Announcement from  Ella B. McLean
Grace A.M.E.Zion Church
Cleveland Street
Patchogue, NY

YOU ARE INVITED:

 

"FESTIVAL OF SALADS"

GRACE A. M. E. ZION CHURCH

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013 ~ 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Feast on the more than 20 salads
for the donation of

$10.00 for ADULTS $5.00 Under 12

 

Tickets are sold at the door,  however some estimate of attendees will help.  Our event is open to the public and we look forward to the Fellowship with our Friends; and Members of The Maple Avenue Neighborhood Watch Group.

 

Our mailing address is:

Grace A.M.E. Zion Church, PO Box 85, Patchogue, NY   11772. 

 

You may contact me -  Ella McLean @ 475.1916

or Jeannette Rivera @ 696.6682.

  

Thank you for your support.

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How to Order an Egg Sandwich
Ben Vitale
 

I always dread ordering an Egg Sandwich at one of the local delicatessens. The cook needs to be spoken to in a language that is relevant to her; however the customer is forced to deal with this proprietary language of the trade, when he picks up his sandwiches. The more sandwiches that you order the more potential trouble the customer can get into.

OK… You’re in a crowded Deli and you place your order with the person behind the counter. “I need two Egg Sandwiches; the first sandwich is with no seeds, ham, turkey and cheese, on egg whites, with salt, pepper and ketchup. The second sandwich is with seeds, easy over, with ham, cheese, salt, pepper, and ketchup.”

The clerk delivers a sheet of paper with the ingredients that you want on your sandwiches, to the cook. When the order is complete, the sandwiches are given back to the clerk with the same piece of paper that lists the ingredients.

So… with 15 people in this store; “to whom do these sandwiches belong to?” The clerk is now holding two sandwiches and an ingredient list. In a crowded store, the only way to determine the owner is to recite the ingredient list! Now here is the part that makes my heart beat faster! The clerk starts his narration: “Salt, Pepper, Ketchup, scrambled, turkey, ham, no seeds, with seeds, swiss!” OMG! I thought it was my order but I did not order the swiss! My heart is now beating at 120 beats per minute; I wouldn’t want anyone to know how stupid I am! My brain simply can’t  process anything that fast! LOL

OK… The clerk once again appears, and starts his ritual; scrambled, no seeds, cheese, ham, turkey, salt, pepper, ketchup, egg whites, ham, cheese, with seeds, salt, ketchup, pepper. OMG it sounds like my order! “Yesss…” with the grace of God I was able to identify my sandwich without looking stupid! LOL

Last Sunday I went to the Deli with a Plan! “Yesss a plan!” I walked up to the clerk and said, “this order is for Ben.” The clerk looked at me with a facial expression, as if to say “why is this guy giving me his name?”

OK! When the order was complete the clerk recited his ritual but this time only said the word, “Ben;” I lit up like a Christmas tree! I smiled, the clerk smiled as if to say, “Wow asking for a name might just work better than reciting an ingredients list!” LOL. I smiled for three days! LOL Let’s see if the clerk asks me for my name next Sunday, when I order my egg sandwiches! LOL

Epilogue: I went back to the same deli because their Sandwiches are the best on the planet! While waiting for my order I paid attention to what other people were ordering. One person ordered scrambled and bacon times 3; another ordered ham and cheese times 2. Hum… I guess I was not too smart after all; everyone else around me figured out a way to beat the system! LOL. Oh yes… They did not ask me for my name when I placed my order! LOL. “Great fun” at the “deli!” LOL

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Anniversary of the Flight 800 Disaster

Ben Vitale

July 17, 2013 is the 17^Th Anniversary of the flight 800 disaster. The family and friends of the Flight 800 victims, gathered at the Smiths Point Park in Shirley, Long Island, NY, to attend a ceremony in honor of their departed loved ones. The ceremony took place at the Flight 800 Monument.

Photo Credit: Ben Vitale

After the ceremony, everyone that attended the ceremony was given a white Carnation. The attendees walked slowly beneath the international Flag display, on route to the water. The flags were all flown at half mast, to honor the loved ones that were lost in the Flight 800 disaster. The attendees then walked slowly along a 300 foot path, and then down the staircase that led to the water.

The Music that would normally be playing at the Beach Hut, was stopped, in honor of the Flight 800 ceremony.

Photo Credit: Ben Vitale

The family members all gathered along the surf, and dropped the flowers into the water. The entire ceremony was absolutely beautiful. As the family members walked by I could sense their feelings of love and closure.

Coincidentally a Documentary was aired on Channel 13, indicating that the plane was really taken down by a missile. The NTSB blames the disaster on a fuel tank explosion; the documentary says that the plane was taken down by a missile. Who do we believe? I was personally at Smiths Point the night of the disaster, serving in my official capacity as an Auxiliary Police Officer. I was told by some unknown person that the plane may have been taken down by a missile, possibly from our own Navy, during a military exercise; but this is hearsay!

After the families departed from the surf, the band started to play for  the huge crowd of people that came to enjoy their music.  “Life goes on!”

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Patchogue Seismic Fault Partially Repaired

(Update from 2012 report "Seismic Event near Maple Avenue; Patchogue, NY" )
Ben Vitale

Sewer Repair funds, can now be used for Road Repair, in Patchogue Village.  This could not have happened at a better time.

A recent study of the road conditions within the area serviced by the Maple Avenue Neighborhood Watch, has yielded valuable information.

Seismic equipment was installed into an automobile, and a not so scientific study has determined that riding over select streets in our area can create ground motion that is equivalent to a 7.2 earthquake. LOL

The above Seismogram is typical of some of the roads in our village, North of the Montauk Highway. It has been established that the most severely effected streets are Oak Street, Cleveland Street, Northridge Street, Wood, Grant, Taber Street, and portions of Maple Avenue. Cleveland St, Wood and Grant, have since been repaved, but Northridge Street, Oak Street, Maple Avenue, and Taber Streets, remain in disrepair!

Although ground motion of this magnitude generally would not create catastrophic damage to a car, the net effect is still substantial, when traveling at any speed, across these roads. "The back bumper of my Pickup Truck, has actually shaken loose, and fallen onto the highway! LOL

As I have been told, the stray Cats and Dogs have moved on to other parts of the village, because they experience a form of vertigo, similar to that experience by human beings, when walking on our local roads.

 

 

 

Hopefully Patchogue Village will consider re-paving the remaining streets. "Yessssss"

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We have our own Sasquatch
Ben Vitale

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Ben Vitale

A few years ago I went for my usual walk in Bayard Cutting Arboretum, in Great River, NY, armed with a camera and warm clothes. “Yep…” Summer and winter, my wife and I love to walk around the Bayard Cutting Arboretum park property, and take photos. In 2009 I photographed a very interesting looking footprint. I smiled, and told Marie that the footprint belonged to our own Long Island “Big Foot!” In actuality I figured that I had just photographed a footprint left by Romeo, chasing Juliet, through the snow covered fields. LOL

It seems like the quest for a Sasquatch is an ongoing production on TV these days! After watching one of these programs, I went back to my photo collection to find the photo of what I thought could have been made by “Big Foot.” To my surprise I discovered that the photo of the footprint that was made by some unknown entity, showed that the creature had 6 toes instead of 5. I then searched using Google and discovered that there is some biblical reference to “giants with 6 fingers and toes.” Wow! This brought new credibility to my photo!

http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/science/story.html?id=60c20777-ac74-4e06-8a25-1a2abd32a4df

http://2012forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6227

http://www.ufobc.ca/Supernatural/Bigfoot/sixtoed.htm

So… We have the first indication, that “we, the residents of Long Island,” may have our “very own” Sasquatch! It’s about time… everyone else has a “Big Foot” running around their “town.” I’m glad that we may finally have our own local Sasquatch.

The next time I decide to stroll through the Arboretum, I will bring bait. I figure that a bowl of my wife’s Italian food should be enough to entice “Big Foot,” to come out of the woods and have dinner.

“Hey! This is getting exciting!” Please share your Sasquatch stories using the “Comment box,” below. Have you seen “Big Foot,” anywhere on Long Island?

 

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Reminder (From the 5Th Precinct), Patchogue, NY

 

The next Fifth Precinct Open Community Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, 2013:

 

Time: 7:00 PM

 

Location: Patchogue-Medford Library 54-60 East Main Street , Patchogue.  The Library is on the south side of East Main Street , opposite the Patchogue Theater.

 

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Happy Memorial Day! View from the Garden State Parkway in NJ. Proud to be an American. 

 

(Left click photo to make it larger.)

 

Photo credit:   Ben Vitale

 

 

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Conviction by Comment Box
Ben Vitale

The Internet has given birth to a new type of government that has the power to condemn a person on the basis of hearsay, rather than fact. In the “old obsolete type of government that we once had,” a person was presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This type of government was too inefficient and too expensive to manage.

It is now acceptable practice to both prosecute and convict an individual, via a mechanism called a “Blog Comment Box.” The beauty of the new system of government is that it is very efficient; no facts, judge, jury, lawyer, or testimony is needed to get a conviction. Testimony by the accused or his legal representative is not required to get a conviction. 

This new form of government gets its roots from a practice that was common, many years ago; it is called “A Lynching.” If two or more people independently decide that you are guilty; you are indeed guilty. The two people that decided that a person was guilty, would then empower themselves to arrest and execute their subject. God help us all “people.” Look what you have done!

I might mention that the old laws that pertain to liable are still in force. If anyone makes a damaging statement, in a comment box, against another person, he is still subject to a law suit. If you did not use the word “opinion,” in your accusation, you could be sued for liable.

What are your thoughts about Comment Box justice?

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Debris From Superstorm Sandy Recycled
Ben Vitale

 

(See Video at link below)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FQA_9eg8ic&feature=youtu.be

The “Hurricane Sandy” debris, from Fire Island, is being delivered to the Sandspit Marina, in Patchogue, NY. At first glance I thought that the debris was being taken off of the Barges and dropped directly into Dumpsters. I later learned that the Sandspit was actually a staging area, where the debris was being sorted and delivered to the appropriate agency for re-cycling.

This operation is actually a fine tuned, multi-agency effort. All sorted debris is not permitted to leave the staging area unless it passes an inspection. I believe that FEMA and the EPA are at the Sandspit, to make sure that each Dumpster only contains the prescribed debris. Special care is being taken to be sure that the “Wood Debris,” does not contain any Plastic materials. Plastic when burned is toxic. If an inspector does not approve a Dumpster, as being free of any foreign matter, the contents of that Dumpster are unloaded, and re-sorted.

I am generally not a big fan of anything that the government does! I have always held the opinion that the Government is not capable of doing anything right! In this case our government is indeed doing a world class job at re-cycling the debris created by “Sandy.”

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Please Prevent another Civil War
Ben Vitale

When I studied American History in grammar school I was upset and angered to find out that the United States was at war with itself! I vowed, at that time to never let that happen again. I was determined to never remain silent if this type of situation ever materialized. Unfortunately history is indeed repeating itself.

The latest practice of trying to force gun control legislation into law, in violation of our Constitution, has caused people and States to preemptively resist these laws. The problem is that many of the States have no intention of just handing over, their right to own guns to the Federal Government. That is; resist at all and any cost! This scares me; a person wrote in a comment box; “Let's just have the Civil War and get it over with already.” This is only the beginning of a chain of actions by multiple states, that are in response to the threat to our Second Amendment rights.  

The states of Tennessee, Alaska, South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Tennessee and Montana, passed “the Firearms Freedom Act,” That stated that their state is not subject to Federal firearms legislation.  http://firearmsfreedomact.com/   http://firearmsfreedomact.com/state-by-state/  The state of Wyoming passed a law that would fine and imprison any Federal Marshall that attempted to enforce Federal Firearms legislation in their state. There are about 20 other states that are considering similar legislation. Our Federal officials do not want to listen to what State officials have to say. “A Government, of the people, by the people, and for the people;” but our Federal politicians do not want to uphold that premise. Honestly; our elected officials swore to uphold the constitution of the United States! I believe that the politicians that do not uphold our constitution should be removed from office!

The Department of Homeland Security now has 2,700 armored vehicles in its arsenal. I was upset at first with this acquisition, but the DHS is in charge of Border, and terrorism security. If I were the DHS, I too would have acquired these vehicles as they became available from Iraq. We now have two Armies! I do not believe that the president should have total control of the DHS; too much control by any single person is not desirable.  The President has almost exclusive control of the DHS. I believe that a panel of Senators and Congressmen should be inserted into the DHS chain of command, to prevent a stupid directive from becoming a Civil War.  

Our government just purchased 1.6 Billion rounds of Hollow Point Ammunition; what does it plan to do with that amount of ammunition? Hum? 2,700 armored vehicles, and 1.6 Billion rounds of ammunition?  The Department of Homeland Security is not authorized to fight a foreign war, so it is slated to be used here in the United States. This has upset many “Conspiracy Theorists.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/14/why-is-department-homeland-security-buying-so-many-bullets/

Our politicians are first realizing the serious consequences of their actions, to force Gun Control, on states that have no intention of complying with Federal Law, if enacted.  Noted journalist Charles Krauthammer said, “Americans would revolt if Congress implemented sweeping, unprecedented gun control legislation.” Pat Buchanan suggested that this country could wind up in a revolution if the government continued with its assault on guns.

I am once again upset and angered! If the state of Montana imprisons a Federal Marshall for trying to enforce an unwanted gun law, what do you think will happen?  The department of homeland Security is charged to deal with insurrection, not foreign wars. The 2,700 armored vehicles and 1.6 Billion rounds of ammunition could be used on the people of Montana. That’s it; our government could be shooting at our relatives; American citizens.  If that doesn’t start a civil war, nothing will!

We must immediately insert a second line of control to the Department of Homeland Security; just to be sure a civil war is not inadvertently started by the stupid careless act of a single person. It is up to our Senators and Congressmen to intervene! We need a panel of Senators and Congressman, who have the absolute authority to control the actions of the Department of Homeland Security.

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