clipped from www.nydailynews.com Scandal-tainted Rep. Charles Rangel returns home to warm welcome from supporters BY Erin Einhorn DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU Smith for News Rep. Charles Rangel greets supporters outside Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem. For Rep. Charles Rangel, the love still flows at home. The defrocked House Ways and Means chairman was greeted with open arms - and standing ovations - by community and political leaders Saturday in a Harlem homecoming. The get-together came five days after ethics troubles knocked Rangel from his pinnacle of Washington power. "It was inspiring. It was rousing. It was extremely supportive of our congressman," said Assemblyman Keith Wright (D-Manhattan) as he left Sylvia's Restaurant, where Rangel convened a breakfast meeting of district leaders, elected officials and other supporters Saturday.

BLACK WALL STREET

A Moment In Black History Many Thanks To Our Forefathers, 88 yrs. Ago.         The Date Was June 1, 1921, "BLACK WALLSTREET"   The name fittingly given to one of the most affluent All-BLACK Communities in America, was bombed from the air and Burned to the ground by mobs of envious Whites. In a period spanning fewer than 12 hours, a once thriving Black Business District in northern Tulsa lay smoldering -- a model Community destroyed and a major African-American economic movement resoundingly defused. The Night's Carnage left some 3,000 African Americans Dead and over 600 Successful Businesses Lost. Among these were 21 Churches, 21 Restaurants, 30 Grocery Stores and 2 Movie Theaters, plus A Hospital, A Bank, a Post Office, Libraries, Schools, Law Offices, a half dozen Private Airplanes and even A Bus System. As could have been expected, the impetus behind it all was the infamous Ku Klux Klan, working in consort with Ranking City Officials and many other Sympathizers.             The best description of BLACK WALLSTREET, or Little Africa as it was also known, would be to compare it to a mini - Berverly Hills. It was the golden door of the BLACK Community during the early 1900s, and it proved that African Americans could create a successful infrastructure. That's What BLACK WALLSTREET, Was All About. The Dollar circulated 36 to 100 Times, sometimes taking a year for currency to leave the Community.   Now a Dollar leaves the BLACK Community in 15-minutes. As Far As Resources,There were Ph.D.'s residing in Little Africa, BLACK Attorneys and Doctors. One Doctor was Dr. Berry who owned the Bus System. His average income was $500 a Day, a hefty pocket change in 1910.  It was a time when the entire State of Oklahoma had only 2 Airports, yet 6 BLACKS, Owned their own Planes. It was a very Fascinating Community. The mainstay of the Community was to educate every child. Nepotism was the one word they Believed in. And that's what we need to get back to.The main thoroughfare was Greenwood Avenue, and it was intersected by Archer and Pine Streets.  From the First Letters in each of those Three Names you get G.A.P. And that's where the renowned R and B Music Group The GAP Band got its name. They're From Tulsa.   BLACK WALLSTREET was a prime example of the typical, BLACK Community in America that did businesses, but it was in an unusual location. You See, At The Time, Oklahoma was set aside to be a BLACK and Indian State.  There were over 28 BLACK Townships there. One third of the People who traveled in the terrifying "Trail of Tears" along side the Indians between 1830 and 1842 were BLACK People.  The Citizens of this proposed Indian and BLACK State Chose A BLACK Governor, A Treasurer from Kansas named McDade. But the Ku Klux Klan said that if he assumed Office that they would Kill Him within 48 hours.  A lot of BLACKS owned Farmland, and many of them had gone into the Oil Business. The Community was so tight and Wealthy because they traded Dollars hand-to-hand, and because they were dependent upon one another as a result of the Jim Crow Laws.   It was not unusual that if a Resident's Home accidentally Burned down, it could be rebuilt within a few weeks by Neighbors. This was the type of scenario that was going on Day-to-Day on BLACK WALLSTREET.   When BLACKs intermarried into the Indian Culture, some of them received their promised '40 Acres and A Mule' and with that came whatever Oil was later found on the Properties.   On BLACK WALLSTREET, A lot of Global Business was conducted, The Community flourished from the Early 1900s until June 1, 1921. That's when the Largest Massacre of Nonmilitary Americans in the History of this Country took place, and it was lead by The KU KLUX KLAN. Imagine walking out of your front door and seeing 1,500 Homes being Burned. It must have been amazing.         Survivors we interviewed think that the whole thing was planned because during the time that all of this was going on;  White Families with their children stood around the borders of their Community and watched The Massacre. The looting and everything -- much in the same manner they would watch a Lynching. The Riots weren't caused by anything Black or White. It was caused by jealousy. A lot of White Folks had come back from World War I and they were poor. When they looked over into The BLACK Communities and realized that BLACK Men who Fought in The War had come, Home Heroes that helped trigger the destruction. It cost the BLACK Community everything, and not a single dime of restitution--No Insurance Claims--has been awardedthe victims to this day. Nonetheless, they rebuilt. We estimate 1,500 to 3,000 People were Killed and we know that a lot of them were Buried in Mass Graves all around the City. Some were thrown into the river. As a matter of fact, at 21st Street and Yale Avenue, where there now stands a Sears Parking Lot, that corner used to be a Coal Mine. They threw a lot of the Bodies into the Shafts.  Unmarked Graves TULSA, Oklahoma (CNN)   Beulah Smith and Kenny Booker, Two Elderly Oklahomans, Lived through one of the Worst Race Riots in U.S. History, a rarely mentioned 1921 Tulsa Blood Bath that officially took Thousands of African-American Lives.                       The Tulsa Race Riot Commission, formed two years ago to determine exactly what happened, will consider next week the Controversial Issue of what, if any, Reparations should be paid to the Known Survivors of the Riot,  A Group of less than 100 that includes Beulah Smith, now 92, and Kenny Booker, 86.    'The Gun Went Off, The Riot Was On'   On the Night of May 31,1921, mobs called for the lynching of Dick Rowland, A Black Man who shined shoes, after hearing reports that on the previous day he had assaulted Sarah Page, A white woman, in the elevator she operated in a downtown building.     A Local Newspaper, had printed a Fabricated Story that Rowland tried to Rape Page. In An Editorial, the same newspaper said a Hanging was Planned for that Night. As Groups of both Blacks and Whites converged on the Tulsa Courthouse, a White Man in the Crowd Confronted an armed Black Man, A War Veteran, who had joined with other Blacks to protect Rowland. A Fabricated Newspaper Story Triggered The Violent Riots that left Hundreds, if not Thousands, Dead. Comm. Member Eddie Faye Gates told CNN what happened next. "This White Man," she said, Asked The Black Man, "What Are You Doing With This Gun?" "I'm going to use it if I have to," the Black Man said, according to Gates, "and (the White Man) said, 'No, you're not. Give it to me,' and he tried to take it. The gun went off, the White Man was Dead, The Riot Was On."  Truckloads of Whites Set Fires and Shot Blacks on sight. When the smoke lifted the Next Day, more than 1,400 Homes and Businesses in Tulsa 's Greenwood District, a prosperous area known as the "Black Wall Street," lay in ruins. Today, only a single block of the Original Buildings remains standing in the area. Experts now estimate that at least 3,000, Died.          'We're in a heck of a lot of trouble' Beulah Smith was 14 yrs. old the Night of the Riot. A Neighbor named Frenchie came pounding on her family's door in a Tulsa neighborhood known as "Little Africa" that also went up in flames. "Get your families out of here because they're, Killing Niggers Uptown," she remembers Frenchie saying. "We hid in the weeds in the Hog Pen," Smith told CNN. People in a Mob that came to Kenny Booker's house asked, "Nigger, Do You Have A Gun?" he told CNN. Booker, then a teen-ager, hid with his family in their attic until the home was torched. "When we got downstairs, things were burning. My sister asked me, 'Kenny, is the World on Fire?' I said, 'I don't know, but we're in a heck of a lot of trouble, baby."   Another Riot Survivor, Ruth Avery, who was 7 at the time, gives an account matched by others who told of bombs dropped from small airplanes passing overhead. The Explosive Devices may have been Dynamite or Molotov Cocktails -- Gasoline-Filled Bottles set afire and thrown as grenades. "They'd throw it down and when it'd hit, it would burst into flames," Avery said. Only A single block remains of the 1,400 Homes and Businesses that made up the area known as the 'Black Wall Street'.  Unmarked Graves many of the Survivors "mentioned Bodies were stacked like cord wood, says Richard Warner of the Tulsa Historical Society.   In its search for the facts,The Commission has literally been trying to dig up the truth. Two Headstones at Tulsa's Oaklawn Cemetery indicate that riot victims are buried there. In an effort to determine how many, archeological experts in May used ground-piercing radar and other equipment to test the soil in a search for Unmarked Graves. The test picked up indications that hundreds, of people have been buried in an area just outside the cemetery.        Something To Motivate Us All. Please Share.

HARLEM NEWS

clipped from curbed.com 3) East Harlem: The powers that be at the East River Plaza Costco have finally spoken up in response to shoppers' complaints about the high cost of parking. And? Basically, not only does Costco say it's not their fault, it's not even their parking lot. And they aren't really sure why New Yorkers are so reluctant to just hop in the car and buy in bulk, either. · Racked [ny.racked.com] clipped from curbed.com The Museum of African Art has spent 25 years waiting for a permanent home at 110th Street, and it's finally getting one, along with 115 luxury condos designed by Robert A.M. Stern clipped from curbed.com And now, a message from a resident of East Harlem success story the Mirada: "I moved into the Mirada on 110 between 3rd and Lex about 6 months ago. There are some homeless people lying right outside the building asking for change, and when I spoke with management they wouldn't do a damn thing

New Rules Trouble Some Defense Lawyers for the Poor - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

City Room - Blogging From the Five Boroughs

March 5, 2010, 4:33 pm

New Rules Trouble Some Defense Lawyers for the Poor

By JOHN ELIGON

Last month, the mayor’s office unveiled new guidelines for assigning public defenders to represent indigent criminal defendants. Now, some defense organizations are voicing their displeasure, fearing that the new rules will take work from experienced lawyers and overburden less experienced ones.

For years, the practice in New York City has been to give the Legal Aid Society or another approved indigent defense provider the first review of cases involving defendants who cannot afford lawyers. If Legal Aid or one of the other services cannot pick up the case, then it usually goes to a solo practitioner who participates in the state’s Assigned Counsel Plan, known as 18-B.

Generally speaking, conflicts may prevent a legal service provider from picking up a defendant in a case. For instance, in a case with multiple defendants, the same service provider can represent only one defendant. And so 18-B lawyers tend to pick up those defendants excluded by a conflict.

But what has some upset about the new guidelines is that the city is now allowing Legal Aid and the other defender services to represent defendants in cases in which there are conflicts — a move that some fear will take work away from 18-B lawyers. The guidelines also state that those who receive contracts to represent indigent defendants will be expected to provide a larger network of services, such as social workers, paralegals and investigators.

Many 18-B lawyers who are solo practitioners may not be able to meet this requirement.

“No empirical studies show that this change would benefit the criminal justice system,” said Genay Leitman, president of the New York Criminal Bar Association. “It would make the system worse.”

For one thing, Ms. Leitman said, the new system would pour more cases onto Legal Aid and other local defender services that are already overburdened. This will make it more difficult for lawyers with those organizations, many of whom are young, to represent their clients adequately, Ms. Leitman said.

Lawyers on the 18-B panel, on the other hand, tend to be more experienced and generally are not bogged down with large caseloads, Ms. Leitman said. They are better equipped to handle difficult cases, she said.

“This is not the appropriate way to defend the indigent,” Ms. Leitman said.

But the new guidelines do not affect at least one provision: All homicide cases involving indigent defendants will continue to go to 18-B lawyers.

Ms. Leitman said she also believed that under the new system, Legal Aid and other defender services would be at the mercy of the city, which controls the financing. Agencies might pour fewer resources into cases to make sure they stay within city budgets out of fear that they could lose contracts if they go over, Ms. Leitman said. Lawyers on the 18-B panel earn $75 an hour and receive financing for extra expenses incurred during a case such as hiring investigators and experts.

The city has budgeted just over $100 million annually for indigent defense, not including expenditures for 18-B lawyers. Additional financing is expected to come from the City Council.

In its request for proposal, the city says it maintains the right to negotiate its own rate with defender services.

Ms. Leitman said that she believed cutting costs was one of the city’s motives.

But Jason Post, a spokesman for the mayor’s office, denied that claim.

“This is not about saving money, this is about improving services for the indigent,” Mr. Post wrote in an e-mail message.

The process, he added, “produces competition and innovation, which usually produces better results.”

“We shouldn’t be afraid of new ideas and new approaches,” he said.

And even 18-B lawyers may apply for contracts under the new system, Mr. Post said.

Yet he did note the importance the city has placed on contracting with providers who offer a variety of services, referring to a line in the request for proposal that says the city wanted to ensure that providers “provide collateral consequence services, thereby representing clients in ancillary matters in such areas as immigration, housing, and other situations arising from a criminal case.”

Steven Banks, the attorney in chief of the Legal Aid Society, said that the organization’s ability to provide clients with numerous services has helped set it apart.

“It’s certainly up to the city to determine the level of 18-B representation that it will fund,” Mr. Banks said. “Our concern is ensuring that the Legal Aid Society continues its role as the primary defender in New York City because of our ability to provide greater resources and support for clients than others.”

As long as Legal Aid continues to receive adequate financing, Mr. Banks said, the organization will be able to keep up with the rising caseloads. A new state law that sets caseload caps for lawyers for the indigent will also help Legal Aid manage its work, he said.

Still, the new guidelines could threaten Legal Aid’s standing as the primary indigent defender service in New York. The guidelines allow for the possibility that some primary cases would go to other defender services, meaning that Legal Aid no longer would get first right of refusal on indigent defendants.

Proposals are due by March 15, and contracts will take effect July 1, running through June 30, 2012. But Ms. Leitman and others are attempting to persuade the city to reconsider. The criminal bar association last week put out a resolution opposing the city’s request for proposal. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has followed suit.

“Any significant change to the indigent defense system in the City of New York, particularly one as radical as that now being contemplated by Mayor Bloomberg’s office, should come only after careful study, consultation and hearings,” William P. Wolf, co-chairman of the association’s indigent defense committee, said in a press release Monday. “This is about much more than a budget line item in a challenging economic environment. What’s at stake are the well-established constitutional rights of the rapidly growing ranks of poor persons and the unambiguous constitutional responsibility of New York to ensure that indigent persons accused of a crime enjoy their Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel.”

New Rules Trouble Some Defense Lawyers for the Poor - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com.

Confiscated bling goes on the auction block - NYPOST.com

Confiscated bling goes on the auction block

By LAURA ITALIANO

Last Updated: 1:24 PM, March 5, 2010

Posted: 1:22 PM, March 5, 2010

A quarter million dollars worth in confiscated bling is going on the auction block, thanks to a pair of crooked traders who've now had to trade their Hermes cuffs for handcuffs.

The Manhattan DA's office is putting the fancy jewelry -- which includes a gold Cartier watch and gold Van Cleef and Arpels earclips -- up for auction Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Belvedere Hotel on West 48th Street.

Lucky bidders may end up with a steal. The gavel will start at only $25 for Hermes enamel cuffs.

The baubles were seized as part of the investigations against two stock traders busted in separate, multi-million-dollar investment scams, and the auction's proceeds will go to the victims, said DA spokeswoman Erin Duggan.

Former equity trading big David Holzer is serving a five- to 15-year sentence for stealing $16 million from friends he'd hoodwinked into "investing" in real estate and other ventures. Rather than invest the money, he spent it on a Porsche, an Aston Martin, Rolex watches and pricey vacations, prosecutors said.

Former Morgan Stanley securities honcho Richard Garaventa is serving a two- to six-year sentence for stealing some $2.5 million from his bosses.

Confiscated bling goes on the auction block - NYPOST.com.

Processed-Food Enhancer Recalled Over Salmonella : NPR

Processed-Food Enhancer Recalled Over Salmonella

by The Associated Press

March 5, 2010

A wide range of processed foods — including soups, snack foods, dips and dressings — is being recalled after salmonella was discovered in a flavor-enhancing ingredient.

Food and Drug Administration officials said Thursday that the ingredient, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, is used in thousands of food products, though it was unclear how many of them will be recalled. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said no illnesses or deaths have been reported.

The officials said the recall, which dates to products manufactured since Sept. 17, is expected to expand in the coming days and weeks. It only involves hydrolyzed vegetable protein manufactured by Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., which did not return a call for comment Thursday.

The agency said Thursday it collected and analyzed samples at the Las Vegas facility after one of the company's customers discovered the salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children and others with weakened immune systems. The FDA then confirmed the presence of a strain of salmonella in the company's processing equipment.

Jeffrey Farrar, associate commissioner for food protection at the FDA, said Thursday that many products that contain the ingredient are not dangerous because the risk of salmonella is eliminated after the food has been cooked. Many of the foods involved in the recall are ready-to-eat items that are not cooked by the consumer.

"At this time we believe the risk to consumers is very low," Farrar said.

A list of more than 50 recalled foods on the FDA Web site includes several dips manufactured by T. Marzetti, Sweet Maui Onion potato chips manufactured by Tim's Cascade Snacks, Tortilla Soup mix made by Homemade Gourmet and several prepackaged "Follow Your Heart" tofu meals manufactured by Earth Island.

The FDA said the contamination was discovered by a new tracking system implemented to improve tracing of foodborne illnesses.

Processed-Food Enhancer Recalled Over Salmonella : NPR.

NYC black leaders: Paterson should stay in office

NYC black leaders: Paterson should stay in office

March 5, 2010 by The Associated Press /

 ADAM GOLDMAN (Associated Press Writers),

 MICHAEL GORMLEY (Associated Press Writers)


(AP) — Influential black leaders in New York City said Thursday night that they believe Gov. David Paterson should stay in office amid allegations he and his staff interfered in a domestic violence case involving a top governor's aide.

Meeting in a Harlem soul food restaurant that is the center of power for black politics in New York, the group led by the Rev. Al Sharpton agreed that Paterson should try to withstand the violence scandal and new ethics charges related to free World Series tickets he sought and obtained from the New York Yankees, despite a state gift ban.

Group members said they want to meet with the governor to discuss his ability to continue to govern.

There was a "spirited discussion," said Sharpton, flanked by former Mayor David Dinkins and Hazel Dukes, former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"Some dissented. The overwhelming majority said they were supportive of the governor," Sharpton said.

Outside the restaurant, Sharpton was asked explicitly if he supported the governor.

"I'm the convener," he said. "There were people on both sides."

The meeting came the same day a third key administration official quit because of the domestic violence scandal. Communications Director Peter Kauffmann said he could not "in good conscience" stay on because of the controversy.

Dinkins said Paterson absolutely should remain in office.

Former state Comptroller H. Carl McCall made a case for Paterson to stay, while others reportedly were angry inside the closed meeting, with calls for Paterson to resign.

Earlier, McCall said on FOX Business Network that it was important for the group to be united on the question of whether Paterson is able to lead.

"I don't want to go out and do this on my own," McCall said, noting that he had his doubts about whether Paterson can continue. "I think it would be more meaningful if we come to some collective decision about that and then communicate it by a lot of us, who, as you know, for a long time have been very, very strong supporters of the governor."

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn said afterward that there was overwhelming support for the idea that Paterson is entitled to the presumption of innocence until the investigation is finished.

"We all believe that Governor Paterson, at this moment, can continue to move forward and do the people's business as the legal proceedings play themselves out," he said. He noted that President Bill Clinton continued to serve despite a grand jury probe and impeachment proceedings.

Paterson hasn't been charged with any crimes and has said his side of the story will clear him. But he said he can't divulge elements of his side of the story because he said it would interfere with the investigation he asked Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to take on.

A senior state Democrat who spoke on condition of anonymity had told The Associated Press that black leaders went to the meeting with hopes of crafting a "message calling for the governor to resign," which Sharpton denied.

A black Democratic adviser, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, said Sharpton is expected to say he's rethinking his support for Paterson. Later, the adviser said Kauffmann's resignation "rattled" the group and would be a topic of Thursday night's discussion.

Hours before the meeting, state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. issued a statement urging black leaders to delay any action to push Paterson toward resignation.

"We Hispanic legislators, we are united," Diaz said, noting the historic strength of the black-Latino coalition. "We wanted to make sure they know our position."

A state panel accused Paterson on Wednesday of illegally obtaining World Series tickets, then lying about it. That charge came on top of an investigation of whether the governor or staff members had inappropriate contact with a woman who made — but later dropped — an abuse complaint against an aide.

Testimony by communications director Kauffmann was key to the decision by the Public Integrity Commission to charge Paterson with an ethics violation. Kauffmann resigned Thursday, saying he "could not in good conscience continue in my current position."

The governor's office didn't respond to requests for comment Thursday.

___

Gormley reported from Albany. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Ula Ilnytzky and Colleen Long in New York and Valerie Bauman in Albany.

Newsday.com.

Why's GOP calling Rangel "crooked Harlem Democrat"?

clipped from www.salon.com Why's GOP calling Rangel "crooked Harlem Democrat"? A racial dog whistle from the National Republican Congressional Committee? By Alex Koppelman AP/Salon It's only natural that Republicans should want to get some benefit out of the trials and travails of Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., who resigned his post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee earlier this week under a cloud of scandal. And of course they want to tar other House Democrats by association with him. But as it did all of that on Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee chose an interesting combination of words, calling Rangel as "the crooked Harlem Democrat." That's a rather specific way of referring to the congressman -- he could, after all, just as easily be called "the crooked New York Democrat" or simply "the crooked Democrat."

FBI paid racist shock jock Hal Turner ‘in excess of $100,000′

clipped from rawstory.com FBI paid racist shock jock Hal Turner ‘in excess of $100,000′ By Stephen C. Webster Thursday, March 4th, 2010 -- 8:26 pm Turning informant on your fans can be lucrative, if you're a shock jock by the name of Hal Turner. Amid a trial where Turner faces criminal charges for making threats of violence against public servants, he disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation paid him "in excess of $100,000" over a five-year period. Turner, a long-time racist radio host who attracted an audience of white supremacists and neonazis, was first revealed as an FBI informant in 2008. After becoming the subject of ridicule on infamous Internet forum 4chan, Turner was confronted by hackers on his site's discussion boards with copies of e-mails he'd allegedly sent to the FBI, bragging about how he'd helped in "flush[ing] out another crazy." The arrest came after Turner called for the murder of three judges.

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com FDA orders widespread food recall Salmonella found in flavor enhancer used in thousands of processed foods msnbc.com news services The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of a common flavor enhancer that could be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. The product, called hydrolyzed vegetable protein or HVP, is potentially in thousands of food products, including soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings because of the risk of salmonella tainting in the production line. HVP is manufactured by a Las Vegas company. No illnesses have been reported, said Dr. Ian Williams, acting chief of outbreak response and prevention branch for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Falling Glass Hurts Six in Harlem

clipped from cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com March 3, 2010, 2:05 pm Falling Glass Hurts Six in Harlem By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT Glass fell from a building at West 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem shortly after noon Wednesday, injuring six people, according to the authorities. Three people were taken to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and three others to Harlem Hospital Center, according to the Fire Department. The injuries are not believed to be life threatening. Officials from the Buildings Department were on the scene trying to determine how the glass had fallen, a spokesman said.

New Supermarket In a Neighborhood That Needs One

clipped from cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com New Supermarket In a Neighborhood That Needs One By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY Benjamin Samuels The Best Yet market recently opened on Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Sisyphean efforts to get New Yorkers to replace their passion for French fries with an appreciation of salads is making progress: Harlem is getting a supermarket specializing in lower-priced fruits and vegetables. On Friday morning, city officials are expected to cut the ribbon on Best Yet Market, a city outpost of the family-run Long Island supermarket chain, at 2187 Frederick Douglass Boulevard between West 118th and 119th Streets. The event is ceremonial: the store actually opened a month ago.

This is not an ordinary "SuperMart",it's much more!!!!!!!!!

The school custodian really cleaned house

BY Rachel Monahan
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, March 4th 2010, 4:00 AM

The school custodian really cleaned house, officials
say.

The Manhattan man is accused of stealing nearly
$30,000 from the city to pay his sons' private
school tuition and other personal expenses, city
investigators said Wednesday.

Edwin Hendricks, 42, worked for nearly five years at
Manhattan's Thurgood Marshall Academy before
investigators discovered he was cutting checks from
his custodial account.

And Hendricks did himself no favors when
confronted by investigators.

He told them he "normally only stole money around
the end of the year" when they asked about $4,000
in checks he'd written to employees - including his
sister - and cashed himself around Christmas 2008.

Hendricks also compared himself favorably with a
custodian who stole $100,000 from the city. "At
least I'm not as bad," he told investigators.

The custodian claimed he intended to reimburse the
city for the $1,400 made out to Solebury School in
Pennsylvania, as well as for a $150 political

donation to the Committee to Reelect Congressman
Ed Towns.

Hendricks said he was willing to reimburse the city
for the money and ultimately admitted to taking $
14,000, though investigators think he collected
$15,000 more.

Hendricks, who makes $86,000 a year, has been
reassigned to a borough office and did not return a
call seeking comment.

"We will seek his termination," said city Education
Department spokeswoman Margie Feinberg.

rmonahan@nydailynews.com

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/03/04/2010-03-04_custodians_rap_cleaned_city_out_of_30g.html.

clipped from www.examiner.com Madame Alexander's exciting doll products exhibited at the 2010 International Toy Fair March 3, 9:19 PMNY Doll Collecting ExaminerElizabeth de Almeida The 2010 International Toy Fair, held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan, may find New York doll collectors curious about the latest news on dolls that were being showcased at the event in addition to the many other exhibitions. One of the participating doll companies that exhibited their doll products at the event extravaganza, was the Madame Alexander Doll Company. Located in Harlem, New York, Madame Alexander successfully exhibited their 2010 dolls, showing an array of beauties that will captivate doll collectors of all kinds. We spoke with Shari Harel, who represents Madame Alexander, for a two part interview on some of the dolls Madame Alexander will have in store for the enthusiastic doll collector.

Right-Wing Rage

http://amplify.com/u/2859

Posted via web from blackcotton's posterous

Tainted Food Leads To Costly Illnesses

http://amplify.com/u/27m0

Posted via web from blackcotton's posterous

The Ultimate New York Playlist

http://amplify.com/u/27ep

Posted via web from blackcotton's posterous

Onetime ‘Rising Star’ Is in Retreat

http://amplify.com/u/27eg

Posted via web from blackcotton's posterous

Rangel Stepping Down From Tax-Writing Chairmanship

clipped from abcnews.go.com Rep. Charles Rangel announced Wednesday he will temporarily step down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, saying he didn't want his ethics controversy to jeopardize election prospects for fellow Democrats. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. leaves after making his statement on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 3, 2010. Rangel has temporarily stepped down from his post as committee chairman. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo) The 20-term Harlem congressman held a news conference on short notice, telling reporters, "My chairmanship is bringing so much attention to the press, and in order to avoid my colleagues having to defend me during their elections, I have this morning sent a letter" asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "to grant me a leave of absence until such time as the ethics committee completes its work."

Fall of the House of Harlem | Room Eight

Fall of the House of Harlem
posted by NGD
Sun, 02/28/2010 - 3:49pm

Where's New York's Cory Booker or Mike Nutter--or even Barack Obama? Hopefully, he or she's out there, somewhere--because there's a whole crew of mortally wounded and deeply confused dinosaurs crashing around New York's political landscape looking for Darwin.

The dinosaurs' latest offensively dumb idea was for a "summit meeting" on David Paterson's future:

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime Paterson defender who has been divided of late over whether to continue his support of the governor, has called a summit of black elected officials Saturday - the day before the governor was planning to hold his re-scheduled Harlem campaign rally.

"We're going to talk about the obvious fallout from this," Sharpton told the Times. Sharpton said that Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, and Rep. Greg Meeks, Sen. Eric Adams would be among those in attendance.

Nice idea. Too bad you're not invited. But that's probably a good thing because these guys are the consulting engineers and fully-entitled beneficiaries of The Paterson Era. They believe themselves to be of something like a Harvard Club from Harlem.

[Update: I understand that this meeting of the minds has in fact taken place. And better yet, the proposition/concept of Paterson's resignation was officially banned.]

But here on Planet Earth, these people are so pathologically retro that they literally cannot distinguish shit from clay so much as distinguish "obvious fallout" from a woman getting beaten and humiliated--in front of her 13-year old son. And then getting hard-boiled by the New York State Police--on the orders of another member of their Harlem Club.

I mean this so-called summit thing of theirs is about as narcissistically non-bigoted as an invitation-only summit of Mario Cuomo, Diane Savino, Tom DiNapoli, and Peter Vallone on Andrew Cuomo's strategy for relieving Paterson of his state paycheck. And then announcing it to world. Like it's all copasetic. Because, you see, only Italians are this singularly omniscient and powerful. And nobody else is. And if you didn't already know that you're an idiot. Or a racist.

Actually it's even worse than that. It's more like a Bensonhurst confab of Guy Velella, Tony Seminario, the Gotti kids and Mario Biaggi on whether or not Joe Bruno should run for governor.

However, we probably don't need to worry about what's said at The House of Harlem Summit, that's because some federal law enforcement agency might be recording it--or it'll eventually show up in somebody's deposition because one or two of these clowns might be wearing a wire. But speaking of the Feds, maybe they can at least get some more subpoenas served. Or maybe another judgment on Sharpton for stiffing Steve Pagones. (Yes, as far as I know this poor bastard still exists. Although Freddy's still dead.)

(Here's a question for ya: What do these guys--especially Sharpton--do if DJ was white? Right?)

Or maybe Greg Meeks has a new Haitian charity that needs capitalization. That's a good Harlem Summit topic. After all, this guy's got himself a worldwide reputation to uphold now. (I wonder if he even realizes this.)

Ya think Charlie "Race War" Rangel's invited to The Harlem Summit, too? Of course he is, he's the chairman, plus he's just paid his annual dues. This guy's denial and cluelessness is utterly amazing. You simply cannot make up this kind of stuff.

No invite for Kevin Parker though. Too bad for Eric Adams, he could have sicced Kevin on another woman. Ah, but stupid me, no women are invited to The Summit. Question: You think these guys even get the permanent and relentless irony that the whole thing's not about them but about a woman catching a vicious beat-down from one of their Harlem-insider-homies? Hey, but maybe DJ was just keepin' it real. Who can fault a brother for that, right, Eric? Kind of like Kevin and Diane in conference.

The mind literally reels at the kind of rationalization, hypocrisy, conspiracy theorization and moon barking that'll spill forth at The House of Harlem Summit. In a couple years maybe this place can create an exhibit for it all.

The time has come for a next generation. It really has.

But not to worry, New Yorkers, by the time this thing's over, they will all be swept. And by their own presumptuous and entitled hands. Just like their governor. And hey, who knows, maybe even in cuffs?

Posted by: John Ross

Fall of the House of Harlem | Room Eight.