July 14, 2021 - Queens Ledger

Make or Break Time

webadmin on July 14, 2021

It’s been well documented in this column and throughout town that the New York Yankees have been baseball’s disappointment in the first half of the 2021 season.
The Yankees issues are well documented.
They are too reliant on right-handed power and lack the athleticism and balance that is needed to field a championship team in 2021.
Despite their obvious flaws and issues, the Yankees have a pulse because of two reasons: a winning West Coast road trip and the fact that Major League Baseball has two Wild Card teams.
The Yankees are 4.5 games behind the Oakland A’s for the second Wild Card and eight games back of the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.
Personally, I don’t see a viable path for the Yankees overcoming the deficit in the division. However, if you want to hold onto that dream, pay close attention over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Yankees will play the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays eleven times before the month of August.
If the Yankees have any prayer of making the division race competitive, they have to play their best baseball of the season starting on Thursday.
The Yankees need a big second half if they’re to simply qualify for the postseason, because in the first half, they’ve were nowhere close to resembling a playoff team.
Think about three of their losses right before the All-Star break. In the soul-crushing losses the Yankees yucked up not one, not two, but three ninth-inning leads, including leads of four and five runs against the Angels and Astros, respectively.
To add insult to injury, the other loss was against the crosstown Mets.
It will be difficult to change the fabric of the Yankees lineup midseason, but it’s time to see if the team that was supposed to slug their way to the American League pennant can actually find a way to do exactly that.
There is no tomorrow, not just for Yankees manager Aaron Boone, but for this Yankee core as we know it. By the end of July, you’ll know as a fan if there will be an August or September worth fighting for.
Put up or shut up time indeed.

You can listen to my podcast “New York, New York” on The Ringer Podcast Network, which can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts every Monday, Wednesday & Friday morning.

Pete Alonso defends his Home Run Derby crown

webadmin on July 14, 2021

Major league Baseball’s All-Star Break festivities got underway in Denver, Colorado on Monday night, with some of the league’s biggest bats facing off in the Home Run Derby. After last year’s ASG and derby were cancelled due to the pandemic, Mets slugger Pete Alonso looked to defend his 2019 title against a field of new challengers.
With the event taking place high in the Rocky Mountains, baseballs were sure to fly out of the park at record paces, distances, and speeds.
In the first round, Alonso was matched up with Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals and the two displayed just how far the ball could fly. Alonso started off on fire, absolutely destroying every ball, setting a record for homers in the first round with an incredible 35. Perez put up a valiant effort and impressed with 27, but it wasn’t enough to get him past the defending champion.
In the following first-round matchup, Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani took on Nationals youngster Juan Soto, with the winner playing Alonso for a spot in the finals.
Ohtani ran away with the All-Star Break headlines, taking part in the derby only to start on the mound and lead off for the AL in Tuesday’s game.
Soto was up to the challenge, as both hit 22 balls out of the park and another six out in the one-minute bonus round. The winner was decided in the first ever “swing-off,” with each getting three swings to add to their total.
Soto came up clutch, hitting all three of his chances over the wall. Ohtani missed on his first swing, ending the round.
In the semifinals, the two heavy-hitting NL East stars faced off, but Alonso was already in his groove while Soto was tired from his first round. He only managed 15 homers, not nearly enough to put him past Alonso, who stepped up to the plate dancing to his music, ready to swing for the fences. He truly made Coors Field his own as he pumped up the crowd and got them cheering for him as got ready for his hacks.
It didn’t take long for Alonso to eclipse Soto, hitting 16 balls into the crowd to punch a ticket to the final round. His opponent would be Baltimore’s Trey Mancini, who continued one of baseball’s most remarkable comeback stories.
Mancini overcame stage-3 colon cancer and at many times thought he’d never step on the field again. Now after beating cancer and making a comeback, he took part in the derby in front of a packed stadium cheering him on.
Mancini didn’t seem to expect to keep pace with Alonso, but he shocked everyone with an incredible 22-home-run round to end his night. Alonso stepped up to take his final hacks, but by the end of his bonus time he had hit 23 to clinch a second straight title.
Alonso and Mancini hugged at the plate, congratulating each other for their great contest. Alonso held his trophy high, the third player to repeat as champion. We’ll have to see if he’ll return next year, as he eyes a “Three-Pete” to tie Ken Griffey Jr.’s record of three Derby wins.

Make or Break Time

webadmin on July 14, 2021

You can listen to my podcast “New York, New York” on The Ringer Podcast Network, which can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts every Monday, Wednesday & Friday morning.

Staying healthy while traveling

webadmin on July 14, 2021

The benefits of travel are enumerable, and I’m seeing many social media posts from friends and family who are venturing back onto planes and trains this summer. However, as anyone who has traveled in the past 10 years knows, travel has always had its downsides, even pre-pandemic.

What increases the risk of catching a virus or infection during air and train travel?
Surprisingly, it’s not what you may think. Most people tend to focus on the air quality. While it’s true that infections can be spread through air droplets, a plane’s air is actually filtered more than a movie theater’s or sporting event venue’s.
According to a study in 2007 by Charles Gerba, professor of environment microbiology at the University of Arizona, it’s the surfaces on the airplane that create the greatest risk of picking up bacteria and viruses. The surfaces that harbor the most microbial pathogens are tray tables, bathrooms, and seats – especially arm rests.
If you could avoid contact with your face after touching the surfaces on an airplane, you could significantly reduce transmission. However, it is almost impossible not to touch your face.
In medical school, during one lab, the professor put a powder that could only be seen with UV lighting on our books. At the end of class, the professor used an ultraviolet light and confirmed that everyone had touched their face at least once – and most of us repeatedly.

Preventing viruses and infections
The most reasonable approach is to carry antimicrobial wipes to clean the surfaces of the hand rests and tray tables. Wash your hands after using the bathroom. Use hand sanitizers before you eat. You might also put a napkin over the tray table to avoid touching the surface.
Fortunately, most infections are not life-threatening, but rather a short-term inconvenience.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) risks
More serious is a DVT, which is also referred to as “economy class syndrome,” because it occurs most often when sitting for long periods of time in cramped spaces. The risk of a DVT is increased by as much as two to four times on long-haul flights.
DVTs are more likely for travelers who have other risk factors, such as obesity, heart failure, cancer, increased age or recent major surgery. A 2001 New England Journal of Medicine study found that flights greater than 3600 miles cause increased risk of a DVT and PE. This limits the risk to mostly international flights and those traveling from the east coast to Hawaii. Unfortunately, DVTs and PEs can be life-threatening, if untreated.

Prevention of DVTs
When on a flight of more than five hours, make sure you walk or move around every one to two hours. Hydration is also critical to decrease clot risk. Another easy solution is below the knee compression stockings, which have been shown to decrease risk dramatically.

What about the role of stress?
Travel increases stress for many. Acute stress tends to increase the risk of hypercoagulability, or clots, and thus the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Chronic stress may also cause people to be more susceptible to infection, including the common cold.
Biofeedback, which involves deep breathing and meditation, is a great way to reduce both chronic and acute stress while traveling.
Though there are no guarantees, take these precautions to minimize the risks of infection, DVT/PE and increased stress. Also, take it to heart the next time you hear the captain and flight attendants tell you to sit back, relax and enjoy the trip.

Health equity requires diversity in clinical trials

webadmin on July 14, 2021

Covid-19 has laid bare America’s health inequities.
More than one in 555 Black Americans have died from Covid-19, according to the latest data from APM Research Lab. Latino Americans are about twice as likely to die from the virus as whites.
Countless health and economic disparities contribute to this unequal toll. Fixing these inequalities will require systemic changes across our society.
One important place to get started is clinical trials, studies in which scientists test a new drug or medical device on people to evaluate whether it’s effective. Ensuring that diverse groups are included in clinical trials leads to a better understanding of how a therapy will work. Without that knowledge, people of color end up at an even greater loss.
Lacking access to clinical trials can also have a direct impact on an individual’s health. For patients with aggressive diseases like advanced-stage cancer, sometimes a trial drug offers the best shot at a longer life.
Communities of color have historically faced barriers to trial participation, with African Americans, who make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, accounting for only 5 percent of enrollment in clinical trials. Latinos make up 18 percent of the population, but only 1 percent of participants.
Luckily, using lessons learned from the pandemic, drug and diagnostic companies are exploring ways to reach under-represented communities. Covid-19 vaccine makers Moderna, for instance, slowed down clinical trial enrollment to increase representation of minority groups. Pfizer increased its trial size to include more minorities.
Ultimately, Black and Latino enrollment in both trials came close to their share of the total U.S. population.
This bolstered confidence that the vaccines would work across all demographics. Being able to point to diverse representation helps reassure communities that may be skeptical about receiving the vaccine, which is essential to ending this pandemic.
While Covid-19 vaccine trials mark progress towards equity, there is more that companies, research institutions, and regulators can do.
More trial organizers could make participation logistically easier. Ideas include shipping drugs to patients’ homes and gathering results through online reporting or wearable technology.
Documenting minority representation in clinical trials should also become standard practice. Between 2011 and 2020, most clinical trials reported the age and sex of all of their participants, but only 58 percent reported race, and just 34 percent reported ethnicity, according to a February JAMA study.
Federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration could develop policies and processes that expand clinical trial sites and trialists, implement innovative clinical development tools and approaches to help companies meet diversity benchmarks and communicate meaningful demographic information to regulators, patients and physicians.
Finally, the biotech industry needs to diversify its own workforce. Last year, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization published its first-ever report on diversity in the industry, finding that only 16 percent of companies had women CEOs and just 11 percent had non-white CEOs.
Building a more diverse biotech workforce calls for educational investments to attract diverse students to science, technology, engineering, and math. At companies, it will require new hiring practices, mentoring programs to support diverse future leaders, and policies that reward woman- and minority-owned businesses in the supply chain.
We’ve come far, but we can – and must – do better. Last year will be remembered as one of the most challenging in our lifetimes. Let’s make this one memorable for bringing true diversity to biomedical research.

Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath is the president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Rahul Dhanda is the president and CEO of Sherlock Biosciences.

Hands off Haiti! The U.S. has done enough

webadmin on July 14, 2021

An Associated Press headline on July 8 read, “Biden with few options to stabilize Haiti in wake of slaying.” Following the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse, AP reports, “the U.S. is unlikely to deploy troops.”
Nonetheless, the American political and media establishments seem to blithely assume that Haiti’s internal affairs are very much America’s business. State Department spokesman Ned Price said “It is still the view of the United States that elections this year should proceed.”
An “electoral timetable” proposed by Moïse was “backed by the Biden administration, though it rejected plans to hold a constitutional referendum.”
Imagine, for a moment, that Russian president Vladimir Putin announced his support for the U.S. holding 2022 congressional midterm elections, but denounced a proposed constitutional amendment.
Haven’t American politicians spent the last several years kvetching about supposed “Russian meddling” in U.S. elections? Is there some particular reason why “election interference” is bad when others do it to us, but good when we do it to others?
The United States has intervened in Haiti’s internal affairs for more than 200 years, almost always with poor results for both countries’ populations.
After Haiti’s slave population rose up and overthrew their French masters, Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton recognized Toussaint Louverture’s new regime and encouraged independence. (Louverture maintained the colonial relationship with France until 1804.)
Under Thomas Jefferson, the U.S. withdrew that diplomatic recognition under pressure from slave owners who feared a spread of Louverture’s rebellion to the American mainland, and refused to recognize Haiti’s independence until 1862.
Subsequently, Washington intervened militarily in Haiti multiple times, occupied the country from 1915 to 1934, and supported the dictatorships of Francois “Papa Doc” and Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier from 1957 to 1986 on the Cold War logic that Haiti could be a Caribbean “counterweight” to Communist Cuba.
Since the fall of the younger Duvalier, the U.S. government has continued to intervene in Haitian affairs, dangling and withdrawing aid, engaging in economic blockade, and intercepting and repatriating U.S.-bound refugees, based on who’s in charge in Port-au-Prince and whether they toe Washington’s line.
While it’s simplistic to conclude that the US government is responsible for all of Haiti’s many problems, Washington certainly bears a great deal of responsibility for those problems. The way forward and out of that culpability is less, not more, interference in Haiti’s affairs.
If the U.S. government really needs a “Haiti policy,” that policy should include two elements: free trade and welcoming refugees. Beyond that, hands off Haiti!

Thomas L. Knapp is director at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism.

Queens soccer fans celebrate Italy’s European Championship victory

webadmin on July 14, 2021

Soccer fans around New York filled the bars and streets of Queens over the weekend as the peak of the summer’s international soccer schedule kicked off. A full slate of games was set for Sunday, headlined by the European Championship final between England and Italy.
It was England’s first real chance to snap a brutal international cup drought, finally in the final for the first time, previously reaching the semifinal round in 1968 and 1996. Italy made their fourth appearance in the continental championship game, looking for their second title. The Italians were victorious on home turf in 1968 before coming up short in the final in 2000 and 2012.
By noon, Clintonville St in Whitestone, home to a handful of Italian shops and delis, was packed with fans waving flags, singing, and showing off fancy cars and scooters. With Queens home to some of the most passionate fans in the nation, it was a beautiful sight to see. As New York City continues to reopen, the cup final was one of a handful of matches that brought swarms of soccer fans to watch parties, bars, and street parties, cheering on their home countries.
“We had four days to prepare and 35 tables were reserved, so we knew we’d have at least 350 people right away,” said Vinny LaPuma, who co-owns Tutto Calcio Espresso Bar in Whitestone with partner Joe Pirreca. “The word spread like wildfire and there ended up being probably over a thousand.”
The match itself was an interesting one, with the deadlock broken within minutes of kickoff. Just past the two minute mark, a great English attack ended with a cross that found Luke Shaw near the back post. The Manchester United defender thumped the ball past goalkeeper Guanluigi Donnarumma to give open a 1-0 lead at London’s Wembley Stadium, sending the local crowd into a mayhem.
For the next hour, the two teams engaged in a tough and physical battle as the Italians tried to force their way back into the match. A 67th minute corner kick would do the job, as a loose ball lingered in front of Jordan Pickford and the English goal. Leonardo Bonucci got a foot to the ball, tapping it home before celebrating with the traveling supporters.
“England’s goal was a stunner. The crowd was quiet until Italy shot on net,” said Massino Di Giovanna.
“Then when Bonucci tied it up that changed everything. It took the air out of England and put some life back in the crowd.”
The match couldn’t be decided in regulation or in the following extra time, and headed into a penalty shootout. Italy was lucky to make it there without seeing a red card, as a few heavy challenges came close to dangerous play.
England hasn’t had much success in penalty kicks, especially on a stage as big as the European championships. Far too many cup runs have fallen short in a shootout, and with a chance to win the cup in their own stadium, tensions were as high as they could be for the relatively young team.
It looked like England would shake their penalty woes as Pickford saved the second Italian attempt, with the crowd roaring at Wembley. However, just a few attempts later, Marcus Rashford’s penalty bounced off the post, leveling the shootout. Donnuramma and Pickford traded saves against Jadon Sancho and Jorginho, but a third consecutive English miss, this time from Bukayo Saka, solidified Italy as champions.
In Queens, celebrations erupted throughout the various Italian communities, with fans immediately taking to the streets. Crowds danced around, drove around in caravan parades, and took a good moment to cherish the victory.
Even Italians who stayed home celebrated in style. “I get too nervous to watch games in a big crowd, so I stay home and watch the games with my kids and the rest of my family,” said Sabino Curcio, owner of Anthony & Son Panini Shoppe in Williamsburg and a co-host on the “Growing Up Italian” podcast and social media accounts. “During the game my uncle said he was going to jump in the pool with his clothes on if Italy won. So when Italy won I felt like I had to jump in too!”
Rosario Di Giovanna, a native of Sicily and Elmhurst resident known for his collection of Lambretta and Vespa scooters, celebrated with his daughter Francesca, son Massimo, and daughter-in-law Natalia.
Natalia, a native of Argentina, who also collected a title over the weekend at the Copa America. “Italy hasn’t won a major title since 2006. Argentina not since 1993. To see them both win on the same weekend is a once in a lifetime occurrence,” said Massimo, “Marriage is easy when we both win.”

Richards leaves little doubt about his feelings

webadmin on July 14, 2021

Donovan Richards bested Elizabeth Crowley in the primary for Queens borough president…again. He defeated her last year in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Melinda Katz and held down by Sharon Lee during the pandemic.
This time the contest was very close, with the two separated by approximately 1,000 votes.
The hotly contested race appears to have left Richards with strong feelings about Crowley. Rather than just thank his supporters for re-electing him to the post, he put Crowley directly in the crosshairs on Twitter, accusing her of being racist and asking him for a job as deputy borough president, both of which Crowley denies.
As you can see from the tweet, Richards used some pretty strong language, which leads us to believe he doesn’t subscribe to the “wait 24 hours before you hit send” rule. Or maybe he does.
Either way, it looks like some strong feelings about this contest will continue to linger far into the future.

Adams pierced
Of course, there are other ways to celebrate winning a primary. If you’re Eric Adams, who edged out Kathryn Garcia and Maya Wiley to win the Democratic Primary for mayor, you get yourself a new accessory!
Fresh off his victory, Adams headed straight to Claire’s to get his ear pierced. While there is no evidence of it on Twitter, we can only assume that Adams followed that up with a mani-pedi, then a shopping spree, followed by a boozy brunch with the girls. Oh to be young and have the city at your feet!
Actually, the new earring in his left lobe was to fulfill a campaign promise to a group of young people he met while on the campaign trail with his son.
In order to prove that he isn’t just another smooth-talking politician who doesn’t keep his word, they challenged him to get his ear pierced if he won the primary, a challenge Adams accepted.
Following the piercing, Adams said “Already lived up to my first promise to that young man. So, if you see it on social media, young man, I told you I was going to do it and I just did what I promised.”
Now it’s on to tackling gun violence, the homeless crisis and the economic recovery of New York City post-pandemic. We suspect those solutions are going to be slightly more difficult than taking a trip to the mall.

Board of Rejections

webadmin on July 14, 2021

Dear Editor,
Regarding your July 8th opinion piece, “The embarrassing Board of Elections,”
the vote-counting error shows why it should be called the Board of Rejections.
I fought a seven-year battle with the BOE to reopen the P.S. 164 polling site in Kew Gardens Hills for the 2019 Queens D.A. primary election. It has become even more dysfunctional since then.
Under state law, the BOE’s full-time staffers are chosen by Republican and Democrat party leaders in each of state’s 62 counties. That makes it a patronage pit for
political hacks instead of a professional outfit.
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic of Queens and State Senator Liz Krueger of Manhattan proposed bills to reform the BOE and rid it of all political influence. That may require amending the state constitution and will likely face fierce resistance from bosses of both parties.
All legislators in Albany must back the reform measures. Those who refuse do not
deserve our votes when they face re-election in 2022.
Sincerely,
Richard Reif
Kew Gardens Hills

No democracy

webadmin on July 14, 2021

Dear Editor,
We constantly hear in the news media that our form of government is a democracy. This is not true. In our Pledge of Allegiance, we pledge to a republic and not a
democracy.
A democracy is one of the worst forms of government that we can have because it is rule by a centralization of governmental power in a simple majority. This leads to tyranny and eventual destruction.
No nation has ever survived under a democracy because it leads to another form of government such as socialism. This type of government is never mentioned in the US Constitution nor in any constitution in any of the 50 states.
A republic is rule by law. This form of government has a system of checks and balances that allow our laws to be changed only through certain processes.
Our forefathers gave us a republic because they knew the tyranny from where they came. As Benjamin Franklin said, “We will give them a republic, provided they can keep it.
Sincerely,
Janet McCarthy
Flushing

Make or Break Time

Pete Alonso defends his Home Run Derby crown

Make or Break Time

Staying healthy while traveling

Health equity requires diversity in clinical trials

Hands off Haiti! The U.S. has done enough

Queens soccer fans celebrate Italy’s European Championship victory

Richards leaves little doubt about his feelings

Board of Rejections

No democracy

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