By Eric W. Schoen
Will I finally be able to put my own milk in my Starbucks Coffee? In my quad espresso over ice I like 4 Stevia, the healthiest no calorie artificial sweetener on the market, a touch of half and half and the rest 2% milk.
Now I can prepare my coffee (Splenda substituting for Stevia), what you would call an adult chemistry experiment making sure everything was just right the way I wanted it at Panera (Franchise Stores Only) or 7-Eleven. But Starbucks and Panera company owned stores imposed a Covid restriction not allowing me to put my milk nor sweetener in myself afraid I would get Covid.
This is the kind of crazy rule which made absolutely no sense that we had to put up with during the pandemic. Now that New York State has put at least one shot in the arms of 70% of New Yorkers, the Covid rules are going to hopefully come to an end. People except those who have not been vaccinated will, hopefully be able to live their lives like normal once again.
You won’t have to mask up when you see someone coming close to you making that person feel like he or she was a bee getting ready to sting you. You won’t have to bring home over $1000 in bathing suits like my sister had to do last summer when Lord and Taylor’s, now a distant dream would not allow her to try on items in their fitting rooms.
Old Navy lets people try on things in their fitting rooms. And other than sales people removing clothing that slobs would leave in the Old Navy fitting rooms and not return to the rack to be put back on display, I didn’t see the Old Navy clerks doing anything special to sanitize the fitting rooms after each customer would finish.
The six foot rule making lines in stores seem endless will come to an end. How many times did you see the lengthy line and put the items you were going to purchase down. Stores will be able to open salad bars and allow people to pick muffins out of the bakery case.
Just like there were so many rules put in place during the pandemic, many just at the whim of a merchant, our State government will have to be clear as to what ‘opening up’ really is. Will the unvaccinated have to play by the rules that were in place or will we all be able to drop the many Covid restrictions that were in place.
What happens when you go to visit a friend or shop in Monsey, New York where the percentage of people vaccinated is less than 20%. Or other areas in the five boroughs with low vaccination rates. Will we have to mask up or follow the rules for social distancing we have been following these last 14, 15 months. Will there be vaccinated and non vaccinated areas at baseball stadiums and as we head into the fall football stadiums.
What will our schools look like in the fall? Can we take the plexiglass off the desks? Will school buses be able to have their normal pre-pandemic loads or will students have to be socially distant facing one way.
So many questions that need to be answered. But one thing for sure. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet what are you waiting for? And personally, I have no problem with businesses whether it be a hospital or a college mandating that those who work or learn in their facility are vaccinated. Don’t get me wrong, if there is some reason you can’t get vaccinated due to health issues or other legitimate reasons I understand and support you.
But there are still a large percentage of the population perfectly healthy to get the vaccine that need to role up their sleeves and get it. Particularly with all these variants we are hearing about. To those eligible but who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, all I can say is stop being a big baby and endangering the health of your loved ones. By the way, isn’t it so nice to hug the ones you love as the vaccinated have recently been able to do!
Hot Topics:
-I feel like a broken record every election cycle reminding candidates and their supporters that you can’t put political signs on public property. The award for worst offender this time goes to Pete Spano who is running for City Council President and hung his campaign signs on the city fence surrounding Smith Park off Nepperhan Avenue and teeny, tiny signs on the bridge that goes over Tuckahoe Road.
What is particularly disturbing is when you have a member of the Yonkers City Council who should know the law disobeying it. And trust me most communities in Westchester do or should have laws banning campaign signs on public property. So it’s not just a Yonkers problem!
I want to applaud Steve Squig and DPW crews for pulling the signs off public property. Mayor Spano: want to put some big bucks in Yonkers coffers. Enforce the law and fine candidates who are causing nothing more than sign pollution desecrating the beautiful streets of Yonkers.
-Facebook is to be congratulated for finally unmasking those running ads on their platform without identifying themselves. There was one listed as Committee for a Better Yonkers running ads against City Council President Mike Khader and supporting his opponent, Lakisha Collins-Bellamy. I clicked on the ad and found it that this so called ‘committee’ was formed May 27 and that the ads were being placed by Gail Burns, longtime Spano aide, head of the Yonkers Parking Authority and Trustee of the Yonkers Board of Education. Facebook gave me the phone number for the person who placed the ad, I googled it Ms. Burns name came up. Individuals or companies running political ads should not be able to hide!
-I was in shock when I went to pick up a new plastic toilet seat at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it scanned at $40. They must have had 50 toilets seats round and oval and but just had one round plastic toilet seat. The clerk had me in hysterics telling me all the features of the toilet seat like it closed softly. And yes, I had a $10 off coupon. But to have only one plastic toilet seat in stock with a $40 price tag? Is their a shortage of plastic toilet seats in America?
-What can we do to stop the calls from the man from the phony (not your local) Fireman’s organization who says he’s glad you answered cause he was getting his answering machine voice ready to stop calling and annoying people at all times of the day. And the person trying to sell you the extended warranty for your car. This ‘do not call list’ is simply not working.
-On my radio show I get callers from throughout Westchester complaining about their local School Board members. In Yonkers we have an appointed School Board. Now we have had some ‘winners’ on our School Board over the years. But did you hear of the looney Randolph Township School Board in New Jersey? Instead of listing holidays by name (Christmas, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day) they are listing holidays on their school calendar as ‘days off.’ It’s time those School Board members resign their coveted positions.
-Last Friday yonkerstimes.com got over 20,000 hits with our story about the perverted Principal. Now 99% of of teachers, Principals and civil service workers in the Yonkers Public Schools are hard workers dedicated to the children of Yonkers. All we as a newspaper ask is the district to be up front with us in terms of steps it takes when these horrific, embarrassing situations take place. They owe nothing less to the taxpayers of this great city, parents, students, and all of those who work in our school buildings are were embarrassed by what supposedly took place. And it is our job as journalists to bring accurate information to you, our loyal readers!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store for free.
