GRACELINE COURT

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  Graceline Court

   
• They take resolutions seriously at Graceline Court, the new fair-priced condominium at 106 W. 116th St. Just to keep neighbors honest, the building is opening its doors tomorrow to the community, inviting local residents in from noon to 3 p.m. for a free fitness event featuring reps from the Harlem Yoga Studio and Whole Foods Market. Showcasing the building’s gym and outdoor common spaces, the event includes nutrition tips.
  
  
  Marketed by Halstead Property Development Marketing, Graceline Court has units ranging in price from $470,000 for a 628-square-foot one-bedroom to $995,000 three-bedrooms. A contract was recently signed on a 1,679-square-foot three-bedroom three-bath $1.2 million penthouse. Taxes on the building will not exceed $70 per month, with monthly maintenance coming in at around $1,080 on the high side. At 16 floors, the building boasts views of Central Park.
  
  
  “This building is about location, views and quality,” says Steve Kliegerman, Halstead’s executive director of development marketing. “It’s right next to the subway at 116th St. We hope the event draws people who want to see it up close. The idea is to bring awareness to the project.”
  
  Go to gracelinecourtcondo.com for more information or stop by the building from noon to 3 p.m. tomorrow for the open house and health and fitness event.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2010/01/22/2010-01-22_the_closer_hot_deals_at_belltel_lofts_cool_sales_at_b_home_and_more.html#ixzz0dLqwmo4K

NYOIL to host NYC leg of HIP HOP 4 HAITI — A National Day of Observance

NYOIL to host NYC leg of HIP HOP 4 HAITI — A National Day of Observance

Saturday, January 30, 2010 5:00 - 11:00 pm

{Staten Island, New York, USA} January 15, 2010 —  Queen YoNasda, Granddaughter of the Nation of ISLAM's Minister Louis Farrakhan enlist controversial artist / activist NYOIL, along with Brothers Care Inc, AllHipHop.com, HoodlifeMovement.com, DJ Green Arrow, Shock Ra Entertainment, New Image Alliance, the Institute of the Black World, and P.E.M.G. to presents HIP HOP 4 HAITI. HH4H has been set as a National Fund-raising event throughout the Hip Hop community on Saturday, January 30, 2010 where over 10 major cities, it's youth and Hip Hop community will host an event to raise money, relief and awareness for the loss and suffering in Haiti. This event is targeted at galvanizing the Hip Hop community to action as a full body minus the divisions that have plagued it over recent years. "Hip Hop is a family we don't always see eye to eye and we are always arguing, like most families; but don't mistake that familiarity as breeding contempt. Understand that we bicker fuss and fight because we are family and at our essence we have immense love for one another and what we are all a part of. Now Haiti is about to see what that love that power can do when focused and applied towards a singular goal!" said NYOIL who is also the Ambassador to Hip Hop for the I.B.W. (Institute of the Black World)  Dr. Ron Daniels (President / I.B.W.) has endorsed this event on behalf of it's nationally recognized Haiti Relief Fund and all proceeds from the event will go to benefit Haiti survivors via the I.B.W.'s  Haiti Relief Fund. So let us be clear that the HIP HOP 4 Haiti Fundraiser is the ONLY Hip Hop based event recognized and supported by the nationally recognized I.B.W. !

IN NEW YORK, the event will be hosted by N.Y.OIL and open to the public to be held at The National Black Theater in Harlem NY from 5:00 - 11:00 pm est.  Sponsors are suggesting a donation of $20, but "everyone who wants to help in any amount should feel welcome, this is a difficult time for all of us and everyone's help is a blessing we cannot afford to dismiss," according to NYOIL. "Our goal is to raise spirits and funds of at least $10,000. We are urging the entire community to come together and open their hearts and wallets for those who need our help. And of course this is Hip Hop so we're going in with both feet! Beats, Rhymes, B-Boys, DJ's and plenty of Knowledge for self!!"  

Hip Hop 4 Haiti is currently building a stellar coalition of Hip Hop Artist ranging from Spoken word, eMCee's, Dancers, Singers, and Educators. The official performance list will be announced as of Wednesday January 27th. Please contact Lynx Garcia @ supersizespanishfly@gmail.com or 917.204.5401to be included in this event.

For more information on the event contact:(New York) NYOIL 347-291-3094. via email nyoil01@gmail.com -or- (National) YoNasDa LoneWolf, 602-487-4885; via email yonasda@gmail.com -or-  visit our websites http://hiphop4haiti.ning.com -and- http://www.ibw21.org/. Please visit our website for event details to see what YOUR city is doing.

For more information about NYOIL Theideal and how you can participate or be inducted:

Contact:               NYOIL
Email:                   nyoil01@gmail.com
Website:              http://nyoil1.ning.com/profile/NYOIL
Phone:                 (347)291-3094

THE OBAMA IMAGE ECONOMY

http://ping.fm/8aIYa

“Jersey Shore”

Not that the cast of “Jersey Shore” needed another reason to become the scourge of decent society. Apparently a bit player on the wildly popular and extremely controversial MTV reality show conjured up (at least in his mind) an explanation for his beat-down on a recent episode: the very black people who tried to prevent the fight. And trust us that Stephen Izzo didn’t use those words to describe the African American race.

Apparently Izzo and Ronnie, the show's star and the man who actually delivered the knockout blow to Izzo, got into a verbal and physical altercation at a bar on Jersey's shore. The profanity and beer flowed in equal quantities inside the club and eventually spilled out into the streets. The MTV security detail, consisting of black men, tried futilely to prevent fisticuffs when Ronnie administered a wicked punch that sent Izzo crashing to the pavement.

After TKO victim Izzo peeled himself off the sidewalk and reconnected the nerve endings in his battered head, he dashed to the nearest computer to fire up the airwaves to express his feelings. He unleashed a string of racially inflammatory phrases to describe being on the losing end of a fight with African Americans who manned the MTV security detail and who were only trying to squelch the drama.  

"lets get something straight,” Izzo begins. “What u didnt see is i never fought ronnie i was fighting...those N----- bouncers when that b---- ran over and snuck me..then got stomped out by those 3 n------ as he ran away,” Izzo wrote on his Facebook page.

Izzo uses other profane terms, including misspelling “mulian,” a derisive term Italian-Americans have used in the past to describe African Americans. The episode in question, nevertheless, clearly shows that Izzo was the aggressor with the main stars of “Jersey Shore” — that is, until Ronnie applied a skull-jarring haymaker that had Izzo kissing the pavement. But it was the black security detail who wound up being victimized by Izzo’s acid-tinged tongue.

Episodes like this fracas are part of the reason some groups, particularly Italian-American organizations, wanted “Jersey Shore” banished from the airwaves.

–terry shropshire

Quinn to boot Barron from education committee

In a move to punish a disobedient member, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is expected today to strip Council firebrand Charles Barron of his chairmanship on the Higher Education Committee, a source told The Post.

Barron (D-Brooklyn) has long battled with Quinn, and recently caused a commotion at this year's opening Council meeting when he challenged her for speaker and invited an angry group of residents to the meeting. Many in attendance shouted "Uncle Tom" at black members who voted for Quinn, who won with all but Barron's vote.

Barron, a former Black Panther, also publicly traded jabs with CUNY trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld at a groundbreaking for CUNY's Fitterman Hall last year, and Wiesenfeld immediately asked Quinn to take Barron off the committee.

A source said the job will be given to newcomer Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan).

The decision could have broader political implications if Quinn decides to run for mayor in 2013: After news got out last month that she was considering taking Barron off the committee, many black leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, staged a protest outside City Hall to blast her for politicizing education.

Quinn to boot Barron from education committee.

BILLIE'S BLACK ATTRACTIONS

 

 

Back on Duty, but Under a Cloud After a Death

clipped from www.nytimes.com Back on Duty, but Under a Cloud After a Death By AL BAKER A woman, pregnant and clearly in distress inside an Au Bon Pain store in Brooklyn, needed medical help. Two city medical workers, waiting in line, refused to provide it; the woman eventually died. That has been the accepted version of what happened on Dec. 9, an event that has brought condemnation from the pregnant woman’s mother and the mayor, an investigation by the district attorney’s office and a suspension without pay for the two city workers. That suspension ends Thursday, when the two workers, Jason Green and Melisa Jackson, are to be reinstated. Enlarge This Image Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times Jason Green and Melisa Jackson, at their lawyer's office Wednesday, say the accusations against them are “lies and fabrications.” On Wednesday, the two spoke publicly for the first time since the woman’s death.

Family Fridays

The Central Park Conservancy presents Family Fridays at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center Candle-making at a Family Friday program in 2007. Fridays, January 8 - March 26, 2010 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm FREE! ALL AGES! Rain or shine. Come out of the cold and join us in Central Park for Family Fridays. Start your weekend with nature-inspired arts and crafts that are guaranteed to be fun for the whole family! Programs are ongoing between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm; drop in anytime before 3:30 pm to participate. Click on the dates below for information on two select Family Fridays, in which Museum for African Art joins us to co-present special holiday-themed programs. Friday, January 8     Family Friday: Kwanzaa Songs Friday, February 5    Family Friday: Djembe Beat for Black History Month Families only; no groups please. Advance registration not required. Programs take place at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (located inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues). For more information, please call 212-860-1370.

Mitchell is honorary chair for ballet competition

Arthur Mitchell, founding artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York, has been chosen as the honorary chairman of the USA International Ballet Competition.

His selection was announced Tuesday by the organization.

The competition, which takes place every four years in Jackson, Miss., will be held June 12-27 at Thalia Mara Hall. Dancers will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals, cash awards, company contracts and scholarships.

Mitchell, 75, was awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 1995 and received a Kennedy Center honor in 1993. He performed with the New York City Ballet for 15 years.

___

On the Net:

http://www.usaibc.com

FILE - In this Nov. 26, 1991 file photo, Arthur Mitchell, founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem, is shown in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, file)

Trial date set for the Rev. Al Sharpton's cursing ex-wife and daughter - NYPOST.com

Curses! Trial set for Rev. Al ex and daughter

By LAURA ITALIANO

Last Updated: 6:43 AM, January 20, 2010

Posted: 4:43 AM, January 20, 2010

Now they REALLY have something to @#$%! about.

The ex-wife and daughter of the Rev. Al Sharpton got some bad news yesterday when a Manhattan judge refused to toss out misdemeanor charges after the pair got into a profanity-laced shoving match with cops during an October traffic stop at 110th Street and Eighth Avenue.

The mom, Kathy Jordan, is charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and harassment. Her daughter, Dominique Sharpton, is charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

A trial date has been set for March 23.

"There was no crime here," said their lawyer, Michael Hardy.

According to the criminal complaint, the pair was pulled over for blowing past a cop car and running a red light.

"I have a play to go to -- this is f- - -ing bulls- - -!" the daughter yelled at an officer, according to prosecutors.

After her curse-filled tirade continued, authorities say the mom chimed in: "Why the f- - - are you locking her up! Get your f- - -ing hands off her!"

laura.italiano@nypost.com

Trial date set for the Rev. Al Sharpton's cursing ex-wife and daughter - NYPOST.com.

NYPD Cadet Class of 112 Funded by Feds is Sworn

NYPD Cadet Class of 112 Funded by Feds is Sworn

To Help Counter-Terrorist Push

By TOMMY HALLISSEY

TAKING THE PLEDGE: A new class of 112 Cadets takes the oath of office at Police Headquarters before beginning six months of training that will prepare them to serve in Operation Impact and free seasoned officers to assist in NYPD counter-terrorism activities. The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly Jan. 11 swore in the smallest NYPD cadet class in recent memory: 112 police officers funded through a Federal grant after the economy initially caused the NYPD to cancel this class.

The funding for the new hires is provided by the Federal Transit Security Grant Program, which is part of Congress’s economic stimulus package passed last year. Chief NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne said that the Department of Homeland Security provided funding for the class to support mass-transit counter-terrorism efforts in the city. “These officers will be enrolled first in the Police Academy, and after six months posted to various assignments, most likely on Impact posts,” he said.

July Class Undecided

The size of the next class in July is unknown, according to Mr. Browne, although Police Commissioner has previously stated that both 2010 classes were canceled. The last two classes were 250 cadets, down from a traditional norm of more than 1,000 recruits.

The new Police Academy class is 63-percent minority, and consists of recruits who were born in 15 countries. Nineteen of the recruits prepared for their careers by serving in the military. The class includes 65 recruits who began their careers with the Police Cadet Corps and 81 who have college degrees.

“There is no more-important responsibility in our democracy than keeping our citizens safe,” said Mr. Bloomberg. “Your decision to join New York’s Finest speaks volumes about the extraordinary individuals you are. Welcome to an organization that has continued to drive down crime and welcome to a job where every day is a new adventure, and every tour is an opportunity to make this city a better place.”

The new class is 77 percent male and 35 percent Hispanic, 16 percent black, 12 percent Asian and 38 percent white.

The average age of the recruits is 25. Seventy-nine percent reside in the city.

“No matter where you’re from, whether this is your second career or your first job out of college, you have unique skills and valuable life experience to contribute to our three-fold mission of combating terrorism, fighting crime, and building cooperative community relations,” said Mr. Kelly.

$2,296: Latest tax-hike wallop to your wallet - NYPOST.com

$2,296: Latest tax-hike wallop to your wallet

By SUSAN EDELMAN

Last Updated: 2:50 PM, January 17, 2010

Posted: 4:36 AM, January 17, 2010

Average New York City households will pay as much as $2,300 more in taxes and fees in 2010 than last year -- but brace your wallets for further impact.

With Gov. Paterson set to unveil his proposed 2010-11 budget for the cash-starved state on Tuesday, fiscal watchdogs say New Yorkers are already reeling from a spate of tax and rate hikes that add up to a serious blow.

"It's burdensome -- people feel they are paying a lot, and they're not going to be happy about anymore," said Carol Kellermann of the Citizens Budget Commission.

But the city faces a $4 billion deficit and the state fears a looming $3 billion gap.

"I think both the city and state will propose additional fees and penalties to raise more revenues. It's probably a safe bet such things will happen," Kellermann said.

The city added or raised several key taxes last year, and New Yorkers will feel the full, 12-month brunt in 2010. It hiked its general sales tax from 4 to 4.5 percent. Combined with the 4 percent state sales tax and a commuter tax, consumers now pay 8.875 percent on most purchases.

The city also restored its 4.5 percent sales tax on clothing over $110, while the state did not.

In a stealth move that got little notice, the Bloomberg administration also tacked the 4.5 sales tax onto gas and electric bills -- that's expected to enrich city coffers by $74 million. The new tax will cost a household an extra $28.50 this month alone, based on a typical Con Ed January bill -- $551.28 for gas plus $80.97 for electricity, a spokeswoman said.

Homeowners will pay 7 percent more in property taxes, though landlords will likely pass on a rent hike to tenants.

The average property-tax bill for a single-family home in Manhattan, $18,600, will jump by $971 in 2010; in the other boroughs, add $184 to the average $3,500 bill, says the Independent Budget Office. Condo owners will pay $415 a year more in Manhattan and $71 in the other boroughs, an average citywide increase of $276.

It gets worse for families. The City University of New York raised full-time tuition 15 percent at its four-year colleges, from $4,000 to $4,600, starting last September, and 13.4 percent at its community colleges, from $2,500 to $3,175. Trustees have voted to hike tuition another 2 percent.

The State University of New York has raised tuition from $4,660 to $5,070 since last year.

The Legislature hiked more than 50 state taxes and fees estimated to generate $8 billion in revenues this fiscal year -- from adding a 5-cent deposit on bottled water, to raising income taxes for married couples making $300,000 or more.

The lawmakers rejected Paterson's proposed "obesity tax" on sugary drinks but raised the tax on wine about two cents a bottle and on beer about 1.5 cents a six-pack. It will charge $25 instead of $15 to reissue license plates. Drivers will also pay a $50 surcharge to renew registration, fees imposed -- among subway, bus, taxi and bridge-toll hikes -- to bail out the MTA.

The state also hiked taxes on utilities, health insurers and car-insurance companies -- costs bound to trickle down.

"They'll say, 'Oh, we're taxing business,' but business always passes it on to the consumer," Kellermann said.

The Tax Foundation, a fiscal watchdog based in Washington, DC, says President Obama kept his promise not to raise taxes his first year -- except on cigarette smokers. The feds hiked the tax on a pack of cancer sticks from 39 cents to $1.01. Adding New York's $2.75 and the city's $1.50 brings the total tax on 20 smokes to $5.26.

But Obama will spur "change" when the "George Bush tax cuts" of 2001 to 2003 all expire in 2011, the foundation notes. That's when the president is expected to carry out his plan to raise income taxes for couples with income over $250,000 and single people with income above $200,000.

Feel the squeeze

Here’s an estimate of how higher tax rates and fees in 2010 raise costs for a city family of four that earns $75,000 a year, has a kid in college, owns a Manhattan condo and a car, and includes a pack-a-day smoker:

CITY

General sales tax

* Increase: raised from 4 to 4.5%

* Added cost: $170

Tax on clothing over $110

* Increase: 4.5%

* Added cost: $26

Property tax

* Increase: 7% hike

* Added cost: $415

Gas and electric

* Increase: new 4.5%

* Added cost: $185

CUNY tuition

* Increase: 15%

* Added cost: $600

MTA

Subway and bus fares

* Increase: $8 hike on monthly pass, $2 hike on weekly pass

* Added cost: $392

Bridge tolls

* Increase: $1.86 hike on Verrazano, 91 cents to $1.01 increase on major crossings

* Added cost: $30

Taxi tax

* Increase: 50 cents

* Added cost: $234

STATE

* Increase: 3 cents a gallon on beer, 2 cents on wine, 5 cents on water bottles

* Added cost: $25

FEDERAL

Cigarette tax

* Increase: 39 cents more to $1.01 a pack

* Added cost: $219

Total hike: $2,296

Sources: Independent Budget Office, NY state Department of Taxation and Finance, Con Ed, Tax Foundation

susan.edelman@nypost.com

$2,296: Latest tax-hike wallop to your wallet - NYPOST.com.

Ask About New York’s High Schools

 January 18, 2010, 9:00 am

Ask About New York’s High Schools

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Clara Hemphill

This week, Clara Hemphill, whose book series New York City’s Best Schools is regarded as the bible for navigating school choices, will be responding to readers’ questions about the high school admissions process and the myriad choices in the city.

Readers who would like to ask Ms. Hemphill a question should do so in the comments box below. Her first set of responses will be published on Wednesday.

Ms. Hemphill is a writer, editor and public school parent dedicated to informing other parents about New York’s public schools. She is a founding editor of Insideschools.org, a project of Advocates for Children. She is the senior editor at the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs, a public policy research center.

As a reporter and editorial writer for New York Newsday, Ms. Hemphill shared the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. As foreign correspondent for The Associated Press and a producer for CBS News based in Rome in the 1980s, she covered the war in Lebanon, the attempted assassination of the pope and numerous Mafia murders. Her columns and op-ed pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The New York Daily News and Newsday.

She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Robert Snyder, and two children.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/ask-about-new-york-citys-high-schools/

HONORING DR. KING

Honoring Dr. King There are many places around the city paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. today. One of the highlights is sure to be at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where the borough's president, Marty Markowitz, and Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York will host a public celebration in his honor. The festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. with the actor Danny Glover appearing as the keynote speaker and the New Life Tabernacle Mass Choir and the Human Orchestra providing musical performances. Stick around after the event at the opera house for a free screening of the documentary "Soundtrack for a Revolution," which Mr. Glover produced. The movie explores the history of the civil rights movement through freedom songs and includes performances by John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, the Roots, Richie Havens and others. It begins at 1 p.m.

PRODUCT RECALL INFORMATION

En Español | Privacy Policy | Legal Notice

CONSUMER INQUIRIES: 1-888-222-6036 (Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, and Sat-Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST) MCNEIL CONSUMER HEALTHCARE ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY RECALL OF CERTAIN OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) PRODUCTS IN THE AMERICAS, UAE, AND FIJI Fort Washington, PA (January 15, 2010) In consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., is voluntarily recalling certain lots of OTC products in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Fiji (FULL RECALLED PRODUCT LIST BELOW). The company is initiating this recall following an investigation of consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events. These include nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. This precautionary action is voluntary and has been taken in consultation with the FDA. Based on this investigation, McNeil Consumer Healthcare has determined that the reported uncharacteristic smell is caused by the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA). This can result from the breakdown of a chemical that is sometimes applied to wood that is used to build wood pallets that transport and store product packaging materials. The health effects of this chemical have not been well studied but no serious events have been documented in the medical literature. A small number of the product lots being recalled were associated with the complaints of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor, and some of these lots were found to contain trace amounts of TBA. In December 2009, McNeil Consumer Healthcare also recalled all lots of TYLENOL® Arthritis Pain 100 count with EZ-OPEN CAP related to this issue. McNeil Consumer Healthcare has now applied broader criteria to identify and remove all product lots that it believes may have the potential to be affected, even if they have not been the subject of consumer complaints. In addition to the product recall, McNeil Consumer Healthcare is continuing their investigation into this issue and is taking further actions that include ceasing shipment of products produced using materials shipped on these wood pallets and requiring suppliers who ship materials to our plants to discontinue the use of these pallets. We will continue to closely monitor and evaluate the situation and consult with the FDA. Consumers who purchased product from the lots included in this recall should stop using the product and contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare for instructions on a refund or replacement. For these instructions or information regarding how to return or dispose of the product, consumers should log on to the internet at www.mcneilproductrecall.com or call 1-888-222-6036 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time). Consumers who have medical concerns or questions should contact their healthcare provider. Any adverse reactions may also be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Program by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, by mail at MedWatch, FDA, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787, or on the MedWatch website at www.fda.gov/medwatch. The affected product lot numbers for the recalled products can be found on the side of the bottle label. McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. markets a broad range of well-known and trusted over-the-counter (OTC) products. CLICK HERE FOR RECALL INFORMATION ON CERTAIN PRODUCT LOTS OF TYLENOL® Products CLICK HERE FOR RECALL INFORMATION ON CERTAIN PRODUCT LOTS OF MOTRIN® Products CLICK HERE FOR RECALL INFORMATION ON CERTAIN PRODUCT LOTS OF BENADRYL® ALLERGY ULTRATAB™ CLICK HERE FOR RECALL INFORMATION ON CERTAIN PRODUCT LOTS OF ROLAIDS® Antacid Tablets CLICK HERE FOR RECALL INFORMATION ON CERTAIN PRODUCT LOTS OF SIMPLY SLEEP® Products CLICK HERE FOR RECALL INFORMATION ON CERTAIN PRODUCT LOTS OF ST. JOSEPH® Products

clipped from www.cnn.com Doomsday clock pushed back 1 minute The symbolic Doomsday Clock has been moved back a minute, reflecting the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' more optimistic view of the world's chances of avoiding catastrophic threats such as nuclear attacks. The clock is now set at six minutes to midnight, with midnight representing a nuclear apocalypse, according to the group, which is based in Chicago, Illinois. The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 and had been adjusted only 18 times before Thursday, the group said. The closest it has been to midnight is two minutes, from 1953 to 1960, after the Soviet Union and the United States stepped up testing of thermonuclear devices. The farthest has been 17 minutes, from 1991 to 1995, after the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Members of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announce the adjustment of the 'Doomsday Clock' in New York on Thursday.

clipped from www.cnn.com 'Heroes' actor contacts parents in Haiti By Jo Piazza, Special to CNN CNN) -- On Thursday, Jimmy Jean-Louis finally received the phone call he had longed for: He spoke with his mother in Haiti. "I got a phone call from my sister who said she was able to reach home," the Haitian native and "Heroes" cast member said. " So I picked up the phone and my mom answered. The first reaction from both of us was simply to cry." The actor had been searching for his elderly parents in Haiti after a powerful earthquake struck his homeland. Adding to his desperation to find them was the knowledge that the house he had grown up in had collapsed during the disaster, killing several of his relatives.

Quinn Seeks Help for Poor Haitian... Hurricane Victims?

Earlier today, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn sent out an email blast encouraging New Yorkers to donate relief supplies to help the people of Haiti. But someone in her office pulled a major boner and forwarded a letter Quinn previously sent in 2008, seeking help for Haiti's hurricane victims. Oh, fiddlesticks. Shortly thereafter, Quinn's office fired out a new letter, seeking help for victims of the current tragedy.

The Caribbean island's seemingly endless series of catastrophic events does start to blur together after a while, but it looks like the death toll from this earthquake will make the 2008 hurricanes pale in comparison. The full text of the letter is below, but for the record, Quinn urges you to send checks with Haiti Earthquake Relief written in the memo to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, One Centre Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10007. You can also donate online or by phone by calling (212) 788-7794.

Dear New Yorker,

I am writing today in hopes that you might join me in spreading the word about efforts currently underway to provide badly-needed relief to hurricane victims in Haiti.

As you know, this past month, three deadly hurricanes left more than 500 dead and tens of thousands homeless in Haiti before barreling into the U.S. and wreaking havoc and destruction along the Gulf Coast.

On September 18th, following similar relief efforts to our neighbors in the South, Governor Paterson directed the opening of the New York Army National Guard Armory in Brooklyn to allow for the collection of donated relief supplies for the hurricane-stricken island nation of Haiti.

Items in high demand for shipment to Haiti include:

* Bottled water (packed in cases or six packs at a minimum). Single bottles are inappropriate donations since they would have to be repackaged.
* Rice (dried in bags)
* Beans (dried cans only)
* Sterno canisters
* Tarpaulin (of any size, preferably 10 ft. x 10 ft. or larger) - to be used for both roofing and flooring
* Nylon cord (100 ft. rolls)
* Hygiene items limited to toothbrushes, toothpaste, mild soaps
* New underclothes (children sizes)
* New hand towels

Soldiers from the New York National Guard will be on hand to receive, sort and prepare donations at the following locations:

Bedford Armory

1579 Bedford Avenue at Union Street, Brooklyn

Sept. 18 - Sept. 26, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building

163 West 125th at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., Harlem

Sept. 18 - Sept. 26, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As the aftermath of these hurricanes continues to unfold, it’s important that we do what we can to help alleviate some of the pain and suffering in Haiti.

The Council and I have already begun reaching out to our constituents to encourage them to collect and donate. If you could please pass this information along to the members of your community and encourage them to do the same, we’d deeply appreciate it. Working together, we can help make a difference in the lives of the Haitian people.

In closing, I would like to thank all of our state and city elected officials, especially Governor Paterson, Council Members Mathieu Eugene and Larry Seabrook, and the members of the Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, for heading up this important relief effort.

I would also like to thank our brave men and women of the New York National Guard for once again stepping in during a time of crisis to help those in need.

For more information about the Haitian relief effort, please call (212) 681-4010 or e-mail relief@chamber.state.ny.us .

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Christine C. Quinn

Speaker

New York City Council

By John Del Signore in News on January 14, 2010 3:00 PM

Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph responds to senile televangelist Pat Robertson's racist ramblings

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph responds to senile televangelist Pat Robertson's racist ramblings

Responding to Pat Robertson's racist assertion that Haiti won its freedom as the modern world's first independent Black nation as the result of making a "pact with the devil", Haiti's Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph stated on The Rachel Maddow Show that if Haiti's liberation was "a curse", it was a curse that greatly benefited the United States.

Paraphrasing Ambassador Joseph (with the help of Wikipedia's entry on the Louisiana Purchase), the ambassador deftly pointed out that the successful liberation of Haiti by its largely enslaved African-descended people caused Napoleon to lose its significant sugar exports rendering the former colony and the Louisiana territory strategically and monetarily inconsequential to him.

So, as a direct result of the successful uprising in (then) Saint-Domingue and the sale of the Louisiana Territory to the young United States, our country double in size for $15 million (or ~$.03/acre) in 1803. This massive acquisition of land from France just over 200 years ago gave us the modern-day states of . . .

"Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, parts of Minnesota that were west of the Mississippi River, most of North Dakota, nearly all of South Dakota, northeastern New Mexico, the portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River, including the city of New Orleans."

So, thank you, Ayiti!

May you rise from the ashes yet again with liberty, justice, and democracy for all.

Again, to donate to the earthquake relief aid in Haiti, please text 501501 and $5 will go to the Yéle Relief Fund, or go here to support Yele.org.

Afro-Netizen on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 10:24 PM in Current Affairs, International Affairs, Media/Technology, Race, Culture & History | Permalink

Technorati Tags: disaster, earthquake, Haiti, Louisiana Purchase, Napoleon, Pat Robertson, Raymond Joseph, relief, Yele

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