Week 43 - New York Beacon

Transcription

New York’s
Beacon
website:
NewYorkBeacon.net
Vol. 20 No. 43
Showing the Way to Truth and Justice
E-Mail
newyorkbeacon@yahoo.com
October 24, 2013 - October 30, 2013
75 Cents
CENTRAL BOOKING DEATH
Bklyn woman allegedly died in police custody
(See Story On Page 3)
SWEETNESS OF VICTORY — At the moment of victory Newark Mayor Cory Booker addresses supporters for winning the Senate seat.
Ex-Congressman Major Owens dies at 77
BEACON, October 24, 2013 - October 30, 2013 newyorkbeacon.net
2
Poll: Democrats have a
shot at taking back House
(Huffington Post)
A new survey of 25 GOPheld districts shows dwindling favorability for Republican members of the
House in the wake of the
recent government shutdown.
The survey, conducted
by liberal-leaning Public
Policy Polling and funded
by MoveOn.org, is the third
in a series of polls that indicate Democrats have a
shot at taking back the
House of Representatives
in the 2014 election cycle.
The results of the latest
survey show that incumbent Republicans in 15 of
the 25 districts polled trail
generic Democratic candidates. When combined with
the results of the previous
surveys, the polls show
that generic Democratic
candidates lead in 37 of 61
GOP-held districts.
When voters were informed their Republican
candidate supported the
government shutdown, 11
more districts flipped and
one race became a tie.
Democrats in the House
only need to see a net increase of 17 seats in order
to take back the majority. This
poll indicates that Democrats
could see an increase of as
many as 49 seats.
Public Policy Polling indicated several caveats to the
results. The surveys were
conducted during a high-profile budget crisis debate, a
year before the elections will
take place. And incumbent
Republican candidates were
compared to “generic Democrats,” who may not represent
the actual candidates each
district will see.
“Democrats must recruit
strong candidates and run
effective campaigns in individual districts if they are
to capitalize on the vulnerability revealed by these
surveys,” Public Policy
P o l l i n g ’s J i m Wi l l i a m s s a i d
of the caveat, “and they
must maintain a significant
national advantage over
Republicans.”
As the dust settles on the
most recent political showdown,
it’s becoming clear that the GOP
lost the most ground.
What do Republicans need to
do to turn things around before
the 2014 midterm elections?
How will the war for party control play out between GOP traditionalists and theTea Party?
Committee urges extension
of retirement age of judges
The Committee for Modern Courts, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the administration of
j u s t i c e i n N e w Yo r k , h a s
urged voters to pass Ballot
Proposal 6, which will
amend the State Constitution to allow justices of the
New York Supreme Court to
serve an additional four
years and permit judges of
the State Court of Appeals
to complete their terms beyond the age of 70.
“Voters have a chance to
significantly improve their
judicial system by voting
‘yes’ on Ballot Proposal 6
in next Tuesday’s election,”
said Milton L. Williams, Jr.,
chair of the Committee for
Modern Courts.
The current mandatory retirement age of 70 was set in
1869, when the average life expectancy was below 50 years
of age. Today it exceeds age
80 in New York State.
“This proposed amendment to the constitution will
benefit the public by allowing some of our most experienced judges and justices
to continue to serve beyond an arbitrary retirement
age that applies to no other
public official in the state,”
Williams said.
Passage of Ballot Proposal 6 will make additional
resources available to the
state’s Family Court, where
Supreme Court and Acting Supreme Court justices can be
assigned, thereby easing currently crushing caseloads
there, Williams added. Over
the past 30, years the case
load of Family Court has almost doubled and only a
handful of judges have been
added to deal with this crisis
in that court, he said.
According to the Committee for Modern Courts, if
Proposal 6 is not approved,
over the next four years the
state will lose more than 40
members of the Supreme
Court, the state’s trial court
of unlimited original jurisdiction, and three members of
the Court of Appeals, the
s t a t e ’s h i g h e s t c o u r t , b e cause of the arbitrary retirement age. And under current
law, those Supreme Court justices will not be replaced by
new judges when they leave
the bench.
“By voting yes on this proposal, voters will guarantee
that New York State has a judiciary which is capable of
providing greater resources
to those who use the courts
and improve access to justice
for all,” Williams said.
The Committee for Modern
Courts alerted voters that in
New York City, where paper
ballots are scanned, all Ballot Proposals are on the back
of the paper ballot.
M M orton Hall Community Advocate, Public Advocate Elect Letitia James and DA Elect Ken Thompson
(Photo: Lem Peterkin)
Brooklyn community residents rally
around Interfaith Hospital to save it
By Eulene Inniss
There is much to be admired
about a community which refuses
to allow others to dictate or control its destiny. The Bedford
Stuyvesant community has galvanized around the plight of Interfaith Hospital and continues to
seize every opportunity to get
their message out to all who would
listen.
Last Saturday, local businesses
and unions joined with Interfaith
Hospital in the hospital’s parking
lot for a festive community day
celebration and to give progress
reports to the residents.
All stakeholders are breathing
a breath of fresh air, for the moment. Public Advocate and Mayoral candidate Bill DeBlasio was
successful in getting the court to
stop the hospital’s closure that
was previously scheduled by the
state.
Assembly woman Annette
Robinson said that “the community residents and those with a
vested interest in Interfaith have
developed a plan to sustain this
hospital in the community. This
plan will be presented to commu-
Bill DeBlasio
nity board #3 which has demonstrated a commitment to the future
of Interfaith. The next court date
is Nov. 4 and I am confident that
Interfaith will not close. We are
investing in our community not
closing facilities”.
Among the businesses at the
event was Carver Federal Saving
Bank which provides service for
Hospital employees and residents
of the catchment area. Whenever
the community asks for support,
Carver comes out. Employees
marched in the prior rallies with the
community. Because of the proximity, the hospital’s future will also impact the lives of their employees if
there is a need for emergency care.
Community board member and
activist Sherone Perry viewed the
day as one “for giving back to the
community which has stayed steadfast and strong in the effort to stop
all closing plans”.
There was an activity for every
age group. Adults got health and financial information while children
enjoyed rides, face painting,
barbeque treats and the pumpkins
which signaled the beginning of the
fall season. There were free school
supplies and with Thanksgiving holiday winds blowing, hospital staff,
politicians and residents mingled in
the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Interfaith Hospital employee
Michelle Ned, who has 31years of
service to the community, gives”no
thought to the possibility of the hospital still closing. Interfaith will get
the same treatment as Long Island
College Hospital (LICH). Mayoral
candidate Bill DeBlasio promised we
will not close. I am holding him to
his word, I believe in him”. Failure is
definitely not an option here.
A teen getting her face painted (Photo: Lem Peterkin)
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Cong. Major Owens
Ex-Rep Owens dies
Major Owens, former Brooklyn
Congressman from 1983 to 2007,
has died. Cong. Owens, well
known for helping to pass the
Americans with Disabilities Act,
according to family members,
passed last Monday night. He was
77 years old.
A crusader for working class families, Owens rose through the
ranks as poor people’s fighter during the Mayor Lindsay’s administration where he served as commissioner of Community Development Agency.
He is remembered as being
committed to the empowerment of
people with less power and never
forgot his roots.
Cong. Owens is survived by his
wife Maria Owens and his five children one of whom was in the
Cosby TV show.
“Today, New York lost a legend,” said Council Member Letitia
James. “Congressman Owens’
commitment to working people in
our city was remarkable; as were
his accomplishments on behalf of
his diverse district in Brooklyn.
His legacy— from helping to develop social assistance programs
under Mayor John Lindsay, to
helping to pass the Americans
with Disabilities Act in Congress— lives on. Even after leaving the House of Representatives, Congressman Owens
never stopped serving— teaching as a professor at Medgar
Evers College. Our city and our
country have been changed for
the better because of Congressman Owens’ service. May he rest
in peace
Cory Booker, the charismatic
Newark mayor who won a national
following via Twitter and his own
heroics, was elected to the U.S.
Senate Wednesday.
Booker, a Democrat, easily defeated Republican Steve Lonegan,
the former mayor of Bogota, N.J.,
in a special election to fill the seat
held by Democratic Sen. Frank
Lautenberg, who died in June.
Booker is New Jersey’s first African-American senator and the
only elected black Senator in the
upper house. Republican Sen. Tim
Scott of South Carolina was appointed in January to fill the seat
of Sen. Jim DeMint, who resigned.
“Thank you so much, New Jersey, I’m proud to be your senatorelect,’’ Booker tweeted minutes
after the Associated Press declared him the winner.
Addressing supporters at a victory party, Booker said he will go
to Washington “to engage in the
kind of hard, humble service that
reaches out to others.” He also
paid an emotional tribute to his
father, Cary, who died last week.
“Death can end a life, but it cannot end a love,” Booker said.
The unusual date for the special election — a Wednesday less
than a month before the November legislative and gubernatorial
election — was set by Republican Gov. Chris Christie. The end
of nine-week campaign, hard
fought between Booker and
Cory Booker
Lonegan, coincided with 16-day
government shutdown.
Booker, who is in his second term
as mayor of the state’s largest city,
made much of his ability to cross
party lines and reach compromise,
often citing his experience working with Republican Gov. Chris
Christie on education and economic development in Newark.
As he voted Wednesday,
Booker called the election “a
chance to make a statement about
what is going on in Washington.’’
Voters who came to cast ballots
at Firehouse #3 in Teaneck, N.J., in
the northern part of the state, had
the congressional stalemate on
their minds. Leonard Hospidor, 42,
an audio engineer, voted with one
goal: “Stopping the madness.’’
Hospidor voted for Booker. But
his vote was “not just a partisan
thing as it is so much trying to restore a little bit of sanity to the process,’’ he said. “It’s gotten out of
control, the crazy thing, and it’s a
little bit embarrassing.’’
Lonegan, former state director of
a Tea Party-supporting group,
Americans for Prosperity, said he
supported the government shutdown, calling it “a good way to find
out which government services are
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)
Federal lawsuit seeks why Bklyn
woman died in police custody
By Eulene Inniss
The Eagle, a symbol of freedom and justice is seared in the
face of the United States Courthouse at 225 Cadman Plaza East,
in downtown Brooklyn, New
York. The Eagle looks out into a
city park which seems to confirm
this freedom by its open space,
tall trees and citizens basking in
the glow of the sunlight.
But, to the family of Kyam
Livingston these are just meaningless symbols, for, as of today
after months, that freedom of in-
formation on why Kyam died in
NYPD custody is not forthcoming. Five months after Kyam died
at Central Booking the family and
their lawyers had to file a lawsuit
to demand a release of a video and
the NYPD officers’ names.
This lawsuit in Federal Court is an
attempt to seek answers to the
persistent, yet unanswered question of who is responsible for
Kyam’s death. Five months have
passed since the family got the
horrible news of Kyam’s death.
Witnesses who shared the cell tell
about the incident in vivid, color-
ful language.
This was a “horrible death.” And,
as a prelude to this case, supporters held a rally, with a loud screaming banner: “Stolen Lives: Killed
by Law Enforcement”. There, in
bold print, were the names of over
1.700 individuals from Alabama to
Wyoming who lost their lives in
police custody. Kyam’s name is a
new entry.
Anita Neal, Kyam’s mother said”
my daughter stayed 7 hours seek(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)
Hakeem Jeffries
Black farmers finally collect in $1.2 billion discrimination case
By Freddie Allen
denied his loan application beNNPA Washington Correspon- cause he was Black. He even tesdent
tified before Congress in 1984.
By 1998, what became known as
WASHINGTON (NNPA) – For the Pigford’s case evolved into a
decades, Black farmers fought the class action racial discrimination
United States Department of Agri- lawsuit that included Black farmculture over racial discrimination. ers who were denied loans and
The farmers, mostly in the south, other federal aid from the govlost crops, their farms and their ernment from 1981 to 1996. The
homes. Some farmers grew old and government settled the case in
died waiting for the slow hands of 1999.
justice to turn in their favor, but
Pigford, eventually backed out
those that still toil in the fields can of the landmark case that bears
proclaim victory, the government his name and was awarded a
has finally started cutting checks separated individual payout.
in the $1.2 billion settlement case
“Pigford II” included Black
known as “Pigford II.”
farmers who missed the filing
Tim Pigford, a corn and soybean deadline, but also suffered hardfarmer from southeastern North ships in receiving aid from the
Carolina, said that USDA officials USDA. The farmers, roughly BLACK FARMERS — John Boyd led fight for Black farmers.
18,000 of them, will each receive
$50,000 plus an additional $12,500
for debt associated with federal
taxes.
The judgment is the largest civil
rights settlement in United States
history.
Even as some advocates for Black
farmers declared victory in the case,
most agree that the settlement payments won’t go far enough to make
up for the wholesale devastation of
rural Black communities and the loss
of land ownership at the hands of
government officials.
“For many Black farmers, the
settlement is not going to buy them
a new farm with new equipment and
put them back into business. That’s
3
Newark Mayor Cory Booker
wins New Jersey Senate seat
Mayor announces $24M expansion of
Jobs Plus program for NYCHA residents
4
Leo W. Geraard
USW: GOP shutdown
a waste of time, money
The United Steelworkers
(USW) released the following
statement from USW International President Leo W. Gerard
in response to vote in Congress
to fund the government and raise
the debt ceiling:
“For the past two weeks, the
American people watched helplessly as the extreme right-wing
Tea Party Republicans hijacked
government and turned the Capitol into a circus. We are thankful
that this unnecessary government shutdown is now over, but
in the end, it was nothing more
than a colossal waste of time and
money—some $24 billion according to Standard & Poor’s — by
people who should know better.
“Americans sent these representatives to Washington to create
good jobs and continue our recovery from the worst economic crisis
in our lifetimes. This is what they
promised to do. Instead, this
shameless group of Republicans
took it upon themselves to attempt
to overturn the results of our democratic process. Now it’s time for
them to get back to the work they
were sent there to do.
“It may be weeks or months before we know the full effects of this
spectacle. But we do know that this
shutdown and the threat of default
Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg announces an $8
million annual investment for
the next three years to expand
Jobs-Plus, a program that connects public housing residents
with employment, education
and financial empowerment
services.
Located on site or nearby
NYCHA facilities, Jobs-Plus will
now serve a total of 23 NYCHA
developments across all five
boroughs. As part of the
citywide Young Men’s Initiative, over the next three years
Jobs-Plus is expected to place
more than 4,400 NYCHA residents in jobs while providing
thousands more with additional
services including financial
counseling, education and job
retention supports.
The expansion represents
the largest-ever municipal investment in the nationally recognized program and is a sign i f i c a n t p a r t o f t h e Yo u n g
Men’s Initiative – the City’s
comprehensive effort to address disparities between
young black and Latino men
and their peers.
“Connecting at-risk young
people to job opportunities –
and helping them to take
charge of their futures – is one
of the best investments government can make,” said Mayor
Bloomberg. “The Jobs-Plus
model of combining employment services, financial counseling and community support
– all near a person’s home – is
one of our most promising tools
for reducing the racial disparities that have existed for far too
long.”
“Our investment in JobsPlus reinforces our commitment
to removing barriers to economic opportunity and this expansion will support more
NYCHA residents as they increase their earning power to
support their families,” said
Deputy Mayor Gibbs. “JobsPlus demonstrates how cross-
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
agency partnerships are at the
core of our fight for real solutions to difficult challenges,
and we thank our partner agencies for answering this urgent
call to action.”
“HRA has developed successful employment programs
that connect low income New
Yorkers to work in their communities to help them become
self-sufficient,” said HRA Commissioner Robert Doar. “JobsPlus has produced results from
day one and we believe it will
become an influential force in
meeting our goal of moving
thousands of people into employment every year.”
“The expansion of Jobs-Plus
marks a key milestone in our
new approach to better supporting our residents by increasing their income and assets,” said NYCHA Chairman
Rhea. “Through our Office of
Resident Economic Empowerm e n t a n d S u s t a i n a b i l i t y,
NYCHA has taken an unprecedented, agency-wide focus on
resident economic opportunities and outcomes; as well as
attracting proven models and
resources into public housing
communities. We know firsthand that Jobs-Plus makes a
real difference in the lives of
public housing residents, and
we are thrilled to connect thousands more NYCHA residents to
these critical economic opportunity services.”
“CEO has consistently looked
to identify what works in fighting poverty in New York City,
and since 2009 Jobs-Plus has
been a testament to that commitment,” said CEO Executive Director Morse. “As this program expands to serve thousands more
public housing residents, New
Yorkers in all five boroughs will
have access to a program with a
proven track record of job placement, career training and assetbuilding.”
“The Young Men’s Initiative
is continually seeking new and
innovative ways to support New
York City’s Black and Latino
young men. The expansion of
Jobs-Plus represents an opportunity for investment in the pot e n t i a l o f o u r c i t y ’s y o u n g
people,” said YMI Director
Jahmani Hylton. “Our goal is to
assist a greater number of New
Yorkers in accessing jobs, increase their earning potential and
contributing to the City’s robust
economic environment.”
“As Jobs-Plus expands to
connect even more New Yorkers
with career resources, we are
pleased that the program will
continue to be benefit from financial empowerment strategies,”
said DCA Commissioner
Jonathan Mintz. “We know that
inserting professional, one-onone financial counseling into job
placement services will have a
‘supervitamin effect’, boosting
both program recipients’ financial security and programmatic
goals. Our financial counselors
have helped tens of thousands
of New Yorkers overcome debt,
build savings and become confident in handling their finances.
We encourage all New Yorkers
who are struggling with debt to
call 311 to make an appointment
at one of the City’s more than 20
Financial Empowerment Centers.”
Police foil murder for hire plot in massive cigarette trafficking case
Attorney General Eric T.
Schneiderman and NYPD
Commissioner Raymond W.
Kelly have announced the
indictment of two individuals, Basel Ramadan and
Yousseff Odeh, on charges
they conspired from behind
bars to murder witnesses
they believed were cooperating with law enforcement
in a massive cigarette smuggling case against them.
The original case
charges these and 14 other
members of a criminal ring
with flooding New York City
and the Albany region with
more than a million cartons
of unstamped cigarettes illegally imported from Virginia.
A new indictment, unsealed against Ramadan and
Odeh in Brooklyn Supreme
Court, charges them with
conspiracy in the second
degree and criminal solicitation in the second degree.
They face up to 25 to life in
prison on the new charges
for conspiring to kill two witnesses.
“These defendants sought
to kill individuals they believed to be witnesses to
their crimes. This behavior if
intolerable, and we are going
to prosecute them to the full
extent of the law,” Attorney
General Schneiderman said.
“These two individuals
cheated New York taxpayers
out of millions of dollars in
tax revenue and then tried to
cover up their dangerous and
lucrative smuggling operations, which hurt New York
businesses, by committing
the ultimate crime.”
Police Commissioner
R a y m o n d W. K e l l y s a i d ,
“This indictment shows the
scope of intent of these two
individuals was not limited to
generating profits through
illegal cigarettes; it now includes a murder plot. Fortunately, it was an NYPD detective and not an accomplice of
Attorney General
Eric T. Schneiderman
these inmates on the other
end of the phone. I commend
the NYPD Intelligence Division and their partners in the
Attorney General’s office for
their work.”
A 244-count indictment
filed in May charged the 16
co-conspirators with enterprise corruption, money
laundering and related tax
crimes. Each defendant faces
up to 25 years behind bars
in that case, which includes
counts of enterprise corruption, money laundering and
related tax crimes.
With the cooperation of confidential sources, law enforcement personnel learned in early
August that Ramadan, the alleged boss of the untaxed cigarette trafficking enterprise, and
Odeh, one of Ramadan’s distributors and trusted lieutenants, wanted to kill two individuals living in New York City
who they believed were cooperating with officials.
Additional evidence of the
murder plots, hatched from inside Rikers Island jail, was gathered by law enforcement officials
who, as a matter of course, monitor calls made by inmates. In this
case, the calls were placed by
Ramadan. One of those calls was
to an undercover police officer
whom Ramadan believed was a
contract killer.
Ramadan, 42, has been held at
Rikers Island without bail, and
Odeh, 52, has been held in lieu
of $500,000 bail since they were
arraigned on the initial indictment before Brooklyn Supreme
Court Justice William Miller in
May. Ramadan, a.k.a. Abu Salah,
and Odeh, a.k.a. Abu Mahmoud,
were arrested and charged for
their roles in the cigarette trafficking and money laundering
ring that operated from Virginia,
Maryland and Delaware, up to
New York City and even the Capital Region. Both defendants face
up to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison,
in the new case. Ramadan is from
Ocean City, Maryland. Odeh is
from Staten Island.
5
6
Editorial
Congress kicks the can –
Americans turn blue
Beacon
By Glenn Mollette
Walter Smith: Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Miatta Haj Smith: Co-Publisher & Executive Editor
William Egyir: Managing Editor
Obama’s showdown with
‘Teapublicans’ is just beginning
By George E. Curry
NNPA Columnist
Believe it or not, President
Obama’s decision to finally stand
up to Teapublicans – a Republican Party hijacked by Right-wing
Tea Party zealots – in the latest
standoff over the Affordable Care
Act and the debt ceiling was the
easy part.
Next comes the real fireworks
over the budget. And, judging
from the past, the Democrats are
likely to wave the white flag of
surrender, even before the first
shot are fired.
Don’t forget that although
Obama campaigned on the promise of extending the Bush tax cuts
only for individuals earning less
than $200,000 and couples making less than $250,000, which
would cover 98 percent of all taxpayers, he eventually capitulated
under Republican pressure, extending the Bush-era rates on incomes below $450,000 for families
and $400,000 for individuals.
And in his unsuccessful effort
to reach a grand bargain with
House Speaker John Boehner in
2011, according to leaked confidential documents, Obama expressed a willingness to support
cuts to TRICARE, the health insurance program for the military
and military retirees; Social Se-
curity, Medicare, housing, nutritional assistance and other social
programs.
Former Labor Secretary Robert
Reich explained why he, too, feels
Obama will cave in to Republican
demands.
“He’s already put on the table a
way to reduce future Social Security payments by altering the way
cost-of-living adjustments are
made – using the so-called
‘chained’ consumer price index,
which assumes that when prices
rise people economize by switching to cheaper alternatives. This
makes no sense for seniors, who
already spend a disproportionate
share of their income on prescription drugs, home healthcare, and
medical devices – the prices of
which have been rising faster than
inflation. Besides, Social Security
isn’t responsible for our budget
deficits. Quite the opposite: For
years its surpluses have been
used to fund everything else the
government does.
“The President has also suggested ‘means-testing’ Medicare
– that is, providing less of it to
higher-income seniors. This might
be sensible. The danger is it becomes the start of a slippery slope
that eventually turns Medicare
into another type of Medicaid, a
program perceived to be for the
poor and therefore vulnerable to
budget cuts.
“But why even suggest cutting
Medicare at all, when the program
isn’t responsible for the large budget deficits projected a decade or
more from now? Medicare itself is
enormously efficient; its administrative costs are far lower than
commercial health insurance.”
Equally troubling are the signals the president is already sending on the budget.
“Keep in mind that the budget
that we are going to pass under
any deal is going to be the Republican budget. It will have cuts
that are much more substantial
than Democrats would prefer,”
Obama said in an interview with
New York’s WABC-TV two days
before the government reopened.
“The Democrats have not asked
for anything to reopen the government. The Democrats haven’t
asked for anything for paying our
bills on time.”
The last time I checked, the Senate and the executive branch were
controlled by Democrats. Republicans control only the House.
And the only reason they control
the House is because of gerrymandered congressional districts.
In the last election, House Democrats received more votes than
House Republicans. So why does
Americans can breathe a sigh
of relief but not for long. We’ve
kicked the financial crisis can
down the road for at least three
more months.
Our budget deficit, debt ceiling and American leadership
crisis reminds me of a game we
used to play in the creek as a
child. Someone would count
while we held our breath under
water. It was only a matter of
time. We couldn’t stay under
forever.
It seems like the average
American is holding his or her
breath today. Time is ticking
while our faces are becoming
bluer by the moment.
How many more trillions of
debt can we stand? Our paychecks are shrinking all the
more as we are crunched with
another trillion dollars in debt.
Our sigh of relief is short lived
as our heads are actually being
pushed under, much deeper and
far longer than we can survive
as a nation.
In response to this brutal
drowning of America we stand
back shrugging our shoulders
and wagging our heads. What
else are we going to do? Many
of us made it to the polls to
vote and we will be back there
to vote next time. We write letters, call our representatives
and senators and feel like
s c r e a m i n g b l o o d y m u r d e r.
What good does it do us? Our
nation continues to spend what
we do not have and cannot afford.
If our outgo exceeds our income then our upkeep will be
our downfall.
America needs to make a
simple adjustment. We need to
spend what we take in and not
more than we take in. This simple
adjustment works for individuals,
families, businesses, and so
forth.
When we spend more than we
take in we accumulate debt that
makes life tougher for us. We
have to pay the debt back so this
actually gives us less money to
live on. Every few months our
country is making it tougher and
tougher on all Americans because we are accumulating more
and more debt which is devouring the income we have.
Average Americans make
house and car payments. Howe v e r, o u r p a y m e n t s m u s t b e
based on our income and what
we can afford. Our government
is incurring more and more debt
and it’s not based on the national
income nor what our country can
afford.
America will take in 2.7 to
three trillion dollars over the next
twelve months. I would suggest
to our leaders that we formulate
our budget based on what we
expect to receive. In the meantime why don’t we create more
income for our nation by creating more good jobs that will in
turn create more income for
America? We need to stop the
flow of jobs slipping away to
Mexico and other countries while
our government taxes America’s
diminishing middle class more
and more. It’s time for new leadership in America. We can’t hold
our breath any longer.
Glenn Mollette is an American
columnist read in all fifty states.
Contact him at:
GMollette@aol.com Like his
facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/
glennmollettefind his books at
barnesandnoble.com
Public and public officials are stuck on stupid
By James Clingman
Blackonomics
“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of
making decisions than by putting
those decisions in the hands of
people who pay no price for being wrong.” – Thomas Sowell
Why do we keep electing the
same people to the same office
year after year, putting them in
charge of our lives, despite having the absolute proof that they
have not, are not, and will not
work in our best interests? The
debt ceiling Kabuki Theater is yet
another in a long line of what we
have seen before – just a few
months ago – in our so-called
“government of, by, and for the
people”
We, the electorate, are just
stuck on stupid. We have elected
what has literally become an aristocracy to rule over us. They play
games with our lives by trying to
trump one another with their
pompous speeches and protestations. All the while they are becoming millionaires and, to add
insult to injury, they are not subject to the rules they make to govern us. As the opening quote suggests, they pay no price and feel
no pain from their ridiculous wrangling, debating, and decision-making.
They stroll out every now and
then to give us their “insights” on
what is going on in the “hallowed”
halls of Congress, but then return
to do nothing for us. For them,
however, they continue to draw
their pay checks, play golf, laugh
and joke, and live off the public
coffers by working for a government many of them say is the problem. What does that scenario say
about those of us in the proletariat
class?
Thomas Jefferson said, “When
government fears the people, there
is liberty. When the people fear the
government, there is tyranny.”
So what do we have, folks?
Fear or tyranny? I know one thing
we do have is anger. In some cases
we have hopelessness, despair,
and desperation as well. People
are out of work, children are out
of food, and families are out of
time, while the men and women
on Capitol Hill make decisions affecting our lives but exempting
themselves and their children from
the consequences of those decisions. Have we come to the point
where the inmates are running the
asylum? Many U.S. citizens are
in fear for their very survival now,
and our Washington elites are
conducting political business as
usual, which means merely moving from one crisis to the next and
asking us to vote for them the next
time around. Why should we?
The shenanigans we see on a
national level also take place locally. The “Bi-Polar Electorate”
continues to put people in office
who have demonstrated incompetence, a lack of business acumen,
and a total disregard for the people
who elected them. They only
come around when they want our
votes, and many of them have absolutely nothing of substance to
show for their previous stint of
ruler-ship over us. Yet, we will allow ourselves to be swooned and
swayed to vote for them again, for
the simplest of reasons, knowing
they have failed us in the past.
In Cincinnati, voters passed a
law that now allows council members to reign for four years instead
of two years. That means voters
will have to suffer twice as long
under the ineptness, the self-interest and pompous attitudes of
individual politicians, and the
myriad of financial crises that now
plague the city. That is, unless the
voters elect folks who are not only
concerned but competent, and
candidates who have demonstrated their professional abilities
and willingness to tackle and solve
tough issues.
The ridiculousness of political
engagement must stop, especially
among Black people. We must be
informed to the degree that no one
can simply hand us a flyer with a list
of candidates for whom we should
blindly vote. We suffer the most
from political incompetence and disregard, yet we are so loyal to those
who do us wrong; we keep coming
back to them the way an abused
spouse keeps returning for more
abuse. We keep electing folks who
make empty promises and lay out
nebulous solutions that, in the end,
never benefit us. We keep listening
to and believing political hacks that
are only in the game for their own
self-enrichment, as they lead us to
the cliff and then step aside to allow
us to plummet to the rocks below.
The Black electorate needs the
most from politicians but obtains the
7
Remembering George Orwell’s 1984 in 2013
By Jineea Butler
NNPA Columnist
Was the book 1984 by George
Orwell a required school reading
for you? If it was you would
know that Orwell introduced Big
Brother in 1949. He told a story
of a world broken up into three
countries that were controlled by
the government called “The
Party.” The “Thought Police”
used technology to invade the
mind. They watched everyone
and gave orders through their
television sets.
Orwell wrote of a place where
the news was manipulated and the
people were eliminated from history and recreated with images
that worked for the government.
Sex was reserved for the lower
class people. Marriages had to
be approved and the children
were produced artificially. The
middle class always found ways
to overthrow the upper class and
the lower class watched as the
masters changed back and forth.
Finally, the high class
learned how to keep their per-
manent position by staying at
war, keeping a state of emergency and using an individual’s
greatest fear to eradicate individuality. They convinced the
people that “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is
Strength.” Orwell also described the lower class, which
were referred to as ‘proles.’
They seemed incapable of organizing themselves, they were
only concerned with trivial
grievances and had no concern
of larger issues. According to
The Party the proles were below suspicion because they
were already oppressed by the
former capitalist. To The Party
proles and animals were free.
Our life today resonates
closely with the warning of
George Orwell. My concern is
we are not paying attention, as
usual. After Edward Snowden
leaked that the National Security Agency (NSA) lied to Congress about its surveillance
practices in May of 2013, USA
Today reported that sales for
Orwell’s book, 1984, jumped
from No. 7397 to No. 125 on
Amazon’s Best Seller’s list in
24 hours. People rushed to see
the similarities of what is happening today and what Orwell
wrote in 1949.
When I see our life being
quickly altered by events and illexplained incidents, I think of
1984. When I see the government
fighting over “the parties” and
working hard to remove my privacy and civil liberties, I think of
1984. When I watch reality television and see virtually every community represented by a show, I
remember 1984. Is reality television the way Big Brother is making everyone in the world comfortable with being watched? I’m
sure it is.
Is my community the community Orwell is referring to as the
‘proles’, I’m sure it is. The government didn’t even include them
in the conditioning process, because they were already conditioned.
We live in a world where Smart
TV’s have the capacity to invade
our homes without our knowl-
edge. When I walk through the
hood or ‘high crime areas,’ I see
more and more police surveillance
equipment, reminding us all that
‘Big Brother Is Watching . New
Red Light cameras are being installed every day at another stop
light.
Still we are concerned with the
trivial things: Did you watch Scandal? What’s going on with Keeping up with the Kardashians?
We’re watching “Love and Hip
Hop,” “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” and “Basketball Wives”
while wondering which Baby’s
Mamas are going to fight.
We get caught up in this nonsense while the world around us
is becoming more Orwellian every
day. Official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation are reminders of totalitarian and authoritarian states.
Orwell hoped that by writing
1984 he’d help stop such a state
ever coming to pass. Evidently, it
is too late.
Why are we so complacent and
accepting of these violations?
Are we really going to allow the
greatness within us to be silenced?
I refuse to believe that our ancestors died, prayed and struggled to
get us to a place where we could
truly be free only for us to fall asleep
at the wheel listening to French
Montana’s ‘I Ain’t Worried About
Nothin.’”
I am worried about everything.
How will our future generations survive with this mentality? We have
to get involved with everything, we
have to vote, every time, we have
to move and work as a unit, we have
to love each other, no matter what.
No one is coming to save us, if we
don’t reach deep within and find
ourselves, we can say bye to ourselves.
Don’t forget this quote from
Orwell’s 1984: “Until they became
conscious they will never rebel, and
until after they have rebelled they
can not become conscious.”
Jineea Butler, founder of the Social Services of Hip Hop and the
Hip Hop Union is a Hip Hop Analyst who investigates the trends and
behaviors of the community and
delivers programming that solves
the Hip Hop Dilemma.
‘Sick’ Obamacare will die of natural causes by 2014
By Harry C. Alford
Beyond the Rhetoric
There has never been a political climate like this in modern
times. We are now in an era of
constant chaos. Our elected officials are fighting with no end
game in sight. The citizens of our
nation are slowly going into a
mental depression. Even a stenographer for the House of Representatives recently had a major
meltdown right on national television. Obamacare, the national
budget, debt ceiling, deficit, immigration and other issues are
starting to take a toll on our patience and confidence in our leadership.
It seems that it is not going to
get any better in the near future.
We have a president who doesn’t
bother to write a budget for the
federal government. The United
States is the largest corporation
in the world and we have been
running it without a budget for
the last five years. A shoeshine
man has a budget. We are not
cutting spending to prevent us
from bursting through our debt
limit. Congress is kicking the can
down the road by giving short
term extensions (continuing resolutions) of our limit. We must
settle on what is a manageable
debt limit and live by it. In 2008,
our debt was at $10 trillion. Now
it has worked its way up to nearly
$17 trillion. Our credit rating is
dropping and our dollar is weakening. Congress and the White
House are playing a kind of Russian roulette with defaulting on
our national debt. Other nations
must be laughing at us.
Obamacare is a “Frankenstein”
approach
to
improving
healthcare. This socialist approach
to providing healthcare to individuals and families is turning out
to be a farce. It is going to be far
more costly to individuals, families
and businesses than the president
predicted. Major corporations decried about what they found out
recently. So, the president gave
them a year’s waiver before they
have to bite the bullet.” Unions,
who fiercely supported the program, have found out that they,
too, will have to take a major financial hit. They screamed and the
president gave them a waiver.
Former House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi (D-Calif.), who led the fight
to pass the law, has convinced the
president to give waivers to virtually all the businesses in her district. Congress, which passed the
legislation, has declared itself exempt from the new rates. They are
forcing it down our throats while
exempting themselves from the
pain. What kind of leadership is
this? They are the lucky ones; the
rest of us will have to suffer noticeably higher premium rates and
exorbitant deductibles. They just
don’t care.
They have been grandstanding,
pretending to defund Obamacare.
Speeches, debates, filibustering
and primetime interviews on television – 24/7 was all show and no
go. But let’s not get too depressed
about Obamacare. It is such a
messed up piece of legislation that
there is no way to correct it. It is
indeed a train wreck, as the Senate
author of the bill now realizes.
When we have had enough of this
monster, it will implode. It won’t
be workable and the only option
will be to pull the plug. I predict
that by mid-2014 during the election, when all members of the
House of Representatives and a
third of the Senate are up for reelection, this sick idea will face a
silent death. It will go down as the
biggest calamity of all time and it
will be Barack Obama’s legacy.
The above just isn’t stuff that
depresses us. It is a serious threat
to our national security. Our rival
powers such as Russia, China, India, etc. are looking at our loony
style of management. They see it
as a weakness. The world is like a
school yard. The stronger nations
will bully and exploit the weak
ones. While their military budgets
are noticeably increasing, ours is
stagnant or decreasing. Russia
alone is increasing its military by
more than 93 percent. What is on
the mind of President Vladimir
Putin? There is a precedent.
When Japan decided to go to
war with the nation around it,
their spies came to the United
States. They watched our military training exercises. They
noticed at Fort Polk, La. that our
soldiers trained with broom
sticks instead of rifles.That’s
how small our military budget
was. They figured that we
could be whipped. They were
wrong but we encouraged them
to attack. Think about this as
we decrease our military budgets.
Also, our overall financial state
may head south without anyone
knowing where the bottom will be.
Our retirement funds, savings and
paychecks will shrink. It will personally affect everyone. Such negative potential and elected officials
smile and talk turkey to each other.
Please wake up.
Harry C. Alford is the co-founder,
President/CEO of the National
Black Chamber of Commerce.
Website: www.nationalbcc.org.
Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.
Slave to slavery comparisons
By Julianne Malveaux
NNPA Columnist
The brilliant surgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson is out of order and
out of control when he compares
the Affordable Care Act to
slavery. As a physician, he must
know how many people lack health
care, and how much work this administration had done to right that
wrong. As a health advocate, he
must have seen those men and
women who decide to forego pain
medication in favor of something
to eat for their children.
As a distinguished medical
leader, he must have read the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports
that talk about the differential
ways in which health care is delivered in emergency rooms, with
Black and Brown men less likely
than others to receive medication
for their pain, even when it involves a broken bone.
So when Carson says that the
Affordable Care Act is “worse
than slavery,” I truly wonder what
he knows about slavery. Does he
know about being dragged from
one country and placed on an auction block in another? Does he
know about enduring backbreaking work, day after day, hour after
hour, where the most human desires like love and companionship
are snuffed out by the needs of
greedy masters? Has he had a limb
– a leg, an arm, a tongue – severed
to make serve as an example for
others? Has he felt a shackle on
his neck, across his Adam’s apple,
so tight that he could not
breathe? Has he tried to run, and
been captured and beaten? Or
beaten even if he did not run?
Does his back show the signs of
White rage? Has he seen his own
child sold at auction? Has he slid
besides his woman, his love,
knowing that she had no say if the
master decided to have sex with her?
Has he been literally emasculated,
his body a victim to a master’s rage?
Has he learned to read? According
to an old North Carolina law, “to
teach a slave to read is to excite dissatisfaction in the general population.” Whites who taught slaves
to read were fined as much as a
year’s wages. Slaves who taught
each other to read risked 39 lashes.
I don’t know what the amazing Dr.
Ben Carson is thinking when he
compares anything in our current
space to slavery. He has not known
a slave’s life, and, blessedly, neither
have most of us. But we know that
affordable health care is not the
same thing as slavery.
I am tired of people making false
slave comparison, effectively reducing it to a political volleyball. The
minimum wage was called “worse
than slavery,” yet slaves were never
Opinion
8
African Scene
Travel companies join the Botswana
boycott despite government whitewash
Rebel leader of former Mozambican rebel movement Renamo turned
opposition party chief, Afonso Dhlakama, gives a press conference,
April 10, 2013, in Gorongosa’s mountains, Mozambique.
Mozambique former rebels
end 1992 peace settlement
Mozambique’s former rebel
group, Renamo, says it is ending
its 1992 peace deal with the ruling
Frelimo party, raising fears of renewed violence in the country.
Renamo officials say they are
making the move because government forces captured a base where
their leader, Afonso Dhlakama,
was staying. They say Dhlakama
escaped during Monday’s fighting.
The defense ministry confirmed
earlier Monday that its forces had
taken over the base in a remote
part of the Gorongosa mountains.
The ministry said it attacked the
base in response to an assault by
suspected Renamo fighters
against a government military unit
last week.
The two sides have carried out
several deadly attacks against
each other in the past year.
Renamo, which is
Mozambique’s main opposition
party, fought Frelimo during a 15year civil war that ended in 1992.
The country has been mostly
peaceful since then, but tensions
between the two groups have
been rising. Last October,
Renamo’s leader, Dhlakama, set up
camp in the Gorongosa mountains,
raising fears that Renamo was returning to military tactics.
Only weeks after Survival International called for a boycott of
Botswana tourism, two travel
companies have suspended their
tours to the country and several
others have expressed concern
about
the
Botswana
government’s continued persecution of the Bushmen. The government is stopping the Bushmen
from hunting and forces them to
apply for permits to access their
ancestral land in the Central
Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR).
International tour operator
Travelpickr joined Survival’s
boycott and said, ‘We have canceled our pending [tour] requests
for Botswana and informed the
local tour operators about this
boycott. We will suspend all tours
and block tour requests to
Botswana until the government
in Botswana has improved the
situation.’
Spanish tour company
Horizonte Paralelo stated, ‘’We
have joined Survival’s boycott of
tourism to Botswana. We think
it’s the appropriate measure in the
face of the victimisation
of Bushmen. We are deeply
troubled to read Survival’s letter
and learn about the degrading
treatment of the Bushmen at the
hands of the government.’
The news is a blow to the
Botswana government, which has
attempted to whitewash its image
after it was condemned by several international bodies over its
persecution of the last hunting
Bushmen.
In the letter to tour companies
around the world, Botswana’s
government spokesman Jeff
Bots-bush-dies of dehyderation
Bushmen
Sudan, South Sudan meet to resolve outstanding issues
The leaders of Sudan and South
Sudan are meeting Tuesday in the
latest effort to resolve outstanding issues between the two nations, including the fate of the disputed oil-rich Abyei region.
Sudanese President Omar alBashir traveled to South Sudan’s
capital Juba for the talks with
President Salva Kiir. Last month,
they met in Sudan to avert a shutdown of South Sudanese oil exports through Sudan’s pipelines.
Officials from both countries
have stressed the critical role
Bashir and Kiir must play in working to ensure the people of Abyei
decide their nationality through a
referendum process backed by the
African Union.
South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told
VOA that Sudan has not moved
quickly enough to facilitate the
planned referendum. He added
that Abyei residents are “restless”
and considering carrying out the
vote on their own - a prospect that People from the Misseriya tribe of the Abyei oil region protest against the proposal of African Union (AU)
both countries oppose.
mediator former South African president Thabko Mbeki for a referendum to decide whether the region
A member of Sudan’s ruling Na- belonged to Sudan or South Sudan, Nov. 28, 2012. ( File photo)
tional Congress Party told VOA
the two countries have not yet
reached an agreement to create the
stable environment necessary for
the referendum.
The status of that region is one
of several issues that have strained
relations between the two countries since the south seceded from
the north in 2011.
Abyei was to hold a referendum
that year to determine whether it
would be a part of the north or
south, but the vote did not take
place.
Sudan says the vote should not
include the Misseriya nomads
who pass through the disputed
territory on their way to grazing
grounds for their cattle.
Relations between the former
civil war foes have been strained,
occasionally flaring up into hostilities. Last year, the countries almost went to war over which side
would control Abyei.
The two countries also have
had disputes over oil, which is
pumped in the south but refined
in the north.
Bill Cosby, Commodores headline Xavier scholarship fund gala
Motown in 1972 after performing
as the opening act for the Jackson 5 tour. They were, in fact,
Motown’s largest selling act for
more than two decades, the 70’s
a n d 8 0 ’s . T h e C o m m o d o r e s
racked up hit after hit after hit
with such classics as Machine
Gun, Brick House, Easy, Three
Times a Lady, Sail On, Still, Lady
(You Bring Me Up), Oh No, Slippery When Wet, Too Hot Ta Trot,
and many others that literally
moved an entire generation.
In 1984 the Commodores decided to re-establish the co-lead
vocal formula that had catapulted them to the top of the
R&B and Pop Charts in the past.
After interviewing over 50 candidates, the Commodores chose
James Dean “J.D.” Nicholas, then
vocalist for the British band
Heat Wave. The result was a perfect match. Rounded out by
o r i g i n a l m e m b e r s Wa l t e r
“Clyde” Orange and William
“WAK” King and the world renowned rhythm section the
“Mean Machine”, in 1985 the
Commodores won their first
Grammy Award for the track
Nightshift, which was a tribute
to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson.
The successful Commodores
of the present have not only
produced six new albums and
undertaken world-wide tours,
but have created their own
record label, Commodores
Records and Entertainment. Today they stand not only as talented and successful musicians,
but as artists determined to continue their success into the future.
En Vogue – the name rings
Bill Cosby
more than a bell. It invokes
memories of a long line of redhot R&B and pop smashes recorded in the 1990s. Songs
like Hold On, My Lovin’
(You’re Never Gonna Get It),
Giving Him Something He
Can Feel, Free Your Mind,
and Whatta Man featuring
Salt-N-Pepa, are just a sampling of the mega hits made famous by the R&B super group.
Fusing style, sophistication, sass and sex appeal, the
En Vogue formula is magical
and the group has sold more
than eight million albums. In
total, En Vogue has recorded
five albums: 1990’s Born To
Sing; 1992’s Funk Divas; 1997’s
EV3; 2000’s Masterpiece Theatre; and 2002’s The Gift of
Christmas. They have also released several compilations including 1999’s Best of En Vogue
and 2001’s The Very Best of En
Vogue. In 1993, En Vogue was
honored with the “Soul Train
Entertainer of the Year” Award
and an American Music Award
for “Best Soul Album of the
Year”.
Bill Cosby, one of America’s
most beloved comedians of all
time, has captivated generations
of fans with his comedy routines,
iconic albums and best-selling
books such as Fatherhood. His
comedy transcends age, gender
and cultural barriers.
Cosby broke television’s racial
barrier with I Spy, becoming the
first African American to co-star
on a television series while winning three consecutive Emmys. He
also created and produced the
Emmy-winning cartoon Fat Albert
and the Cosby Kids.
Perhaps Cosby’s greatest contribution to American entertainment and culture is The Cosby
Show, about a close-knit, upper
middle class black family. In his
current best seller, I Didn’t Ask to
Be Born, But I’m Glad I Was,
Cosby talks about the Bible, being a grandfather, and his first
love in his humorous and insightful manner.
Cosby has received the
Kennedy Center honors, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
( A m e r i c a ’s h i g h e s t c i v i l i a n
honor), the Mark Twain Prize for
American Humor and the Marian
A n d e r s o n Aw a r d . H e w a s
awarded an honorary Xavier degree in 2000. A true friend of the
university, he is making his third
appearance in six years at the benefit concert.
Tickets are on sale for $45 and $90
through the Ticket Master hot line 1866-448-7849 or online at
www.ticketmaster.com/Commodorestickets/artist/734798. Additional concert information is available on the
Xavier website, www.xula.edu.
Sponsor tables, patron packages
and concert tickets are available
through the Office of Institutional
Advancement at 504-520-4252.
Motown superstars The
Commodores, the sophisticated R&B trio En Vogue and
legendary comedian Bill
Cosby are the concert headliners for Xavier University of
Louisiana’s sixth annual benefit concert Nov. 22 at 8: p.m.
in the University’s new Convocation Center.
Sam’s Club and Walmart are
the lead event sponsors for
this year ’s Dr. Norman C.
Francis Endowed Scholarship
Benefit Concert, which was inaugurated in 2008 to coincide
with the Xavier President’s
40th anniversary at the helm of
the nation’s only Historically
Black and Roman Catholic institution of higher education.
He is now in his 45th year at
the post and continues to be
the longest serving university
president in the United States.
The net proceeds generated
by the annual concert series
are dedicated to an endowed
scholarship fund which was
created to help ensure that
deserving students are able to
earn a college degree regardless of their financial situation.
The original total goal established for the endowed scholarship fund was $1 million,
which was reached last year.
Additional monies from this
year ’s event and all future
concerts are earmarked for the
purpose.
The Commodores – If you
haven’t seen them live, you
haven’t seen the Commodores.
It all began in 1968 when members of the group met as mostly
freshmen at Tuskegee Institute. They later signed with
9
10
THE ADAMS REPORT
Fashion, Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .& Stuff
By Audrey Adams
The ultimate accessory
Audrey Adams
I am re-running this article because a number of you have
reached out to tell me how much
the message resonates with
you. Thank you! I love hearing
from you!
I have always wondered what
makes someone truly remarkable. You know the type of person that I am referring to . . .
whenever they walk into a room
it seems as if time stops to recognize their arrival! It doesn’t
matter whether they are wearing
a designer get-up or a potato
sack; their presence lights up the
room. People stop and take notice as if on cue and to be part of
the mass mentality that yearns
to be a member of an elite class
of “acknowledgers.” What do
“they” have that “we” don’t? In
a word: Confidence. And that,
my friends is why I believe that
confidence qualifies as the ultimate accessory!
There is a tendency to think
that if we have all the right accoutrements (think fashionable
accessories like shoes, handbags,
jewelry and the like, by Hermes,
Gucci, Versace or Chanel etc.) that
somehow wearing status symbols
gives us confidence! The truth is
that you can’t buy confidence. In
its most useful form it has to be
earned by successfully surviving
the many challenges that life presents and using the lessons
learned to strengthen your core.
What you are wearing won’t make
a difference in the way you are
perceived by others if you feel insecure underneath it all.
Confidence is a funny thing.
Depending upon your experience
it may come and go, or be gained
or lost and it is fragile. Your confidence may be shaken by circumstances beyond your control or
bolstered by a single event. Confidence is about trusting and having faith in you.
So, how do you become more
confident? That’s a million dollar
question! No one can teach you
to be more confident, it is something that only you can develop
and nurture within. There are
people who seem to have vast reservoirs of confidence that they can
count on to bolster them in trying
situations; then there are those
who can’t muster it up in any situation.
To become a more confident
person, you must first identify the
source of your insecurity and then
challenge yourself to take on
your reluctance to overcome
your fear of succeeding to overcome it! Yep, that was a mouthful, but think about it for a few
moments. Imagine what wearing
a confident attitude will do for
you in life and in the way you
look to the world. Becoming a
more confident person will take
time and constant nurturing to
maintain it; but once you have
it, it’s yours!
As individuals, each of us is
remarkable in our own right.
“They“ don’t really have anything that you can’t have as well
. . . Instead of choosing to surround yourself with and hiding
behind or wearing status symbols; step out wearing the one
accessory that you can always
count on to make you look
good . . . Confidence. Think
about it. See you next week.
Please visit my website,
TALKWITHAUDREY.com and
checkout my online radio show,
Talk! with Audrey for a series
of interviews that will inform,
motivate and inspire you.
Audrey Adams, former director of corporate public relations for Essence continues to
motivate and inspire women
through her syndicated columns, weekly radio show and
Website, TalkWithAudrey.com.
THE ADAMS REPORT©
Dr. Molefi Asante
Dr. Asante to speak on
Who We Are in forum
The Freedom Party and December 12th Movement will host a
Community Education Forum
featuring the distinguished African American contemporary
scholar, Dr. Molefi Kete Asante.
The forum will be held on Friday,
Nov. 1, 2013 at 7pm at Sistas’
Place, 456 Nostrand Ave., corner
of Jefferson Ave, Brooklyn NY.
The theme of the forum is
“Teaching who we are, for our
children’s future.” Dr. Asante will
focus on his high school text book,
African American History – A Journey of Liberation. This extraordinary
book is used in more than 400
schools throughout North America.
The Freedom Party is launching its
campaign to mobilize the community,
parents, and educators to get the
books into our children’s hands,
school libraries and NYC public
libaries.
Caribbean Community revitalize demand for reparations
By Amadi Ajamu
The Caribbean Community’s
[CARICOM] re-igniting of the
reparations movement has raised
the stakes to decisive governmental direct action. The 15
member regional bloc of nations
established its Reparations
Commission in July 2013 laying
out the strategy for reparations
for African enslavement and
colonization, and genocide of
the indigenous populations of
the Caribbean against the governments of western Europe.
The December 12th Movement International Secretariat attended the CARICOM first Regional Reparations Conference
held in St Vincent and the Grenadines in September and has begun to revitalize the reparations
movement in the US. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves addressed its Harlem report back
during his NYC visit to the UN
General Assembly.
Moving forward, the International Secretariat sponsored a
Pan African Reparations forum
in Brooklyn last week featuring
David Comissiong, Esq. of the
Barbados Reparations Committee, Cikiah Thomas, of the Global African Congress of Canada,
and Roger Wareham, Esq. of the
December 12th Movement US
Delegation.
The forum opened with the
screening of a documentary of
the historic United Nations
World Conference against Racism [WCAR] in September 2001.
The film “The Durban 400” focused on the WCAR Pan African
front steeled by the Africa
Group, Caribbean Group, United
States based Durban 400 delegation led by the December 12th
Movement and the National
Black United Front, and many
allied nations and non governmental organizations. On September 8, 2011, the “Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,”
declared the Trans Atlantic Slave
Trade and Slavery [TAST] as
crimes against humanity and prescribed compensation to the descendants of its victims.
The intense internal struggles
at the WCAR included: the
break-away of the Caribbean
Group of nations from the Group
of Latin American and Caribbean
nations [GRULAC] after the
Latin Americans refused to declare the TAST as crimes against
humanity; Israel’s attempt to
make itself the WCAR target
claiming antisemitism, and the
United States dramatic dissent
and walk out. Then three days
after the WCAR ended, two
planes crashed into the World
Trade Center on September 11 and
the international agenda suddenly
changed to Bush’s “war on terror.”
David Comissiong of Barbados
explained, “[But] the seeds had
been planted, and we are seeing
once again, in the year 2013, that
this issue is coming to the fore with
a vengeance. We decided at that
meeting in St Vincent that we have
to go forward with a three pronged
strategy to secure reparations. We
have to pursue legal remedies – in
particular the World Court. We
have to simultaneously pursue
diplomatic strategies, that is we
have to mobilize other governments around the world and utilize international diplomatic fora
like the United Nations. Thirdly, we
have to deploy political strategies
- take it before the national parliaments and mobilize our national
populations,” Comissiong concluded.
Cikiah Thomas, chair of the Global African Congress in Canada
stated, “The framework of a successful reparations movement
came out of Durban. Many of us
who went to Geneva [UN Human
Rights Commission – Group of
African Descendants] knew very
little about each other. I remember
Roger Wareham handing out something about the basis of reparaPrime Minister Ralph Gonsalves
Governor Andrew M.
Cuomo hss announced that
more than $1.1 million has been
awarded to seven community
organizations to help low-income individuals living with
HIV/AIDS move into the
workforce. The HIV/AIDS Employment Initiative helps lowincome individuals living with
HIV or AIDS to enter or re-enter the workforce and provides
the necessary case management services to ensure that
the health and supportive services needs of participants are
not compromised once they
are working.
“Through this initiative, the
State is providing critical support to help New Yorkers dealing with HIV or AIDS live full
and active lives,” Governor
Cuomo said. “State funded
community organizations will
be helping these New Yorkers
both find jobs and keep them
so they can be independent
and support themselves.”
The HIV/AIDS Employment
Initiative, beginning its 15th
year of operation, was one of
the first programs created
solely to respond to the employment needs of low-income
individuals living with HIV/
AIDS.
Providers help each participant access available job open-
ings that provide work settings
that do not negatively affect
their health and ensure they retain access to health insurance.
Services help program participants positively address the
challenges of being in the
workforce so they are able to
handle these matters and stay
employed.
The following organizations
were awarded funding:
Organization Location Amount
AIDS Community Resources,
Inc., Syracuse, $166,155
AIDS Service Center of Lower
M a n h a t t a n , I n c . , N e w Yo r k
$166,155
CAMBA, Inc., Brooklyn,
$166,155
Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities,
Inc., Corona, $166,155
Federation Employment and
Guidance Service, Inc. (FEGS),
New York, $165,740
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Inc.
(GMHC), New York, $166,155
Housing Works, Inc., Brooklyn,
$164,485
“This funding provides
much-needed employment and
training services to some of the
State’s most vulnerable residents,” said Office of Temporary
and Disability Assistance Commissioner Kristin M. Proud.
“While advancements in treating
the HIV/AIDS virus have enabled individuals to stabilize
Natural gas utilities
are ready for winter
Based on an annual review of
local utilities’ winter preparedness, the New York State Public
Service Commission (Commission) announced that utilities providing natural gas service in the
state have adequate supplies,
delivery capacity, and storage inventory to satisfy customer demand under severe winter conditions. While bill impacts will
vary by utility company, customer
bills in general are predicted to
increase only slightly this winter;
however, they remain much lower
than what they were several years
ago. “As more and more customers turn to natural gas for their
heating needs, ensuring a reliable
gas supply remains a paramount
concern of the Commission,” said
Chair Audrey Zibelman. “Our
analysis indicates that utilities
serving New York have adequate
supply and inventory to satisfy
expected demand this winter.”
As part of the annual winter readiness review, Commission staff
provided a report to the Commission regarding the arrangements
utilities have made to obtain adequate commodity supply to
meet expected customer demands
under severe winter conditions.
Additionally, staff reviewed the
utilities’ compliance with Commission policy regarding gas purchasing practices. Special attention was given by staff to the
methods utilized by the utilities
for gas price risk management efforts, including the use of hedges
(i.e., storage gas and fixed price
contracts) and financial incentives,
such as futures and options. The
Commission’s assessment of natural gas supplies and prices is based
on staff’s monitoring of utilities’
actions to prepare for the winter.
Throughout the winter season, staff
will monitor issues that could potentially affect the utilities’ operations and their customers, such as
weather and heating degree day
data; storage inventory management; interstate pipeline operational issues; operational flow orders; utility operation issues; gas
price levels and fluctuations; and
customer interruptions. Staff will
report to the Commission if a problem develops, or if action is warranted. As of Oct. 1, 2013, the price
of flowing gas for the upcoming
heating season, reported on the
New York Mercantile Exchange, is
projected to be higher than last year.
In the current price environment,
commodity costs make up between
25 to 45 percent of the customers’
bill and as a result, total bills are
expected to increase by slightly
more than 3 percent, or about $6 a
month during the heating season.
However, while average customer
bills might be slightly higher than
last year, bills are anticipated to be
about 6 percent lower than the historic three-year average. In New
York, there are about 3.9 million
natural gas heating customers.
About half of the households in the
state use natural gas for heating
purposes and residential customers
Gov. Cuomo
their health and resume or be- ments, transportation needs,
gin working, the employment child care and housing.”
and training services funded
State Health Commissioner
by these grants will help to Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H.
address other challenges that said, “Employment and housstill exist, such as coordinat- ing are critical components in
ing work, medical appoint- our fight against HIV. This
funding will allow people living
with the disease to enter or reenter the workforce while receiving the continued health and
supportive services they need.”
“Support from New York
State’s AIDS Employment Initiative has enabled Housing Works
to train, employ, and support
hundreds of formerly homeless
New Yorkers living with HIV/
AIDS,” said Andrew S. Greene,
Senior Vice President for Development and Marketing at Housing Works in Brooklyn. “With renewed investment from the AIDS
Employment Initiative, Housing
Works will continue to provide
job training and placement services for persons living with
HIV/AIDS and help those individuals enter or re-enter the
workforce.”
“CAMBA is excited to be part
of New York State’s HIV/AIDS
Employment Initiative,” said
Joanne M. Oplustil, President
and CEO of CAMBA. “In the 25
years since CAMBA began working with people with HIV/AIDS,
medicine has made great advances – our clients are now living longer, healthier lives.
This program will enable our
clients to take the next critical
step, enabling them to return to
the workforce and become independent and self-sufficient citizens.”
11
Gov. says $1M awarded to help low
income people with AIDS find work
12
Beacon On The Scene
Met Museum’s Multicultural group host
resplendent Evening of Many Cultures
By Audrey J. Bernard
Style & Society Editor
On Monday, September 23, 2013, The Board of Trustees and The Multicultural
Audience Development Initiative Advisory committee of The Metropolitan Museum
of Art hosted The Metropolitan Museum of Art third Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (MADI) black tie gala benefit, An Evening of Many Cultures,
honoring Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his lovely wife Cookie Johnson, Estrellita
B. Brodsky, Buffy Sainte-Marie and The Sau-Wing Lam Family for their broadranging efforts to further the sharing of art and culture in many diverse communities,
with proceeds benefitting programming for MADI.
Awestruck dinner guests entering the enchanted Great Hall were fascinated by
amazing performances from the Red Hawk Native American Arts Council Dancers;
a troupe of South East Asian dancers led by Nrityanjali Artistic Director Chandra
Banerjee; and Sylvia Jiaju Shen of the New York Chinese Cultural Center playing
the pipa on their way to The Charles Engelhard Court for cocktails followed by
viewing of The American Wing. There, they were greeted with an awesome musical
performance by Grammy Award-winning guitarist Nelson Gonzalez on the Cuban
tres guitar.
Then, a lavish dinner was served. As jazz flutist Sherry Winston provided perfect
dining music during dinner catered by Restaurant Associates at The Temple of Dendur
in The Sackler Wing, guests dined on Caramelized Chestnut, Spinach and Mushroom
Tart, Seasonal Field Greens with Truffle Oil; and Pan Seared Sea Bass with Celery Root
Puree, Brown Butter Sautéed Haricot Verts with Toasted Hazelnuts, Roasted Cauliflower. As they savored their meal, entertainment was provided by virtuoso violinist
Eric Silberger who played a rare J.B. Guadagnini violin on special loan from the SauWing Lam collection, followed by dessert in the Great Hall. Throughout the amazing
event guests were awed by the beauty of the décor designed by Remco van Vliet of
Van Vliet & Trap, Event Design.
“We are delighted to join our many ardent supporters in heralding the amazing
strides the Museum has made in sharing its vast global collections with so many
related cultures and communities, both near and far,” commented Donna Williams, the
MADI’s chief audience development officer. “We also acknowledge the important
contributions our honorees have made to the public through their efforts to spread
knowledge of many cultures.”
Broker to the rich, famous and well-connected, Spencer Means, served as benefit
chair; and Ebony magazine served as media sponsor. The annual event culminated
with a fabulous dance party from 8:30 to 11: 00 p.m. in the Museum’s iconic Great Hall
chaired by actress Rosie Perez with Estelle and Lion Babe serving as dance vice
chairs. Hot dance music was spun by DJ D-Nice who was selected by Obama for
America as the DJ at the Inaugural Ball for the President of the United States. (Photos
courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art and Rowena Husbands)
Daniel Brodsky, Emily K. Rafferty,
Estrellita Brodsky
Jean Lam, Eva Lerner-Lam
Buffy Saint-Marie
EJ Johnson, Elisa Johnson, Cookie Johnson, Earvin Johnson
Paul von Ravenstein, Cheryl Finley
Pat Cleveland
Linda Johnson Rice, Lola Sandy Tate, Diane Thompson
West, LaTanya Richardson
Jackson, Harriet Michel
Preeti Sundaram, Anita Gupta,
Usha Subrahmanyam, Tinku
Jain
Rosie Perez, Donna
Williams
Pat Cleveland, Audrey Smaltz,
Alva Chin
Sumio Kusaka,
Ikuko Kusaka
Zoe Dove Jackson, Spencer Means,
EJ Johnson
Andrew Praschak,
CM Mark-Viverito
Ido Aharoni
Sharon Robinson, Mrs. Spencer Means, Lion Babe Brianna Colette, David &
Jackie Robinson
Isabel Ushery
Audrey J.
Bernard
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Cookie and Earvin
Johnson, Donna Williams
Harlem 6th Annual
13
By Yusef Salaam
Contributing Scribe
Harlem 6th Annual Aesop
Family Fable Festival will take
place at the Hamilton Grange
Branch of the New York Public
Library, 503 W. 145th Street, in the
Village of Harlem, on Saturday,
October 26, at 12 noon.
The Festival is being coordinated by Blackgirl Ensemble
Theater and the IMANI Group:
Network for Children and Families.
The Festival serves two major purposes: to restore to our
cultural memory the legacy of
Aesop and the moral truths embodied in his stories, and to
motivate family members to interact with other in the home.
Aesop, or the Aethiope, is
the ancient Greek word for a
Black person of African descent.
Born mute and deformed more
than 500 years before Christ, legend has it that Aesop regained
his speech, but, also, his freedom from slavery after performing a great favor for one of the
priestesses of Isis.
“We need to know more
about this brother,” said Dr.
Esther Pierre Hyatt, founder of
the Network for Children and
Families, and coordinator of the
Festival. Guest performers at
past Festivals have included
Broadway actress Vinie Burrows,
currently appearing at The Public
Theater and Academy-Award
nominee Ruby Dee, nominated for
her role in the motion picture
American Gangster.
“I grew up on Aesop’s stories,” stated Ms. Dee, who performs a fable on the first Musical
Aesop CD produced by Bashiri
Johnson. “This project puts
Aesop’s life into perspective. It’s
wonderful and exciting. I’m delighted to be a part of it.”
All of the fables have been
processed from the prose into inter-active three-minute plays by
Drama Desk and The VIV
AUDELCO Award-winning playwright J. e Franklin, author of the
movie Black Girl, currently being
aired on Turner Classic Movies.
A panel of judges will select the
most innovative rendition of the
fables and award four cash prizes
totaling $1,100. First prize is $500,
Second Prize is $300, Third Prize
$200, Fourth Prize $100. Other
prizes include gift cards to Game
Stop, McDonald’s Happy Meals,
books and school supplies.
This year’s sponsors of the
Festival include the Christine
Burke Foundation, Malika Nzinga,
Terrell James, and Dr. Hazel Rollins.
The Festival is FREE and open to
the public. For festival guidelines
and other information, please call:
(212) 926-5974 or (917) 273-0451.
Academy Award nominee Ruby Dee
AESOP Family Fable Festival at Hamilton
Grange Branch of NYC Public Library
14
Black farmers finally collect in $1.2 billion discrimination case
(from Page 3)
not what it’s going to do,” said
John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association.
Boyd said, for an elderly Black
farmer over 65 years old, the
settlement would make the coming years a little more comfortable, pay some bills or help
grandkids with college tuition.
Boyd, who has advocated for
Black farmers for nearly 30 years,
added: “The settlement was never
designed to make us completely
whole. I don’t know if you can
put a dollar figure on that.”
Still, Boyd said the settlement
was a big victory for Black farmers
and a big victory for Black people.
Boyd said at times he wanted to
give up and that he heard “no” so
many times he began to think of
“nos” as “maybes.”
When Boyd wanted to give up,
he remembered the pain and suffering carved into the faces of
Black farmers that he met and tried
to over the years. Many of them
had worse stories than his own
encounter with a county supervisor that they said spit on him after
denying him a loan.
“That’s what kept me going it
was the faces, it was the stories, it
was the pain and suffering it was
all the land that was lost,” said
Boyd.
According to the USDA, Black
farm ownership peaked in 1920 at
925,710. By 1982, the number of
Black-owned farms had plummeted to 33,250. A 1998 USDA report found that, “The decline of
the African American farmer has
taken place at a rate that is three
times that of white farmers.”
Since 1920, nearly 12 million
acres has slipped from the hands
of Black farmers.
The United States Commission
on Civil Rights found that the
Farmers Home Admistration, “may
have hindered the efforts of black
Federal lawsuit seeks why Bklyn
woman died in police custody
(from Page 3)
ing help. I want the names of the
officers involved. They are pretending that Kyam died at Brooklyn Hospital but she died at 120
Schermerhorn Street. Justice must
be done. Changes must be made.
I want answers today. I am tired
of waiting to find out who killed
my daughter.”
Kyam’s family seemed to be carrying this burden alone, the public outcry is somehow muffled.
But when Christopher Lundy,
aide to Congressman Hakeem
Jeffries heard Kyam’s mother describe her ongoing ordeal at Al
Sharpton’s National Network
(NAN), he brought her plight to
her congressman who decided to
support the family in there search
for information in finding the
truth.
Congressman Jeffries said that
he was saddened by the unnecessary death of Kyam Livingston
and “I want to make sure that we
get to the bottom of this travesty.
This lawsuit is to vindicate the
civil rights and constitutional
rights of Kyam who died in po-
lice custody that night in such an
inhumane condition.”
He said, “Officers callously conducted themselves that day and
we want to know three things:
Why were Kyam and every other
inmate in police custody that night
subjected to such inhumane conditions? Why were the cries and
pleas for help for six to seven hours
ignored by individuals who so callously conducted themselves that
day? And, Why was Kyam allowed
to die in police custody?”
He reminded the supporters that
a court in Manhattan has appointed a Federal monitor to oversee NYPD and he will be meeting
with him to find answers to these
questions and see what steps can
be taken to march towards justice
for Kyam.
Councilman Jumaane Williams
thought that there was “too much
silence around this case, and it is
appalling that someone asking for
help while in police custody would
have their pleas ignored time and
time again. An arrest has nothing
to do with guilt. She was waiting
to be arranged but she was allowed
to languish and perish”.
Family lawyers Elliot Taub and
Jay Schwitzman, president of
Kings County Criminal Bar Association, were both outraged and
emphasized the danger of persons
hurdled into cell at Central Booking, who, if they speak out are told
to shut up or their paper work will
be lost.
They believe that Kyam was
sentenced to death by the NYPD
and are seeking to see the video
tape. A minor arrest did not require
death. The booking system is antiquated, like a medieval dungeon
and the public and law makers
need to address what happens in
Central Booking.
The arrest of Kyam Livingston
is considered one of simple custodial care and the NYPD, instead
of being honest is attempting to
cover up what happened in Central Booking one night in July.
Police insensitivity caused this 37year-old mother to die after being
denied medical attention and so
the family and supporters moved
on to a second rally at Central
Booking where it all began.
small farm operators to remain a
viable force in agriculture” and
that the USDA and FHA failed to
“provide equal opportunities in
farm credit programs.”
Critics have charged that the
Pigford settlement and claim process is rife with fraud, and that
some who alleged discrimination
never attempted to farm or receive
loan assistance from the USDA.
But Boyd said that those allegations are an insult to Black farmers.
“We made the South what it is,
we made this country what it is.
We made cotton king,” said Boyd.
“…If that Black farmer or Black
land owner felt that they were discriminated against by the government, they deserved a right to go
through that process. I didn’t say
everybody deserved a check. I
never said that.”
Gary Grant, head of the Black
Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, said that from 19811996. Black farmers in North Carolina lost nearly 300,000 acres totaling $1.2 billion in lost assets in
North Carolina alone.
“Fifty thousand dollars to a
farmer is not a lot of money,” said
Grant.
Farmers didn’t get their land
back, they didn’t get their equipment back they didn’t get their
homes back, and Grant said, that
tax-burdens often put Black farmers in worst shape than they were
in before the settlement.
In a press statement on the
Pigford II settlement payments,
Congressional Black Caucus Chair
Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) said: “The
Pigford I and II class action lawsuits attempted to address a history of discrimination by the Department of Agriculture. Between
1983 and 1997, thousands of African American famers were denied
loans solely because of their race.
These discriminatory practices resulted in severe economic conse-
Jets end losing streak
(from Page 24)
Cory Booker wins New Jersey Senate seat
(from Page 3)
essential,’’ and as a way to stop
the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Michael Diehl, 47, a computer
technician who voted for
Lonegan, said he also favored the
shutdown “If that’s what it takes
to get them to stop spending
down in Washington,’’ He patted
his shirt pocket. “I’ve got a mortgage (payment) check in my
pocket right now,’’ he said. “I’ve
got to make that money, I can’t
keep putting it on a credit card.
I’ve got to pay my bills.’’
The shutdown “hurts my
heart,’’ said Glenda Hadnott, 60,
a partner in an accounting consulting firm. “How do you let this
great country all of a sudden have
no money to pay Social Security
or the military because you’re
playing some game?” she asked.
Hadnott voted for Booker because “I do not want to see another Republican in there. I don’t
feel the Republicans care about
the middle class and poor.’’
“Besides, I love Cory Booker,’’
she added. “It’s not because of his
color,’’ but because he is an “open
personality,’’ said Hadnott, who is
African-American. “Cory will go
out on the street and Cory will talk
to anybody, and he won’t put himself on a pedestal.’’
Booker entered the race a heavy
favorite: New Jersey has not
elected a Republican to the Senate
since 1972. With a big fundraising
advantage, he largely ignored
Lonegan until the final two weeks,
when opinion polls showed the
race tightening to low double-digits. Then Booker began returning
Lonegan’s fire, calling the Republican an “extremist’’ and pointing
out Lonegan’s opposition to abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
Long considered a rising Democratic star, Booker was able to call
on President Obama, who carried
New Jersey by nearly 17 percentage points last year, to make a lastminute video on his behalf.
Lonegan mocked Booker as “a
tweeter, not a leader.’’ Booker’s
fondness for Twitter – where he
has 1.4 million followers — held
through Election Day, when he
tweeted at least 50 times, compared with about a dozen by
Lonegan.
“I worry that he’s too much
hype and not enough substance,’’
said Katie Norris, 47, a copy editor. A Democrat, she voted for
Booker regardless. “Compared
with Lonegan – I was not a fan,’’
she said.
But Denise Eberly, 38, a theater
technician, said Booker is simply
communicating in a way that’s important for an elected official.
Booker’s high social media profile
is to his credit. “There’s something to be said about being able
to reach people and use the media
that’s available.’’
When Booker replaces Sen. Jeff
Chiesa, a Republican appointed
by Christie to fill the seat vacated
by Lautenberg, Senate Democrats
gain an additional vote. That will
widen their majority to 55, including two independents who generally vote Democratic, to 45 Republicans.
quences for farmers, often preventing them from maintaining and keeping their farms.”
Fudge continued: “Nearly 14
years after the first Pigford case was
filed, I am pleased this chapter of
discrimination in the history of the
Department of Agriculture is closed
and bureaucracy will no longer keep
these farmers from receiving their
due justice.”
Some argue, however that the
chapter is still open and Black farmers face extinction if they don’t continue to fight.
Even as the settlement checks go
out, the future of Black farming looks
grim. Black farmers are counting on
a youth infusion to revitalize industry.
“Nothing has changed at the
USDA, despite the settlement,” said
Grant, who still doesn’t trust the
USDA. “We can’t leave it alone.”
Grant added: “This country has
destroyed a way of life (family farming and that doesn’t matter if you’re
Black or White) and devastated
Black communities by the destruction of the agricultural plain, which
was the economic engine in rural
society.”
Grant acknowledged that sharecropping memories still haunt
southern Blacks, because it was
such a painful part of our history.
But he maintains that Black farmers
sent their children off to college and
forgot to teach them about the
power of land ownership. That was
a mistake.
Boyd said that the Black community needs to improve awareness of
the value of land ownership.
“A landless culture is a powerless
culture. If you don’t have any land
you don’t have any power in this
country,” said Boyd.
Boyd added: “If you can buy a
new Cadillac or a new Mercedes
Benz you can also afford five acres
in the country. Whatever you need
to do in this [nation], if you have
land, you can get it done.”
especially in the third period,”
he said. “This time we finished
the job.”
Smith meanwhile, calmed
down moving the Jets down to
the Pats 8 yard line with a combination of runs and a 27 yard
completion to David Nelson that
gets them to the Pats 20. Five
plays later, Smith scrambled
right, broke Marquice Cole’s
ankles and dives into the end
zone giving them a 24-21 lead.
Nick Folks extended the lead
(27-21) after his 37 yard field
goal. Brady looked to mount
another comeback against a
Ryan sibling for the second
week in a row. He came close but
the Jets defense held the Patriots to field goals of 39 and 44
yards courtesy of Stephen
Gostkowski, the last setting up
a bizarre overtime finish.
New England won the overtime coin toss and the Jets
forced Brady into 3 straight incomplete passes. New York
would start their game winning
drive on their own 20 yard line.
Smith got them down to New
England’s 38 setting up a long
Folk 56 yard field goal attempt.
The kick was not even close but
an obscure penalty was called on
the Pats defensive tackle Chris
Jones for pushing his teammate
into the Jets offensive line. 15
yards and 4 plays later, Folks hits
the game winning 42 yard field
goal. “That’s what I’m talking
about,” said a beaming Ryan afterwards.
For the second time this season, the New York Jets win a game
because of a crucial mistake at the
wrong time by their opponent.
Smith rebounded from the early
pick six to finish 17-33, 233 yards
and the defense made the second
half adjustment that frustrated
Brady. At 4-3, the Jets do feel very
good about themselves, regardless of how they won the game.
“Big victory,” said Ryan.
“Keeps us alive. Got a lot of work
to do. We have to improve at the
same time it’s a great to get a win
especially against New England.
We’re not where we want to be.
We’re not even close. We’re
gonna keep making strides, keep
making strides and who knows
what happens at the end of the
day.”
The end of the day had them in
the win column. No matter how
they got there.
Renowned artist Hale Woodruff kicks
off GNY Links Inc. 6 decades of service
By Audrey J. Bernard
Style & Society Editor
On Monday, October 7,
2013,150 invitational only guests
were in a laudatory mood as the
Greater New York Chapter, The
Links Incorporated (GNY) celebrated sixty-five years of exemplary commitment to enriching,
sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of
African Americans and persons
of African descent at a special
reception and preview of the acclaimed exhibition, Rising Up:
Hale Woodruff ’s Murals at
Talladega College at New York
University’s (NYU) Silver Center, followed by a preview of the
exhibition at 80 WSE Gallery at
NYU Steinhardt. The event was
co-hosted by NYU-Poly School
of Engineering. Rising Up: Hale
Woodruff ’s Murals at Talladega
College was organized by
Atlanta’s High Museum of Art
in collaboration with Talladega
College, Talladega, Alabama.
“Greater New York Chapter,
The Links Incorporated is proud
to have hosted
this landmark event in partnership with New York University
as our chapter embarks on 65
years of service to the community,” commented GNY President Gerri Warren-Merrick.
“Hale Woodruff’s interpretation
of the Black experience in
America is truly profound. We
commend NYU and the Faculty
Resource Network for bringing
this important body of work to
New York,” added WarrenMerrick.
“NYU and NYU-Poly are especially delighted to collaborate
on this important event with the
Links organization. This event
exemplifies our commitment to
diversity and supporting our tradition of renaissance thinking -that is the intersection of fine arts
and sciences,” effused Anita
Farrington, NYU-Poly School of
Engineering.
Organized by the arts facet of
GNY, the exhibition is comprised
of six, large-scale paintings that
have never before been seen in
New York, offering viewers an
unprecedented opportunity to
bear witness to the artistic
legacy of artist Woodruff —
known for his spectacular murals, prints and paintings that
delve into seminal aspects of
African American history. The
works trace the history of African Americans from the Middle
Passage, highlighting the 1839
uprising aboard the Amistad
Link Gerri Warren-Merrick, Erika Brantley Municipal Credit Union,
Link Rhonda Joy McLean
slave ship, abolitionism and the
Underground Railroad and the
founding of Talladega College by
former slaves in Alabama shortly
after the Civil War.
“Our approach has been to develop strategic partnerships with
New York City’s cultur al institutions so that we can continue
to provide exposure, education,
and opportunities for our conLink Gerri Warren-Merrick, Link Lybra Clemons, Scholarship Restituents. This exhibition and
cipient Chamiere Greenaway, Link Rhonda Joy McLean
education tour of ‘Rising Up’ is
another opportunity for the GNY
arts facet to advance our mission,” concluded WarrenMerrick.
Event highlights included
opening remarks by Dean Anita
Farrington, an overview on the
Links, Incorporated and its his- Rising Up Artist Hale Woodruff
tory of social service by GNY
President Warren-Merrick and a
special presentation on the exhibition by Faculty Resource Network Art Consultant, Deborah
Vanderburg Spencer.
The event attracted many esteemed guests including U.S.
Congressman Charlie Rangel, Essence magazine former editor Susan L. Taylor, National Urban
League President Marc Morial, as
well as corporate sponsors who
help the Links advance its misLinks Michelle Donaldson, Charlita Caldwell, Shaunna Jones, Helen
sion of service across several platShelton and Aisha Christian
forms, and representatives from
AARP, BET, Colgate-Palmolive,
GE and Jet Blue, among others.
Also in attendance were many
members of the Greater New York
Community, including organizational partners as well as those
who benefit from the services
provided by GNY.
Established in 1946, The Links,
Incorporated, is one of the
nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of
Links Michelle Stent and Anna Ponder with Dr.
women. Greater New York ChapHenry Ponder, former President of Talladega Colter, founded in 1949, was the first
lege
chapter in New York and comprises members from all five boroughs in New York City and from
Long Island. Under the leadership of President Gerri WarrenMerrick, Greater New York Chapter is committed to fostering community outreach in the New York
metropolitan area through quality programs with a long-term impact on the well-being and enrichment of African Americans. For
more information log on to
Greater New York Chapter’s Web
site at www.greaternylinksinc.org.
Hale Woodruff Rising Up images
Rising Up-Hale Woodruff's Mutiny on the Amistad
(Photos by Anthony Lee)
15
AUDREY'S
SOCIETY
WHIRL
Slave to slavery comparisons
16
(from Page 7)
paid. Health care, however
flawed, is worse than slavery, but
slaves had no health care, especially after they failed to produce
for massa. A hardship here, a
problem there, is worse than slavery. Memo to those who lack
historical consciousness – no it
isn’t!
Slavery means having no control over your destiny. Slavery is
about conforming or risking life
and limb. Slavery is about the evisceration of families, about the lives
and loves shattered for the profit
of those who failed to value Black
people as equal, as human. Slavery is not about a law you don’t
like, not about a wage you don’t
like. Anyone who lives and
breathes air in these United States
today will never know the brutality of a century and a half ago.
I will acknowledge Dr. Ben
Carson as an amazing surgeon.
That is, after all, is reputation.
Somebody put a mike up to his
mouth though, so he decided to
USW: GOP shutdown a waste of time, money
(from Page 4)
left hundreds of thousands of
working Americans wondering
how they would pay their bills,
and left millions of others to wonder whether their government
would be there when they needed
it. The American people deserve
better.
“Our leaders must remember
that elections have consequences. American voters spoke
at the ballot box in November,
decisively sending President
Barack Obama back to the White
House. For a small minority of
elected officials to attempt to nullify the results of that election by
holding the entire government and
the world economy hostage is not
only irresponsible, it is reprehensible.
“When we return to the voting
booth next year to elect a new Congress, we must not forget the actions we have seen in recent weeks,
nor the harm that these representatives have inflicted upon this
country in their shortsighted, selfish efforts to impose their extreme
ideology on all of us.”
The USW represents 850,000
members in the United States,
Canada and the Caribbean. It is the
largest private-sector union in
North America, representing workers in a range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper
and forestry, oil refining, health
care, security, hotels, and municipal governments and agencies.
Caribbean Community revitalize demand for reparations
(from Page 10)
tions. There were 4 or 5 principles and I can assure you that
all of the reparations activists
and those who were not activist became active overnight.”
“I come from Canada, and
Canada likes to pride itself [and
has done so successfully] because of one thing; the fact that
it played a part on the Underground Railroad. When African
Americans from this country
went up to Canada seeking their
freedom. Canada has maximized
that for what it’s worth, at every single opportunity. In fact,
not only are they historical revisionists, but what they have
done before the US walked out
of WCAR, they used the Underground Railroad to remind
the world how good they were
because they had given the Africans freedom. Caribbean and
some African countries were
very sympathetic to Canada.
But we have to be vigilant; remember [Haiti] President
Aristide, what the US, France,
and Canada did to use all the
resources at their disposal to
unseat Aristide.”
“Reparations activists have
to come together like we did in
Durban. This is not just about
CARICOM. It is about African
people all over the world. We can
defeat the US and the west just
like we did in Durban,” he said.
Roger Wareham, Esq., opened
with the summation, “The demand
for reparations – one war, one enemy, many fronts.’ Amilar Cabral
said “Culture is a weapon.” It’s a
weapon that can be used for you
or against you. As Peter Tosh
sang, “No matter where you are,
if you are a Black man, you are an
African.” They dropped us off in
many places and we have different languages, but we are all African people.
In order to make this reparations struggle successful we
have to understand that. We will
win. One enemy, many fronts.
CARICOM has taken the point
and it must energize us here.
He said, “In the UN Western
Europe and Others Group
[WEOG] including the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and Israel- with no geographical connection, have all
politically united against us.
They never wanted a WCAR and
tried every step of the way, to
dilute it and water it down. To this
day they continue to fight
against the Durban Declaration
and Programme of Action.
We are united because all of
us are descendants of victims of
the slave trade, slavery and colonialism. There is not one African that can say that they are
outside of that province. They
owe us. Reparations is the key
issue for Africans in the 21st century. It touches on every aspect
of our lives [health, education,
culture, politics].
As Walter Rodney said they
underdeveloped us. It was a conscious decision by the west to
develop their own nations
through the trans atlantic slave
trade, slavery, and colonialism.”
Wareham reminded everyone
about the first National Reparations Rally in Washington DC in
2002, the reparations lawsuits
against US corporations including Aetna, Fleet Bank and Union
Pacific, and the
Tulsa [Black Wall Street] descendants. “The law is always
political. They change the rules,
and we have to circumvent the
false issue of US sovereign immunity. We must mobilize our
people here into our own regional
reparations committees.
“No matter where you are, if
you are a Black man/woman you
are due reparations. They stole
us, they sold us, they owe us.”
Wareham concluded.
Travel companies join the Botswana
boycott despite government whitewash
(from Page 8)
Ramsay praised Botswana’s ‘uninterrupted record of upholding
the principles of democracy,
good governance and the rule of
law for all citizens’.
But the Botswana government
has repeatedly acted unlawfully
and unconstitutionally in its
treatment of the Bushmen. Despite losing two court cases
which confirmed the Bushmen’s
right to live and hunt in the CKGR,
it continues to persecute Bushmen
for hunting – an activity essential
for the tribe’s survival – and prevents hundreds of Bushmen from
freely accessing the CKGR by forcing them to apply for permits.
In his letter, Jeff Ramsay further
attacked Survival’s use of the term
‘Bushmen’. However, the
government’s official tourism
website also uses the term under
an image promoting visits to the
Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Stephen Corry said today
’Ramsay’s letter is a real own goal
– here we have absolute proof that
the president’s spokesman is fabricating information for tour operators.
It’s an absolute scandal that the
government uses the Bushmen’s
‘exotic’ culture to promote tourism,
at the same time as it is actively
pursuing a vicious campaign to
wipe them out.’
step off medicine and into politics. If he is into slavery, he needs
to go back to his own plantation.
You have choices, Dr. Carson, and
slaves did not. We may agree or
disagree about the Affordable
Health Care Act, but we will never
agree that the Affordable Care Act
is worse than slavery. If you
don’t know anything about slavery, pick up a book. In 1831, picking up a book in more than 15
states was illegal. And so was a
Black person voting. Only after you
feel the lash of slavery, directly or
indirectly, can you speak to this. You
are generating headlines but not
good sense with your misplaced slavery comparisons.
Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and
writer. She is President Emerita of
Bennett College for Women in
Greensboro, N.C.
Public and public officials
(from Page 6)
least; our families are at the highest risk from do-nothing politicians; and we are the ones most
affected by cuts, layoffs, pension
fund reductions, and all the other
negative aspects of political control. Don’t you want local and
national politicians who are competent, solution-oriented, and
have the “audacity” to buck the
status quo to get things done?
Ultimately, despite politics as
usual, our caveat is clear: We
must “seek for ourselves,” as Richard Allen told Black folks back in
the 1700s. As someone said, “A
government big enough to give you
everything you need is a government big enough to take everything
you have.”
Wake up! Vote intelligently.
Jim Clingman, founder of the
Greater Cincinnati African American
Chamber of Commerce, is the
nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black
people. He is an adjunct professor
at the University of Cincinnati.
Obama’s showdown with
‘Teapublicans’ is just beginning
(from Page 6)
President Obama feel that the nation will be stuck with a “Republican budget”?
Second, Obama correctly noted
that Democrats have not asked
for anything to reopen the government or raise the debt ceiling.
And, as Congressman Gregory W.
Meeks of New York observed, that
is the problem.
Meeks told Politico, “At no
point have we said what our demands are. All you’ve heard was
what their demands are. Maybe
we should put down what our demands are of what we need and
what we want because there’s
things that are important and dear
to us also, and then the negotiations start from there.”
The tragedy is that Democrats
usually won’t stand firm even
when public opinion is on their
side. The Pew Research Center
for the People & the Press conducted a survey in March asking:
What is more important, taking
steps to reduce the national debt
or keeping Social Security and
Medicare benefits as they are?
According to Pew, 55 percent
favored keeping Social Security
and Medicare benefits as they
are 34 percent preferred taking
steps to reduce the national debt,
and 11 percent said both are equally
important.
Yet, Obama is willing to make concessions on Social Security and
Medicare.
With no demands on the table, it’s
impossible to know what, if anything, is important to the Democratic
Party anymore. That’s not the case
with the Teapublicans. Love or hate
them, they have clearly and forcefully stated they want to privatize
Social Security, turn Medicare into
a voucher system, and want deep
cuts in social programs. They have
not only articulated their priorities,
they have demonstrated with the
shutdown how far they are willing
to go to fight for their misguided
beliefs.
What are Democrats willing to
fight to the end for? If you find out,
please let me know.
George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News
Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote
speaker, moderator, and media
coach. Curry can be reached
through
his
Web
site,
www.georgecurry.com. You can
also follow him at www.twitter.com/
currygeorge and George E. Curry
Fan Page on Facebook.
Natural gas utilities
are ready for winter
(from Page 11)
constitute the majority of natural
gas customers. The Commission
regulates natural gas delivery
rates and not the price of natural
gas itself, often referred to as the
commodity price. Natural gas
prices are determined by national
markets, not the Commission or
New York utilities. For informa-
tion on how to lower energy costs
this winter, call the Commission’s information line at 1-888-Ask-PSC1 (1888-275-7721), or visit the
Commission’s Web site at
www.AskPSC.com.
If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press
release.
By Victoria Horsford
THE USA: THE NATIONAL
HEALTH
The U.S. has temporarily
weathered the budget and debt
ceiling storms. It is hard to imagine another government shutdown because a small group of
Republicans are mad as hell
about the Black President of the
USA and his progressive
agenda. Until the recent government crisis, the pundits, to a
man, argued that there was no
way that the GOP could lose its
majority in the House of Representatives owing to their clever
gerrymandering engineered by
state houses across the nation,
in 2014. Those forecasts have
changed since the government
shutdown according to liberal
pollsters, who now say that the
Dems can take back the house
next year. They will do so because of Americans’ anger with
Congressional Republicans’ intransigence and putting their
extreme ideological interests
above all else, like the popular
will. The 16-day national government shutdown, at a cost/
loss of $24 billion seems to be
working in favor of Democratic
candidates this year, in local elections.
President Barack Obama
nominates Jeh Johnson, as new
head of Homeland Security. A
Morehouse man and a Columbia University Law School grad,
Johnson was US Department of
Defense general counsel. Nomination requires Senate confirmation.
NY: Local polls show that
Democratic NYC mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio enjoys a wife
lead of 68% over his Republican
opponent Joe Lhota.
NJ: Newark mayoral Cory
Booker is officially US Senator
elect. BOOKER victory.
Virginia: The gubernatorial
race between Democrat Terry
McAuliffe and GOP Ken
Cuccinelli shows McAuliffe
with a 46% over his opponent
who is polling 38%.
SCHOOL DAYS, SCHOLARS
More than 20 City University of NY scholars won National
Science Foundation Awards of
$126,000 each, including seven
Black students: Jasmine
Hatcher, Lukman Solola, Julius
Edson, Aaron Dolor, Dane
Christie, Jamar Whaley and
Vadricka Etienne.
The Wall Street Journal
piece, “School Loan Curb Leave
Black Schools in Peril,” looks at
the state of affairs of the historically Black Colleges and Universities and the conclusion is not
sanguine. Johnny C. Taylor
Thurgood Marshall College
Fund says that “20% to 30% of
HBCUs cannot survive another
decade. The reason for the dire
forecasts are numerous. African
Americans were hardest hit by
the effects of the recession. Only
4 out of 105 HBCUs have had
capital campaigns north of $100
million. The US Department of
Education’s 2010 decision to
tighten eligibility requirements
for its PLUS Loans, a program
used by many parents to pay
their children’s college tuition,
has severely impacted Black
Americans. Enrollment at HBCUs
dropped dramatically as a result
of the revised DOE Plus Loans
eligibility. Roy Paul writes about
college education for Black
America in his Black Enterprise
essay, “CHANCES ARE, YOU
WON’T BE ABLE TO AFFORD
COLLEGE: The high cost of
higher education might stop
some from achieving their
dreams.”
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Three Black women made the
2013 Fortune Magazine TOP 50
MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN
BUSINESS List. They are Ursula
Burns, Xerox CEO/Chairman,
#13; Rosalind Brewer, Wal-Mart
Stores, #15; and Shonda Rimes,
creator of ABC-TV megahits
Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy,
#50.
Scorpio is the eighth sign of the
zodiac, fixed water. Birthday
shoutouts to celebrity Scorpions, NY and beyond Hillary
Clinton, Sean (Puff Daddy)
Combs, Miley Cyrus; Ruby Dee;
DRAKE; Joy Elliott; Bill Gates;
Whoopi Goldberg; Maurice Grey
Ken Griffey, Jr; Vy Higginsen;
Ryan Howard; NELLY; Stanley
McIntosh; Tracy Morgan; Dr.
Condoleeza Rice; SINBAD; Willow Smith; Sammy Sosa; Robin
Bell-Stevens; Rosetta Torrence;
Gloria Torruello; Gabrielle Union;
Dr. Joy Wellington; Alfre
Woodard; Anita Grays Webster;
Kim Weston Moran;
RIP: Jazz vocalist extraordinaire
Gloria Lynn, 83, died last week in
NJ. A jazz legend with a career
which spanned from 1958 yo
2007. Her signature album I
WISH YOU LOVE, is a standout
to three generations of music aficionados.
RIP: Major Owens, 77, a Brooklyn politician who spent 24 years
in the US Congress, died.
Dr. Condoleeza Rice
Harold Doley
Major Owens
Gabrielle Union
Melba Wilson
AUTUMN FUNDRAISERS
The Sylvia and Herbert Wood
Scholarship Fund hosts its 12th
Annual Scholarship Gala on October 25 at 6 pm, at the South Hall
Room, housed at The Riverside
Church, located at 490 Riverside
Drive, between 120/122 Streets,
Harlem. Joi Gordon, CEO of Dress
For Success Worldwide and
Melba Wilson, owner of Melba’s
Restaurant are Gala honorees.
Proceeds from the Dinner Dance
Gala will benefit the Sylvia and
Herbert Woods Scholarship
Fund, a 501©3 organization. Tickets start at $225, portions of which
are tax deductible. For more info,
call 212.009.0660X707 or visit
sylviasrestaurant.com
The Think Outside the Cell
Foundation, Bronx Clergy Criminal
Justice Roundtable and partners
convene The NYC Prison to Prosperity Fair and Business Competition for Formerly Incarcerated Entrepreneurs, on Saturday, October
26 , from 8 am to 5:30 pm at Lehman
College, Bronx, NY. Harold Doley,
investment banker/founder of
Doley Securities; Ed Lewis, Sr. Advisor to Solera Capital and former
Essence Communications CEO;
Loida Lewis, former Chair of TLC
Beatrice International food company; Genevieve Michel-Bryan,
Black Enterprise VP and Director
Broadcast; and Jonathan Richter,
Managing Director, RREEF America
LLC, a Deutsche Asset Management subsidiary are among the
speakers and business pitch judges
at the daylong event, which includes cash prizes to help “former
incarcerated entrepreneurs take
their business ideas to the next
level.” For more info and to register
for the free event, call 718.231.1033
or visit:
www.thinkoutsidethecell.org.
Celebrating Antigua and
Barbuda’s 32 nd Anniversary Of Independence: Thanksgiving Services: The two big NY based events
are the Thanksgiving service on
October 27 at North Bronx Seventh
Day Adventist Church 3743
Bronxwood Avenue, Bronx, NY and
the 32nd Anniversary Of Independence Celebration and Ball on 11/
16 at the Surf Club, 280 Davenport
Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10805 at
8 pm. Tickets are $150. Thanksgiving Services are also planned in
Philadelphia at the W. Philadelphia
Seventh Day Adventist Church, in
Pennsylvania on 11/3 and at the
Parkway United Methodist Church,
in Milton, Massachusetts, on 11/10.
Moreover the Wadadli Cultural Association hosts an 11/2 Independence Banquet at Lombardi’s Function Hall in Randolph, Massachusetts on November 2 at 8 PM. For
more info, call 646 215 6045.
The Brooklyn Chapter of The
Links, Incorporated host its 60th Anniversary Dinner Dance on Sunday,
October 27 at Terrace on the Park,
Flushing Meadow Park, Flushing,
NY for the Benefit of Salute to Youth
Inc. on Sunday, October 27, from 12
noon to 5 pm. Music by Warren
Daniels Band. Contribution is $135.
Visit www.brooklynlinks.org.
HALLOWEEN 2013: Halloween
Costume Masquerade Party in
honor of City Councilwoman Inez
Dickens, Assistant Deputy Majority Leader, on October 30, 7-10 pm
at Sylvia’s Also, located at 328
Lenox Avenue. Admission is $40.
Refreshments served and there will
be a cash bar. Costumes and masks
are prerequisites to qualify for best
costume prize. RSVP to Darren
Riggs 212.531.2858.
A NY based management consultant, Victoria Horsford is also a
journalist and pop culture historian who can be contacted at:
victoriahorsford@yahoo.com
WHAT’S GOING ON
17
18
NNPA Award Winner
Enter tainment
By Don Thomas
Remembering
‘Gloria Lynne, I’m glad there was you’
The Legendary Ms Gloria Lynne
By Deardra Shuler
Contributing Scribe
When I was a little girl my
mother often sang the song, “I
Wish You Love,” a hit that would
become singer Gloria Lynne’s signature song. This song had special meaning for my mother and
knowing how important the song
was to her, it became important to
me. I never thought when I became an adult I would meet and
eventually befriend Gloria Lynne,
but that is the way it turned out.
Age can be taxing, and at 83
years old, Gloria Lynne’s body
began to fail, even though her
mind and spirit remained indomitable. Gloria fell ill. She was on
the road to recovery when she was
forced to return to Columbus Hospital, where Gloria Lynne, the great
Jazz, Blues, Soul and R&B vocalist
and legend, succumbed to a heart
attack on Tuesday, October 15th at
11pm in Newark, New Jersey.
Gloria’s funeral is to be held on
Monday, October 28th at her favorite Church in the Village of Harlem,
Abyssinian Baptist, located at 132
Odell Park Place, (138th Street between Adam Clayton Powell and
Malcolm X Blvds) . Church doors
open at 12 noon and service starts
at 1pm.
Over the years, I followed Gloria
Lynne’s career, attending a few
concerts, chatting on the phone
and falling in love with the woman
and her voice. What struck me
about the glorious Miss Gloria
was her strength, her charm and
her ability to meet adversity with
faith and each triumph with grace.
Her talent was God given and
Gloria knew it. Gloria worked her
entire life, having last appeared
at the “54 Below club” in August.
During her career, Ms. Lynne
made nearly 400 recordings. She
worked with the likes of Ella
Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Harry
Belafonte, Johnny Mathis,
Quincy
Jones,
Stanley
Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, the
Delltones, Bobby Timmons, and
Billy Eckstine, etc. She recorded
songs like “The Jazz In You,”
“The Folks Who Live On the Hill,”
“I Am Glad There’s You,” “Joey
Joey Joey,” “June Nights,” and
of course her signature song, “I
Wish You Love.” King Curtis
wrote the blues song “Soul Serenade” just for Gloria’s voice and
the song became a hit.
Gloria Lynne was a songwriter
herself. She worked on “Watermelon Man” with Herbie
Hancock, “All Day Long,” with
Kenny Burrell and “Lend Me Yesterday,” with her friend and lyricist, Ann Rubino. She also sang
the soundtrack for the movies
“U-turn” and “Seven.”
Gloria Lynne was born Gloria
Wilson in Harlem. She had 3 siblings. Her mother and father separated when Gloria was 3 years old.
When she was 15, she won an
Amateur Night contest at the
Apollo Theatre by singing “Don’t
Take Your Love From Me.” She
recorded her first album to earn
tuition for medical school.
It was never her intention to
have a musical career, but once
the recording hit, her musical career was launched. She got into
the record industry by doing
demos for singers such as Dinah
Washington and Sarah Vaughn.
This enabled Gloria to get a re-
Noted syndicated journalist and talk show host Deardra Shuler (left)
greets the incomparable Gloria Lynne following one of her many soldout
performances.
cording contract with Everest. She
was with Everest for 7 years.
In the earlier days of her career,
Lynne sang with an all girl group
called the Delltones, later singing
with the Enchanters. She performed
with Harry Belafonte’s Strolling 20s
TV special where she was in the
company of artists like Sammy
Davis, Jr., Nipsey Russell, Duke
Ellington and Diahann Carroll.
So many artists of that era talk
about the exploitation of artists by
the record companies. Gloria was
no exception. Most of her life,
Gloria had trouble collecting royalties due her. In fact, as big as her
hit I Wish You Love became, Gloria
was never paid a dime. To make
ends meet when living in Califor-
nia, she secretly worked at Bank of
America, while keeping her recording career and night club appearances going.
Gloria married Harry Alleyne and
from that union produced her sole
heir and son, Richard P.J. Alleyne.
She is survived by him.
An eclectic singer, Gloria Lynne
had many fans from around the
world enabling her to pack the
house during most of her live performances. I will miss Gloria. She
was a positive person in my life.
Gloria Lynne loved her fans and I
know that on whatever other
worldly plane her soul may now exist, she would say to us all, “I Wish
You Love.” We wish you love too,
Gloria.
(L-R) COO Vallerie Wagner, actors Rocky Carroll and Anna Maria Horsford, Charles Wright leader of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band and Dr. Jay Gladstein at an
AIDS Project Los Angeles reception held at their newly opened offices in California
PEOPLE, PLACES, POLITICS & PARTIES compiled by Audrey J. Bernard
Briana Colette
“More than just a singer, this Cajun Queen is looking to make
her musical mark in this new era of emerging artists. Stay
tuned!” - Brianna Colette’s manager Rowena Husbands
Ever wondered what a
modern day Billie Holiday
would sound like? Well she’s
the Industry’s newest rising
star Brianna Colette; while
s h e c i t e s B i l l i e H o l i d a y,
Sade, Lauryn Hill and Shirley
Bassey as some of her musical influences, Brianna definitely has her own unique
style which is an eclectic mix
of jazz, soul and pop. Often
described as a jazzy pop
singer, her voice is soulful
and melodic, and her lyrics
a r e c a t c h y, i n t e n s e a n d
thought provoking.
Listening to her music, her
mission is simple...to transport the audience to a place
they’ve never been. This
Cajun beauty was born and
raised in Nashville, Tennessee and later in Northern Virginia. While on her rise this
singer/songwriter/actress
has been featured as a new
character in the new Grand
Theft Auto (GTA 5) video
game, national commercials
and print ads, for Kit Kat,
Diet Pepsi, McDonald’s and
Dark & Lovely’s newest Color
Intense Spicy Red Campaign,
and is the voice in the Dark
& Lovely Au Naturale Commercial. This 5’9" beauty has
also walked the fashion runway as French designer Ellie
Kuame’s Muse & the Reality
to Runway show at NYFW.
Headlining her successful
three week New Stars Of
America “Body and Soul
Tour” in Russia, Brianna was
hand-picked to perform with
Ray Chew for A Tribute to
Stevie Wonder on the WBLS
Main Stage along with
Michelle Williams (Destiny’s
C h i l d ) a n d T G T ( Ta n k ,
Ginuwine, & Tyrese).
Brianna has performed at
some of New York’s premium
venues like B.B. King Blues
Club & Grill, Toshi’s Living
Room, S.O.B’s, DROM, The
Village Underground and
Casa Mezcal. She has been
Tina Wynn and Toni Brown
Fate best describes the partnership
of Toni Brown & Tina Wynn
Brianna Colette
featured in several articles including Vibe Vixens’ “Next Artist,” The New Amsterdam
News, and Signature Hits,
Creme, Enspire, and Movement
magazines, as well as the Daily
Single – just to name a few —
creating a huge buzz in the music industry.
Brianna’s music videos “Too
Old” and “Sad To Say” are in
heavy rotation on MTV-UK and
BET/International and climbing
the music charts in Europe;
and her music was also featured
in a RedBull media film titled
“Sugar Beat” about young
Women in Extreme Sports.
Wo r k i n g w i t h Y M C M B ’s
Singer/Songwriter/Producer
J o s h X a n t u s & Ty “ M u s i c
Man” Johnson on new music
for her EP “Glorious,” will
surely establish her as a force
to be reckoned with in the industry.
Even with a busy schedule
Brianna still finds the time to
lend her talent and support to
The Unicorn Children’s Foundation “My Goal Laughs for
Autism,” and “The Children’s
Literacy Program.”
More than just a singer, this
Cajun Queen is looking to make
her musical mark in this new era
of emerging artists. Stay
tuned!
Toni Brown began her road to
success as a marketing assistant
on the Lou Rawls Parade of
Stars television fundraiser for the
United Negro College Fund.
When later promoted to project
manager, Toni created The Flavor of New York. Her vision to
partner popular restaurants with
noted individuals from the worlds
of sports, entertainment, politics,
and business to serve tasty
dishes to thousands of patrons
became one of UNCF’s most successful signature fundraising
events.
Tina Wynn honed her publicity and writing skills while a press
assistant for the CBS News Press
Office. When promoted to the
position of press coordinator,
Tina began working directly on
the various network news broadcasts including, The CBS
Evening News with Dan Rather
and the popular 60 Minutes. After several years, Tina left corporate America to become director
of publicity for Def Jam Recordings and began promoting acts
like LL Cool J and Public Enemy.
With the diversity of working
in both the corporate and entertainment industries, and seeking
something more fulfilling, Tina
chose to venture into her own
business and established T&T
Public Relations. She went back
to her roots in television, promoting dozens of broadcasts from
critically acclaimed documentaries to award winning network
and cable dramas, comedies and
variety shows.
Toni also sought a change and
departed UNCF to sign on as an
account executive at Stedman Graham & Partners, an advertising
agency that specialized in creating,
producing and publicizing events
for clients. It was here that she met
Tina who operated as an independent publicist for the agency.
Together, they traveled the country producing and publicizing
events for clients like Greyhound,
Johnson & Johnson, State Farm,
Schiefellin & Somerset and more.
They were on the road producing
a Hennessy event when they
learned that Stedman Graham &
Partners had surprisingly closed its
offices. Even more surprising, the
Hennessy team asked them to stay
on and complete the contract. Toni
quickly established Toni Brown &
Associates, an event and marketing agency and partnered with
T&T Public Relations to see the
projects to fruition. As fate would
have it, the ladies were offered additional projects and continued to
perform work for Schieffelin &
Somerset.
Fifteen years later, Toni and Tina
continue to work together as The
Brown Wynn Agency creating, producing, marketing, and publicizing
events and conferences throughout the U.S. and beyond for such
clients as Black Enterprise, National Grid, the British Virgin Islands, the National Association of
Black Accountants and more. They
also continue to work with Moet
Hennessy USA (formerly Schieffelin
& Somerset) the catalyst of the
Brown Wynn partnership.
Introducing muy caliente Cajun Queen Brianna Colette
19
20
Iconic Department Store
Macy’s Herald Square and NYC &
Company enhance tourist experience
Capitalizing on Macy’s
global appeal and New York
C i t y ’s v i t a l t o u r i s m a n d
shopping industry, Macy’s
and NYC & Company announced a first-ever collaboration to bring a worldclass tourist experience to
t h e w o r l d ’s l a rg e s t s t o r e .
Macy’s new Herald Square
Vi s i t o r C e n t e r i s n o w c o branded with NYC & Company as an official NYC Information Center and offers
many new services which
enhance the customer experience for travelers.
As part of the extensive
renovation plans for Macy’s
Herald Square, Macy’s Visitor Center will now be upgraded with NYC &
Company’s state-of-the-art
t e c h n o l o g y, i n f o r m a t i o n ,
and ticketing services for
NYC attractions that cater
to both international and
domestic tourists.
With the historic remodel
of one of the world’s most
iconic and dynamic department stores, the collaborat i o n b e t w e e n M a c y ’s a n d
NYC & Company is an exciting next chapter to the evol u t i o n o f M a c y ’s H e r a l d
Square.
“We are very pleased to
collaborate with NYC & Company on an innovative customer service venture that will
cater to the international and
domestic shopper within a department store,” said Terry J.
Lundgren, chairman, president
and chief executive officer for
Macy’s Inc.
Macy’s Herald Square Department Store
“The renovation of Macy’s
Herald Square creates a unique
platform to enhance the customer shopping experience and
store environment. With the six
million tourists visiting Macy’s
Herald Square annually who
make this store one of the most
shopped and visited sites in
New York City, a co-branded
Visitor Center is a testament to
the worldwide popularity of
both Macy’s and New York City
as leading destinations for visiting tourists.”
“The collaboration with
M a c y ’s H e r a l d S q u a r e t o
open a new state-of-the-art
visitor information center in
the heart of one of the City’s
bustling tourist areas will
give visitors another convenient access point to obtain
real-time information on
what to see, do and experience across New York City.
“We are pleased to be
partnering with the world’s
largest store on this first-ofits-kind innovative and
worthwhile development because it will be another effective way for us to reach
domestic and especially international visitors who not
only enjoy shopping, but
want to see all that the five
b o r o u g h s h a v e t o o ff e r, ”
said NYC & Company CEO
George Fertitta.
Wi t h t h e r e n o v a t i o n ,
Macy’s Visitor Center—located on the newly revamped
Mezzanine Level—has been
re-imagined as a state-ofthe-art space with dynamic
Information Screens, Concierge Terminals, and Digital
To u c h S c r e e n K i o s k s t h a t
provide up-to-date information on: Attractions, Dining,
and Nightlife among other
areas of interest for tourists
to explore throughout the five
boroughs.
Through the Visitor Center’s
new redesign, for the first time,
there is now a wall of windows
that connects visitors to vistas
of the bustling outdoor
streetscape below on West 34 th
Street.
In addition, the enhanced
Visitor Center will offer concierge-type services to restaurants, tours, and special
offers on tickets to over 80
major attractions and events
i n t h e C i t y, p l u s N Y C &
C o m p a n y ’s o ff i c i a l v i s i t o r
guides, maps and brochures.
NYC & Company partnered
with Google Maps to power
the visitor center ’s interactive kiosks maps and directions function, providing
tools for visitors to more easily navigate the City.
Macy’s Visitor Services
provides popular incentives
such as the International and
Domestic Savings Program
which gives travelers a 10
percent off discount on most
purchases throughout the
store with qualifying documentation such as a government issued ID.
The savings pass can be
printed from any of the 4 interactive kiosks or from the
concierge desk staff in nine
different languages including Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. Macy’s
Visitor Center also provides
language translation assis-
tance, store tours, special
group programs, and other
tourist information.
In 2011 Macy’s Inc. announced an unprecedented fouryear, 400 million dollar renovation to its corporate flagship. In
2012, the renovation transformed
the store into one of the most
technologically advanced, fashion-forward and exciting destinations in the world with new designer departments, epicurean
experiences and multi-level
luxury shops. Upon completion
in 2015, the Herald Square store
will increase its selling space
from 1.1 million to 1.2 million
square-feet.
In addition to the new Macy’s
Visitor Center, NYC & Company
operates several Official NYC Information Centers throughout
the City including the Official
NYC Information Center in midtown Manhattan (810 7 th Avenue); the Times Square Museum & Visitor Center in the heart
of Times Square; the Official
NYC Information Kiosk at City
Hall and the Official NYC Information Center in Chinatown.
A full listing can be found
at nycgo.com/articles/officialnyc-information-centers. Last
year, New York City welcomed
a record 52 million visitors
generating $36.9 billion in direct spending (with $8 billion
attributed to shopping) and
$55.3 billion in economic impact. NYC & Company has a
new goal to achieve 55 million
annual visitors and $70 billion
in economic impact by 2015.
(D.T.)
21
Big Fish is one whale of a production!
Big Fish Marquee at
Neil Simon Theatre
The enchanting story of a father and son struggling to understand each other is the heart of
the hit new musical Big Fish
which had one of the splashiest
Broadway opening nights, ever!
The catchy production began performances on Broadway, Thursday, September 5, 2013, and had a
splashy opening on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at the Neil Simon
Theatre (250 West 52nd Street,
NYC). And from all accounts, this
spectacular musical is expected to
have one whale of a Broadway
run with critics touting it as having just the right bait for Tony
nominations. The cast had a lot
to celebrate at the flashy after
party at Roseland as early reviews recommend that everyone
go fishing because from every
angle – lighting, costumes, dance
numbers, performances – this is
one big fish that is the prize catch
of Broadway!
Directed by five-time Tony
Award winner Susan Stroman,
with music and lyrics by Grammy
and Tony Award nominee Andrew
Lippa, and a book by Grammy and
BAFTA Award nominee John August, Big Fish has all the trappings of a successful run. From
dancing trees, a fish flying right
out of the orchestra pit, a mermaid
who makes cameo appearances
and a rear view of dancing elephants — this child friendly play
is filled with incredible imaginary
sets that will take you to a magical wonderland.
Along the Disneyesque way
you are introduced to many
fairytales that will make you laugh,
cry and dance in your seats. This
production is about dreaming,
loving and living bigger.
Starring two-time Tony Award
winner Norbert Leo Butz as Edward Bloom, Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin as Sandra
Bloom, Tony Award nominee
Bobby Steggert as Will Bloom,
Krystal Joy Brown as Josephine
Bloom, Anthony Pierini and
Zachary Unger alternating as
Young Will, Ryan Andes as Karl,
Ben Crawford as Don Price, and
Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar
as Amos Calloway, Big Fish features JC Montgomery, Ciara
Renée, Kirsten Scott and Sarrah
Strimel, in a cast of 27 that includes Preston Truman Boyd,
Bree Branker, Alex Brightman,
Joshua Buscher, Robin Campbell,
Bryn Dowling, Jason Lee
Garrett, Leah Hofmann, Synthia
Link, Angie Schworer, Lara
Big Fish Company at Opening Night Curtain Call: JC Montgomery, Ciara Renee, Brad Oscar, Krystal Daniel Wallace (original author),
Joy Brown, Bobby Steggert, Norbert Leo Butz, Kate Baldwin, Zachary Unger, Ryan Andes, Ben Crawford Bruce Cohen (producer)
Seibert, Tally Sessions, Cary
Tedder and Ashley Yeater.
Big Fish centers on Edward
Bloom, a traveling salesman who
lives life to its fullest… and then
some! Edward’s incredible, largerthan-life stories thrill everyone
around him – most of all, his devoted wife Sandra. But their son
Will, about to have a child of his
own, is determined to find the truth
behind his father’s epic tales. Will
visits his father and tries one last
time to find out the truth behind
the tall tales. As Edward and Will’s
relationship becomes increasingly
strained, Will must decide whether
to accept his father’s wild stories
as fact or risk losing him completely.
Big Fish has scenic design by
Drama Desk and Outer Critics
Circle Award winner Julian
Crouch, costume design by sixtime Tony Award winner William
Ivey Long, lighting design by twotime Tony Award winner Donald
Holder, sound design by Los An-
geles Drama Critics Award winner Jon Weston, projection design by Drama Desk Award winner Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions, wig and hair design by
Paul Huntley, make-up design by
Angelina Avallone, musical direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell,
orchestrations by Tony Award
winner Larry Hochman and
dance arrangements by Sam
Davis.
Big Fish is produced by Dan
Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Stage
Entertainment USA with Roy
Furman, Edward Walson, James L.
Nederlander, Broadway Across
America/Rich Entertainment
Group, John Domo, and in association with Parrothead Productions,
Lucky Fish, Peter May/Jim Fantaci,
Harvey Weinstein/Carole L. Haber,
Dancing Elephant Productions, CJ
E&M, Ted Liebowitz, Ted Hartley,
Clay Floren and Columbia Pictures. (Photos by Bruce Glikas @
Broadway.com and Walter
McBride @ BroadwayWorld.com)
James Nederlander Jr (producer), Susan Stroman (director, chore- Bobby Steggert, Mary-Mitchell John August (book writer), Susan
Margo Nederlander
ography), Dan Jinks (producer) Campbell (music director & con- Stroman (director, choreographer),
ductor)
Andrew Lippa (composer)
JC Montgomery & Family
Ciara Renee
Krystal Joy Brown
Billy Porter
Bobby Steggert, Kate Baldwin, Norbert Leo Butz
Quvenzhane Wallis
Whoopi Goldberg
THEATER TALK
Off-Broadway
22
‘Lady Day’ sings and swings!
By Ernece B. Kelly
Drama Critic
Jazz singer, Dee Dee
Bridgewater offers up an impressive version of Billie Holiday both
with her singing and her powerful acting in the new show, “Lady
Day”. Weaving narratives around
the songs, the bio-drama is a refreshing memory for those-in-theknow and a fine primer for others.
The two hour musical-drama
opens with swingin’ music from
Holliday’s talented band—Sunny,
the pianist (Bill Jolly), Deon, bassist (James Cammack), Kelavon,
drummer (Jerome Jennings) and
on saxophone, Elroy (Neil
Johnson). She’s late, so they’re
rehearsing “Rhythm Is Our Business.” It sets the tone perfectly
for this evening of outstanding
music.
Then Billie enters, accompanied by rain and thunder—a suitable environment for her opening
song, “A Foggy Day (In London
Town)”. Since this fictional concert is in London, the lyrics mirror
her setting. That becomes the
template for the entire show. It
works most of the time although
there are obvious strains such as
the song “When You’re Smiling”
coming in the midst of the revelation that she recorded 200 songs
between 1933 and 1944, but got
no royalties!
Highlights of Holliday’s life—
beginning with her Baltimore
childhood and moving on to her
arrests in Philadelphia—are revealed both through conversations with Robert (David Ayers) a
white man acting as her road manager and through skillfully placed
flashbacks. One of the most moving, depicts her rape as a young
girl.
Writer/Director Stephen Stahl
enhances the musical’s dynamism
by having Robert interact with
both the band and Holliday. At one
point he stops her drinking from a
flask and at another, rescues her
during that concert which makes
up the second Act.
Technically, “Lady Day” works
on all levels. Patricia A. Hibbert’s
costumes design wraps Holliday in
a red, flared dress at rehearsals and
a white mink stole over her sparkling gown at the concert. The sets
of Beowulf Boritt make believable
both the rehearsal hall with its stark
brick walls and the concert setting
with flowers and a shiny, ebony
platform.
Most critical for a musical, Jas o n C r y s t a l ’s s o u n d d e s i g n
strikes the perfect balance between the band and Holliday’s
singing over twenty of her
songs ranging from her first,
“Miss Brown to You” to the
powerful and controversial,
“Strange Fruit”.
All in all, “Lady Day” is a terrific mash-up—narrative of an
intriguing woman and a collage
of her music. Kudos to Dee Dee
Bridgewater for bringing much
of Holliday’s style—singing
behind the beat, chopping off
phrases, keeping tremors—
without trying to be Billie
Holliday. “Lady Day” is at the
Little Schubert on West 42 nd in
Manhattan’s Theatre District.
Blood Manor is 5,000 square feet of terror. This
bloodcurdling labyrinth takes you through
twenty themed rooms of horror. For 2013, the
horror will once again be headquartered at 163
Varick Street. Your bloody adventure will include the Graveyard of the Doomed, Vestibule
of the Undead, the Rue Morgue autopsy room,
Frozen Alive, Hannibal’s Kitchen and the Banquet of Torture, and an all-new 3D Labyrinth.
Blood Manor is meant to be intense and scary
and is not recommended for kids under 14 years
of age. The fun-filled Halloween event takes
place at 163 Varick Street between Charlton
and Vandam Streets. Take the 1 to Houston
Street or the C or E to Spring Street. Hours
are 7:30pm-Midnight on Thursdays, 7:3pm2am on Fridays and Saturdays, 6pm-11pm on
Sundays, 7:30pm-1am on October 29-30, 6pm1am on Halloween Night, October 31, 7:30pm1am.
“Where There’s
Life—There’s Hope”
Actor/Writer Jerry Ford turned in
an A-One performance in his (recently closed) one-man show,
“Hope”. Ford has the uncanny ability to morph almost instantaneously
from one character to another with
minimal props and costume
changes. Using posture, gestures,
and voice shifts, he’s at one time a
cruel police detective, a martial artist, a hurt little boy, and a mature
woman. (The latter is the least successful, but that’s a small quibble.)
“Hope” is the painful story of a
young Black boy growing up poor
in Detroit where he wears a coat to
bed in 20 below zero temps. His best
friend and aunt both die before he’s
seven years old. On top of those
losses, he feels obliged to carry on
the legacy of his older brother
Sammy who “had heart.”
These disheartening details are
balanced by humor and Ford’s
achievements such as going off to
college at the play’s end. “I’m going to college for the honeys, the
food and the free gym”, he declares.
But audiences have witnessed his
native intelligence and street smarts,
so it’s certain, he’ll get more out of
school than those superficials.
Ford’s outstanding performance
is ably assisted by the sound and
light design of Reginald Tucker. (In
one scene, the red Exit light is used
for illumination). And director
Turron Kofi Alleyne harnesses
Ford’s considerable energy, shaping a coherent and compelling
drama. “HOPE” was performed in
a limited run at the Producers’
Club, Crowne Theater, Manhattan.
Grammy Award-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater portrays Legendary
Billie Holliday in “Lady Day”
United States Postal Service Music Icon Ray
Charles music Forever Stamp now available
nationwide at Post Offices, (usps.com,
ebay.com/stamps). Concord Records celebrated the occasion with the release of
“Ray Charles Forever,” a deluxe CD/DVD.
(International release dates may vary).
Auto Donations
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SUPPLEMENTALSUMMONS IN
TAX LIEN FORECLOSURE–SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE
OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF
NEW YORK – NYCTL 2012-A
TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW
YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN
FOR THE NYCTL 2012-A TRUST,
Plaintiffs, against FIGEN
CARMIKLI, if living and if he/she
be dead, et al. Defendants. Index
no. 650661/13. Plaintiffs designate
New York County as the place of
trial site of the real property. To
the above named Defendants–
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED
to answer the complaint in this action within twenty days after the
service of this summons, exclusive
of the day of service or within thirty
days after service is completed if
the summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of
New York. In case of your failure
to appear or answer, judgment will
be taken against you by default for
the relief demanded in the complaint. Plaintiffs designate New
York County as the place of trial.
Venue is based upon the county in
which the property a lien upon
which is being foreclosed is situated. The foregoing summons is
served upon you by publication
pursuant to an order of the Hon.
Cynthia S. Kern, J.S.C dated on
September 20th, 2013. The object of
this action is to foreclose a New
York City Tax Lien as evidenced by
a certain Tax Lien Certificate No.
1A, dated August 8, 2012, recorded August 20th, 2012, CRFN
2012000329423 and covering the
premises known as 151 East 58th
Street a/k/a One Beacon Court,
Unit 37F, New York, NY located at
Block 1313 Lot 1037. Dated: September 25, 2013 WINDELS MARX
LANE & MITTENDORF LLP, Attorney for Plaintiffs, NYCTL 2012A TRUST AND THE BANK OF
NEW YORK AS COLLATERAL
AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR
THE NYCTL 2012-A TRUST, By:
Rachel P. Reiser, Esq. 156 West 56th
Street, New York, NY 10019 (212)
237-1000
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23
24
BEACON
Marc Rasbury
SPORTS
A rivalry grows in the City
By Marc Rasbury
The Knicks and the Nets have
never been traditionally considered
rivals. That changed last year
when the Nets moved from New
Jersey to Brooklyn just few miles
from the long standing Kings of
Basketball in this area. The ante
was raised when the team from
Kings County brought in renowned Knicks killers Kevin
Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason
Terry. With the Knicks looking to
improve on last year’s second
round playoff appearance and the
Nets are already proclaiming
“Championship or Bust”, the
newly created Knicks-Nets rivalry
will be one of the closely monitored story lines of this year’s campaign.
For years the Nets have been
considered an afterthought in this
neck of the woods. They flirted
with respectability when Larry
Brown led Buck Williams, Albert
King and Darryl Dawkins to the
playoffs back in the early eighties
and Chuck Daly took Derrick
Coleman, Kenny Anderson and
the late Drazen Petrovic to the playoffs in the early nineties. Daly’s
squad played the Knicks in the
first round of the playoffs in ’93
but series that did not generate
any buzz. The Daly and Brown
eras were also short lived.
When the Knicks were perennial title contenders in the nineties, the Nets were God awful.
Then in one sudden move, the Nets
went from cellar dweller to title
contender when they traded for
Jason Kidd. Subsequently, the
Knicks went from first-to-worst as
the Patrick Ewing era came to a
close. So it was rare that both
teams were good at the same time
thus a rivalry never really developed despite being close neighbors.
That change last year as the
Nets not only moved to Brooklyn
but revamped their roster adding
Deron Williams and Joe Johnson
to a squad that to already had an
emerging star in Brook Lopez.
Around same time, the Knicks
added Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith
and eventually Tyson Chandler.
Now with the teams virtually separated by a few miles and both teams
executing a number of block buster
moves, it is on!
With the addition of Garnett,
Pierce and Terry, the Nets have
jumped to near the top of the class.
Many experts believe that the Nets
still do not have enough to over
take the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers but they do have enough to leap
frog the Knicks. That maybe true
but the Knicks may have something to say about that.
One thing is for sure is that the
Nets have been and will continue
to do plenty of talking until the
Knicks shut them up. During their
introductory press conference, the
former Celtic Trio made no bones
about it that they are not only here
to put the Knicks in their rear view
mirror but they have their sights on
the NBA title. Garnett and Pierce
have taken great joy over the years
in tormenting the Knicks. And you
saw how Terry got into JR Smith’s
head taking the talented but sometimes erratic Knicks second fiddle
out of his game.
Despite the presence of Williams,
Johnson and Lopez Garnett has already assumed the leadership role
in the clubhouse. The Nets’ defense
has already improved exponentially
with his addition to the lineup. He
can guard three-to-four position
while patrolling the paint like an AllPro Linebacker. He should work the
pick and roll to perfection with
Deron Williams and that should
help the offense. But KG’s leadership will be his main contribution.
One of the knocks on Williams and
Johnson is that they have a tendency to disappear at times. Garnett
will have none of that. He will hold
his teammates accountable. All you
have to do is ask his former teammate Glen “Big Baby” Davis about
how KG deals with teammates who
do not live up to expectations. Then
there is the question regarding who
Coach Rex Ryan shows his approval of the game winning field goal
Smith: We are just going to have to live with Smith’s up and down
play. (Photos by Michael Heringquez)
is going to take the last shot.
Pierce will deal with that. There is
no better clutch shooter in the
game than Mr. Pierce.
I also like the addition of Andrei
Kirilenko, Shawn Livingston and
rookie Mason Plumlee. Kirlenko,
Terry and Plumlee give first year
head coach Jason Kidd a formidable bench. If this team can get
over the fact that Kidd is not that
much older than most of the roster and the old veterans can survive the rigors of the season, then
the Nets might have something to
say about who comes out of the
Eastern Conference.
While the Nets appear to be ascending, some feel that the Knicks
are on the decline. I do not see it
that way. I expect that Anthony
will continue to score at a deadly
pace. The addition of Andrea
Bargnani should give Head Coach
Mike Woodson a consistent second scoring option that the
Knicks lacked over the years.
Bargnani can stretch the court
opening the lanes for JR Smith,
Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton,
rookie Tim Hardaway Jr., and
Amare Stoudemire.
Stoudemire and Hardaway Jr. are
going to be the key to the Knicks
success this season. Obviously,
Stoudemire’s health is a major concern. If his knees can hold up, then
he can provide the inside presence
that should be even more productive with the added outside shooting. Now I hate to put undue pressure on a rookie but Hardaway Jr.’s
success is going to determine how
well the Knicks will do this season.
It’s hard for most old time Knick
fans to root for a Hardaway after
the way the Hardaway Sr. use to
torture our beloved blue and orange. Tim Sr. used to react to seeing those colors the way Pavlov’s
Dog reacted to hearing a bell. Now
we need his son to come up big
for us. How ironic is that? But Tim
Jr. could be that key cog. The kid is
super athletic. He can defend. He can
also hit from the outside. He should
contribute right away and the
Knicks will need the Michigan
rookie to do just that. He is also an
insurance policy to the erratic play
of one JR Smith.
Signing Metta World Peace
should also help the cause. He is not
the defensive stopper that he was a
few years back but he is still better
than most of the players in that aspect on the Knicks roster. He will
give Tyson Chandler the help that
the Knicks Center did not have last
year once Rasheed Wallace went
down. World Peace brings an attitude and nastiness that was lacking
from last year’s crew especially in
the playoffs against the Pacers.
Speaking of Chandler, he appears to
have regained his strength and energy that he lost due to that illness
during the playoffs and that is a
good sign.
Both teams head into the season
carrying baggage. For the Knicks,
Smith will be suspended for the first
eight games as a result of testing
positive for drugs. Carmelo also
stirred things up when he was
quoted saying he will test the free
agency market after this season. That
did not bode well with the fans or
media. Jason Kidd’s head coaching
tenure will not get off to a good start
as he will be suspended by the
League for his first two games as a
result of pleading guilty to drunk
driving last summer. There were also
rumblings that he and KG are already
clashing on how the first year coach
will use the seasoned vet in order to
preserve him during the course of
the season.
It should be an interesting basketball season in this neck of the
woods. Both teams are primed to
make a deep post season run. Nutrition and chemistry will determine
how far each team will go as both
franchises brought in many new
pieces. It may not reach the heights
of Brooklyn Dodgers-New York Giants rivalry, but it can be just as interesting.
Jets end losing streak against New England
By Andrew Rosario
Maybe New York Jets head
coach Rex Ryan should insist
that his players abstain from
having relations with their significant others for the rest of the
season after they beat the New
England Patriots in overtime 3027 at MetLife Stadium. It was
the Jets first victory over the
Patriots breaking their 6 game
losing streak. The streak looked
like it would reach 7 after the
first half as the Patriots took a
21-10 lead.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith
was his typical schizophrenic
self as he directed the team on
their very first possession taking them on a 80 yard, 12 play
drive connecting with Jeremy
Kerley for a 12 yard touchdown
pass giving them a early 7-0 lead.
Patriots QB Tom Brady, fresh off
his game winning touchdown
pass against New Orleans the
week before, wasted no time tying the score. He used 10 plays
going the same distance as
Smith resulting in a 1 yard Brandon Bolden run. Patriots’ tight
end Ron Gronkowski, who
missed the first 6 weeks with a
variety of injuries, caught 2
passes for 42 yards, the last
catch moving them down to the
Jets 1 yard line.
Then the “other” Smith
showed up. Moving the Jets
down to the New England 20,
Smith looked for wide receiver
David Nelson for a short pass.
Safety Logan Ryan stepped in
front of the pass and returned
the interception 79 yards for
the 14-7 lead. Ryan falls backwards in the end zone grabbing
his crotch before hitting the turf
which should earn him a well
deserved fine. Said Smith of the
play, “anyone who watches
football knows that every single
quarterback makes that mistake.
At times, it just happens. The
key thing to being a good quarterback is to move on from it and
not let it affect the game play
going forward.”
New England expanded the
lead right before the half after
Steven Ridley ran 17 yards for
the touchdown. Knowing New
England would get the ball to
start the second half, Ryan and
his defense could not afford to
let the Patriots put points on the
board digging themselves a
deeper hole. With Brady looking
for Gronkowski deep in their own
territory, Jets safety Antonio Allen
stepped in front of Gronk, intercepted the pass and returned it
23 yards for the touchdown cutting the lead to 21-17. It was the
start of a suffocating defense as
New England had the ball 6 times
in the third and did not convert
one first down. By games end, the
Patriots missed out on 11 of 12
third down conversions. Something that Ryan reflected on. “Our
defense was playing outstanding

Week 43 - New York Beacon

Transcription

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