Friday, June 1, 2018
Bronx Jewish Community Council - Next week! Don't forget to register!
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LGBTQ Bronx Fest at BAAD
BAAD! - The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance presents
The 18th Annual
OUT LIKE THAT! FESTIVAL
PROUDLY CELEBRATING GAY PRIDE IN THE BRONX
WITH A ZESTY FESTIVAL OF DANCE, FILM, THEATER & PERFORMANCE
with work by choreographers Antonio Ramos, Lawrence Goldhuber and Erick Montes, performances by Gus Solomons, Jr., an outdoor screening with the the Dance Film Association, the closing event for the TransVisionaries Performance Series and mucho more!
FESTIVAL RUNS JUNE 8-26, 2018
(Bronx, NY) – For the past 18 years, The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!) has marked LGBTQ pride month by presenting the Bronx’s longest consistent gay pride celebration - The OUT LIKE THAT! Festival. The festival runs Friday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 26, 2018 and most events are centered at BAAD!’s home at 2474 Westchester Avenue, with some events in other Bronx venues. Out Like That! presents a fierce line-up of dance, theatre, film and wonderful performances featuring queer artists from the Bronx and beyond. For information and directions call (718) 918-2110 or visit www.BAADBronx.org.
The OUT LIKE THAT 2018 festival performance schedule is as follows:
Friday, June 8 at 8pm/$20, $15
QUEER SIGHTINGS: PIONEERS GO EAST COLLECTIVE | SENTELL HARPER
This shared evening brings the drama! Pioneers Go East Collect brings “Gemini Stars + Virgo Cowboy,” two interdisciplinary performances part of Queer Signs: LGBTQ+ stories IRL works created by the colletive, written by Gian Marco LoForte in collaboration with choreographer/performer Daniel Diaz, and designed by Bessie recipient Philip Treviño, and sound designer Hao Bai. Sentell Harper is known for his zesty solo performance works that explore Black queer identities. He is an actor and playwright whose one man show Seek and Ye Shall Find premiered in NYC at the United Solo Festival where he won the Festival’s Emerging Actor award.
Saturday, June 9 at 8pm / $20, $15
OUT DANCE!
Through the beauty, daring and grace of dance, this shared bill of choreographers express their strength and pride with work by Germaul Barnes, Kharis Collins, Filip A. Condeescu, Amada Dominguez, Elena Valls, and Alicia Raquel.
Thursday & Friday, June 14 & 15 at 8pm / $20, $15
ANTONIO RAMOS/ANTONIO & THE GANGBANGERS presents
“LOS QUE NO SON BELLAS SON HERMOSAS” (Those Who Aren’t Beautiful are Gorgeous)
The deliciously daring Antonio Ramos presents an evening of new work titled Los Que No Son Bellas son Hermosas (Those Who Aren’t Beautiful are Gorgeous). Ramos dances along with Saul Ulerio, Awilda Rodriguez-Lora and Marielys Burgos who infuse power and verve into his signature movement vocabulary that throb with Latinx cultural themes. Ramos is BAAD!’s 2018 Artist-in-Resident which received support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.
Saturday, June 16 at 8pm / Free
OUT ON FILM!
PRESENTED BY DANCE FILMS ASSOCIATION AND BAAD!
DFA teams up with BAAD! for a free outdoor screening of LGBTQ-themed thought-provoking, sexy/sensual dance films especially curated by BAAD’s own Arthur Aviles and Joseph Hall with Marta Renzi of DFA. Filmmakers in attendance include: Winnie Cheung, Jasmine Hearn, Jason Rodriguez, and Rami Shafi.
Friday, June 22 at 8pm / $20, $15
LAWRENCE GOLDHUBER | ERICK MONTES
Lawrence Goldhuber and Erick Montes, two choreographers who are alum of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, bring fresh work to BAAD! Goldhuber’s “Apple v. Oranges” explores several themes including Age versus beauty with performances by Gus Solomons, Jr. and Alexandra Montalbano. Montes’ “Otherwise” bursts forth from his personal urgency to find truth in his own body, and employs humorous commentaries and sparks of parody in defiance against normativity.
Monday, June 25 at 7pm / Free
BLAQ AND BAAD! WEB SHOW
BLAQ and BAAD! is a new web show focused on queer culture of The Bronx. It's The View meets The Tonight Show with a (BAAD!) twist. A panel of LGBTQ members meet to discuss current events, culture, and creativity in our city with special performances by local QPOC in front of a live studio audience. Co-hosted by Rosaly Ruiz and Whitney Dav-Rho.
Tuesday, June 26 at 7pm / Free
TransVisionaries Performance Series: Closing Night
(This event takes place at the Mott Haven Bar and Grill, 1 Bruckner Blvd., Bronx, NY)
This closing event features actors, movement artists and writers whose dynamic performances are sure to move you. With Michael Michelle Lynch as our emcee and performances by Zave Martohardjono, Sparklez Catiriana Reyes, Tamara Williams, and Kit Yan.
Crowned “a funky and welcoming performance space” by The New York Times, BAAD! is a performance and workshop space that presents cutting-edge works in dance and all creative disciplines empowering to women, Latinos and people of color and the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community. BAAD! is home to Arthur Avilés Typical Theatre (AATT) and the Bronx Dance Coalition which produces The Bronx Dance Magazine and was founded by Arthur Avilés and Charles Rice-González in 1998 in Hunts Point. BAAD! moved to Westchester Square in October 2013 to a gothic revivalist building on the grounds of St. Peter’s Church.
BAAD!/AATT receive support from The Ford Foundation, The SHS Foundation, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The New York Community Trust, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, The Lincoln Center Cultural Innovation Fund supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and administered by Lincoln Center, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, The Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund supported by the Ford Foundation, Councilmember Jimmy Vacca and Annabel Palma by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and private donations.
News From Congressman Joseph Crowley
Chairman Crowley Statement on May Jobs Report
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley issued the following statement on the May jobs report:
“The president continues to put American jobs and families at risk with his reckless policies that lack insight, judgment, and strategic thinking. His agenda does nothing for working men and women, far too many of whom are continually burdened by Republicans’ attempts to lavish tax breaks on the rich and take away health insurance from the middle class. We can and should do better.”
Chairman Crowley Statement on LGBTQ Pride Month
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley issued the following statement on LGBTQ Pride Month:
“This Pride Month, we celebrate the strength and resilience of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. While we have made incredible progress in the march toward equality, we still have a long way to go to ensure the full rights of LGBTQ Americans, especially for communities of color. As the Trump administration and congressional Republicans continue their shameful attacks on LGBTQ rights, we must continue to raise our voices, fight injustice, and push forward.
“To all those celebrating pride in Queens, the Bronx, and across the nation, know that I will continue to stand with you as we work to create a more just and inclusive country.”
Chairman Crowley Statement on Immigrant Heritage Month
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley released the following statement on Immigrant Heritage Month, which is celebrated annually during the month of June:
“During Immigrant Heritage Month, we join together to celebrate our rich history as a nation of immigrants, as well as pay tribute to the contributions immigrant communities have made to the United States.
“But as we celebrate our heritage, we must also acknowledge the many challenges immigrants face in our country. President Trump’s administration continues to demonize immigrants and promote an anti-immigrant agenda. In Congress, Republican leaders are refusing to bring forward the DREAM Act, despite bipartisan support for providing security to these young men and women who call America home. And at the border, even families seeking asylum are being torn apart.
“As the son and grandson of immigrants, I know how crucial it is to protect and live up to our country’s proud tradition of welcoming immigrants. As we celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month, let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding our nation’s values and working to make our immigration system more just and fair to those in pursuit of a better life in America.”
News From Congressman Eliot Engel
Engel Statement on National Gun Violence Awareness Day
Congressman Eliot Engel, a Member of the Congressional Gun Violence Protection Task Force, issued the following statement on National Gun Violence Awareness Day:
“Today, I am wearing orange to honor the victims of gun violence, including Hadiya Pendleton who, at fifteen years old, was shot and killed a week after performing at President Obama’s 2013 Inauguration. This movement was started when Hadiya’s friends wore orange to commemorate her life, and the lives of so many others that were cut short by gun violence.
“National Gun Violence Awareness Day brings attention to the 33,000 Americans who are killed by guns every year. And for every one person killed with a gun, two more are injured. Our country faces a gun violence epidemic. It is long past time we come together to pass responsible gun safety laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. In Congress, I’m fighting to keep our schools, streets, playgrounds, and homes safe. I’ve worked to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and armor-piercing bullets, institute universal background checks, adopt extreme risk protection orders, and restore funding for gun violence research.
“It is my hope that National Gun Violence Awareness Day will bring us one step closer to curbing gun violence in America.”
Engel, 64 House Dems Call Upon Trump To Stop Raising Health Care Costs
Congressman Eliot L. Engel joined 64 House Democrats to urge President Donald Trump to end his campaign of intentional sabotage of the Affordable Care Act.
The Representatives sent their letter as a growing number of states face premium spikes that insurers have directly attributed to the Trump Administration’s acts of sabotage. These actions include the GOP tax scam – which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts will lead to millions more uninsured Americans – and moving to once again allow insurance companies to sell “junk plans.”
The Representatives wrote:
“We are deeply concerned by your Administration’s actions, which both trigger higher health insurance premiums as well as undermine access to high-quality, affordable health care for millions of hard-working Americans. The reporting of early filings by health insurers shows that healthcare premiums will rise sharply next year. Their justifications reveal that your Administration’s actions are to blame.”
A signed copy of the letter is available here.
NEW YORK CITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCES NEW PHASE OF “KNOW YOUR ZONE” CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS OF HURRICANE RISKS DURING THE 2018 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON
To mark the beginning of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, the New York City Emergency Management Department today launched a new phase of the Know Your Zone hurricane awareness campaign to encourage New Yorkers to find out whether they live in one of the city’s six hurricane evacuation zones. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. The 2018 Know Your Zone campaign includes new video public service announcements (PSAs)* demonstrating that New Yorkers have the power to prepare for hurricanes by knowing the hazards they may face, having a plan, and staying informed.
“Start preparing for hurricane season now so you’ll be ready long before a hurricane threatens New York City,” saidNew York City Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito. “Find out whether you live in a hurricane evacuation zone, and make an emergency plan with your family by visiting NYC.gov/knowyourzone or calling 311.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued its 2018 Atlantic hurricane season outlook with forecasters predicting a near or above-normal season. NOAA’s forecasters predict a 70 percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms of which 5 to 9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74+ mph), including 1 to 4 major hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5; winds of 111+ mph).
To help raise awareness of hurricane season, Know Your Zone advertisements will be displayed on bus shelters and Link NYC kiosks and will run in newspapers throughout the five boroughs beginning in June. Through the Know Your Zone campaign, NYC Emergency Management aims to reach the roughly three million New Yorkers living within the city’s hurricane evacuation zones. Areas of the city subject to storm surge flooding are divided into six evacuation zones
(1 through 6) based on risk of storm surge flooding. The City may order residents to evacuate depending on a hurricane’s track and projected storm surge.
New Yorkers should take key steps to prepare for the start of hurricane season:
· Know your zone – Find out whether you live in one of the city’s six hurricane evacuation zones. Use the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder at NYC.gov/knowyourzone or call 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115) to find out if your address is located in an evacuation zone. If you live in an evacuation zone, have a plan for where you will go if an evacuation order is issued for your area
· Know what to do – Make a plan so you know what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate if a hurricane strikes. Use the Ready New York: My Emergency Plan at NYC.gov/myemergencyplan, or use the Ready NYC mobile application, available for smartphones and tablets.
· Stay informed –Sign up for Notify NYC to receive free emergency notifications and updates via email, phone, SMS/text, or Twitter. Messages are also available in American Sign Language (ASL). Get the free mobile application, visit NYC.gov/notifynyc, call 311, or follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter.
In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, NYC Emergency Management released the 2018 edition of the “Ready New York: Hurricanes and New York City” guide, available in print and in 13 languages and audio format. The guide offers instructions for preparing an emergency plan, and features a map of the City’s six hurricane evacuation zones and a list of hurricane evacuation centers in all five boroughs. Visit NYC.gov/knowyourzone to download the guide, or call 311 to request a copy.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
DOI ANNOUNCES INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN ANTI-FRAUD TRAINING AT NYC’S SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES
--This Project Stems from a DOI Investigation Exposing a Half-Million-Dollar Theft from a City-Funded Nonprofit --
Mark G. Peters, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced
today that DOI is strengthening anti-fraud training for more than six dozen auditors at the City’s social service
agencies through a two-hour workshop that will help auditors better spot and act on potential fraud and
compliance issues involving City-funded nonprofits. Over the coming months, DOI will conduct these trainings at
agencies that oversee $3.8 billion in City-funded nonprofit human services’ contracts, specifically the City
Department for the Aging (“DFTA”), City Administration for Children’s Services (“ACS”), City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”), City Department of Social Services, which is comprised of the City
Human Resources Administration (“HRA”) and the City Department of Homeless Services (“DHS), and the City
Department of Youth and Community Development (“DYCD”). The trainings will include how compliance can be
tested and confirmed, weaknesses and red flags can be identified, relevant records can be chosen for review,
and indicia of fraud can be spotted, such as altered and falsified invoices, missing payroll checks and other
documentation, and weak internal controls.
DOI Commissioner Mark G. Peters said, “This comprehensive anti-fraud training will provide essential
tools to professionals safeguarding billions of dollars in taxpayer funds. These frontline auditors know the
nonprofits they do business with better than anyone and are likely the first to see evidence of potential fraud.
This proactive approach will ensure everyone is on the same page: Each and every one of us can be the answer
to stopping corruption and fraud. I commend DFTA, in particular Commissioner Donna Corrado, for acting on
DOI’s recommendations.”
DOI decided to establish this systemic initiative following its 2016 investigation that exposed a halfmillion-dollar
theft from a City-funded nonprofit that served senior citizens in upper Manhattan, and led to the
conviction and incarceration of that nonprofit’s executive and spouse. DOI documented its findings in a report
that revealed the City agency overseeing the nonprofit, DFTA, did not have adequate auditing resources to
successfully monitor and review the numerous nonprofits with which it contracted. As a result, DOI
recommended that DFTA strengthen its auditing protocols and hire additional staff. DFTA agreed to DOI’s
findings and recommendations in that 2016 report and successfully requested and received additional auditor
positions. DFTA has since enhanced its auditing operations, including through conducting more targeted and
thorough audits.
As the City’s Inspector General, when DOI makes recommendations in one case, it looks Citywide to
see if there are other agencies where these reforms would be useful. DOI saw that the recommendation for
training at DFTA would be helpful at other human services agencies and reached out to provide the training to
ACS, DOHMH, HRA, DHS and DYCD. Each of these agencies has agreed to have their auditors participate in
the training.
DOI’s first training workshop is taking place today, May 30th, at DFTA, with subsequent trainings
scheduled throughout the summer at the other social service agencies as a means towards ensuring audit staff across the City can identify red flags for fraud and abuse during the course of their audits. DOI will provide
refresher courses on an as needed basis.
This initiative is an expansion of the specialized anti-corruption training that DOI has conducted since
2010 for City Council-funded nonprofit organizations, presenting at a special session during the Capacity
Building Training for Council-Funded Community Partners, hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services
and funded by the City Council. This training also resulted from DOI investigations. Nonprofit organizations
must complete the Capacity Building Training to be eligible for more than $10,000 in City Council funding. The
Capacity Building Training for Council-Funded Community Partners was designed to provide nonprofit
executive staff and board members with tips and tools for effective implementation of best practices and legal
requirements. The full-day curriculum includes legal compliance and governance, internal controls, nonprofit
accounting, and managing city contracts, in addition to the DOI anti-corruption session. DOI has trained over
5,000 attendees though these in-person sessions and through the online curriculum.
Cuny Medgar Evers College Lecturer Pled Guilty To Wire Fraud For Selling Fake College Certificates
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MAMDOUH ABDEL-SAYED, a tenured lecturer at the City University of New York’s Medgar Evers College (“Medgar Evers College”), pled guilty yesterday in Manhattan federal court to wire fraud related to his selling of sham Medgar Evers College certificates that purported to represent the completion of health care courses at the College. ABDEL-SAYED pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As he admitted in court, Mamdouh Abdel-Sayed abused his position on the CUNY faculty to enrich himself by creating and selling fake health care program certificates. In so doing, Abdel-Sayed put public health at risk. I commend our partners at the New York State Inspector General and the Department of Education Office of Inspector General for their continued commitment to rooting out corruption at federally funded New York schools.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, the Indictment, and statements made in court and publicly available documents:
MAMDOUH ABDEL-SAYED is a tenured lecturer in the Biology Department at Medgar Evers College. From at least 2013 through 2017, without authorization from Medgar Evers College, ABDEL-SAYED purported to teach health care courses at the College on topics such as Electrocardiograms, Phlebotomy, and Sonography, and provided students with sham certificates of completion for the courses, in exchange for which ABDEL-SAYED charged fees of up to $1,000 per certificate, which money he kept for himself. ABDEL-SAYED attempted to avoid scrutiny from the College’s security guards in conducting the unauthorized courses.
In addition to charging fees for the unauthorized courses and sham certificates, ABDEL-SAYED encouraged students to use the certificates in obtaining employment in the health care field, including at New York City-area hospitals. When asked by employment agencies to verify the authenticity of the certificates, ABDEL-SAYED falsely informed the agencies that the certificates were issued by Medgar Evers College. In fact, ABDEL-SAYED created the sham certificates himself, and provided them to students even if the students did not attend his unauthorized courses, so long as the students paid ABDEL-SAYED for the certificates. In addition, ABDEL-SAYED distributed copies of purported national certification examinations – which he informed students on a recorded conversation it was “illegal” for them to possess – in order to assist the students in passing licensing examinations supposedly administered by the State for certain medical techniques.
After ABDEL-SAYED became aware of the investigation, he instructed an undercover law enforcement investigator, who had posed as a student and purchased several unauthorized certificates from him, to provide false information to federal law enforcement agents and to conceal those certificates from the agents.
ABDEL-SAYED, 68, of Kearny, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
ABDEL-SAYED is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Broderick on September 7, 2018.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the New York State Inspector General’s Office and ED-OIG.