100PercentBronx

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Cardinal Spellman High School Takes Positive Action In Postponing Talk On "Same-Sex Attraction"

The new Bronx LGBTQ Center (the “Center”) appreciates Cardinal Spellman High School's decision, as reported by The New York Times, to postpone the talk scheduled to be delivered by Rev. Donald Timone at its school on Tuesday evening. We believe that the interests of Spellman's community are better served by a balanced presentation that includes all views on this sensitive subject, including views that affirm and accept youth and their sexuality as they are.

"We would like to reiterate our desire to open a constructive dialogue with the school to talk about LGBTQ issues in ways that won't cause harm. We have been working with a number of organizations and individuals who would support such efforts that would hopefully result in a positive outcome," Tym Moss, the Center's president stated.

"We thank all of the Cardinal Spellman HS alumni, as well as those who contacted us to express their views -- one way or the other -- on this sensitive issue. Our focus and goal was and remains that no person come to any harm as a result of discussions surrounding LGBTQ issues. The school's action in postponing this talk is a positive move that provides hope in achieving this goal," Peter C. Frank, the Center's secretary, said.

The Center's initial statement on this issue can be found online:
http://bit.ly/18yUmGR.

You're Invited to the Borough's Official Hanukkah Celebration

Bronx Borough President

Ruben Diaz Jr.

Invites you to join him

at the

Annual Bronx

Hanukkah Celebration

Mistress of Ceremonies

Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer

Psychosexual Therapist and

Author

Dramatized in "Becoming

Dr. Ruth" at the

Westside Theater

Musical Performance

Kinneret Day School

Tuesday, December 3,

2013 - At 1:00 PM

The Bronx County Building

Veterans' Memorial Hall

851 Grand Concourse

Light refreshments will be served.

Seating is Complimentary

and Limited.

RSVP 718.590.6116

HISPANICS CLERGY TO PRAY FOR ALEX RODRIGUEZ

New York State Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz (D-Bronx) and Ministers from the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization will lead a Prayer Vigil on Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 11:30 am outside the Offices of Major League Baseball, located on the corner of Park Avenue and East 47th Street in Manhattan.

The Prayer Vigil will be to pray for a successful outcome for New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez's appeal, and to bear witness to the injustice Alex Rodriguez is facing by Major League Baseball. The Hispanic Ministers and supporters will be standing side-by-side with the Honorable Fernando Mateo, President of Hispanics Across America.

According to Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz: "The 211-game suspension penalty imposed on Alex Rodriguez by Major League Baseball is unprecedented. This penalty is excessive and abusive, and it reeks of discrimination. I believe that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has been much kinder and gentler in their punishments for others who have done worse things.

On Thursday, members of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization and I and I will raise our voices in prayer for Alex Rodriguez's health, and we will ask the Lord to protect him and his family. We will pray that Alex Rodriguez's appeal of this outrageous penalty will be successful. We will not turn our backs on this injustice."

Monday, November 18, 2013

Wave Hill Events November 28–December 5

Happy Thanksgiving!

THU, NOVEMBER 28 THANKSGIVING DAY

Closed to the public.

SAT, NOVEMBER 30 NO TAI CHI CHUAN

Tai Chi Chuan resumes December 7.

SAT, NOVEMBER 30 FAMILY ART PROJECT; HARVEST TIME HANGINGS

Gather fall leaves, cones, pods and seed heads. Weave them together with other materials from gardens and meadows to create a decorative wall hanging celebrating the bounty and beauty of the season. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM–1PM

SAT, NOVEMBER 30 GALLERY TOUR

Join a curatorial fellow for a tour of Wave Hill’s fall exhibition, Tandem Pursuits: Armor & Ichthyology, which celebrates the interests of former Wave Hill House resident Bashford Dean. Dean was Curator of Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Curator of Fish at the American Museum of Natural History. The intersection of his interest in both fish and armor provides the opportunity to bring together a remarkable group of contemporary art that explores concepts of adaptation, pattern, and protection. The tour also includes Alan Ruiz’s Sunroom Project Space installation, an architectural intervention that complicates the distinction between interior and exterior spaces. Tours take place Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2PM. Free with admission to the grounds. FINAL TOUR OF THIS EXHIBITION

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

SUN, DECEMBER 1 FAMILY ART PROJECT—HARVEST TIME HANGINGS

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, DECEMBER 1 HATHA YOGA

Reduce stress, increase your energy and bring strength and flexibility to your mind, body and spirit with a yoga practice. Classes are led by Yoga for Bliss director Neem Dewji and other certified instructors. Ms. Dewji is certified in Hatha and Therapeutic Yoga from The Yoga for Health Foundation, England, and The Integral Yoga Institute, NYC. All levels welcome. Sessions are held indoors from November through April and outdoors from May through October, weather permitting. Advance registration is available online, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Participants must register by Friday 3PM before each weekend session and must bring a printed registration confirmation form. Session fee: $25/Wave Hill Member $15.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11:15AM

SUN, DECEMBER 1 MEDITATION

This fall, take a moment to release stress and reconnect with your inner self while practicing meditation. Each session includes instruction in simple techniques followed by 20 to 30 minutes of meditation. Classes are led by Yoga for Bliss director Neem Dewji and other certified instructors. All levels welcome. Advance registration is available online, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Participants must register by Friday 3PM before each weekend session and must bring a printed registration confirmation form. Session fee: $25/Wave Hill Member $15.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11:30AM‒12:45PM

SUN, DECEMBER 1 GARDEN & CONSERVATORY 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

MON, DECEMBER 2

Closed to the public.

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 all day on Tuesdays in November and December. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES Programs 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.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Con Edison - "Dig They Must"

On Wednesday November 13th Con Edison started construction on a high pressure gas line to replace a 100+ years old gas line on West 238th Street in Riverdale. What should have been a three day construction project ending on Friday (as I was told) has lasted into the weekend and will not be done for at least another 4 or 5 days. Of course Con Edison has hired a contractor since it would be to costly to Con Ed to have their own workers do the work.

Having been on the scene several days and taking many photos of what has gone on I can not believe the lack of concern on Con Edison's part. The contractor for Con Ed has closed the street to any metered parking on both sides of West 238th Street between Riverdale Avenue and Greystone Avenue. West 238th Street has been closed during the day to southbound traffic from Riverdale Avenue. As you will see in the photos below huge gas piping is strewn on the side of the road, on the sidewalk, and even resting on the city street light poles. Northbound West 238th Street finally was closed at Greystone Avenue after the contractor was detouring vehicles into Fieldston Road (a one way street) against traffic.

Dozens of vital parking spots to the merchants on Riverdale Avenue, and nighttime parking spaces to the community, not to mention the dollars that are being lost to the city as these metered spaces can not be used. The roadbed will also have to be repaved as the patchwork done by Con Ed will soon become loose causing potholes and exposing the heads of the gas mains to the plows of the sanitation trucks. All this and no notification to the residents and merchants of the area affected by this construction work as to when it would start, how long it would last, and when it would end. This matter will be taken up at the Community Board 8 Joint Traffic & Transportation/ Environment & Sanitation committees meeting on Tuesday Night - 7:30 PM at the Riverdale Y located on at 5625 Arlington Avenue off West 256th Street.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Left - This is what greeted you as you tried to make a left turn onto West 238th Street from Riverdale Avenue.

Right - The trench dug by Con Ed on West 238th Street.

Left - In the daylight.

Right - In the dark at night.

Left - More piping and other equipment.

Right - The roadbed will never be the same as chunks of the upper base are now missing to be filled in by tar that will leave potholes in a few months.

Left - A view from across the street.

Right - A view looking down the street showing the piping on the sidewalk. I don't remember those cracks in the sidewalk at the base of the street light.

Left - High pressure gas line with main, but why was this section marked Valentine Avenue put on Riverdale Avenue?

Right - Work done by Con Edison on West 238th Street and Waldo Avenue 6 - 8 months ago for a high pressure gas conversion at the Manhattan College Dorm there. Is this what the entire streech of West 238th Street from Riverdale Avenue to Waldo Avenue will look like?

Senator Klein Graffiti Clean up in 45th Pct.

State Senator Jeff Klein & 45th Pct. Commander Capt. James R. McGeown in their regular attire.

However as you will see in the photos below both were dressed in jeans along with the Chairman & District Manager of Community Board 10, and many others volunteers who helped rid the 45th Pct. of some of its graffiti.

Gallons of paint, cans of graffiti remover, boxes of gloves, dozens of paint brushes and rollers, greeted the volunteers at the 45th Pct. when they met and Senator Klein addressed the problem . Klein said that as soon as graffiti is put up photos must be taken for evidence to ID the person who did it. The next step is to get rid of the graffiti, and go to the District Attorney for prosecution of the offender. Sen. Klein added that his court monitoring program then sits in on cases to let the judge know that the community wants more than just a slap on the wrist to the offender, they want that person off the streets in jail.

Senator Klein presented citations to Mr. John Rebetto and Mr. Sidney Flores for their excellent work in helping to rid the community of graffiti.

Left - Senator Jeff Klein stresses the importance of wiping out graffiti as soon as it appears.

Right - Senator Klein, 45th Pct. Captain James R. McGeown with Mr. Flores and Mr. Rebetto.

Left - the paint and supplies that greeted the clean up volunteers - Right.

Left - Senator Klein mans the wall roller as he paints over some recent graffiti on an underpass of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Right - CB 10 District Manager Kenneth Kearns puts the roller to the wall.

Left - CB 10 Chairman John Marano climbs up along the highway to paint over this graffiti.

Right - What the wall now looks like after being painted over.

Bronx LGBTQ Center Wants to Talk to Cardinal Spellman High School

This comes from the New Bronx LGBTQ Center who are expressing their desire to engage in dialogue with Cardinal Spellman High School regarding its intention to have a speaker from an organization that advocates "treating" LGBTQ individuals to "cure" their "gay addiction" using principles of 12-step programs address the school.

The new Bronx LGBTQ Center is deeply concerned after learning that Cardinal Spellman High School has invited Father Donald Timone to speak at its school about LGBTQ issues.

While we respect freedom of speech, we do not respect bullying and hate speech, especially when it negatively impacts the lives of at-risk teenagers. Fr. Timone's misinformed and unenlightened rhetoric adds to the toxic environment that drives so many LGBTQ youth to despair—and beyond.

"No educational institution should be so irresponsible as to invite someone whose entire approach to LGBTQ individuals is based on bad science. Exodus International, a Christian ministry that formerly advocated attempts to 'pray away the gay' (i.e. conversion therapy), recently disbanded after admitting that a person's sexual orientation cannot be changed and that reparative therapy is in fact harmful," Peter C. Frank, the Center's secretary stated.

Fr. Timone is affiliated with COURAGE, an organization that treats gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people as addicts curable by participation in a 12-step program, instead of accepting and respecting them as the loving individuals they are. Courage's "free speech" promotes self-loathing among LGBTQ individuals and encourages others to hate LGBTQ people simply for being who they are, thus putting them at a greater risk of being bullied.

We strongly condemn the notion that being LGBTQ can be "treated" with 12-step programs or by any other method. Mr. Frank added, "Cardinal Spellman High School should instead, like Pope Francis's recent statements, be sending a message of love, inclusion, and acceptance.”

We join with LGBTQ spiritual leaders in calling for dialogue with Fr. Timone and the Archdiocese of New York, as these types of belief systems lead to violence and homelessness.

Rev. Carmen Hernandez

We at the Bronx LGBTQ Center want all youth to know that you are fine just as you are. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, whether you're straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. We accept and celebrate you for who you are," Rev. Carmen Hernandez, a board member of the Center, said.

"The Bronx LGBTQ Center is a safe space for all who are struggling with issues of sexual orientation or gender identity. Our Youth Group meets at 4pm every Friday at Union Community Health Center, 260 East 188th Street, 5th Floor, the Bronx," Mr. Frank noted.