QB NOTE: WFAN has studios WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE of Queensbridge

----------
by LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
Sat Apr 7, 10:27 AM ET


NEW YORK - The radio station that produces Don Imus' talk show
pledged to keep tabs on its content after he apologized for calling
the players on Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy
headed hos."

"We are disappointed by Imus' actions earlier this week which we
find completely inappropriate," WFAN-AM said in a statement
Friday. "We fully agree that a sincere apology was called for and
will continue to monitor the program's content going forward."

Imus apologized Friday for the comments made earlier this week on
his nationally syndicated program.

The National Association of Black Journalists demanded the immediate
firing of the "Imus in the Morning" host. Imus questioned the
players' looks, describing them as tattooed "rough girls." His
producer compared the team — which has eight black members — to the
NBA's Toronto Raptors.

Near the start of Friday's show, Imus said he wanted to "apologize
for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other
morning referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team."

"It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people
were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and
we are sorry."

Gregory Lee, an NABJ officer and senior assistant sports editor at
The Boston Globe, said the mea culpa did little to atone for the
comments.

"You can apologize, but what does that mean when you have a history
of making disparaging remarks about people?" Lee asked about the
acid-tongued Imus. "This kind of behavior must be punished. I hope
the company and sponsors he has take some sort of action ... to
educate him."

NABJ President Bryan Monroe asked Thursday if Imus had "lost his
mind" and called for the veteran radio host's dismissal. Rutgers
coach C. Vivian Stringer was also incensed by the comments about her
team.

"I am deeply saddened and angered by Mr. Imus' statements," said
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. "To serve as a joke of Mr. Imus in
such an insensitive manner creates a wedge and makes light of these
classy individuals, both as women and as women of color."

Imus was speaking with producer Bernard McGurk when the        NCAA
title game between Rutgers and Tennessee came up.

"That's some rough girls from Rutgers," Imus said. "Man, they got
tattoos ..."

"Some hardcore hos," said McGurk.

"That's some nappy headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that,"
Imus said.

Imus, a member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame and one of
the nation's best-known radio voices, is renowned for his caustic
style and politically incorrect verbal broadsides. His show is
syndicated to millions of listeners at more than 70 stations around
the country.

At MSNBC, where the radio program is simulcast on television,
officials offered Imus no support.

"'Imus in the Morning' is not a production of the cable network and
is produced by WFAN Radio," said a statement from the network. "As
Imus makes clear every day, his views are not those of MSNBC. We
regret that his remarks were aired on MSNBC and apologize for these
offensive comments."

In a joint statement, NCAA President Myles Brand and Rutgers
President Richard McCormick condemned Imus' slur.

"It is unconscionable that anyone would use the airways to utter
such disregard for the dignity of human beings who have accomplished
much and deserve great credit," their statement read.

Dear Social Justice Activists


Please come to our next meeting of the

SEQNN Parent Subcommittee
Thursday, April 12, 2007
6pm-8pm

Inwood House
89-31 161st Street
3rd Floor, Room 302
Jamaica, NY 11432

Near the last stop of the E or J trains in Queens, or the Parsons
Blvd. stop of the F train



Your presence is very important. This is a genuine effort to change
the system from the inside.



Among the plans we need to implement are:

1.  A Town Hall Meeting at the end of June with the theme "Bringing
Human Rights to the Child Welfare System"
2.  Develop Best Practices for the Service Plan Review and Case
Conferences
3.  Develop an independent Circle of Support for Biological Parents

Please invite other Social Justice Activists.
Spread Far and Wide



Rolando Bini - Co-Chair
Parent Subcommittee – SEQNN
http://www.seqnn.org/

Riis Settlement's Mesa Redonda is the agency's newest forum for
Spanish- speakers in the Queensbridge community.  Immigrant community
members meet weekly to discuss common concerns in a safe, welcoming
and confidential environment. Monthly presentations address rights in
the workplace, human rights, parental involvement in children's
education and answers to legal questions.  Contact Alison Egic at 718-
784-7447 X 113.

Riis Settlement's recent renovation included: addition of a new floor
on the building; state-of-the-art elevator for the physically
challenged; front and rear ramps for wheelchair access; bathroom
upgrade for handicap usage; new roof, pointing, and parapets; and the
gymnasium floor resurfaced.

--- In hudnycha@yahoogroups.com, ray60273 <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Riis Settlement's Mesa Redonda is the agency's newest forum for
> Spanish- speakers in the Queensbridge community.  Immigrant community
> members meet weekly to discuss common concerns in a safe, welcoming
> and confidential environment. Monthly presentations address rights in
> the workplace, human rights, parental involvement in children's
> education and answers to legal questions.  Contact Alison Egic at 718-
> 784-7447 X 113.
>
> Riis Settlement's recent renovation included: addition of a new floor
> on the building; state-of-the-art elevator for the physically
> challenged; front and rear ramps for wheelchair access; bathroom
> upgrade for handicap usage; new roof, pointing, and parapets; and the
> gymnasium floor resurfaced.
>
I would love to express my pride and appreciation in regards to Riis
Settlement. I grew up on 10th Street, 40th side. Great summers in my
childhood were because of Riis.

I played Basketball, took dancing lessons, wrestled, and trips to the
beach.

Thank you very much for making me proud to have grown up in suc a place.

Sincerely,
Vanessa Vanterpool Beasley
vanesssupport@...
1955ish to 1971

--- In hudnycha@yahoogroups.com, vanterpool2000 <no_reply@...> wrote:
> I would love to express my pride and appreciation in regards to
Riis
> Settlement. I grew up on 10th Street, 40th side. Great summers in
my
> childhood were because of Riis.
>
> I played Basketball, took dancing lessons, wrestled, and trips to
the
> beach.
>
> Thank you very much for making me proud to have grown up in suc a
place.
>
> Sincerely,
> Vanessa Vanterpool Beasley
> vanesssupport@...
> 1955ish to 1971
>

Now in 2007 they even have computer classes for word processing and
spread sheets and digital photography. People use the internet there
to get on this WWW site to see photos and news.

All the rooms downstairs are used for something. NAACP meets there.

The Tenant Association has monthly meetings with standing-room only.

City Limits WEEKLY see their link here for a lot more  NYCHA info
Week of: April 16, 2007
Number: 583

CUTBACKS FORECAST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING
The feds aren't giving NYCHA what it needs. > By Nick Judd


As the New York City Housing Authority faces a $225 million deficit
in this calendar year, the federal Department of Housing and Urban
Development has made a nationwide change that will mean even less
money next year – not only for New York City, but for public housing
authorities throughout the Northeast.
Because of increasing costs stemming from things like rising energy
prices and an ever-smaller stream of federal subsidies, NYCHA is
struggling to make ends meet as it enters its second consecutive
year facing a significant deficit and unable to compensate with its
own reserves, as it's done in the past. And because New York state
for nearly a decade has not subsidized the 15 developments it built
around the city between 1958 and 1974, NYCHA officials say they have
long been stretching federal money farther than it was intended to
go.

Some residents are well aware of that. Rosia Wyche, who has lived in
Coney Island Houses for 31 years, says she immediately started
seeing problems arise after NYCHA consolidated the management for
six housing developments in her area into three offices, as a cost-
saving measure.

"It's not as neat as it was, it's not as clean as it was. People are
beginning to complain about mice," said Wyche, district chair of the
housing authority's Citywide Council of Presidents district for
southern Brooklyn (which represents residents at meetings with NYCHA
administrators). "We never had mice. In all the years I lived here
I've never heard talk of mice before, until lately."

She added that because of reduced services on weekends, the smell of
trash piling up in Dumpsters has begun to reach residents living in
the lower floors of public developments – who are mostly senior
citizens, she adds.

The way it looks now, things are only going to get worse.

Experts say that Congress met only 83 percent of NYCHA's expected
need this year, and expect to see only 80 percent met in 2008. But
it's not only that: at a time when NYCHA is operating at a large
deficit, HUD's estimate of annual expected subsidy for NYCHA will
slowly drop by another $60 million over the next five years.

Beginning with the 2008 calendar year, HUD will use a new formula to
calculate annual operating subsidies for every public housing
authority in the U.S. With this new method, based on the results of
a 2003 Harvard Graduate School of Design study, NYCHA and other
large, old housing authorities are losing out, according to Sonia
Zaterman, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based public
housing advocacy group Council of Large Public Housing Authorities.

"New York state, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and a lot of the northeastern
cities will be subject to very significant cuts in their current
subsidy levels," Zaterman said. She added that because the Harvard
study based its numbers on federally subsidized but privately owned
developments rather than public housing – which has special
regulations and additional costs that private owners don't have to
deal with – it suffered from "significant methodological flaws."

"They were saying, 'we think that certain housing authorities should
have their subsidies lowered and another two-thirds should either
remain neutral or have their subsidies increased,'" Zaterman
said, "Particularly in the west, southwest, and in the south, where
their subsidy levels have been traditionally very low."

HUD has created a stop-loss program for housing authorities like
NYCHA that stand to lose a lot of money. If NYCHA changes the way it
manages its developments to behave more like a private firm –
producing balance sheets and five-year plans for each individual
property, for example – by a deadline set by HUD, the reduction in
annual subsidy will be limited to $3 million. The deadline had been
set for this week, but was pushed back to the autumn.

If NYCHA is not in compliance, the authority will slowly lose more
and more money each year for the next five years until it either
suffers the entire $60 million annual loss of subsidy or proves it
has changed its management practices to fit the new guidelines.
NYCHA spokesperson Howard Marder says the Authority believes its
current practices meet the new standards.

NYCHA already is cutting costs wherever it can. "We've consolidated
management offices," Marder explained last week. "We've cut back on
overtime on the weekends by having people who come in to clean on
the weekends work two fewer hours." NYCHA has also stopped taking on
new hires.

"Wherever we can try to find something that will save money," he
said, "we'll do it." Meanwhile, housing authorities in southern
states will collectively gain in the coming years.

Lawmakers are trying to come up with money to support NYCHA. In
2006, Mayor Bloomberg allocated $100 million as the authority
implemented a new financial plan, and the City Council has chipped
in another $20 million. At the federal level, U.S. Sen. Chuck
Schumer and Rep. Nydia Velazquez of Brooklyn have introduced
legislation to provide another $100 million annually for a total of
21 housing projects that are currently unsubsidized.

Wyche of the Coney Island Houses hails from North Carolina but has
lived in New York since 1964. She's optimistic that NYCHA will
eventually receive more funding – but is unhappy with the
inconveniences residents in her area have been forced to deal with.

"What bothers me is that residents are talking about living in
filth," she said. "I'm a Southern girl. I don't believe in filth."

April 20, 2007

The Honorable Michael J. Astrue

Commissioner

Social Security Administration

6401 Security Boulevard

Baltimore, MD 21235-0001

Dear Commissioner Astrue,

             I was extremely troubled to learn that 1700 individuals
in my district did not receive Supplemental Security Income checks
from the Social Security Administration at the beginning of April.
When my office called to inquire, the U.S. Postal Service advised
that they had no record of a bulk mailing sent to two zip codes in
my district in Queens (11101 and 11102) and two zip codes in
Brooklyn.  While the Brooklyn checks were subsequently located, the
Queens checks have not yet surfaced.  I am pleased to note that
replacement checks were quickly issued; however, for low income
individuals who rely on the timely delivery of their Social Security
checks, the delay caused great harm.

             I would appreciate it if you could advise me:

1) What is being done to ensure that a missed delivery of this
magnitude will not recur in the future?

2) Are there still individuals who have not received their checks?
If so, what is the Social Security Administration doing to reach out
to them?

3) What is the Social Security Administration doing to try to enroll
these individuals in direct deposit?

             Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious
matter.  If you have any questions or comments, please call my New
York Chief of Staff, Minna Elias, at 212-860-0606.

                                                              Very
truly yours,



                                                             CAROLYN
B. MALONEY

                                                             Member
of Congress

Dear Friends,

Council Member John C. Liu will participate in a live-radio
discussion
tomorrow morning to discuss the New York City Council's resolution
expressing "profound regret for slavery and historic wrongs rooted in
racial and cultural bias."  This resolution, formally introduced
today
by Council Members Liu, Larry Seabrook, and Robert Jackson,
officially
acknowledges the city's role in sustaining and benefiting from the
slave trade.

Tomorrow morning's radio discussion will be broadcast on Power 105.1
FM's Ed Lover Show (between 8:15 and 8:30AM) and webcast at
<http://www.power1051fm.com>.  After protests organized by the
Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and Families with Children
from China (FCC), Ed Lover recently apologized for producing and
broadcasting a contest called "Are You Smarter Than An Asian?"  Many
New Yorkers were offended by the caricatures presented by this Clear
Channel Communication radio program, including an "Asian" male named
Mr. Hung Lo, who spoke with a stereotypical broken English and asked
insulting questions like: "How does an Asian pronounce 'fried rice?'"

Agnes Kim
Office of Council Member John C. Liu

-----------
NEW YORK TIMES: "Bill to Apologize for Slavery"
<http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/bill-to-apologize-
for-slavery/>

EXCERPT-
A group of City Council members introduced a resolution today to
formally apologize for the city's "role in sustaining and benefiting
from the slave trade."

Many New Yorkers credit the New York-Historical Society's landmark
exhibition, "Slavery in New York," which was on view from 2005 to
2006, with increasing awareness of New Yorkers' role in promoting and
profiting from slavery, between the 17th and 19th centuries.

The New York City bill — sponsored by Councilman Robert Jackson of
Manhattan, Larry B. Seabrook of the Bronx and John C. Liu of Queens —
would express "profound regret for slavery and historic wrongs rooted
in racial and cultural bias." Mr. Jackson said he hoped the
resolution
would "spur dialogue and interest among the new generation of New
Yorkers who will lead us in the future." Mr. Liu said, "New York is
the greatest city in the world, but let's face it: The early
foundation of this city was built on the backs of slaves.

Mr. Liu's office issued a news release with statements of support
from
the Rev. Nicholas Genevieve-Tweed, pastor of Macedonia A.M.E. Church
in Queens; Ken Cohen, a regional director for the National
Association
for the Advancement of Colored People; Sonia Ossorio, president of
the
local chapter of the National Organization for Women; Jason Handley
of
American Civil Rights Education Services; Taina Bien-Aime, executive
director of Equality Now, which promotes the human rights of girls
and
women; Carl O. Callendar, executive director of the Queens Legal
Services Corporation; Vicki Shu Smolin, president of the New York
chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans; Elizabeth Enloe, a
regional director at the American Friends Service Committee; John
Park, president of the Korean American Community Empowerment Council;
Mohan Singh-Sandhu and Dhan Singh of the Sikh Culture Society; and
Jae
Chong of the Korean American Family Service Center.

Several of the supporters noted that slavery and human trafficking
are
ongoing issues, not merely relics of the past.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
================================================
* * * JOHN LIU, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL 2007 * * *
================================================

The Honorable John C. Liu is a member of the New York City Council
and chairs the Transportation Committee.  Council Member Liu also
serves on the Education, Consumer Affairs, Health, Contracts, Land
Use, Oversight & Investigation, and Lower Manhattan Redevelopment
committees

Synagogue for the Arts Gallery Space
  49 White Street  New York, NY 10013
tel:212.966.7141   fax: 212.966,4968
Info@...    www.synagogueforthearts.org

A Toast to TOAST
Group Show of TOAST Artists

TOAST WEEKEND IS HERE!

For a preview of the 11th annual TriBeCa art walk - the  TriBeCa
Open Artist Studio Tour, a free, self-guided tour of approximately
100 artists' studios throughout TriBeCa, start with the group show
in the spacious Synagogue for the Arts Gallery Space.

The show at the Gallery Space expands TOAST in time so that the
public can see the art in one place, as well as in studios, and
enjoy some of the many art spaces and restaurants in this historic
neighborhood. Pick up a TOAST map to guide you to the participating
artists' studios.

TOAST 2007 at the Synagogue for the Arts

Saturday, April 28, 1 to 6  PM
   Sunday, April 29, 1 to 6  PM
   Monday, April 30, 1 to 6  PM


(The artists' studios will open on Friday April 27, 6:00 to 8:00 PM.)

A Toast to TOAST, Synagogue for the Arts Gallery Space, April 19 -
May 13.
Gallery hours: Mon/ Wed/ Thurs 1-5 PM. Tues 1-7PM.   ... and by appt.


Tribeca Gallery Association  2nd Wednesdays reception, May 9, 6-8 PM

    Preview TOAST artists' work on the web site . . .
http://www.toastartwalk.com/cgi-bin/index.pl

** Wednesday, May 02, 2007  **


Subcommittee(s) on: Public Housing
1:00 PM, Hearing Room - 250 Broadway, 14th Floor
Oversight - Update on NYCHA's New Section 8 Vouchers

Please come out to this informative and interesting event:

   Congestion Pricing: Benefits for Queens
   Neighborhood info-session

   What is the impact on YOUR neighborhood?

   Join a panel of transportation experts, as they discuss:
   • Reduced Thru-Traffic in West Queens
   • Faster and Expanded Bus Commuting
   • Improved Air Quality
   • Changes in Parking Policy

   Come with questions!

   When: Tuesday, May 8th, 7 - 8:30 pm
   Where: Sunnyside Reformed Church,
   48-03 Skillman Ave. (at 48th St.)

   Subway: 7 train to 46th Ave./Bliss St.
   Bus: Q104 to Skillman Ave., Q32/Q60 to 48th St.

   Hosted By:
Transportation Alternatives and Citizens Committee for New York City

   Contact 646-873-6008 or info@... for more details.

May 19 to 20 from noon to 5:00pm L.I.C. NOW - a group exhibition
curated by Lisa Williams at The Experimental Space - Juvenal Reis
Studios. Reception on Sunday, May 20 from 3:00 to 5:00pm

Dear Freedom Fighters


Who is the presidential candidate that opposes the:

Drugging of children
Iraq War
US Intervention Abroad

Who is the only presidential candidate that would respect the
Constitution?

Who is the only presidential candidate that speaks the Truth?

Who is the presidential candidate that would abolish the

Federal Reserve
IRS
Income Tax

Who is the presidential candidate that would better protect your
Freedom?

Who is the only presidential candidate that would bring back not only
the US troops in Iraq, but All US Troops abroad?


Who is the only presidential candidate that would Stop government
intervention against the Family?

Who is the presidential candidate that has according to the Internet
polls won by far every one of the presidential debates?

Who is the candidate that the Controlled Press makes every effort to
ignore or put down?


RON PAUL


Get Involved. Make History






Rolando Bini

------------------------------------

Reminder Notice of the May 26 Paul Teleconference

To:    paul_power@yahoogroups.com




Reminder of the Saturday call. This is planned be the last 'open'

teleconference, the subsequent ones will be by-invitation and to

Coalition volunteers/active supporters only. There is a possibility

that Jared Chicoine, NH coordinator for the Ron Paul campaign, will

also be on the call.

Guests Include: Jesse Benton (Paul Campaign Press Secretary), P4P State

Coordinators

Conference Details:
Scheduled Conference Date: Saturday, May 26, 2007
Scheduled Start Time: 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (8 CT)
Scheduled End Time: 10:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Dial-in Number: 1-712-580-1800 Iowa

Participant Access Code: 7667285 (RonPaul)



-----Peace & Freedom, John-----
Educating Rudy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcQQ05XtAQ4
Ron Paul Web Info Hub:
http://www.ronpaulpresshub.com


"J. Clifton" <mrjclifton@...>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

See
www.NYCHA.INFO

Free crates of string beans are being given away on
Janet Cole Plaza
at
Queensbridge

we heard that more free food will be given away
Tuesday at 10:00 AM

Read how another city Housing Authority is moving people out at <BR>
http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_6056359


More NYCHA tenants arrested for lying on annual review. See <BR>
http://www.nysun.com/article/55798
<HR>

for full story see today's The New York Sun.
Post your opinions here

© 2007 The New York Sun,
Sell the Buildings, Too
By HOWARD HUSOCK
June 5, 2007

It makes sense for the city to exit the public housing business in a
gradual, humane manner. Selling off land could be a first step in that
process. But it would be far better to start selling off whole
buildings.

The proceeds of the sales of buildings in hot real estate markets
would do far more to help fund the existing system.