Westchester Guardian October 28, 2010 Edition

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

PERMIT #3036WHITE PLAINS NY

Westchester’s Most Influential WeeklyVol. IV NO XLXXV Thursday, October 28, 2010

www.westchesterguardian.com

The Hezitorial: Political Heat Wave By Hezi Aris... Page 2; HalloweenTech; A Fantasy Tale By Gail Farrelly... Page 6; Police Presence in Downtown New Rochelle is “Crucial” By Peggy Godfrey... Page 8; A Tribute to Veterans By Col. Arthur

DeRuve... Page 8; Foodchester: Orfino’s - Fine Gold found in Briacliff Manor By Hezi Aris... Page 12; Monroe College Explore How Hispanics Embrace Social Network Tools By Rob Seitz... Page 12; Taking on Student Stress, the Education System, and

“Teaching to the Test”... Page 14; The Public Service Commission, United Water of New Rochelle, and the Village of Bronxville By May C. Marvin... Page 16; The Revitalization of Larchmont By Bary Alyssa Johnson... Page 17; Nuremberg Indictment Day By Prof. John Q. Barrett... Page 18; 20 Seconds By Nancy King... Page 19; Ed Koch Movie Reviews: “Mao’s Last Dancer” and

“Inside Job”... Page 24; The Sounds of Blue: Santana-Guitar Heaven By Bob Putignano... Page 27; Ed Koch Commentary: Canada Appears More Protective of Its Children By Edward I. Koch... Page 28; Than Is the U.S. New York Civic: A New Low By

Henry J. Stern... Page 29; Weir Only Human: Don’t Tug on Superman’s Cape By Bob Weir... Page 30; Statement By Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins... Coup Attempt to Depose Yonkers Conservative Committee Falters By Hezi Aris... Page 31; Air Force

Association commences Cybersecurity Competition By Bary Alyssa Johnson... Page 33; Republican Candidate for Attorney General Don Donovan; How Does He Measure Up By Jeffrey Deskovic... Page 34’; Legal Notices... Page 36

20 Seconds

Page 2 The WesTchesTer GuardIaN ThursdaY, OcTOber 28, 2010

www.westchesterguard ian .com

Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly

Guardian News Corp. P.O. Box 8

New Rochelle, New York 10801

Sam Zherka , Publisher & President [email protected]

Hezi Aris, Editor-in-Chief & Vice President [email protected]

News & Editorial: (914) 632-2540 Advertising & Photos: (914) 576-1481

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Published online every Monday Print edition distributed Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

Of Significancehezitorial ..................................................................................2

books ........................................................................................6

community ..............................................................................8

country ...................................................................................10

cuisine ....................................................................................12

education ...............................................................................14

Government ...........................................................................16

history ....................................................................................18

Investigations ..........................................................................19

Judges ......................................................................................21

Movie review .........................................................................24

Music ......................................................................................27

Oped ......................................................................................28

Politics .....................................................................................31

Technology .............................................................................33

Truth and Justice ....................................................................34

Legal Notices ..........................................................................36

The HezitorialBy Hezi Aris

Yonkers did not need to await a financial crisis for a rhetorical fog to descend upon the city of hills. We were doing just fine thank you, concealing our underlying economic and social deficiencies. Only until a few weeks ago, city hall was succeeding. Today, cracks in their forced optimism based upon allegedly false financial statements are beginning to show.

When New York state found itself buried under a $9 billion deficit, Yonkers Mayor amicone extolled the city’s unsubstantiated economic strengths and managed to disarm the city their rationality of thought and the yet to be seen, fiscal ledgers to prove otherwise.

The political pessimism about us has short-ened the timeline for everyone, especially that of term-limited Mayor Phil amicone. his plot to step down cannot take place prior to election day, but the walls to his ivory tower are being scaled by the recent First amendment rights he so arro-gantly breached. he is personally liable to pay $8 million dollars for that arrogant maneuver which maligned the united states constitution. In unleashing his anger at The Westchester Guardian Phil amicone as expressed by a recent New York Times editorial advised he had “lost.” he did not contemplate one moment before spending over $1 million in taxpayer money to defend his unconscionable act of directing city workers to steal newspaper distribution boxes from which one could pick-up a copy of the free weekly. he did not comprehend, as many even in the legal profession have yet to comprehend that the living, breathing united states constitution, infused by the decorum of the present political climate, demands Mayor amicone’s culpability because he stepped beyond the parameters permitted even the Mayor of Yonkers. upon reflection, present Yonkers city councilwoman Joan Gronowski, similarly robbed of her rights years ago on similar circumstances was chewed up and spat out in an effort to destroy her political freedoms. It was a different time. The suffering is the same then, as it is now. The difference is Ms Gronowski’s lack of financial prowess then, as opposed to Publisher sam Zherka’s largesse today.

They are both in the right, yet one has born the scars of being dismissed while the other bears the scars by which his victory is proclaimed. In both situations, the silence among our residents, for fear of retribution, should give not one of us solace. Not then, nor now. can we find even a few righteous among us to haul the arrogant mayor from power. upon reflection, the Yonkers charter revision commission would have been better

tackling how to dismiss a wayward, belligerent mayor out of office rather than to submit to his plot to have another arrogant, maniacal, char-acter succeed him; reference is made of appointed Yonkers deputy Mayor William “bill” regan.

Will Yonkersites have become righteous over the recent debacles that plague us, or is the threat of having to indemnify the mayor $8 million in personal loss, which translates to a 6 percent tax increase and even more future debt service be the catalyst to set us on the path toward righteous-ness? While the mayor sweats out his diminishing prospects, the city sits in hope that this problem soon goes away. It will be interesting to witness the vote of those on the Yonkers city council who would dare to indemnify the mayor for the $8 million personal liability.

Mayor amicone’s legacy has produced nothing but promises. There are no recurring revenues; there are only accelerating, accumu-lating debts, and no physical imprint of any kind to connote progress under any definition which exists today, or may be surmised into the future.

The cost of daylighting the Nepperhan river has already been received. Where is the money? Last week, Mayor amicone asked the Yonkers city council to approve a capital Improvement Plan (cIP) budget in excess of $90 million. almost $14 million of that is targeted for the already paid for daylighting project. FacT: Yonkers has received in total $34 million toward the daylighting effort. Will the Yonkers city council be beseeched a third time before the (not) shovel ready project gets underway? The project is a daydream... It is not going anywhere. Instead. the $90 million cIP request is a last ditch effort to take money which upon receipt often evaporates from any fiscal tracking system. It’s like magic. Poof, and it’s gone. One must wonder where.

With approximately 14 months to go before Mayor amicone’s term is officially up, is it prudent to permit his failed administration to administer an additional $90 plus million? I say, “No!” Mayor amicone has proved himself ill-equipped to grapple with the complexity of the fiscal crisis that besets Yonkers and his lack of a “plan” to side-step the illiquid prospects of the sFc Yonkers Project espoused in word but not deed for the downtown redevelopment effort..

The alleged theft of property which has become the focal point about which sFc Yonkers is to be built is deficient in its construction by the failure of not having clear Title to the property. a suit will challenge the city of Yonkers and

Continued on page 4

Political Heat Wave

Page 3The WesTchesTer GuardIaN ThursdaY, OcTOber 28, 2010

Political Heat Wave


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specifically Mayor amicone and Yonkers corporation counsel their deflinquency in acquiring legal Title to the property for which the Yonkers Ida, with Mayor amicone as its chair, induced the Greystone Foundation with $8 million in taxpayer funds to build a parking lot upon land they have no right to do anything. Will New York state be next to file suit against Mayor amicone? It is New York state taxpayer funds that are at issue here.Will Yonkersites have to indemnify the city of Yonkers against the state of New York because of the allegedly illegal conducted forced upon Yonkers by this administration? Is anyone watching? has Inspector General dan schorr caught on yet? If not yet, when will he catch on?

The Father Pat carole Greene development is still a thorn in this writer’s side. When will a lawsuit be brought before the courts to remedy that debacle; another situation that took place under the aegis of Yonkers Mayor amicone. again, a devel-opment project, using taxpayer funds, and allegedly doing less than promised. Who turned a blind eye on that development and why? we will soon find out.

does the Yonkers city council intend to bail out the failed and bankrupt Yonkers Parking authoity whose chair is Yonkers deputy Mayor bill regan within the hidden guise of the cIP bond for over $90 million that once approved will not permit trans-parency as to how and where the funds are disbursed? can our elected officials be trusted to do the right thing? again, I say, “No!”

collectively, they have proven them-selves incompetent, arrogant, brazen, and self-involved. If they were only benevolent, we could and would overlook their short-comings. alas, they are not.

city hall, specifically Phil amicone and bill regan, respectively as Mayor and deputy Mayor of Yonkers, have gone beyond the powers granted them their respective offices. under their watch, the Yonkers Parking authority has been bank-rupted. under their authority the First amendment rights granted by the united states constitution have been trashed. under their watch funds for daylighting the Nepperhan river have yet to be divulged and are allegedly lost, stolen, or morphed beyond original purpose or scrutiny. under their watch the Yonkers Ida has afforded

a developer who does not own Title to property they wish to develop an $8 million inducement to do just that. under their watch, the financial debacle that must be uncovered by the Yonkers Inspector General is suspect. We will give him the time to clear his name with the truth by his findings of the financial books of the board of education and specifically the Yonkers Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund to which $4 million is added to the funded annually. We will watch over his every word. We will prove every falsehood. We have the facts. It is his turn now. We will have the last word. The name of Yonkers Public school superintendent bernard Pierorazio among others will lose much in the telling of the facts.

Yonkers will be fighting in courts for years to come, not because of the telling by the acid-tongued bloggers but rather by the conduct of those who speak in our name yet wield the power we have bestowed them the ability to harm us.

There have been no beneficial effects of their failure. Our educational system is in shambles. retribution is exacted at Mayor amicone’s every whim.

More clever leaders might have kept Yonkers from the troubles to which it contends today. shame on them all for parking such a sorry legacy upon the city of hills.

Yonkers will not easily extract herself from the mess they have created. It would be sweet justice indeed for Mayor amicone to depart Yonkers city hall shamed by his lack of ability, lack of forethought, and penniless to boot. Why? because that is the legacy he has bequeathed Yonkers. Is there anyone who believes he is deserving even the dirt under our collective nails? I don’t.

Personally, I prefer knowing where sassy may be found. I have her $20; and $20 more.

While I search for sassy, ask yourselves why Mayor amicone has been involved in controlling the conservative Party in Yonkers rather than focusing on the needs of Yonkersites. Mayor amicone, in conjunc-tion with county executive rob astorino each languish behind their promises to their respective constituents. When it comes for them to deliver to The People, they each have reacted more slowly to our concerns than a burp after a bad meal.

alka selter, please.

Political Heat Wave


LEGAL EXPERIENCEArbitrator; NYS Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Resolution ProgramCity of Mount Vernon Small Claims Court Arbitrator.Mock Trial Judge, Westchester County Bar Association Outreach ProgramMoot Court Judge, Quinnipiac University School of Law

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCEAttorney at Law Martino & Weiss Mount Vernon, New YorkCounsel to City of Mount Vernon Corporation Counsel, defending Mt. Vernon, its Mayor, employees and the Mount Vernon Police Department in civil rights and negligence actions in State and Federal District Court.Defense of individuals charged with felonies and misdemeanors throughout Westchester, Bronx and New York City counties and on appeal to the Appellate Division, Second Department.Representation of clients in Domestic Relations matters in Supreme and Family Court, including contested divorces, custody/visitation, domestic violence, and support litigation.Assistant District Attorney, Westchester Country District Attorney’s OfficeProsecuted defendants from arrest to sentencing, in County and Local Courts, including Grand Jury presentations, motions, appeal, and Jury and Non-Jurytrials.

PUBLICATIONSQuinipiac University School of Law, Law Review: Globe Newspapers v, Superior Court, Free Press and the Right of Trial Access, Vol 4, page 189

ASSOCIATIONSPace University Women’s Justice Center; representing indigent women in Supreme and Family Court President 1996 – 1998, Mount Vernon Bar AssociationNorth Castle Republican Committee, District Leader 2007 – PresentBoard of Directors, Lion’s Club of Armonk

PUBLICATIONSLaw Review: Globe Newspaper Co. v Superior Court: Fortifying the Right of Trial Access: University of Bridgeport, Vol. 4 Pg. 359.

EDUCATIONQuinnipiac University School of Law, JD, Graduated in top 3%Law Review, 1982 – 1984; Notes and Comments Editor, 1983 – 1984American Jurisprudence Awards in Family Law, Remedies, and Real Estate

BAR ADMISSIONSNew York, Connecticut, and United States District Court, Southern District

“Doug has an impressive legal mind and perspective we need on the County Court. I urge all of my Democrat friends to “cross over” and vote for Doug Martino for Westchester County Court Judge” Ernest D. Davis, Former Mayor of The City of Mount Vernon

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BOOKS

It’s halloween morning. You’re curled up in bed reading your new Kindle.

It’s light as a feather and holds tons of books. ah, the new technology. Isn’t it wonderful?

You get up and head to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice. eek! There is none. Thank good-ness you invested in a “smart” refrigerator, programmed to auto-matically inventory and re-order some basic items. You go to the refriger-ated delivery box right outside your door and open the combination lock. eureka! as promised, the refrigerator Is smart. a half-gallon of juice awaits you, having been delivered by the 24/7 gremlins who accept and obey the commands of your refrigerator. Three cheers for the new technology!

Later in the day you’re out for a jog and stop at a machine to buy a bottle of water. You deposit $1.50, but nothing happens. You wipe the sweat off your sunglasses and read the message flashing on the machine: “Warm weather surcharge in effect, since temperature is above 70 degrees. Please deposit an additional 50 cents.” Yikes! a smart refrigerator in your home is one thing. but a smart drink machine in the park? a machine that takes advantage of high temperatures and exhausted joggers? Forget about it. You have no more change and return home thirsty. What has tech-nology wrought?

at dinnertime, you push the “scan and suggest” button on your refrigerator. Within a minute you receive a printout providing three Martha stewart recipes based on the inventory of the fresh food contents of your refrigerator. Let’s see, you could whip up chicken in wine sauce, spinach lasagna, or a broccoli and cheese omelet. You consider each one in turn and picture all the pots and pans involved. You give a thumbs down to all three. You

do have a smart dishwasher, but it’s not smart enough to do the entire clean up on its own, and Martha

won’t be stopping by to help. she’s done the before-the-meal work, but afterwards you’ll be

on your own. Time for Plan b. You stick your head in the freezer and do a manual scan. You find a

frozen pizza and put it in the oven. Who needs the new technology?

You finish your pizza and then pick up the mail. bad news. Your car rental company, doing nationwide monitoring from its office in snoopville, has caught you going more than ten miles above the speed limit

on three separate occa-sions. uh oh. big brother is

watching. You didn’t know that the company had the technology

and the nerve to do that. a “fine” of $150 has been charged to your credit card. Is this legal? but talk about a dilemma. how can you ask a law enforcement official whether it’s legal for someone to “catch” you speeding? boy, you hate this new technology.

Then the doorbell rings. You open the door to a cast of usual suspects. a witch, a ghost, a ballet dancer, a king, a pirate, a princess, a Miss Piggy, and a Kermit form a chorus: “Trick or Treat.” Their eyes light up when you hand over candy corn and dollar bills. You wish each other happy halloween.

You close the door and smile. hmm. Maybe this brave new world isn’t so bad after all. Or so new.

Gail Farrelly (www.FarrellySistersOnline.com) writes mystery novels and short stories as well as Op-Eds. She also publishes satire pieces (Gail Farrelly’s satire and parody stories) on TheSpoof.com, a British website. Her latest mystery novel is Creamed at Commencement: A Graduation Mystery. The first chapter is available on her website. Gail is working on a fourth mystery, The Virtual Heiress.

HalloweenTech: A Fantasy Tale By Gail Farrelly


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Jim Killoran, executive director of habitat for humanity, has been meeting with the soNo New

rochelle business group and has collected over l,000 signatures on petitions requesting a police station, and walking police in down-town. however, the New rochelle city council continues to consider large scale

developments for this same downtown area. (Killoran’s petition drive was initiated as a response to a recent murder in that area.)

On October 12 Killoran had another meeting with the soNo New rochelle group of businesses, he stated the “last thing he wants is for anyone to get hurt,” and said he wanted to work with the three colleges in the city. Lou cohen, of I.b. cohen, poignantly added, “If it wasn’t for Jim, we would have had many more killed,” referring to a group of 80 or 90 youth that came from New rochelle high school down Main street, and “not one” police officer saw them.

Forty years ago city hall and the Police station was in the downtown, but “how many times do you see them now? “Killoran continued. Mentioning two public housing projects, he emphasized, “some of the greatest people in the future will come out of hartley and bracey.” If there are a few that need attention, then “watch them.” People don’t come downtown because they are fearful. he said he was going to address city council that evening, then suggested that the Mayor and city council should donate their salaries to this cause.

among those attending the meeting was ron simoncimi, executive director of security for Monroe college, who felt “policing is an urban problem all around the country.” The rev. ray Mott of Family christian center on Main street stated police presence including a visible squad car in downtown was “critical,”

Meanwhile the New rochelle city council at their two October meetings

have continued to allow developers to propose more dense projects for downtown. On October 12 according to the city’s development commissioner, Michael Freimuth, the albanese Organization was selected from four applicants to present a potential “Main street core” project with commercial and a significant number of housing units for the church-division garage area, at the next council meeting on October 19 another developer, 17 Locust avenue LLc (for an apartment project), proposed that their building would replace a parking lot on Locust avenue pres-ently used by Monroe college. They are requesting a zoning change which would allow a far greater density than is pres-ently allowed. council members did raise objections. For example, councilman barry Fertel wanted an environmental impact statement prepared, but the developer said it was “time consuming” and he did want to do it. density, parking and the limited street access to this site were brought up as well as the Ida tax abatements sought.

Will city council members explain to the 1,000 or more residents of New rochelle that signed petitions, and many others that did not have the opportunity to sign the petitions, how they will supply adequate city services in the downtown in the future should these developments be approved? shouldn’t a safe and vibrant downtown be a high priority?

Peggy Godfrey is a freelance writer, a commu-nity activist, and former educator.

Police Presence in Downtown New Rochelle is “Critical” By Peggy Godfrey

COUNTRY

It is appropriate that in November (the month which includes the legally designated Veterans day

holiday) we pay special tribute to the veterans of the united states of america.

We so honor our veterans because in so doing we are honoring more than just warriors or gladiators or war heroes although, certainly, some may be one or all of these. remember, every nation in the

Continued on page 10

A Tribute to VeteransBy Colonel Arthur DeRuve (Retired) USAR


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ECKERSTATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

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• Also endorsed and supported by: The Yonkers PBA, The Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO of Westchester/Putnam and the Central Hudson, NYS Supreme Court Officers Association, Westchester Hispanic Law Enforcement Association, Westchester County Affiliation of Police Assocations, Yonkers Federation of Teachers, Black Democrats of Westchester County, and Hispanic Democrats of Westchester County.

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world has its warriors and its war heroes; even those with totalitarian governments. In history, the worst dictators have hung medals on the chests of their war heroes.

however, here in the united states of america when we honor our veterans, we

are honoring much more than that. We are honoring those individuals who have main-tained, preserved and protected the greatest, freest nation in the world; the greatest freest nation in the history of the world. We must recall that until some 240 years ago not only was there no united states of america, there was no country in the world like

the united states of america. There were no democracies. There were no republics. There were monarchies and dictatorships. There were emperors, czars and kings; and, when a king died, because presumably he ruled by divine right, his son became king. his son became king even if he was a lunatic son; and, in a number of cases that was the situation.

It was our very first veterans, the veterans of the War of Independence, along with our Founding Fathers, who brought to fruition what was until then only a dream in the hearts & minds of the world’s greatest thinkers. It was the idea that people could govern themselves. such a concept was not widely accepted at the time, particularly among those in power around the world.

It was our veterans who gave the great experiment an opportunity to live: that people could govern themselves, rule them selves, make their own laws, and elect their own representatives. Yet, in the first century of this nation’s life it was challenged many times. Many people thought that this form of government could not survive. It was felt that where people rule themselves there would be anarchy & chaos. so, in that first hundred years we were tested by, among other events, in the War of 1812; in conflicts along the Mexican border & our northern border; in sea battles on the Great Lakes; frontier battles; and, of course, by our own tragic civil War. but on every occa-sion, in every era, in every location, veterans had protected, preserved and defended that experiment; that dream; that hope for the future. as a consequence people began to come from all over the world, all parts of the globe, to share in that hope for the future; for themselves, for their children and for their children’s children.

at the end of that first century, in appreciation for what this greatest, freest nation on the planet represented, the French government gave us a present - a hundredth birthday/anniversary present in the form of the statue of Liberty. It was the world’s way of saying thank you to this the freest, greatest nation in the world for what hope it held for the future of all humanity. and in the base of that monument are engraved the words of emma Lazarus - the words that expressed what we felt and what we were offering to the rest of the world in the next century to come: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. send these the homeless tempest tossed to me, the wretched refuse of your teaming shore. I lift my lamp beside the golden door”. This great country was

announcing to the world that for the second century the door was still open, the lamp of liberty was still lit and it was available to all those who wanted to come and share in that continuing experiment & dream, who wanted to share in that hope in the future or for the future for themselves, their children and their children’s children.

In the second century they came no longer by the hundreds and the thousands as they did in the first century. They came in waves from every continent, every point on the globe, by the millions and tens of millions. There are few of us reading this publication who are not either a member of one of those waves or the descendents of somebody who was in one of those waves. however, that second century too was fraught with danger. This great experi-ment, this great dream, that people can rule, continue to rule,and govern themselves, and make their own laws, and elect their own officials was challenged many time.

before the turn of the 20th century, after the explosion of the battleship Maine, we fought in cuba and in the Philippines. after the turn of the century we fought the war to end all wars which, of course, it didn’t. Within twenty five years we were fighting the greater war in which over 50 million lives were lost. We then defended this great dream in Korea, in Vietnam, and in the cold War between and after the hot wars. It was our veterans on each and every one of these occasions, on every point of the globe, who maintained this great experiment in self government - who kept the dream alive - who kept the hope of the future alive - for all those who wanted it for their children and their children’s children.

In this third century, as new waves of immigrants come to share in our great-ness, the dream continues. The hope for the future continues despite perhaps the most threatening danger in history to our way of life which now faces us in the form of Islamofacism; sharia Law in the form of a Fascistic Theocracy.

Our veterans, throughout history, from the War of Independence, through our tragic civil War, through the great World Wars to our current War against Global Terrorism share a thread of dedication which announces: “Where I stand, so stands the american Flag; and, where stands the american Flag so stands a haven of freedom for those who seek its protection.”

and so, we say to all our veterans; a grateful nation, and grateful freedom loving people all over the world say “Thank You” and we salute you!!

COUNTRY

A Tribute to Veterans R

E-ELECT


RE-ELECT

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CUISINE

The winds were blowing. The leaves were rustling. The sun was fading. The last glint of gold was being reflected off the rustic accouterments adorning Orfino’s facade. The ornate curtain that ran about the large glass windows uncan-nily focused attention onto the patrons enjoying their repast. My guest and I entered Orfino’s. We were both bedazzled by the fine art picture ablaze with bright reds, yellows, and blues depicting a quaint village scene immersed among a bevy of pumpkins and corn sitting upon a bed of straw. balancing the color scheme were the subdued orange and yellow flourishes that washed the walls, reverentially inter-spersed with more fine art oil paintings. Linda Orfino welcomed us, asked if we had reservations, and accompanied us to out table. The mood was set. chef and owner Michael Orfino stopped by to say, “hello.”

Michael’s creative passions are recog-nized and inspired by many elements. The recipes of his grandmother and mother harken to their days in bari, Italy. Today, head chef douglas Tucci, along with Michael, Michael’s wife Linda, and adult daughter Lina, infuse an amalga-mation of various inspirational cues to Orfino’s that combines Italian tastes with american inspiration. Orfino’s kitchen is like a dictionary of tastes and traditions that delight the palate and comfort the soul. This is home.

The white linen table setting held an inviting plate of rustic bread, sliced perfectly for dipping into a plate of a variety of olives that were set in a pool of

translucent virgin olive oil. sublime.With only one driver, a bottle of

sanPellegrino® sparkling water held the wine selection at bay

a fresh green salad began the evening’s delight.

The first Primi was the shrimp & roasted corn appetizer of ocean fresh shrimp sauteed and served upon a bed of roasted corn bruschetta. OK. I was smitten.

The second Primi conjured the approach of halloween and Thanksgiving. allowing the Fried Pumpkin ravioli to cool slightly on my plate brought out its light, nuanced flavor which was so well complemented with an apple butter dip. I was in “foodie” heaven.

My palate was dancing upon tasting the Veal saltimbocca, which was thinly pounded with prosciutto and sauteed with fresh sage, butter, and white wine. This dish was exemplary. chef Michael Orfino knew how to coax every echelon of complexity out of this dish by being easy on the salt content. “Prima!” The Veal saltimbocca passed steve’s Italian heritage test with flying tricolors. steve ordered pasta served al dente laced with a delicious tomato garlic sauce.

I went the safe route, a chicken and apples dish consisting of chicken breast sauteed with sliced Granny smith apples, shallots, and cider. an american tradition ratcheted up a notch by chef Michael Orfino. I ordered the sweet potato mash. exquisite, subtle, and wow.

each dish was more tantalizing than the next. The food became central to the conversation. who could imagine that the trials and tribulation of the daily grind, no matter how exciting and satisfying, could be consumed by Orfino’s varied repasts.

I ordered a frothy cappuccino and a slice of Italian cheesecake. It was the best I have ever tasted.. I was in Venice, Milan, and rome; but not to Taronto or bari. alitalia will have to wait. My “Italy” is found in briarcliff Manor, New York. Little Italy, in downtown New York, and Little Italy, in The bronx must be jealous of chef Michael Orfino. Make your reservations and find out why.

My companion ordered a cannolo (cannoli is the plural of cannolo). I never cared for this Italian dessert before, but at first bite at Orfino’s, I bacame a cannolo

maven.. The filling was light, fresh, and mouth watering. The cylindical crust casing likewise fresh and complementary. bravo.

For a look and description of many other delicious offerings, check the website at www.orfinosrestaurant.com.

chef Michael Orfino’s passion, is replete with twenty-seven years of telling his family story with food. You can taste the delight in his living life with your palate. The oil paintings are an under-stated hint of his joie de vivre.

My driver summarized the experience at Orfino’s with brevity albeit succinctly, “The food, ambience and family-friendly dining was classic. a great spot in Westchester to dine with ample parking and a nice setting.”

Wednesday night is now Family Night as the Orfino’s serve Family style meals which feed 4 for only $22.00, including salad!

Orfino’s lunch menu includes daily specials starting at $8.95 all of their menu choices are available for take out at lunch or dinner. Orfinos also specializes in off or on premise catering!

all major credit cards are now accepted and gift certificates are available.

Mon - Tues 11aM - 3PMWed - Fri 11aM - 10PMsat 8:30aM - 10PMOrfino’s—1201 Pleasantville road,

briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 (914) 941-7353

Foodchester

Orfino’s—Fine Gold Found in Briarcliff ManorBy Hezi Aris

EDUCATION

The hispanic community is as plugged-in to using social media tools as

any other population group. The hispanic community is a victim

of the digital divide and often lacks access to the tools necessary to become

tech-savvy.The hispanic community is smart in

how it spends its mobile communications dollars. a $50 phone card allows migrant

workers to keep in touch back home through texting, Facebook, the Internet, sKYPe and other social media.

The older hispanic community has

Monroe College Panel Explores How Hispanics Embrace Social Media Tools By Rob Seitz


RE-ELECTJudgE Thomas R. daLy

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Vote: Tuesday, November 2

Experience CountsJudge Daly is endorsed by: AFL-CIO Central Labor Body, The

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YONKERS CITY COURT

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not embraced social media skills. It’s like learning a foreign language to them.

What do you get when you put together an el salvadorean, Peruvian, Puerto rican, Nicaraguan, and “Yorician” on the same panel to discuss trends in social media amongst white collar profes-sionals in the hispanic community?

No, this is not the start of a politically incorrect ethnic joke. On the contrary. The discussion was quite serious when the King Graduate school at Monroe college (www.Monroecollege.edu) in New rochelle invited members of the National society of hispanic Mbas (NshMba) to present to graduate and undergraduate students on trends in social media within the hispanic community.

“Monroe college has always been an early adapter of technology. because of the entrepreneurial, real-business-world orientation of our King Graduate school we regularly invite to our campuses in New rochelle and The bronx in-the-know business professionals with different marketplace perspectives and experiences,” explained Marina dadashev, dean of Monroe’s graduate programs in business administration and criminal Justice. “We also have a very ‘global’ enrollment at Monroe and so we want to expose our students to as many international and culturally different ways of conducting business, as possible. This panel underscored the diversity found in a single demographic group which can have as much in common as it has its differ-ences,” dadashev noted.

reina Valenzuela is the ceO and founder of starfish Global (www.starfishGlobal.com), a business advi-sory and management consulting firm for entrepreneurs based in New Jersey. “I immersed myself in social media because I especially saw opportunities within the older, Latino community. There is a digital divide that’s not only

defined by limited access to technology, but also a lack of computer training and limited english language skills. Learning computer literacy is like learning a foreign language. That’s why I blog in spanish I want all Latinos to know that social media resources are available to them.”

There is also a generational divide that Valenzuela has experienced on a personal level. she recently helped orga-nize a reunion with family members scattered across the united states, in her native el salvador, and in other coun-tries. “The teen and young adult family members responded to the reunion plans through Facebook. My siblings and cousins relied on e-mails and cell phone calls. but to keep my 79-year-old mom in the loop, I still had to rely on landline communications!”

For Mauricio Godoy, the evolution of social media resulted in a new career opportunity with his employer, IbM.

“about two years ago I assumed the position as a social media expert within a software

group analyst relations team,” explained Godoy, whose Latino roots are in both Nicaragua and el salvador. “I wanted to explore how we could use social media to connect with my colleagues all over the world. at IbM, we believe that social media is key in relationship building, as well as a tool for receiving and providing information content.”

Godoy’s Facebook.com/LatinosatIbM group started with four people out of his Westchester county headquarters. Within two years it has grown to approximately 500 active techies, including IbMers, non-IbMers, Latinos and non-Latinos around the world. It shares information about new social media trends. “however,” said Godoy, “the challenge is not just in knowing that these technologies exist, but getting people to embrace them. social media is

no longer something for the ‘geeky’; it’s something for everyone. and the more you use it, the more you increase your image as a trustworthy source of informa-tion in a timeliness that was previously unavailable.”

according to Manny Velásquez-Paredes, a New York-based marketing and social media consultant, “Most of the hispanics who I have encountered may not really understand the concept of social media and yet, they use it on a daily basis. They are far from home and so the Internet is the cheapest way for them to communicate with family members back home. They are the largest community of early adapters.”

Velásquez-Paredes, executive vice president of the New York city chapter of NshMba, was an early adapter, begin-ning with various “messenger” services and chat rooms developed by aOL in the 1980s. Fast-forward a generation and he is now introducing clients to the marketing potential of Foursquare, a technology application that allows users to “plot” the whereabouts of people on their contact list in real-time. “One client, a ‘youngish’ doctor totally gets it and its marketing potential. The other, a market researcher who is older, feels he doesn’t have the dedicated time needed to make social media tools work,” said Velásquez-Paredes.

Louis Pagan, owns his own busi-ness, LaT3G Meda (Lat3gmedia.com) and is a social media consultant based in Yonkers. he says he has used social media “to leverage the hispanic voice in executive-level jobs, multi-media and entertainment, and to level the competition.

“I use social media to bring down the walls and launch Latinos upward though those hard-to-reach places – the glass ceiling – to get their voices heard,” said Pagan, an american-born native New

Yorker. because he is not entirely fluent in spanish, he Tweets and blogs in english. This has not been a barrier for him within the Latino community, his observation being that in both their day-to-day lives and in the social media arena.

For several years Pagan wrote LatinoPundit.com, a blog that addressed issues unique to the Latino community as well as topics not defined by ethnicity and which gained him a national following. he has since-suspended the blog because “the niche got filled” by other Latinos. he’s now focusing on multiple social media tools, including Twitter, where he has over 7,300 followers. he’s aggressively pursuing social media with many projects on his plate.

“What these social media pioneers have accomplished is important to our students. Monroe’s Mba students are required to develop a business plan as part of their graduation requirement. This is a significant undertaking that is tracked by their professors throughout their Mba studies. as a result, many of our gradu-ates go on to start their own businesses,” explained dadashev of Monroe college. “The trailblazing activity of these and other guest speakers is often just the motivation that one of our students needs to create the next Facebook, Twitter, or iPhone!”

For more information about Monroe college’s King Graduate school contact 1-800-55-MONrOe.

Rob Seitz (www.robseitz.com) is a senior-level communications consultant based in Mamaroneck. He is Vice President of the Fairfield County PR Assn. and an adjunct professor at various colleges. He specializes in Social Media, higher education, special events, real estate and economic development. He is also a NYS licensed real estate agent with Goldschmidt & Associates. He can be reached at 914-393-6144 or [email protected]

EDUCATION

Monroe College Panel Explores How Hispanics Embrace Social Media Tools

chestnut ridge, NY -- Green Meadow Waldorf school is opening up dialogue about a nation of overstressed teens on Tuesday, October 26, with a screening of “race to Nowhere.” The screening will be held at Green Meadow

Waldorf school, 307 hungry hollow rd., chestnut ridge, NY, at 7:00 p.m. The cost is $10 in advance / $15 at the door.

The 85-minute documentary, which shows across the country on Tuesday,

spotlights the pressures faced by u.s. schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illu-sion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform.

From stress-related illnesses and

depression to chronic cheating and burnout, the documentary chronicles the heartbreaking tales of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are exhausted and


Taking on Student Stress, the Education System, and “Teaching to the Test” Innovative Nursery-to-Grade-12 School Opens up Discussion with the Screening of “Race to Nowhere”


Jeff Klein: Fighting for Westchester Families

Paid for by New Yorkers for Klein

VOTE NOVEMBER 2 www.JeffKleinNY.com

State Senator Jeff Klein knows that in these tough times, every dollar counts. That’s why he has been an independent leader, working across party lines to make our community the priority in Albany.

Senator Klein has:

from foreclosure



worried that students aren’t developing skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids.

“This is a silent epidemic in our nation’s schools. Overstressed kids are heading off to college or the work-place unprepared and uninspired,” said Ivy Greenstein, the school’s director of Outreach. “We all want our children to grow up happy, healthy and well-educated. as a nation, we’re failing to do just that.”

“We decided to host this screening at Green Meadow because it is important to our school community and sheds light on educational and societal issues we all face,” Greenstein noted.

Nearly 350 students from 13 coun-ties and almost 90 towns attend the

independent school. Located about 20 miles north of New York city, Green

Meadow serves students from nursery school through grade 12.

Waldorf education is the fastest-growing independent school movement worldwide, with 300 schools in the u.s. and nearly 1,000 around the world. The curriculum is based on the philosophy of rudolf steiner, who founded the first Waldorf school in Germany in 1919. Green Meadow offers developmentally based, challenging academic course-work infused with the arts. students are exposed to diverse disciplines and can choose traditional classes such as modern languages and sciences while also learning practical arts, such as knitting, black-smithing, and woodworking. The school also limits the use of technology and media for younger students, which is now understood by researchers as essential to

the developing brain. Green Meadow graduates go on to

top colleges, and the school prides itself on its multicultural community; students come from a wide range of socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.

For more information contact Ivy Greenstein, Director of Outreach, by directing email correspondence to [email protected], or telephone 845-356-2514, extension 330.

Green Meadow School and Waldorf Education was founded in Germany in 1919 by Dr. Rudolf Steiner. Green Meadow is an accredited member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), a voluntary association of more than 140 independent schools in the state of New York.

Taking on Student Stress, the Education System, and “Teaching to the Test”

EDUCATION

It is with great disappointment and frustration that I announce that the Public service commission saw fit to give our water company, united

Water of New rochelle, a 34% increase in water rates over the next four years. To put in context, the average yearly water bill today is $756. In 2014, the same bill will top $1,017. The Public service commission, whose members are appointed by the Governor, is charged with the duty of protecting the interests of citizens when going up against monopolistic utilities. In my view, they have utterly failed us as rate-payers and demonstrated no sensitivity to current economic conditions.

The Public service commission disregarded the joint concerns of nine municipalities and over 30,000 resi-dents. Incredibly, in the Public service commission’s approved settlement is a provision allowing for a stunning 10% rate of return for investors in the Paris based suez corporation, the parent company of united Water of New rochelle.

I will be meeting with my fellow elected officials in the nine community consortium as well as our counsel to see what options are left. I can tell you we

MAYOR MARVIN COLUMN GOVERNMENT

The Public Service Commission, United Water of New Rochelle, and the Village of BronxvilleBy Mary C. Marvin

fought this rate hike aggressively, with every elected official in the consortium personally testifying before the Public service commission. sadly, I think the Public service commission is another albany institution badly in need of reform. The Psc also refused to consider the consortium’s request to allot whatever rate increases they ratified on the usage bill and not on the hydrant maintenance charge. Instead, the Public service commission also raised the cost of our hydrant main-tenance fees currently one of the most expensive fee structures in the nation, by 70% costing the Village and the tax payer an additional $62,826, in future budgets. hydrant maintenance fees are charged directly to municipalities and thus only paid by property taxpayers. as a result, all non-profits including schools, hospitals and churches who receive fire protection benefits from these hydrants share nothing toward the costs of providing such service.

The one bright spot in the Public service commission’s ruling was the requirement that united Water prepare a status report on hydrant maintenance by March 31, 2011. Presently, we are not at all confident that our Village hydrants are maintained properly. We have asked for many years for maintenance records to no avail. In sum, this ruling put the needs of a

monopoly above the interest of the citizens they are charged to protect with complete disregard for the current economic climate.

I continue to research the entire pension issue in light of the escalating payments our Village is required to contribute. This problem is not unique to New York, rather it is a nationwide phenomenon that is affecting every taxpayer. For example, in california, the state’s public employee pension obligations have increased by 2000% while state revenues have increased by 24%. as a result, california has siphoned off $3 billion from other state programs to meet pension obligations. as a result, the credit spreads on california bonds are higher than those of Mexico, Indonesia and the Philippines. Thankfully, New York state does not allow this “rob Peter to pay Paul” scenario. Nationwide it is estimated that pension systems are underfunded by an amount topping $2 trillion and this does not even include retired healthcare benefits estimated to be underfunded by at least $530 billion. as an example from neighboring New Jersey, a 49 year old retiree paid a total of $124,000 toward his pension and benefits over the course of his career. The state now owes him $3.3 million in pension payments and an additional $500,000 in health benefits. This one example starkly illustrates why we are talking about trillions in national retirement obligations.

The experiences in connecticut present another example of promises made to state employees and teachers that are unsustainable. as of 2010, connecticut’s pension debt equates to almost $18,000 for every man, woman and child living in the state, translating into one of the highest debt ratios in the country. connecticut’s current post-employment benefits obli-gation now exceeds the state’s annual operating budget. In an effort to stem the costs, the city of West hartford is currently negotiating with its teachers’ union to offer 401(k) type contribution retirement plans mimicking the private sector.

The solution is not in sight. even if pension benefit reductions are put in place today, it is almost impossible to have the savings apply to current employees because in New York, as is the case in most states, pensions are constitutionally protected obligations. however, given the gigantic underfunding of these obligations, it is now not unthinkable that a municipality could go bankrupt, possibly putting every obligation, including pensions, in jeopardy.

NOTE: Much of the statistical informa-tion was culled from “Collision Course” by Paul Ingrassia.

Mary C. Marvin is the Mayor of the Village of Bronxville.


Larchmont, a part of uber-wealthy Westchester county, NY has been hit hard by recent economic woes, but is fighting

its way back to the idyllic village it once was.

Larchmont hit the proverbial rock bottom last year, with several landmark stores closing up shop due to high rent and a financial deficiency. Growing up in Larchmont, I’ve watched its collapse every step of the way. cornerstone shops like the Larchmont store and active

sports, both of which were in business for decades, were among the first to close their doors forever.

We’ve also lost high-end boutique Plaza Too, a small but personal forma-ggio, baskin robbins ice cream shop, and sweet & Nutty, a legendary candy store with unbelievable customer service. The owner of the shop memorized the name and favorite candy of every child who walked in her door and watched them grow from children to young adults, still addressing them by first name decades after their first visit to her candy shop. she lamented that sweet & Nutty was her joy in life but she was forced to shut down when rent prices went up. These are only a few of Larchmont’s proprietors

who have died at the unmerciful hands of a troubled national economy.

however, the Village has finally begun its ascent back to the top, to its former hay day, according to Larchmont Mayor Joshua Mandell.

“I think that Larchmont, like many small economies, has gone through a significantly rough patch with this economy,” Mayor Mandell told the Westchester Guardian in an interview. “I’m comfortable saying now that the store closures are last year’s story. What we’re finding now is that we’re opening more stores than we’re closing.”

among the most recently opened businesses, Larchmont residents have a variety of options. burn Fitness, a personal training studio has opened up on the boston Post road. red Mango, an exclusive franchise of high end yogurt opened on Palmer avenue and right beside that, recologie has re-opened its doors at a new location in order to offer goods and apparel manufactured by recy-cled products.

“Lastly, we opened east coast surf, skate and snow, which is one of the few areas in this place where you can find high quality gear for those activities,” Mayor Mandell said.


The Revitalization of LarchmontBy Bary Alyssa Johnson

GOVERNMENT


GOVERNMENT


Looking toward the future, plans are in the works to open up a high-end wine lounge on boston Post road, which will be named 1891 Wine Lounge. The name 1891 was decided upon because that was the year in which Larchmont was founded. Many additional openings are anticipated.

The mayor says that the Village of Larchmont is working hard to become an attractive destination for people looking to open new stores. To achieve this, a plan called Palmer avenue streetscape Project

has been put into the works. The Project is an effort on the part of the Village to re-do the Palmer avenue business district so that it’s more friendly for pedestrian access. such efforts will include new sidewalks and pedestrian lighting.

“We’re hoping to do [that project] in the spring of next year,” Mayor Mandell said. “We have a grant from New York state for $680,000.00 and we’ll use Village funds to supplement that. Target comple-tion is for the end of next year.”

Larchmont is making big strides,

particularly with the smaller entrepre-neurial ventures, however the process of opening these smaller stores is that it’s hard for the owners to come up with the funding. It’s also a lengthy process to get all of the details in place in order to open its doors.

according to the Mayor, there was a loading of the spring in Larchmont and a certain number of people had plans to open businesses. They had to go through months of process, but now it’s all coming to fruition.

“I think that at the trough we were in a difficult spot, but our turnaround has been remarkable over the last six months,” Mayor Mandell said. “Larchmont is like many municipalities; competing for a finite set of individuals prepared to take entre-preneurial risk and we have to do our best to make this Village an attractive place for these people to open their businesses.”

Local resident Bary Alyssa Johnson covers the Larchmont and Mamaroneck beat, as well as the evolving world of electronics and technology.

The Revitalization of Larchmont

HISTORY

sixty-five years ago the International Military Tribunal (IMT) held its first public session. It met in berlin, its official seat, in the Grand conference room of

the allied control authority building. The session lasted about one hour.

The IMT was comprised, on that day and throughout its work over the next ten-plus months, of eight judges. Major General I.T. Nikitchenko of the soviet union served that day as IMT President. his colleagues were Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence of the united Kingdom, Mr. Francis biddle of the united states, and Monsieur Professor donnedieu de Vabres of the French republic. also present were the alternate members of the Tribunal: Lieutenant colonel a.F. Volchkov of the ussr, Mr. Justice Norman birkett of the uK, Judge John J. Parker of the us, and M. Le conseiller robert Falco of France.

after General Nikitchenko declared the session open, the british chief pros-ecutor, his Majesty’s attorney-General sir hartley shawcross, announced that the chief prosecutors had agreed on an indictment. he then called on each of his counterparts, the soviet chief Prosecutor General r.a. rudenko, the French chief Prosecutor M. François de Menthon, and united states representative Francis M. shea, to speak. each made a brief

statement, which then was translated orally into the other languages, and each presented a copy of the indictment printed in his own language to the IMT.

General Nikitchenko then announced that an Indictment had been lodged with the Tribunal setting out charges against twenty-four persons: hermann Wilhelm Göring, rudolf hess, Joachim von ribbentrop, robert Ley, Wilhelm Keitel, et al. Nikitchenko announced that German language copies of the IMT charter, the Indictment and accompa-nying documents would be served upon these defendants immediately, that they would be informed of their rights to defend themselves or to select defense counsel, that they would receive rules of procedure for production of witnesses and documents for “a fair trial with a full opportunity to present their defense,” that trial would commence in Nuremberg no sooner than thirty days after service of the Indictment, and that Lord Justice Lawrence would preside at the trial.

Nikitchenko also gave notice that the prosecutors intended to ask the IMT to declare six specified organizations—the reich cabinet, the Leadership corps of the Nazi Party, the ss, etc.—to be crim-inal, and that any member thereof could apply for leave to be heard on the question of that organization’s criminality.

after these announcements had been translated orally, and somewhat slowly, into French, english and German, the

IMT adjourned. The judges left immedi-ately for Nuremberg. The us, French and soviet judges, flying together in a plane that General dwight d. eisenhower had made available to Judge biddle, arrived in time for dinner. The british judges, flying in their own plane, encountered bad weather and had to divert to London.

Justice robert h. Jackson, the united states chief of counsel, was not present in berlin for the filing of the Indictment. he had spent much of the previous week there, meeting, working and waiting for judges, generals and other prosecu-tors to arrive. On Wednesday, October 10th, Jackson, fed up with the confusion and delays in berlin, had flown back to Nuremberg to resume trial preparation, leaving his close friends and senior assis-tants Gordon e. dean and Francis shea in charge in berlin. (On Jackson’s flight back to Nuremberg, he and colleagues listened to an armed Forces Network radio broadcast of the detroit Tigers beating the chicago cubs, 9-3, in the 7th and final game of that year’s World series.)

eight days later, as Francis shea and the others arrived in Nuremberg from filing the Indictment before the IMT in berlin, Justice Jackson was a hosting a cocktail party at his requisitioned German home. he had invited about forty officers to celebrate the awarding of the Legion of Merit to his executive officer, col. robert J. Gill. One diarist noted that “[i]t was a

very nice party—the table in [ Jackson’s] dining room was a work of art—both with floral decoration and with canapés etc. It was all done by enlisted men—but I discovered that the man in charge was formerly with the stork club in New York.”

Jackson planned, following that cock-tail party, to host a dinner and dancing at his home that evening for all of his staff. at the last minute, however, the Theater commanding General said no—he objected to the idea of enlisted men and officers being together at such an event. a young american secretary wrote home to her mother and sister that Jackson “argued his head off but it didn’t work and so the whole thing was cancelled.”

John Q. Barrett is a Professor of Law at St. John’s University in New York City, where he teaches constitutional law, criminal procedure and legal history, and he is the Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow and a board member at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York. This summer, he is teaching in St. John’s program at ISDE in Barcelona. Professor Barrett has in the past been named a “Professor of the Year” by St. John’s law students and in 2009 received a Faculty Outstanding Achievement Medal from the University. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (1983) and Harvard Law School(1986).

If you wish to join the Jackson List, send a “subscribe” note to [email protected].

Nuremberg Indictment Day (October 18, 1945) By Prof. John Q. Barrett


INVESTIGATIONS

a period of 20 seconds in the early morning hours of sunday, October 17th 2010, ended the life of Pace university junior danroy dJ henry and forever changed the lives of three police offi-cers, henry’s family, about one hundred fifty bar patrons, the entire campus of Pace university at Pleasantville, and the residents of the Town of Mt. Pleasant. Twenty seconds is all that was needed for a failure of both sides to communicate; leading to two decisions that regrettably can never be reversed.

On saturday, October 16th, Pace university at Pleasantville was hosting their annual homecoming football game. college homecoming celebrations are notorious party weekends, and by all accounts,this was no different. drinking had commenced early in the day according some who attended the football game against stonehill college. Making the event all the more special for henry was that his childhood friend desmond cox was playing on the opposing team. after attending two more celebratory gather-ings at Pace’s townhouse dorms, the party moved two mile south to Finnegan’s Grill in the Thornwood Town center shopping Plaza in Thornwood.

Finnegan’s Grill is one of those sports bars that also calls itself an Irish Pub. Tucked away in the corner of the shop-ping mall, Finnegan’s touts itself as a gathering place that encourages family dining during the day and evening dinner hours. after 9PM on any given weekend, Finnegan’s is known as an establishment that has its fair share of alleged underage patrons. Its common knowledge in some of the hamlets in Mt. Pleasant, that you can go there, under the age of 21 and allegedly be served a drink. That’s not surprising, that allegedly happens everywhere. What is surprising is that Finnegan’s also has a reputation of allegedly being pretty rowdy on those late weekend nights. It gets crowded there largely in part because parking is free and accessible in the shop-ping center. It’s a place where uniform service members are known to hang out and watch sports as well. despite the drinking age being 21 here in New York

state, and having off duty law enforce-ment personnel frequenting Finnegan’s, there was still alleged underage drinking going on in there.

On the night in question, the bar was crowded; there were a few fights. again this was not unusual. but whether it was the result of a long day’s drinking or something else, Finnegan’s management was allegedly unable to get those kids under control. according to eyewitnesses, after management’s alleged inability to quell the disputes that kept cropping up, a decision was made to close the bar for the night. What resulted was a crowd of perhaps 150 young people, some of whom were still experiencing alcohol induced squabbles began piling out onto the side-walk and into the parking lot. Whether or not any bouncers made it outside to move the crowd along has not been yet been determined or corroborated.

It was at this time that dJ henry was sitting in his Nissan altima chatting it up with two friends while waiting for a third to make his way to the car. Mr. henry had his car parked in a fire lane, which is a pretty common sight in that shop-ping center. his passengers stated that they were talking about their future career plans. Many commentators conjecture it strange that such a conversation took place, however those who have spent time among college age students recognize how captivating this subject is to many young adults. at 20 years of age, most of them still have that sort of romanticized view of what life will be like when they leave college. and they like to talk about it…. a lot. so after a particularly joyous day, there is nothing odd about two child-hood friends reminiscing about their past and planning for their future.

a lot can be said about 20 year olds. They are old enough to vote, marry, and go to war. but 20 year olds don’t possess a whole lot of life experience. They can oftentimes find themselves often victims of their own inexperience which also leads them to sometimes making rash decisions. dJ henry may have made a poor decision in not rolling down his window when


20 Seconds By Nancy King


INVESTIGATIONS


Police Officer ron Gagnon knocked on this car’s window. It’s early in the investi-gation so it’s not known whether Officer Gagnon told him to step out of the car or to move it out of the fire lane. after years of watching Police Officers move cars from a fire line, one would be inclined to deduce that Gagnon asked henry to move. at the same time, Pleasantville Police Officer aaron hess had moved to the front of the car. Questions abound as to whether Officer hess ordered the car to stop, to go, or if he had even seen Officer Gagnon interact with Mr. henry. It is at the confluence of these moments everything seems to go awry. dJ henry puts his foot on the gas and Police Officer hess ends up on the hood of dJ henry’s car while the car continues to move forward, grazing a Mt. Pleasant Police Officer with a side mirror. by now it has become evident all the protagonists are in a heightened state of alleged agitation and panic; and Police Officer hess and Police Officer beckley fire their weapons with P.O. hess firing through the windshield and P.O. beckley firing at one of the tires.

by the time the car had come to a stop, it had travelled about 60 feet; not a long distance for 15 seconds of time. When you sit down and do the math, 60 feet, traveled within 15 seconds would calcu-late to approximately 4 feet per second, equivalent to a speed of 2.72 mph. Not fast, but fast enough to know that when you have a police officer hanging onto your windshield, things are about to get real bad, super fast. Looking at eyewitness video taken with a cell phone shows a chaotic aftermath of panicked police offi-cers waving their guns to hold the crowd back from a fatally injured dJ henry. by the time this melee was over there had been four arrests, five shots fired and a twenty year old man killed; and enough questions to keep the state police and the Westchester district attorney’s office busy for months.

In the days immediately following this tragedy, Pace university has held two press conferences and a candlelight vigil. The week’s football game had been canceled. counseling has been offered to the students. Over the same time period, Mt. Pleasant Police chief Louis alagno

had also held a press conference stating that he is unable to make a statement on the specifics of the incident while the investigation, which is being handled by the New York state Police and the Westchester county district attorney’s Office is under way. In addition, some of the students and the henry family have retained attorneys. students have hired bonita Zelman and are charging the Mount Pleasant Police department showed excessive force and brutality in not allowing them to perform first aid on henryy. The henry family has hired noted civil rights attorney Michael sussman to investigate whether the men were targeted unfairly because they were of african-american descent. and on Thursday, The National association of black Police Officers issued a state-ment also calling for a full investigation. One hopes that this investigation does not become an issue of race. any inves-tigator who uses race as a basis of their investigation is doing nothing more than pandering and posturing for money later.

This investigation begs for the whole truth to be told, no matter how painful. It also must remind us that oftentimes, a split second decision may not have the outcome that it was intended to have. bar owners who allow underage patrons must enforce the age limit to those who may gain entry to their establishments. rather to lose a few bucks than a patron lose their life. as for the actions of the various police departments, we have all watched reality TV where a routine traffic stop ends tragically for an officer. We have all watched enough TV shows that depict a young man trying to out run the cops. This is real life. You just don’t do that even if you are afraid of the ramifications of being underage and in a bar. dJ henry’s death must teach us that if a police officer tells you to do something… just do it. If you feel you have been wronged, you can argue it in court later; that is the basis and purpose of the courts.

There may well be no clear “rights” or no clear”wrongs” in this case. It may well take 20 weeks to complete the investiga-tion. More than 20 individuals had their lives forever changed in just 20 seconds.

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ForFamily Court Judge

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20 Seconds


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After her breast cancer diagnosis, doctors advised Ann Toglia that if she did not receive a stem cell transplant, she would die within a year.


S p a n o

When Blue Cross/Blue Shield denied the treatment, Ann contacted Mike Spano. Mike went right to work, fighting to reverse their decision.

As a result, Ann got the stem cell transplant and lived 8 more precious years. She became a Medical Exercise Specialist – sharing her experience and knowledge with patients and the medical community. Ann even wrote and published a book detailing exercises to counteract the negative effects of cancer treatments and surgery.



® ®

When blue cross/blue shield denied the treatment, ann contacted Mike spano. Mike went right to work, fighting to reverse their decision.

as a result, ann got the stem cell transplant and lived 8 more precious years. she became a Medical exercise specialist – sharing her experience and knowledge with patients and the medical community. ann even wrote and published a book detailing exercises to counteract the negative effects of cancer treatments and surgery.

after her breast cancer diagnosis, doctors advised ann Toglia that if she did not receive a stem cell transplant, she would die within a year.

JUDGES

Judge Matthew J. byrne was born in rockland county, New York, the son of

the late Judge John J. byrne and the late Kathleen sweeney. after attending don bosco Preparatory school in ramsey, New Jersey, Judge byrne then attended Manhattan college in The bronx. at Manhattan, he studied Government and Politics and graduated with a bachelor of arts in 1988.

after graduation from Manhattan, Matthew began his professional career, taking a position with Liberty Mutual Insurance in scarsdale, New York where he worked for the next three years. at the same time, he applied, and was accepted to Pace Law school. Like so many, he worked full time while studying law

simultaneously. having a father with a distinguished

legal and judicial career, he then attended Pace with the desire of eventually joining the ‘family business’; his father’s long established law firm in suffern, New York. Judge byrne graduated from Pace Law school in 1992, continued in the corporate world for two more years, then employed by The General reinsurance Group in stamford, connecticut.

In 1994, Matthew joined his father’s firm as an associate. at the same time, he was appointed by rockland county’s executive as an assistant county attorney, advising several county depart-ments on their legal matters, including various boards and commissions, and including defending litigation brought against the county.

Later that same year, in a sad twist of fate, Matthew’s father, Judge John J. byrne

suddenly passed away during his re-elec-tion campaign for Justice of suffern, New York. Matthew was approached by party leaders and asked to be a candidate for his position at that time. reluctantly, given the rather emotional time for his family, but at the urging of his Mother, he accepted the nomination to run, and was elected (after being appointed by the democratic Mayor to fill the tempo-rary vacancy) to a full four year term in November 1994.

since 1994, Judge byrne has been elected and re-elected four times, currently serving in his fourth-four year term, completing sixteen years of service this year in an overwhelmingly democratic Village, despite being a republican. his political independence has earned him the respect of many from across party lines in his community.

as the Judge of suffern, Judge byrne

has handled thousands of civil and crim-inal matters in one of the busiest Justice courts in rockland county and has earned a reputation as a fair and impartial jurist, giving all litigants their fair day in court, their opportunity to be heard, and rendering decisions based upon the sound application of the law.

In sixteen years of private law prac-tice, Matthew byrne has represented hundreds of clients and their families in a wide array of legal matters, sometimes representing several generations in one family over his many years of practice. his private law practice consists of handling civil matters on behalf of his clients, including estate planning, administration and probate, real estate transactions for personal clients and lending institutions, guardianships, corporate formation, and matters involving New York state Mental hygiene Law, among other areas.

Judge Matthew J. Byrne Infusing the Court with Legal and Judicial Balance


JUDGES

Judge Lawrence h. eckerr stands tall in the court-room. he is humbled by the

high privilege he shoulders. he accom-plishes the task before him by listening to everyone that comes into his courtroom with respect. by listening with respect, Judge ecker can find the justice appro-priate to the parties that stand before him. he is a deeply compassionate man but tough when circumstances demand it of him. his biography is a compilation of

every accomplishment he needed to wear the black robes of justice.

Judge Lawrence h. ecker, Justice of the New York state supreme court, was born and raised in Yonkers, New York on June 6, 1946 and is a graduate of Yonkers high school, class of 1964. In 1968 he obtained his bachelor of arts degree from syracuse university where he met Lynne, his wife of 42 years. They have two children, Karen and andrew. Karen is married to Todd Greenbarg and they have a son Joshua, now 20 months old. Karen is a social worker and andrew is a teacher.

Judge ecker, upon completion of his active military duty, enrolled at brooklyn Law school, where he obtained his Juris doctor degree in 1972. Following two years of public service, he joined his brother in the practice of law in Yonkers. They remained partners until Judge ecker assumed the supreme court bench on June 1st of this year. Judge ecker previously served as the Judge in North Tarrytown and Irvington from 1988 until his appointment to his present position.

Judge ecker has been active in professional and community activities. he is a former president of the Yonkers

Lawyers association, the Westchester county Magistrates association and the Greenburgh hebrew center. he served as chairman of the Westchester county board of ethics and is a member of the Westchester county executive’s criminal court advisory council, the Irvington community advisory council, and the board of Trustees of st. Johns riverside hospital. Judge ecker is a founding member and vice president of the Justice brandeis Lawyers society of the hudson Valley.

Judge Lawrence H. EckerFitting into the Robes of Justice

“Judges I appeared before, told me I have a special gift

for resolving disputes,” says Judge bill edwards, who handled a large volume of cases as a bronx Legal services attorney / supervising attorney and the Managing attorney for the NYc dept. of housing & development, earlier in his career. “as a judge, and in the practice of Law, you should always be a good listener; justice begins with listening to what people’s problems are, to settle their disputes,” he said. “I believe ultimately in fairness, which develops into justice, based upon resolving disputes by applying the law fairly, without respect to race, creed, color or sexual orientation.” Judge edwards is running for Westchester Family court Judge on the republican and the Independence lines.

Judge edwards was appointed Mount Vernon city court Judge in 2002, winning a ten-year term in 2003. he has served as a Westchester county court and Family court Judge since 2007 and as acting rockland county Family court Judge from 2009 to the present.

Judge edwards is the first Judge to preside over Integrated Youth court where both criminal and Family court Proceedings involving the same individual are adjudicated by one judge, to more fully address the issues that bring defen-dants before him. Integrated Youth court and drug court have served as models for similar courts in other jurisdictions.

“I come from a problem-solving background,” says Judge edwards. as a young attorney he handled landlord/tenant disputes, non-payment of rent, housing code violations and staved off evictions. “I presided over the best drug court in the county,” edwards says with pride. “I’ve been able to save lives in drug court. I think that is what I do best. Last year, 22 people came up to me to tell me I saved their lives and they were happy I presided over their cases; even some I sent to jail. brother, ‘I ain’t mad at you for incarcerating me. You locked me up but my brother died of crack cocaine. I see you were trying to save me,’ one defen-dant told me.”

edwards advises defendants to go to class, get good grades and stay away from drugs and gangs so they too, can go

to college and become successful in life. defendants have be ordered to:

• Youth counseling to avoid gangs• education to obtain a high school

diploma• Truancy Prevention: Truancy often

determines whether or not young people become involved with gangs and drug abuse.

• read books, especially biographies and write reports that are read upon return visits. “Judge: You know who Lil Wayne is?” one teen asked when edwards suggested that someone incarcerated at rikers was not the best role model.

Judge edwards makes an effort to keep families together when handling child abuse and Neglect cases by providing services directed to correcting deficiencies. he is guided by what will be best for the child. In serious cases where removal of the child from the home is indicated, and if the child has been out of the home for 15 out of 22 months, he may move to have parental rights termi-nated so the child can grow up in a stable environment. “Keeping a family together may not include the former family. at the

same time, it is a balancing test. You have to determine if there is a possibility of healing the family.”

Judge edwards has directed defen-dants to classes in parenting skills; anger management and substance abuse programs. Mentally ill defendants are encouraged to comply with a treatment plan. edwards urges the public to call the police if they suspect a drunken adult is getting behind the wheel of a car, espe-cially if children are involved: “It is better to call the Police before you have to call the mortician.”

does Judge edwards function as “the second prosecutor in the room?” “No, I don’t believe so. You can’t be fair if you try to be judge and prosecutor. You can’t be a trier of fact and choose sides. I try to be fair and impartial.”

Judge edwards is a graduate of Williams college and columbia school of Law. Judge edwards has over 25 years of litigation experience and he has had multiple court decisions published in the NY Law Journal. he offers his compe-tence, character and commitment as qualifications for re-election.

Family Judge Bill Edwards Runs For Re-electionA Democrat With Republican, Independence and Tea Party BackingBy Marike Potter


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JUDGES

“I think my experi-ence makes me a little more efficient and

effective at getting to a good result,” said Judge J. emmett Murphy, who has been a jurist for 30 years. “experience teaches you the likely result value or lack of value in a case.” Judge Murphy is seeking re-elec-tion for a fourteen-year term to the New York supreme court, running on the democratic, republican, conservative and Independence lines. The NYs supreme court deals with some criminal cases and unlimited civil cases in the Ninth Judicial district covering Westchester, Putnam, rockland, dutchess and Orange counties.

“being a judge is a great thing,” said Murphy. “It is intellectually stimulating; an opportunity to serve and to do good things. a judge can certainly make a difference in the lives of the people in front of him. I try not to be ‘too high falutin’. I try not to see big issues and big principles when they are

not really there. If you can get to the issues that really concern the people in front of you, you will do a good job. I don’t charac-terize my cases as significant or not. They are all significant to the people who brought them to me or they wouldn’t be there.”

When asked about Westchester county’s recent attempts to exert control over the issuance of gun licenses, Judge Murphy, an avid hunter and fisherman, replied: “They said they were interested in public safety, but I think it was just a power grab and it had nothing to do with safety. The county already controls Playland and I think more people have been killed on their rides at Playland, than by all the folks we have licensed in the last fifty years of gun licensing. so I don’t think it is about public safety.”

“They wanted Judges to be more stingy with gun licenses. You shouldn’t be. The supreme court has said that self-defense is a core value in this country. The right to self-defense is at the root of the right to bear arms. The second amendment is a civil right,

like the right not to incriminate yourself, the right to counsel and the right to express yourself. The second amendment is a curi-osity, in that the people who are usually so strongly in favor of civil rights, seem to keep looking for ways to water it down.

Part of what the supreme court actually said they were doing was to protect the people from a system where, on a case, by case basis, the government decides whether it is worth-while for you to have the right to protect yourself with firearms. I think that this will protect your second amendment rights for a very long time, even if the supreme court becomes a more liberal one.”

“What would you say to families who have lost loved ones in the wake of gun violence?” The judge pointed out that illegal guns are a huge part of the problem and “you cannot regulate illegal guns by imposing rules on people with licenses.”

“do you see yourself as the second prosecutor in the room?” “No. I like to think I am a little more balanced than that,” he replied.

The Westchester Independence Party screening committee found Judge Murphy to be “Most Qualified” to gain a second 14 year term. dr. Julio cavallo was quoted as saying: “In order to protect the rights of the public at large, the Judiciary must have the likes of Murphy on the bench.”

Judge Murphy has been found “well-qualified” by several county wide bar associations. additionally, Murphy has been endorsed by numerous Police orga-nizations, including the Yonkers Police benevolent association, the Yonkers Police captains, the Lieutenants and sergeants association and the affiliated Police association of Westchester county, Inc. (representing 52 law enforcement organiza-tions throughout Westchester and Putnam counties), the Westchester Putnam central Labor body, (aFL-cIO) and the building and construction Trades council of Westchester and Putnam counties.

Judge J. Emmett MurphyAvid Hunter And Fisherman Angles For Re-Election to NYS Supreme CourtBy Marike Potter


JUDGES

Patricia O’callaghan,

esq. of rye, is running for a ten-year term as Westchester Family court Judge on the republican, conservative and Independence lines. If elected, she pledges to “hold people to the same level of personal responsibility that I hold myself.” I love the law; I love being in court. This is my calling; this is my passion,” she says. “Being in court for so many years, I think I know what litigants want: they want to be heard. They want a swift and a just decision that is explainable to them. Family Court trials are all bench trials with no jury and the judge is the trier of fact; the role of the Judge is so important.” O’callaghan is currently the deputy director of the Westchester county solid Waste commission.

O’callaghan has extensive experience in Family court matters, having served as a senior county attorney, supervisor for a unit of child support attorneys and later as the

deputy county attorney, managing a twenty eight attorney bureau covering the

Family courts in New rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers. In this capacity, O’callaghan supervised cases involving child support enforcement, violations of orders of protection, termination of parental rights, child abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency matters and exten-sions of placement.” she also served as a consultant to the department of social services and was instrumental in obtaining state approval for the child Fatality review Team. O’callaghan states that she “has zero tolerance for domestic violence.”

O’callaghan developed her listening and people skills as a teenager, when she volunteered in the constituent office of a NYs senator. she later served as director for constituent affairs for NYs assembly representative, John Perone and for former county executive andrew O’rourke. O’callaghan answered phones, followed up on constituent questions and developed suggestions for legislation, “helping everyday people cut through the red tape.” O’callaghan was the Program

administrator for the Westchester county sTOP-dWI Program while working for the O’rourke administration. (Fines levied against drunk drivers fund the Stop DWI program.) O’callaghan feels that educational initiatives have made an impact on many drivers and she believes that: “young people have bought into the idea of the designated driver and opportunities for free taxi rides home on certain nights – these are great programs that really work!”

despite a busy career and raising a family, O’callaghan found time to serve on the Rye Zoning Board of Appeals, 1993-1996; as well as on the boards of My Sister’s Place (1993-1996) - a woman’s shelter, The Westchester County Board of Ethics and The Westchester Institute for Human Development. O’callaghan also volunteered as a facilitator at the Westchester Bereavement Center from 2007-the present.

If elected, would O’callaghan serve as “the second prosecutor in the room?” “No, my job is to be fair and impartial. I will not be the second prosecutor. I am certainly not going

to sit there and watch an injustice unfold. If it calls for it, I will ask questions from the bench but I will let prosecutors present their cases.” O’callaghan states that she has no built in bias in awarding custody to the mother, but “would judge each case according to the merits.”

O’callaghan cites her years of profes-sional and public service as evidence of her deep commitment and desire to serve the people of Westchester as a judge. she was a trial attorney for seven years and she also understands how the system func-tions on the agency side. O’callaghan promises to look out for the best interests of the child without losing sight of the need to protect the community. she holds a b. a. in Government from sweet briar college in Virginia, a Master’s of social science in criminal Justice from Long Island university in dobbs Ferry and a Juris doctor from Pace university school of Law. O’callaghan is married to harold O’callaghan, Jr. and she is the mother of Tim higgins, age 26.

Life-long Public Servant Patricia O’Callaghan Seeks County Family Court JudgeshipBy Marike Potter

he has been described as “the winningest” criminal defense attorney in Westchester county,

until april 16, 2010 when Governor Patterson appointed barry e. Warhit to fill a vacancy on the Westchester county court. This begs the question, was the governor impressed with Warhit’s knowl-edge of the law or adroitly preventing him from pounding the d.a.’s office in future cases? an interim appointment, Justice Warhit is running on the democratic and Independence Lines for a ten-year term as a Westchester county court Judge.

When asked about his record of wins

versus losses, Warhit modestly declines to offer up a score and instead replies: “I was a prosecutor early in my legal career and I was a criminal defense attorney for the past fifteen years. I tried over sixty cases to verdict before juries, including seven-teen homicides and I have enjoyed a fair amount of success.”

as to the Governor’s motives, Warhit replied: “I am flattered that the Governor’s independent screening committee found me to be highly qualified for the position. I have been taking steps to put myself in a position to be a full-time county court Judge since 2006, when I was appointed as the acting village justice of Tarrytown, where I served for four years. as a village judge, I received judicial training and I will continue those courses. I found the

transition to be extremely interesting and I find that being a full-time judge presiding over criminal cases, to be a natural fit, based upon my background and experi-ence. as a judge, I have been able to use my experience from both sides of the case to understand and deal with issues in jury cases involving serious allegations. My experience gives me the perspective to be a fair and impartial judge.”

Warhit is a graduate of the Wharton school at the university of Pennsylvania and the duke university school of Law. he served as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan from 1982-85 and as an associate in the New York city law firms of Otterbourg, steindler, houston and rosen (1981-82) and at Lester, schwab, Katz and dwyer, (1986

- 1989). Warhit worked for devonshire Tire, a family business, from 1990-94 and then entered into private practice in White Plains. he appears to be one very thoughtful, careful guy: he made two phone calls during our interview to make sure he was not violating any ethical codes in speaking to me for this story. I wish to state, for the record, that he did not discuss any cases with me.

Warhit lives in scarsdale with his wife, dr. ellen Teplitz, of southern Westchester dermatology in Tuckahoe. dr Teplitz, a dermatologist, is on staff at albert einstein school of Medicine. They have two children, Margot and benjamin.

When asked if he supports increasedContinued on page 25

Top Criminal Defense Attorney Has Been BenchedBy Marike Potter


JUDGES

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Ed Koch Movie ReviewsBy Edward I. Koch

Continued from page 24judicial discretion in sentencing he replied: “The range of sentences is set by the Legislature and I am comfort-able with that; as a judge I am bound to follow the laws made by the legislature. I am happy to work within the system and honored to be a member of the judiciary.”

With regard to his experience on the bench to date, Warhit “believes that lawyers who come before me are treated with respect and professionalism. I was a lawyer for many years and I understand that lawyers on both sides are working

very hard in advocating their respec-tive positions. I can assure the people of Westchester that I will dedicate myself to being the best possible judge that I can be and that I will use all of my knowledge and experience gained as a prosecutor and a defense lawyer to accomplish that.”

Will Judge Warhit function as “the second prosecutor in the room?” “No,” he replies. “My role is to ensure that the defendant receives a fair trial. all lawyers appearing in my court room will adhere to the rules of law and evidence.”

Judge Warhit

By Edward I. KochMovie Review: “Mao’s Last Dancer” (+)

The movie is based on Li cunxin’s autobiography. It’s no blockbuster, but it is a pleasant, enjoyable and interesting film.

It opens in china in 1972 and intro-duces us to a peasant family. One of their sons, Li cunxin, is plucked from his home of abject poverty by a communist talent team and sent to beijing to be trained as a ballet dancer. Li cunxin is a committed communist being indoctri-nated in the way every German child was in the hitler Jugend. In 1981, he is sent to Texas to work with the houston ballet company directed by ben stevenson (bruce Greenwood). Li cunxin is played as an 11-year-old boy by huang Wenbin, as a teenager by Guo chengwu, and as an adult by chi cao who, of course, is a true ballet star in real life.

ultimately, Li cunxin is called back to china at his government’s request which he resists using the legal services of immigration attorney charles Foster (Kyle MacLachlan). The movie occa-sionally borders on a soap opera, but the excellent acting by the entire cast keeps it from falling overboard. I saw it at the Quad cinema, located at 34 West 13th street.

I went to china in 1979 when I was mayor. Visitors from the West were so rare that crowds followed me and members of my party along the streets. at that time, china was still overwhelmingly agricultural and poverty stricken. Today it is the second highest user of energy in the world, having replaced Japan, and its architecture and skyscrapers rival the best in the world. Gee, I’d like to return and visit once again.


MOVIE REVIEWS

into deregulation from the start of his term. deregulation is the major cause of the debacle, as well as pathetically inef-fective supervision by agencies which did have regulatory authority.

Larry summers is leaving his White house position as director of the National economic council. When he was the president of harvard university, he was attacked for raising a controversial issue concerning the proficiency of women in certain professional fields. at the time, I thought he was unfairly attacked as a misogynist, having been requested to pose a controversial question which did not reflect his own views. I now believe his air of superiority contributed to the anger of women and that he too was one of the prime culprits in bringing on the Great recession. summers recently announced that he is leaving the Obama administra-tion at the end of this year to return to harvard to save his tenure.

Interestingly, summers has been shown unfavorably in two recent movies. Not only “Inside Job,” but he was portrayed in “The social Network” as an arrogant stuffed shirt. You should see both films.

I believe President Obama has to be held responsible for bringing into his administration the very people, along with others, responsible for the fall of america’s economy: summers and Geithner. In the opinion of many, President barack Obama sold out america to the insurance compa-nies and the prescription drug industry in the recently passed comprehensive health insurance legislation. similarly, he and members of congress have sold us out to Wall street and continue to do so.

I will only be convinced that he is defending the public, which has been raped by Wall street, if he directs attorney General eric holder to establish a special unit to go after the Wall streeters who committed illegal acts. how can it be that so few are held criminally responsible for the debacle?

humorously, in the film Ferguson interviews former New York state Governor eliot spitzer, who had to step down as governor because of a sex scandal. To his credit, spitzer took on Wall street’s excesses when he was New York’s attorney General. even more bizarre is Ferguson’s interview with the madam who provided spitzer and others with prostitutes. she comments on how

Wall street firms used prostitutes in their business activities for the pleasure of their clients. she is now on the ballot as a candidate for New York state governor.

The picture powerfully sets forth statistic after statistic, fact after fact, on what occurred when the nation slipped into the Great recession and needed huge federal bailouts to recover. That script should be made available in book form so that those statistics and facts remain readily available.

The most impacting aspect of this picture, as well as a similar treatment provided by channel 13’s “Frontline” show on the same subject, is that few, if any, appear to have been subject to crim-inal liability. even worse, for the most part, those responsible have kept their millions and billions of dollars and have become even wealthier since the recovery, while ordinary americans continue to suffer.

I saw the film at the Lincoln Plaza cinema, 1886 broadway at 63rd street.

henry stern said: “This is a fine movie which more people should see. It casts a baleful eye on Wall street manipulation, fueled by false rumors, and congressional deregulation, lubricated by massive lobbying.

unmentioned here is that what bernie Madoff did was illegal under existing law. The Feds couldn’t catch him because they were inept. dumb cops usually don’t catch smart robbers.

There is a reason profit is called ‘the bottom line.” For many, it is what Vince Lombardi called winning. People are trained at great expense to pursue it. ‘Inside Job’ exposes weaknesses in the rich and famous. It doesn’t tell us what they should have been doing.

I recommend this movie. It is as close to the inside as most of us will ever get. True, the documentary is one-sided, but that is because what happened is indefen-sible, except possibly to ayn rand.”

check out videos of these and other reviews on my website, Mayor at the Movies website. and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter! Let him know your thoughts by directing email to [email protected].

The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989.

Ed Koch Movie ReviewsBy Edward I. Koch

This documentary about the 2008 financial crisis is, in effect, a one-man operation. The man is charles Ferguson who collaborated on the script, directed the film, and interrogated people in the New York financial industry who agreed to go on camera. For some others, he uses video clips.

Ferguson interviews a host of Wall streeters asking how the Great recession occurred. Many of those interviewed come across as caricatures and dumb ones at that.

In my opinion, the officials respon-sible for the debacle are robert rubin and Larry summers, secretaries of the Treasury under President clinton, henry Paulson, Treasury secretary under George W. bush, and Timothy Geithner, Treasury secretary under President Obama. summers is the outgoing director of the National economic council. equally

guilty is alan Greenspan, who served as Federal reserve chairman for 18 years under four presidents. he led the country

Movie Review: “Inside Job” (+)


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One thing is sure here, this new santana disc is targeted right at the classic rock radio format and baby boomers. Is that a good thing? sometimes yes, but for the most part no. Once again clive davis and company employ the big stars to try to pull this off, most of the current day featured stars I am not very familiar with, the guests that I know are; Joe cocker, Jonny Lang, and ray Manzarek.

Zeppelin’s and Willie dixon’s “Whole Lotta Love” is so weird, and even though credit should be given for the rearrange-ments, it fails to deliver. The stones “can’t You hear Me Knocking” fairs much better, scott Weiland’s vocals are okay, but it’s santana who steels the show during the instrumental segment and offers his most creative guitar work here. “sunshine of Your Love” is a complete throwaway. I don’t think George harrison would have cared for India.arie & Yo-Yoma’s almost folk interpretation of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” “back In black” is given a rap treatment, next. ray Manzarek is employed to recreate the doors classic “riders on the storm,” but alas Manzarek does not get to solo and just lays down his distinctive groove, santana’s playing is far too excessive, and he could have used a lesson from robbie Krieger. Oh my God, deep Purple’s “smoke On The Water,” Van halen’s “dance the Night away,” and T rex’s “bang a Gong” are downright hideous, lame and so very predictable. Thankfully Joe cocker’s in good vocal form on hendrix’ “Little Wing,” but santana is not a good candidate to exhume the dynamics of Jimi. blues ensues on

Willie dixon’s “I ain’t superstitious” with Jonny Lang’s uncomfortable vocals sans guitar, once again santana’s mostly over the top playing fails to impress, and is filled with predictable clichés.

Musically and with other worldly projects carlos santana is a man who usually prides himself to be true to his craft and his good deeds, unfortunately this is not the case here. “Guitar heaven” is one very big sellout for commercial success, and nothing more.. Last but not least, the feeling I get is that santana mailed this one in; most of his solos sound like one-off studio takes, his tone is also similar from track to track, and most importantly; carlos does not exude the passion he’s most renowned for. This is pop rock recording, not at its finest, and it desperately lacks creativity. “Guitar heaven” seems destined to be forgotten about in the not too distant future…

Bob Putignano is host of WFDU’s Sounds of Blue, www.SoundsofBlue.com the most pledged to program for three consecutive years

THE SOUNDS OFBLUE By Bob Putignano

sanatana “Guitar heaven: The Greatest Guitar classics of all Time”

MUSIC

“Attempting to take dead aim at Classic Rock Radio and baby boomers”


Protecting Our children; housing Mortgage

Foreclosures; deportation of Illegal Immigrants; and the unincarcerated Wealthy criminals

according to The New York Times of October 14th, canada “has declared bisphenol a [bPa], a chemical widely used to create clear, hard plastics, as well as food can liners, to be a toxic substance.” This followed canada’s ban of bPa two years ago “in polycarbonate bottles used by infants and children.” The compound can still be used in a host of products in canada, but “the move would make it easier to ban the use of bPa in specific products through regulations.” The deci-sion was “condemned by the american chemical council.”

It is true that the european Food safety authority has not banned bPa, but both France and denmark have

“imposed bans on some uses of bPa.”When the united states refused

to allow thalidomide to be sold in this country, even though it was being sold in europe, we saved countless children from being born limbless and otherwise deformed. shouldn’t we err on the side of safety with regard to bPa, especially when children are most prone to absorb the chemical and “the highest concen-trations of the compound were found in teenagers, with younger children a close second?”

Our economy, still reeling from the housing crisis, now has to confront a new and devastating development -- a large number of questionable housing mort-gage foreclosures. as an October 3rd New York Times editorial reports, “since the bubble burst, efforts to rework bad loans have been slowed by the lenders’ resistance, and by their incompetence.” The article continued, “…foreclosures,

the end of the mortgage pipeline, have also been handled with a disregard for rules and standards.”

Wouldn’t it make sense to consider creating a new division in the bankruptcy courts to deal with “the prospect that some families may have lost their homes in a less than legal process and that some buyers of foreclosed houses may not have clear title to their properties?”

congress should give to bankruptcy court judges the power to remake the terms of mortgages, a reform which the congress refused to enact the last time it examined bankruptcy proceedings. at that time, congress yielded to the demands of the banking and housing industries. apparently, it is those two industries that once again threaten our economy.

When congress wants to act, as it has demonstrated with the passage of the Troubled asset relief Program (TarP), the stimulus package and bailouts of the automotive industry, it can do so with alacrity.

Now is the time for congress to step in, this time on the side of the consuming public. That doesn’t happen often enough.

The New York Times on October 8th ran a story on deportation of illegal immi-grants, providing a series of statistics that are both heartening and horrifying:

“Immigration authorities deported a record 392,862 immigrants over the last year…about half of those deported, 195,372, were convicted criminals…The surge in deportation of criminals came in part as a result of a program called secure communities, officials say, which allows local enforcement officers to check the immigration status of every person, including american citizens booked into a county or local jail [to check fingerprints]…20,000 immigrants in the county jail system…were eligible for deportation…about one-third who were deported had committed the most serious crimes, including murder, rape and major drug offenses, according to the homeland security figures. Immigration and customs enforcement [I.c.e.] also conducted more than 2,000 audits of

hiring documents at businesses to check for unauthorized immigrant workers, the officials said, bringing criminal charges against 180 employers and levying more than $50 million in fines.”

Finally, The Times reported, “Officials said that many of the nearly 200,000 immigrants deported who had committed no crimes were fugitives from immigration courts or had recently crossed the border illegally.”

For the Obama administration, this success is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it shows dramatically that when the executive branch wants to enforce the law, it can. On the other hand, the information will adversely affect the administration’s goal of enacting, after the November elections and before the next and new session of congress, comprehensive immigration reform legislation which includes providing amnesty and a path to citizenship to an estimated 11 to 20 million or more illegal aliens. The public is opposed to these proposals, but there are democrats and republicans who continue to believe they can force the legislation upon the american public.

Finally, why is it that millionaires and billionaires who violate sec rules and regulations and steal millions are generally only required to pay fines? sometimes they may lose their licenses to practice on Wall street, but they are not required to admit guilt or go to prison. For them, paying fines, even in the millions, is simply another regulatory fee, part of the cost of doing business. On the other hand, poor or moderate income people who are caught stealing hundreds or a few thousands of dollars, are frequently sent to prison.

Why are the wealthy who injure tens of thousands of people and steal millions of dollars during their crime sprees, not imprisoned as well?

The Honorable Edward Irving Koch served New York City as its 105th Mayor from 1978 to 1989. His e-mail address is: [email protected]

OPED ED KOCH COMMENTARY

Canada Appears More Protective of Its Children Than Is the U.S. By Edward I. Koch

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NEW YORK CIVIC

Just when you think an administra-tion cannot get any worse, it does.

after the devastating report by state Inspector General Joseph Fisch on the politics of the aqueduct racino, we awaited the reaction of the scandal-scarred Paterson regime.

It came unexpectedly last night in the sudden dismissal of Pete Grannis, commissioner of environmental conservation, while he was receiving an award from the New York Water environment association, a nonprofit educational group founded in 1929 by professionals in the field of water quality.

The firing of the commissioner, coming eleven days before a statewide election, is so ridiculous that it is difficult to comprehend. It was ostensibly based on the leaking of a memo outlining the consequences of budget cuts proposed for deP. The memo was innocuous, a standard warning by an agency head of the impact of the loss of hundreds of employees. It was followed by a cordial meeting with the budget director to see how the cuts could be made with minimal disruption of services. That is why the sequence of emails culminating in his discharge came as a surprise.

Why is it that Pete Grannis enjoys such a good reputation, while Paterson’s staff is viewed as irrelevant and incon-sequential? It is because Grannis has done constructive work over the years to protect the environment, which people appreciate, while the achievements of the others, if they exist, are unknown.

It is not uncommon for outstanding commissioners to be harassed and belit-tled by executive staff. I endured those slings for years, but Mayor Giuliani was always supportive when disputed matters came to his personal attention. apparently Governor Paterson is so dependent on those around him that he is unable to protect his own commissioners,

even if he has known and been friendly with them for over twenty-five years.

I recall a similar situation about twelve years ago. First deputy Mayor Peter Powers told the assembled Giuliani commissioners that the budget had to be reduced for almost all agencies. he patiently said that some agencies might feel in good faith that their work would be seriously impaired, that they would be unable to provide the services on which people had become dependent, that the social fabric would be strained, etc. Powers said he could understand how commissioners could feel that way, and if so, he added, “Let’s part friends”. Those words became rule 15.

an unsigned, undated memo, revealing no secrets and simply seeking to avoid budget cuts, is nothing to complain about that seriously. You cut the budget if you must, but you do not fire a competent commissioner for explaining the conse-quences of reductions. One cannot prove who leaked the memo, but it really doesn’t matter because there was nothing in it that could not be said in public.

If Grannis were insubordinate and a poor administrator, as is now claimed, why did it take Paterson until ten weeks before he leaves office to fire him? This is the politics of a banana republic, actions taken out of spite rather than reason. If you want to punish Grannis, cut his budget a little more than you would have if he had been on board with the cuts.

One theory is that this action was taken by a failed governor, through a henchman, out of resentment at the public esteem and popularity of a commis-sioner who had served thirty years in the assembly and four years in the cabinet. another theory is that schwartz was responsible for the action, with Paterson either misled or too weak to prevent it.


A New LowBy Henry J. Stern

Paterson Ousts Grannis from Environment Post 11 Days Before ElectionFirst Published on October 22, 2010



It has been suggested that the real reason for the dismissal is the handling of the Marcellus shale controversy. schwartz is a strong supporter of hydrofracking, a process for extracting natural gas by shooting water and chemicals to break rocks.

he has pestered Grannis for hasty approval of the project, although a substantive environmental impact state-ment has yet to be prepared.

Whatever reservations observers may have had with Grannis’ performance are dwarfed by resentment of his dismissal, apparently over a trifle, but possibly over

Grannis’ desire to protect the countryside and watershed from pollution.

In an administration not known for integrity, with a governor facing one investigation after another, all for rela-tively small matters until the aqueduct racino blew up in his face, the ouster of a popular commissioner, a few days before the election of a new governor, is unprec-edented, even for the most dysfunctional state government in the nation.

We predict that Pete Grannis’ repu-tation will be enhanced by his dismissal, as well as his chance of being retained by Governor-to-be cuomo. The stain of his participation in the ill-fated spitzer and Paterson administrations has been alle-viated to some extent by his peremptory

dismissal.This is not to say that we agree with

everything commissioner Grannis has said or done in four years. his agency has been criticized for obduracy and for not reining in environmental zealots. (There are such people, even for good causes.) It is, however, valuable when commissioners support the goals of their agencies, and are willing to fight to achieve them in the face of obstacles thrown up by those who would imperil the planet for personal profit.

To dismiss an unquestionably honest, highly regarded environmen-talist who has devoted his professional life to public service is a new low for the Paterson-schwartz administration. Not

allowing the commissioner even to see the Governor is a cowardly flight from responsibility. both the Governor and schwartz, who holds the title of secretary to the Governor, should be ashamed of themselves, if they are capable of such a feeling.

It is sad to see an administration that began in hope dissolve in scandal. Now it has happened for the second time in four years.

seventy-one days remain for this troubled executive chamber. They cannot pass soon enough.

Henry J. Stern writes as StarQuest. Direct email to him at [email protected]. Peruse Mr. Stern’s writing at New York Civic.

NEW YORK CIVIC

I had been working radio motor patrol in

brooklyn’s bedford-stuyvesant area for about a year and had come across what I thought was every conceivable chal-lenge a cop could imagine. homicides, rapes, robberies, burglaries and an assort-ment of other acts of human malevolence were a daily occurrence in the high-crime section of the borough. In addition, I had handled myriad family disputes that culminated in violence and vehicle acci-dents that left body parts strewn across highways. It doesn’t take long to become a veteran when faced with a workload of that magnitude. add to that the fact that I had several good arrests under my belt and it’s easy to see that at the ripe old age of 22, I felt like I could do anything. Well, superman was about to be put to the test.

One summer evening, while my partner and I were chowing down on a greasy burger or some other fast food that could be gobbled quickly while sitting in the car and waiting for another assignment, a call came over the radio that would add another dimen-sion to my experience. The dispatcher said there were “calls for help” at an apartment in our sector, so, we shoved the remainder of our meal into a bag and headed toward the address. When we climbed the 4 flights of stairs, we were met by a few people standing

outside the apartment door. “she’s in there and she needs a doctor,” one of them yelled excitedly. Thinking an assault had occurred, I headed toward the door while asking the obviously agitated woman who did it and was the person inside. she looked at me quizzically and said: “Well, I guess her boyfriend did it, but he left a long time ago.”

Feeling a bit confused by that response, I nevertheless pushed open the slightly ajar portal and my partner and I entered a narrow passageway that led to a bedroom about 10 feet away. We could hear moaning sounds from the room, so we took a quick peek before entering. “Is that the police?” the bedridden woman said. “Please help me; I need an ambulance!” What I saw when I turned the corner was more frightening than facing a man with a gun. The supine figure was nude from the waist down and her legs were spread wide apart. her lower abdomen was distended and I could see movement just below it. I suppose I said something like, “Oh my God” as I realized I was about to view the miracle of birth.

a female neighbor was kneeling beside the distraught woman, trying to console her. evidently, the dispatcher hadn’t obtained the proper info on this call, so my partner ran downstairs to the car radio to summon an ambulance. he wasn’t gone 30 seconds before the woman

began to exhibit some of those excruci-ating pains that accompany labor. “Just hold on Ma’am,” I said through trembling lips, “we’ll get you to a hospital right away.” No, noooo, there’s no time!” she growled, her teeth clenched to ward off the agony. “she’s coming! You… have to… help me,” she said between gasps of air. Now it really got scary. I remember thinking that they had taught me a lot of things in the Police academy, but, if this was one of the lessons, I must have missed it. after looking around the room like a helpless dolt, I took a deep breath and decided it was time to grow up.

suddenly, I recalled the doctor shows on television and I took my cues from them. “Get some towels and hot water!” I said to the neighbor, trying to sound like I knew what I was doing. “Okay, Ma’am, just be calm and push slowly,” I muttered, putting the towels next to her body as I began to talk her through it. a moment later, I saw something that would change me forever because I witnessed what can only be described as a natural phenom-enon, divinely inspired. Yes, I know there are countless births every day in this world, but to see it happen up close is to know there is a God. First, the head emerged and some of her pain subsided. Then, after a few more contractions, a child was born. I don’t know how she knew it was a girl,

but she was right. by the way, I take no credit for the delivery; only the woman can do that. however, she did say she would give her daughter the middle name, roberta.

Bob Weir is a veteran of 20 years with the New York Police Dept. (NYPD), ten of which were performed in plainclothes undercover assignments. During his early years with NYPD, Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude from New York Institute of Technology. He retired as a sergeant after supervising patrol in Midtown Manhattan, the busiest precinct in the country. After owning and operating a wine and liquor retail business in Long Island for 5 years, he sold it and moved to Flower Mound, Texas. Bob began a writing career about 12 years ago and had his first book published in 1999. Bob went on to write and publish a total of seven novels, “Murder in Black and White,” “City to Die For,” “Powers that Be,” “Ruthie’s Kids,” “Deadly to Love,” “Short Stories of Life and Death,” and “Out of Sight,” are available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Books-a-million, and other major online book sellers. He also became a syndicated columnist under the title “Weir Only Human”. His perspec-tive may be read within the pages of the Westchester Guardian, Westchester Herald and the Yonkers Tribune.

Don’t Tug on Superman’s CapeBy Bob Weir

WEIR ONLY HUMAN

A New Low


Former Educatorand BusinessmanMike Ramondellifor Statefor StateAssembly.

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It’s Not Too Late To Fix Albany!

POLITICS

One would think the call to enter battle

at Gallipoli was to be the certain death of many a loyalist, as well as opponents to the present Yonkers conservative committee which was under siege. There were challenges from without, but the challenges from within divided the political house. each side had huffed and puffed. each side had drawn a line in the sand. chairman John Folkerts stood at one side of the divide, Vincenza restiano stood at the ready to take his chairmanship. In poli-tics the game is played by numbers. Those numbers consist of votes. Those votes are calculated by weight. The weight is determined by the last gubernatorial race which in this situ-ation refers to the time John Faso ran for New York state Governor.

each side espoused they had the numbers to win the day. When the reorganization was conducted at the Polish community center on the morning of October 21, 2010, the tabulations had the Folkerts contingent garner 1243 votes, while the restiano backers mustered 309 votes.

John Folkerts maintained the chairman position over challenger Vincenza restiano. Vincent spano won the position of 1st vice chairman over hugh Fox, Jr. Mike eifler earned the position of 2nd vice chair over richard Falcone. Gregory desousa trounced richard halevy for treasurer. Patrick brady succeeded winning the position of recording secretary over Thomas byrne. Lenny N. spano won the position of corresponding secretary over arthur Galvine, Jr. and edward doyle sr. won the position of

executive assistant chairman over Thomas ahern.

congratulations were exchanged among some as other licked their wounds. Lunch beckoned to allow for a breather before the hon. robert M. delbella would ascertain the conduct of the disparate factions in deciding who would rule the roost.

The hon. robert M. delbella was heard say, “Fighting is not good,” as he ushered Guy Parisi, esq., representing the hugh Fox, Jr., faction for the Westchester county conservative committee chair, and a. Joshua ehrlich, esq., representing incumbent chair Gail burns.

The hon. delbella infused a confident, stern, albeit respectful tone among contestants who had reached the brink of civility and needed to be gently coaxed to an environment conducive to discus-sion, so as to gravitate each toward accommodation of the other. The hon. Judge delbella armed each respective counsel with the responsi-bility to cajole an amenable working relationship among the dueling forces. Mssrs. ehrlich and Parisi each succumbed to their dutiful roles demanded of them. They each in turn

coaxed their respective side to accept Justice delbella’s demand to start at the beginning, that is, to design a new petition form that would supplant all previously Westchester county board of elections signed and vali-dated petitions. The papers are to be presented to the honorable delbella on October 26th. and on december 1, 2010 the newly designated, signed petitions will be tabulated and advised the court. The court’s deci-sion and ruling will be final.

The hon. robert M. delbella won the battle today. his balanced perspective, comprehension of law, and ability to judge human behavior were faultlessly synchronized. his words, train of thought, and every physical stance expressed his deter-mination and expectant result. he drove the bargain home. he won the day but left a residue of win among the protagonists that will last them each throughout their task. The hon. delbella exacted a sense of civility and respect one does not often witness to be loftiest role the courts may play.

Coup Attempt to Depose Yonkers Conservative Committee FaltersBy Hezi Aris


POLITICS

I am filing a complaint against my opponent, Liam McLaughlin, with the Westchester county Fair campaign

Practices committee, for the state-ments that he issued earlier today, which included unsubstantiated allegations of personal misconduct. I will not allow an accusation of a betrayal of my oath of office to stand, or to divert attention away from the very real issues of the campaign that we are engaged in for the next ten days.

In reference to a 308-page report issued by the Inspector General yesterday, these are the facts. Yes, I was named on 2 pages of the report on the selection of aeG to operate the Video Lottery Terminals at the aqueduct racetrack. however, on page 237 of the report, the Inspector General makes clear that “…aeG not only contributed to the actual and apparent key senate decision makers, senator sampson, smith and espada, but also contributed to the campaigns of several other democratic senators not remotely involved in the decision.”

I am one of those senators not remotely involved in any aspect of the

discussion, decision or selection of aeG or any other operator.

Moreover, the Inspector General interviewed 65 people in 82 interview sessions generating over 4,400 transcript pages of sworn testimony, read through some 500,000 e- mails and 240,000 docu-ments and not once was I contacted by the Inspector General’s office for my testi-mony or any documents. I solely appeared in this report, as a recipient of donations of an affiliate of aeG, allegedly based on a conversation I was not privy to.

I have since returned those contribu-tions by those named in the report, not because of any wrongdoing, but to avoid

even an appearance of impropriety. I have long been in the fight to reform campaign finance laws—a fight that has not been won, frankly, because of republican resistance.

I support the Inspector General’s recommendation that the united states attorney investigate the issue further. I believe that any person involved in unlawful activity should be dealt with swiftly and harshly.

The public trust cannot be compromised.

Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins represents the 35th Senate District.

Statement by Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins

doug Martino, resident of armonk and partner in the firm of Martino & Weiss in Mount Vernon,

is running for the Westchester county court seat left open upon the election last year of Jeff cohen to the supreme court. Martino is running on the republican and conservative lines, having defeated his opponent, barry Warhit, in the conservative Party Primary last month by a margin of more than 3 to 1.

Martino attended Quinipiac university school of Law, graduating in the top 3 percent of his class and serving as editor of its Law review. he began his legal career as an assistant district attorney for Westchester county, starting in the local courts where he prosecuted misdemeanors throughout the county. after being promoted to the superior court Trial division, Martino tried many of the most serious felonies in the county.

In over two decades of private prac-tice, Martino has litigated hundreds of criminal and civil matters in state and Federal courts. his firm has also repre-sented the city of Mount Vernon and its Police department, often representing

Mount Vernon cops in civil rights and negligence actions.

Martino is enjoying his campaign for county court Judge. “It’s been a posi-tive experience. I feel good and confident about the campaign. he continued, “On the county court, experience counts the most and I hope voters will take a look at my qualifications.”

as for what he hoped to bring to the bench should he be elected, Martino stated “I will draw on my 25 years of experience practicing law and litigating criminal and civil cases. It is also impor-tant to show respect to the players, whether they be attorneys or litigants.”

at home, Martino is on the board of directors of the armonk Lions club. an avid bicyclist, each year doug joins hundreds of other riders on the 100-mile Ms bike Tour around Manhattan Island, through the Palisades and up to haverstraw and back, in the process raising thousands of dollars for the Multiple sclerosis Foundation of New York.

Martino and his wife denise have lived in armonk for 12 years. Their two sons attend byram hills schools. Their daughter just graduated from Notre dame.

The Doug Martino File

Westchester residents pay the highest taxes in the nation. In return, they receive inad-equate schools, constant rate hikes from the MTa, and pay-to play politicians.

We can, and we must, do better. The fact is, much of the state budget goes to help politicians get re-elected, and not to address vital issues. New York spends more per student than any other state in the us—but too much goes to the educa-tional bureaucracy, not students. The unions that get the big dollars contribute heavily to politicians; students and their parents can’t afford to do that.

similarly, we can no longer tolerate agencies like the MTa, which has hiked fares four times in five years, during

a period when inflation was low. To add insult to injury, our services have diminished while fares have risen. It is inexcusable that legislative leaders have failed to address this.

My opponent, senator Klein, has advanced his career and his campaign war chest at the expense of his constituents. he was described by the senate Majority Leader as “The enforcer” to insure that lobbyist contribute to the democrats.

by every objective standard, New York is failing. The highest taxes, high unemployment, diminished services, and corrupt state government all indicate that we must end the albany disaster.

Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr., is the Republican/Conservative candidate for State Senate in the 34th District.

Westchester’s Excessive Taxes, Failing Schools,and Poor Services Are Signs of Albany’s Failure By Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr.


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TECHNOLOGY

The air Force association (aFa), a non-profit organi-zation, is hosting its 2nd annual national high school cyber defense competi-tion beginning

October 2010. The competition, dubbed cyberPatriot, focuses on cyber security and how to avoid the dangers of Internet threat.

The two-track competition is open to young individuals in two areas: the “all service division,”

which is comprised of Junior rOTc ( JrOTc) units of all services & civil air Patrol squadrons. The “Open division” invites promising students from high schools around the country, regardless of rOTc affiliation.

“The best thing america can do to protect our future as a nation

with respect to cyber secu-rity is to encourage our

brightest young minds to get excited about

studying math, science, engineering and technology,” bernie skoch, cyberPatriot commissioner, told the Westchester

Guardian in an inter-view. “If we don’t do

this we are at great peril

of losing our economic advantage and our very freedom.”

The cyberPatriot competition was created by the aFa in a bid to excite and education the nation’s youth, with a goal of encouraging bright young minds to help defend cyber space in the united states. The aFa says it is concerned about such rampant cyber space issues

and names its biggest challenge as being ill-prepared to rear a generation of people who are trained and ready to take over our cyber systems in order for our country to remain competitive and free in the 21st century, according to skoch.


Air Force Association Commences Cybersecurity CompetitionBy Bary Alyssa Johnson

KEEP SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

COLLEEN D.

DUFFY IN THE NYS SUPREME COURT

Over 20 Years of Legal and Judicial Leadership

Experienced - Highly Qualified - Committed

Paid for by Friends of Judge Duffy 2010


TECHNOLOGY


“[cyber systems] are the backbone of our national defense, they are the back-bone of our entire economy, the backbone of public safety systems, of medical systems, air traffic control systems,” said skoch. “every aspect of our lives in the united states today is linked very closely to cyber systems.”

commissioner skoch insists that education and public awareness are enor-mously important to the general public.

“The episodes of identity theft, financial fraud, are exacerbated by the

availability of our personal information on the Internet,” skoch said. “safe cyber practices can help protect us against all of that.”

skoch is concerned about the vulner-ability of our nation and along with the aFa is trying to fix those problems by asking today’s technology-oriented youth to help defend cyber space in our country through cyberPatriot.

The cyberPatriot program currently has 675 teams registered to compete in this year’s event. Teams hail from 186 public high schools (dubbed the

“Open division”) and 152 civil air Patrol squadrons, 205 air Force Junior rOTc, 51 army Junior rOTc, 38 Navy Junior rOTc and 43 Marine corps Junior rOTc (dubbed the “all services division”).

The all services division has already begun competition for round 1, with round 2 slated to begin November 6, 2010. The Open division will dive into the competition head-first on November 13, 2010.

The contest is held online and utilizes patent-pending science applications International corporation (saIc) cyberNeXs cyber security net-based managing tools to create a “live” cyber environment. using this saIc program, students must maintain specific critical services and tasks while simultaneously responding in turn to real-world hacker attacks on the system. cyberNeXs offers cyber training, exercising, competition and certification for protecting critical data assets.

saIc is a scientific, engineering and technology applications business that uses deep domain knowledge to solve vitally important problems posed to the nation and the world, in national secu-rity, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure, and health, according to the company Web site.

The training materials that competi-tors will receive address the notion of what cyber security actually is, according to skoch. “They not only get a technical education,” he said, “but greater than that they also walk away with a solid understanding of why cyber security is important to them personally and to the nation.”

saIc is one of the cyberPatriot’s many sponsors. The presenting sponsor is Northrup-Grumman, a commercial entity that provides cyber security to government and enterprises. additional sponsors include raytheon, General dynamics, cIas at university of Texas at san antonio, Microsoft, aT&T and the air Force research Laboratory.

The competition will continue until the winning teams finally meet together in the National Finals in Washington d.c. at the beginning of april 2011. contest winners will be awarded scholarships.

“by the end of this years competition, we’ll have begun to start planning for cyberPatriot III…it’s like the superbowl,” skoch said. “It takes great preparation, hard work and there is a great honor in winning.”

Bary Alyssa Johnson covers the Larchmont and Mamaroneck beat, as well as the evolving world of electronics and technology.

Air Force Association Commences Cybersecurity Competition

TRUTH AND JUSTICE

The New York state bar association, in light of New York’s wrongful conviction problem, conducted an exhaustive study of 52 dNa and non-dNa cases. They then issued a preliminary report recom-mending proposed legislative reforms and calling for a conference inviting outside agencies including the district attorney’s association Of The state Of New York, The Innocence Project, a number of prominent attorney’s and advocates in

the field and a number of exonerees. Following several hearings that were held in different parts of the state, the bar associated generated a comprehensive final report. based upon the collective input, they drafted a number of legislative proposals intended to reform those areas which have contributed to wrongful pros-ecutions and convictions.

state senator eric schneiderman, who is running as the democratic

Nominee for state attorney General, a long time advocate of legislative reforms designed to prevent wrongful convictions, openly expressed his support for the bar associations reforms, many of which had been the subject of his prior legislative proposals.

as a candidate for attorney General, not only has he endorsed the bar association’s Proposals, but he has taken a step further, having vowed, should he

be elected, that he would in fact create an “actual Innocence unit” within the attorney General’s office, which, in keeping with a prosecutor’s mandate to “prosecute the guilty

and protect the innocent,” would investigate serious claims of innocence despite conviction.

having been invited to the hearings, and, having expressed strong opposition


Republican Candidate for Attorney General Dan Donovan: How Does He Measure Up?By Jeffrey Deskovic


TRUTH AND JUSTICE

Continued from page 34to the proposals at those hearings, the district attorneys association of The state of New York, of which republican Nominee dan donovan was President until July of 2009 and chairman of the board until July 2010, then on June 15, 2010 released a “Memo In Opposition” to the following 6 bills proposed by the bar association’s report. seeking clarification from donovan in light of the association, The Guardian arranged to interview Mr. donovan, thus giving him opportu-nity to clarify his position on a number of the issues and in fairness to him as a candidate.

s7877/a5213a pertaining to Video Taping Of Interrogations, intended to address the fact that 25% of wrongful convictions are caused by false confes-sions. recording custodial interrogations of those accused of serious crimes protects both the accused and the police, because it negates any false allegations by either side, and it makes for more reliable evidence.

One specific objection lodged by the association, and specifically echoed by donovan was the issue of cost to the state and that it was an unfunded mandate. however, that objection should have resulted in a request for funding alloca-tion in the bill, not opposing the bill altogether.

another objection lodged by the association, and reiterated by donovan concerned itself with on the scene inter-rogations by police, for example locating victims, weapons, and sectioning off crime scenes, all of which were covered by contingencies included the bill:

“The prosecution may rebut the presumption: (1) through clear and convincing evidence the statement was voluntary, (2) if the statement is inculpa-tory and not made under circumstances creating a substantial risk that the defen-dant might falsely incriminate himself, (3) exigent circumstances, (4) the accused refused to have the interrogation elec-tronically recorded and the refusal itself was electronically recorded; or (5) the failure to electronically record an entire interrogation was the result of equipment failure and obtaining replacement equip-ment was not feasible.

The court may admit an unre-corded statement if it believes, based on a showing of good cause by the people, that suppression of the statement is too harsh

a remedy & the court must then instruct the jury that it should consider the failure to make a recording as an adverse fact”

additionally, on scene police officers have the option of using video equipment that is now standard equipment in most police cruisers.

s7868 addressed exoneree compensation. The association lodged an objection that defendants who have pleaded guilty or confessed could then sue for compensation which would lead to expensive litigation. When questioned by The Guardian whether he thought that an innocent person, irrespective of whether their conviction came about through false confession or guilty plea, should be compensated for their wrongful incarceration, donovan expressed concern that people would intentionally falsely confess in order to then be able to sue. he didn’t think it was ridiculous to believe that someone would intentionally subject themselves to wrongful imprison-ment and all of its horrors. Pressed further with a question that referenced that the average length of wrongful incarcera-tion is 13 years, he responded by saying, “Maybe it would be less than that. Maybe it would be 3 ½ years.”

anyone who has been wrongfully imprisoned should be compensated for pain and suffering, lost wages and impacted future wages, mental health costs associated with the experience, and any number of additional factors. The state, having wrongfully convicted some-body, should pick up the tab. donovan’s position simply doesn’t square either with the facts or fundamental justice. denying compensation furthers an injury already suffered.

s7893 addressed exculpatory evidence/brady/discovery, aimed at the problem of prosecutors withholding evidence helpful to the defense, which the law mandates be turned over. at it’s essence, the da’s association is resistant to turning over information tending to affirm the inno-cence of the accused or otherwise protect their constitutional rights.

While candidate donovan did not disclaim his association’s position; and in response to a question of a whether in a clear cut case of prosecutorial misconduct in the form of withholding exculpatory evidence, whether he “would support criminalization of such conduct in order to deter some rogue prosecutors who otherwise would break the law resulting in wrongful convictions and receiving

no penalties at all, responded, “I don’t think there is a case where there is no penalty at all, but you’re right, absolutely, if somebody is responsible, if somebody in authority is so responsible for impris-oning somebody because they failed to, or intentionally withheld, we have to be real careful here,” he then went on to discuss the various levels of misconduct that might be encountered.

It is disheartening that donovan does not distance himself from the association’s position, which suggests that if elected he would resist legislative efforts to address brady violations. he does deserve credit for agreeing in concept to the criminal-ization of prosecutorial misconduct, and I agree that the penalties for such should vary according to what is withheld, though all such intentional withholding should have some form of punishment. Nonetheless, his statement that he doesn’t think ‘that there is such a case where there is no punishment’ would tend to undercut his credibility. Mr. donovan knows very well there are no incarcerative penalties and that a bar administration reprimand is no more than a slap on the wrist, and furthermore is rarely carried out thus having no deterrent effect.

s7867 addressed 440/Post conviction dNa Testing after Guilty Plea, in light of the fact that of 261 dNa proven wrongful convictions nationwide, involved 21 actually innocent individuals, who nevertheless had pleaded guilty for a variety of coercive reasons.

The association lodged a two fold objection: the cost, and closure/finality of conviction unnecessarily without a defen-dant making a showing that a dNa test could prove their innocence. however, the language of the bill already states that:

“changes (lowers) the legal standard for a court to grant forensic dNa testing of any crime scene evidence. The standard would be changed to “if a dNa test had been conducted on such evidence, and if exculpatory results had been available to the defendant for pretrial proceedings or post trial procedures or admitted at a trial resulting in the judgment, there exists a reasonable possibility (vs. probability) that the verdict or other proceedings or proce-dures would have been more favorable to the defendant.”

Therefore the concern of the rele-vance had already been taken into account and thus that part of the objection would appear to be an excuse. Turning to finality of conviction, accuracy is more than

finality. In terms of the cost, as a society how much money should be willing to spend out of our tax dollars for an inno-cent person’s freedom?

s7842 addressed misidentification, which has caused 75% of the wrongful convictions. The association objections were that the new procedures were tech-nicalities which would trigger expensive litigation; that videotaping witness identi-fications will hinder cooperation, and that New York state Law enforcement has recently adopted, “fair, reliable and robust identification guidelines.” These objec-tions don’t stand up to scrutiny. Firstly, the improved procedures are not techni-calities, but instead are measures arrived at after carefully studies of misidenti-fications aimed at increasing accuracy. secondly, the expensive litigation will be avoided if the procedures are done in compliance with the law. Thirdly, legisla-tion is needed in order to mandate that the best practices are implemented; it is naïve to think that all police jurisdictions will voluntarily do so. If they would, it would have happened already.

s7873 addressed informant testimony and situations in which a witness receives a benefit in exchange for testimony- a cause of wrongful convictions in 15% of the cases.

dan donovan, and the district attorneys association essentially want the criminal justice system to remain virtually unchanged, despite an alarming rate of wrongful convictions caused by well known systemic deficiencies whose legislative reforms, supported by mountains of evidence and research are urgently needed. rather than focusing on ways to bring about such reforms, the district attorneys association and Mr. donovan would appear to be stalling; at points digging in their heels in hopes of maintaining the status quo. In fact, when the senate codes committee, chaired by schneiderman, passed the bar association’s recommendations, the district attorneys association flexed its muscle and pushed back so strongly that the legislation was not even brought to the floor.

anyone concerned with wrongful convictions and fundamental justice cannot afford to have dan donovan as the New York state attorney General.


LEGAL NOTICESSUMMONS AND NOTICE OF OBJECT OF ACTION ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE STATE OF NEW YORK SU-PREME COURT: COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER CITIMORTGAGE, INC. Plaintiff, vs. MALONEY, THOMAS MALONEY, ET, AL. Defendant(s). TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT: INDEX NO.: 8775/10 MORTGAGED PREMISES: 86 ONONDAGA STREET YONKERS, NY 10704 SBL #:6-6403-23 You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Westchester. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. Dated this 4th day of October, 2010, TO: THOMAS MALONEY, Defendant(s) In this Action. The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. ORAZIO BELLANTONI of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated the 13th day of September, 2010 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, in the City of White Plains. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by MARISA MALONEY and THOMAS MALONEY dated the 26th day of October, 2006 to secure the sum of $417,000.00, and recorded at Instrument No. 463180700 in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, on the 22nd day of December, 2006; which mortgage was duly assigned by assignment dated the 25th day of March, 2010, and sent for recording in the Office of the Clerk of Westchester County. The property in question is described as follows: 86 ONON-DAGA STREET, YONKERS, NY 10704 SEE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION Section 6, block 6403 and Lot 23 ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the City of Yonkers, County of Westchester and State of New York, designated as Plot No. 8, in Block “C” on a certain Map entitled “Revised Map of Seminary Park, being a portion of the former Estate of William J. Pease, City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York”, dated February 17, 1940 and filed in the Office of the County Clerk of Westchester County, (Divi-sion of Land Records) on February 20, 1940, as Map No. 5105 and which said Plot is more particularly bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the Westerly side of Onondaga Street, where the same is intersected by the division line between Lot Nos. 7 and 8 in Block “C” on said Map, said point being also distant 275.00 feet Northerly measured along the Westerly side of Onondaga Street from the corner formed by the intersection of the Northerly side of Pace Avenue with the Westerly side of Onondaga Street; RUNNING THENCE along said division line between Lot Nos. 7 and 8 in Block “C” South 81 degrees 17 minutes 30 seconds West, 100.00 feet to the Easterly line of Lot No. 17 in Block “C” on said map; THENCE along the same and along the Easterly line of Lot No. 16 in Block “C” North 08 degrees 42 minutes 30 seconds West, 50.00 feet to the division line of Lot Nos. 8 and 9 in Block “C” on said map; THENCE along said division line between Lot Nos. 8 and 9 in Block “C” North 81 degrees 17 minutes 30 seconds East, 100.00 feet to the Westerly side of Onondaga Street; THENCE along the Westerly side of Onondaga Street South 08 degrees 42 minutes 30 seconds East, 50.00 feet to the point or place of BEGINNING. Premises known as 86 Onondaga Street, Yonkers, New York HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: October 4, 2010 Steven J. Baum, P.C., Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s), 220 Northpointe Parkway Suite G, Amherst, NY 14228 The law firm of Steven J. Baum, P.C. and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.

SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF OBJECT OF ACTION STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE INDEX NO.: 2112/10 WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Plaintiff, vs. EILEEN MYERS A/K/A EILEEN MEYERS A/K/A EILEEN LIEBERMAN A/K/A EILEEN LIERMAN, JAMES MYERS, THOMAS K. BURNISTON, ESQ, DIANE BRAUN HANLEY, ESQ, JEMAB FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP AKA JEMAA FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, JORGE LUZQUINOS, ET, AL. Defendant(s). MORTGAGED PREMISES: 1415 MAIN STREET PEEKSKILL, NY 10566 SBL #: 33.6-8-21 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of ap-pearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Westchester. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. Dated this 6th day of Octo-ber, 2010, TO: JORGE LUZQUINOS, Defendant(s) In this Action. The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. ORAZIO R. BELLANTONI of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated the 15th day of September, 2010 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, in the City of White Plains. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by EILEEN MYERS A/K/A EILEEN MEYERS A/K/A EILEEN LIEBER-MAN A/K/A EILEEN LIERMAN, dated the 16th day of April, 1999, to secure the sum of $59,800.00, and recorded at Liber 25963 of Mortgages at Page 251 in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, on the 11th day of August, 1999; which mortgage was duly assigned by assignment dated the 24th day of March, 2009, and recorded on the 22nd day of April, 2009, in the Office of the Clerk of Westchester County at Instrument No. 491040637; The property in question is described as follows: 1415 MAIN STREET, PEEKSKILL, NY 10566 SEE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION Section 33.6, Block 8 and Lot 21 ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improve-ments thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the City of Peekskill, County of Westchester and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING on the South side of Main Street where the same is intersected by the Easterly line of land now or formerly of Herskowitz, said point being distant 193.28 feet Easterly along Main Street from the Southeast corner of Main Street and Charles Streets; RUNNING THENCE along Main Street, North 80 degrees 30 minutes 40 seconds East, 36 feet to lands now or formerly of Riley; THENCE along the same, South 09 degrees 29 minutes 20 seconds East, 100 feet to lands now or formerly of Clark; THENCE along the same, South 80 degrees 30 minutes 40 seconds West, 35 feet to lands conveyed to Herskowitz on the 3rd day of November, 1924; THENCE along the same, North 10 degrees 04 minutes West, 100.01 feet to the point or place of BEGINNING. Premises known as 1415 Main Street, Peekskill, New York HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CARE-FULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your op-tions in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Bank-ing Department at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NO-TICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COM-PANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: October 6, 2010 Steven J. Baum, P.C., Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s), 220 Northpointe Parkway Suite G, Amherst, NY 14228 The law firm of Steven J. Baum, P.C. and the at-torneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.

Seo Media LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 5/5/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to C/O Michael Rossi 44 Loop Road Bedford, NY 10506. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Registered Agent: Michael Rossi 44 Loop Road Bedford, NY 10506.

Notice of Formation of Limited Li-ability Company (LLC): Name: The Liberty Blue Group, LLC. Articles of Organization filed With the Secre-tary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/24/2010. Office location: West-chester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: C/O The Liberty Blue Group, LLC, 265 Old Mamaroneck Road, White Plains, NY 10605. Pur-pose: Any Lawful Purpose. Latest date upon which LLC is to dissolve: No Specific date.

NEW GENERATION AUTO CARE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 10/4/2010. Off. Loc.: Westchester Cnty. SSNY designated as agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 210 Webster Ave., New Ro-chelle, NY 10801. Purpose: all lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of a Limited Li-ability Company (LLC): Name: Pink Lotus Consulting LLC, Articles of Organization filed with the Secre-tary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/27/2010. Office location: West-chester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: C/O Pink Lotus Consult-ing LLC, 2 Canfield Avenue Apt 724, White Plains, NY 10601. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Eventastic Parties LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 9/15/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process Anna Cuneo 54 Forest Lake Drive West Harrison, NY 10604. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of a Limited Li-ability Company (LLC): TRAVELKIN.COM, LLC, Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of New York (SSNY) on 6/02/2010. Office loca-tion: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to TRAVELKIN.COM, 50 Barker Street, Apt 336, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Purpose: any lawful business activity.

Im Ip Law PLLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 9/22/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of PLLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process The PLLC 61 Broadway, Suite 513 New York, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of JUDAH PLACE LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/16/2010. NY Office location: WESTCHESTER County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her C/O JUDAH PLACE LLC, 117 Broad Street, East, Mount Vernon, NY 10552. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Elegran LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/22/2008. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall

mail copy of process to C/O Michael Rossi 44 Loop Road Bedford, NY 10506. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Registered Agent: Michael Rossi 44 Loop Road Bedford, NY 10506

Bevinco On The Hudson LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/6/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 112 Hillcrest Avenue Yonkers, NY 10705. Purpose: Any lawful activity

West Square Foods, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/8/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Stan-ley Chin P.O. Box 956 Bronxville, NY 10708. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Twenty Ten Foods, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/8/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Stan-ley Chin P.O. Box 956 Bronxville, NY 10708. Purpose: Any lawful activity.


W E S T c H E S T E R G U A R D I A N M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N TThe Westchester Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of events and developments that are newsworthy and significant to readers

living in, and/or employed in, Westchester county. The Guardian will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without favor or compromise. Our First duty will be to the PeOPLe’s rIGhT TO KNOW, by the exposure of truth, without fear or hesitation, no matter where the pursuit may lead, in the Finest tradition of FreedOM OF The Press. The Guardian will cover news and events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester county. as a weekly, rather than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated with 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 keywords: who, what, when, where, why, and how, the why and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understanding and 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 carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay trim and exible if we are to succeed.

SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF OBJECT OF ACTION STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE INDEX NO.: 27408/09 HSBC MORTGAGE CORPORATION (USA) Plaintiff, vs. BENNY FRANCIS, LISA MARY AUGUSTINE A/K/A LISA FRANCIS-AUGUSTINE, K.M. KURIAKOSE, ET, AL. Defendant(s). MORTGAGED PREMISES: 83 CRESTHILL ROAD YONKERS, NY 10710 SBL #: 4-4652-66, 4-4652-67, 4-4652-248 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Westchester. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. Dated this 27th day of September, 2010, TO: K.M. KURIAKOSE, Defendant(s) In this Action. The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication, pursu-ant to an order of HON. ORAZIO R. BELLANTONI, of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated the 7th day of September, 2010 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, in the City of White Plains. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by LISA MARY AU-GUSTINE A/K/A LISA FRANCIS-AUGUSTINE and BENNY FRANCIS dated the 12th day of January, 2004, to secure the sum of $120,000.00, and recorded at Instrument No. 441171039 in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, on the 20th day of July, 2004; that the Plaintiff is also the holder of a mortgage in the amount of $130,000.00, which was dated the 11th day of November, 2005 and recorded the 23rd day of May, 2006 at Instrument Number 461280210, which by its terms consolidates with the mortgage referred to at Instrument Number 441171039 to form a single lien in the amount of $250,000.00; The property in question is described as follows: 83 CRESTHILL ROAD, YONKERS, NY 10710 SEE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION Section 4, Block 4652 and Lot 66, 67 & 248 ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the City of Yonkers, County of Westchester, and State of New York, designated as Lots 8, 9, and 10 in Block K on Map entitled, “Section No.1 Brook Farm, situate in the City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York, August 13, 1926, William Smith, C.E.” filed August, 19, 1926 as Map No. 3026 in Westchester County Clerk’s Office, Division of Land Records, (formerly Register’ s Office), which said Lots are more particularly bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the Southwesterly side of Cresthill Road distant 820.82 feet Southwesterly and Westerly as measured along the Southwesterly side of Cresthill Road from the extreme Southwesterly end of the arc of a curve connecting the said Southwesterly side of Cresthill Road with the Southwesterly side of Alta Vista Drive; RUNNING THENCE South 36 degrees 32 minutes 00 seconds West, 105.48 feet; THENCE North 53 degrees 38 minutes 00 seconds West, 75.00 feet; THENCE North 36 degrees 32 minutes 00 seconds East, 105.70 feet to the Southwesterly side of Cresthill Road; THENCE along the Southwesterly side of Cresthill Road, South 53 degrees 28 minutes 00 seconds East, 75.00 feet to the point or place of BEGINNING. Premises known as 83 Cresthill Road, Yonkers, New York HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone of-fering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORT-GAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: September 27, 2010 Steven J. Baum, P.C., Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s), 220 Northpointe Parkway Suite G, Amherst, NY 14228 The law firm of Steven J. Baum, P.C. and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.

LEGAL NOTICESSUMMONS AND NOTICE OF OBJECT OF ACTION ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE STATE OF NEW YORK SU-PREME COURT: COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER M&T BANKPlaintiff, vs. CLAUDE MOWATT, CHRISTOPHER MOWATT, ET, AL. (s). TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT: INDEX NO.: 25365/09 MORTGAGED PREMISES: 63 VALERIE DRIVE YON-KERS, NY 10703 SBL #:3-3417-32 You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Westchester. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. Dated this 4th day of October, 2010, TO: CHRISTOPHER MOWATT, Defendant(s) In this Action. The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. ORAZIO BELLANTONI of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated the 13th day of September, 2010and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, in the City of White Plains. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by CLAUDE MOWATT and CHRISTOPHER MOWATT dated the 3rd day of August, 2006, to secure the sum of $463,200.00, and recorded at Instrument No. 462410116 in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, on the 15th day of September, 2006; which mortgage was duly assigned by assignment dated the 13th day of October, 2009, and sent for recording in the Office of the Clerk of Westchester County. The property in question is described as follows: 63 VALERIE DRIVE, YON-KERS, NY 10703 SEE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION Section 3, Block 3417 and Lot 32 ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the City of Yonkers, County of Westchester, State of New York, shown and designated as Lot No. 32, on a certain entitled, “Section II, Subdivision Map of Property of Odell Development Corp., situated in the City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York,” made by Senor and Burney, Surveyors, dated February 15, 1962 and filed in the Office of the County Clerk, Division of Land Records, formerly Register’s Office of Westchester County, New York on May 25, 1962 as Map No. 13325, said lot being more particularly bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the Westerly side of Valerie Drive where the same is intersected by the division line between Lot Nos. 32 and 33 as shown on said map; RUNNING THENCE from said point of beginning along the Westerly side of Valerie Drive in a Southerly direction on a curve to the left having a radius of 50.00 feet a distance of 11.98 feet the division line between Lot Nos. 31 and 32 on said map; THENCE along the last mentioned division line South 80 degrees 29 minutes 56 seconds West, 48.99 feet to a point; THENCE continuing along said division line and part of the way through a party wall South 37 degrees 40 minutes 12 seconds West, 94.18 feet to the Northerly boundary line of land designated on said map as, “Now or formerly 16 Bellevue Ave.”; THENCE along the last mentioned boundary line North 68 degrees 49 minutes 16 seconds West, 16.97 feet to the Easterly boundary line of land designated on said map as “Greystone in Westchester”; THENCE along the last mentioned boundary line North 11 de-grees 49 minutes 37 seconds East, 110.00 feet to the division line between Lot Nos. 32 and 33 on said map; THENCE along the last mentioned division line of the following two courses and distances: 1. South 78 degrees 10 minutes 23 seconds East, 90.00 feet; 2. South 85 degrees 46 minutes East, 10.53 feet to the point or place of BEGINNING. Premises known as 63 Valerie Drive, Yonkers, New York HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COM-PLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encour-ages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: October 4, 2010 Steven J. Baum, P.C. Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 220 Northpointe Parkway Suite G Amherst, NY 14228 The law firm of Steven J. Baum, P.C. and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.


SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF OBJECT OF ACTION ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE STATE OF NEW YORK SU-PREME COURT: COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER CHASE HOME FINANCE, LLC Plaintiff, vs. ISAIAS ORTEGA, PEDRO G. GARCIA, ANGELICA ORTEGA, MELBIN RAMIREZ, ET,AL. Defendant(s). TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT: INDEX NO.: 27406/09 MORTGAGED PREMISES: 278 MADISON AVENUE PORT CHESTER, NY 10573 SBL #:136.47-2-51 You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer,judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Westchester. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. Dated this 20th day of September, 2010, TO: MELBIN RAMIREZ, Defendant(s) In this Action. The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. RICHARD B. LIEBOWITZ of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated the 13th day of September, 2010 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, in the City of White Plains. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by ISAIAS ORTEGA and ANGELICA ORTEGA, dated the 12th day of May, 2006, to secure the sum of $400,800.00, and recorded at Instrument No. 461880930 in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, on the 29th day of August,2006; the Plaintiff is also holder of a mortgage bearing date the 3rd day of July, 2008 executed by ISAIAS ORTEGA, ANGELICA ORTEGA, PEDRO G. GARCIA and MELBIN RAMIREZ to secure the sum of $101,994.08, and recorded at Instrument No. 482110655 in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, on the 7th day of August, 2008; said mortgage was modified or consolidated with the mortgage referred to at Instrument No. 461880930 by a Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement dated the 3rd day of July, 2008 and recorded the 7th day of August, 2008 at Instrument No. 482110673 to form a single lien in the amount of $485,320.00;which mortgage was duly assigned by assignment dated the 4th day of November,2009, and sent for recording in the Office of the Clerk of Westchester County; The property in question is described as follows: 278 MADISON AVENUE, PORTCHESTER, NY 10573 SEE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION The property in question is de-scribed as follows: 278 MADISON AVENUE, PORT CHESTER, NY 10573 SEE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION Section 136.47, Block 2 and Lot 51 ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate,lying and being in the Village of Port Chester, Town of Rye, County of Westchester and State of New York, de-scribed as Lot 15 on a certain map entitled “Subdivision Map of Locust Woods, situated in the Village of PortChester, Town of Rye, Westchester Co., NY. Dated July 17, 1959, made by Russell Munson, Surveyor, and filed in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk(Division of Land Records) on September 11, 1959 as Map No. 12150. Said Lot is also more particularly bounded and described according to said map as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the Westerly side of Madison Avenue distant 205.72 feet Southerly from the corner formed by the intersection of the Westerly side of Madi-son Avenue with the Southerly side of Halstead Avenue. Said point of beginning also being the division line between Lot 16 and Lot 15 as shown on the above-reference map; RUNNING THENCE along the Westerly side the following courses and distances: 1. South 13 degrees 32 minutes 30 seconds East, 55.71 feet; 2. South 26 degrees 03 minutes 40 seconds East, 15.20 feet to the division line between Lot 15 and Lot 14 as shown on the above-referenced map;THENCE along said division line South 63 degrees 56 minutes 20 seconds West,120.00 feet to the division line between Lot 15 and Lot 3 as shown on the above-referenced map; THENCE along the division line between Lot 15 and 3 North 26 degrees 03 minutes 40 seconds West, 42.52 feet; THENCE continuing along the division line between Lot 15 and Lot 2 as shown on the above-referenced map,North 20 degrees 47 minutes 20 seconds West, 52.54 feet to the division line between Lot 15 and 14 as shown on the above referenced map; THENCE along said division line North 76 degrees 27 minutes 30 sec-onds East, 130.35 feet to the Westerly side of Madison Avenue and the point or place of BEGINNING. Premises known as 278 Madison Avenue, Port Chester, New York HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUM-MONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUM-MONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options,including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to“save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offer-ing such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORT-GAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: September 20, 2010 Steven J. Baum, P.C., Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s), 220 Northpointe Parkway Suite G , Amherst,NY 14228 The law firm of Steven J. Baum, P.C. and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose.

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Index No.: 2687-10 Date of Filing: September 22, 2010 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF Westchester BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP FKA Countrywide Home Loans Servicing LP, Plaintiff, -against- JUDITH MANDUJANO; BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO; MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR COUN-TRYWIDE BANK FSB; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; NEW YORK STATE TAX COMMISSION; ELVIS R LOPEZ, if living, or if either or all be dead, their wives, husbands, heirs-at-law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, assignees, lienors and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said ELVIS R LOPEZ, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise, of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and the respective hus-bands, wives, widow or widowers of them, if any, all of whose names are un-known to plaintiff; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; “JOHN DOES” and “JANE DOES”, said names being fictitious, parties intended being possible tenants or occupants of premises, and corporations, other entities or persons who claim, or may claim, a lien against the premises, Defendants.TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this sum-mons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the Plaintiff’s attorney(s) within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of ser-vice, where service is made by delivery upon you personally within the State, or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner, and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.NOTICEYOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOMEIf you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judg-ment may be entered and you can lose your home.Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property.Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTOR-NEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PUR-POSE.TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Or-der of the Honorable William J. Giacomo of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, signed on September 13, 2010, and filed with supporting papers in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Westchester, State of New York.The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises de-scribed below, executed by ELVIS R. LOPEZ to MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., AS NOMINEE FOR COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS, INC. DBA AMERICA`S WHOLESALE LENDER in the principal amount of $504,000.00, which mortgage was recorded in Westchester County, State of New York, on June 21, 2007, as CONTROL NUMBER 471650476. Thereafter said mortgage was assigned to Plaintiff by assignment of mortgage.Said premises being known as and by 140 HALE AVE, WHITE PLAINS, NY 10605.Date: April 9, 2010, Batavia, New York Laura Strauss, Esq., ROSICKI, ROSICKI & ASSOCIATES, P.C., Attorneys for PlaintiffBatavia Office 26 Harvester Avenue, Batavia, NY 14020 585.815.0288

LEGAL NOTICES

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SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER, DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, IN TRUST FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF AME-RIQUEST MORTGAGE SECURI-TIES INC., ASSET -BACKED PASS THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2003-AR2, Plaintiff, vs. DENNIS PAPA, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclo-sure and Sale duly filed on August 24, 2010, I, the undersigned Ref-eree will sell at public auction at the Westchester County Courthouse, Lobby, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, White Plains, NY on No-vember 30, 2010 at 9:30 a.m., premis-es known as 13 Timber Ridge, Mount Kisco, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being known as Unit No. 13 in the building known as 2B in the Timber Ridge Condo-minium in the Town of Mount Kisco and Town of New Castle, County of Westchester and State of New York, Section 80.73, Block 1 and Lot 8.13 and Section 82.19 Block 1 and Lot 26.-13. Approximate amount of judg-ment is $304,407.86 plus interest and costs together with an undivided 1.886 percent interest in the com-mon elements. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judg-ment Index # 13334/09.

John Perone, Esq., Referee Knuck-les, Komosinski & Elliott, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Ste. 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Foundry Productions, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 9/29/2010. Office in Westchester Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process C/O Steven J. Wohl, ESQ. 1025 West-chester Avenue Suite 305 White Plains, NY 10604. Purpose: Any law-ful activity.

2165 LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 5/29/2008. Of-fice in Westchester Co. SSNY de-sign. Agent of LLC upon whom pro-cess may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process The LLC 580 Pine-brook Boulevard New Rochelle, NY 10804. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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Integrity Money Can’t Buy!

Bill Edwards

Professional Experience:• Full-time Acting Westchester County

Family Court Judge 2007 - Present

• Full-time Acting Westchester County Court Judge 2007- Present.

• Presides over New York State’s First Integrated Youth Court 2008 - Present

• Acting Rockland County Family Court Judge 2009 - Present

• Mount Vernon City Court Judge 2003 - Present

• Presided over City of Mount Vernon Drug Treatment Court 2003 - Present

• Former Supervising Attorney - Bronx Legal Services• Former Managing Attorney - NYC Dept. of Housing

Preservation and Development• Over 25 years of Litigation experience• Multiple court decisions published in NY Law Journal

Education:• J. D. Columbia University School of Law• B. A. Williams College

Awards:

• Recipient Tyng Fellowship• Recipient NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Scholarship• Recipient Hugh Stewart Memorial

Humanitarian Award• Recipient NYC Partners in Education

Award

Personal:• Life-long Mount Vernon resident• Married to Helena R. Edwards• Father of 3 children (Jethro, Hillary

and Diana)

Former New York State Chief Judge, Judith Kaye wrote the following regarding Judge Bill Edwards: “I merely wanted to convey my high opinion of him, to you. During my own judicial service, he was assigned to preside over our frst Integrated Youth Court, bringing before one (exceptional) judge both criminal and family court matters involving troubled youth. Obviously, that role requires special legal and human abilities. He was a great choice in every respect.”

“Well Qualified”, Westchester Woman’s Bar AssociationPaid for by friends of Judge Bill Edwards • Contact Judge Bill Edwards Campaign at: [email protected]

Westchester County Family Court Judge

CompetenceCharacter

Commitment

A judge who delivers “real” justice to everyone

VOTE NOVEMBER 2, 2010 • VOTE 19B REPUBLICAN AND 19C INDEPENDENCEwww.westchesterguardian.com

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