brought to you by the people who close Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation, on Roman Catholic Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, when tracks are running that bettors want to bet and thus lose MONEY FOR NASSAU COUNTY and also violate the rights of Nassau County Bettors secured by NY Const. Art 1, Sec 3. If you don't care about constitutional rights, you are excused! Observant OTB workers are free to take vacation and go to church. Greek Orthodox OTB employees do not count as their church is NO CHURCH recognized either by Nassau OTB or the State of New York, Andrew Cuomo Presiding.
True Believers might consult the Pope for guidance on the teachings of the Church regarding whether is is useful for the State of New York to tell State residents when the holy days are, whether or not they are believers.
The freedom to work and/or bet and/or take vacation and/or go to pray is just like the flash of a school zone camera?
Speed cameras in front of the Dutch
Broadway School in Elmont on Aug. 31, 2014. Photo
Credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan
Nassau Legislative Republicans disclosed Thursday that they're
considering a repeal of the county's school speed camera program, but
rebuffed calls for an immediate shutdown.
Minority Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation to
repeal the program, and Thursday asked the GOP majority to jointly pass
the bill at the next legislative meeting Dec. 15.But Republicans said they must first consider how to replace millions of dollars in revenue projected from the program. "My staff has been looking into the possibility of a repeal for weeks, and instead of rushing, we need to meaningfully consider the safety and fiscal impact of a repeal," said Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow).
Nassau to cut down hours of speed cams dataCamera locations
Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) said there's no reason for delay.
"We should join together as a legislative body and give
the residents of Nassau the holiday gift they truly deserve and would
appreciate: an immediate termination of the speed camera program,"
Abrahams wrote Thursday to Gonsalves.The county, already facing a projected $70 million budget deficit from plummeting sales tax receipts, could see that gap grow without the cameras.
If the county ends the contract early, ATS gets $60,000 per camera site -- minus $2,500 for each month the cameras have been operating. Cameras went online in September, and if the county were to install its full complement of 56 cameras, the termination fee would amount to $2.94 million.
Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said violations decreased by 70 percent between September and November as motorists slowed down, but didn't provide specific figures.
"This program has increased student safety and potentially saved lives," Nevin said. "The legislature allocated millions of dollars just recently for installation of flashing lights and should continue this public policy, which protects children."
Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), who backed state legislation authorizing cameras for Nassau and Suffolk counties, said State Senate Republicans haven't discussed a repeal. But Hannon said he supports a suspension of the program until the county "can put the program back together again," including installing the flashing lights at all camera sites.
Scott Reif, a Senate GOP spokesman, said "all decisions concerning implementation and hours of operation of the speed camera program are determined by Nassau County officials."
The legislative machinations came a day after Mangano announced that he was curtailing the hours the cameras can operate. Beginning Monday, cameras that have been operating on school days between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. will run only from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Mangano said he acted partly on residents' concerns and because of a "dramatic change in driving habits" near schools.
But Veronica Vanterpool, executive director of the Tri State Transportation Campaign, a transportation group that supports the cameras, said Mangano's decision "sanctions the illegal and dangerous behavior of a few drivers at the expense of the safety and quality of life for Nassau County residents, workers, visitors and students."Suffolk has yet to launch its program or choose a firm to run it, although ATS has lobbied for the work. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has only budgeted $2.5 million in camera revenue in 2015.
DuWayne Gregory, presiding officer of the Suffolk Legislature, said Thursday that after Nassau's struggles, he is committed to ensuring that Suffolk has prominent signage in place before the cameras roll out.
If that were done, Gregory said he believed that the political impact-- Bellone and all 18 county legislators are up for re-election in 2015-- will be minimal.
"If it's done properly, it shouldn't be a political concern for anyone," Gregory said.
"We are eagerly awaiting the visit of our brother, Pope Francis," Bartholomew is quoted as saying. "It will be yet another significant step in our positive relations as sister churches."
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scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Pope Francis urges religious tolerance on rare Turkey visit
updated 9:56 AM EST, Fri November 28, 2014
Your video will begin momentarily.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Pope Francis calls for religious freedom and tolerance to counter extremism
- NEW: Pope: Fanaticism and fundamentalism need to be countered by those of all faiths
- Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church, invited Pope
- Many refugees in Turkey, including Christians, have fled violence in Iraq and Syria
Speaking in Ankara
alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Pope called on
people of all faiths to show respect for human life, dignity and
religious freedom.
"Fanaticism and
fundamentalism, as well as irrational fears which foster
misunderstanding and discrimination, need to be countered by the
solidarity of all believers," he said.
Terrorist violence shows
no sign of abating in Iraq and Syria, with grave persecution against
Christians and the Yazidi minority in particular, Francis said.
"Hundreds of thousands of
persons have been forced to abandon their homes and countries in order
to survive and remain faithful to their religious beliefs," he said.
Photos: Pope Francis visits Turkey
"Turkey, which has
generously welcomed a great number of refugees, is directly affected by
this tragic situation on its borders; the international community has
the moral obligation to assist Turkey in taking care of these refugees."
At the same time, Francis
said, Turkey has a "great responsibility," because of its history and
location bridging East and West, to help bring different communities
together and promote the path to peace.
Erdogan criticizes Islamophobia
In his address, Erdogan
highlighted what he said was a disturbing trend of increased racism and
Islamophobia in the West, at the same time as Islamist extremism wracks
parts of the Middle East.
The world must come together if it wants to combat terrorism, he said.
The Turkish leader also
suggested the West should not turn a blind eye to abuses committed by
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while it pursues ISIS.
The timing of the Pope's
visit, in this period of unrest, is extremely significant, Erdogan
added, voicing hope that it would lead to an "auspicious era" of
improved relations in the world.
Francis also met with
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and will hold talks with the head of the
country's religious affairs directorate, Mehmet Gormez.
On his first trip to Turkey as pontiff, Francis will also spend time with the head of the Orthodox Church.
The three-day visit,
which may be one of the most challenging of his papacy, is intended to
strengthen bridges, not only between sister churches but also across
religious divides.
It comes at a time when Christians -- as well as other minorities and many Muslims -- are coming under increasing pressure amid worsening conflict in the Middle East, the birthplace of Christianity.
Positive relations
The Pope's first stop in
Ankara was at the Ataturk Mausoleum, tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the
founder of Turkish republic and its first president, where he laid a
wreath.
He will spend Saturday
and Sunday in Istanbul at the invitation of Patriarch Bartholomew I,
spiritual leader of some 300 million Orthodox Christians.
Bartholomew has asked
the Pope to take part in celebrations marking the feast of St. Andrew,
founder of the Eastern Church and the older brother of St. Peter.
The invitation was first extended at the time of Francis' papal inauguration in March 2013, according to Vatican Radio.
"We are eagerly awaiting
the visit of our brother, Pope Francis," Bartholomew is quoted as
saying. "It will be yet another significant step in our positive
relations as sister churches."
Before meeting privately
with Bartholomew on Saturday, Francis will celebrate Mass at the Roman
Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. He will also attend the
Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral on Sunday.
Forced to flee
Over the past decade, first al Qaeda and then ISIS have forced the majority of Christians to flee Iraq and Syria.
Only a fraction of their
former number remain in areas under ISIS control, deciding to place
their faith in God or pay the terrorists a protection tax. Growing
numbers, especially from Syria, have ended up in Turkey.
The nation already is
reeling from the influx of around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, the vast
majority Muslim, and it's politically uneasy, with a controversial and
conservative government that its opponents fear will challenge the
secular identity of the post-Ottoman Empire.
Turkey also faces an
atmosphere of increased insecurity, with ISIS at its border and the
extremist group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announcing its intention
to conquer Rome and the world.
Kenan Gurdal, deputy
director of the Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church Foundation in
Istanbul, told CNN that the Pope's visit means a great deal.
"In a time of chaos in
the Middle East, in a time where there is Muslim-Christian fighting, it
is a beautiful thing to have a pope visit a Muslim country," he said.
"It is a very positive thing, and hopefully this can be a lesson to the world and that it contributes to peace."
Francis is the fourth Pope to travel to Turkey, following in the footsteps of Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
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