Last Airbender of Hollywood Racism

Last Airbender of Hollywood Racism

As some of you may know, Paramount commissioned (in)famous director M. Night Shyamalan to adapt the popular Nickelodian series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” into a movie trilogy. The TV series revolves a fantasical, Hayao Miyazaki-inspired universe that deals with individuals capable of controlling and manipulating (aka “bending”) one or several of the earth’s elements – Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire – and how the main protagonist, Aang, the Last Airbender, is destined to bring back balance when the Fire nation’s imperialistic and war-mongering desires get out of hand. The movie is slated for release July 1st this year, and its production has led to a lot of controversy specifically with regards to its casting.
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RIP Microsoft Kin

Microsoft has decided to kill off the Kin, two Microsoft-branded phones targeted at teenager users, we have confirmed.

The Kin, formerly known as “Project Pink,” was revealed in April and lauched on the Verizon network in May. However, ominous signs emerged for the phone’s demise after Microsoft cut the price of the Kin in half.

However, it doesn’t look like it was enough — the Kin until will be folded into the Windows Phone 7 team after abysmal sales and millions of dollars lost in R&D and marketing.

RIP Microsoft Kin.

FREE Lady Gaga Concert, NYC Event

7/9, See Lady Gaga FREE in Concert with the Today Show's Summer Concert Series, NYC Event

When: 7/9/10 at 7:00am to 7/9/10 at 10:00am
Where: Rockefeller Plaza
Rockefeller Plaza
Phone: (212) 632-3975
Tags: events deals

External Source: NYC Event Today Summer Concert Series

 

Lady Gaga is coming to NYC and performing for FREE. ('nuff said) Fans and visitors are encouraged to come to the plaza for this live NYC Event. Viewing is on a first-come, first-served basis outside Today’s studio, located at 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

Fans should arrive by 6:00 a.m. for best viewing positions.

• More on the Lady who will be Rockin this NYC Event

 

7/2, FREE Mary J. Blige Concert in Central Park! See the Queen of Hip Hop in NYC

FREE Mary J. Blige Concert, Central Park

7/2, FREE Mary J. Blige Concert in Central Park! See the Queen of Hip Hop in NYC

When: 7/2/10 at 6:00am to 7/2/10 at 9:00am
Where: Central Park SummerStage
5th Avenue
Phone: (212) 360-2777
Tags: events deals

External Source: Central Park Events

 

The legendary Mary J. Blige is set to take the stage during the seventh week of the Good Morning America Concert Series. To attend, viewers should arrive at Rumsey Playfield via the 69th Street entrance on Fifth Avenue between 6am and 7am on Friday, July 2nd.

The concert is free and open to the public and will take place live during "Good Morning America," from 7 until 9am.

• Full Details of the FREE Mary J Blige Concert

New Gifted Testing in New York May Begin at Age 3

New Gifted Testing in New York May Begin at Age 3

By SHARON OTTERMAN

City education officials revealed this month that they would begin searching for a new gifted admissions test in response to complaints about low minority representation in gifted programs and concerns that professional test preparation services skew the results.

But any new test is unlikely to alleviate what many parents consider the most anxiety-producing part of the process — sending 4-year-olds into an exam that could decide their schooling for the next six years. In fact, the city may begin testing even earlier.

While the city says it is open to considering other options, it will most likely continue to rely on standardized tests for prekindergarteners as the central admissions criteria for the elite programs, and under the new protocol, which would begin for the 2012-13 school year, it could begin testing 3-year-olds born late in the year.

The current test is valid only for children 4 and older, but a new test could work for even younger children, allowing the city to speed up the admissions calendar to make it simpler for parents who are balancing private school deposits and kindergarten wait lists, education officials said in interviews and public testimony over the past several weeks.

New Gifted Testing in New York May Begin at Age 3 - NYTimes.com.

At North General Hospital, a Closing and Openings - NYTimes.com

North General Hospital Is Closing, but Clinics Are Ready to Take Its Place

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS

Barely two months after the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village, North General Hospital, a potent symbol of the city’s political and philanthropic commitment to Harlem, announced Monday that it was declaring bankruptcy.

The 200-bed North General will close by next week, hospital officials said. But while St. Vincent’s closed abruptly with only the distant promise of an urgent care clinic in its place, the North General building will immediately be occupied by a large government-subsidized walk-in clinic for Harlem residents, state and North General officials said.

The city’s public hospital system will also move two of its facilities, a nursing home and a 200-bed long-term rehabilitation center, to the North General site from Roosevelt Island, officials said.

North General got 36,000 visits a year to its emergency room, but officials said that nearby hospitals and the walk-in clinic would pick up those patients.

The carefully structured deal was hammered out with the help of Gov. David A. Paterson, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Representative Charles B. Rangel of Harlem, hospital officials said.

“Having gone through what we experienced with St. Vincent’s, we were really happy that we were able through the governor’s leadership to pull together the city, the state and the Department of Health and of course North General to come up with a plan that not only keeps that platform in Harlem devoted to health care but actually expands health care in Harlem,” said Paul Williams, president of the state Dormitory Authority, which helped finance the hospital’s construction, and still holds $117 million of its outstanding debt.

In a joint statement Monday, the governor and the hospital said the hospital planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church and chairman of the hospital’s board, said Monday that the hospital was about $200 million in debt and had been in debt almost continuously since its inception in 1979. “The hospital opened on borrowed money,” Mr. Butts said. “This just couldn’t go on.”

But the union that represents North General employees, Local 1199 S.E.I.U., lashed out at the plan, saying that the Institute for Family Health, which will operate the new clinic, had told the union it would not be able to hire all the current employees. The union said it had filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

Mr. Butts said he expected that Harlem would gain from the new arrangement. There will be jobs created by the construction of the nursing home, he said. And he said he expected most of the 900 hospital employees to find jobs at other hospitals or with the replacement facilities.

As a so-called federally qualified health care center, the new clinic will receive Medicaid money and other grants to provide primary care, mental health care, dental care and school-based care to 80,000 patients a year, state officials said. Its doctors will also be available to privately insured patients, officials said.

The new clinic is scheduled to open just when North General closes. The Institute for Family Health runs family health centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and the Hudson Valley, and Dr. Neil Calman, the institute’s president, has a reputation as an activist doctor in poor neighborhoods. He got his start in the Bronx about 30 years ago as the first medical director of the Soundview Healthcare Network. He left that organization years ago, however. Dr. Calman did not return a call for comment. Soundview was founded by Pedro Espada Jr., the state senator now accused of looting the clinics of millions of dollars.

Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, a trade group, said, “The death of a hospital is always difficult, but the plans that have been laid out for the re-emergence of health care services in that portion of Harlem is absolutely outstanding.”

The hospital was founded by Randolph Guggenheimer, a Manhattan lawyer, and Eugene McCabe, a management consultant, to replace the Hospital for Joint Diseases when it moved from Madison Avenue and 124th Street in 1979.

At North General Hospital, a Closing and Openings - NYTimes.com.

Bad choices can kill, Brooklyn writer from projects shows youths in novel

BY Elizabeth Lazarowitz

Tuesday, June 29th 2010, 8:03 AM

Marino for News

Teacher Torrey Maldonado, who grew up in Red Hook Houses, wrote a book about the importance of kids making the right choices when lured by gangs and drugs.

In the young adult novel "Secret Saturdays," fatherless boys face the lure of violence, drugs and gangs on some of Brooklyn's meanest streets.

It's a world first-time author Torrey Maldonado, 37, knows all too well, having spent his own youth in a Red Hook public housing project.

"I decided to write a book on choices," said Maldonado, now a teacher at Intermediate School 88 in Park Slope. "There were a lot of struggles and a lot of points where I could have been in such a different place than I am now."

Like the half-Puerto Rican, half-African American buddies in his book, Maldonado was raised by a single mother in a neighborhood in which he said boys with an intellectual drive were dismissed as "soft."

"As a male, I was taught to be tough, and the culture of the projects also encourages that behavior," Maldonado said. "One of the constant struggles I faced was family members and people in the neighborhood telling me to 'put down the pen.'"

Maldonado credits his mother, a social worker who ran a GED program, with setting him on the right path. "She tried to buffer me from the neighborhood."

It wasn't always easy.

Unchallenged at PS 27, he frequently ditched class to run wild with friends, and his absences nearly got him held back in the third grade.

Instead, his mother fought to get him transferred to PS 15, led by legendary Principal Patrick Daly, where he knuckled down academically.

There were consequences: In middle school, he was chased and beaten up by a group of former friends who had taken a harder road, he said.

Years later, while a student at Vassar College, he ran into one of them again at an upstate prison where Maldonado was tutoring, and where the young man was doing time for Daly's murder, Maldonado said.

When he began teaching, he saw those same decisions played out over and over again among his students.

He wrote the book hoping they would "see that a lot influences their choices, yet they can make other choices - to be themselves and follow their own path," he said. "I wanted kids to take a walk though familiar settings but see those settings with new lenses."elazarowitz@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/06/29/2010-06-29_bad_choices_can_kill_writer_shows_youths.html?r=ny_local&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fny_local+%28NY+Local%29#ixzz0sFUJwAa1

Top Ranks of Bloomberg Managers Are Largely White - NYTimes.com

Little Diversity at Top of Bloomberg’s Administration
By DAVID W. CHEN and JO CRAVEN McGINTY

Since winning a third term in November, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced a parade of major appointments: bringing aboard three new deputy mayors and six commissioners and trumpeting most of those arrivals in the Blue Room at City Hall.

All nine are white. All but one is a man.

Those selections are hardly anomalous. Despite a pledge he made when he took office to make diversity a hallmark of his administration, Mr. Bloomberg has consistently surrounded himself with a predominantly white and male coterie of key policy makers, according to an analysis of personnel data by The New York Times.

The city’s non-Hispanic white population is now 35 percent, because of an influx of nonwhite immigrants and other demographic changes in the past two decades.

But Mr. Bloomberg presides over an administration in which more than 70 percent of the senior jobs are held by whites, and he has failed to improve on the oft-criticized diversity record of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

“Obviously, it demonstrates no greater commitment under Bloomberg than there was under Giuliani in appointing minorities to high-level positions in government,” said Abraham May Jr., executive director of the city’s Equal Employment Practices Commission, an independent agency that monitors diversity and discrimination in city government.

Moreover, New York lags behind the three cities closest to its population in diversifying its senior ranks.

In Los Angeles, 52 percent of the top advisers to Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa are white; in Chicago, that figure is 61 percent for Mayor Richard M. Daley; and in Houston, it is 55 percent for Mayor Annise D. Parker.

“The numbers — they’re sad,” said Kevin P. Johnson, a former assistant commissioner of the Department of Correction, who was responsible for equal-employment policies, but quit in December because he was frustrated by the administration’s efforts. “It’s terrible in a city with such a large minority population.”

The Times examined diversity in several top management tiers of the Bloomberg administration. Each tier showed a nearly identical pattern:

¶Of the 80 current city officials identified by the Bloomberg administration as “key members” on its Web site, 79 percent are white, and 64 percent are men.

¶Of 321 people who advise the mayor or hold one of three top titles at agencies that report directly to him — commissioners, deputy commissioners and general counsels, and their equivalents — 78 percent are white, and 60 percent male, according to a database created by The Times, based on public records and dozens of interviews with current and former officials.

¶And of the 1,114 employees who must live in the city, under an executive order, because they wield the most influence over policies and day-to-day operations, 74 percent are white, and 58 percent are men, according to the mayor’s office.

In addition to their demographic similarity, many of the recent appointees fall into two broad categories: former Wall Street executives and loyalists from City Hall or the mayor’s re-election campaign.

“Given Bloomberg’s background, we shouldn’t really be surprised,” said Bruce F. Berg, a political scientist at Fordham University who has studied racial diversity in New York City government. “He’s picking from the business world, his key advisers are from the business world, and this is still very much a white male bastion.”

Mr. Bloomberg declined requests for an interview to discuss the findings.

But his press secretary, Stu Loeser, acknowledged in a statement that “there is always more we can do.” Mr. Loeser said, however, that “we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last eight years” in diversifying the city’s management ranks, noting that almost half of the people in citywide programs intended to identify and develop future top managers are people of color.

In addition, he said, managers — the nearly 6,000 employees who rank just below the top level administrators — have become more diverse in recent years under Mr. Bloomberg.

“These talented up-and-coming managers are positioned to be the next generation of assistant and deputy commissioners, then agency heads, of city agencies,” Mr. Loeser said of those in the training programs.

Still, Mr. Bloomberg has conceded that he has fallen short, acknowledging at a news conference last year that “the diversity of our administration has not been as diverse as the city itself.”

The homogenous composition of the administration is especially striking in crucial areas where city personnel deal with issues predominantly affecting minority residents, like education, homelessness and child welfare.

At the Department of Homeless Services, the Department of Education and the Administration for Children’s Services, 80 percent of the top officials are white, according to the Times’s research — including the newly installed commissioner of homeless services, Seth Diamond. And while the Bloomberg administration, early on, featured minority commissioners at the Department of Finance, the Human Resources Administration and the Administration for Children’s Services, all those positions are now held by white men.

“I have chaired and been present at one too many meetings where every senior person happened to be Caucasian, representing the administration,” said Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, and a former City Councilman who was the chairman of the General Welfare Committee. “It’s not really an acceptable situation.”

Since the 1990 census, the city’s non-Hispanic white population has dropped to 35 percent, from 43 percent. And that change is reflected in the overall city government work force, which dropped from 46 percent white in 1994 to 38 percent in 2008.

Still, little change has occurred in the most senior ranks.

Diversity, of course, is one of the most delicate issues and hardest goals to achieve in any workplace. Many employers want a workplace, especially in the public sector, that has highly qualified managers who reflect the broader community and can engage in a vigorous exchange of ideas by people of different backgrounds. So failing to name minority employees to high-level positions, time after time, not only can dampen employee morale, but also send a message that an employer is insensitive or indifferent, according to political analysts and human resources professionals.

“This is the most diverse city in the world, and to be respected and seen as the mayoral administration of that city, you want to be pushing hard to build a much more diverse pool of people from which to draw expertise,” said Andrew White, director of the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School. “So if you’re not making that effort, your pool is going to be severely limited, and you’re going to go for the kinds of people that you’ve always worked with.”

Mr. Bloomberg pledged during his first campaign, in 2001, to hire people of different backgrounds. And shortly after taking office, he underscored his commitment to diversity, saying that “if you have that as a goal, and you have a process that gets lots of input from various communities, you will wind up with an administration that is reasonably diverse.”

More than eight years later, many people credit Mr. Bloomberg with achieving real progress on race relations, by discussing racial issues forthrightly, supporting immigration reform and meeting with different groups regularly on issues like public health, economic development and basic quality-of-life services.

“Even though minorities may not be filling out the ranks of his cabinet, in proportion to their ranks in the population at large,” Professor Berg, of Fordham, said, “Bloomberg goes out of his way, on many occasions, to assuage minority leaders, and include them.”

No longer, some say, is race viewed as the lightning rod in the way it was under Mr. Giuliani.

“Together with a City Hall that listens to every community across the five boroughs,” Mr. Loeser said in a statement, “we’ve helped contribute to creating a city where people are almost universally seen as getting along together better than at any time in memory.”

But while his language has been inclusive, that has not translated into concrete changes in the highest ranks at city agencies.

A telling measure involves the commissioners who are frequently the faces and voices of the administration at City Council hearings and town-hall-style forums. And the numbers suggest that Mr. Bloomberg has fewer people of color than some previous administrations.

According to the mayor’s office, 72 percent of his commissioners and agency heads are white. That percentage is higher than the 63 percent figure during Mr. Giuliani’s first year, in 1994, and his 69 percent in 1998. Mr. Giuliani’s predecessor, David N. Dinkins, who is black, meanwhile, had a cabinet that was slightly more than half white, in keeping with his goal of a “gorgeous mosaic” of an administration.

And comparing the “key members” identified by the Bloomberg administration with people in similar posts in the past yields striking results: 79 percent white under Mr. Bloomberg, about 75 percent white under Mr. Giuliani, and 55 percent under Mr. Dinkins, according to a review of earlier city rosters and interviews with former officials.

To be sure, some sectors of the Bloomberg administration are more diverse. The New York City Housing Authority is dominated by minorities at the top tier and led by two black officials whom the mayor tapped last year: John B. Rhea, the chairman, and Michael Kelly, the general manager.

And at the Police Department, where for the first time ever a majority of patrol officers are minority, Raymond W. Kelly, the commissioner, promoted two Hispanics to department chiefs in the last year and Chief Rafael Pineiro as first deputy commissioner — the highest rank achieved by a Hispanic.

Such moves, though, stand out in part because they have been relatively infrequent, current and former city officials said.

Mr. Johnson, formerly with the Department of Correction, recalled that at regular meetings, a top official at the city’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services would invariably boast about the administration’s diversity record. Afterwards, a few equal employment officers would huddle, and scratch their heads.

“We would say to each other, ‘What are they talking about? This administration is not diverse,’ ” said Mr. Johnson, who is now an investigator for lawyers.

He said that he still had “a lot of respect for the mayor.” But he feels disillusioned, after Mr. Bloomberg’s initial inclusionary talk in 2002.

“The message is: Make me a believer again,” he said.

Top Ranks of Bloomberg Managers Are Largely White - NYTimes.com.

North General Hospital To Close - NY1.com

North General Hospital To Close

By: Kafi Drexel

North General Hospital in Harlem is set to close its doors this week.

The hospital filed for bankruptcy today so that it can become an outpatient health center, in a deal brokered by Governor David Paterson.

Emergency services will no longer exist and will be diverted to nearby hospitals – including Mount Sinai, Columbia-Presbyterian, St. Luke’s, Metropolitan Hospital and Harlem Hospital.

During the dissolution of the hospital, some urgent care services will be offered through the Institute for Family Health.

“While it saddens us all to face closing the doors of a hospital that’s been an integral part of our neighborhood for 30 years, we see this as an opportunity to not only continue to use the North General facility to maintain the health of the people of this community,” said North General Board Chairman Rev. Calvin Butts.

Despite the fact that North General has been in grave financial trouble for the past few months, many hospital workers and patients said they were shocked by the news of the closure.

“It’s definitely devastating to the community for several reasons,” said Dr. Raju Ayinla. “One is the job losses, jobs within the Harlem community that will be lost. Also, there are patients here that we’ve been taking care of for years, and there is no other place but this hospital.”

“I think it’s very cruel and unfair because everybody here works hard and has families,” said a hospital nurse. “And we have bills and stuff to pay and they weren’t honest with us at all.”

“I’ve been a patient at North General for the past 17 years. North General saved my life,” said a patient. “And I think right now it’s a crying shame that people are coming in here and snatching the lives from under people’s feet.”

The hospital will officially close its doors on Friday. The health center is set to begin operating the first week of July.

The public hospital system will also run a nursing home out of facility.

North General Hospital To Close - NY1.com.

Kellogg recalls 28M boxes of 'waxy' smelling cereals | New York City And Press

Kellogg recalls 28M boxes of 'waxy' smelling cereals
Daily News

Kellogg Co. is voluntarily recalling about 28 million boxes of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks cereals because a "waxy" smell and flavor coming from the package liners could make people sick, the company said Friday.
Read full article

Kellogg recalls 28M boxes of 'waxy' smelling cereals | New York City And Press.

NIKE, Inc. and USA Basketball Planning Inaugural World Basketball Festival Hosted by New York City.

Article date:
June 23, 2010

This summer, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) and USA Basketball are planning to bring the world's best basketball teams and top musical performers to New York City for the inaugural World Basketball Festival, a four-day celebration of the performance and culture of the game, an event that Nike has committed to reprising every two years.

The World Basketball Festival, August 12-15, features basketball's leading brands within the NIKE Inc. portfolio - Converse, the Jordan Brand, and Nike Basketball.

The World Basketball Festival is a uniquely dynamic event, from the moment it tips off with a showcase featuring members of the 2010 USA Basketball National Team on an open-air court in Times Square, to an unprecedented Times Square performance by a surprise musical act, to the final games of the weekend between four of the best teams in the world at Madison Square Garden.

"The World Basketball Festival will be an unforgettable event for the people of New York City and basketball fans around the world," said Charlie Denson, Nike Brand President. "Every two years we plan to connect the global world of basketball to celebrate the sport while leaving a lasting legacy within the community."

From Times Square on August 12, the action moves uptown to New York City's legendary basketball courts at Rucker Park in Harlem, Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14.

Rucker Park will be home to open-air practices and scrimmages by National Teams from Brazil and Puerto Rico, and training by France, mixed with performances by top international music acts, in addition to a grassroots youth tournament serving as the championships for some of New York's top summer basketball leagues. Fans will also be invited to participate in clinics here designed to improve training and basketball skills. The two days at Rucker Park will culminate with a special celebration on Saturday, August 14. Details will be provided closer to the day.

The World Basketball Festival concludes Sunday, August 15 with an exciting exhibition double-header featuring the United States taking on France (1 p.m. EDT) and China meeting Puerto Rico (3:30 p.m. EDT) at famed Madison Square Garden.

The exhibition games are being utilized as part of the teams' preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship in Turkey, August 28 to September 12.

"We're thrilled with the opportunity to bring the energy and excitement of USA Basketball's Men's National Team to fans and give them with a way to celebrate their team," said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Chairman. "We are honored to have the opportunity to represent the United States in the FIBA World Championship and I can't think of a better sendoff for our team than the World Basketball Festival."

NIKE, Inc. will use the backdrop of the World Basketball Festival to debut the United We Rise initiative as a catalyst to improve communities through basketball. Over the next two years, Nike is partnering with USA Basketball and New York City, in particular the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and the New York City Housing Authority, to support youth programming and the installation and refurbishment of basketball courts at 25 Community Centers throughout New York City.

"Piloting programs with these 25 rec centers in New York City will allow Nike and other partners to create a new and sustainable model that we can bring to other communities in years to come," added Denson.

Nike is committed to leaving every court it uses throughout the World Basketball Festival in better shape than what it was at the beginning including dedicating the hardwood courts that will be used in Times Square and Rucker Park to locations where courts are still needed in New York City. About Nike NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. A division of NIKE, Inc., Jordan Brand is a premium brand of footwear, apparel and accessories inspired by the dynamic legacy, vision and direct involvement of Michael Jordan. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com. About USA Basketball Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions. For more information about USA Basketball, visitwww.usabasketball.com

For more information, including multi-media materials, please visit: www.nikemedia.com Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6321049〈=en

This article was prepared by Telecommunications Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Telecommunications Weekly via VerticalNews.com.

HighBeam Research.

NYC charity shut after fraud allegations | New York City And Press

NYC charity shut after fraud allegations

Crain's New York Business

A homeless charity that was once ubiquitous in New York City's busiest tourist districts has been permanently shut down by a judge over fraud allegations.The United Homeless Organization was sued by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in November following years of complaints about its fundraising tactics.Investigators said most of the money the charity ...
Read full article

NYC charity shut after fraud allegations | New York City And Press.

PS/MS 156 celebrates freedom, history with Juneteenth

PS/MS 156 celebrates freedom, history with Juneteenth

By Ivan Pereira

Last Updated: 10:01 AM, June 24, 2010

Posted: 10:01 AM, June 24, 2010

For black Americans, the Juneteenth celebration is a day to remember their freedom and unity after years of slavery in the United States.

A party in Laurelton took the idea behind the holiday one step further Saturday by generating a new sense of community in southeast Queens. The PTA of PS/MS 156 invited dozens of students, parents and neighborhood residents to its all-day Juneteenth party at the school’s playground at 229-02 137th Ave.

The Rev. Kermitt Williams, vice president of the PTA who co-coordinated the first-annual event with PTA President Lijia Brown, said he was happy with the turnout.

“This was a great tool to bring unity to the community,” he said.

The entire playground had many activities and events for people of all ages. A live disc jockey was blaring tunes, a face painter was on hand to add some color to the faces of young partygoers and everyone was fed well with a barbecue lunch.

Several business vendors from the area were on hand to show off their goods as well. Theresa Stahling, a school supporter, said she enjoyed having fun in the sun with her fellow neighborhood residents.

“The PTA is always doing good for this school,” she said.

But the party was not all about fun and games as the children were taught a valuable lesson about the historical facets of Juneteenth.

The holiday, widely celebrated in the South and as an official state holiday in Texas, honors the day when Texas slaves were emancipated in 1865. Although President Abraham Lincoln officially issued the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, Confederate leaders in the Southern state refused to adhere to the law.

The slaves were freed after the Union took over the state June 18 and June 19 in 1865.

Principal Noreen Little said the party helped her students understand the holiday better because they were able to learn with their parents and grandparents.

“It was such a multi-generational group,” she said of the event.

State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), who joined the festivities, agreed.

“Schools have always been about community,” she said. “We have a lot of community volunteers ... and this is important for them to come out and have fun.”

Williams said he would like to continue the Juneteenth celebration at the school next year and bring in more residents.

“This will definitely be annual. It’ll be a time to advance the consciousness of unity.”

Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.

PS/MS 156 celebrates freedom, history with Juneteenth - NYPOST.com.

‘Kissing Nurse’ From Famous World War II Photograph Dies

By: Dan Fletcher (1 day ago)

It’s perhaps the most iconic photograph from the victory celebrations of World War II, and the nurse who made it possible, Edith Shain, is dead at 91.

Reuters reports that Shain, the nurse in the famous Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph from the V-J celebrations in Times Square marking the end of U.S. hostilities with Japan, died in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Shain worked at Doctor’s Hospital in New York during the war, and her kiss with the anonymous sailor — his identity has never been discovered — was captured by Eisenstaedt for LIFE.

“My mom was always willing take on new challenges and caring for the World War II veterans energized her to take another chance to make a difference,” said son Justin Decker. (Reuters, via MSNBC)

See the story of the famous photograph on LIFE.com.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/06/23/kissing-nurse-from-the-famous-photograph-dies/#ixzz0rmeY9SWr

Cop Tactics for Minorities Different Than for Whites

Cop Tactics for Minorities Different Than for Whites

Panel Examines Issue

By MARK TOOR

IT’S THE CRIME, NOT THE CENSUS: Heather MacDonald, a Manhattan Institute fellow who writes frequently on the police and race, says stop-and-frisk statistics, which show most of those stopped are black and Latino, are not evidence of racism because those two groups are responsible for 95 percent of the city’s violent crime. ‘Crime, not census data, drives everything the department does,’ she said. The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang Policing is done differently in minority neighborhoods, and that needs to change, agreed attorneys and law-enforcement veterans on a panel June 16 discussing police strategies and minority communities.

They battled over the stop-andfrisk program, police shootings of unarmed blacks and Latinos and police attitudes toward minorities in general.

The panel was part of a Conference on Race, Law and the Courts hosted by the Unified Court System’s Judicial Commission on Minorities.

‘LAZY POLICE WORK’: Anthony Miranda, executive chairman of the National Latino Officers Association and a retired NYPD Sergeant, says stop-and-frisk is often numbers-driven and results in ‘lazy police work.’ Precinct commanders ‘need the numbers because they haven’t been able to catch a criminal but they want to show the Police Commissioner they’re being proactive,’ he said. The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang Defending Stop-and Frisk

Heather MacDonald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute who writes frequently about the police and race, defended the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program, deriding critics of the effort who say it is racist because the makeup of racial and ethnic groups stopped does not match their percentage in the general population.

“In the Compstat era, crime, not census data, drives everything the department does,” she said. Blacks made up 27 percent of the city’s population in 2009 but were responsible for 80 percent of the shootings and 71 percent of the robberies, she said, adding that blacks and Latinos were responsible for 95 percent of violent crime in the city.

Ms. MacDonald shrugged off the fact that only 12 percent of the stops resulted in an arrest or summons. “The purpose of the stops is to deter criminal activity before it happens,” she said. “What should the proper percentage be?”

Not 12 percent, responded Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “What kind of return on investment is this?” she asked. The problem is compounded by the fact that the NYPD records all such stops in a database. “We’re creating a pool of suspects that happens to be black or Latino,” she said. “I think there’s something wrong with that.”

“They’re supposed to know what’s suspicious,” Ms. Lieberman said of police. “You don’t look at a 17-year-old and say ‘that’s suspicious.’ ’’

‘Lazy Police Work’

Anthony Miranda, executive chairman of the Latino National Latino Officers Association and a retired NYPD Sergeant, said officers are often given numerical targets for stop-and-frisk that result in “lazy police work” rather than actual investigations of crimes. Commanders “need the numbers because they haven’t been able to catch a criminal but they want to show the Police Commissioner they’re being proactive,” he said.

“The way we stop blacks or Hispanics is different from the way we stop white people,” he said. Whites are treated more gently and touched less often, he said, while a minority youth can be grabbed, put against a wall, handcuffed, shoved into a police car and locked in a cell. “Then we say it’s all right because we let him go,” Mr. Miranda said.

H. McCarthy Gipson, retired Buffalo Police Commissioner, said communities of color “tend to view police as the occupying force.” He blamed that on abuse of trust by police: stop-andfrisk efforts, abusive interrogations, harsh arrest tactics and unjustified shootings. Many cops act “in a lessthan professional manner” in these neighborhoods, perhaps because minorities are disproportionately both criminals and victims, he said.

“When a community is respected, they respond in kind,” and policing becomes easier and more pleasant for all involved, said Michael A. Hardy of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, who has been involved in controversial police-conduct cases involving Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell and Abner Louima.

Ms. MacDonald quoted a lawyer who told her,“We are going to be more trigger-happy with a black suspect than a white suspect” because almost all shootings in the city are by blacks and Latinos.

Some Shootings ‘Totally Excessive’

“A police officer’s not supposed to be human,” said Mr. Miranda, noting that the officers’ training should inform their responses. He added that “poor police tactics” such as failure to take cover “don’t justify shooting somebody,”

Mr. Gipson said that some of the shootings by police in New York City have been “totally excessive.”

“There’s not a word said in [Compstat] meetings about race,” Ms. Mac- Donald said. Audience members responded that police didn’t need to talk about race because they knew when locations under discussion were in minority neighborhoods. “Because they don’t ask about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” said Mr. Miranda.

Police respond differently in minority neighborhoods than they do in white neighborhoods, Mr. Hardy said. If a gunshot is heard in a white neighborhood, he said, it may not even be reported to police; neighbors will call each other to find out what happened. But “in the projects if a gunshot is heard, it becomes an armed camp.”

Ms. Lieberman said that 90 percent of people arrested for misdemeanors involving marijuana, a drug that is far more popular among whites than blacks, are black and Latino.

‘Narrow the Gap’

Ms. MacDonald noted that during a period in which police officers shot 11 people, “hundreds of people” were killed by criminals. She said she would like to see “one-tenth the attention” given to shootings by police focused on black-on-black crime. “We deal with black-on-black crime every day,” Mr. Hardy responded.

The criminal justice system should try to “narrow the gap” between the way policing works in white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods, Mr. Hardy said. “We should not have communities where we have to fear both the cops and the robbers,” he said.

Panel Examines Issue

By MARK TOOR

IT’S THE CRIME, NOT THE CENSUS: Heather MacDonald, a Manhattan Institute fellow who writes frequently on the police and race, says stop-and-frisk statistics, which show most of those stopped are black and Latino, are not evidence of racism because those two groups are responsible for 95 percent of the city’s violent crime. ‘Crime, not census data, drives everything the department does,’ she said. The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang Policing is done differently in minority neighborhoods, and that needs to change, agreed attorneys and law-enforcement veterans on a panel June 16 discussing police strategies and minority communities.

They battled over the stop-andfrisk program, police shootings of unarmed blacks and Latinos and police attitudes toward minorities in general.

The panel was part of a Conference on Race, Law and the Courts hosted by the Unified Court System’s Judicial Commission on Minorities.

‘LAZY POLICE WORK’: Anthony Miranda, executive chairman of the National Latino Officers Association and a retired NYPD Sergeant, says stop-and-frisk is often numbers-driven and results in ‘lazy police work.’ Precinct commanders ‘need the numbers because they haven’t been able to catch a criminal but they want to show the Police Commissioner they’re being proactive,’ he said. The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang Defending Stop-and Frisk

Heather MacDonald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute who writes frequently about the police and race, defended the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program, deriding critics of the effort who say it is racist because the makeup of racial and ethnic groups stopped does not match their percentage in the general population.

“In the Compstat era, crime, not census data, drives everything the department does,” she said. Blacks made up 27 percent of the city’s population in 2009 but were responsible for 80 percent of the shootings and 71 percent of the robberies, she said, adding that blacks and Latinos were responsible for 95 percent of violent crime in the city.

Ms. MacDonald shrugged off the fact that only 12 percent of the stops resulted in an arrest or summons. “The purpose of the stops is to deter criminal activity before it happens,” she said. “What should the proper percentage be?”

Not 12 percent, responded Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “What kind of return on investment is this?” she asked. The problem is compounded by the fact that the NYPD records all such stops in a database. “We’re creating a pool of suspects that happens to be black or Latino,” she said. “I think there’s something wrong with that.”

“They’re supposed to know what’s suspicious,” Ms. Lieberman said of police. “You don’t look at a 17-year-old and say ‘that’s suspicious.’ ’’

‘Lazy Police Work’

Anthony Miranda, executive chairman of the Latino National Latino Officers Association and a retired NYPD Sergeant, said officers are often given numerical targets for stop-and-frisk that result in “lazy police work” rather than actual investigations of crimes. Commanders “need the numbers because they haven’t been able to catch a criminal but they want to show the Police Commissioner they’re being proactive,” he said.

“The way we stop blacks or Hispanics is different from the way we stop white people,” he said. Whites are treated more gently and touched less often, he said, while a minority youth can be grabbed, put against a wall, handcuffed, shoved into a police car and locked in a cell. “Then we say it’s all right because we let him go,” Mr. Miranda said.

H. McCarthy Gipson, retired Buffalo Police Commissioner, said communities of color “tend to view police as the occupying force.” He blamed that on abuse of trust by police: stop-andfrisk efforts, abusive interrogations, harsh arrest tactics and unjustified shootings. Many cops act “in a lessthan professional manner” in these neighborhoods, perhaps because minorities are disproportionately both criminals and victims, he said.

“When a community is respected, they respond in kind,” and policing becomes easier and more pleasant for all involved, said Michael A. Hardy of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, who has been involved in controversial police-conduct cases involving Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell and Abner Louima.

Ms. MacDonald quoted a lawyer who told her,“We are going to be more trigger-happy with a black suspect than a white suspect” because almost all shootings in the city are by blacks and Latinos.

Some Shootings ‘Totally Excessive’

“A police officer’s not supposed to be human,” said Mr. Miranda, noting that the officers’ training should inform their responses. He added that “poor police tactics” such as failure to take cover “don’t justify shooting somebody,”

Mr. Gipson said that some of the shootings by police in New York City have been “totally excessive.”

“There’s not a word said in [Compstat] meetings about race,” Ms. Mac- Donald said. Audience members responded that police didn’t need to talk about race because they knew when locations under discussion were in minority neighborhoods. “Because they don’t ask about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” said Mr. Miranda.

Police respond differently in minority neighborhoods than they do in white neighborhoods, Mr. Hardy said. If a gunshot is heard in a white neighborhood, he said, it may not even be reported to police; neighbors will call each other to find out what happened. But “in the projects if a gunshot is heard, it becomes an armed camp.”

Ms. Lieberman said that 90 percent of people arrested for misdemeanors involving marijuana, a drug that is far more popular among whites than blacks, are black and Latino.

‘Narrow the Gap’

Ms. MacDonald noted that during a period in which police officers shot 11 people, “hundreds of people” were killed by criminals. She said she would like to see “one-tenth the attention” given to shootings by police focused on black-on-black crime. “We deal with black-on-black crime every day,” Mr. Hardy responded.

The criminal justice system should try to “narrow the gap” between the way policing works in white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods, Mr. Hardy said. “We should not have communities where we have to fear both the cops and the robbers,” he said.

Family fishing

 

Manhattan’s West Harlem Piers Park, located at 125th Street and the Hudson River, will host “Fishing Festival,” a special family-friendly outdoor event, on Saturday, June 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Throughout the day, the Urban Park Rangers will provide visitors with fishing rods and reels, as well as discuss proper angling techniques, fish biology and river ecology. However, only catch-andrelease fishing will be allowed.

In addition, there will also be a wide range of other river-related activities for all ages to enjoy.

Admission is free and open to the public. Call 212-628-2345.

This is part of the June 24, 2010 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

Judge who overturned drilling bans had shares in the oil industry

Martin Feldman, who ruled against Barack Obama's moratorium, accused of conflict of interests

 guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 June 2010 12.51 BST

An oil worker's hat lies on a polluted Louisiana beach. The White House is to appeal against the lifting of the drilling ban. Photograph: Lee Celano/Reuters

The judge who overturned deepwater drilling bans allowing BP to resume oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico, had shares in Transocean and other firms in the industry, it was revealed today.

Yesterday, a Louisiana-based judge Martin Feldman ruled that Barack Obama's six-month drilling moratorium in the Gulf was unjustified because it assumed that all deepwater drilling was as dangerous as BP's.

The White House promised an immediate appeal.

Meanwhile environmental groups have said Feldman's ruling may have to be rescinded because of the possible conflict of interests.

Harlem hotel begins hiring - Crain's New York Business

Article can be found at http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100622/FREE/100629949

Harlem hotel begins hiring
Aloft, the first hotel to open in the neighborhood in 40 years, will conduct interviews on Wednesday at the legendary Apollo Theater.

By Lisa Fickenscher

Published: June 22, 2010 - 2:46 pm

Aloft Harlem, a stylish hotel expected to open on West 123rd Street in August, is courting local residents as it begins hiring employees this week.

The property, a Starwood Hotels brand, is likely to attract a lot of attention as it is Harlem’s first new hotel in at least 40 years.

In a departure from typical hotel hiring practices, Aloft management turned to a city agency based in Harlem, Workforce 1—part of the city’s Department of Small Business Services—to vet hundreds of local candidates.

“We need to work with the community,” said Daniel Fevre, general manager of Aloft Harlem. “We will be a big part of this neighborhood.”

On Wednesday, 75 pre-screened job applicants will be interviewed by the hotel’s executives at the Apollo Theater for jobs as housekeepers, receptionists, and bellhops. But only 30 people will be hired by the 124-room property.

Since June 1, Workforce 1 has screened some 500 job applicants for Aloft Harlem.

While the hotel describes the event at the Apollo as a “job fair” it is not open to the public.

Harlem hotel begins hiring - Crain's New York Business.

clipped from www.nydailynews.com Defaced image of President Obama placed next to picture of Unabomber on toolbox at Bronx firehouse BY Kerry Burke and Christina Boyle DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Toolbox at East Tremont, Bronx, firehouse with defaced image of President Obama and a sketch of the Unabomber. A Bronx firehouse is feeling the heat after officials discovered an image of President Obama was painted on a toolbox - and then defaced with the word "hustler." An iconic picture of the President above the word "BELIEVE" appears to have been stenciled on a large toolbox visible inside Engine 45, Ladder 58 in East Tremont. Right across Obama's face is the word "HUSTLER" in big red letters. And underneath the image, someone scrawled "Allah Akbar" - "God is great" in Arabic - in black ink. Lt. Kenneth Durante refused to comment on the images when questioned at the firehouse Monday.

Making a Life, and a Living, from Rags and Turtle Wax

Making a Life, and a Living, from Rags and Turtle Wax

By COREY KILGANNON

Corey Kilgannon/The New York Times Robert Brown with the tools of his trade on West 126th Street.

William Brown, 50, has been washing cars from the same sidewalk spot in Harlem for the past eight years, armed with a dozen multi-colored rags, several spackle buckets and an assortment of waxes and cleansers.

Oh yes, and all the water he needs, courtesy of the fire hydrant next to which he bases his car-cleaning business, on West 126th Street just west of Morningside Avenue.

“By now everyone knows I wash here,” he said the other day. “It’s 10 bucks, and 15 for trucks – 20 bucks for a wash and wax.”

Mr. Brown said he is careful to use the absolute minimum amount of water — maybe a bucket or two per car.

He tucks his rags into the chain-link fence so they form a sort of linear headdress above him as he sits on one of his plastic buckets waiting for the next customer. He has two pairs of spiffy newish Nike basketball sneakers: one for washing with, the other for wearing home.

Most customers are locals or commuters who pass regularly. That and employees at the nearby post office leave him their cars with the keys, and trust him to find them a spot, no extra charge.

“I don’t even ask for a tip,” he said. “Hey we’re all struggling out here.”

He does some contractual work for the auto repair shop across the street, cleaning the just-repaired cars, he said, adding that, “In the winter, when you have water freezing on the car, they let me use their hot water.”

Mr. Brown is not a pitiable man, but he does have a hard-luck story. He was living at Broadway and 107th Street with his parents and working at Au Bon Pain at the World Trade Center, he said. His father passed away in 2000.

Then he escaped the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001, but not without seeing the second plane hit, and people jumping from upper floors “like little rag dolls,” he said. His mother passed away that year too and he lost the family apartment.

With no job or home, he began living in the Charles H. Gay shelter on Wards Island for a year and worked in a McDonald’s. That did not work out, and he took up residency in an abandoned van next to the auto repair shop here on West 126th Street for three years.

He washed cars and helped out with odd jobs around the nearby Church of St. Joseph of the Holy Family, where nuns intervened and referred him to a local landlord who rented him a studio apartment nearby. Things keep getting better.

“I’ve always believed in working for a living,” Mr. Brown said. “Little by little, I’m pulling things back together.”

Make Music New York : June 21, 2010 - The MMNY Second Line

A New Orleans-style "second line" jazz parade, featuring musicians from the Jazz Gallery, Jazzmobile, and other leading institutions, will wind its way through three Manhattan neighborhoods for this year's Make Music New York, joined by community members who have learned the traditional Second Line dance steps.

Participating musicians so far include: John Ellis, Grandpa Musselman & His Syncopators, members of the Hungry March Band, Russell Moore, Matt Perine, and Kiane Zawadi, but more musicians and dancers are welcome to join - email Evan Hammer at evan@evanhammer.com to sign up.

Part 1: Second Line in Hudson Square

Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Start: The Greene Space at WNYC and WQXRM, 44 Charlton St. Open House for the Second Line, with coffee and treats.
End: City Winery, 155 Varick St
Route: Proceed west on Charlton. Turn left on Hudson, stop at Jazz Gallery (290 Hudson). Proceed 1/2 block north to Spring, continue east to Trump SoHo (246 Spring St). Continue to Soho Square (corner of 6th and Spring). Turn left on 6th Avenue, left on Houston Street, stop at SOB's (209 W Houston). Turn left on Varick, end at City Winery. Musicians take Jazzmobile float up to Lincoln Square.

Part 2: Second Line in Lincoln Square

Time: 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Start: Kaufman Center, 129 West 67th St, on closed-off street.
End: Columbus Circle
Route: Proceed east on W. 67th St, turn right on Broadway, stop at WNET Studio. Continue south on Broadway, take right on W. 65th St, left to enter Lincoln Center campus, up stairs on the side of Avery Fisher Hall, stop on Lincoln Center Plaza. Walk east down steps to Columbus Avenue, 1/2 block south to enter David Rubenstein Atrium. Exit Atrium on Broadway, turn right, continue down Broadway to Columbus Circle. Break for lunch.

Part 3: Second Line in Harlem

Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Start: Morningside Park, Morningside Ave and W. 121st St
End: Marcus Garvey Park, Madison Ave and E. 124th St
Route: Proceed north on Morningside Ave, turn east on W. 123rd. Turn left on St. Nicholas Ave, and right on W. 124th St. Continue east on W. 124th St to Marcus Garvey Park.

Make Music New York : June 21, 2010 - The MMNY Second Line.

Central Park Summerstage goes all-borough for 2010

Central Park Summerstage goes all-borough for 2010

The City Park Foundation tonight kicks off its 25th season of free Summerstage concerts, this time with a push beyond Central Park into all four outer boroughs.

Offerings range from opera and old-school hip-hop to ballet and new plays.

All shows are free except where noted.

June 1 at 7 p.m.
Melody Gardot and the New York Pops
Central Park, Manhattan

June 1 at 7 p.m.
Jay Electronica
Red Hook Park (at Bay Street between Henry and Clinton streets) in Brooklyn

June 2 at 7 p.m.
Roy Ayers and DJ Jon Quick
Betsy Head Park, Brooklyn

June 3 at 7 p.m.
Doug E. Fresh and DJ Dee Wiz
Von King Park, Brooklyn

June 4 at 7 p.m.
Akim Funk Buddha’s Flying Boom Box: An Urban Dance Theatrical and Organic Magnetics
Von King Park, Brooklyn

June 5 at 3 p.m.
Living Colour, Ebony Bones, Pillow Theory and CX KiDTRONiK celebrating the 25th anniversary of Black Rock Coalition
Central Park, Manhattan

June 5 at 7 p.m.
Peniel Guerrier Dance and Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater present A Tribute to Haiti in collaboration with The Haiti Cultural Exchange
Von King Park, Brooklyn

June 6 at 3 p.m.
Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Jose Conde and a DJ tribute toFania Records with DJ Bobbito Garcia, DJ Laylo and DJ-Sake-1
Central Park, Manhattan

June 8 at 7 p.m.
Frankie Negron
Red Hook Park, Brooklyn

June 9 at 7 p.m.
Nice and Smooth and The Awesome 2
Betsy Head Park, Brooklyn

June 10 at 7 p.m.
Hezekiah Walker
Von King Park, Brooklyn

June 11 and June 12 at 8 p.m.
“The Etymology of Bird” by Zakiyyah Alexander
Von King Park, Brooklyn

June 12 at 7 p.m.
The 8th Annual Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil with a screening of “Oscar Niemeyer - Life is a Breath of Air” with live performances by Os Paralamas do Sucesso and Maria Gadu
Central Park, Manhattan

June 14 at 7 p.m.
Baaba Maal and Playing for Change
Central Park, Manhattan

June 15 at 7 p.m.
Dan Deacon
Red Hook Park, Brooklyn

June 16 at 7 p.m.
Big Daddy Kane with DJ Jon Quick
Von King Park, Brooklyn

June 17 at 7 p.m.
The Felix Hernandez Rhythm Review
Betsy Head Park, Brooklyn

June 18 and 19 at 8 p.m.
“The Etymology of Bird” by Zakiyyah Alexander
Betsy Head Park, Brooklyn

June 19 at 4 p.m.
NYC Pride Rally featuring Me’Shell Ndegéocello, Martha Wash, The NYC Gay Men’s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, Billie Myers and Bruce Vilanch
Central Park, Manhattan

June 20 at 3 p.m.
Fête De La Musique / Make Music NY celebration featuring Salif Keita, Tabou Combo and Lo’Jo
Central Park, Manhattan


June 22 at 7 p.m.
Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta
Soundview Park, Bronx

June 23 at 7 p.m.
George Wein’s CareFusion Jazz Festival
Central Park, Manhattan

June 23 at 7 p.m.
Brand Nubian
Crotona Park, Bronx


June 24 at 7 p.m.
Conjunto Clásico
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

June 25 at 7 p.m.
Rennie Harris RHAW and Le Soul Afrique with Akim Funk Buddha
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

June 26 at 3 p.m
Tinariwen, Omar Souleyman and Toubab Krewe
Central Park, Manhattan

June 26 at 7 p.m.
ABAKUÁ Afro-Latin Dance Company and Areytos Performance Works
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

June 27 at 3 p.m.
Intro to Afro-Latin Funk dance class with Gil Scott-Heron
Sunday, June 27

June 27 at noon
Bronx Family Day featuring Jose Ortiz, BombaYo, Dan Zanes and Jose Conde’s Baby Loves Salsa
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

June 29 at 7 p.m.
Definitely Poetry with Daniel Bernard Roumain, Emeline Michel and Erol Josué
Central Park, Manhattan

June 29 at 7 p.m.
Papa San
Soundview Park, Bronx

June 30 at 7 p.m.
The Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Central Park, Manhattan

June 30 at 7 p.m.
DJ Kool Herc
Crotona Park, Bronx

July 1 at 7 p.m.
A Tribute to Héctor Lavoe: La Orquesta de la Gente under the direction of Gilberto Colon Jr., and 8 y Más
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

July 2 and July 3 at 8 p.m.
“American Schemes” by Radha Blank
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

July 3 at 3 p.m.
Istanbul II: The Sounds & Colors of Turkey
Central Park, Manhattan

July 6 at 6 p.m.
The Felix Hernandez Rhythm Review
Soundview Park, Bronx

July 7 at 7 p.m.
El Guincho and Anita Tijoux, presented with the 11th Annual Latin Alternative Music Conference
Central Park, Manhattan

July 7 at 7 p.m.
Hector Tricoche and Chris Alfinez
St. Mary’s Park, Bronx

July 8 at 7 p.m.
TKA, Corina and Noel present a Tribute to the 30th anniversary of Fever Records
Crotona Park, Bronx

July 9 at 8 p.m.
“American Schemes” by Radha Blank
Crotona Park, Bronx

July 10 at 3 p.m.
Profetas, Maldita Vecindad and The Pinker Tones presented with the 11th annual Latin Alternative Music Conference
Central Park, Manhattan

July 10 at 10 a.m.
Summer Shake Up with The Public Theater: “American Schemes” by Radha Blank
Crotona Park, Bronx

July 11 at 3 p.m.
Jimmy Cliff, Trevor Hall and Victor Démé
Central Park, Manhattan

July 12 at 8 p.m.
Met Opera Summer Recital
Central Park, Manhattan

July 13 at 7 p.m.
The Force M.D.’S
Tappen Park, Staten Island


July 14 at 7 p.m.
Ryan Leslie
Springfield Park, Queens

July 15 at 7 p.m.
EPMD and DJ Funkmaster Flex
Queensbridge Park, Queens

July 15 at 7 p.m.
Met Opera Summer Recital
Crotona Park, Bronx

July 16 at 7 p.m.
Seewe African Dance Company and BalAfroHop Project 2010
Queensbridge Park, Queens

July 17 at 3 p.m.
A Celebration of Giant Step’s 20th Anniversary: Raphael Saadiq and Aloe Blacc
Central Park, Manhattan

July 17 at 7 p.m.
“The Dance of Light” choreographed by Vernard J. Gilmore and Abdur-Rahim Jackson, and open HipFunkinHop dance class with Calvin Wiley
Queensbridge Park, Queens


July 18 at 3 p.m.
Global Family Day
Central Park, Manhattan

July 20 at 7 p.m.
Lisa Lisa
Tappen Park, Staten Island

July 20 at 7 p.m.
Met Opera Summer Recital
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn

July 21 at 8 p.m.
Comedy Central Park: The Daily Show and Friends hosted by Lewis Black with John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Wyatt Cenac, Adam Lowitt and Rory Albanese
Central Park, Manhattan

July 21 at 7 p.m.
Pharoahe Monch
Queensbridge Park, Queens

July 22 at 7 p.m.
Smokie Norful
Springfield Park, Queens

July 22 at 7 p.m.
Met Opera Summer Recital
Tappen Park, Staten Island

July 23 and July 24 and 8 p.m.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Central Park, Manhattan

July 23 at 7 p.m.
The Main Ingredient with George Staley Sr, Larry Moore and Cuba Gooding Sr.
Rochdale Park, Brooklyn

July 23 and July 24 at 8 p.m.
“blood pudding” by Sharon Bridgforth
Springfield Park, Queens

July 25 at 3 p.m.
Bassekou Kouyate + Ngoni ba, Burkina Electric, Fool’s Gold and DJ Frank of Voodoo Funk
Central Park, Manhattan

July 27 at 7 p.m.
Blue Magic
Tappen Park, Staten Island


July 27 at 7 p.m.
Met Opera Summer Recital
Queensbridge Park, Queens

July 28 at 7 p.m.
Olu Dara
Queensbridge Park, Queens

July 29 at 7 p.m.
Jon B
Springfield Park, Queens

July 29 at 7 p.m.
Met Opera Summer Recital
Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan

July 30 at 7 p.m.
Total Praise choir
Rochdale Park, Brooklyn


July 30 at 7 p.m.
Creative Outlet Dance Theatre, Kyle Abraham and Abraham.in.Motion
Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan

July 31 at 3 p.m.
Jovanotti, Los Amigos Invisibles and Natalia Lafourcade
Central Park, Manhattan

July 31 at 7 p.m.
Earl Moseley’s Institute of the Arts and Motion Theater Lab
Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan

Aug. 1 at 3 p.m.
St. Vincent,tUnE-yArDs and Basia Bulat
Central Park, Manhattan

Aug. 3 at 7 p.m.
Elvis Martinez
Highbridge Park, Manhattan


Aug. 4 at 7 p.m.
George Lamond, Judy Torres and DJ Lucho
East River Park, Manhattan


Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.
Gil Scott-Heron
Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan

Aug 6 and 7 at 8 p.m.
“blood pudding” by Sharon Bridgforth
Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan

Aug. 7 at 3 p.m.
The Clark Sisters and Kierra ‘Kiki’ Sheard
Central Park, Manhattan

Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.
THE xx, Chairlift and Jack Peñate
Central Park, Manhattan


Aug. 10 at 8 p.m.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Dancin’ Downtown contest winners
Central Park, Manhattan

Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.
Bachata Heightz
Highbridge Park, Manhattan

Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.
Doug E. Fresh and DJ Dee Wiz
Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan

Aug. 12 at 7 p.m.
White Rabbits
East River Park, Manhattan

Aug. 13 at 7 p.m.
Paul Taylor II and Naganuma Dance
East River Park, Manhattan

Aug. 14 at 3 p.m.
Bachata Fest
Central Park, Manhattan

Aug. 14 at 7 p.m.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Wideman/ Davis Dance
East River Park, Manhattan

Aug. 15 at 3 p.m.
Public Enemy, Blitz the Ambassador and The 7th Octave
Central Park, Manhattan


Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
Alexandria and Daniel Monción
Highbridge Park, Manhattan

Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.
Tye Tribett
Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan

Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.
Our Latin Thing with DJ Lucho, The Fania All Stars
East River Park, Manhattan

Aug. 20 through Aug. 22 at 8 p.m.
Goodbar by Waterwell & Bambï
East River Park, Manhattan

Aug. 21 at 3 p.m.
Chrisette Michele, Tamia and Mario
Central Park, Manhattan

Aug. 22 at 3 p.m.
The Specials, Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears and $mall ¢hange
Central Park, Manhattan

Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 at 8 p.m.
“Five Days in March” by Toshiki Okada performed by Witness Relocation
East River Park, Manhattan


Aug. 25 through Aug. 27 at 8 p.m.
“Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage” performed by Banana Bag & Bodice
East River Park, Manhattan

Aug. 28 at 3 p.m.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival featuring
McCoy Tyner, Jason Moran and The Bandwagon, The JD Allen Trio and Revive Da Live: Charlie Parker Revisited
Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan

Aug. 29 at 3 p.m.
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival featuring James Moody, Jimmy Scott, Catherine Russell and Vijay Iyer
Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan

Sept. 26 at 3 p.m.
The Black Sea Roma Festival: A Celebration of Gypsy Music from Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania
Central Park, Manhattan

Ticketed SummerStage Benefit Concerts

June 8 at 6 p.m.
The SummerStage 25th Anniversary Gala featuring the songbook of Simon & Garfunkel with duets performed by Shawn Colvin, Aimee Mann, Dar Williams, Loudon Wainwright III, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Joan Osborne, Stephen Kellogg, Dean & Britta, Cory Chisel, The Holmes Brothers, John Forte, Valerie June, John Roderick, Ricky Skaggs, Willie Nile, Paula Cole, Alejandro Esovedo and house band Ollabelle

June 15 at 6:30 p.m.
John Butler Trio and State Radio

July 26 at 7 p.m.
The Flaming Lips

July 27 and July 28 at 6:30 p.m.
The Black Keys and The Morning Benders

Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Hot Chip, Hercules and Love Affair and Holy Ghost<br.

Aug. 11 at 6 p.m.
Gov’t Mule

Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.
Pavement