Letters

Season Opener Sold Out
To The Editor:

As a season ticket holder of the Brooklyn Cyclones, I just wanted to thank your staff for the two articles your paper published on Mar. 28 and on Apr. 25 of this year.

I found the articles online after doing a search through the internet and I forwarded the links to your newspaper to our Cyclones fans who are members of the Cyclones Club and the e-mail group on Yahoo.

The Yahoo Club has 210 members at this time while the e-mail group has 42 and the people who have joined either fan club are from around the USA, Europe and Asia—extremely amazing numbers for a team that has yet to play a game. A Cyclones fan from Japan will be going to a home game at Keyspan Park in early July, as he will be vacationing in New York City this summer.

Membership in either Brooklyn Cyclones fan club connection is free and it's so easy to join:

The Yahoo Cyclones Club can be found at http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/brooklyncyclones. The Yahoo Cyclones e-mail group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Brooklyn-Cyclones

The Cyclones home opener on June 25 is sold out but the game will be televised on WNET Channel 13 in New York City. That's just some info for those who may have not been able to get a ticket to the game.

There were also people on the Yahoo Club/Group who were offering Mets/Yanks subway series tickets this season in exchange for any seat for the Cyclones’ home opener on June 25. No one took up the offer.

The excitement and desire of baseball fans in Brooklyn to have their own team is tremendous and I believe Keyspan Park will sell out this season.

So I wanted to thank you for publishing those two articles about the Cyclones and would hope that your staff at the Gazette may have the time to continue to cover the Brooklyn Cyclones at Coney Island.

Thanks again.

Liam O'Sullivan

via e-mail

Airport Construction

A copy of the following letter was received by the Gazette.

The Honorable George Onorato

New York State Senate

28-11 Astoria Boulevard

Long Island City, NY 11101

Dear Senator Onorato:

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey welcomes the opportunity and is committed to informing the local community and their elected representatives about airport projects that may impact on the quality of life in Queens County. Therefore, I would like to advise you about the upcoming construction activity at LaGuardia Airport (LGA). First, I would like to remind you that LGA will continue to have summer nightly closures beginning May 26 and extending through Oct. 15. Both runways will be closed seven days a week between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. However, please understand that the midnight time may be pushed back to accommodate late arriving flights due to unforeseen circumstances like bad weather.

In addition to normal maintenance work performed during the aforementioned hours, we are planning 36-hour weekend closures of Runway 13/31 for work related to the taxiway deck strengthening project and the deck expansion joints. All weekend closures will be 36 hours in duration, commencing at midnight (Saturday morning) until noon on Sunday. Runway 4/22 will also be closed for a few 36 hour weekend periods for installation of a foam arrestor bed. This project entails installing lightweight concrete at the end of the runway to help aircraft in the event of an emergency situation.

As we have shared with you previously, much of the work is intended to accommodate the new, quieter and more fuel-efficient aircraft, like the Boeing 767-400. The Port Authority’s intention is to allow for the economic growth of the airport and the traveling public, but to attain that goal with less aircraft operations.

We have already briefed the Queens Borough President’s Aviation Advisory Council on this activity and will be sending similar letters to other elected and community leaders. We will continue to work with the Aviation Development Council this summer to ensure that appropriate notification is made on a weekly basis.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Ralph Tragale at (212) 435-4879.

Sincerely,

Warren D. Kroeppel

General Manager

LaGuardia Airport

Protest Art Exhibit

A copy of the following letter was received by the gazette

Brooklyn Museum of Art

200 Eastern Parkway

Brooklyn, New York 11238

Attn.: Mr. Arnold Lehman, Director

Dear Mr. Lehman:

The Knights of Columbus of The Colon-Msgr. Higgins Council No. 309, members, families and friends, are officially filing a notice of protest with your institution and we strongly protest as a Catholic fraternal organization the Last Supper exhibit which is being displayed or was displayed at your museum prior to or during the Easter holiday. The depiction of Jesus Christ as a nude black woman is not only blasphemous, but is one of the strongest acts of Anti-Catholicism which can be depicted.

The money of the taxpayers of this city should not be used by the Brooklyn Museum of Art in the name of art to sponsor artists with strong and documented discriminating views against Catholics. The questionable work of art depicts a naked black female as Jesus Christ sitting at The Last Supper, which is one of the most holiest days for Catholics and Christians alike. Such painting is both a shocking and gross distortion of a time honored historical and religious event.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art has enormous discretion in deciding which portraits to sponsor and which artists to allow to portray their "art" in a publicly funded building. A review of this artist’s work, even with the most discriminating eye clearly reveals a clear and consistent bias against the Catholic Church. The sponsoring of your museum of art that is a significant commentary on Catholic worship, belief and history that is untruthful and defames the Christian sense of values is "defamatory and sacrilegious" to the Catholic Church and Christians alike. We therefore, protest the use of any and all tax dollars for any kind of Anti-Catholic or Catholic-bashing art or forms of self expression.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art as a cultural institution open to all races and faiths which receives public funds is under an obligation to protect the public trust. We believe that the mission of a museum is not to promote sensationalistic exhibits that defame a well established Christian version and portrayal of The Last Supper. This type of depiction being displayed in a museum which is publicly funded is nothing less than an act of severe Catholic-bashing.

Many Catholics, including the Knights of Columbus of Colon-Msgr. Higgins Council No. 309 which number over three hundred members alone, are respectful and show extreme tolerance in many areas. However, we now seek the same respect in return. It is our position that any portrayals as the one of The Last Supper a.k.a. "Yo Mama’s Last Supper" should be removed immediately from public display and should be forbidden to be shown to the public inside of your museum or any other publicly funded institution of art.

Sincerely Yours,

Mel Sciacca

Grand Knight

Colon-Msgr. Higgins Council No. 309

Jackson Heights

Hails A "Doer"

To The Editor:

Chingchow says "Big talkers are but little doers." Councilman Sheldon Leffler is not a great talker but he is a great doer, always there to help his constituents improve their way of life. [He] runs a good office, answers and tries to fulfill requests if within his jurisdiction and his power as a Councilman representing his elected district. As an Independent, is his own man, answerable to no club or party boss. He won the Councilman job on his own. His lapel button read "I’m Sheldon Leffler Running For the City Council. Vote For Me As Your Full Time Councilman."

He listens and acts as a community activist, member and chair of Cunningham Park. We have seen new ballfields, soccer fields, upgraded park house, restrooms, new park house and much more.

Ben Fried

Flushing

Honorary Deputy Fire Chief

Chair 306 Firehouse Community

Chair Bell Boulevard Merchants Association

President Queens County Homeowners Association

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