That is especially true when your family lives in a developing country, such as Ecuador, where Internet use isn’t as prevalent as it is in the US.

According to Supertel, a telecom supervisory body, only 12.3 percent of Ecuadorians had Internet at home at the end of 2008. This means most people don’t have access to video chat programs such as Skype, where they could see their families face-to-face.

Alicia Craven, 26, of Oregon taught English in Cuenca, Ecuador in 2007-2008. She said she noticed that Internet ownership “was very low” in Ecuadorian homes. Internet cafes, instead, were the norm.

“Though most places had Skype, the video cameras weren’t as prevalent,” she said. Also, Internet cafes present privacy issues if you try to have a meaningful conversation.

“There’s a certain degree of awkwardness since you are surrounded by other strangers, and you’re not in a booth,” Craven pointed out.

Visits back to the homeland are often not a possibility for those immigrants who are in the US illegally or for those waiting to get their paperwork in order, as the US imposes travel restrictions on green card applicants. In addition, the cost of travel is another problem. Due to these reasons many families must go for a decade or longer without seeing each other.

This is where video conferencing comes into play, such as the service offered by Austro Financial Services in Jackson Heights in Queens. Manager Diego Pinto said some 200-250 families and individuals now use the six-year-old technology service per month. Out of South Americans, the service is so far available only for Ecuadorians.

Many people like video conferencing because of its obvious benefits: it is fast, easy and more personal than a phone call. The recipients don’t have to own a computer –they just need to go to one of Banco del Austro’s operating locations in Ecuador. Unlike with Skype, you can see the whole conference room at the same time, and can squeeze even 10-20 people in the room.

Pinto said that Mother’s Day is an especially popular day for conference calls, one that sometimes includes even mariachi bands playing in the rooms.

The calls aren’t cheap at $1.25 per minute on weekdays, and $1.50 on Sundays, but neither is the technology that makes them happen. According to Pinto, the camera costs about $5,000-6,000, and the plasma TV another $1,000-2,000.

The usage costs are also pricey for the company, as the system needs to function in two countries.  “You have to pay the system here and there,” Pinto said. The customers, though, only pay in the New York end.

Despite the price of the calls, the service keeps getting more popular among Ecuadorian families, many of whom return every month.

“It’s a very beautiful experience,” said Ecuadorian immigrant Jose Flores, whose family recently used the service for the first time to talk to their relatives back in Cañar, Ecuador.

“It’s especially beautiful for the family that’s in Ecuador,” he said.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Alana Rigal contributed to the reporting of the article. Video by Alana Rigal and Mirva Lempiäinen.

Mother Ruby Graham, 77, is the coordinator, wearing a sea captain’s hat, and does most of the cooking. Her assistant, Sister Curtis, and volunteers Sister Meebam (wearing a magenta hat and blouse) and a retired military veteran (wearing an “I Love NY” shirt), help Mother Graham run the place.

It wasn’t easy taking photographs because of the dimly lit place with few fluorescent lights illuminating. Additionally, some of the the people who came to get a hot plate might have been convicts who were released from jail and immigrants according to Sister Meebam. So the ISO had to be increased, and the pictures came out brighter.

An elderly community sees its roles reverse as a young child hands them candy for a change

The holiday celebrates a miraculous victory, where a revolt led by religious Jewish rebels defeated a Syrian-Greek king and his allies, briefly reestablishing an independent Jewish state, before the Romans finally extinguished the ancient Judean state a century later. A tiny isle of victory in a stormy sea of persecutions.

My grandfather (right) ponders the meaning of the holiday.

In terms of politics, the closest gentile holiday to Chanukah may be Cinco de Mayo, where the Mexican rebels defeated the occupying French forces at Puebla in 1862. Though the Mexicans won this battle, Napoleon III was able to control most of Mexico for another six years. So why the holiday? Because it provided enough inspiration to keep the Mexican spirit going for those six years. Eventually Mexico regained its independence.

In similar fashion, the Chanukah victory kept up the spirits of the Jewish people much longer than six years. For centuries, we recounted this miracle, praying that it would somehow repeat itself in our time. Today, we have an independent state. Not a perfect one, but it’s better living under someone else’s control.

Considering so many changes my grandfather has witnessed in his 87 years on this earth, what’s not to be thankful for? We can now observe the holiday without fear, often with kindness and support from our neighbors.

We still turn on the news, and all too often hear of illegal settlers, occupiers, and lobbyists. At least for this holiday, we brush off the negative coverage, and celebrate the very fact that we are still alive today to celebrate Chanukah. Having remained on this earth for this long, we hold strong the belief that the negative attacks will pass, that everything is for the best, and it’s all part of G-d’s plan.

My grandparents raised me, it was almost like having a second set of parents. From the perspective of a holocaust survivor and veteran, my life seems so much easier. My immediate goals are to succeed in mastering this constantly changing profession, to be an advocate while maintaining a balanced view, to think creatively, while still finding a way to bring the bread home.

The life of my grandparents seem so difficult compared to mine, but they’re rooting for me. So are the other elders of the Selfhelp apartments in Flushing. When I work, I never feel alone. I know that back in Queens, there is a community where I once lived, where my existence depended on their survival, and where my work ensures that their stories are never forgotten. This holiday is more than an Adam Sandler song, but I’d like to thank him, too.

One local elected official is aware of the problem…

…As are community organizations. The Chhaya Community Development Corporation (Chhaya CDC) helps homeowners understand the housing scams:

When asked for details on the business practices of 1-888-HELP-161, a representative refused to explain the extent to which the company evaluates the credit history of potential clients. I was asked to provide my email if I wanted further information. The representative provided his company’s name as the “Save My Home Program.” A search on the Better Business Bureau site for the Hempstead-based Save My Home Corp. revealed a phone number that was no longer in service.

What kind of people would be likely to respond ot an illegal pole ad? South Jamaica activist and 2009 City Council candidate Joseph Marthone (D), believes that in certain situations, people may not know where to turn. “Some people might not be thinking in a moment of desperation,” said Marthone.

In their first victory, parents of Jackson Heights Green organized the 78th Street Play Street

The owners of the parcel, which is occupied by a Toyota dealership, are unwilling to sell to make way for a larger park. JH Green estimates that the land is worth about $4 million, said Ed Westley, a member who met with local politicians.   State Senator Hiram Monserrate has pledged $2 million, Westley said, and Councilwoman Helen Sears may commit funds if the group is successful.

Barbed wire separates Travers Park from a Toyota dealership. Parents have targeted the dealership for eminent domain.

In the meantime, the city is planning to convert a nearby schoolyard into a playground, part of May Bloomberg’s planNYC. This should also relieve some of the tension in this park-deprived community.

Jackson Heights, Queens, ranks second to last among New York City neighborhoods for the number of parks per resident.  It has recently seen an influx of young families, creating tension on the neighborhood’s one public park.

In September, 27-year-old Fay Serafica from Queens got a phonecall. It was her doctor who said she must go to the emergency room immediately. She had gone in earlier that day to get tested in an attempt to find out why she why she was always short of breath and her white-blood cell count clocked in as dangerously low. The CAT scan revealed a tumor in her chest that was larger in mass than her heart. She was diagnosed with lymphoma on the same day as the birthday of her boyfriend at the time, she said. The following day was her mother’s birthday and when Fay underwent surgery.

Friends came to her bedside in the hospital and started to plan a way to help Fay. After all, she gave much of herself to planning raves and underground parties. Now it was time for the party to give back, celebrate and raise money for a dear friend.

In a framed photo perched on the piano of her parents house, Fay looks very different in a traditional cap and gown from her trendier look of an angular Cleopatra-styled wig she started to wear, dramatically-lined eyes, and cheetah-spotted tights that peek out of black boots and a skirt. She has always lead a busy life, like when she juggled a job of 35 hours and full-time study at New York University for Arts Administration. She has worked with the gallery Ad-hoc and has she’s been instrumental in organizing artsy events, like raves, for years.

She talks about having cancer in a sarcastic, sardonic tone that her friends love her for. Fay said that she is often the youngest person in the waiting room when she was going in for treatments. But, she has found invaluable support in others afflicted with the same disease around her age.

Fay had her last chemotherapy session in the first week of December. She will start radiation therapy soon. She looks forward to gaining her strength back when it’s all over. So do her friends who miss her presence behind-the-scenes and on the dance floor.

Turns out that most of the clubs on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens (my beat) are actually bailarina bars–Latino clubs where women dance with you for cash. Only a couple are strip joints, so I shifted my focus.

Many of the men at these bars are immigrants who moved to New York without their wives or girlfriends. They’re lonely, looking for attention.

Once a good song comes on, a guy will ask a woman to dance. The girl keeps track of how many they dance together and when he decides to stop she’ll charge him $2 per song. Its a modern version of taxi dancing.

New York Magazine must have heard about my story and they decided to write a long piece on bailarina bars in this week’s issue. So, I won’t write too much more.

You might enjoy reading my notes from the night (even though their quality indicates why I didn’t land the New York gig). I was typing them on my Blackberry–it blended in more than some guy writing on a note pad. Here’s what I saw (unedited):

La escuelita-bar on Roosevelt
Five girls in one corner of the dance floor.
Like a high school dance.  Or cotillion with thumping music.
Ladies selling long stem roses, bucket of Coronas.
Fast twirling on dance floor La cumbia, regeton
One girl leg up on table.
Shifts to guys grinding, can’t dance.
One guy has bought a full bouquet of roses.
Bent over.
Drunk stumbles into table.
Classical guitars.
Everyone breaks out on the floor.
Transaction atmosphere, girls using cell phones like they’re bored, waiting for someone to ask them to dance.
$2 per song, she keeps track.
Autoparts shirt and work boots.
Woman in fishnet shirt, butt hanging out.
La machata – what I danced
[I later figured out this is la bachata, although I definitely couldn't do it like these guys]

For some disclosure: I’m not a huge Mets fan, though I try to follow their trials and tribulations. My uncle was a ball boy and a bat boy for the “Amazin’s” in the 1960s (his last game at Shea was the Giants’ Super Bowl victory in 1969), and I’ve been to a handful of games at the old Shea Stadium. My uncle told me the other day the last game at Shea “broke my heart.”

My uncle and my cousin went to the final game, and in the car ride up, my cousin said “this could either be the best game or the worst.”

And it was certainly the worst.

I saw one picture of my uncle and my cousin, and as my uncle captioned: “you can tell this is before the game, because we actually look a little happy.”

I know the Mets organization wanted to have Tom Seaver throw out the last pitch ever at Shea, but would it have killed the team to have the ceremony before the game? When everyone was excited?

Even Mr. Met got booed after the game. Jeez. And Tom Seaver’s final pitch reportedly bounced. Oh, Mets.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t sad to see the final games. The final games at Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium were graduation ceremonies. Get ready for the new Yankees and the new Mets.

Bury the past, right? I’m not sure. If the Mets and the Yankees have such a long history at both stadiums—both good and bad—that it seems like burying the past might not be such a good idea. Shouldn’t you remember the best of times and the worst of times? Isn’t that what scars are for? To remember where you have been?

My beat is in Flushing, so I ride the 7 train by the old Shea all the time. It’s a sad sight, a stadium that is about to be torn down. The new Citi Field is already there, built to look like the old Ebbets Field. The Mets colors were chosen as orange and blue for the Giants and the Dodgers, and so the new field is supposed to remind everyone of the very best. Forget all the drama of Shea.

Here are some pictures of the old and the new, joined together in Flushing.

Shea Stadium and Citi Field, Sept. 24, 2008

Citi Field, Sept. 24th, 2008

Next up, Willets Point? The next place where New York City wants to bury an undesirable past and make room for the bright future?

Willets Point and Citi Field

     Skillman Avenue, an alternative road to Queensboro Bridge, is competing for Queens Boulevard’s title, “The Boulevard of Death.”   There have been 11 known pedestrian-related injury cases due to crashes on Skillman Avenue alone from 1995-2001.

     That’s when the “Safer Skillman Avenue” coalition decided to step up and take action.

     The group of residents and parents volunteer to raise public awareness about the dangerous avenue where schools and parks are located.  After working with Transportation Alternative, they recently handed out a petition to implement the daylighting technique to make one intersection, 52^nd street, safer. Daylighting involves removing street corner parking where parked cars can disable the vision of both pedestrians and drivers.

     Alice Farrell, a 52^nd Street resident is an avid supporter of the group’s plans:

     Still, some are not happy about taking away parking.  Al Volpe, is a 40-year plus woodside resident and 6-year community board member:

     Farrell’s response on safety, “A human’s life matters more…” 

     Though some are weary of hearing spots being removed where it’s tough enough to find parking, 270 signatures prove otherwise. “Safer Skillman” plans to present them to their community board.

Petition signing on September 19, 2008, to increase visibility on 52nd Street./ Photo Credit: Economides

“We give back to the community. We’re not here to make money, but also enhance the lives of the residents,” said Thomas K. Rudzewick, the senior vice president of the Maspeth Federal Savings.

In spite of the growing unease about the economy, the feeling in Maspeth remains positive, even among the bankers and realtors who bear the brunt and blame for the nation’s financial woes.

The recent plummet of stocks has resulted in the collapse of the banking superpowers Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the insurance staple AIG. Yet the local bank appears to chug along smoothly.

The bank was founded in 1947, but as its “Mespatches Indian” logo suggests, the ties are stronger than its age. While many neighborhoods in New York are dominated by international bank branches, Maspeth Federal Savings has embraced its reputation as a neighborhood bank. It has only six branches and a loan center, with no plans for new branches.

“We’re not looking to saturate the market as a corporate giant,” said assistant vice president David Daraio

At the same time, its reserve assets have risen by $146 million since 2001, currently totaling $374 million.

As a neighborhood, Maspeth has a distinct identity of a small town within view of Midtown Manhattan. At the intersection of Grand Avenue and the Long Island Expressway, a large sign welcomes travelers to the neighborhood. On the sign, an array of medallions includes the local chapters of the Lions, Kiwanis, and the Knights of Columbus.

The organizations sponsor a variety of charitable activities, and the bank often participates in the act. A five-mile run, a classic car show, and a flea market are only a sample of the bank’s deep reach into the neighborhood’s fabric.

“We’ve just added a new community activity, Smile On Maspeth Day,” said Daraio. Scheduled for Oct. 5, the children’s themed event will take place on the bank’s parking lot.

Maspeth’s success is a result of its business practices. It shuns subprime loans, and takes a conservative stand on handing out loans. “There are strict criteria for lending. The applications are reviewed by our board members, who are all longtime residents,” said Rudzewick.

Besides individuals, developers also rely on banks as a source of funds for housing. Here too, Maspeth stands out. While many neighborhoods in Queens have witnessed out-of-context residential developments, and chain stores, Maspeth’s skyline and small businesses have remained stable for decades.

“We have guidelines for development. It must conform to the existing neighborhood,” said Rudzewick. “We believe in keeping the neighborhood secure with progressive growth.”

The population of Maspeth is mostly white, largely of Italian, Irish, and Polish descent. The bank looks to the demographics as a source of support. “Our events have Irish or Polish Music. “They are family events,” said Rudzewick.

Capitalizing on current trends, the Smile on Maspeth Day will have a Hannah Montana tribute. It will also have “Billy the Pirate” helping children open their own Young Savers accounts, ensuring a new generation of loyal customers.

A major coordinator of neighborhood events is the Maspeth Chamber of Commerce, headed by James F. O’Kane. The organization comprises of 120 businesses and individuals. Alongside the bank, many of the local businesses have joined as sponsors of the classic car show, to be held in the bank’s lot. The event will benefit the Maspeth town Hall, a local community center. With sponsorship costing $100, even a struggling business can get its name out as a supporter of the community.

O’Kane does not expect the economy to affect local charities. “The lodges often work together,” said O’Kane, who is a member and past leader of the Loyal Order of Moose and the Kiwanis. “They use sports to attract new members. Bowling, darts, softball.”

With a stable population, Maspeth has experienced few recent foreclosures, and O’Kane ensures that his clients are reliable. “Before taking them out to see a house, we find out if they can afford it.”

Like the architecture, diversity has been arriving to Maspeth in a gradual manner. “We have the Polish being priced out of Greenpoint; and Asians from south Elmhurst,” said O’Kane.

Not having its own subway line makes Maspeth slightly less expensive than its surrounding neighborhoods. Turnover is low, O’Kane said, because few people are moving out of Maspeth.

For the most part, local business owners expect overall stability for Maspeth despite the economic turndown, and local residents agree.

“People who were born here want to stay here,” said Nancy D’Errico, 59. “What do we call them- Maspethians?,” asked Patricia Skiva-Mieczkowski. “We support the local businesses, the people rely on them.” Looking at the roster of community event sponsors, it appears that the neighborhood does too.