Week of November 9 - November 15,9 -2018 • HOME REPORTER Week of November 15, 2018 • HOME REPORTER • 33
THE DAY AFTER As of this writing, the Sunday night before the election, I have no idea what the turnout or the results will look like that will affect the state and federal government for the next two years. What I do know is that there were many hard-fought battles this year. There was a lot of money spent throughout the nation, which I guess you can at least argue was good for the economy albeit annoying to many who did ϐ Ǧ eight pieces of mail. Bending the truth and sometimes outright lying about an opponent’s record was once again a mainstay of campaigns and practiced by
both parties. In fact, it seems to me, after being involved in campaigns for over 40 years, that, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The one thing that has become part of the political landscape in the past few years is the liberal use of fabricated attacks on the associates of candidates with the hope of taking down the person through a guilt-by-association argument. My sense is that these libelous actions will see a ϐ in hopes of damages or at least apologies. Hopefully, outright character assassination once again practiced
by both political parties will become a thing of the past. Next week, I will provide my take on the results. *** Veterans Day, Nov. 11, is just a few days away. In as much as it falls on a Sunday this year, many tributes will take place before and after ϐ Ǥ Sometimes I am asked about the differences between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. First, there are a couple obvious similarities. Both days honor our men and women in uniform and both days are national holidays celebrated with parades and ceremonies. The differences too are
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There are literally thousandscharacter Hopefully, outright assassination of new jobs in the region that There are many other eleconly exist of practiced the film tions the political ballot. Locally, oncebecause again by on both many. Nov. 11, originally called Armistice Day, also commemorates the end of World War I. It is a day primarily focused on our millions of living veterans. Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, primarily commemorates those who made the ultimate ϐ and/or those who served in wars from America’s more distant past such as the Revolutionary War and Civil
parties will become a thing of the past. War. POW/MIA ceremonies are also held around the nation on Memorial Day. Both days equally deserve our reverence. Both days are excellent opportunities for parents to discuss with their children the meaning of the day and if possible bring them to one of the many ceremonies or parades. Veterans Day, unlike Memorial Day in most of the
country, is not punctuated with a barbecue or some other family gathering. Thus, it can get lost in what for many is a shopping day. Please do not allow this to happen in your family. Take some time to remember our veterans (of whom just about every family has several) and use a bit of the day to talk with your children about the important meaning of the day.
State Sen. Marty Golden presents Robert Nash and his ĨĂŵŝůLJ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƉĞŶ ĐĞƌƟĮĐĂƚĞ ŽŶ ďĞŚĂůĨ ŽĨ ŚŝƐ ĞīŽƌƚƐ ƐƉĞĂƌŚĞĂĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƌƌĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐƉĞůůŝŶŐ ŽĨ sĞƌƌĂnjnjĂŶŽ͘ ebrooklyn media/Photo by John Alexander
Golden Honors the Man Who Found The Missing “Z” In Verrazzano By John Alexander jalexander@brooklyneagle.com
For Dyker Heights resident Robert Nash, correcting the spelling of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge became an all-consum-
ing mission. He wanted to honor the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano by having an extra “z” added to his name as it appears on signs and maps of the bridge. Nash sought out state Senators Marty Golden and Andrew Lanza for their help,
along with Assemblymember Michael Cusick. They were able to sponsor the needed legislation that was ultimately signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Oct. 11 of this year. On Saturday, Nov. 3, Golden presented Nash with an official copy of the legislation correcting the spelling as signed by Cuomo, at a ceremony held at the Brooklyn entrance to the Verrazzano. Nash was thrilled to receive the “pen certificate” containing the pen Cuomo used to sign the bill into law. “I felt that it was the right thing to do to make the correction since we knew that his name had been misspelled for all these years,” Nash told this paper. Nash initially presented the proposal to correct the spelling as an online petition that sparked Golden to help sponsor the legislation. “I am proud of Robert, who calls our com-
munity home and lives in Dyker Heights, and who founded the Italian-American Society at his alma mater Saint Francis College,” Golden said. Golden called the bridge “an architectural gem and one of New York’s landmarks.” He also noted that “Italian-American historians are quick to explain that the spelling applies only to the bridge and is believed to be a typographical error that stuck.” He added that the entrance signs to both sides of the bridge will be changed immediately with other signs corrected as needed depending on wear and tear. He also called it one of the most expensive bridges in the country and pledged that he would pursue a future petition to lower the cost of the bridge tolls. Interestingly, Nash’s grandfather was a builder who worked on the bridge that opened more than 50 years ago on Nov. 21, 1964.