SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - CSI graduation: Pomp and circumstance, boos and hisses

I remember thinking Jong was a fairly useless choice as speaker.... it's nice to see a fair number of the grads at CSI have a higher standard for public speaking than the dolts who invited the oh so charming Ms. Jong.

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - CSI graduation: Pomp and circumstance, boos and hisses:

Ms. Jong's remarks were met with some vehement disapproval.

'She gave a political speech when she was supposed to be doing a pep talk,' said the father of a CSI graduate who declined to give his name. 'Some graduates wanted to throw stuff at her. Whoever heard of a commencement speaker talking about body bags?'

Dorothy, a 48-year-old mother of a CSI graduate, categorized Ms. Jong's speech as 'all-around bashing.

'It was disgusting, despicable,' said the Fort Wadsworth woman, who would not give her surname. 'She called politicians liars, called us all liars. She trashed America. Mostly, she just wanted to talk. It was personal spewing. There was nothing about graduation.'

Staten Island Supports Service Members During Fleet Week New York

Staten Island Supports Service Members During Fleet Week New York:

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (NNS) -- Manhattan may be the hub of Fleet Week, but Staten Island, N.Y., was full of activity as well May 29.

Sailors participating in the 'Adopt-a-Sailor' program waited at the former naval homeport on Staten Island for their 'adopter' to arrive.

A local firefighter and former Sailor adopted a group May 28 and took them to his home for a cookout that included the usual hamburgers, hotdogs and steaks. He had a bit of a surprise planned for the Sailors, though.

The firefighter invited friends and family to join the festivities and thank the Sailors for their service.

'It made me feel prouder to be in the service,' Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Bentley said.

Bentley, assigned to USS Carr (FFG 52), said that support from the American people has really increased since Sept. 11, 2001. He said he sees it in the number of flags flying and especially in the 'Support the Troops' magnets found on many vehicles.

'Thank you for all your support,' he said. 'It doesn't go unnoticed.'

AppleInsider | New Apple stores coming to Staten Island, Cali, and Mass

AppleInsider | New Apple stores coming to Staten Island, Cali, and Mass:

Apple Store Staten Island, New York City

Arguably the most anticipated of the four new store locations is one planned for the Staten Island Mall in Staten Island, New York. It will mark New York City's fourth Apple store, joining three other Manhattan locations, including an existing flagship store in SoHo and upcoming locations in Midtown and the Flatiron district.

However, as is the case with the Brea Mall location, sources say a lease for the Staten Island store has been drawn but is not yet inked. Although the store is expected to launch in time for the holiday shopping season, no further details are available.

The Staten Island Mall is the islands only regional mall and is anchored by JCPenny, Macy's, and Sears. It's also home to over 180 other retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, GUESS, New York & Company, and Nike.

Retail Hell - Interior Design Department

There's a special place in retail hell for business owners who skip in the night. Nothing demonstrates the contempt a business has for its customers like taking their money, promising to perform a service and suddenly disappearing without the slightest warning. Bridal salons, catering halls, and now apparently interior decorators, are prone to pull up stakes without any thought to the hardship it's bound to cause some of their customers.

Randall Decorators of New Dorp Lane are the latest Island business to show themselves to be selfish, classless parasites. After 50 years doing business you would have thought they'd have had enough respect for their clients and the community at large to stop taking deposits and material for jobs when it was clear the shop was going to close - not so. One day the shop's open and happily soliciting work, the next it's shuttered and not even the cub reporters at the Advance can get a hold of them.

It's hard enough to get decent service when shopping on the Island - that's why everyone goes to Jersey after all - but closing up shop in the middle of the night with deposits in hand and customers property locked away behind your closed doors is low even by the Island's diminished standards.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church - Cemetery for All God's Creatures

U.S. Newswire : Releases : "St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Staten Island, to...":

Continuing in the Episcopal tradition of honoring all of God's creatures, the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew on Staten Island will consecrate a special cemetery for pets on Earth Day, Friday, April 22. Named The Cemetery for All God's Creatures, all are invited to join the service at 11 a.m., which will include the interment of various pets.

The Cemetery is located at the church, 40 Old Mill Rd. in Richmondtown on Staten Island.

Joining the Rev. Michael Delaney, rector, will be Bishop Catherine Roskam and Bishop E. Don Taylor. Elected officials and government representatives, veterinarians, parishioners, neighbors and pet-lovers will also attend.

Prayers and readings will include those from We Thank You, God, for These, Blessings and Prayers for Family Pets by Episcopal Priest the Rev. Rayner W. Hesse, Jr, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in New Rochelle, and Anthony F. Chiffolo.

Among the ashes of pets to be interred during the service:

-- Gizmo, one of St. Andrew's own church 'mouser' cats.

-- Merlin, Gizmo's litter mate

-- Fluffy and Rusty, dogs owned by a parishioner.

-- Truth, the dog owned by the late Bishop Walter Dennis of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

There are 850 plots in the cemetery; each plot can hold the cremains of four pets.

NTSB Report on Ferry Crash

NTSB Abstract MAR-05/01:

Executive Summary
About 1520 on October 15, 2003, the Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi, owned and operated by the New York City Department of Transportation, was near the end of a regularly scheduled trip from Manhattan to Staten Island when it allided with a maintenance pier at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Fifteen crewmembers and an estimated 1,500 passengers were on board. Ten passengers died in the accident and 70 were injured. An eleventh passenger died 2 months later as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.

Hundreds of emergency personnel and dozens of emergency vehicles, including several vessels, responded to the accident, dispatched by the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department (including emergency medical services), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Damages totaled more than $8 million, with repair costs of $6.9 million for the Andrew J. Barberi and $1.4 million for the pier.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the assistant captain’s unexplained incapacitation and the failure of the New York City Department of Transportation to implement and oversee safe, effective operating procedures for its ferries. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the failure of the captain to exercise his command responsibility over the vessel by ensuring the safety of its operations.

Staten Island Zoo celebrates Earth Day - Staten Island Advance -

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Staten Island Zoo celebrates Earth Day:

Neither cockroaches nor red worms have ever swallowed a small child, but for some reason both species haven't exactly endeared themselves to the public in the same unabashed manner as say, kittens or puppies. Saturday, the cold-blooded creatures shed their bad raps at the Staten Island Zoo's Earth Day fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Curtis High School 2005 Hall of Fame Inductees

Curtis has announced this year's inductees into it's Hall of Fame. It's quite a distinguished group - honorees include a General, a Bishop , a pair of distinguished doctors, a high powered businesswoman and an author.

Gen. Herbert L. Altshuler, Class of 1963
Episcopal Bishop Robert Marshall Anderson, Class of 1952;
Albert E. Davenport, Class of 1938
Gwendolyn Fleming, Class of 1942 (posthumous)
Emily Genauer, Class of 1927 (posthumous)
Pamela Liebman, Class of 1980;
Robert J. O'Connor, Class of 1938
Timothy Turvey, Class of 1963.

SILive has more information on this years inductees.

The Curtis School Newspaper is online, though I couldn't find any mention of the Hall of Fame ceremony.

At Staten Island Academy, a dream realized

At my Alma Mater a ball field is dedicated to to a victim of the terrorist attacks if 9-11...


SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - At Staten Island Academy, a dream realized:

Alexander Robbins Steinman's memorial 'field of dreams' opened yesterday at Staten Island Academy in Dongan Hills, and the friends and family members who brought it to fruition are certain his spirit will imbue it.

Paraphrasing another of her brother's favorite movies, Rachel Steinman Kelleher told family, fellow alumni and athletes at the opening ceremony that the chance to watch students enjoy the nearly eight acres of newly renovated baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse fields would be 'an offer [his spirit] couldn't refuse.'