Yonkers Tribune

After eight years of U.S.-led state-building efforts, thousands of coalition force fatalities, and nearly one trillion dollars spent, Iraq is drifting toward authoritarianism under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party while al-Qaeda-stoked violence is running at levels not seen in years. Although Washington's 2007 counterinsurgency strategy laid the groundwork for a pluralistic and representative government, as long as the country's current leaders have little motivation to abide by the rule of law, the future of a democratic Iraq looks grim.

In 33 years of forecasting trends, the Trends Research Institute has never seen a new year that will witness severe economic hardship and social unrest on one hand, and deep philosophic enlightenment and personal enrichment on the other. A series of dynamic socioeconomic and transformative geopolitical trend points are aligning in 2014 to ring in the worst and best of times.

Ready or not, here they come.

The latest reports of sexual harassment in the Assembly should be the last straw.

This pattern of behavior is repugnant by every standard and directly contradicts the policies the Assembly has advanced for the last 20 years.

YONKERS, NY – December 31, 2013 – Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced that the City of Yonkers is taking the following precautions in anticipation of this week’s upcoming snowstorm.

Parking Restrictions

• Regular alternate side parking rules will remain in effect for the duration of the storm; residents are strongly encouraged to park in their driveway or garage, where possible.
• As always, residents are not permitted to park on designated snow emergency routes.

YONKERS, NY – December 31, 2013 -- New Year's day marks a new beginning for the Yonkers City Council. On Wednesday, all elected and re-elected officials will be sworn in at the Yonkers Library. Among them are Yonkers City Council President-elect Liam McLaughlin, Judge Arthur Doran III of the Yonkers City Court, and City Councilmembers Dennis Shepherd and John Larkin, and City Councilmember-elect Corazon Pineda.

BRONXVILLE, NY -- December 31, 2013 -- The Village of Bronxville DPW advise that the regular garbage pick-up on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014 has been suspended. Recyclables will be picked up throughout the Village on that day.

The National Weather Service and other weather forecasting services are predicting possible major snowfall amounts on Thursday and Friday, January 2 and 3, 2014, for the New York Metropolitan area, including Westchester County and the City of Yonkers. At this point, there is variance between models, with snowfalls predicted between 3" and 6" of snow, and alternately snowfall scenarios of 4" to 12" of snow, or even blizzard conditions.

It is morally reprehensible to think of a civil war that has claimed the lives of over 120,000 people as appealing, but this is exactly how thousands of young Muslim men view it.

The appeal of the Syrian civil war for foreign fighters is grounded in the fact a small minority of Alawites controlling the resources, army, and all aspects of power have successfully subjugated the millions of Sunni Muslims before the outbreak of the current rebellion and thereafter. The Alawaites, a minor offshoot of Shiite Islam, have positioned themselves in full control of Syria through their allies in Lebanon, Iran, and the Iraqi government. As the fight to topple the al-Assad regime seems to go wrong in all aspects, the civil war rages on with the influx of young Sunni Muslims who do not view the fight against the al-Assad regime in terms of winning or losing. The fight itself, and the prospect of martyrdom, combined with hatred of the regime and its Shiite allies fuel the desire to enter Syria and join the fight against the al-Assad regime.

During the recent mayoral race in New York City, Mayor Elect DeBlasio made an issue out of income inequality. For market purists, this is no doubt a red herring used to justify redistribution. A free market where individuals enjoy equal opportunity means that they can make their own choices. As such, those who end up with more obviously made the right choices. Moreover, they worked hard for whatever they acquired. Those who end up with less either made the wrong choices or perhaps lacked the requisite skills to earn more. Therefore, it is up to them to acquire the requisite skills that would enable them to have more.