Fordham Road Renissance Fair?

    We were on Fordham Road Sunday for what use to be called the Renaissance Fair, and even included the Renaissance Dancers, but when we asked for a program we were told nothing in writing is to be given out to the media. This was told to us by a lawyer who we have to guess was from the Acacia Network the lead sponsor of whatever the event was called. We have to also guess that because of recent inquires by the New York Post into past "Renaissance Fairs" and the "Hispanic Federation" (another sponsor) that was the reason. 

   This event stretched along Fordham Road from Kinsbridge Road  across the Grand Concourse overpass all the way to Morris Avenue or about 8 blocks. There were thousands of People and well over over a hundred booths where vendors sold their merchandise, and again as was the case in the Allerton Avenue event there was grumbling about the cost of the booth, and prices of the food by some people. Businesses on Fordham Road were mixed with some saying they had no customers, and others jammed with people. There was separate inflatable kids attractions set up on the Concourse overpass, and here also opinions varied on the ten dollar all access charge. Some parents loved it while others said what is a parent with many children suppose to do, we can not afford to pay ten dollars each for all our children to do this. 

   Apparently Assemblyman Jose Rivera was at one end while I was at the other end of the event so I was not able to say hello or ask him a question as he quickly left before I was able to get through the crowd on Fordham Road. Below are a few photos of the event.

Here you see the Renaissance Kids in action at the start of the event on Fordham Road.

Left - One photo of the huge crowd.
Right - DJ IZZY got up close with the huge crowd.

Left - The Concourse overpass set up with Inflatables for the kids.
Right - one vendor came prepared for the huge crowd.

Bronx County Democratic Barbecue

   There was heavy rains in the AM and when the Bronx County Democratic Barbecue started at 12 PM yesterday storm clouds were still above. This kept many people away as the crowd was much smaller than usual, but the comradely of those who attended was still the same. As the barbecue continued there was no rain, and the photo ops and speeches were abundant. As the weather got better Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie seemed to be getting worse (as you will see in the last photo), saying that he caught something in Charlotte during the Democratic Convention recently. Second in command at county Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz then became the master of ceremonies as he took over for the ailing Heastie. 

   Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Bill deBlasio were the only two mayoral candidates in 2013 to show, and Manhattan Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Keith Wright was the only other non Bronx elected official to also attend. The barbecue really seemed to come out of its coma when Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. showed up as the BP was the life of this party. When he took the microphone his now famous words "Is The Bronx in The House" came out first. 

    Now for some Barbecue talk. I asked mayoral candidate Scott Stringer if those rumors I heard about him running for Public Advocate instead of mayor were true. Stringer replied that rumor is "Definitely False", and that his campaign for mayor has only begun. He added that everyone will soon see that. To Manhattan Democratic County Leader Keith Wright I asked if he was going to run for the 13th Congressional District next year when Charlie Rangel retires, and his answer was "Who Knows". Deputy City Clerk Shirley Saunders told me that since the Marriage Equality law was passed over 10% of marriages in the Bronx are of same sex. 

    The only insurgent candidate to show up was 80th A.D. candidate Adam Bernudez at the end of the barbecue, as I was leaving. Adam sent an e-mail to me saying that he shook BP Diaz's hand, and the BP said "Good luck Adam'. He added the only person nasty to him, was a certain Executive Director (he did not name) who hates him and said "You can't give out your fliers here". He was just talking to his friend, Yves Filius, who lives in the 80th A.D. he wrote.

Left - Manning the grill as usual Election Law King Stanley Schlein is flanked by recent law graduate Rosanna Vargas and Darrell Walston. Right - Bronx Young Dems Daniel Johnson (in green), Michelle Avila, and President John Zacarro help out on the grill.

Left - Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz 81st A.D.  Manhattan Borough President (mayoral candidate in 2013) Scott Stringer, 81st A.D. District Leader Bruce Feld, and County Leader Carl Heastie,

Right - Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson, Civil Court Juge candidate Eddie McShan, BP Diaz, Deputy City Clerk Shirley Saunders holding granddaughter Madison, Assemblymen Dinowitz and Crespo, State Senator Serrano with son, and Councilman Fernando Cabrera (far right).

Left - Just about every Bx. County endorsed candidate or incumbent along with Public Advocate Bill deBlasio.

Right - State Senator Gustavo Rivera at the microphone. Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson with cast on leg after falling at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, and Bx. County Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie sitting in chair. No Heastie is not suffering through another long speech, but is really sick as he also has a remembrance of the convention in Charlotte.

80th A.D. Debate Monday Night on Bronxtalk

   Host Gary Axelbank has said that the debate between the candidates for the 80th Assembly seat will go on with or without incumbent Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera. The 80th A.D. debate will be the highlight of this primary season, and if Rivera does not show it will be her loss Axelbank said not ours.

   Challengers to the incumbent assemblywoman are Mr. Mark Gjonaj who now is looking like the favorite to win the 80th A.D. primary especially since day after day New York Post stories (including two front page stories) of wrong doing by Rivera. Mr. Adam Bermudez and Ms. Irene Estrada Rukas round out the field of four candidates.

The Bronxtalk 80th A.D. debate can be seen on Monday Night starting at 9 PM on Cablevision channel 67 and Verizon Fios channel  33. 

BronxTalk has been the borough's flagship talk show for more than 17 years. It's seen live on Bronxnet's Cablevision 67 and Verizon Fios 33 on Monday nights at 9pm. BronxTalk is hosted by Gary Axelbank and produced by Jane Folloro. 

JCOPE - All is Not Well in Albany

    After scandal after scandal Governor Andrew Coumo in his quest for an end to corruption in Albany (or quest for the presidency in 2016) created the Joint Commission On Public Ethics to do that. The problem with JCOPE (as the commission is called) is that JCOPE is full of political appointees of the Governor, Assembly, and State Senate. While the Vito Lopez scandal (with more are on the way such as the Naomi Rivera scandal) is the first true test for JCOPE, there seems to be ethical problems for JCOPE itself.

   JCOPE commissioner Ravi Batra (appointed by Senate Minority Leader Sampson) threatened to quit the commission because of recent events concerning the Assemblyman Vito Lopez investigation, Assembly Speaker Silver, and the State Assembly that is growing. Batra did just that as he said in a statement he resigned from JCOPE and did not want to be a part of a commission that was set up to be a commission on public ethics that can not do its job. 

    "I wish you well and hope that my resignation aids in focusing attention on the need for proper policies and practices to effectuate honest and independent ethics enforcement so as to actually restore public confidence in government and public service". Batra added "I acknowledge the continuing confidentiality obligation as well as the 2-year bar. I welcome a subpoena from a federal prosecutor or a Moreland Act-empowered special prosecutor to share my experiences and impressions about the reality of JCOPE in practice, for then the confidentiality bar would no longer apply, and public trust further enriched".

    Meanwhile the infighting continued in Albany with State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos calling for an investigation of the assembly's role in the Vito Lopez scandal. Governor Cuomo slammed Senate Minority Leader Sampson for appointing Batra, and said that Batra is only a reflection of Senator Sampson.

    We are no fan of State Senator John Sampson, but have to agree with his appointee who just quit JCOPE over ethical questions about JCOPE itself. We also agree that it is time for the U.S. Attorney to step in and find out more about the Assemblyman Lopez scandal, the possible cover up by Assembly Speaker Silver that he admits may have been a mistake, and any other wrongdoings that may have occurred in the New York State Assembly.

    

Fordham Fever Friday Sept. 7th

 

   The monthly Fordham Fever Friday event took place on Friday September 7th in the Muller Park Triangle located at Fordham Road and East 190th Street as you can see in the photos below.

    Highlights included Native American Storytelling by Bobby Gonzalez, great Jazz tunes by Tony Smith, an Art Tent showcasing artwork by various artists, and Face Painting and Balloon Art by Chussie the Clown. Belin Sport & Fitness had demos of their Fitness Challenge Boot Camp classes. People of all fitness levels, sizes and ages are experiencing great results with the Belin Challenge Fitness Boot Camp! 

     The event was produced by MAS Marketing for the Fordham Road Business Improvement District.

 Left -  Sax player Tony Smith.             Right - Belin Boot Camp in action.

Broadway Construction

   As you will see in the photos below Broadway at the corner of Van Cortlandt Avenue is under construction. The Department of Design and Construction is replacing a water main that will go from Broadway to the Jerome Park Reservoir, so Con Edison is replacing gas piping, and Verizon is putting in new Fios infrastructure. This combined construction joint effort is what is needed more often, as our streets are so often dug up for one reason or another by a city agency or utility company leaving patches and depressions in the roadway, sometimes even after a street has been completely repaved by the DOT. By the way the MTA is doing track work on elevated #1 subway line that runs above Broadway.

Here supervisors from the DDC, Con Edison, and Verison check the progress of the construction work.

Wave Hill Events September 20–September 27

FRI, SEPTEMBER 21    PLANT SALE

Visit The Shop at Wave Hill for our popular annual sale of signature plants. The sale continues through Sunday, September 23.

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM–4:30PM

FRI, SEPTEMBER 21    GARDEN WALK: BEST BETS AT THE PLANT SALE

Assistant Director of Public Programs Laurel Rimmer offers a personal tour of our fabulous plant sale, highlighting rare plants, superior cultivars and top-notch performers for your home garden. Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to acquire some great plants for your garden! Free with admission to the grounds.
MEET AT THE PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

SAT, SEPTEMBER 22   FAMILY ART PROJECT—SEPTEMBER TREASURES

September Treasures/Tesoros de septiembre

Gather beech nuts, acorns and other fallen wonders from the grounds. Then, glue your collection to a wooden or cardboard box to house your prized possessions of the season. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

ECOLOGY BUILDING, 10AM‒1PM

SAT, SEPTEMBER 22    TAI CHI CHUAN

Quiet like a mountain, moving like a river, Tai Chi is a sequence of gentle movements based on images found in nature. Short and long form classes are led by Irving Yee, an active member of the William CC Chen Tai Chi School. Sessions are held outdoors only and are weather dependent. Call 718.549.3200 x245 by 8AM on the day of the class for weather updates. Session fee: $15 Member/$23 Non-member. Registration opens onsite at 9:30AM.

ON THE GROUNDS, 10AM Beginners, 11AM Intermediates

SAT, SEPTEMBER 22    PLANT SALE

Visit The Shop at Wave Hill for our popular annual sale of signature plants. The sale continues through Sunday, September 23.

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM–4:30PM

SAT, SEPTEMBER 22    GARDEN WALK: BEST BETS AT THE PLANT SALE

Assistant Director of Public Programs Laurel Rimmer offers a personal tour of our fabulous plant sale, highlighting rare plants, superior cultivars and top-notch performers for your home garden. Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to acquire some great plants for your garden! Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
MEET AT THE PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

SAT, SEPTEMBER 22   FAMILY GALLERY TOUR

Family Gallery Tours offer an opportunity for children and their parents or caregivers to enjoy looking at and sharing ideas about art. Tours will include discussions and activities about contemporary art that responds to the natural world. The tour begins promptly at 1pm and lasts approximately 45 minutes. A maximum of 20 visitors can be accommodated on the tour. Children ages 4 and older are welcome with an adult. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 1PM

SAT, SEPTEMBER 22    GALLERY TOUR

Join an exhibition interpreter for one of our regularly scheduled tours of Wave Hill’s fall exhibition Foregrounding the Palisades, sculptural installations by artists Isidro Blasco, Blane de St. Croix and Paula Winokur that focus on the cliffs across the Hudson River, a quintessential feature of Wave Hill’s vista—and history.  In the Sunroom, Crystal Z. Campbell and Yeon Ji Yoo fill the space with site-specific works inspired by local social and natural history. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

SUN, SEPTEMBER 23    FAMILY ART PROJECT—SEPTEMBER TREASURES

September Treasures/Tesoros de septiembre

Gather beech nuts, acorns and other fallen wonders from the grounds. Then, glue your collection to a wooden or cardboard box to house your prized possessions of the season. Free with admission to the grounds.

ECOLOGY BUILDING, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, SEPTEMBER 23   HATHA YOGA

Release stress and find refuge from city life by practicing seasonal yoga, surrounded by the beauty of Wave Hill. Hatha Yoga involves the use of physical postures, breath control and meditation to create a supple, strong and relaxed body-mind. Classes are led by Neem Dewji, certified in Hatha and Therapeutic Yoga from The Yoga for Health Foundation in Bedfordshire, England, and The Integral Yoga Institute in NYC. Participants should bring a mat, dress in loosely fitting clothing and come to class with breakfast well digested. All levels welcomed. Sessions are held outdoors only and are weather dependent. Call 718.549.3200 x245 by 8AM on the day of the class for weather updates. Session fee: $15 Member/$23 Non-member. Registration opens onsite at 9:30AM.

ON THE GROUNDS, 10–11:15AM

SUN, SEPTEMBER 23    PLANT SALE

Visit The Shop at Wave Hill for our popular annual sale of signature plants.

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM–4:30PM

SUN, SEPTEMBER 23    GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

SUN, SEPTEMBER 23    ARTS RECEPTION

Artists Isidro Blasco, Blane De St. Croix and Paula Winokur foreground the impressive rock formations of the Hudson Palisades through sculptural installations in Glyndor Gallery. All three will be here for this celebratory reception for the exhibition—and the Palisades. From 2 to 3pm, the Robert Silverman Jazz and Blues Trio will add to the festive afternoon with a plein-air performance in the gardens adjacent to Glyndor Gallery. At 3pm, the artists will speak about their installations. The exhibition this fall is the first in a series of visual and performing arts programs that honor former residents of Wave Hill. As we focus on the Hudson Palisades, we celebrate the preservation efforts led by George W. Perkins, former owner of Wave Hill. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY & GROUNDS, 2‒4PM

TUE, SEPTEMBER 25    GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK

Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

TUE, SEPTEMBER 25    GALLERY TOUR

Join an exhibition interpreter for one of our regularly scheduled tours of Wave Hill’s fall exhibition Foregrounding the Palisades, sculptural installations by artists Isidro Blasco, Blane de St. Croix and Paula Winokur that focus on the cliffs across the Hudson River, a quintessential feature of Wave Hill’s vista—and history.  In the Sunroom, Crystal Z. Campbell and Yeon Ji Yoo fill the space with site-specific works inspired by local social and natural history. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

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A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM—4:30PM. Closes 5:30PM, March 15—October 31.  

ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6—18. Free Saturday mornings until noon. Free until noon September Tuesdays.  Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Program s are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 3o minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the 242^nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

***LIU TESTIMONY ON TAXI OF TOMORROW***

    City Comptroller John C. Liu submitted the following testimony to the Taxi and Limousine Commission against the current Taxi of Tomorrow agreement because it does not require all yellow cabs to be wheelchair accessible.

In a 2009 report, Mayor Bloomberg recommended that the Taxi of Tomorrow “provide universal accessibility for all passengers, including passengers in wheelchairs.” The report, “Age Friendly NYC:
Enhancing Our City’s Livability for Older New Yorkers” called for the creation of a model accessible yellow cab.  The full report is available here:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2009/pr386-09_report.pdf

“City Hall seems to have forgotten the recommendation it made just three years ago to provide wheelchair accessibility to all,” Comptroller Liu said.  “The TLC should take immediate steps to change this contract so that the entire Taxi of Tomorrow fleet is wheelchair accessible.”


TESTIMONY OF NEW YORK CITY COMPTROLLER JOHN C. LIU TO THE NEW YORK CITY TAXI AND LIMOUSINE COMMISSION September 6, 2012

The Taxi of Tomorrow presents the City of New York with an historic opportunity to achieve a right that New Yorkers with disabilities have been waging a war to win for nearly two decades: the simple right to hail a cab. If the TLC wants to design and build a taxi for New York City, it must require that these new vehicles be 100% wheelchair accessible.

Almost everyone agrees that the current status quo of 1.7% of the fleet, or 231 wheelchair-accessible taxis, is shameful. Even though the City controls the sale of taxi medallions, it has failed to require that all taxis be made accessible to wheelchairs. The City now wants to modestly increase the number of accessible vehicles by adding 2,000 medallions to the fleet, although pending litigation may jeopardize even these additional accessible medallions.

As the City looks to the future, accessibility for cabs will no longer be a luxury, it will be a necessity. Currently, 60,000 City wheelchair-users are denied meaningful access to taxis, and with an aging population, the situation will only worsen. According to the Department of City Planning, the number of people age 65 and over is projected to rise to 1.35 million in 2030.[1]

In addition to the fact that anyone can become disabled at any point in their life, without an accessible taxi fleet, the City’s aging baby boomers will likely be forced to rely on the current separate and much more costly paratransit system, known as Access-A-Ride. An audit published by our office in February detailed that in 2010, the cost to operate Access-A-Ride was $462.3 million dollars. Total trips via Access-A-Ride rose from 5.4 million to 6.7 million from 2008 to 2010.[2]  A rough estimate calculates that the cost of a trip in calendar year 2010 was as high as $69.00 a ride.

The TLC’s plan to moderately increase accessibility appears impractical at best and relies on an unnecessarily expensive supply chain.  We understand that the TLC is directing Nissan to build the Taxi of Tomorrow as an inaccessible vehicle in Mexico[3] and then ship it to Indiana, where it will be “hacked-up”[4] and remade into an accessible vehicle by Indiana-based BraunAbility.[5]  The modified vehicle will then be shipped to New York, where disabled individuals will be able to use a rear-mounted ramp to ride in the trunk of the Taxi of Tomorrow.[6]

This is a critical moment. In 1989, London made all of its taxis wheelchair-accessible. More recently, Nissan unveiled a plan for a fully accessible Taxi of Tomorrow. I once again call on the Mayor to take immediate steps to modify the contract so that the entire “Taxi of Tomorrow” fleet is wheelchair accessible. New York City’s iconic yellow cab should be a symbol of inclusion, not another obstacle for the people with disabilities to overcome.  New York City ought to be a leader, not a follower, on this important civil-rights issue. If London can do it, so can we.

————————————

1 http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/projections_briefing_booklet.pdf
2 http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/audit/PDF_FILES_2012/7S11_129F.pdf
3 http://mexicotoday.org/article/new-and-improved-nyc-taxi-%E2%8E%AF-%E2%80%98taxi-tomorrow%E2%80%99-%E2%8E%AF-made-mexico
4 http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/taxi_of_tomorrow_rules_09_06_12.pdf
5 http://www.nwibq.com/news/regional-news/braun-to-provide-taxis-for-new-york-city/
6 http://autoconceptcar.com/the-taxi-of-tomorrow-nissan-nv-200.html