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BAY RIDGE: Bay Ridge Prep confirms it is considering building new schoolhouse

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

A spokesman for Bay Ridge Preparatory School confirmed to the Courier that the institution is looking to build a new six-story schoolhouse on 89th Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues after we reported that its architect filed permits for such a building on March 11.

“Bay Ridge Prep and a local developer are in the process of conducting a feasibility study that should conclude in the coming months,” director of communications Anthony Hazell said.

The school will have to apply for a special permit with the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals to build on the property that is currently zoned for commercial businesses including auto repair shops and car washes. Most of the surrounding blocks are similarly zoned.

Bay Ridge Prep will have to prove the site is safe and appropriate for a school — it will present air quality analysis, noise, and traffic studies among others to obtain the special permit, a spokesman for the appeals board said. The board sometimes require an applicant to change plans if they don’t jive with the surrounding conditions, he said.

“In one case, an applicant wanted to build a rooftop play area on a school but there was a business with auto body painting booths nearby, so that required further analysis and we made them eliminate that plan — you don’t want the kids playing with those chemicals floating up there,” he said.

The process typically takes between nine months and a year.

The current permit requests propose 29 classrooms, a gymnasium, auditorium, a swimming pool, and two squash courts among other typical schoolhouse facilities. Hazell said school officials have not decided which grades will be sited there yet.

The new school would sit between the PS 104-185 Annex and a bank parking lot. Across 89th Street are a gym, a car dealership, and an auto repair shop. The 86th Street R Subway station is three blocks away on Fourth Avenue.

The site was not on the radar of the local Community Education Council, which recommends sites for public schools in the chronically overcrowded area, the council’s president said. Other schools in the area include PS 264 Bay Ridge Elementary school for the Arts just across Fourth Avenue on 89th Street and PS-IS 104 The Fort Hamilton School main building on Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street.

If constructed, the new school would be the third site for the 18-year-old private institution. Its lower and middle school are located at 8101 Ridge Blvd. between 81st and 82nd streets; and its upper school at 7420 Fourth Ave. between 74th Street and Bay Ridge Parkway.

Reach reporter Dennis Lynch at (718) 260–2508 or e-mail him at dlynch@cnglocal.com.

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MARINE PARK: Story with a spin: Marine Parker will be on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

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By Julianne Cuba

Brooklyn Daily

It’s a puzzling move!

A Marine Park resident and Brooklyn College student had a dream come true last month when he flew to California and stood next to Vanna White, Pat Sajak and the iconic Wheel of Fortune, where the 21-year-old student, who claims he has watched the legendary American game show for as long as he can remember (it premiered more than 20 years before he was born), said he was able use his expertise to spin and win.

“I would always guess the puzzle correctly before the contestants did and I wanted to show that off on the big stage,” said Matthew Epstein. “Which I did.”

Epstein applied to be on the show last winter and went through a few rounds of tryouts before receiving the congratulations letter in the mail this July. A physical education major at Brooklyn College set to graduate next year, Epstein represented the school amongst 14 other university students from across the country.

His classes haven’t exactly prepared him for figuring out semi-complicated word puzzles, but he has definitely improved throughout the years, he said.

“I’ve gotten better over time, I would always play word games with my family from a young age, and as time progressed, I’ve just become better with word lingo,” Epstein said.

The word-game-connoisseur isn’t planning on making an appearance on any more game shows any time soon, he’s still trying to take this one all in, he said.

“There was so much adrenaline running through me, I couldn’t even tell you the topics,” he said. “But I still might have to conquer another one.”

Brooklynites can see how he did — or, should we say, how much he won — when the episode airs March 29 at 7:30 pm on ABC. That’s channel seven on the dial.

Reach reporter Julianne Cuba at (718) 260–4577 or by e-mail at jcuba@cnglocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @julcuba.

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CONEY ISLAND: Sunday’s Cyclone, Wonder Wheel opening celebrations cancelled due to snowstorm

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

Snow way!

Thrill seekers will have to wait another week to take their free first ride of the season on the newly refurbished Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, because both Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Parks have cancelled their planned opening celebrations this Sunday due to threat of a spring snowstorm.

“With the impending Nor’easter, and the snow it is expected to bring to our area, we did not feel we could fulfill this goal by having our 2016 ceremony this Sunday,” said Luna Park spokesman Dom Pisanelli.

A coastal storm could dump at least 6 inches of white powder on New York, the National Weather Service forecasts.

Both fun parks will instead hold their launch festivities the following Saturday, March 26, when the first 100 to show up at Luna Park at 11:30 am will get a free trip on the Cyclone, and the first 96 who show up to the Wonder Wheel at 11 am will get a gratis jaunt on the iconic Ferris wheel.

Weather permitting, Luna Park will still open its gates and rides minus the fanfare and free trips.

Would-be revelers looking for something else to do Sunday can still hit up either the Bay Ridge Saint Patrick’s Day Parade or the Brooklyn Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Park Slope, which have both confirmed they will go ahead, despite the potential blizzard.

Reach reporter Dennis Lynch at (718) 260–2508 or e-mail him at dlynch@cnglocal.com.

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Orange Wave roll into Federation final behind Division-I duo

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By Troy Mauriello and Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

ALBANY ?? Six days after a total team effort propelled Jefferson to its first city championship in 62 years, it leaned on its two stars for dominant second-half performances to continue its historic season.

Shamorie Ponds and Rasheem Dunn combined for 30 second-half points, enough to outscore Long Island Lutheran as a team in the half by one point. They powered the Orange Wave into the state Federation Class AA boys’ basketball final with a 69-62 win over LuHi on March 18. Ponds scored 21 of his game-high 27 points after the break.

“He’s more of a second half player, Shamorie,” Jefferson coach Lawrence “Bud” Pollard said. “If he’s in a game he will feel the game out, get his teammates involved [first]. He’s just a very unselfish kid.”

The St. John’s-bound Ponds and Dunn, who is headed to St. Francis College, combined to score all but four of Jefferson’s 34 second-half points as they again closed out another opponent.

Jefferson (22-4) found itself in a tight game at halftime for the fourth straight contest thanks to LuHi (22-4) controlling the game’s tempo.

However after the Orange Wave fell behind 36-35 early in the third quarter, it was time for Ponds and Dunn to go to work. The two stars fueled a 15-3 run for Jefferson spanning over much of the quarter to put the Orange Wave in control.

As Jefferson held on to a 50-43 lead heading into the fourth, the Division-I duo show only continued. Ponds scored 12 points in the final frame. Dunn added five of his own to help pad the lead.

“Once we got a rhythm and started putting the ball in the basket a little bit, we could set up our defense,” Pollard said. “We got out on the break and transition and we were able to get the game going the way we wanted to.”

Jefferson opened up its largest lead of the game at 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, however the Crusaders was not going down without a fight. They pulled within just 63-59, with 1:01 remaining.

But from there Ponds was not about to let this game slip away from his team. His layup with less than one minute remaining had the lead back up to six, and he added free throws late to put the game away for good.

While Ponds and Dunn found their rhythm to carry Jefferson throughout the second half, the Orange Wave did rely on some of their supporting cast to keep them afloat early on.

As LuHi’s Indiana commit Devonte Green scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half, the Crusaders controlled slowed down the game’s tempo and were able to successfully keep Ponds in check on the defensive end.

But an unlikely force, junior Marques Watson, kept Jefferson in the game early with all 11 of his points in the first half. Malachi Faison, who as battling a high ankle sprain, added eight points for the Orange Wave.

“Everybody stepped up when their name was called,” Ponds said. “Marques Watson stepped up, Malachi Faison. Everybody just chipped in.”

The win pushes the Orange Wave into the final against Aquinas (Section 5), where the childhood friends Ponds and Dunn will get a chance to add the final piece to their careers together.

“It means a lot to me,” Ponds said of his team’s state title hopes. “I got a city. Now I just want to finish my high school season with a city and state.”

Aquinas Institute, 54, Xaverian 43: Nyontay Wisseh dropped in 12 points and Brandon Leftwich had 11 for Xaverian, which trailed just 34-32 late in the third quarter of the Class boys’ semifinals. Aquinas, which got 20 points from Jalen Pickett, used an 18-6 run to pull away in the fourth quarter. The Clippers (18-12) rallied from a 17-6 deficit after the first quarter.

Elmont 61, Telecommunication 44: Senior guard Devin Ballour scored 21 points for Telecom (26-4) in the Class A boys’ semifinals. The Yellow Jackets trailed just 40-30 after three quarters, but Elmont used a 13-1 run in the final frame to pull away. Matthew Smiley added seven points for Telecom and Jalen Burgess paced Elmont with 17. It was the final game for Yellow Jackets coach Chris Weil, who is retiring after 25 years on the bench following the school’s first city title.

GIRLS

Ossining 67, South Shore 51: Selena Philoxy scored 21 points, but South Shore (23-5) could not overcome a 15-point second quarter deficit in the Class AA girls’ semifinals. Tsahai Corbie added 13 points for the Vikings, who have won consecutive Public School Athletic League crowns. Seton Hall-bound forward Shadeen Samuels led Ossining with 26 points and Aubrey Griffin chipped in 22.

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LETTERS: Sound Off to the Editor

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Brooklyn Daily

To the editor,

I am deeply upset about the changes that are going on in Sheepshead Bay, an area that used to be a peaceful, picturesque retreat for Brooklynites, an escape from the hectic urban life all around us. I don’t think any resident living in or near the bay wants to see condos instead of seagulls.

El Greco diner never should have been torn down. It should have been landmarked and maintained as another restaurant or a museum of artifacts from the beautiful fishing village Sheepshead Bay used to be.

I am horrified at the thought of the additional traffic the proposed new high-rise buildings will bring to Sheepshead Bay Road, Ocean Avenue and Kings Highway, where more high-rise construction is being planned. Ocean Avenue and Kings Highway are already traffic nightmares. I feel as if I am taking my life in my hands every time I try to cross either of these streets. And where is anybody supposed to park? I find that new high-rises rarely have enough parking spaces for those people who live and work in them, let alone for visitors, shoppers, etc.

The last thing we need in Sheepshead Bay is more construction! What we need is to improve traffic conditions and make life safer for those of us who already live and work here, rather than bringing in more people and cars. We need to protect the humans who already live here, as well as the swans, ducks, geese, and seagulls who bring such pleasure to all who stop to see and enjoy them.

Elaine Kirsch

Gravesend

Tom-foolery

To the editor,

I can no longer allow Tom Allon’s op-ed to pass without comment (“Looks like NY values will descend on White House,” Spin Cycle, March 4).

Tom Cruz and New York values: I worked in the financial district on 9-11. I remember how New Yorkers responded in the weeks following the tragedy. The values that were exposed to the world during those terrible days have not disappeared, they have been discarded. Most notably by Mayor DeBlasio’s distaste for the NYPD, the men and women who risked their lives to save others. I have not forgotten the Fire Department, either.

Allon said, “Americans are pissed (must be Trump’s speech writer) about the economy and the huge economic inequality gap.” Could they be angry because there are no jobs or their hourly wages have decreased or their hours have been cut due to ObamaCare? What is economic justice and how do we solve it? The magic cure? “More progressive taxation.” Then we all will be poor. Or is it a case of when you can’t solve a problem, tax it away? It does not work.

Minimum wage. This is when people get laid off, prices go up, and no one gives me a raise. Paid sick, and maternity and paternity leave. Sick leave is a virus that causes the 24-hour flu, and it’s contagious. I guess there are places that do not have maternity leave, I just don’t know of them. Paternity leave? I survived the emotional trauma of my father’s absence.

Workers’ rights specifics: Limiting executive pay; I thought the person who hired you made that decision, in America. Corporate social responsibility; who decides what is socially responsible? Sustain-ability; I really don’t know what that means, but I am not a liberal. Pay equity; oh, yeah, you work harder than me and we get the same salary. Real company diversity; do you mean a white, middle-aged man should get a fair shake. Free college tuition; if it’s free, there is no tuition. New York City had free college. What happened? Now let’s define “free.” I graduate, get married, buy a house, and have children. I am doing fairly well, until my taxes are raised because of free college. Sooner or later you pay for it. What happened to the great liberal idea of supporting education with the lottery? University accountability for return on investment; what about student accountability for return on investment? “Money has ruined our Democratic process.” How much has Donald Trump spent on his election? The media has ruined our Democratic process. Billionaires are the problem? Does this include George Soros and others who support liberal causes?

Allon also stated that on the Republican side there was “a dozen or so clowns,” and continued by disparaging three of the four remaining candidates. I was a little confused when he said Trump may be the Trojan Horse to stop the regressive venom and obstructionism of the radical right. Was he referring to the Republican members of the Senate and Congress? If he was, then he has not been paying attention, and they would not be in the mess they are in if they had a backbone.

Allon also mentioned intelligent, independent voters. I am one, but he should know that if Trump and Hillary (or God forbid, Uncle Bernie) are the nominees for the presidency, I will have no horse in the race. A progressive president? Does he really know what a progressive is? Read “Intellectuals and Race” by Thomas Sowell. It is very boring, but very informative. A progressive has very little use for immigrants (unless they become Democrats), the poor, the uneducated, and the mentally handicapped. Progressives like Margaret Sanger believed in limiting birth rates of the inferior races (back then, race was ethnic ancestry). Eugenics, anyone?

Name withheld upon request

Gosh, Abosh

To the editor,

Elliot Abosh must be out of his mind to say that convicted sex offenders might be decent (“Perv pass,” Sound Off to the Editor, March 11). He must not have any children because as a father of a teenage daughter, there is no way I would want a sex offender living near me!

On another note, as summer is approaching, I would like to call attention to the handicap ramp on Manhattan Beach that leads down to the water. It is located at the very end of the promenade. If handicapped people could walk all the way over to it, they wouldn’t need it to begin with. There needs to be one in the middle of the promenade, so these people aren’t forced to sit by the steps on sweltering days, instead of being able to enjoy the water like everyone else.

Andrew Feinstein

Sheepshead Bay

Jerry ‘n’ Dave

To the editor,

Jerry Sattler has taken a very skewed view, both of the five members of the Supreme Court and the Second Amendment (“Firing off,” Sound Off to the Editor, March 11).

The Supreme Court decided two Second Amendment cases recently, not one. Both the Heller and McDonald cases re-affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess arms. I would hope that the high court will always vote to protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment does not “give people the right to have guns...” It acknowledges a pre-existing right that people already had under English Common Law, pre-dating our independent republic. Jerry apparently believes that because some people use guns unlawfully, the rest of us should surrender one of our most important civil rights.

He goes on to say, regarding possession of guns on school grounds by students with carry licenses, that should any of these people unlawfully use their weapons on others while on campus, that the head administrators should be treated as accomplices. I haven’t heard anything as silly as that in a while. That would be like holding Ford Motors liable because someone drove a Ford car while intoxicated and killed someone, or holding Smith and Wesson liable because somebody used a gun it manufactured to shoot someone. That is just ridiculous. I’m not sure that I agree with arming students in a college, but there is a lot of credible evidence that if students or teachers are armed the amount of killings by lunatics with guns could be mitigated or prevented.

Jerry should question why the gun laws at all levels are not better enforced. The federal government does not make many gun-law violation arrests, has fewer prosecutions, and about a three percent conviction rate for the cases that are prosecuted. If you believe the media the federal government is the biggest violator, considering Operation “Fast & Furious,” Ruby Ridge, and most recently where the rancher was murdered by the agents in Oregon. It has been said that people who trade their rights for the illusion of safety and security will lose both and deserve neither.

David F. Podesta

Marine Park

Brava, Jo

To the editor,

Brava, Joanna DelBuono! Just a quick comment of “thanks” for your well written article concerning our presidential choices for November (“Too bad Bloomie backed out, ’cause Jo would have voted for him,” Not for Nuthin’, March 11). You really hit the nail on the head. So our options are to submit a “write-in” candidate on the ballot of your true vote choice, or dare I say it, choose one of the two left standing after the dust clears. Decisions, decisions.Debra Justin

Canarsie

GOP v. Trump

To the editor,

The secret meeting of Republican leaders in Georgia made made think of Hitler’s “weekend of the long knives.” It was so hush-hush, almost no one knew about it. Then information leaked out that these high-powered politicians, other party bosses, and big-money contributors were working overtime to dump Donald Trump, and attempt to possibly install Mitt Romney as savior of the Republican Party.

Liberal media and newspapers call Trump Hitler, saying that his supporters wave their hands in a Nazi salute, but people in his own party are staging a modern-day “night of the long knives” — a purge that took place in Nazi Germany, from June 30 to July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders.

It also made me think of how back in the 1970s Orson Wells starred in and narrated a special broadcast covering the quatrains of Nostradamus. One by one the predictions made hundreds of years ago were discussed, and each one was chillingly accurate: The attacks then destruction of the World Trade Center, the rise and fall of the Third Reich, and the exploits of Napoleon were a few predictions that were right on. At the end of this broadcast, nuclear missiles from Iran and other Arab-Muslim countries were shown, blasting off into history as they were aimed at the “new city,” generally regarded to be New York City of today.

Iran, in violation of all too many treaties, has fired off nuclear-capable missiles bearing the Hebrew words for “death to Israel!” The video news reports mirrored almost to the exact detail what was shown on that Nostradamus program so many years ago.

Iran and fellow terrorist Muslim states have no intention of stopping development of missile technology and the so-called nuclear agreement is a sham. Everyone knows that they are busy making and testing nuclear materials, in secret desert locations. This present administration shows no backbone in stopping the proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction. I only pray we are not too late and a change in Washington takes place soon or the last prediction of Nostradamus may very well come true.

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

Coney memories

To the editor,

I was in the first graduating class (June 1942) at Mark Twain High School, and I remember I was so impressed with the Coney Island Pumping Station, as it was so new and I had never seen anything so nice, especially with the iron fence and lawn (“Marked off: Commission will not landmark historic Coney Island Pumping Station,” by Julianne Cuba, online, Feb. 24).

Nearby Kaiser Park is named for Leon S. Kaiser, the former principal of PS 188 and PS 239 (Mark Twain). I also remember the Child’s Restaurant on W. 21st Street and the Boardwalk. Time sure marches on.

Phil Einhorn

Midwood

Tram sham

To the editor,

The Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector study claimed it could be built for $1.7 billion. Mayor DeBlasio said $2.5 billion. If the cost just went up by $800 million, imagine how many more billions it might cost when completed.

It takes more than a simple planning feasibility study to turn a tram wish into a viable capital transportation improvement project. There have been no environmental documents or preliminary design and engineering efforts necessary to validate any basic estimates for construction costs. Claims that construction would start in 2019 and open for service by 2024 is just wishful thinking. History shows that construction of most major new transportation system expansion projects take decades.

There are many narrow streets along the corridor. Any street car system will have to compete with existing bus, auto, commercial vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. At an estimated speed of 12 miles per hour, how many people would actually take advantage of a street car versus other existing options. Which neighborhoods will come forward and accept two multi-acre operations, maintenance and storage facilities necessary to accommodate 52 or more street cars? What is the cost and funding source above the $2.5 billion, baseline-budget price tag to pay for two new bridges over the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek as part of project scope?

Plans to finance this project by taking a percentage of property taxes on new development is robbing Peter to pay Paul. This would reduce the amount of money available for police, fire, sanitation and other essential municipal services. Both the Department of Transportation and the Economic Development Corporation have no experience in design, construction or operations of street-car systems. Mayor de Blasio will have to ask the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to serve as the project sponsor and future system operator.

The journey for a project of this scope can easily take 10 to 20 years before becoming a reality. A new limited stop bus route along this corridor would make more sense.

Larry Penner

Great Neck, N.Y.

Partisan wars

To the editor,

I read the recent pro-Democrat Party letters (“Sound Off to the Editor) and wonder if anyone recalls when President Bush had over a year left on his second term and Harry Reid’s bootlicker, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-Brooklyn) remarked, “We should not reverse the presumption of confirmation. The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We can not afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts or Judge Ginsburg replaced by another Alito.”

Notice his lack of respect when he didn’t call the other justices by that term. Now with less than a year left to serve, these same Democrats think the current occupant of the White House should have the same courtesy they wouldn’t extend to President Bush. Now these Democrats think this year’s docket is so important, but the one in 2007 was nothing because it wasn’t in their favor.

Basically the Democrats started this going back to the nominations of Robert Bork and Justice Clarence Thomas. Payback hurts, doesn’t it, Dems?

I watched the debates where Democrats competed to see who could give away more of other people’s money to those that didn’t earn it, and to bow down to special interest groups whose vote they were courting. They say Republicans want to cut social programs. Well many of them don’t work and are wasteful, yet they’re given more money every year. It is this current president that doubled the national debt in seven years, effectively burdening future generations to pay for it. Both parties voted on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. These wars would be closer to ending if this president hadn’t withdrawn troops before it was secure, and hadn’t let Libya and Syria go to hell causing a rise in the Islamic State — his “JV team.”

Eleanor Six

Brooklyn

Barking Hill

To the editor,

Don’t “lie” with dogs, Hillary! I can’t understand the uproar of hearing Hillary barking at a news conference. We’ve known for quite some time now that she was a dog and her hubby, Bill, has been a stray for years!

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

•••

To the editor,

The incessant noise between Hillary-Bernie fans informs and entertains me. I get a chuckle when folks chide Bernie Sanders for making promises they say he can’t keep. So what is a converse candidate? One not making any promises, or making very minimalist promises so they can be kept?

Bernie’s healthcare plan, and other promises he makes (e.g. on education) are not economically feasible. Hell, our damned massive industrial war machine budget is not economically feasible either, yet many a candidate are willing to fund that machine, so why find it offensive to fund affordable health care for all citizens too?

What the hell happened to the politic of this day that has people so fearful of daring, of dreaming large, and working hard toward finding the way to begin approaching the lofty goals of an ideal that helps the many? Has our once productive and prosperous energy become encumbered by laziness and fear created by the one percent and spread like germ warfare by its wholly owned mainstream media? When it comes to political conversations on media and social media, they are without humor and perspective, and my head nearly pops off from shaking it far too much.

Donald Trump, like Marco Rubio, is a marketer; with marketers, perception is far more important than truth. And who believes the snake oil salesmen? The gullible, the uneducated? Those who went to schools where critical, individual thinking was frowned upon?

I ask that everyone please vote with your informed and considered mind and hearts; and vote for the candidate who you strongly believe will think and act as representative of “we, the people,” and not bid for the monied interests that currently rule much, if not all of governance.

Barry Brothers

Homecrest

•••

To the editor,

As a concerned citizen, I am closely watching the race for the presidency, with particular interest in Donald Trump’s campaign. He has ascended to the top of the Republican field in large part by attacking or insulting his opponents and others, rather than for his detailed policy proposals. His attacks know no bounds. They are often personal and no one is immune. The list of those who have felt Trump’s wrath is long and growing all the time. Here, in no particular order is a list of those Trump has attacked, insulted or feuded with since he announced his candidacy for president: Megyn Kelly, a FOX News Anchor for having “blood coming out of everywhere”; Roger Ailes and Fox News; Mexican immigrants who according to Trump are largely criminals, rapists or drug couriers; all Muslims whom he would deny entry into the U.S.; American Muslims for allegedly celebrating the 9-11 attacks in New Jersey; Sen. John McCain for being shot down and held for years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam; Sen. Lindsay Graham, whose personal cell phone number Trump disclosed; President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of State John Kerry; Serge Kovalski, a disabled reporter for the New York Times and all disabled Americans by extension; Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush; Sen. Ted Cruz, whom Trump purports is ineligible to run for president and is a liar; Sen. Marco Rubio; Soldier Bo Bergdahl who was captured and held as a hostage by the Taliban; Carly Fiorina’s face; former Texas Gov. Rick Perry; all government leaders for being incompetent; Planned Parenthood, and the Pope.

Given the extent and vituperative nature of Trump’s attacks, it is clear that he lacks the temperament and positive vision needed to be president. The American people must reject his candidacy.

Arnold Kingston

Sheepshead Bay

Southward bound

To the editor,

So now there are summonses to be issued and not jail time for those caught urinating in the street. Would city officials like it if these recalcitrant people were caught urinating in front of their homes? Our city and nation continue to go southward due to these liberal politicians.

The lack of respect continues towards our police and youngsters in school can now literally get away with anything now that it is becoming impossible to suspend an unruly child from school. Then we have candidates such as Democratic presidential challenger Bernie Sanders who is upset that too many prisons are being built and minorities are occupying the jail cells. Well, this wouldn’t be the case if the latter people and others behaved themselves and followed societal rules.

It’s a vicious cycle. Allowing youngsters to get away with anything in school only emboldens them to create further havoc as they get older.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Taylor-n-Kanye

To the editor,

Taylor Swift’s recent remarks on misogyny and the inhuman void known as Kanye West made me think of megalomaniac and greedy marketing “geniuses” (ghouls) who created megalomaniac-infused “creative acts” and successfully sold them to a willing public. Before their time arrived, and often before the individuals in these acts have had time to hone their craft, let alone know themselves, or pay their rightful dues via the passage of time.

I agree with Carlos Santana when he said about the Super Bowl half-time festivities: “This is just an invitation for you to consider iconic bands as part of your halftime entertainment. Real live music, real live vocals, and give the audience real live chills.”

In today’s world the vast reach of the Internet allows most anyone to now do this for themselves. All one need do is create and post a video on YouTube. Couple this with the desire of the mainstream media to distract citizens from being informed about the vital, socio-economic-political issues of the day by shoving garbage “reality” programming in front of the willing, and we have a vast, thick, tasteless soup of mediocrity defining too much of our culture today — a la the likes of the Kardashian clan, which includes Kim Kardashian’s misogynistic and messaging fool of a husband, Kanye West.

Good for Taylor Swift for having the composure and smarts to respond as she did to West. I hold on to a hope that if reminders like this, about misogyny, or racism, or greed, or other non-ideals keep finding a way to reach the masses, one at a time, then change can and will arrive, hopefully in my lifetime.

Barry Brothers

Homecrest

Town halls

To the editor,

As the Republican District Leader of the 46 Assembly District, I was compelled to attend the recent densely packed town hall meeting with Mayor de Blasio in Bay Ridge, the heart of my Assembly District. While I recognized the usual politicos and their staff filling the room, it was refreshing to see that actual concerned citizens and residents of Bay ridge were there in full force. Too bad the current Assemblymember of the 46 Assembly District did not present her views on the topics discussed, and opted to sit quietly.

Some of the issues discussed were the illegal conversions in Dyker Heights, sex shops posing as spas, and the waste transfer station being built upon our shoreline. A question was posed to the mayor about property tax rates and assessments. He stated that he would look at the tax rates, and request the City Council not raise tax rates, but he skirted the assessment issue. Let us clarify the fact that property assessments are based upon the property’s market value. Market value is how much a property would sell for under normal conditions. The property’s assessment is one of the factors used by our city government to determine the amount of the property tax.

Property tax rates are set by the City Council by determining the amount of taxes it needs to raise in proportion to the amount of money it needs to spend to maintain city programs.

Property tax rates and assessments are important points that pertain to illegal conversions of one- and two-family homes, especially in Dyker Heights, into multi unit dwellings. The main bone of contention is the lack of enforcement by the city and their inaction to alleviate this burgeoning problem. I believe that city agencies remain inactive in dealing with illegal conversions because illegal conversions generate high profit margins to those who invest in certain areas. Homeowners are offered and paid very large sums for their one- and two-family homes, increasing the market value of these homes, which result in higher assessments. Thus, the higher the assessment, the higher the tax rate for the neighborhood, resulting in more money for the city’s coffers.

The mayor stated he is aware of the situation, and has hired some new building inspectors, but he also pointed out that not every complaint is a true illegal conversion. He also placed the burden of accessing these illegally converted properties onto the shoulders of the NYFD. Mr. Mayor, the NYFD is there to save lives, not to generate income for the city through inspections resulting in fines and violations.

Quality of life issues regarding “spas” acting as illegal sex shops were brought up. A resident pleaded with the mayor to close down these “spas,” and shut down at least one avenue of human sex trafficking. A “follow the money” approach was the mayor’s cookie-cutter answer for this problem, but clearly more needs to be done to close these sex shops. In addition, the proliferation of Hookah lounges in Bay Ridge leads to the problems of exposing minors, especially teenagers, to the dangers of smoking. There are smoking bans throughout the city of New York, I am curious as to how and when these hookah lounges became exempt from this law.

Regarding the waste transfer station under construction on our neighboring shoreline, the shoreline of Brooklyn is not a dumping ground and our concerns need to be addressed and not be brushed aside. The sanitation commissioner clearly stated that Bay Ridge is one of the better areas in the city that follows recycling rules, and that garbage tonnage is down five percent in our area. Obviously no good deed goes unpunished!

Many other issues and concerns of Bay Ridge still need to be addressed and discussed. It is only through participation and awareness that they can be resolved. Town hall meetings should be more common, proliferate, and not be an occasional occurrence.

Lucretia Regina-Potter

The writer is the Republican District Leader of the 46th Assembly District and the Secretary of the Kings County Republican Party.

Challenger ‘lie’

To the editor,

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place 30 years ago, leaving us with more questions than answers over the decades.

Why did it lift off on a day when it was too cold to function properly? President Ronald Reagan liked to talk to the astronauts in space. His State of the Union speech was the next day. The shuttle had to be launched the day before to be up and running so he could talk to them during his speech.

Reagan pressured NASA to go through with it, even though it was too cold. Unfortunately the astronauts, who were also scientists, were not told about this. A news conference was held by the panel which investigated the disaster. The panel members were from NASA, except for Richard Feynman, a noted physicist and an independent member. He showed that the sealant got brittle and lost its ability to seal if too cold. He put a piece of it in a beaker of liquid nitrogen, then he took it out and broke it. Likewise the shuttle seals were rendered useless. The official story said the disaster was caused by a defective worker, but that was a lie.

Jerome Frank

Coney Island

Nuke mook

To the editor,

So now it’s the little fat guy with the bad haircut from North Korea trying to shakedown America by pounding his chest like a gorilla to show his strength so he doesn’t have to fight another gorilla. We used to call this “selling woof tickets” when we were kids growing up in Brooklyn — it was all for show.

Obviously President Obama, who is said to be a poker player, probably isn’t a very good one because he can be bluffed over and over again. I doubt Obama ever read Trumps’ book “Art of the Deal” or Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” a book written more than 2,000 years ago, and still used today by generals and leaders all over the world. Obama telegraphs his intentions to our enemies, telling them when we are sending troops and when we are leaving, complete with date and time. He traded five hardened terrorists for Bowe Bergdahl, a deserter whom he praised and who is now being court marshaled.

Obama made a deal with the devils of Iran, a country whose mantra is “Death to America,” giving them billions of dollars and withdrawing sanctions so they won’t continue making a nuclear bomb. They went back on their word and broke the agreement before the ink was even dry. So now the little fat guy with the bad haircut is going to see what he can get from Obama, like some other tyrants will certainly be doing soon because they only have about another year before he leaves office. They have to work fast, but they also know that if the new president has some cojones, like a Trump for instance, they will be out of luck.

Let’s not forget Iran held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the Carter administration. Jimmy Carter — a good, decent and very intelligent man, but a poor president in many ways — wasn’t respected at all by the Ayatollah of Iran at the time. Yet only hours after Ronald Reagan was sworn in, the hostages were released. Any guess why?

Maybe Trump is pounding his chest with his fists like the others who have been shaking Obama down, and maybe he isn’t, but either way I really don’t think those who bully Obama will try their crap on a Trump.

Peter G. Orsi

Marine Park

Reader wars

To the editor,

In response to J.J. Lauria (“Elliott Kibosh,” Sound Off to the Editor,” Dec. 18, 2015), I proposed sodium pentothal (truth serum) for terrorists and other violent criminals and suspects because I regard America to be very hypocritical in trying to preach and teach justice abroad when we can’t practice it at home.

Are not the members of the Ku Klux Klan — whose ranks included late President Harry Truman, late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W-Va.), and late Supreme Court Judge Hugo Black — and the American Nazi and Communist parties terrorists? Yet the First Amendment guarantees them the right to speak freely within the confines of reason.

Supreme Court Judge Abe Fortas, who served from 1965 until 1969, was a member of the Community Party, and even his most vocal critics — Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) — did not even bother to bring this issue up during his nomination because he was a hawk on the Vietnam War.

I would also like to point out to J.J. Lauria that if we engage in waterboarding what will our enemies do to our imprisoned soldiers? Remember, what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Elliott Abosh

Brighton Beach

Republi-CONS

To the editor,

How interesting when the Republicans running for president talk about taking back our country. They must have amnesia, since it was our government that signed peace treaties with the Indians, and broke each and every one of them. Then it pushed the Indians out of their lands, making them less then second-class citizens. All the stolen land should be returned to each Indian nation — pronto.

So what is the Republican agenda, besides each one attacking the other candidate? All I hear is how they want to cut every social program. What they seem to want is another war. Since we can’t seem to get out of Iraqi and Afghanistan, why would we want to send more American soldiers in harm’s way? I often wonder if these Republicans would encourage their children to join the military.

In Israel you have two options: military service or community service. Let’s stop this madness of war once and for all, and for once save lives.

Jerry Sattler

Brighton Beach

Gov. Gavone

To the editor,

Republican presidential candidate Gov. Chris Christie showed his true colors when he showed disdain for the young woman in the audience who asked why he wasn’t in New Jersey, but campaigning, while the snowstorm and flooding devastated his state. A lot of people might think Christie’s tough guy talk is cool, but in this case I think a lot of people think he’s a “gavone” — an Italian word for disrespectful and ill mannered.

That lady asked a sensible question and she deserved a reasonable answer. Don’t forget, Chris, you work for the people who your salary. To say to her, “What, do you want me to do go down there with a mop,” is as insulting and sarcastic as Hillary’s comment about wiping her server with “a cloth of something” while smirking.

If Christie wants to be known as the tough guy from “Joyzee,” try it with someone your size — if you can find someone. You just lost any slight chance you ever had of getting elected. The “I was only joking” doesn’t cut it. That’s what bullies say when someone finally stands up to them. You, governor, are a bully.

Peter G. Orsi

Marine Park

Chapter and verse

To the editor,

I am writing to convey my dismay at my treatment at a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, where I went to replace a lost card. When I attempted to inquire about a new card at a room marked “staff” I was rudely told that I was in a staff work area. Someone vaguely gestured toward a hidden information desk, without standing up. At least four staffers were drinking coffee from large painted mugs.

I am a semi-retired, visually impaired senior citizen who has lived in Sheepshead Bay for 59 years. Two days after my family moved to the neighborhood in 1956, my father took me to the library to show me a place of “learning and safety.” He would be very surprised at the way library consumers are treated there today. When I reached the information desk and asked about renewing my card I was met with blank stares from two staffers. After repeating my question two times I was told to go to the computer behind the desk. A staffer expressed impatience when the computer was slow to reboot. She said she did not have time to hold my hand and said I should “just fill in the blanks and press send.” I asked how long it would take to obtain a new card and she clearly said one to two weeks.

I returned to the library in the given time period to inquire about my card. Two staffers ignored me until I asked to see a supervisor. Within five minutes I had a new card. One of the unnamed staffers asked me why I had waited so long to come back to the library. When I asked the supervisor what she was going to do about the way I was treated, she said she would meet with the staff “sometime in the future.” I returned to the library a few days later to pick up a book for my wife and asked a staffer about the supervisor that I had spoken to. I was told that she was at an all-day meeting. I went back to the library the next day and asked to talk to a supervisor. I was told they were off until the following month.

That Saturday I went to the library to read a newspaper. The supervisor I originally talked with suddenly appeared and asked to speak with me. With her voice raised so that all of my friends and neighbors in the room could hear, she said she hoped that we could be good friends and that I could be a “star” of the library. I told her that I had called the New York City Human Rights commissioner to lodge a complaint for discrimination. She said loudly that was my right. As she continued to talk to me in a raised voice she was joined by two other staffers. I left the library immediately because I felt embarrassed and confronted.

Martin Adelstein

Sheepshead Bay

****LARRY PENNER****

Off-track Andy

To the editor,

There is more to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority- New York City Transit will increase rehabilitation for subway stations to a state of good repair by 10-percent to 50-percent from originally 20 planned in the proposed 2015-2019 capital plan. The original $34 billion plan announced in Oct. 2014 proposed $448 million for bringing 20 subway stations to a state of good repair. The plan was cut by $6 billion to $28 billion. The MTA Board approved this revision. That was prior to Cuomo’s declaration about increasing the number of stations (or dollars) for New York City Transit’s renewal program. This plan still needs approval by the State Capital Program Review Board. It also requires the State Legislature to find $8 Billion promised by Gov. Cuomo. The City Council must also come up with $2.5 billion to meet commitments made by Mayor Bill DeBlasio to fully fund the capital plan..

If you increase the number of stations, the overall station renewal program would grow by $224 million to $672 million. Just what other transit capital projects and programs would have to be cut to support finding $224 million? Cuomo was silent on this key question.

According to a New York City Citizens Budget Commission report released several months ago, it will take 52 years or until 2067 for all 468 city subway stations to reach a state of good repair. Cuomo’s math just doesn’t add up. He reminds me of the cartoon character Wimpy who famously said, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” When the bills become due, taxpayers will end up paying Cuomo’s bill.

Larry Penner

Great Neck. N.Y.

Tarnished Silver

To the editor,

The legacy of former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the area of transportation leaves much to be desired. Consider the schedule, budget, and the cost for four major transportation projects that he took great pride in promoting.

Washington paid twice with your tax dollars for building the new South Ferry subway station. First, for almost $600 million in 9-11 funding, a second time with more than $300 million in Hurricane Sandy funding to rebuild what was damaged. The downtown Manhattan Fulton Street Transit Center was first paid for with 9-11 funding. Cost overruns of several hundred million were covered by American Recovery Reinvestment Act funding.

Fourteen years after 9-11, the Cortland Street World Trade Center subway station is still several years away from being back in service. If there are no new delays, perhaps the station will reopen by December 2018. Transit officials fought for years over budget, funding sources, scope, and schedule. Construction for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority portion of the project just started a few months ago.

There is no funding in the agency’s propose 2015-2019 capital program to initiate construction for the second segment of the Second Avenue subway, north from 96th Street to 125th Street. It will take several decades and $20 billion more for completion of the next three segments of the Second Avenue subway, north to 125th Street and south to Hanover Square downtown in the financial district. The project was originally proposed in 1929!

Silver claimed to be a friend of both commuters and the 99 percent. In reality, he lived the life style of the one percenters. He frequently traveled around town with a personal driver at taxpayers’ expense. I doubt if he ever purchased a MetroCard or rode the subway, like several million New Yorkers do daily.

Larry Penner

Great Neck, N.Y.

Two-fare drone

To the editor,

The proposal by state Sen. Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge) to offer two free transfers for those who have to ride two buses before boarding a subway is wishful thinking. People who moved to Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and Gravesend — areas represented by Golden — knew full well that they would be living in a two-fare (bus to subway) and sometimes three-fare (bus to bus to subway) zone with longer commutes to and from work.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority services continue to be one of the best bargains in town. Since the 1950s, the average cost of riding either the bus, subway or commuter rail has gone up at a lower rate than either the consumer price index or inflation. The MetroCard, introduced in 1996, affords a free transfer between bus and subway. Prior to this, riders had to pay two full fares. Purchasing either a weekly or monthly pass further reduces the cost per ride. Many employers offer transit checks, which pay even more of the costs.

For years, local politicians would stir the pot on this issue. Now the latest cause is the cost for those handful of people out of several million daily riders who have to pay two fares versus one. An overwhelming majority can afford and already purchase either a weekly or monthly unlimited MetroCard, which makes the “double fare” issue moot.

Residents, taxpayers, and commuters in Golden’s district would be better off if he worried more about how the State Legislature will find the $8 billion Gov. Cuomo promised to bridge the $8.3 billion shortfall in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority-proposed $28 billion, five-year capital plan when they reconvene in January.

It all comes down to the availability of increased funding for additional transportation service to serve residents of two fare zones in the outer boroughs. Operating subsidies are required to increase the level of service and reduce the amount of time one waits for a bus on existing routes. Same for adding more off-peak, late night and weekend service.

Larry Penner

Great Neck, N.Y.

MTA delay

To the editor,

No one should be surprised by the recent news from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that the Second Avenue Subway won’t be open by next December. The agency reminds me of Capt. Renault from “Casablanca” when he said, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on!”

Riders who have been waiting since construction restarted in 2007 with an original service date of 2013 may not be able to pick up their “winnings” until 2017 or 2018. The project was originally proposed in 1929!

Larry Penner

Great Neck, N.Y.

****ROBERT LOBENSTEIN*****

Crooked pols

To the editor,

First Shelly, then Skelos, then others. So our dear New York State democratic leader, Shelly Silver, has been convicted on all counts of bribery and other misdeeds of directing clients’ money to his own pockets. Shelly lamented in his defense that it is standard practice by all legislators in Albany to do what he did.

A few months ago the State Senate refused to fund an expansion of jails. It was sad to hear that, as the good citizens of New York are eagerly waiting to hear about the next round of indictments and convictions of crooked politicians who infest Albany. Their next stop should be a few years in this fine state’s overcrowded jails.

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

Hill-n-Donald

To the editor,

Hillary Clinton was complaining that the Muslim terrorist groups were using Donald Trump for video recruitment purposes. That lie was quickly exposed and Hillary wound up with egg on her face. Then a video surfaced where Muslim terrorists actually were using footage from Trump’s campaign to recruit new terrorists. I wonder how much Hillary paid them to do this?

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

Pie in the $ky

To the editor,

Our dear Gov. Cuomo has been on a media blitz unveiling grandiose building schemes — rebuilding the old Pennsylvania Station to an almost former glory, expanding the Javits Center to house the world’s largest ballroom and exhibit center, and other fantastic municipal works endeavors.

One thing that was silently spoken about, off camera, was the way the multi-billion-dollar projects will be paid for. Yes, it will be you and I, and our children and future grandchildren, who will be paying off his follies for decades to come. To build any project on time and within budget is a pipe dream, knowing the ineptness of state and city governments. After these clowns leave office, we all will be saddled for years with the debt load created by their schemes.

Maybe most of these plans should be voted down until Albany straightens up its own corrupt financial mess though, as these politicians are busy picking our pockets, I doubt it.

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

*****ED GREENSPAN****

Roving Randi

To the editor,

It’s bad enough when elected officials are running for other offices and they are away from their official positions. It is just as bad when people, such as American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten will be criss-crossing the country for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Randi, you have responsibilities that await your urgent attention. In the city more teachers are resigning than ever, they’re throwing the towel in because of the discipline procedures you and other liberal lunkheads have created. Hillary does not need you directly, but teachers throughout the country do, as they struggle with burgeoning class sizes, unruly pupils, overly aggressive administrators, and parents who rule the teacher and principal.

If Randi Weingarten and other officials can’t fulfill their responsibilities, they should take a leave of absence without pay.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Get a grip

To the editor,

There is always an excuse for outrageous behavior. As the years have gone by, the new one is that the perpetrator was off their medication. In a recent case, several women were slashed by someone in and out of hospitals for mental illness. Why was he always released after each episode, only to cause additional mayhem? Same thing in school. Any teacher can tell you which of their students will go on to commit crimes. No one bothers to listen to them as children, when they are literally crying out by acting out for help. Instead, we either play their friend or just pass them on.

Since the family of the slasher knew what he was capable of, it was their responsibility that this individual be looked after. That is what families are all about. Don’t throw your problems on society and expect them to clean up the mess.

I just love when they say that the recalcitrant was in the process of getting his or life together. It is time for individual initiative and responsibility for one’s actions to rest on the individual and family members. Sure, many of these recalcitrant people and family receive welfare benefits and therefore they feel that everything is coming to them.

Ed Greenspan

Sheesphead Bay

Classroom sham

To the editor,

Politicians have conveniently ignored the problem of discipline in our schools. The lack of discipline is the major cause for teachers leaving the public school system within five years of starting to teach, or retiring as soon as they are eligible to do so.

No matter how good a teacher you are, you can’t teach without effective discipline and everyone knows that. Discipline problems start as early as kindergarten and with nothing done, the child goes from year to year in elementary school and will only cause havoc. If a parent doesn’t sign for special education placement, the child remains in a regular classroom and the disorder continues. As important as class size is, all you need is for one child to be continuously disruptive and little to no learning results. Years ago the 600- school concept for disruptive children was done away with. At least hard core troublemakers were kept out and sent to alternative settings.

When a disruptive child enters intermediate school (grades 6-8) the situation worsens because the child now has the added freedom of roaming the halls during change of periods. The problem is exacerbated now by principals who never taught a day, but are now rating teachers. If these principals taught they would see directly what is going on and change their attitudes about blaming teachers for everything. No matter how much money you pump into the school system, without discipline, the results will be the same, year after year.

The mayor and schools chancellor should be ashamed for weakening disciplinary codes. Lord only knows what else is covered up on a daily basis. Our deteriorating schools have become schools for scandal. Where is the union? It’s so happy to be out of the classroom that it couldn’t care less. Union officials get in overwhelmingly each time they come up for reelection, and the hierarchy within the union collects double pensions.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Mitt’s a hit

To the editor,

Given the current crop of Republican presidential candidates for 2016, a new “three Rs” should be in vogue — “Run, Romney, Run.” Millions of voters now realize the mistake that was made in 2012, and many will cross party lines and vote for him. Why not? Richard Nixon came back from defeat in 1960 to win the presidency in 1968.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Teaching trenches

To the editor,

As Warner Wolfe used to say, “Let’s Go to the Videotape,” when he would want something investigated further. Similarly let’s go to the school records of violent criminals, or better yet, do something with them in their formative years so that they don’t resort to such violence. If you opened the school records, you would see evidence of cutting class, constantly disrupting the class, roaming through the hallways, cursing, screaming, fighting, and causing all sorts of mayhem.

The city’s school system has failed these students and others by their complete refusal to deal with disruptive youth. As a result, the latter become more emboldened with each passing year, and their deviant behavior worsens until an innocent life is lost.

We keep such students in regular classes if the parent refuses to sign for special placement. As a result, chaos results as teachers desperately try to keep order with burgeoning class sizes. When are we going to face this problem head on and not keep sweeping it under the rug? This is not a racist problem. Disruptive pupils come in all races, religions and all backgrounds.

Empty out the regional and district offices and get teachers back in the classroom. We need more psychologists and psychiatrists in the schools. Less suspensions will not solve anything.

So-called staff development is a complete joke and everyone knows it. Let all the militants, ultra liberals and critics of teachers get themselves teacher licenses and get a taste of what it is like in the trenches.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

‘Demagogue’ Donald

To the editor,

It has become apparent to me that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would be absolutely perfect in still another remake of the great film, “All the King’s Men.” After all, as demagogue Willie Stark, Broderick Crawford received a well-deserved, best-actor Oscar. Trump could easily pass that, if not do even better in the part. He gives new meaning to the term demagoguery. Hollywood should definitely take notice.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Pledge allegiance

To the editor,

Of course the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited in schools. As a student of public schools in the 1950s, I remember “the lord is my shepherd” being recited from the Bible in the auditorium until someone finally realized that this was a violation of separation of church and state.

Religion does not belong in our public schools. This means that all symbols representing a religion should not be in the school either. After all, by doing this, we are doing a disservice to those students not of a particular religion, as well as students who are atheists.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Bernie Panders

To the editor,

Bernie Sanders, what’s so bad about living in a rent-controlled building? You bemoaned that fact about living in such a building in Brooklyn at the last debate.

The rent-controlled buildings on Kings Highway were, and are still, lovely buildings with affordable rents. Ditto for rent stabilization. You’ve been away so long that you probably don’t know that since 1970, if a rent controlled apartment is vacated, it becomes rent stabilized. May the Lord bless rent control and rent stabilization.

At the first sign of any change, you and so many other phony liberals are the first to move out of neighborhoods. Your remark about rent control shows that you’re a landlord’s man. Without rent control or rent stabilization, rents would be over the roof and this would lead to more homeless.

Apparently in Vermont, where you fled to, no such problems of homelessness exist to the degree we’re facing in New York.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

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My love-hate relationship with the map tech

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By Tom Allon

Brooklyn Daily

We are living in an age of rapid technological innovation. How to properly utilize some of these new tools is one of the greatest challenges we face. Clearly, much of these advances have enhanced our ability to communicate, our quality of lives, our productivity.

But like all good things, we must learn to moderate our use of technology, lest it become an addiction or a crutch or an excuse to disengage from human contact.

At first, I thought Facebook was a big time-suck for my kids. But rather than oppose them, I joined them, and today I probably spend more time on Facebook than my three teenagers combined while they moved on to cooler platforms, like Snapchat. Meanwhile, I utilize Facebook to reconnect with old high-school friends and occasionally post a cute shot of one of our cats with some sarcastic political commentary.

New technologies such as Netflix and on-demand video means we no longer have to rush home to watch our favorite television shows. The ABC Thursday night lineup is an anachronism because I can watch those shows just as easily on a Saturday afternoon. Network television only exists to televise sport events — it would be anticlimactic to watch the Super Bowl days after the game.

Smartphones provide the world in your front pocket. They offer you all your contacts (like the old-fashioned Rolodex), your schedule (day calendar), maps and directions (the portable atlas), a web browser (encyclopedias on steroids), and so much more. The smartphone is probably the most revolutionary invention since Bell first called Watson.

Probably the most intriguing invention is the modern global positioning system. I have to make a confession: I am direction-challenged. I can travel the same route dozens of times in a car and I still will not be able to tell you the route. Below 14th Street in Manhattan, a neighborhood I called home for half a decade, is still a maze of oddly named streets and avenues that baffle me.

I have always found navigating roads and highways a confusing and sometimes overwhelming mystery. I recall a trip to San Francisco two decades ago, well before the advent of the digital navigational tools we have today.

I was invited to a party in Marin County, just over the Golden Gate Bridge. It took me more than an hour to find the destination because I drove back and forth, missing the correct turns and getting all flustered. By the time I got to the party, I was ready to take a nap.

And so, today, I am a huge fan (and slave to) the digital maps and their directions. When I drive, I dutifully enter the address and let my phone’s Siri-like voice dictate my every move. I tell myself that because of this I don’t have to drive carefully and navigate at the same time, allowing me to focus only on driving as carefully and efficiently as possible.

But every technological advance is fraught with its own downside.

By overly relying on the voice in my car telling me where to go, I have sometimes been sent to dead ends. Because I turn my own navigational brain off, I don’t try to question the system’s occasional contradictory directions. I don’t observe the signs on the road that have for decades sufficed for millions of drivers.

I have become so addicted to the maps, that at times I have become panicky when it fails or when my phone loses power in the middle of my journey. How will I get to my destination without someone telling me where to go?

There are times in life, I believe, when we like to be told exactly what to do. Whether it is at work or at home or on a team, we all have an urge to follow a competent and confident leader. Especially when we feel unsure and vulnerable.

That’s the way I feel when I embark on a long trip. It is kind of a metaphor for moving to a new place or starting a new job or switching to a new school. You want the comfort of a trusted friend or someone you respect to give you guidance. That’s the way I view those directions.

But it is better to be both a leader and a follower at the appropriate time.

So the next time I take a long trip, I’ll let Siri give me guidance – but I’ll use my own head and my own eyes to get me to the right place.

Tom Allon is the president of City & State, NY and the former Liberal Party-backed candidate for mayor. Reach him at tallon@cityandstateny.com.

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IT’S ONLY MY OPINION: Stan measures his success one cruise at a time

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By Stanley P. Gershbein

Brooklyn Daily

How do you measure success?

Some of us measure it by our bank balance. Others, by the amount of expensive items such as jewelry, paintings, collectables, and cars that we own.

Then there are those who will tell you about the size and location of their homes, paintings on the walls and collectables. And success is often measured by the love and respect one receives from his family and community.

Me?

I measure it by all of the above plus something I like to call “lifestyle.”

To me, lifestyle includes the seats to entertainment venues, wonderful restaurants and, of course, vacations.

Regular readers of this column know that my roommate and I have taken many journeys and cruises. We have been all over numerous parts of the world and have sailed on 105 cruises. (Yes! I said “105”). Even though there were cruisers aboard who have sailed on twice that many, the captain of our last ship was very impressed with my total. When I told him that I met someone aboard with at least three times that amount, he asked me a one word question. “Who?”

I responded with “You!” He was still laughing when I ran into him that evening.

• • •

Including the many ports of call plus the numerous flights to America’s southern neighbor, Carol and I have visited Mexico at least 30 or 40 times. But never again.

When we travel to any country and spend five bucks there we will have added five bucks to its economy. Mexicans and the Mexican government are not good neighbors and they will never again see five dollars of mine. We seemed to always know about the illegals crossing into the United States. We always knew about anchor babies. We know about the illegal sneaky coyotes who are paid to escort Mexicans across our borders. A corrupt government? Yes! Google how many Americans are kidnapped in Mexico and the authorities there seem to do very little about all of our complaints.

Sargent Tahmooressi was the last straw. An accidental wrong turn with a gun in his car landed the marine in a Mexican prison where he was held and treated poorly for seven months. I won’t waste your time with explanations. You can Google the name “Tahmooressi” yourself and learn all of the disgusting details. Put the facts together and you will understand why Mexico is off my travel list.

And now we are supposed to be impressed with the recent statements by the current president of Mexico, the former president of Mexico, and many of the current Mexican elected officials who are attempting to influence Americans to not vote for Donald Trump.

After hearing what The Donald had to say about Mexico, even if only half of it becomes true, President Trump will be applying a great big hurt to our southern neighbors. It is no wonder they do not want him in the Oval Office, and the more they shout, the more I’m a listenin’.

They are doing a pretty good job of influencing me to change my vote. At this very moment I am considering a change of mind and I just might be voting for Trump. I am StanGershbein@Bellsouth.net, an American who likes what Donald Trump says only like so many Americans we wish that someone else was saying it. But since nobody else is … hmmmm.

Read Stan Gershbein's column every Monday on BrooklynDaily.com.

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HARBOR WATCH: Ft. ham to host West Point Day April 2

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Brooklyn Daily

The Fort Hamilton Army Garrison is hosting a West Point Day on April 2 to highlight the many advantages of a military education.

The day spotlights the many programs in place for New York City middle and high school students. It also allows the military academy to advance external partnerships and a culture of outreach in areas that leverage the distinctive intellectual capital of West Point.

There will be special performances from the Hellcat Pipes and Drums, Rabble Rousers, cheerleaders and Cadet Drill Team, along with special exhibits including fencing, law enforcement, boxing, and more. Registration recommended.

West Point Day at Fort Hamilton Army Base (Seventh Ave. and Poly Place in Dyker Heights, www.hamilton.army.mil) April 2 from 9:30 am to 1 pm. Free.

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WILLIAMSBURG: Crowd control: Stand up night fights for attention

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By Adam Ullian

Brooklyn Daily

Here, the comedy is front, but maybe not center.

The Front Room weekly comedy show, located in the front room of the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, has unique challenges for comics. With a stage near the room’s entrance, the jokes are peppered with interruptions from new arrivals. Music seeps in from the back room, and noise from a busy street scene filters in through the front windows. But the Wednesday night show, hosted by one of four comics on a rotating basis, thrives on the energy created by the boisterous crowd.

We spoke with co-host Anthony DeVito about the show’s appeal and his favorite moments dealing with the audience.

How does the venue affect the show?

It has an “anything can happen” vibe. When I’ve been on stage, pretty routinely, an ambulance or cop car will go by — something loud and immediate will happen. And there’s always a band playing in the back room, so that’s happening. There’s a lot of activity in the room itself, which is good because you

have to be in the moment, which I think makes for a more lively show.

Does the audience appreciate that element of it?

I think they do. I think there’s more to it than being told jokes, one after the other. Those things seem to get the biggest laughs, when the [distractions] happen, and then comics play off of those moments. I think the comics also feel that they’re a part of it too, so I think they get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Have there been any celebrity drop-ins?

There was one where I was hosting. I was looking over the crowd at the back and halfway through my set I realized that Rawls [played by actor John Doman] from “The Wire” was there. I was like “Holy s---, that’s crazy!” And then it became a thing where after every joke I told I would look back at him to see what his reaction was, and he laughed.

How have comics dealt with disruptive audience members?

There was a woman who was just talking and talking. It was getting louder and louder as Rob Cantrell was closing out the show. It got to a point where it was so loud that it was hard to focus on Rob because of her, and during his last minute or so, he finally addressed it. All of the chairs in the front were empty so he stepped on each chair leading to this woman in the back until he was pretty much screaming his jokes at her to make sure she would listen. It was impressive because she had no clue what she was doing wrong.

“The Front Room” at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. between Havemeyer and N. Fourth streets in Williamsburg, (347) 529–6696], bk.knittingfactory.com. Wednesdays at 8 pm. Free.

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HARBOR WATCH: Booklyn native fights PTSD with boxing

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Brooklyn Daily

After firing off a medley of artillery rounds, 19-year-old Edgar Fuentes set off with his convoy traversing the very area they had just fired on.

It was then, during the Gulf War, that Brooklyn-native Command Sgt. Maj. Edgar Fuentes of the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, was first introduced to the realities of post-traumatic stress disorder, but it would be decades before he felt comfortable seeking help and finding an effective outlet for the barrage of intense thoughts and emotions.

But in the beginning, it was a different Army then.

“You’re weak if you talk about it,” Fuentes said. “In 1990, you didn’t talk about how you’re not able to sleep or you’re waking up in the middle of the night. There was no talking about going to get help. It was not like it is today, user-friendly and encouraging.”

Between then and now, the Army culture has adopted a much keener eye, compassionate heart, and helping hand for identifying and treating soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.

As part of his therapy, Fuentes and his therapist set out to find his “happy place.”

“We started digging into things that put me in my happy place,” he said. “We were trying to figure out where can we find the Fuentes that was before, because I was a happy, motivated guy, but that was going away, so what was it I used to do that maintained me like that? What is a thing that I did in the past that could help me to deal with the PTSD without me knowing it?”

It turned out his happy place was in the boxing ring.

“I started going to the gym and training soldiers,” said Fuentes. “My lunch was going out of here, going to the gym, practicing fighting, teaching soldiers who had upcoming fights, and then at nighttime, Saturday and Sunday, I did it. And I was able to cope with all the stress and depression and anxiety that I had, so it was working, and I said, ‘This is it.’ My doctor said, ‘This is you. This is you.’ Of course, I still go to counseling. That’s not the remedy of all, but it helped me tremendously.”

Although the Army had put services and resources for coping with PTSD in place much earlier than Fuentes actually took advantage of them, he had a lingering fear of the stigma that is often associated with mental health concerns.

“Every time I came back from deployment, we did the reverse [Soldier Readiness Processing], and they asked: ‘Have you had an issue, do you want to see someone?’ ” Fuentes said. “Of course, it’s no, because you don’t want that — the stigma, you know. I’m a sergeant first class. I want to make E-8. The stigma was if you have a mental health issue, I don’t think, the Army was prepared to work with you, so they just set you aside. I knew if I was put in that equation, I would never get promoted. I knew this for a fact.”

In addition to the stigma, maintaining a security clearance was also a concern for those struggling with PTSD, but in 2008, the wording of Question No. 21 on the SF86 was changed to “Mental health counseling in and of itself is not a reason to revoke or deny a clearance.”

The mental health climate was becoming more favorable, but Fuentes was still struggling with the idea of getting help.

“I was concerned how people were going to look at me as a first sergeant or a platoon sergeant,” he said. “When the conversation started about encouraging soldiers to seek help, there was still a stigma. Because I’ve been in those meetings where people say, ‘He’s broke.’ I’ve been in those meetings. Every time I hear somebody say, ‘He’s broke,’ I have to calm down, because I want to say so many things. I was concerned about losing my military bearing, because they were talking about me.”

It wasn’t until he began to see the effect his PTSD was having on his family that he decided to see a doctor.

“It got to a point in my life where I knew that my family was suffering based on my PTSD,” he said. “I’m sad to say my relationship with my wife and kids was not what it should be. I felt comfortable among my people, so I stayed longer at work, not needing to be there. It’s just it was easier for me to stay here with the people that I had here instead of going home.”

Fuentes said he was always supportive of soldiers who came to him expressing difficulties coping with PTSD, but did not seek help himself.

Along with seeing his counselor regularly, coaching the soldiers at Kieschnick Physical Fitness Center gives him back the happy, motivated guy he was before all the gruesome images of war and multiple deployments.

“The adrenaline you get from learning and teaching somebody to do something and seeing them develop through their training,” Fuentes said, “and when it comes down to fighting, and we’re actually in the cage or in the ring about to perform and all of that hard work you did for eight weeks of training, and you see it works, and we get a win. It’s satisfying. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

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MIDWOOD: Murrow’s chess team brings home gold

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By Julianne Cuba

Brooklyn Daily

Checkmate!

Their backs against the wall, players on Edward R. Murrow High School’s chess team swept the final round of competition to win New York State’s championship last week, taking the the crown for the 19th time — in dramatic fashion.

“It all came down to the last round, late Sunday afternoon, we were down, we won all our games,” said coach Eliot Weiss. “It was a miracle.”

But the team can’t take a break just yet because the national championship tournament starts April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia, said the team’s hero and co-captain who helped bring the group to victory from behind — and hopes the team learned a lot from its most-recent victory.

“We had a bus ride back home and we all talked about our games and how we won, and we shared our mistakes with each other,” said junior Brian Arthur. “So when we go to Atlanta, we won’t make any mistakes.”

Murrow’s team has taken home gold eight times as national champions. One of their wins in 2004 sent players to the oval office for a congratulations from President George W. Bush.

One team member, who has been playing chess since third grade, said it was great to see the whole team earn the win together. is excited to see what will happen in Atlanta.

“It’s a true victory because we all came together to make this happen,” said junior Edeli Cuate. “States prove that we’re able to do it, and now lets see what happens.”

Reach reporter Julianne Cuba at (718) 260–4577 or by e-mail at jcuba@cnglocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @julcuba.

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CANARSIE: Maniac shoots Canarsie man in front of his home

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By Max Jaeger

Brooklyn Daily

A gun-toting goon unloaded on a Canarsie man in front of his Avenue L home on March 18.

The unidentified triggerman pumped nine rounds at a 28-year-old in a car in front of his home near E. 89th Street around 11 am, police said.

One bullet stuck the victim in his neck, and he is in stable condition at Brookdale Hospital, law enforcement sources said.

The shooter fled in a black Nissan Pathfinder, according to a police report.

Police have made no arrests and the investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Reach deputy editor Max Jaeger at mjaeger@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–8303. Follow him on Twitter @JustTheMax.

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MEAN STREETS: Pedal to the nettle: Guy plows into flower shop

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By Max Jaeger

Brooklyn Daily

Opps a daisy!

A scofflaw is in critical condition after he sped through a stop sign, caused a four-car crash, and barreled through a flower shop on March 19.

The yahoo was driving a brand new Toyota on E.13th Street and ignored a stop sign on Gravesend Neck Road, T-boning a Jeep and then plowing through a florist’s window, police said. The Jeep slammed into a parked car that hit a fourth parked vehicle, both of which we unoccupied, officials said.

The Jeep’s driver went to Methodist Hospital with neck and back pain, police said. His passengers — a 36-year-old woman, and their two-year-old and seven-month-old — were uninjured, law enforcement sources said.

The 41-year-old driver who flouted the stop sign went to Lutheran Medical Center in critical condition for internal bleeding, police said.

Cops have not made any arrests and are still investigating, officials said.

Reach deputy editor Max Jaeger at mjaeger@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–8303. Follow him on Twitter @JustTheMax.

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: Lions can’t claw back semifinals game

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

The game and the situation were familiar. The ending — not so much.

Xaverian reached the state Federation tournament by hanging close in the fourth quarter and grinding out wins. But the team couldn’t work that magic in a 54–43 loss to Aquinas Institute in the Class AA boys’ basketball semifinals at the Times Union Center in Albany on March 18. Xaverian got within two points with 1:26 to play in the third quarter, igniting hopes of a comeback win — but it failed to capitalize.

“We played a lot of games like this,” Xaverian coach Jack Alesi said. “When we got it a two-point game I said, ‘Okay, we are just going to slush out way through this again,’ but we didn’t.”

Xaverian expended a ton of energy trying to rebound from trailing 17–6 after the first quarter and 29–20 at the half. Alesi credited Aquinas with exposing his team’s lack of outside shooting.

“They challenged us to shoot the ball,” he said.

His club struggled to defend the more physical Aquinas lineup, which features four Division-I football players — including Jamir Jones, who is headed to Notre Dame.

The Lil’ Irish out-rebounded Xaverian 33–17 for the game. The Clippers guarded bigger teams well all season, but Aquinas (24–4) was a different animal.

“They were more physical than us,” senior guard Nyontay Wisseh said. “We usually use our athleticism to get the rebound. Today, it wasn’t working. They just out-rebounded us.”

In the third quarter, the Clippers squad (18–12) got back to the way it played earlier this postseason — when it won its first Catholic High School Athletic Association title since 2005. Defensive stops led to transition baskets a sparked a 13–5 run that got Xaverian as close as 34–32 with 1:26 to go in the quarter, thanks to a three-point play from Brandon Leftwich.

“We thought we would just push the ball — and them — with our legs,” Leftwich said. “We were a little low on legs.”

A layup by Aquinas’ Jason Hawkes at the buzzer set an ominous tone. And David Vito’s consecutive threes were too much for Xaverian to overcome, putting Aquinas up 49–36 with 3:02 left in the game.

Wisseh lead Xaverian with 12 points, and Leftwich had 11. Jalen Pickett tallied 20 points for Aquinas. Hawkes and Vito chipped in nine apiece.

It was a disappointing to a fantastic underdog run as the No. 4-seed from Brooklyn-Queens, but players know the good times will wash away any heartache felt in Albany.

“We know tomorrow morning — or in a couple nights, after we get over the loss — we will think back,” Leftwich said. “We are city champions. We had a great season and have a lot to think about. At the end of the day, I’m still getting a ring.”

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: Jefferson holds off Aquinas for first Federation crown

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By Troy Mauriello

Brooklyn Daily

Jefferson star Shamorie Ponds had to watch a quarter of the final game of his illustrious high-school career from the bench, but he still exerted his influence on the game. The Orange Wave was up by 15 midway through the third quarter when Ponds picked up his fourth foul with 4:47 left in the frame. As he took a seat, the Jefferson leader stared right at seniors Rasheem Dunn and Curtis Smith.

“I just gave them a look, and they know what the look means, like it’s time for you guys to turn up and bring one home for the team,” Ponds said.

Aquinas got as close as five with 2:04 to play in the game, but Dunn and Smith combined for 21 of Jefferson’s 35 second-half points to help secure the state Federation boys’ basketball Class AA championship, 72–65, at the Times Union Center in Albany on March 19.

“Shamorie was in foul trouble, so I feel like me being the second-leading scorer on the team, I had to step up,” Dunn said.

Dunn ended up leading Jefferson with 21 points, but Ponds was not far behind him with 16. Smith added 15 points — 10 of them came in the second half.

Ponds pushed the Orange Wave ahead early and Dunn closed things out late — a role reversal for the Jefferson stars.

“I couldn’t really get off to a good start — Shamorie got off to a good start,” Dunn said. “And then once the game started flowing … I just followed suit.”

Ponds scored 10 points in the first half as Jefferson looked like it was going to roll to an easy victory early on. It carried a 37–24 lead into halftime.

The lead was up to 15 when Ponds went to the bench with his fourth foul at the 4:47 mark of the third quarter, but that’s when Aquinas (25–4) made a comeback.

Aquinas had the lead down to just eight after three quarters — its three-point shots began to fall, and leading scorer Jalen Pickett (21 points) started finding his way to the hoop.

“I told those guys at halftime, the only chance they [Aquinas] got is if we leave those shooters open,” Jefferson coach Lawrence “Bud” Pollard said. “And we left those guys open, and they made shots. That started their run.”

Even as Ponds re-entered the game with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter, Aquinas was in the game for good. The team had the ball down four, 67–63, with 1:30 remaining, but Earnest Edwards missed an open three that would have cut the lead down to one.

Dunn continued his close-out efforts with a pair of clutch free throws to push the lead back up to six with 45.4 left to play, and Aquinas wouldn’t get back to within seven in the final minute. Dunn connected on all five of his free throws in the fourth quarter.

But the three stellar seniors could not do it all by themselves. For the second-straight night, Jefferson got some contributions from its supporting cast — namely Malachi Faison (six points), Marques Watson, Eric Massingale, and Jordan Morgan (four points each).

“They were great. Marques, Kerome Grant, Eric, all those backup dancers performed well,” Pollard said. “Usually we’re ‘Shamorie and the Miracles’ … but those backup dancers really performed.”

The story of the night, however, was the trio Jefferson senior-stars ending their high-school careers on top.

“These guys are nice kids,” Pollard said. “Whoever says nice guys finish last doesn’t know these guys.”

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: Elmont denies Tele state final berth: Loss ends Chris Weil’s 25-year career as Yellow Jackets coach

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

Telecommunications coach Chris Weil feels like he’s going out a winner — despite his team’s 17-point loss to Elmont in the state Federation class A boys’ basketball semifinals.

Weil, who has spent 25 years coaching at Tele, announced to his team earlier in the season that this would be his final year on the sidelines. His Yellow Jackets responded with the first city championship in school history as a retirement gift, but could not add a Federation crown. The remarkable run came to an end when Tele fell to Elmont 61–44 at the Times Union Center in Albany on March 18.

“This was the group that I least really expected to make it this far, but as the season progressed, I knew we had something special,” Weil said.

An early Elmont run turned Tele’s seven-point lead into a 10-point deficit, but the Yellow Jackets squad (26–4) fought its way back into the game.

“We were very lethargic, and I think that when we started missing some of the shots, we didn’t really play with as much enthusiasm after that,” Weil said.

Tele fought back from as many as 11 down to take a lead midway through the third quarter — fueled by senior Devin Ballour (21 points) and senior Matthew Smiley (seven points).

But the comeback — and efforts to tamp down Elmont’s (24–3) dominant frontcourt play — took all of the gas that was left in Tele’s tank. The Yellow Jackets led briefly twice in the third quarter and were down just one point going to the fourth. But Elmont served the a knockout punch when it hit Tele with a 13–1 run to open up the final frame. Jalen Burgess scored 17 points and K.C. Ndefo had 12 points and blocked four shots.

Tele scored just five points in the final quarter of what ended up being a competitive game with a forgettable finish.

Weil and Ballour both noted that closing games strong has been a part of the team’s mantra all season, and they expected that to continue in Albany.

“Like coach said, second half, we always come out strong,” Ballour said. “For us not to pull it off this time is surprising.”

That surprise from not getting it done late mirrored what ended up being an unexpected title run for the Yellow Jackets.

Tele ran away with the Brooklyn A Southwest division with a 14–2 league record. The Yellow Jackets team won eight of its final nine games heading into Albany — the only loss came against eventual league AA runner-up Abraham Lincoln on Feb. 9.

Weil is proud to hang it up after this year — even though his final season ended a day earlier than he hoped.

“I got the city championship, we made it to the semifinals in the state,” Weil said. “So I can retire a happy man now.”

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: South Shore falls to Ossining in semis

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

This one hurt.

It took South Shore more than 30 minutes to solemnly emerge from the Times Union Center’s locker room following a 67–51 loss to eventual champion Ossining in the state Federation Class AA girls’ basketball semifinals in Albany on March 18. A year ago, the Vikings squad lost a heartbreaking overtime game to Christ the King in its first trip upstate. South Shore was happy to be there and was playing in the Dick’s Nationals tournament after. This year, the team planned on doing more than just showing up, but the season came to screeching halt.

“We want a state championship,” Vikings coach Anwar Gladden said. “We want to say we are the No.-1 team in the state, and the girls’ knew that. We missed an opportunity to win the state.”

South Shore, which trailed by as many 15 points midway through the second quarter, pulled within seven points on a Tsahai Corbie (13 points) jumper with 5:03 to go in the game. It appeared it could be a one-possession game, but Jordan Washington’s potential three-point play was erased by an offensive foul call on the next possession. Ossining’s Jaida Strippoli hit a trey right after, and the Pride rolled to a win.

“I feel like the momentum changed,” Corbie said.

The Vikings (23–5) never found an answer to Ossining’s frontcourt duo — Seton Hall-bound senior Shadeen Samuels scored 26 points and freshman Aubrey Griffin, daughter of former NBA play Adrian Griffin, added 22.

South Shore forward Selena Philoxy (21 points) did her best to keep her team in the game, but only Corbie was in double figures with her.

“Today I thought [Philoxy] was tremendous,” Gladden said. “She dominated on the boards. She rebounded. She assisted.”

Ossining’s length and ability to clog the middle bothered the Vikings offensively for most of the half. The Pride (27–2) used an 11–2 run to grab a 32–17 lead with 4:27 to go before the break. Griffin and Samuels combined for 30 of the team’s 37 first-half points.

South Shore, whose point guard Destiny Philoxy was in foul trouble, had to play from well behind for the first time all season. It slowly crawled its way back thanks to an improved effort on the glass. The team scored the last five points of the second quarter — including a bucket by Scott with four-tenths of a second remaining — to go into half time down 37–28.

A half-court trap and some scrappy play allowed the Vikings to rally. The team turned the Pride over and forced the ball out of Griffin and Samuels’s hand.

South Shore scored six of the last eight points of the third, cutting the Ossining lead to 49–41, but it could not overcome 16 turnovers and Ossining getting the important hoops when it needed them.

“I thought they fought and competed for the game,” Gladden said. “I just thought we couldn’t get key stops when we needed to. We had some key turnovers.”

The loss hurt but didn’t discourage South Shore moving forward. Gladden expects his club, which is losing just two seniors, to be the dominant team in his league again next season. The returnees are determined finally get the program over hump at a Federation tournament.

“Next year,” Selena Philoxy said. “We are going to comeback and take states.”

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BOERUM HILL: Coda of conduct: String fest starts with no conductor

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By Allegra Hobbs

Brooklyn Daily

There is no one pulling the strings.

A Boerum Hill orchestral music festival will spotlight the out-of-this-world arrangements of modern string orchestra wizards, featuring compositions that use spoken word, video, and electronic elements. The three-day “String Theories” fest will kick off on March 22 with an eerie, drone-like 1980s-era piece with no conductor, which the show’s artistic director says is a perfectly out-there place to start.

“At that time, it was a radical departure from what had come before,” said Eli Spindel, the founder of the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, who chose John Cage’s “Twenty-Three” to begin the group’s festival. “I thought it was an interesting way to kick it off and pay homage to what used to be avant-garde.”

The 23-minute, 23-instrument piece is an abstract, loosely-composed arrangement of shifting tones, with a metronome to keep the time and musicians who choose when to start and stop playing, making each performance unique. Spindel’s interpretation places the orchestra in a circle around the audience — a 360-degree approach meant to flood listeners with the spooky tones in surround-sound.

“It has a massive sound that rises and falls and gets louder and softer very gently and imperceptibly,” said Spindel. “It makes sense to surround the audience with the sound.”

The festival’s second day will feature two world premieres: a piece by composer Taylor Brook called “Tarantism” — a cacophony of crashing rhythms featuring a baritone performer reading a 16th-century text about curing tarantula bites through music and dance — and “Cipher,” a composition by Alexandra Gardner accompanied by electronic sounds that overlap with the string music.

All of the works in the festival speak to the exciting, still-unexplored musical territory out there for orchestral compositions, said Spindel. The contemporary works often draw from a smorgasbord of modern influences.

“People are still exploring that terrain,” he said. “You get a mix of pop, rock, and jazz influences — there are a lot of genres crashing together.”

“String Theories” at Roulette [509 Atlantic Ave. at Third Avenue in Boerum Hill, (917) 267–0363, www.roulette.org]. March 22–24 at 8 pm. $20 each night ($15 students and seniors).

Reach reporter Allegra Hobbs at ahobbs@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–8312.

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BOROBEAT: Two for good luck! Brooklyn doubles up on St. Paddy’s parades

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

Brooklyn commemorated a bloody Irish rebellion in two St. Patrick’s Day parades on March 20.

Scores of proud Gaels — kilts and all — braved the foggy dew to celebrate Irish heritage and the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising during marches on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope and Bay Ridge, one leader said.

“It seemed a bit iffy at first with the weather, but the crowd really came out for it,” said Slope parade grand marshall Mary Hogan, the national president of the Ladies Ancient Order of the Hibernians, an Irish fraternal organization.

Organizers themed both marches for the Easter Rising — the bloody Dublin insurrection that helped kick-start the Irish War of Independence.

Before the Park Slope parade, Consul General of Ireland Barbara Jones read rebels’ 1916 proclamation declaring Ireland’s independence. Ahead of the Bay Ridge parade, organizers unveiled a “remembrance stone” at Saint Patrick’s Church for victims of the week-long uprising, including more than 250 civilians that the English killed.

Park Slope’s affair started after organizers wreathed a fire department truck from Union Street’s Squad 1 in honor of firefighters who died on 9–11. The engine led the parade, followed by scout troops, and Irish dance teams from O’Malley School in Marine Park and Buckley School in Park Slope. The pipes did hum, and drums did sound their loud tattoo — Brooklyn’s Clann Eireann band and Staten Island’s Celtic Cross band kept Slopers in time.

In Bay Ridge, Grand Marshal James McHugh — former chairman of the Saint Anselm Catholic Academy board of directors — led the borough’s largest St. Paddy’s parade down Third Avenue from Marine Avenue to 67th Street. Xaverian High Schools drummers kept time, and dancers from Buckley School stepped to the beat. The procession’s mascot — the aptly named labradoodle Seamus Butler — rode in style in a 1960s Ford Mustang.

Reach reporter Dennis Lynch at (718) 260–2508 or e-mail him at dlynch@cnglocal.com.

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BAY RIDGE: Smooth sailing: Ridgites would take slower ferry over unreliable R

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

Seems like anything is better than the R train.

Mayor DeBlasio’s new 69th Street ferry to Manhattan will make at least four stops — and take almost 15 minutes longer than Bay Ridge’s Toonerville Trolley — to get to Downtown Manhattan, but at least one Ridgite says it’s worth the wait, because the R train is hell on rails.

“It can be a painful commute on the train. It’s unreliable, it seems the slightest thing can cause delays,” said Doron Taleporos, who works near to where the ferry would eventually dock. “Just being on the boat would be a much nicer ride.”

Taleporos plans to ride his bike from his home near 74th Street and Fifth Avenue to the pier on 69th Street and Shore Road. The ride should take about nine minutes, just a couple minutes longer than it would take him to walk the three blocks to the 77th Street R station.

Once there, he and the rest of Bay Ridge’s salty seafarers can expect to go from the 69th Street Pier to lower Manhattan’s Pier 11 in roughly 43 minutes on the “South Brooklyn” line, which stops at Brooklyn Army Terminal, Red Hook, Atlantic Avenue, and Dumbo, before crossing the river.

All in all, the trip will take him 17 minutes longer on the ferry than on the R, that is if the R is running on time — as of writing this article on March 18, the R was experiencing “significant delays” because of signal problems at Atlantic Avenue–Barclay’s Center. Trains arrive less frequently but more regularly than the system average, according to a Straphangers Campaign report card that ranked the line 14th out of 19 citywide.

But Southern Brooklyn commuters could potentially shave 20 minutes off the ferry trip if they hop off at the Brooklyn Army Terminal and take a free transfer to a Rockaway line before it makes its 16-minute beeline trip to Pier 11, according to one local pol, who thinks speed is not necessarily what will draw folks to the ferry anyway.

“It’s relaxing and not as stressful — you’re on the water instead of in a hole in the ground, all cramped,” Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) said. “If you can make it work why wouldn’t you skip the R train?”

Gentile believes commuters will opt for the fresh New York harbor air and the scenic views of our fine borough’s waterfront — even if it takes them a bit longer to get to work. But Taleporos believes the ferry’s success will depend on whether or not Bay Ridgites who live beyond walking distance to the 69th Street Pier will be willing to find a way there — and if the city will help them do it.

“It is far from most of Bay Ridge, so to be successful, I think there needs to be some feeder buses or rerouting buses to get people there,” he said. “Outside of myself, I think most people’s concerns will be how much extra time it will take.”

The B64, which runs along Bay Ridge Avenue from 13th Avenue to the pier, might serve as that feeder for some — especially in transit-starved Dyker Heights. It would take 25 minutes to get to the ferry from 86th Street and 13th Avenue on the B64.

Reach reporter Dennis Lynch at (718) 260–2508 or e-mail him at dlynch@cnglocal.com.

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