer cans were strewn all over the lawn. There were about 10 or more 24 can-size beer cartons all over the lower basin. It was clear that many people had been in the lower basin. There have been past incidents in the gardens that have been reported and sadly, they have escalated. Every time there is a situation, the police are informed. The problem continues.

Phil-osophically Speaking - March 19, 2010

The Elusive Goal of Eternal Youth

The heart of the famous Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon, was wedded to the sea. He sailed with Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas and he was the first Westerner to reach Florida. After finding gold in what is now Puerto Rico, he became intrigued over tales told by the natives of a wonderfully sumptuous island north of Cuba. These legends, interestingly enough, had nothing to do with gold or land. No, these whisperings told of something, perhaps the only thing he ever lusted for more than riches and fame.