VOLUME 15, NUMBER 4 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
ALL REGULAR MEETINGS
DEER PARK FIREHOUSE
~
KEEP THE FOLLOWING DATES
MEETINGS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008
~
All Meetings Start @ 7:30 PM
2008 Annual Bus Ride To FDNY Memorial Day
OCTOBER 2008 – DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Sign up at the next meeting for the bus ride to the ceremony.
$25.00 will be collected to cover the bus, breakfast and lunch from
the Deer Park Firehouse.
Game 14 is CLOSE – GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
FIRST DRAWING IS AUGUST 14TH MEETING
Sign up for Game #15
“IMPORTANT INFORMATION” from Henry Demchak
RELAX TO MUSIC-EASE BLOOD PREASURE;
ENDURING TIMES [A Poem]; NEWS FROM ALBANY
SCARF/Nassau & Club 400 Applications & Winners
: *MEDICAL ALERT*
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE; WOUNDED WARRIORS;
VETS STAND DOWN; BURN CTR. FUNDRAISER; L.I.
9/11 MEMORIAL SERVICE
THOUGHTS FROM BROTHER ED HANDIBODE
GOLF OUTING; MORE FROM ED HANDIBODE
All city retirees will be reimbursed later this month for Medicare Part B payments deducted from Social Security checks in 2007, and receive an automatic 50-percent cost-of-living increase in their Social Security payments in September, according to a report from the Retirees Association of District Council 37.
Retirees will receive a Medicare Part B reimbursement of the rate most recipients paid per month - $93.50 - or $1,122 for the entirety of calendar year 2007. The cost-of-living increase will be two percent of the first $18,000 of pension, for a maximum increase of $360, or $30 a month.
Decries COLA Inequity
DC 37 Retirees Association President Stuart Leibowitz echoes our
position and said that retirees were grateful for the cost-of-living
adjustment,
but that improvements are still necessary.
Higher-earning retirees paid an additional Medicare B premium. The law mandated an additional deduction of $12.30 per month for individuals whose income exceeded $80,000, or $160,000 for couples, and one of $30.90 monthly for individuals with an income of $100,000 to $150,000 and couples earning $200,000 to $300,000. Mr. Leibowitz said that the reimbursement check in August will include information on how those who paid the higher amounts can seek to be reimbursed for those surcharges.
Mr. Leibowitz said that the $18,000 cap on the amount that determines COLA payments fails to compensate the many retirees receiving a pension above that amount. For example, a person receiving a $30,000 pension and one collecting an $18,000 pension will both receive an additional $30 a month. Mr. Leibowitz said that the Retirees Association plans to work with other union groups to further upgrade the COLA. In addition to increasing payments for those receiving higher pensions, he said they will also work to gain a full COLA rather than the adjustment based on half the increase in the Consumer Price Index.
"Social Security gives 100 percent [of the cost-of-living index]," he pointed out. "The union has legislative initiatives to improve the pension. We have a proposal to raise the cap from $18,000 to $25,000, which we thought was a modest proposal and would afford some relief, but everything has been stalled in Albany" since the revelation that legislators have relied strictly on the estimates of a union actuary in considering the potential cost of pension bills.
Mr. Leibowitz also said that retirees should not have to wait
five
years for cost-of-living adjustments to take effect, noting that Social
Security factors it in immediately.
"There are hundreds of thousands of people involved in these items,"
Mr. Leibowitz concluded. "We take note that since the COLA payments
began
in 2001, those of us who had it since 2001 have received more than
$2,000
to our pensions. But we don't believe it's fair because it does not
reflect
the full value of the pension we receive after working for many years."
A “MINI” RETIREMENT SEMINAR FOR ACTIVE AND RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS
Prior to retirement or when you are in
retirement, you need a good plan to protect your pension and to secure
your health benefits.
Do you have questions? Do you want
to save money? Come and talk to retirees.
The next SCARF/N Meeting at Deer Park is
scheduled for 7:30 Thursday, August 14, 2008.
An information seminar on benefit entitlements is scheduled for
6:30.
All future retirees and currently retired member are invited to
attend.
Henry Demchak - SCARF/N Insurance Liaison at (631) 585-6047
Term or Permanent Life Insurance?
Mortality Costs have dropped substantially! If you have old
insurance policies, check them out. You might be able to get more
coverage for less money. Remember: Your premium will be
based
on your current Insurance Classification!. It sometimes improves
with age.
TERM Insurance: Designed primarily for low cost guaranteed
protection, for a fixed amount of time.
Term insurance rates have decreased over 40% in the last decade.
An important consideration is the: CONVERSION OPTION!
PERMANENT Insurance: Usually designed for a lifetime of
protection
and to leave a legacy.
Evaluate the CASH VALUE.
The legacy created is fantastic when you have an old life policy
with substantial dormant cash value.
AN INTERESTING CASE!
Jan K, a retired widow will soon be 70
years old. She is retired from the Post Office with a small
pension.
She wants to leave a legacy for her children. When working
she bought a 5 year increasing group term policy.
With this type of policy the premium
increases
every 5 years.
If the premium becomes too high, the only option is to decrease
the total amount of coverage.
At age 70 she wants to keep at least $100,000
worth of coverage, but her new monthly premium costs will be $$241.80.
She can comfortably afford a monthly premium of. $169.00.
For a new 5-year period of time that premium will only buy $62,000
worth of insurance coverage.
Another problem is that at age 75 her monthly premium will increase
again!
Jan was referred to our program. We placed her in a new permanent competitive $100,000 permanent plan with a monthly premium of $166.00.
Jan is very happy with a level premium
plan
that will not increase every 5 years.
We have been informed that the UFA is supporting a new proposed Federal Bill HR 3543. The stated purpose of this Bill is to amend the Public Health Service Act, to extend and improve protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the NY City terrorist attack.
We are glad to see that many Legislators
have signed on to support this Bill.
They are probably not aware that there
are adverse factors that will impact on WTC responders
who are being monitored and treated under the FDNY Program.
There is a major concern, if this Bill is passed as written.
WTC FDNY responders, active and retired, will lose the option of selecting a center of choice. Members will be forced to travel into the City for treatment. All other personnel, including Police and Sanitation, will continue to have Coordinating Centers of Excellence choices for monitoring and treatment that are more conveniently located.
Affected members can obtain more
information
at our next, Deer Park Meeting, on Thursday August 14th 2008. We
are planning to distribute an information packet, with proposed
amendments
to H.R. 3543.
Permanent insurance is necessary:
1. Protect your pension and to
2. Guarantee a legacy.
A RECENT CASE:
Will is 68 and has a cardiac problem that
he monitors very closely. He wants $100,000 of additional
insurance
coverage. We were able to secure a guaranteed plan that will be
fully
paid up in 12 years at age 80. We worked the numbers and with total
premiums,
the return is always better than 2:1.
This is a fantastic, when you consider
age, health, premium cost, longevity, family protection, money at risk,
and the guaranteed rate of return.
If he had a permanent plan with some cash
buildup, we could have substantially increased his coverage.
[Contributed by: Henry Demchak - SCARF/N Insurance Liaison at
(631) 585-6047]
Relax to Music, Ease Blood Pressure
Breathing Slowly While Listening to Music for Half an Hour Daily
May Improve Mild Hypertension [WebMD Medical News]
By Miranda Hitti
May 15, 2008 -- Blood pressure a bit too high? Spending half an
hour a day listening to music and breathing slowly may help.
That's what happened in a new Italian study of 28 adults taking drugs to control their mild high blood pressure (hypertension).
First, the patients wore a device that tracked their blood pressure for 24 hours. Next, they were given a CD of classical, Celtic, or Indian music. All of the tunes on the CD had similar slow rhythms, Professor Pietro A. Modesti, MD, PhD, of Italy's University of Florence, tells WebMD in an email.
The patients were assigned to listen to the CD for 30 minutes per day for a month and to breathe slowly while listening to the music, taking twice as long to exhale as to inhale. At the end of the month, the patients wore the blood pressure monitor again.
The patients' blood pressure improved during the study. When the experiment ended, their average systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped three points, and their average diastolic blood pressure (the second number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped four points.
For comparison, 20 other patients didn't listen to music or practice slow breathing. Their blood pressure didn't change during the study.
It's not clear what mattered more, the music or the slow breathing. "The antihypertensive effects [have] to be considered as the result of the combination of music and breathing exercises," Modesti notes.
The findings were presented in New Orleans at the American Society of Hypertension's annual scientific meeting. Modesti calls for further studies to see if the results hold up in the long term.
SOURCES: American Society of Hypertension Annual Scientific Meeting, New Orleans, May 14-17, 2008.Email from Professor Pietro A. Modesti, MD, PhD, University of Florence.
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
A better line would be: NO NEWS FROM ALBANY
Another session has come and gone and we still don’t have a “health protection” bill; we’re still only going to get “HALF” of the COLA for 2008 and there will be NO real property “TAX CAP” for seniors 70 and over.
Why don’t we have FULL COLA, because we don’t fight for one? This is never going to happen unless we beat the drums “loud and clear!”
Why don’t we have a “Health Protection Bill” because we don’t fight for one?
Why are our seniors, 70 and over, yet to have a “Real Property Tax Cap,” because we don’t fight for one?
We all have to look in the mirror and ask; “what did I do to aid the cause?” Did I write, did I make a few phone calls, did visit my State representatives to state our case?
Your organization can’t do it all, especially with an annual dues
of only $25.00. That means that we all have to do our part to get
needed legislation enacted into law!
400 Club Submission Form for New Game # 15
Claim your old number now for Game #15
Select more than one number in case your first choice is not
available.
NAME______________________________________PHONE NUMBER____________________________
ADDRESS________________________________________________________________________________
CITY___________________________STATE_______ZIP+4_____________ Your check #_______________
Select a three-digit number and send this application in with $30
check to:
Long Island Association of Retired NYC Firefighters, PO Box 623,
Port Jefferson, NY 11777-0623
Select a number: First Choice __________Second Choice
__________Third
Choice__________
Pick a Number Brother!
Long Island Association of Retired New York City Firefighters
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP – Use it or give it to a friend (Please
print in block letters)
Your Name____________________________________________Spouse’s First Name__________________________
Address________________________________________City_______________________State_____Zip+4__________
Phone _______________________DOB ____________Date Appointed ______________Date Retired________________
Are you Active or Retired?____Active____Retired Retired for:_____Service______Disability______Line of Duty
Email address__________________________Will you volunteer to help our organization? Yes ______ No ______
Your check #____________
Renewal is $30 but early renewals before Jan 31 – only $25.
First time joiners pay only $25
Make check payable to L.I. Association of Retired NYC Firefighters
and mail to:
L. I. Association of Retired NYC FF, PO Box 623, Port Jefferson,
NY 11777-0623
A Message From Our President
Brothers:
It’s that time of the year, the FDNY Memorial Day Services at
Riverside
Drive is fast approaching; it’s a “Day To Remember Our Fallen Brothers!”
You remember 23rd Street; the Soap and Fat Company; Waldbaums; Father’s Day; the many “no name” jobs where we lost one, two or three at the same job. The men who died, days, weeks, months and years after the jobs from injuries sustained, plus we will never, never forget 9/11!
Remember the Company Bus, the Battalion Bus, the watering hole
after?
Well it’s back!
Leaving Deer Park Firehouse, 9:00 a.m., October 8, 2008 after
breakfast
from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Join with your brothers for the service and return for lunch
afterwards
at the “watering hole.”
Just $25.00 to help pay some of the cost.
Most importantly, let us remember it is time to show our HONOR and RESPECT.
Call: Ken Dolan – 631.780.6909 or
Bill Thomas – 516.935.4395 or Sol Elias – 516.249.6334
or Just send a check to:
Long Island Association of Retired NYC Firefighters
PO Box 308
Bethpage, NY 11714-0308
On Friday, July 11, 2008 a group of “Wounded Warriors” from around the country arrived at Breezy Point for a day of fishing, recreation and a BBQ.
A special thanks is in order for brother Sal Russo for arranging for the fishing boat and drumming up the volunteers to help with our brave, wounded service people on the boat. Of course, many thanks to all our volunteer brothers who made the day go well for the troops.
We fished until noon and the troops caught a great deal of fish. I had the good fortune to assist with two Air Force EOD personnel, who between them lost a left arm and a left leg and a third was a British trooper who lost his right leg.
Our two boys were extremely young and joined the Air Force right
out of high school; like the rest on board, all were in good
spirits.
The “Brit,” on the other hand was a career soldier, in his mid 40’s and
quite accomplished. In his spare time, he crews a 65-foot
sailboat
and has since crewed in a few races. His goal is to have a crew
of
all handicapped
veterans.
Ken Dolan
Certificates of Special Recognition were presented to all the volunteers who participated in Suffolk’s Veterans Stand Down on April 11, 2008. The presentation took place on July 1, 2008 in the H. Lee Dennison Building.
Many were on hand to receive their certificates and if the following individuals will be in attendance at our meeting on August 14th, president Sol Elias will present them their certificates.
Special thanks go out to: Rich Collins, Tom Collins, Joe De La
Rosa,
Bob DeMarinis, Ken Dolan, Jim Ginty, Tom Kuefner, William Maynard, and
Vincenzo Oliveto. If you were a volunteer and your name doesn’t
appear
on this list and you were a volunteer, let Ken Dolan know and he’ll
advise
Tom Ronayne, the Director of Veterans Services. BRAVO ZULU
to all! Ken Dolan
SAT AUGUST 16, 2008 - 5-10pm
Live Entertainment, Door Prizes,Fireman’s Shop
Great food
All you can eat buffet
Big Daddys of Massapequa
The best Cajun cookin this side of Louisiana
AT
Marine corps league
clubhouse
99 Iwo Jima Blvd (NY Ave) Massapequa, ny
3 blocks north of Sunrise Hgwy, just off Rte 107 (Hicksville Rd)
Tickets $20.00 at the door or call (516) 314-8653
If you haven’t been to this event before, you’ve missed a great
affair.
The food’s great, the entertainment is great, the prizes are great
and a good time is had by all and all for a worthy cause.
A great event for Marine buddies to relive war stories.
Come join us, you won’t be sorry!
6th Annual
Long Island 9/11 Memorial
Memorial Service
Thursday, September 11, 2008 – 5:00 p.m.
CitiBank Stadium
Internationally noted personality
Andy Cooney
Will be the featured performer for this year’s service
(Fundraiser tickets at $20 are available for the service and
DUCKS
game to follow.)
Call: Ken Dolan – 631.780.6909
Note: This is a new venue for our 9/11 Memorial Service. Frank Boulton, owner of the noted, Long Island DUCKS has extended us the invitation to hold our annual memorial service at a pre-game event to honor Long Islanders who perished during the attack on America, at the World Trade Center. Noted artist, Andy Cooney will be the featured performer at the service and we will be joined by the Samoset Middle School Choir.
A “Reading of Names” of all Nassau and Suffolk victims will be read by prominent local citizens.
Please join with us in support of the Long Island 9/11 Memorial
and
purchase the fundraiser tickets for this moving event;
I promise you won’t be sorry you did!
Submitted by, Ken Dolan, Exec. VP, L.I. 9/11 Memorial
Just Stay [Submitted by Ed Handibode]
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
'Your son is here,' she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes
opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly
saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He
reached
out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old
man's
limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the
bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly
lighted
ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and
strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and
rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was
oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking
of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging
greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man
said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now
lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy,
but
the Marine interrupted her.
'Who was that man?' he asked.
The nurse was startled, 'He was your father,' she answered.
'No, he wasn't,' the Marine replied. 'I never saw him before
in my life.'
'Then, why didn't you say something when I took you to him?'
'I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he
needed his son, and his son just wasn't here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.'
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN
EXPERIENCE.
(love this line.)
UNITY OF ALL LIFE
In Giving to Others we are Giving to Ourselves
By Ed Handibode
Strange is our situation here on Earth. Each of us comes for
a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a
purpose.
From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do
know:
that man is here for the sake of other men – above all for those upon
whose
smiles and well-being our own happiness depends.
Albert Einstein (1875-1955)
If “unity” could be demonstrated in the
field of science we might have an easier time accepting it. It’s
ironic how we are willing to accept something as true simply because it
has the “scientific” stamp.
There is an attempt in physics to unify
all the fundamental forces and the interactions between elementary
particles
into a single theoretical framework. The term unified field theory was
coined by Einstein. Before he died he tried (but failed) to write
a theory, which united gravity and electricity. Shucks, Albert,
you
almost had it.
A book entitled The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
refers to the concept of unity. In it she quotes John Assaraf, to
wit: We’re all connected. We just don’t see it. There isn’t
an “out there” and an “in here.” Everything in the Universe is
connected.
It is just one energy field.
Kids are told if they ridicule a deformity
they would be inviting the same deformity into their own life.
That
may sound absurd. Ironically, however, if it is true that we are
all connected then it’s also true that my negative thoughts about
someone
else will return to harm only me. Judging others is a dishonest
way
of praising ourselves.
First century epigram suggests this:
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am for myself only, what am I?”
Excerpts from poets imply the unity concept:
John Donne: “No man is an island…I am
involved
in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it
tolls for thee.”
Francis Thompson: “Thou canst not stir
a flower without troubling a star.”
Contemporary writer Rainer Maria Rilke
said, “And yet they, who passed away long ago, still exist in us, as
predisposition,
as burden upon our fate, as murmuring blood, and as gesture that rises
up from the depths of time.”
Next Meeting
August 14, 2008 – 1930hrs
Deer Park Firehouse
Henry Demchak’s
“Q &A Mini Seminar”@ 1830hrs
HONORING
Floyd Sarisohn - Betty Walsh - Marie Zere
Single Golfer - $200; Single Golfer/Hole Sponsor $400
Foursome - $800; Foursome/Hole Sponsor - $1,000
Cocktail Hour & Dinner Only - $100
(Call: Dennis Shanahan 631.744.0931 for info)
Golf Registration
Contact Person: ________________________________ Phone # __________________________________
Address: _______________________________City: __________________State/ZIP Code______________
E-mail address: ______________________________ Cocktails/Dinner Only: [ ]
Foursome Names: 1. ___________________________ 2. ________________________________________
3. ___________________________ 4. ________________________________________
Sponsorships: Dinner-$5,000; Cocktail Hour-$5,000; Lunch or
Registration-$3,000;
Awards-$2,000;
Prizes-$2,000; Hole-In-One - $10,000 Prize-$1,500;
Golf Towels-$1,500; Golf Balls-$1,500;
Tee/Green-$250
A 501 (c) 3 Organization
Nothing on earth consumes a man more quickly than the passion of
resentment.
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900)
This topic
offers me the opportunity to quote my favorite anecdote regarding
forgiveness,
to wit:
General Oglethorpe said to John Wesley,
“I never forgive and I never forget,” to which Wesley replied, “Then,
Sir,
I hope you never sin.”
When we refuse to forgive we burn the
bridge
over which we ourselves must pass. I suspect there are very few
humans,
after all is said and done, who have no need of forgiveness.
Some may hold the notion that if we forgive
an enemy we are then required to like him. That’s simply not
true.
We don’t have to like anyone but it is absolutely imperative that we
hate
no one. Hatred eats away at us and may harm us physically.
The wrong done me (real or imagined) by
others can seem hurtful but nothing that has been done to me can be
more
harmful than my unwillingness to forgive. If my unforgiving
attitude
could bring harm to the “malefactor” then there may be some rationale
to
continue the unforgiving attitude but that guy doesn’t even know I
resent
him. I must not allow him to “rent space in my head.”
Spiritual healer Dora Kunz suggests that
we may rid ourselves of resentments with a simple meditation.
Imagine
a very quiet place in nature such as a waterfall, a tree or a
mountain.
Picture someone you love. Experience the tranquility and
peace.
Then imagine the person you resent about 20 feet in front of you.
Hold the image easily and without effort and relax your whole
body.
If you tighten up in response to the image, let go of the image.
Try again.
Imagine either a person whom you love or
a peaceful place in nature. Let these feelings of love and peacefulness
fill you and wash out any trace of resentment. Once again,
picture
the person you resent about 20 feet in front of you and wish the person
well.
You don’t have to feel love for the person
and you’d probably feel foolish if you did so. Simply wish him/her well
– nothing more, nothing less.
I herein resolve for the year 2008
that I will examine and surrender any and all resentments I have
heretofore
been harboring.
Life is always our friend. Death is as great and lovely a friend, bringing to our tired souls the blessed anodyne of peace and love. Love is immortal. Death is a journey. Our loved ones who have died have a right to recuperation and rest, away from the stresses of this world. For those of us who remain: The work goes on; the cause endures; the hope still lives and the memories shall never die.
All forms are impermanent. All this shall pass away like grass before the wind. Nothing lasts in this dimension where “moth and rust consume.” When a loved one dies it may appear to us that his sun has set but perhaps it is even now rising on another shore.
Here’s what Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had to say in this regard:
Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not
its goal;
“Dust thou art, to dust returnest,” was not spoken
of the soul.
Long Island Association of Retired NYC Firefighters
Our Membership Consists of the Bravest – Both Active and Retired
Long Island Association of
Retired NYC Firefighters
P.O. BOX 308
Bethpage, NY 11714-0308