(April 1, 2010) No, this is not an April Fool's column. It is as serious as I usually am when I talk about New York State government. I've been watching the jokers in Albany for so long that perhaps I'm beginning to think like them. It's like this: the Dems in control -- my party -- have started focusing on a series of "revenuers" to fix what's broken in the budget. Now we all know what's broken. The folks in Albany spend lots more than they take in -- it's that simple. All they have to do is stop spending what they don't have and bingo: a balanced budget. [continues 952 words]
"A church in the heart of Jamaica" may open its doors to intravenous drug users looking to swap used needles for new ones, according to a local health provider and members of the Southeast Queens Clergy for Community Empowerment (SQCCE). There have been "preliminary discussions about doing it in a church in southeast Queens," said Executive Director Phil Glotzer, of the non-profit AIDS Center of Queens County, hoping to run the program. Declining to name the church publicly, Glotzer would only say it was "a church in the heart of Jamaica...that runs a soup kitchen." [continues 328 words]
To The Editor: Once again underage drinking has been given short shrift by the federal government in its drug prevention efforts. A survey of drug use released last year indicates that the rate of first-time drinkers between the ages of 12 and 17 nearly doubled from 117.6 per 1,000 kids in 1989 to 216.8 per 1,000 kids in 1997. That means that twice as many kids are at risk for getting into trouble with alcohol. Yet our children aren't seeing any underage drinking prevention messages in the anti-drug campaign now costing taxpayers $195 million. Described as "the largest multicultural advertising and communications effort ever undertaken by the federal government," it ignores alcohol. How much longer are we going to tolerate such a misguided policy? After all, the most likely cause of death for a 16-year-old is alcohol related. Dr. Martin H. Levinson, Director of Project Share, CSD 30, Jackson Heights [end]
After reading "The Agony Of Ecstasy" in the June 22-28 issue of the Tribune, I thought I might be able to shed some light on this subject. First of all, I say that the article is well written, and very factual and informative. I used to do counseling for a drug-abuse program, and from what I remember about this drug, the article is true to the facts. Although we know quite a bit about the drug, its side effects, where to purchase it, what it contains, and what neighborhoods attract it, why can't we be more informed about the drug dealers, and their contacts. I can't believe that our police and narcotics bureau are not able to put a wrench into the machine that supplies this substance to this country. [continues 138 words]
