by Eric Wolf Schoen
I miss a week and the following week I have two weeks to cover. But there is a lot going on that needs to be mentioned and discussed. And, Hallelujah almost 30 years since I ventured into a store in California to pick up linens to accompany a bed I had bought for a friend who was gracious enough to lend me a house for a week in Southern California, the store where I got those linens and I had never heard of, Target has finally come home to roost in Yonkers.
Let’s start out with our fire bell pulling Congressman, Jamaal Bowman. I don’t have to repeat what happened in detail because we have heard the story ad nauseam. Former teacher, former Principal, wants to delay an important vote in Congress so he pulls a fire alarm and said he did it because he thought that was the alarm on the door that wouldn’t open allowing him to exit.
Washington, DC is far from perfect but fortunately someone placed a camera by the door and the House security got everything on tape. So Dick Tracey was not needed to head up an investigation.
The sad thing is that for this crime which could have hurt or killed but certainly frightened those not only in the building where Bowman was but other buildings where the alarm could be heard, Bowman will walk away with no punishment. Just think of the panic your family or mine would have if we were in Washington, DC in the current tense climate we are in and heard a fire or any alarm and saw people running.
At the minimum he should lose some of the committee assignments he has. I blame both Democrats and Republicans for this failure. A steep fine, yes! But basically his punishment is no worse than a child writing, ‘I will not pull a fire alarm’ 1000 times on a blackboard.And they didn’t make that part of his punishment which they should have!
I have never seen anything like the antisemitism going on now on college campuses and at grade schools throughout this country. And most of these students could not find the Middle East on a map. Making antisemitic statements that hurt others is wrong, surrounding young Jewish People in a library so they can’t get out is wrong, but everyone who can peacefully March and express their opinion, isn’t that what the 1st. Amendment is all about?
Those of you who listened to my radio show before the Christmas and Chanukah season last year May remember a gentleman by the name of Richard Gottlieb who I referred to as the ‘Toy Guru.’ He was the man that members of the media would quote whether they were doing a story on Barbie or G.I. Joe. His vast knowledge of the toy business and its history made him the royalty.
Sadly we lost Richard last week. We thank him for all the the knowledge he imparted and all the children and adults who he brought smiles to their faces. He had a very unique job that he did with dignity and class. Proud to say my radio show was the last TV or radio show he was on.
Many of you will be going to vote and will notice 2 proposals on the ballot. The first proposal allows voters to decide whether or not to lift debt limits for schools in small New York State cities.The second ballot proposal would extend a long-running rule allowing municipalities to exclude sewer system construction costs from their debt limits. Nothing you need to worry about.
UNICEF is the United Nations International Children’s Emergency fund. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. One of their major fundraisers is their Halloween drive where together with their Trick or Treating candy bags children use orange colored boxes to collect coins for Unicef aKa ‘Trick or Treat for UNICEF.’ The program has drawn questions over the years. My mom was the mother in charge of the Unicef campaign for Yonkers Public School 13 and one year the school administration forced her to collect the orange boxes outside of school grounds. She sat outside for two cold days to collect the money to forward to Unicef.
I see the Scarsdale School District suspended their Trick or Treat campaign. I don’t know what the reason was, but if Unicef met the Rita Schoen’s (my mom) smell test than it is good enough for Scarsdale. You can find changes with every fundraiser and non profit organization, and the goal should be to make sure the organization uses their donations well and in line with the broader needs of charity in this case children.
And Now, Welcome to TARGET in Yonkers!
Excitement was in the air when Target opened their new store in Yonkers at Cross
County mall. The same quality brands we had to schlep to Mount Vernon or white plains for were now in a store that opened as Wanamakers, then switched to Sears and now was Target
Believe it or not there are many people who after so many years have never set foot in a Target. So to make your job easer, I cased the store to get some helpful information for you. First, there are bathrooms on both floors. Entrances on both floors. Make sure that you get your purchase bagged in one of their durable canvas shopping bags and take an extra bag, free of charge as they are sturdy and handy. Baby changing tables on both floors.
If you apply and receive a Target card and use it you immediately get 5% off your purchases. Circle club, their special bonus club members received 10% off a purchase last week. Having a credit card and that 10% discount Comes in handy when making that big electronics purchase!
The weekly circular runs on a Sunday to Saturday basis though many receive it with their home mailers. During the holidays additional circulars will be distributed.
Escalators are in the middle of the store. They are my favorite the 4 pack. Two on the outside for carrying passengers up and down, and two in the middle for ferrying your shopping cart. Do not, I repeat do not ferry your children or dogs in the elevators for your shopping carts. Do not ferry your pocketbook in the two inner elevators as the pocketbook or any other light item can get sucked into the elevator mechanism.
Starbucks with hot sandwiches is at the entrance that faces Red Lobster. Plenty of tables to enjoy your food by Starbucks on the 1st. level. Shopping carts can be taken to your car but please don’t leave them stranded in the parking lot.
There are for the time being cashier banks on the 1st and second levels. The scan yourself machines were not working.
I saw an anonymous post on Facebook from a store employee saying everything was a mess because customers took things down and never put them back up. Let’s try to keep this store clean so that it will be with us a very long time! More behind the scenes info coming soon!
Yonkers. This, Too is Target!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com, follow him on Twitter (X) @ericyonkers or friend him on Facebook Eric Schoen…just look for him in the picture with Joan Rivers!
