Tag: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn

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Tid Bits

Monday, March 11, 2013: Memorial For NYPDAngels & other unrelated stories…

“My dad was a hero, and heroes never die.” That from Stephan Nemorin, son of slain NYPD Detective James J. Nemorin, during a special Mass at Our Lady of Refuge Church in Brooklyn, Sunday. The mass commemorated ten years to the day, when he and partner Detective Rodney Andrews were both murdered while conducting undercover gun buys in Staten Island. Dozens of uniformed officers lined Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn, as a bagpipe-led procession filed into the church for mass for the two officers. 
Christian Andrews recalled his dad teaching him to play chess. “He was teaching me about life. And it took me 10 years to figure that out.”  
“Thirty-six year old James J. Nemorin and thirty-four year old Rodney Andrews were fatally shot in the back of their heads, killed execution style during an undercover operation in Tompkinsville, Staten Island. The two undercover detectives were the first NYPD officers to die in the line of duty since the World Trade Center attack and the first gunned down since 1998. They were posing as gun buyers to try to arrest those who sell the guns in a dangerous effort to make us safer. For that they paid the ultimate price. They were shot dead by the two people who were supposed to sell them the guns. We do not know if their cover was blown or what happened on that fateful winter night. Most of those details probably died with the detectives when they were shot at point blank behind the head and thrown into a deserted street in Staten Island.”  h/t NYPDAngel 
Ronell Wilson was arrested in 2003 for the murders of the two police officers and was sentenced to die by lethal injection — but due to errors by the prosecution, a federal appeals court reversed the sentence. He’s waiting to be resentenced. ♦

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn launched her mayoral campaign yesterday in her family’s old neighborhood of Inwood in Manhattan, putting strong emphasis on her record of “action” and a pledge to make the city livable for the struggling middle class in NYC. Avoiding perhaps for the time being, the council speaker made no mention — this first time out glad-handing –of the history-making prospects of her candidacy, such as the potential to be the city’s first openly gay and woman mayor. She’s keeping those pair of aces up her sleeve I suspect. 
“I know I’m the best person, working with all of New York’s 8.4 million people to make this happen. Because if you look at my record, it’s not one of criticism and finger-pointing. It’s one of action, results and delivery,” Quinn said.
Quinn did have one heckler, Herbert Goldman, who accused her of  ‘playing ‘politics’, voting “yes” to abolishing term limits allowing present NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for a third term in 2008. Term limits were conveniently reinstated in 2010.
Many NYers were not kool with that call Christine.
Looking to move out from under the huge shadow of Bloomberg, once the campaigning is in full swing, Quinlan says she wants the mayoral election to deal with solutions for everyday struggles in the city, not about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s performance. After all, he ain’t running. ♦

Okay picture this if you can: a reality show based on has-been celebrities and jocks, donning expensive swimwear and participating in a high dive competition to show off their diving form or lack there of. Dumb idea? Well, lucky you’re not an ad exec…‘Splash’ is set to air on ABC, March 19th, featuring an “all-star” cast. So don’t quit your day job just yet.
The cast for the first show?: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar–Former NBA champion, Louie Anderson–Minnesota native and comedian, Drake Bell–Actor/singer, Chuy Bravo–Chelsea Handler’s assistant, Rory Bushfield–Olympic skier, Nicole Eggert–Actress, Keshia Knight Pulliam–Actress, Ndamukong Suh–NFL player, Katherine Webb–Miss Alabama USA 2012, and Kendra Wilkinson–Reality TV star and former Playboy model) set to air in March with Olympic Gold Medalist diver Greg Louganis serving as mentor and trainer to the competitors. So, that’s one professional swimmer in the whole bunch — and he’s the instructor! Hopefully the worst that will happen is somebody’s bathing suit will ‘malfunction’ after a painful belly flop. ♦

Looks as if President Obama is going to use the opportunity created by the Sequester‘s mandate to cut $46 billion, to begin arguing for deep reductions in programs for budget drainers that have long been on his ‘to-do’ list. His call for such things as closing obsolete military bases, a reduction in deployed nuclear weapons and stockpiles,and  scaling back on next-generation warplanes like the F-35, the most expensive weapons program in US history, are likely to much agita at the Pentagon. However, administration officials believe these cuts would unburden the budget considerably and even allow room for more advanced tech warfare programs such as the manufacture of the controversial  drone fighters, development of offensive and defensive cyberweapons and a focus on Special Operations forces. Out with the old, in with the new, eh?. ♦

 

Later pilgrims…

 

 

 

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Michelle Obama Fireside chat Tid Bits

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

I will say the First Lady‘s pilot series “Fireside Hangouts” was a success! With live access on three online sites, I would’ve however liked to have had more and a wider variety of participants, but other than that I enjoyed tuning in and watching Mrs.Obama in action. She was warm, friendly, engaging, informative, open and candid, even at one point revealing that she and The President, as she referred to President Obama quite often, worked out together every morning; that she and her daughters,Sasha and Malia take time out regularly to workout indoors by putting on CDs and dancing all around their White House digs; and that as a youngster she enjoyed playing the piano and would love to take up lessons again after the family leaves the White House in 2017. She even got her guests to do the ‘Dougie‘ with her! First and foremost she kept the idea of making good nutritional foods and exercise accessible to all children in the forefront of the half hour dialog and vowed to continue her efforts to bring two other of her initiatives, Let’s Move! Active Schools and the MyPlate Recipe Partnership into effect in the near future. In typical Capricorn fashion, Michelle Obama has taken the fundamental, imperative concept that ‘good nutrition and proper exercise leading to bright, confident and competitive youths who grow up into bright, confident and competitive adults’ and made it fun, practical, relateable and do-able!
And she was the picture of health herself. With glowing skin, and sporting her new bang-do, her hair full of body with a healthy sheen she looked radiant wearing a short strand of large pearls, a blue, grey and black large floral print dress with short sleeves that showed off her famous ‘power arms’ and grey pumps, Michelle Obama shows that the best way to set a good example of good health and beauty, is to be one!
You Go M.O.! ♦

Polls are showing that NYers are pretty kool with the notion of a lesbian mayor, as City Council Speaker Christine Quinn continues to take the lead in the race for New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, 37 percent of Democratic voters favored Quinn and another poll had 78 percent of NYC voters showing they were  “comfortable” or “enthusiastic” about the prospect of an openly gay mayor. If Quinlan does win she will be the first female and the first openly gay mayor in New York City history. Its certainly what I’ve been expecting ever since a skinny, big-earred, mixed-heritaged, intelligent, 47 y.o.Ilinois senator ran for and won the Presidency of the United States of America, becoming the first African-American to do so. And you can bet there’ll be more ‘firsts’ like these in this prophetic year. Shift Happens in 2013!!! ♦

Berlinians are protesting a construction project to move whats left of The Berlin Wall in Germany from its original spot to place somewhere else in order to make room for an access road for new luxury apartments.The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic in 1961 meant to cut off West Berlin from East Berlin, preventing massive emigration and defection from the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period. In November of 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down in the midst of huge celebrations on both sides. Speed ahead to 2013 where Berlinians are now protesting against the removal of a 70-foot section of the wall’s longest remaining expanse which is covered in paintings and graffiti and dubbed the East Side Gallery.  Viewed as a historical monument by the protestors, the wall is also a popular tourist attraction, containing the famous “Fraternal Kiss” painting showing the two past German leaders Leonid I. Brezhnev and Erich Honecker locked in a kiss. Protesters have successfully prevented any further construction by work crews until city officials, land developers and relevant players in the protest can meet and settle on a solution. Sort of leads back to why the wall was built in the first place doesn’t it? Austerity vs Communism? Oh well, we all know now that history definitely has a way of repeating itself. ♦

A new report claims a record number of adults and children in the city are currently homeless.The Coalition For The Homeless is set to release a study Tuesday that says an average of more than 50,000 people slept in shelters nightly in January. Of those, more than 21-thousand were children.The coalition says the number of homeless is the highest it has been in three decades and that the numbers have gotten much worse under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Department of Homeless Services says the report is “not based in reality.” 
Officials said the increase is a direct result of the loss of a popular program which helped the homeless pay for their own housing.
“Well I think you need to look at the full picture,” said DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond. “There are fewer people coming into the shelter system than there were two years ago, 9 percent fewer families came in in 2012 when compared to 2010. The reason numbers have risen is a direct result of the loss of the advantage subsidies, something the coalition aggressively advocated for.”  h/t NY1
Maybe we can get Commissioner Diamond some street cred by getting him out into the streets to patiently explain his fact-finding methods to the hundreds of homeless out here. ♦

Later pilgrims…

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Tea Party Tid Bits

Tuesday, February, 19, 2013

NYC  public school bus drivers of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, serving the largest school district in the nation, will be reporting back to work  from their strike Wednesday just in time for the kids to return to school after mid-winter recess. Drivers for non-public schools will start Tuesday. All in all the city spent about $20.6 million in transit cards, taxis and gas for tens 0f thousands of kids to get to school during the month long bus strike, but saved an estimated $80 million by not having to pay bus companies during the strike, which started over the bus drivers’ job protection issues. So don’t cry for the City, Argentina.

Union leaders took heart over a letter written by five Democrats – City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, City Comptroller John Liu, former City Comptroller Bill Thompson and former Councilman Sal Albanese – all vying for the mayoral seat after Bloomberg vacates, asking them to return to work proming to revisit the job security issue if any of them are elected. That’s a big “IF”. ♦

How many tragic space heater fires have to occur before authorities crack the whip on landlords who refuse to provide heat for their tenants during the winter? Space heaters accounted for 32% of home heating fires and 80% of home heating fire deaths. What should you do if your landlord does not supply appropriate heat for the winter months for which they are obligated? According to the HPD, the following:

1. Contact your landlord, managing agent, or super to report the problem. If you’re not sure whom to call, check your lease for a name and contact number.
2. File a complaint with the City’s Citizen Service Center by calling 311. The Center will take the following action to get the heating problem resolved:
3. The Center will try on your behalf to contact the landlord or managing agent to get the heat working properly.
4. If not successful, then the Center will send one of its own housing inspectors to your apartment. The Center won’t inform the landlord of the time of inspection. The inspector will issue violations to the landlord if he determines heat is lacking. If the inspector determines that the heating problem isn’t limited to your apartment, he or she may issue a building-wide violation.
5. If, after receiving violations, the landlord doesn’t fix the problem, HPD’s Emergency Repair Program may use in-house staff and/or outside contractors to perform needed repairs to restore the heat and/or hot water. The cost of these repairs will be charged to the landlord, not to you.
GOOD LUCK! ♦
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President Obama is pushing for more vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act following  the even more vigorous  attempt by the Republican Party to disenfranchise voters during the primaries back in November 2012. The, now universal, symbol for the attempted disenfranchisement, 102 y.o. Desiline Victor from Miami, Florida, who stood in line for three hours and made two trips to the polls in order to vote last November, was honored by the President during his State of the Union Address  last Tuesday for her inspiring efforts.
The fear is that a conservative ruling will strike down one of the core elements of the landmark 1965 law, the 15th amendment, that guarantees African Americans and other minorities the right to vote. Looks like the Tea Party is getting the South to do their dirty work for them. ♦
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And WELCOME BACK ROBIN ROBERTS!

At five months to the day after receiving a bone marrow transplant, Robin Roberts will be back on the Good Morning America anchor desk Wednesday morning. And she’ll be making a lot of folks very uncomfortable.

Not because she’ll be sporting her  post-surgery baldie, offset with impeccable studio make-up; or that she’ll refuse to allow anyone to pity her or offer up condolences on her condition; or that her disposition will not be one of resignation or victimization.

She’ll be unnerving a lot of people because she’ll have that almost blinding, power-filled aura of a woman who has consistently looked that SOB Death in its face and sang, “I     a   m   tell-in’ youuuu, I’M NOT GOIN’!!!” (yeah, the Dream Girls song : ) ♦

Later pilgrims…

 

 

 

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