BX Chamber of Commerce Annual African American Heritage Celebration

   

    

  

 

Click Here to register for the

Annual African American Heritage Celebration

***MUST RSVP***  

Senator Klein's Free Flu Shot Event

   Senator Jeff Klein will be having a Free Flu Shot event this Thursday between 6 - 8pm at Vladeck Hall located at 74 Van Cortlandt Park South in the Van Cortlandt Park area of his district. To be eligible you must RSVP by calling Senator Klein's office at 718-822-2049.

Click on the image below to enlarge it.

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ: RE: Passing of CB#4 Chair Pastor Wenzell P. Jackson

   Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. issued the following statement upon learning of the death of Community Board # 4 Chairman Pastor Wenzell Jackson.

   “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Pastor Wenzell P. Jackson, a good friend and partner who served as chairperson of Community Board #4 and as Bishop of the Mount Hermon Baptist Church in Highbridge.

   “Pastor Jackson’s passing is a big loss for the Bronx and the community he so strongly and passionately served as both a public servant and clergy leader. While we mourn his loss, his commitment and work in our community will forever live in our hearts. I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends and will keep them as well as Pastor Jackson in my prayers,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 

LIU, PENSION FUNDS TO EXXON: RELEASE YOUR FRACKING DATA

  

Funds Holding $1 Billion Call for Largest Natural Gas Producer To Come Clean on its Protections for the Public and the Environment

    City Comptroller John C. Liu and the New York City Pension Funds today announced they have filed a shareowner proposal calling on Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) to release quantitative data on its efforts to safeguard the public and the environment from its hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) operations.

 

“Fracking carries significant concerns about poisoned drinking water, toxic chemical leaks, and explosions,” Comptroller Liu said.  “Exxon Mobil says, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered’ and asks us to take it at its word.  Until the company shows us hard data on what it has done to protect the public and environment, shareowners cannot be confident that the necessary safeguards exist.”   

The risks that fracking poses to water and air quality have led to bans and moratoria in the U.S. and around the globe and could directly affect Exxon’s long-term value. The shareowners’ call for quantitative measurements is consistent with the U.S. Department of Energy’s recommendations on shale gas production.  The U.S. Department of Energy recommended in 2011 that companies “adopt a more visible commitment to using quantitative measures as a means of achieving best practice and demonstrating to the public that there is continuous improvement in reducing the environmental impact of shale gas production.”

Exxon has repeatedly resisted calls that it provide investors with detailed information on its safety measures. The data that Comptroller Liu and fellow shareowners are requesting includes, but is not limited to: the air emissions from fracking that Exxon has reduced per region per year; the number and kinds of community complaints or grievances and whether they remain open or resolved; the goals and systems used to reduce potentially harmful chemicals in fracturing fluids.   

Comptroller Liu and the NYC Pension Funds filed the first-time shareowner proposal jointly with As You Sow, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group that has been engaging Exxon on its fracking practices and disclosures on behalf of the Park Foundation since 2010. 

“As every top-rate business knows, what gets measured, gets managed,” said Danielle Fugere, As You Sow President and Chief Counsel.  “Exxon has repeatedly failed to measure the harms its fracking operations cause to air, water, and nearby communities, or any progress it is making towards reducing those harms.  Exxon shareholders need this information to make sound investment decisions.” 

This resolution is part of a nationwide investor initiative calling on 11 major oil and gas companies to improve the way they manage and measure the risks associated with natural gas fracking operations.

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu serves as the investment advisor to, custodian and trustee of the New York City Pension Funds. The New York City Pension Funds are composed of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System, New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, and the Board of Education Retirement System. The New York City Pension Funds held 11,377,013 shares of Exxon (NYSE: XOM) valued at $ 1,010,694,708.95 as of 2/4/2013.

__________________________

 

 

TEXT OF SHAREOWNER PROPOSAL:

Quantitative Risk Management Reporting for Natural Gas Extraction Operations

Whereas,

Extracting oil and gas from shale formations using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology has become a highly controversial public policy issue.

Leaks, spills, explosions, and adverse community impacts have led to bans and moratoria in the United States and around the globe. These include New York State, the Delaware River Basin, the Province of Quebec, and France.  Certain Exxon Mobil operations in Germany, for instance, have been subject to a local moratorium on drilling.   

The Department of Energy’s shale advisory panel recommended in 2011 that companies “adopt a more visible commitment to using quantitative measures as a means of achieving best practice and demonstrating to the public that there is continuous improvement in reducing the environmental impact of shale gas production.” (emphasis in original)

Investors require detailed and comparable information about how companies are managing risks and rewards from natural gas extraction operations.  A 2011 report, “Extracting the Facts: An Investor Guide to Disclosing Risks from Hydraulic Fracturing Operations,” outlines best management practices and key performance indicators. Publicly supported by investors on three continents ($1.3 trillion in assets under management) and by various companies, the guide emphasizes quantitative reporting on key performance indicators.

Talisman Energy has published “Shale Operating Principles,” stating “We will measure our progress by setting quantitative performance metrics [and] … disclose …progress…via publicly available reporting.”

BG Group states it “will provide regular updates on … progress against the targets” set out in its “Operating Principles for Unconventional Gas.”

Exxon Mobil does not provide such quantitative reporting.  Its Operations Integrity Management System is a generalized framework for companywide operations, but lacks criteria specific to shale energy operations.  Exxon Mobil’s subsidiary, XTO Energy, signed onto the “Appalachian Principles” which specify what companies “should do” rather than what they currently do or commit to doing.

Resolved:   Shareholders request the Board of Directors to report to shareholders by October 30, 2013, and annually thereafter, using multiple quantitative indicators, the results of company procedures and practices, above and beyond regulatory requirements, to minimize any adverse environmental and community impacts from the company’s natural gas extraction operations associated with shale formations. Such reports should be prepared at reasonable cost and omit confidential information. 

Supporting Statement

Proponents suggest the reports include the percentage of wells using “green completions;” total amount of air emissions reduced annually on a categorical and regional or site basis; percentage of drilling residuals managed in closed-loop systems; percentage of recycled water used in each regional operation;  quantity of fresh water used for shale operations by region, including sources; numbers and types of community complaints or grievances, and portion open or closed; goals and systems for reducing the use of potentially harmful chemicals in fracturing fluids; and enforcement statistics, including numbers of violation notices or administrative actions alleging violations with potential to harm health or environment, and aggregate value of all penalties during the year.

 

__________________________

 

In addition to Comptroller Liu, the New York City Pension Funds trustees are:

 

New York City Employees’ Retirement System: Janice Emery, Mayor’s Representative (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; Borough Presidents: Scott Stringer (Manhattan), Helen Marshall (Queens), Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn), James Molinaro (Staten Island), and Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Bronx); Lillian Roberts, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; John Samuelsen, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

 

Teachers’ Retirement System: Janice Emery, Mayor’s Representative; Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, New York City Department of Education; Mayoral appointee Freida Foster and Sandra March, Melvyn Aaronson (Chair) and Mona Romain, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

 

New York City Police Pension Fund: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Finance Commissioner David Frankel; New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (Chair); Patrick Lynch, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association; Michael Palladino, Detectives Endowment Association; Edward D. Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Louis Turco, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, Roy T. Richter, Captains Endowment Association.

 

New York City Fire Department Pension Fund: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner David Frankel; Stephen Cassidy, President, James Slevin, Vice President, Robert Straub, Treasurer, and John Kelly, Brooklyn Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; John Dunne, Captains’ Rep.; James Lemonda, Chiefs’ Rep., and James J. McGowan, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and, Sean O’Connor, Marine Engineers Association.

 

Board of Education Retirement System:  Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott; Mayoral: Rosemarie Maldonado, Jeanette Moy, Ian Shapiro, Tino Hernandez, Judy Bergtraum, Freida Foster, Allison Rogovin, Dawn Walker, and Milton Williams; Patrick Sullivan (Manhattan BP), Kelvin Diamond (Brooklyn BP), Dmytro Fedkowskyj (Queens BP), Robert Powell (Bronx BP) and Diane Peruggia (Staten Island BP); and employee members Joseph D’Amico of the IUOE Local 891 and Milagros Rodriguez of District Council 37, Local 372.

Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov for the latest news, events, and initiatives.

Follow Comptroller Liu on Twitter. To receive Twitter updates via text message, text “follow johncliu” to 40404.

View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on YouTube

Valentine's and Get Tough, Get BAAD in February

BAAD! - THE BRONX ACADEMY OF ARTS & DANCE PRESENTS
GET TOUGH, GET BAAD!
A FREE SERIES WHICH INCLUDES A DANCE AGAINST VIOLENCE, COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS, AND A FILM SERIES CELEBRATING QUEER POWER, DIVERSITY, VISIBILITY AND DEFIANCE

February 14-17, 2013

 

(Bronx, NY) - BAAD! - The Bronx Academy of Art & Dance presents a V-Day dance, community discussions, and a series of films celebrating queer power, diversity, defiance and visibility in its GET TOUGH, GET BAAD! series.  GET TOUGH, GET BAAD! was originally initiated in 2010 to combat reports of criminal homophobic attacks in the Bronx and New York City and to counter the negative and victimized images of queer people in the media and to take a stand against violence. The series presents films and events that celebrated queer strength and value. The next installment of the series will run from February 14-17, 2013 at BAAD!, 841 Barretto Street in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx.  All events are free. For reservations, directions and further information call (718) 842-5223 or visit www.BronxAcademyofArtsandDance.org.

 

The events are as follows:

Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 7pm/FREE

RISE UP AND DANCE: V-DAY ONE BILLION RISING

BAAD! joins up with One Billion Rising, a global event where ONE BILLION women, transwomen and those who love them will WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. BAAD! is  hosting a community "love-in" and dance which begins at 7pm with a potluck dinner, followed by an open speak out against violence, a presentation of Eve Enlser's new monologue, "Rising" (read by award-winning Bronx writer and actress Desi Moreno-Penson), then the music will be turned up and everyone will dance. One in three women on the planet is raped or beaten in her lifetime, according to the UN and violence against transwomen has risen year after year according the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Pograms. That is ONE BILLION WOMEN violated. On February 14, 2013, V-Day's 15th Anniversary, ONE BILLION women, transwomen and those who love them around the world will rise up!

 

Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8pm/FREE

LEAVE IT ON THE FLOOR

When Brad, a black gay youth, is thrown out of his home, he discovers the Los Angles ball scene and gets involved with the ragtag members of the struggling House of Eminence led by the indomitable house mother Queef Latina, herself an aging ball-legend. Laughter, tears, sex sirens, and butch queens up in pumps ensue.  Directed by Sheldon Larry.

 

Saturday, February 16, 2013 - 5:30pm-7:30pm/Free

MEN LOVING MEN: WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT DO I WANT?

Dr. Alfredo Burnett (social worker) will lead this interactive workshop for gay and transpeople to explore a foundation to having successful relationships. This frank and open discussion brings awareness to how we communicate our wants/needs in romantic relationships, friendships, and to the people in our lives. Some struggle with asking another, especially those we feel close to, for what we want and we equally have difficulty hearing and responding to what the others want from us. Light refreshments will be served.

Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8pm/Free

ELLIOT LOVES and CRUSH

CRUSH, an award-winning short film written by Bronxite Dominic Colon, is about a young gay Bronx man finding the courage to come out to his high school crush at the senior prom. Directed by Gloria LaMorte. ELLIOT LOVES spans two stages of a Dominican-American's life; first as a boy trying to bond with his young mother, then a 21-year-old gay man looking for love in New York City.  Funny, sexy and poignant this film shows that one can survive anything life throws -- just "keep it cute, papi." Directed by Terracino.

 

Sunday, February 17, 2013 - 5:30pm-7:30pm/Free

WOMEN LOVING WOMEN: SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Eva Yaa Asantewaa is a native New Yorker of African-Caribbean lineage and a spiritworker, maintaining a private practice that includes sacred symbolism, meditation coaching, dreamwork, and other healing and transformative modalities. She brings her experience to this interactive talk for queer women and transpeople to have healthier relationships and the role of spirituality in living powerful lives.

 

Sunday, February 17, 2013 – 8pm/Free

MOMMY IS COMING

Pioneer filmmaker Cheryl Dunye returns with a sassy, raunchy, romantic sex comedy set in the edgy underground of Berlin where love and taboo affairs collide! Cute power femme Dylan (Lil Harlow) and studly hotel clerk Claudia (the sexy Papi Coxxx, Crash Pad Series [aka Ignacio Rivera]) are suffering from monogamous relationship blues. Claudia sets out on a gender-bending rollercoaster now as Claude through a subversive Berlin sex club but everything comes to a climax when Dylan’s mother (world-renown sex educator Maggie Tapert) arrives in town hellbent on releasing some tension. Fun, provocative and interwoven with personal interviews, Mommy Is Coming is filled with sheer delight.

Crowned “a funky and welcoming performance space” by The New York Times, BAAD! is a performance and workshop space that presents cutting-edge and challenging works in dance and all creative disciplines that are empowering to women, people of color and the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. BAAD! is home to Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre (AATT) and the Bronx Dance Coalition. 

 

BAAD!/AATT receive support from The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Lambent Fund of the Tides Foundation, Union Square Arts Grant, The Simon Bolivar Foundation, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo, JPMorgan Chase, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and private donations.

 

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York

Look Who's Talking

You should know that Senator Jeff Klein, the leader of the Independent Democratic Conference in the New York State Senate has made the following statement – and I quote:  “If you are a real Democrat, a real New York Democrat, then you must defend a woman's inherent right to choose."

Apparently, for Senator Jeff Klein, a “good” Democrat is only one who supports the killing of unborn babies – even through dismembering those creatures even up to 9 months when they are a full living being. (Never mind that there are Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals and thousands of other Democrats in New York State who oppose the killing of babies.)

You should know that there is an old saying in Puerto Rico, and maybe here too: “Las palabras se cojen segun quien las dice”, or “Look who’s talking now.”

You should also know that a person like Senator Jeff Klein, who has gone against the will of the people of State of New York who elected 33 Democratic Senators, giving the Democrats the opportunity to be the leaders in the New York State Senate – cannot be talking about how to be a good Democrat!

You should know that a Democrat who has joined with the Republicans and who has taken away the command and mandate given to the Democrats by the voters of New York State to lead the New York State Senate, has no standing to dictate who is a real Democrat, who is a good Democrat, and who is not.

I never heard Senator Jeff Klein criticize or condemn Governor Andrew Cuomo, the leader of New York State Democratic Party, when the Governor publicly supported Republican Senator Steve Saland against Democratic candidate Terry Gipson for the New York State Senate.  I believe that what Governor Cuomo did is an indication of being much less of a Democrat than anyone who opposes the killing of babies.   By the way, the people did not listen to the Governor and Senator Saland was defeated by Gipson.

You should know that the message Senator Klein is sending to all those good, honorable and decent people who oppose abortion in New York State is that they are not good Democrats.

So to all those Catholics like Cardinal Dolan, to all those priests and parishioners, to all those Jews, to all those Muslims, to all those Evangelicals, to all those Pentecostal Ministers, and to every elected official and every Democrat in New York State, Senator Jeff Klein is sending all of us a message:  If you don't support the killing of babies, you are not a good Democrat.

I would like to give my advice to Senator Jeff Klein and to those who think like him: A real Democrat caucuses with Democrats – not with Republicans.

This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

Quinn Visits S.I. Chuck This Groundhog Day

  

    It was mayoral candidate Christine Quinn not Mayor Bloomberg that came to see Staten Island Chuck this year. In the New York Post photo above you can see a bit of fright in Speaker Quinns face as she faces the varmint that one year took a bite out of Mayor Bloomberg's finger. The Post article says that Quinn was the first politician to skittishly embrace SI Chuck 

  The Post article has Quinn saying when asked where the mayor was "Who Cares I'm here". Quinn is also quoted as saying that Chuck will get to have a pretty good deal today being with her, and what more could he want than to be with a cute redhead early in the morning. The Post continues with the facts that  no other mayoral candidate was on hand, the Staten Island Zoo home to SI Chuck relies on City Council funding, and that other attendees were Manhattan Borough President and candidate for City Controller Scott Stringer, and Councilman Dominick Recchia Chair of the Council Finance Committee who is eying a run for congress according to the Post. Click here to view the entire Post article

Statements on the Passing of Ed Koch

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ

RE: Passing of Former Mayor Ed Koch

   

   “Today the Bronx is mourning the death of a son and one of the city’s greatest and most charismatic public leaders. Mayor Ed Koch was a man of wit and wisdom, a leader who helped lift our city out of the brink of bankruptcy, raising our spirits along the way and securing New York’s place as the capital of the world.

“Mayor Koch was always proud of his Bronx roots. During his administration he helped rebuild the South Bronx, creating a task force that helped restore burned-out buildings while creating new, thriving communities—work that still resonates to this day. He was a man of deep devotion, who after leaving office continued to inspire New Yorkers through his activism and his commitment to a city he fiercely loved.

“While we mourn his loss we honor his legacy, commitment to civil rights and his civic leadership, which will forever live in our hearts and in the millions of lives he touched. On behalf of the 1.4 million residents of the Bronx, I would like to extend our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this very difficult time,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 

 

State Senator Gustavo Rivera 33rd S.D.  released the following statement today in response to the passing of former New York City Mayor Ed Koch:

   "I am deeply saddened by the passing of former Mayor Ed Koch. Mayor Koch will be remembered as the quintessential New Yorker as well as for his sense of service to the city he loved. He had a passion that went beyond ensuring government worked efficiently for the people, but also a commitment to service that extended long after his term as Mayor. He was boisterous, outspoken and spirited. His legacy will remain in the hearts of New Yorkers for years to come, and he will be sorely missed."

Statement from Andrew Cohen 11th City Council District candidate on the Passing of former Mayor  Ed Koch:

  “I am saddened to hear of the passing of former Mayor Ed Koch. He was a New York City institution,  and I respect what he was able to accomplish during some very difficult times. He will be missed by all New Yorkers.”