Letters to the Editor

On Your Daring to Publish A VIEWPOINT opposing Global Warming as a REALITY!?

Why are you giving voice to, Gary DiLaura, a climate change denier?

Overwhelming scientific consensus is that climate change is and has been driven by the burning of fossil fuels.

This is not a good direction to go given your expanded staff and circulation. Why is it necessary to pander to ignorance on an issue that is bursting with substantiating evidence to support it? Why not argue against evolution?

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In response to your article about Hydro-fracking billionaire Terry Pegula purchasing the Buffalo Bills, I have only this to say: Anyone who has any serious, moral objection to fracking will certainly have his or her ethics put to the test if they are Bills fans.

Will they reward the fracker, while hating fracking, by continuing to support the Bills?

What if Don Corleone bought the Bills with illegal money. Would people still celebrate the purchase?

Fracking of course is not illegal in other states, but it is in New York. I find it ironic that Gov. Cuomo praised Pegula for buying the Bills with money he could not have legally made in New York State.

Thank you to Janet Janik for her letter to the editor 'Rats are people too'.

Educating people on how to fight the infestation is the best way... not killing them! I found it disturbing and offensive to see pictures of dead rats in the paper.

As as child, I had a pet rat who was very loving and a member of the family.

Please be more considerate when publishing pictures and articles about dead creatures... no one needs to see that especially young children and animal rights activists such as myself.

You wonder why we never seem to improve here in Niagara Falls despite getting $174 million in casino cash?

That one is tough to explain.

Maybe you also wonder why the Senecas glimmer so?

That one is easy.

Because they don't pay property taxes, sales tax, state income tax, do not have to ban smoking in their bars, and restaurants, and do not have to comply with building codes or health inspections.

If you had an advantage like that, you would glimmer.

As to the answer to the first question: Gambling is no way to make a city glimmer, since every dollar comes from the losses of people.

People came to and lost at the Casino, so much so that the Seneca could afford to pay $174 million to Niagara Falls and some $450 million to New York State - just from the Seneca NIagara casino.

Funny, more than $158 million has been spent. In what way has it improved the city? What has changed for the better?

How many people lost so much money. If the Senecas pay 25 percent of slots than people lost $2.4 billion on slot machines alone for the Senecas to pay $600 million to Albany and Niagara Falls.

These people come in thinking they will win and they lost.

Many could not afford it.

People walk in the door and lose money. Many suffer by losing. Many were local.

This money, taken from people who came to win and lost, is how we intend to build Niagara Falls?

We intend to build our city on gambling losses and to boot with an unlevel playing field that says, "if you are a Seneca you can operate a gaming facility and pay no taxes while Americans may not."

In the heart of downtown, 50 acres were carved out and given to a group of businessmen who happened to be Seneca so they can operate gambling and businesses tax free.

Meantime, as business people of Niagara Falls pay high taxes and are regulated by the most anti-business city in the most anti-business state in the nation, Senecas operate businesses without taxes and regulations.

And that's why Niagara Falls looks so shabby.

And why we don't glimmer.

Let's talk about the fire at Norampac Saturday, September 20.

I do applaud the energy and dedication of all firefighters from the city and surrounding area department who assisted in fighting this massive fire.

However, I must deplore the organization and management from the city on how this was handled. The fire tankers trucks were refilling their tanks from a fire hydrant on Hyde Park Blvd in front of the Calvary Baptist church near Pine ave. Why use ask that they were refilling from a hydrant that far away, when there are three (3) fire hydrants on Packard road that they could fill from. It has to do with proper hose connection, apparently the hydrants on Packard road are not properly fitted to handle a 4- inch hose. Why is that? You mean that if the entire complex was burning we would have to let it burn because we could not use the proper hoses. Does this mean we do not have the same hydrants consistently throughout the city?

Next, the tanker trucks once they had topped off were going down Hyde Park Blvd., turning left at the intersect of Packard road and then proceeding to the fire. Hmmmm!! That seems to be a bit too far to travel. Why didn't the trucks proceed down Ferry Ave, a much quicker route?

Yes, I know some of the trucks were going to the other side of the facility to bring water to trucks fighting the fire from Royal Avenue. But I witnessed far too many tanker trucks going to the Packard Rd side of the fire than down Royal Ave.

Ask Mayor Dyster about this? I'm sure it will be a tip-toe dance.

I read the article that Frank Parlato wrote on sept 23rd about the grass in Academy Park in Lewiston and I was wondering if he has done any due diligence on the matter because he has made some comments that could be very damaging to Beau Enterprises.

I have seen this happen to grass many times before because people pay for new grass and then don't water it.

That is new grass in all day direct sunlight. If you do not water it every day it will die right away. You guys should check and see if that is the case, the town might only have themselves to blame.

A picture taken after the peach festival--where it rained all that Friday night and tons of wood chips were spread all over the areas that were torn up by people walking on the grass?

It happens every single year: it rains and the peach festival happens, and every year the highway crews have to go spend money to repair it.

If people don't want tax dollars spent to make repairs for these festivals people claim to love (and I loathe), then the festivals should be stopped. Otherwise repairs have to be made. But to take a picture now after all the number of festivals that occurred in that park all summer, and then try to say it is the product of work done three months ago--come on!!!! Smells of someone trying to derail the good efforts Lewiston Town Supervisor Dennis Brochey is making.

Concerning the Maid of the Mist Docks, I wrote several politicians about it. It is wrong. It was bad enough when they closed my favorite hiking trail in the gorge to build the Maid of the Mist docks.

Now something I was worried about is happening. The Canadian side has nice new boats and little wait time. They have plans for fireworks, dinner, sunrise and sunset tours. Their boats have bathrooms.

On the US side we have the old boats operating as usual.

On top of that we have an unnecessary intrusion on our Gorge for new docks and the State is making millions less than they could have.

Governor Cuomo who were you listening to on this deal?

Recently, hundreds of thousands marched throughout the world demanding action on climate change. 120 world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations Summit on Climate Change. What can we do?

A 2006 U.N. report estimated that meat production accounts for 18 percent of man-made greenhouse gases. A 2009 article in the respected World Watch magazine suggested that the contribution may be closer to 50 percent.

The meat industry generates carbon dioxide by burning forests to create animal pastures and by combustion of fossil fuels to confine, feed, transport, and slaughter animals. The much more damaging methane and nitrous oxide are discharged from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal waste cesspools, respectively.

In an environmentally sustainable world, wind, solar, and other pollution-free energy sources must gradually replace polluting fossil fuels. Similarly, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains must replace polluting meat and dairy products. The large variety of widely available plant-based entrees, lunch meats, veggie burgers, cheeses, and ice creams can certainly help.

Our next trip to the supermarket is a great opportunity to start the transition to a sustainable world. Our favorite internet search engine offers ample product lists, recipes, and dietary tips.

Congratulations to Frank Parlato for his commitment to providing residents of much of Niagara County with an alternative source of news, without diluting it.

The crew you have assembled to continue the wonderfully informative publication we have grown accustomed to and to enhance its outreach is excellent.

Thank you so much for bringing us, as you wrote in this week's edition, "news and analysis you simply cannot get anywhere else."

Donna Zellner Neal

Executive Director

North Tonawanda

History Museum

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It's not Human Exreta that's the problem with Quasar's Equate

I am sending you a note in response to an article, written by Ron Catchpole and titled "Human Feces a Hot Item for Niagara County Planning and Development?"

While I support the intent of the piece I have serious concerns regarding the angle from which the author approaches the issue.

"Equate" presents a threat to human health (and the health of other animals and plants) not because it contains human excreta but instead because, according to the EPA, the sludge (a.k.a. "biosolids) that is collected from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and septic systems – and which represents the primary feedstock that goes into the production of "Equate" – is laced with a plethora of industrial toxics:

Many of the these toxics remain following the digestion of sludge in a 'biodigestor', the term that describes both the technology and the process that's used to differentiates "Equate" from sludge. Remarkably, however, operators like Quasar are only required to test their product and control for a handful of heavy metals and a few indicator human pathogens, a regulatory regime that completely overlooks the scourge of the other contaminants therein, many of which are known to negatively affect essential life processes in quantities measured in 'parts per million' and even 'parts per trillion'. Sludge and/or derivative materials like "Equate" have no place being dumped on agricultural land or other lands.

The EPA has been studying the issue of what it has termed "contaminants of emerging concern" (a.k.a. industrial toxics) in relation to sludge (and otherwise) for some time now – the national sludge study referenced above was published in 2009 – but given that it's not clear if or when any additional federal regulatory action will come concerning this dangerous material, we would rather that all sludge (and any and all derivations thereof) be disposed of only in lined and monitored landfills.

To be clear, human excreta on its own (minus the synthetic toxins that it becomes mixed with as a result of passing through the same sewers that channel industrial byproducts and the multitudes of other toxic streams that currently define our so-called "modern" society) is a valuable product, quite the opposite of the "waste" moniker that's commonly attached to it.

As proof of the importance of this material, a state sanctioned and federally funded study currently underway in southern Vermont is examining the feasibility of using urine collected from source separating toilets as an alternative to conventional fossil-fuel/fossil based fertilizers: http://richearthinstitute.org/

Moreover, this represents the tip of the iceberg worldwide when it comes to projects that are studying and/or already making use of urine and/or composted feces as safe and effective fertilizers/soil amenders: http://www.susana.org/en/

http://www.ecosanres.org/index.htm

Specific countries with successful, what are termed "sustainable sanitation" programs currently in place include (but are not limited to) Sweden, Germany, South Africa, the United States, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, etc., etc.

Because we at Vermonters Against Toxic Sludge are far from alone in our opinion that this particular form of nutrient recovery (i.e. "sustainable sanitation") represents the future of human excreta management, we feel that it is critical to separate out what the producers of "Equate" are involved in from the essential work underway to clean up and rethink our ineffective and unsustainable (water, energy and capital intensive) legacy wastewater systems.

I want to suggest to all in the Falls that a Diamond Medical Facility is HERE.... NOW !

As quiet as its kept, The Wound Center of Niagara is a premiere facility for care and healing of open or hard to heal wounds.

I recently had the Wound Center take care of my extensive open wounds on both of my lower legs. The staff of Jody, Melissa and Drs. Kolli and Merletti put me on a program of soft wraps and ointments and I was healed in four weeks! .

Amazing. Total friendly professional and sincere desire to take care of me is refreshing in this day of production line health care. My sincere thanks and appreciation to all of the staff.

I want all of the patients in this area to consult with their doctors if they have open wounds (from surgery, falls. cuts, etc. ) to look into The Wound Center for treatment. They are located at 620 - 10th Street, Suite 700. (Parking garage to 7th floor and first door to your left. The phone is 716-278-4424. Speak with Christine and get well FAST.

The whole concept--right from the gitgo-stinks--(no pun intended)

Have to laugh--the totes are put out, every which way on "garbage day"--altho we were instructed to put the wheels towards the residence - and I can just imagine what are really in those totes!!

I have yet to use them---sorry, until the "garbage police" are out--and when and if the ordinance is passed--which I do not believe it has as yet--put out my one lonely little garbage bag, by the curb each week--and they do pick it up!!

My one question re: your article--$1.75 per household to pick up the recycles--is that charged no matter what--if they pick up or not? (Ed. note: Yes)

PS: Even the one guy from MD told me--they expect people to put their excess garbage--in any field or lot--or in front of vacant houses--heaven knows we have a lot of those in Niagara Falls.

I added, right on the front stairs of City Hall for Mr. Dyster's viewing!!

The attempt at the comical rat piece? Not one line even slightly funny. Best regards,

Peter Johnson`