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Bowne House admitted to national Underground Railroad list

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Bowne House Historical Society, a landmark and museum where visitors can learn about the abolitionary work and supposed Underground Railroad activity that once took place there, has been admitted to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
The Bowne House is the only Network to Freedom designation in Queens.
Rosemary Vietor, vice president of the Bowne House Historical Society’s Board of Trustees, said that being recognized is a great accomplishment because of the weight of its history.
“The Underground Railroad and manumission are important history to our country,” she said. “So the point of the application was to get that material in one place to be recognized by the National Park Service. Now, we can plan a series of educational programs and on-site visits around this particular theme.”
Because people could be prosecuted for being abolitionists, the research materials surrounding the Bowne House were secretive by nature.
For the same reason, other houses in the area that are alleged to have a similar history disappeared as the community grew — but the Bowne House remained.
Vietor said that they are fortunate in that the Bowne House has roughly three centuries of archival materials from the family, which has been continuously owned the house since it was built in the mid-1600s, that have been saved.
The Board of Trustees has maintained contact with Congresswoman Grace Meng over the years, as she proposed the Flushing Remonstrance Study Act, which authorized the Secretary of the Interior to conduct research on sites associated with the signing of the Flushing Remonstrance in 1657.
The Flushing Remonstrance, which declared freedom of religion in the one-time Dutch colony, is believe to have inspired the Bill of Rights.
“I look forward to this recognition creating even more interest in the Bowne House, and bringing more visitors to our borough,” said Meng. “It will help more people learn about the Underground Railroad and Queens’ long tradition of fighting for freedom and liberty.”
The Bowne House opened as a museum to the public in 1947, and continues to offer interactive tours to guests to this day, with much of the house’s original character in tact.
Vietor said that before COVID-19, the Bowne House saw about 6,000 visitors per year.
During the pandemic, they converted the museum experience into an online format, including a virtual tour, podcasts and various online educational programs, such as the history of Juneteenth, and even cooking demonstrations.
“We do hope to have an education center on site, which is where we could hopefully have a separate series of programs on the Underground Railroad and the story of abolition,” said Vietor.

Crushing debt

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Dear Editor,
President Joe Biden and Congress raising our national debt ceiling by $480 billion is nothing to be proud of.
Both continue to ignore our national debt, which will now exceed $29 trillion by December 2021. This averages out to $86,710 per citizen, or $228,999 per taxpayer.
Our legal debt limit will officially run out in early December, due to our excessive current rate of spending. This doesn’t include the $1.2 trillion proposed Infrastructure or $3.5 trillion Build Back America package.
There are thousands of employees who are familiar with the details of our federal budget. How difficult can it be to find billions in savings?
Millions of Americans cut their household budgets to make ends meet. It is time for Washington to live within its available existing revenues without excessive borrowing, just like millions of ordinary citizens.
Return to pay-as-you-go budgeting, means testing for all government assistance programs, sunset provisions for agencies and programs that have outlived their original purpose, and real balanced budgets without smoke and mirrors.
Everything needs to be on the table, including military spending, agricultural subsidies, corporate welfare bailouts and foreign aid to other nations.
Have the IRS accelerate the collection of several hundred billion in uncollected back taxes owed by deadbeat individuals and corporations, along with suspending billions in future tax refunds to those who are gainfully employed, yet continue failing to pay long overdue taxes or student loans.
The President and Congress have forgotten the old saying “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Americans should send both a penny to remind them that it is not a sin to save.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck

Racist initiative

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Dear Editor,
Mayor Bill de Blasio is ending the Gifted & Talented programs in public schools because a large number of Asian and white students are enrolled compared to a smaller Black and Hispanic enrollment.
That is blatantly racist and unfair.
He condemns the kids and parents of two ethnic groups who succeed by following the rules. He wants to replace G&T with something called “Brilliant,” which is anything but.
It puts students of different academic levels in the same classroom. This underscores the difference between equality and his goal of “equity.”
Equality means equal opportunity for all, everyone is the same at the starting line. Equity demands equal results, everyone must cross the finish line at the same time.
That defies reality unless it’s achieved by replacing merit with manipulation.
This the Department Of Education’s latest step to dumb down education, which prompted many parents to pull their kids out of public schools and put them in charter, religious and private schools.
Enrollment declined in all 32 elementary and middle school districts. Parents realize that “equity” results in failure for all public school students.
Our likely next mayor, Eric Adams, wants to extend, not end, Gifted & Talented programs. He displays a gift that de Blasio clearly lacks: common sense.
Sincerely,
Richard Reif
Kew Gardens Hills

Facts & fiction

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Dear Editor,
Most people don’t agree with FOX News, they just enjoy watching a fantasy program.
Why else would a judge defend a sexual harassment lawsuit against President Donald Trump by saying no reasonable person expects Tucker Carlson to report the truth. In February 2004, FOX “News” won a legal appeal that said it has no legal obligation to be truthful in it’s reporting.
FOX argued that the FCC’s policy that the intentional falsification of the news is not a legal mandate, requirement or regulation, and that FOX may falsify news reports.
Sorry about all these troublesome “facts.”
Sincerely,
Robert LaRosa, Sr.
Whitestone

Where’s the money?

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Dear Editor,
Regarding a recent Dispatch by Frederick Bedell saying the mayor should return the money it cost to guard him and his family during his run for president, what about the money he gave his wife for Thrive (Thieves) NY?
Where is that money, as well as how has she earned her pay?
Sincerely,
Sherri Rosen
Forest Hills

Beam me up

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Dear Editor,
William Shatner finally had the opportunity to blast off into space, and at 90 years old becoming the oldest to have done so.
As a senior citizen myself of 72 years old, I am proud of his achievement. In the 1970s, I attended a Star Trek Convention and got to meet William Shatner.
There is much trouble in our world, and I think if the character Captain Kirk came to visit earth from the 24th century, he might say, “Scotty beam me up, there’s no intelligent life here. ”
Sincerely,
Frederick R. Bedell, Jr.
Bellerose

Ed Jaram, King Street Properties

glendaleregstg on October 20, 2021

Boston-based King Street Properties may be new to New York City, but the company made a splash with Innolabs, its first project in Queens.
Innolabs offers state-of-the-art lab and office space in the heart of Long Island City, just a few blocks away from the Court Square Subway Station. Ed Jaram, senior director at King Street Properties, discussed the process of finding a home in Western Queens and bringing a massive new life science building to the borough.
“We were agnostic as to where to build a lab in New York City when we first started looking at the project,” Jaram said. “Queens and Long Island City ended up making sense to us for a few different reasons. The proximity to major New York institutions, like hospitals, universities, and good transport is extremely good.”
Innolabs is within walking distance of seven different subway lines, which supply easy access to Manhattan and JFK Airport. Jaram explained how easy access to these amenities is especially important for a lab building.
“The ability to easily work throughout the city and world is very attractive and helps retain life science staff,” he said. “Long Island City is also a really excellent mixture of a work/play environment. It’s a place where people want to be and live, but also has great access to other spaces and amenities.”

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