Neighbor to Neighbor: Focus on enviroment, flu as Obama dominates headlines
By Barbara Morris
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| Courier-Life Publications |
Some changes have come but the statement “lose some, win some” remains the same. Some folks were so sure President Barack Obama would return from Copenhagen assured Chicago would win the Olympics that they were in shock when that did not happen.
Before that news was off the first page, the whole world was apparently shocked to hear our president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — the nomination for which was supposedly made two weeks into his administration. He said he was as surprised as anyone else. He said his daughters put things into perspective when they greeted him the morning of the award announcement by saying when they had heard of the award, the day was their dog’s birthday and, because it was Columbus Day weekend, they would have three days off from school.
Children have a way of seeing things in a simple way: important to themselves. In some ways, maybe we all do that. I, for instance, would have preferred having Congress not pass the cap and trade bill (HR. 2454), but it passed the U.S. House of Representatives. I think it will be too heavy a burden for too many aspects of life. It is my understanding, for example, that home owners will not be able to sell their homes if they do not meet stringent requirements with regard to ENERGY STAR-rated appliances, windows, doors, insulation, etc. Many businesses would have even more of a hardship, which would, no doubt, raise their costs and ours. This has not yet passed the U.S. Senate.
There has also been a proposal to give every newborn in this country $500. Are we not in enough economic trouble? Where do the folks in Washington think all this new money will come from? Talk about encouraging sibling rivalry.
One more possible change in the offing is no more free salt or fresh water fishing. This idea is not totally new. Fresh water permits are now required for a price and during World War II salt water fishing required even a photo ID, including fingerprints, to be carried when fishing even from a rowboat.
Besides all that, there are still health issues facing us front and center. We have all heard of the dangers of the flu. Most of us are at risk because there is little chance of avoiding contact with others. We are constantly reminded to stay home if we feel sick, but some do not do that. Many do not even cover their coughs or sneezes. That is particularly annoying when the offender is within range of you. Please give us a break. Do not even kiss or hug in public. Wash your hands as often as possible. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals and get ample sleep. Hopefully with a little bit of luck, we will all stay as healthy as possible.
That reminds me of an important and crowded meeting held last month. The 105th Precinct Council meeting, as usual, was held the last Wednesday of the month at 8 p.m. at 92-08 222nd St. in Queens Village. If you do not usually attend, please consider doing so because there are still a lot of dangerous things going on.
If you have a problem, a form will be provided for you to fill out so you may, in confidence, pass the information on to the police without divulging all the details to the public. Remember, you never know whether there is someone in attendance who might inadvertently repeat vital information to the wrong person. You want to avoid as much danger as possible, especially since there is no escaping some of it.
A point, in fact, was the recent wind storm that did so much damage. One large Laurelton tree, apparently not diseased, went down, pulling three utility poles and all the attached wires with it. What a dangerous situation and what a mess to clean up. Some folks were without electricity and/or phones. Others had roof damage.
My own roof lost some of its heavy Spanish tiles, which do not come off silently. I was in the kitchen at the time and thought something knocked one of the walls down. I am grateful that was not the case. Let’s all try to stay safe and healthy and please let’s try to keep animals that way too.
Before that news was off the first page, the whole world was apparently shocked to hear our president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — the nomination for which was supposedly made two weeks into his administration. He said he was as surprised as anyone else. He said his daughters put things into perspective when they greeted him the morning of the award announcement by saying when they had heard of the award, the day was their dog’s birthday and, because it was Columbus Day weekend, they would have three days off from school.
Children have a way of seeing things in a simple way: important to themselves. In some ways, maybe we all do that. I, for instance, would have preferred having Congress not pass the cap and trade bill (HR. 2454), but it passed the U.S. House of Representatives. I think it will be too heavy a burden for too many aspects of life. It is my understanding, for example, that home owners will not be able to sell their homes if they do not meet stringent requirements with regard to ENERGY STAR-rated appliances, windows, doors, insulation, etc. Many businesses would have even more of a hardship, which would, no doubt, raise their costs and ours. This has not yet passed the U.S. Senate.
There has also been a proposal to give every newborn in this country $500. Are we not in enough economic trouble? Where do the folks in Washington think all this new money will come from? Talk about encouraging sibling rivalry.
One more possible change in the offing is no more free salt or fresh water fishing. This idea is not totally new. Fresh water permits are now required for a price and during World War II salt water fishing required even a photo ID, including fingerprints, to be carried when fishing even from a rowboat.
Besides all that, there are still health issues facing us front and center. We have all heard of the dangers of the flu. Most of us are at risk because there is little chance of avoiding contact with others. We are constantly reminded to stay home if we feel sick, but some do not do that. Many do not even cover their coughs or sneezes. That is particularly annoying when the offender is within range of you. Please give us a break. Do not even kiss or hug in public. Wash your hands as often as possible. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals and get ample sleep. Hopefully with a little bit of luck, we will all stay as healthy as possible.
That reminds me of an important and crowded meeting held last month. The 105th Precinct Council meeting, as usual, was held the last Wednesday of the month at 8 p.m. at 92-08 222nd St. in Queens Village. If you do not usually attend, please consider doing so because there are still a lot of dangerous things going on.
If you have a problem, a form will be provided for you to fill out so you may, in confidence, pass the information on to the police without divulging all the details to the public. Remember, you never know whether there is someone in attendance who might inadvertently repeat vital information to the wrong person. You want to avoid as much danger as possible, especially since there is no escaping some of it.
A point, in fact, was the recent wind storm that did so much damage. One large Laurelton tree, apparently not diseased, went down, pulling three utility poles and all the attached wires with it. What a dangerous situation and what a mess to clean up. Some folks were without electricity and/or phones. Others had roof damage.
My own roof lost some of its heavy Spanish tiles, which do not come off silently. I was in the kitchen at the time and thought something knocked one of the walls down. I am grateful that was not the case. Let’s all try to stay safe and healthy and please let’s try to keep animals that way too.
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