Archive for April, 2007

PETA’s plight to stop elephants’ cruelty in circuses

Published
by
Jessica Baptiste
on April 30, 2007
in Manhattan
. 2 Comments

 

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Credit: circuses.com

This is a picture of the elephant sculpture that PETA wanted to install in Union Square Park

Circuses are seen as wonderful attractions – trapezes, clowns, jugglers, lions and elephants coming together to do amazing tricks beyond our wildest dreams. While circuses have a glamorous side, there is also a dirty side – cruelty to animals. According to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) fact sheet “Circuses: Three Rings of Abuse,” it documents all the decrepit working conditions that animals, especially elephants are subject to including confinement to small spaces in cages while traveling across the country up to 11 months a year in the famous Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

For example, PETA’s fact sheet states, “physical punishment has always been the standard training method for animals in circuses. It is standard practice to beat, shock, and whip animals to make them perform—over and over again—tricks that make no sense to them.”

PETA submitted a proposal in March to the Parks Department for a permit to install a baby elephant sculpture for three-four weeks in Union Square Park in May or June 2007, in protest against the harsh treatment of circus animals.

In the April 12 Community Board 5 meeting, the board voted in denial of the proposal saying, “Community Board Five questions whether the sculpture should be considered art for it would not be reviewed by the Art Commission and appears more in the nature of a political billboard.”

On the decision, Bob Chorush, the Special Projects Coordinator for PETA’s Captive Animals and Entertainment Issues, reaction is, “It seems that Community Board 5 would prefer art with no message, since it cannot be rationally argued that Harry Bliss’ rejected elephant sculpture is a message with no art. The discussion of this work was heated and prolonged speaks to the impact, influence and feelings that this work of art evokes.”

Have Brooklyn neighborhoods reached a church saturation point?

Published
by
jreynolds
on April 29, 2007
in Brooklyn and Uncategorized
. 3 Comments

Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brownsville and Flatbush are saturated with all church denominations. Some churches are separated by just a wall while others are less than a mile apart. With so many options, congregants must have different reasons for choosing a particular church. It appears that churches in these areas have memberships that are similar to the backgrounds of their leaders, especially among the West Indians.

West Indians may come from different nations but there is some commonality among them. Many of their folklores, colloquial terms and foods are similar except for the few variations. It is easy to understand why people of similar backgrounds are drawn to each other. The church leaders can make reference to anecdotes that are familiar as well as invite guest pastors from the Caribbean that are already familiar to the congregation.

In the Bible, believers are warned to avoid false prophets, which mean that choosing a place of worship is a very important decision to make. “My grandmother introduced me to Restoration Temple Assembly in Flatbush,” said Seon Hannibal, a Brownsville resident, “I stayed there because I felt that Bishop Cummings was teaching according to the Bible which I was able to confirm from my own knowledge of the Bible.” Hannibal added that he had also visited other churches in Brownsville but did not feel a connection to any of them like he did at his church. The presence of other West Indians in Restoration Temple Assembly made it easier for him to communicate and form a connection.

Some Churchgoers in the Brooklyn neighborhoods seem happy to attend churches that are miles away and require some amount of traveling, even though there are churches right next to their homes “I started going to Good Tidings Gospel Chapel because there was a link between this church and the one I attended in Guyana,” said Luke Heywood, an International student living in the Brownsville area, “so I don’t mind having to travel to get to church.”

Others feel that having clusters of churches all over the Brooklyn area can only have negative effects rather than create a sense of unity in the Christian community. “It is wasteful and it harbors a sense of divisiveness” said Colletta Hinckson, from the Brooklyn area, “it forces churches to compete for space, people and influence in the community.”

The one good thing about having a melting pot is that you can always find a place to connect not only with your God; but with people you can have relation. Thus, considering the sense of community that pervades each church, perhaps the diversity of choices does more to connect the members of each church than to draw distinctions between the separate congregations.

Woodbridge Makes Plans for “Transit Village”

Published
by
vstrachan
on April 29, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

It’s the middle of the day and the lights in the store front of Pavilion Mortgage are dim again. The brand new business wedged between two beauty salons and an empty Greek restaurant used to be a lady’s shoe store only a few months ago. While it is still to early to tell if this business will suffer the same fate as it predecessor–the odds are high along Main Street.

Woodbridge officials hope the concept of a “transit village” will help revitalize the township’s Main Street business district.

The “Visioning Plan” financed through a $50,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, will focus on issues ranging from traffic and parking, to zoning and economic revitalization.

The Municipal Council is expected to approve the New York-based architectural firm of Agrest and Gandelsonas to develop a Transit-Oriented Development Vision Plan for the area.

The first phase of the effort to develop a Transit-Oriented Development Vision Plan will be to hold discussions with business owners and residents. The process will include three community-based visioning meetings within five months that will seek public input and comment on the overall future of the area.

For more information on Woodbridge’s plans check here: http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1175576103253290.xml&coll=1

Out of the Darkness

Published
by
jdixon
on April 29, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

It is an overnight walk that begins on June 9th  in the dark and long streets of Manhattan and it ends at sunup  the following morning in the same place that it began, The South Street sea Port. It is a 20 mile walk to raise money  and provide solidarity for people who have dealt with depression and suicide in many aspects of their lives. The event asks participants to raise $1,000 to help fund suicide prevention. It will be a “healing” event because not only will raise money but walkers get a better chance to get to know one another and share the same experiences as they have.  The walk was previously in San Franscisco and Chicago but now it has come to NYC. According to the AFSP nearly 1 million people  make a suicide attempt eah year in the United States. It is the forth leading cause  of death in th US. There will be 2,000 to 3,000 expected  walkers. William Grard who is the director of development for the AFSP said that “This is the single largest successful event for suicide prevention to date.” For most walkers this is will be a commom bond that they all can share. For more information on the walk visit www.theovernight.com or AFSP

 

“Cushy”: A nanny’s job

Published
by
T Vaughan
on April 29, 2007
in Manhattan and Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

An acquaintance once, in a moment of amusement, told me that I had a cushy job. My first reaction was to laugh the statement away, but in retrospect she made me think about what other members of my community might be thinking when they see a nanny pass by on the street pushing a stroller or sitting in the park while the children we take care of run around. I wonder if they know the responsibilities that our job involves. The risk, the discomfort we experience knowing our every action, every word is being scrutinized, not just by our employers but by almost every resident we come in contact with in the community, even the children we take care of.

“Cushy,” its an interesting view of a nanny’s job. Speaking with a fellow nanny, Helen, on Thursday on the subject of what nannies experience on his/her job she said, “We are treated as one dimensional beings on the job, as if we don’t have lives outside of our jobs.” Most adults we come in contact with still treat us as if we are in the 19th Century, like servants not professionals.
With the re-emergence of the decade old case involving convicted babysitter, Audrey Edmunds, 45, for the death of 7-month-old Natalie Beard, I am freshly reminded of the risk my colleagues and I take each day we go to work. We are expected to always have a clear head. Moments of anger can be detrimental, not only in the extreme cases like Audrey Edmunds but on a mental level. Most of us, nannies, are integrally involved in the first five years of the children we care for, hence a fit of anger, that could be seen as normal with another adult, is “scary” to a child.

President Bush in Harlem???

Published
by
jlafontaine
on April 26, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 3 Comments

President Bush came to Harlem to push his No Child Left Behind initiative to parents.  President Bush is also an advocate for charter schools as well.  He however did not impress all of the Harlem natives, as many are highly upset with him because his intiatives have not been clearly proven in the inner cities of Harlem as well as other boroughs not to mention the Iraq issues at hand, such as spending money on a war that could better be utilized in the schools.  Check out the article from the New York Amsterdam News…

 

http://www.amsterdamnews.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=78246&sID=4

Corners

Published
by
rjohnson
on April 26, 2007
in Not New York, The Bronx and Uncategorized
. 3 Comments

Like the leaves that fall off the trees at autumn and slowly reappear at springtime, so it is with the guys who stand on the corner. During the harsh winter months they vanish only to return with the sunlight of spring. It is anyone’s guess what they are doing, but the residents of East Tremont have one thing in mind, illegal activity. “The neighborhood has come a long way,” said Charmaine, a one-time resident of East Tremont. “With police patrolling the streets it has become better,” she continued. There are some things, though, that seem to linger. Added pressure from the police department will no doubt continue to fight any illegal activity that inhabits the street corners and back roads of East Tremont. “I don’t walk on the Marmion side of the building,” said a resident of the neighborhood, “because I don’t want the police to think I am involved in anything,” he continued. Some people believe that the police are watching that section of Marmion.

And the Beep Goes On….and the beep goes on.

Published
by
LSapir
on April 26, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

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Although Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally answered the calls of advocacy groups to relieve the traffic on New York City streets, his proposal given this Sunday, April 22nd on the steps of city hall, has residents sounding their horns.

The Mayor’s plans to ease the congestion, is a part of his PlaNYC 2030 Sustainability Initiative, which includes attempts to improve travel times, achieve the cleanest air of any big city in the U.S., reduce global warming emissions, reach a state of good repair on our transportation systems and put every New Yorker within a safe, ten minute walk of a park, then by 2009 he needs to lessen traffic, make streets and traffic safer for bikers and walkers of all ages and make more efficient use of streets and other public space.

Christine Berthet co-founder of Chekpeds a local organization working to influence traffic in our community, said in a recent email to community residents that, “The Traffic Relief Coalition applauds the City for the great initiatives they propose and hold them accountable if the PlaNYC 2030 agenda doesn’t meet our standards.”

This is not the first time the initiative has been brought to light.  Last year at a speech in Queens the Mayor’s office said, “By 2030, our City will add nearly one million more people. We’ll be relying on infrastructure networks completed nearly a century ago. And we will face an increasingly unpredictable environment.”

“It is time to PLAN again for New York City’s future. It is our city. It is our responsibility. And it is our choice.”

More than 10,000 pedestrians are injured each year on the city’s streets, and 170 were killed in 2006. When Bloomberg stood on his soap box at city hall to profess pedestrian safety, commuter traffic and congestion, I stood on my fire escape on West 44th street and 9th avenue near the Lincoln Tunnel where the congestion is unaffected  by Bloomberg’s ambitious speech.  If Bloomberg wants to talk the talk he needs to walk the walk.

Check out the video I shot from my firescape….TBA

Will Starbucks lead the corporate change in Greenpoint?

Published
by
abigail
on April 26, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Greenpoint, once a working class neighborhood has recently become home to many young professionals who made the voyage across the East River due to Manhattans soaring rise in rent. The changes in this North Brooklyn neighborhood have never been as clear as they are now, after the April 9th opening of a Starbucks coffee shop in the heart of Greenpoint.

Starbucks means a lot more than just another coffee shop opening in the neighborhood. It means competition for private coffee businesses. Starbucks is a corporation that stands for none of the artistic, vegan, and anti-Manhattan vibes that many residents of Greenpoint thrive upon.

The coffee shop opened in what was once a Polish theater called “the American”, and in an attempt to hold true to the history of the neighborhood, it features a marquee adorned with Hollywood movie bulbs and reads “Starbucks coffee now open”
Starbucks welcomes a rise in rent as it gives prospective residents reason to believe that the neighborhood is just a cheap and convenient 15 minute train ride to the city. Many fear that the neighborhood will lose the middle class feel of the once highly populated Polish neighborhood where kielbasa is being replaced with venti mocha lattes. Bottom line, Starbucks welcomes gentrification.

For a full article on change in Greenpoint click here,Times

Looking for fugitives

Published
by
hsin
on April 26, 2007
in Queens and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

3 policemen  stopped all passengers and cars crossing the street in the area of Fresh Meadows yesterday night.  It was rigth after I saw many “wanted” posters on the street near the subway station.  The policemen made each driver in the car roll the windows down and gave to them a  card. This card showed a picture of a fugitive who the policemen were looking for.

Policemen in Queens are diligently struggling to find Queens’ 10 most wanted fugitives, described as ruthless men who knew their victims.  The 10 stand accused of society’s worst crimes, including murder and serious assault. One case goes back 21 years, but police continue to seek the public’s help in tracking down and prosecuting these individuals.  It is believed that some may have fled the country while at least two have been spotted in Queens, but escaped before police could nab them. For more informations, go to the website of Ciy of New York Police Department http://www.longislandexchange.com/nypd_most_wanted.html

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