COMIC CON- Geek Girls Invade The Big Apple

  

GEEK GIRLS INVADE THE BIG APPLE

 One of the fastest growing demographics in the Science Fiction world today is the female audience, sometimes referred to as “Geek Girls.” They will be in full force at this year’s New York Comic Con October 13th-16th at the Javits Center.

Recognizing and embracing this incredibly important and increasing segment of the sci-fi audience, Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on the television series, Star Wars^TM : The Clone Wars, is bringing to New York Comic Con her new line of sci-fi fashion apparel and merchandise, titled Her Universe^TM (www.heruniverse.com), designed exclusively for women who want to show their geeky pride and love of Science Fiction. Ashley has now become one of the leading voices for Geek Girls.

Married to former Major League Baseball player, two-time World Series Champion and World Series MVP, David Eckstein, Ashley has made a career of fighting for the underdog, of leading the charge to create a place for female fans in a pop culture community typically dominated by men. In addition to fighting alongside the male heroes in The Clone Wars, Ashley aims to help her fellow female fans find their rightful place in the pop culture community. Her Universe is a “geek chic” line featuring fashionable, female–focused apparel and accessories based on such high-profile entertainment properties as the beloved Star Wars franchise and Syfy’s most popular shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Warehouse 13 and more.

"Most people do not realize that close to half of all sci-fi fans are women,” said Ashley. “This all started when, selfishly, I wanted more Star Wars merchandise made for fangirls. I love sci-fi and I quickly found out that I wasn't alone. I found scores of other fangirls online and at conventions who just wanted to be recognized and accepted in this unique genre. I felt that someone had to step up and give a voice to all of these passionate women, and that's when I founded Her Universe.”

Fans attending New York Comic Con will find two convention-exclusive items from Her Universe – a Star Wars Naboo charm for the new Star Wars Charm Bracelet and a 100% sterling silver Battlestar Galactica Cylon Toaster Necklace. Plus, just in time for Halloween and available this year only at New York Comic Con, Ashley will be offering 100 Star Wars Halloween-themed earth friendly tote bags featuring the art of popular Star Wars illustrator Katie Cook – the perfect trick or treating bag for fans of all ages.

COMIC CON "Bunny In The Moon," New Art by Tara McPherson!

BUNNY IN THE MOON:

NEW ART FROM TARA MCPHERSON!

 Continuing the hugely popular line of Tara McPherson products from Dark Horse Deluxe, Kidrobot, Jamungo, ClickforArt, and more, Dark Horse Comics is proud to announce the next installment of Tara McPherson’s art-book series: Bunny in the Moon: The Art of Tara McPherson Volume 3. In addition to collecting another volume of pop surrealism at it’s finest, this latest volume features a foreword by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock!

McPherson, dubbed “the crown princess of poster art” by Elle, has created prints for music stars Kings of Leon, Beck, High on Fire, Depeche Mode, Green Day, and many more. Tara’s work has been featured in Vanity Fair, the New York Times, and Juxtapoz.

“Tara McPherson is blazing a trail between illustration and fine art that is both personal and universal, and changing the face of the art world in her wake.”—Hi-Fructose

Gods and devils. Flesh and spirit. Sacred and profane. One of the leading lights of pop surrealism, Tara McPherson has traveled the world with her work, gaining new inspirations. With a foreword by acclaimed artist Gary Baseman, Bunny in the Moon features compelling new works and sculpture informed by mythology and folklore. The resulting imagery combines the primal power at the core of ancient culture with McPherson’s contemporary explorations of love, loss, strength, vulnerability, and female empowerment.  

Bunny in the Moon: The Art of Tara McPherson Volume 3 is on sale March 14, 2012.

Tara McPherson will be signing at the Dark Horse Comics booth during 

New York Comic Con: Friday, October 14th @ 11AM.

COMIC-CON Bioware & Dark Horse

BIOWARE AND DARK HORSE UNVEIL

SPECIAL EDITION COMIC BOOK AT

NEW YORK COMIC CON

 

BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts, and Dark Horse Comics announced today a special edition of Mass Effect: Invasion #1, the first installment in a series of comic books detailing the events following Commander Shepard’s epic journey in the critically acclaimed Action Role Playing Game, Mass Effect™ 2. The special edition of Mass Effect: Invasion #1 features brand new cover art designed by the Mass Effect team and signed exclusively by Mass Effect Lead Writer, Mac Walters. The special edition will be available in a limited run only at New York Comic Con, New York City’s premiere comic book convention, from October 13^th – 16^th.

The Mass Effect: Invasion series features a unique story by Mass Effect lead writer Mac Walters, an original script by John Jackson Miller, best known for his work on Star Wars: Knight Errant, and artist Omar Francia known for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. Mass Effect: Invasion focuses on a story arc featuring a key figure in the Mass Effect universe, Aria T’Loak. The self-appointed queen of Omega, a seedy space station catering to the galaxy’s underworld, T’Loak must defend her territory from a terrifying new threat unleashed by a pro-human organization called Cerberus. Mass Effect: Invasion will launch its first issue this October.

Mass Effect: Invasion #1 will be available at comic book retailers starting October 19, 2011.

To learn more about Mass Effect, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the development team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or “Like” the game’s Facebook page at http://facebook.com/masseffect.

 

 

Senator Jeffrey D. Klein honors Amelia Romano McCann on her 100th Birthday.

 

Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, (D-Bronx/ Westchester), (left) honored Amelia Romano McCann on her 100^th Birthday. McCann, a former second grade teacher at Holy Rosary Catholic School, was presented with a proclamation thanking her for her years of service to the greater Allerton Community. Also pictured: City Councilman James Vacca and members of the Allerton Avenue Homeowners Association.

Mayor Launches "Desperate" Attempt to Derail Living Wage

 

"Fight for Economic Justice Ramps Up"

 

On Wednesday, in a typically Bloomberg attempt to slow the growing support for passage of the legislation, his administration released its already discredited, biased million-dollar living wage study. To no one’s surprise, the study’s findings support Bloomberg’s position that rich developers should not have to pay a living wage when receiving millions of dollars in public subsidies. This release comes after the coalition announced revisions to strengthen the bill on Monday. The revised bill will bring additional support for its passage and set-up an eventual showdown with the Bloomberg administration and its failed economic development policies.

Living wage warrior Rev. Dr. Peter Goodwin Heltzel, Director of the Micah Institute at New York Theological Seminary, and a leader of the Living Wage NYC Faith Caucus, added this: “It is immoral that our billionaire mayor used a million dollars of taxpayer money -- that’s money from the pockets of poor, working New Yorkers -- to pay for a study that tells them that they don't deserve a living wage!”


Linda Archer, a member of the growing coalition who works at a low-wage job with no benefits, put it this way, “Rather than doing what he can to help New Yorkers, the mayor continues to spend his time, and our money, to help his rich friends. It’s not right. And it must stop.”


As Bloomberg cements his legacy of aiding the rich at the expense of everyone else, Living Wage NYC is taking it to the streets and joining the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators in the shared fight for economic justice.


“The Bloomberg Administration's economic development policies have failed 99 percent of New Yorkers,” said Dr. Ray Rivera, member of the Living Wage NYC Faith Caucus and President of the Latino Pastoral Action Center. “What we are fighting for is just and fair. Now is the time to pass the strengthened Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act!"


The Living Wage NYC coalition will continue to ramp up its grassroots campaign in preparation for a large mobilization Nov. 21st at The Riverside Church and passage of the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act.
 

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ

RE: NYCEDC’s Release of Full Report on Living Wage

“Supporters of the ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act have known since the announcement of  NYCEDC’s study of living wage laws  that  it would be nothing more than a ruse designed to provide cover for Mayor Bloomberg’s clearly stated opposition to living wage mandates. The mayor made it clear from the beginning that he does not support this bill, and the City then hired  consultants to conduct  the study that have  long and extensive records of bias against not only living wage laws, but minimum wage laws as well.

 “As we predicted more than a year ago, the final study released today is biased and scientifically defective.  In fact, given the significant changes that this bill has seen in recent months, this study has no relevance whatsoever to the ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act, and represents little more than $1 million in wasted taxpayer money. 

 “I will continue to fight to make the ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act a reality. When developers ask for heavy taxpayer subsidies to make their projects work, they must be willing to do better by their employees. This bill will make that premise a reality,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The “Fair Wages for New Yorkers” Act, which was introduced into the City Council at the behest of Borough President Diaz, would require developers that receive heavy taxpayer subsidies to pay their employees a “living wage.” The bill, which was introduced by Council Members Annabel Palma and G. Oliver Koppell on behalf of the borough president, currently has 30 City Council co-sponsors.

 In May, a poll by Baruch College Survey Research was released, showing that New Yorkers overwhelmingly support such “living wage” laws. The survey showed that 78 percent of New Yorkers agree with requiring employers that get taxpayer-funded city subsidies to pay $10-an-hour plus benefits, while just 15 percent do not. This includes 83 percent of all Democrats, 74 percent of independents, and 56 percent of Republicans.

LIU: CITY SCHOOLS FAIL PHYSICAL EDUCATION

City Comptroller John C. Liu announced today that an audit of the Department of Education (DOE) found that many elementary schools do not meet state guidelines for physical education (PE) and that despite documenting high rates of obese and overweight students, the DOE has not filed a PE plan with the state since 1982.

Childhood obesity can lead to lifelong health problems such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. In a 2009 report, the DOE and the Department of Health (DOH) warned that local rates of childhood obesity were higher than the national average. That report, “Childhood Obesity is a Serious Concern in New York City,” stressed that test scores rise alongside physical fitness.  The report recommended that schools ensure that “all students receive the required physical education instruction each week, as mandated by the New York State Education Commissioner’s Regulations.”

“The DOE has failed to give students the legally required amount of physical education and failed to follow its own recommendations for fighting high rates of childhood obesity,” Comptroller Liu said.  “The DOE is failing gym.”

“We are delighted that Comptroller Liu shares our commitment to the health and well-being of the city’s students,” said Amy J. Schwartz, Chair of the Task Force on Physical Education for the Women’s City Club of New York, which is celebrating its 95th year and has a long history of advocacy on education policy. “This audit should serve as further inspiration to the DOE to implement what research has shown — that improved physical education leads to better academic
performance.”

Schools Fall Short on Exercise:

Not one of the elementary schools auditors visited met State Physical Education Regulations for all grades.  Only 6% of the audited schools came anywhere near offering the required amount of PE to their students:

       Kindergarten through Grade 3 students must participate in daily PE for a total of at least two hours each week.

       Grades 4 through 6 students must receive PE at least three times each week for a minimum of two hours per week.

       Grades 7 and 8 students must receive PE at least twice a week for a minimum of one and a half hours per week.

Some schools either had no space designated for PE instruction or no PE teacher.  Detailed findings on the schools and each grade’s performance are available in the audit’s appendix.

Obstacles to DOE Offering Enough Phys. Ed.:

The DOE does not monitor whether schools meet state requirements for PE, leaving principals solely responsible for making sure students receive the required amount of physical education. However, auditors found that the majority of school officials were not familiar with the state PE requirements. Officials at 65% of the sampled schools did not know any of the state’s PE requirements.

School officials said that it was difficult for them to provide students the required PE due to the time needed for subjects such as math, English language arts, science, and social studies.

Rates of Overweight, Obese Students in NYC:

The 2009 DOE and DOH report stated that 21% of children in grades K through 8 were obese while another 18% were considered overweight.

The report stated that childhood obesity was epidemic throughout the United States, increasing the likelihood of adult obesity, which is associated with heart disease and cancer.

Recommendations:

The audit recommended that the DOE:

       Create, implement, and regularly update a PE plan that meets state regulations for all schools.

       Adequately monitor school compliance with the state’s PE requirements.

       Ensure that principals are aware of the state’s PE requirements and advise them that it is their responsibility that students receive the mandated amount of PE.

Audit Scope:

The audit focused on elementary school students because they face a greater risk of developing long-term health issues due to childhood obesity.  Auditors visited 31 elementary schools in all five boroughs during the 2010-2011 school year.  Fifteen of the schools were selected randomly and the remainder were selected based on their proximity to the other schools in order to allow two site visits in one day.

Comptroller Liu credited Deputy Comptroller for Audit Tina Kim and the Audit Bureau for presenting the findings.  The full report is available at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/audits.

 

Assemblyman Dinowitz Reminds Community of Heat Regulations

 

With the cold weather of the winter soon upon us, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is reminding his constituents of the rules and regulations regarding heat and hot water.

The heating season began on October 1 and continues until May 31.  Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. heat must register 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees.  Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. heat must register 55 degrees when the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees.  Hot water must be at least 120 degrees 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

            If these rules are not being followed, tenants can file a complaint with the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development by calling 311.  If they live in a rent stabilized or rent controlled apartment, tenants can also apply for a rent reduction with the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal.  The application form for a rent reduction is available in Assemblyman Dinowitz’s district office.

Tenants should keep good records of each time the required heat service is not maintained.  “If you are not receiving proper heat, you should write down the inside and outside temperatures and the date and time of each occurrence.  You can then file a complaint using this information,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

Assemblyman Dinowitz has prepared an easy to follow card with a chart to help people keep records.  Constituents can receive the free card at his district office located at 3107 Kingsbridge Avenue (just off West 231^st Street) or by calling 718-796-5345.