GLOBALMAN ECO-AVENGER INVADES BRONXNET!

I found the following while reviewing the BronxNet web site. I love the creativity and had to post.

Gregory
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GLOBALMAN ECO-AVENGER INVADES BRONXNET! Globalman EcoAvenger the environmental Superhero, is endowed with super powers, compliments of a super suit, GlobalMan Ecoavenger stands as a symbol to help bring awareness supporting the mission to help keep the earth clean. GlobalMan is working to address some of the greatest challenges facing humanity; His cause is to help in the fight to bring sustainable and secure ways to maintain preservation towards a cleaner future. Understanding that the Bronx and NYC was in need of help, Globaman appeared on the scene in 2009 and in 2010 formed a relationship with community agencies centered on Green sustainability. His first appearance was at the 2010 at Get Green Earth Fest event at St. Mary’s park. Teamed up with community leaders and politicians the Mission was to educate and bring awareness to the Bronx community.

To date globalMan has appearece a number of times to support the Green mission from appearing with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz jr. to assisting with the BronxRiver alliance. Globalman appeared on OPEN April 6, 2011 along with John Johnson from Grow NYC and Rachel Amar from Waste Management to talk about the 4th Annual Get Green South Bronx Earth Fest.

Councilman Joel Rivera to Unveil New Street Sign In Honor of Lance Corporal Alberto Francesconi

There will be a street unveiling tomorrow for US Marine Lance Corporal Francesconi. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for his nation. May his soul rest in peace.

Gregory
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Councilman Joel Rivera to Unveil New Street Sign
In Honor of Lance Corporal Alberto Francesconi

Bronx, NY - Council Member Joel Rivera will unveil new street sign Lance Corporal Alberto Francesconi Place on Southwest corner of East 187th Street and Park Avenue this Saturday, April 16, 2011. Service will begin at 11am at Our Lady of Mercy Church located on 2496 Marion Avenue. There will be a presentation of new street sign to community and family following the service.

Alberto strived for the best in life and joined the United States Marine Corps to protect our country and had aspirations of becoming a pilot. Lance Corporal Francesconi was deployed overseas as a Sniper of the Special Forces, with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. His time as a Marine was unfortunately taken away from him unexpectedly while supporting combat operations in Now Zad, Helmand province, Afghanistan.

“Alberto, one of our very own Bronxites, joined the US Marine Corps seeking a better life for his family. His ambition to succeed in life was evident in everything he did and to those that knew him well. Alberto’s service to our country should never be forgotten. He will always be a hero to the people of our community and to all the citizens of the United States that he protected while deployed overseas,” states Council Member Joel Rivera.

KLEIN TO HOST EASTER BUNNY BREAKFAST AND MAGIC SHOW

Here is a great family event scheduled for tomorrow.

Gregory
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KLEIN TO HOST EASTER BUNNY BREAKFAST AND MAGIC SHOW
Senator Klein will hold his 17th Annual Easter Bunny Breakfast and Magic Show
BRONX, NY- Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) joined by more than 300 children from the Bronx and Westchester, will hold his 17th annual Easter Bunny Breakfast and Magic Show. Families will enjoy a free breakfast, magic show and build-a-bunny workshop. The Easter Bunny will also make a special appearance.



WHO: Senator Jeff Klein, more 300 kids and parents, the Easter Bunny


WHAT: Klein to host his 17th annual Easter Bunny Breakfast and Magic Show


WHEN: Saturday, April 16th, 8:30 AM

WHERE: Villa Barone Catering Hall, 737 Throggs Neck Expressway, BRONX

KOPPELL PROTESTS CANCELLATION OF APRIL POLICE ACADEMY CLASS

NYC Councilman Koppell is coming out "Bronx strong" as well, related to Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to cancel or “delay indefinitely” the NYPD cadet class that has already been sworn in. Once again the concern is public safety.

Gregory
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KOPPELL PROTESTS CANCELLATION OF APRIL POLICE ACADEMY CLASS

In a strong letter to Mayor Bloomberg, Council Member Oliver Koppell protested the cancellation of the class of 540 police cadets that were to be sworn in this month. He also said that making this decision without consultation with the Council shows a disregard for the Council’s role as a partner in government.

“In view of the fact that the NYPD is already at its lowest staffing level, with 6000 fewer police officers on the streets than in 2001, the decision to cancel the Police Academy class will seriously compromise public safety,” Koppell said.

He noted that the April class has already been delayed three months. He stressed that each month that passes without the swearing in of recruits means a loss in head count because as every month goes by the NYPD loses over 100 officers to attrition. “Even if the April class is folded into the July one,” Koppell said, “any officers hired in July will not get onto the streets until January, 2012, bringing the head count dangerously low.”

Koppell pointed out that safe streets are a requirement for rebuilding the city’s economy, as the Mayor, himself, has often stated. “Further depletion of police officers’ ranks could erode recent gains in crime fighting, resulting in a diminution of tourism, a major driver of the economy,” Koppell said. He further stated that a spike in crime could also make local residents fearful, especially at night, negatively impacting the restaurant and entertainment industries.

Koppell urged the Mayor to reconsider saying, “Although the current economic situation necessitates the reduction in some city services, I believe it is an unwise budget decision to jeopardize public safety by canceling the April Police Academy class.”

Quinn, Recchia, and Vallone Comment of Mayor's Preliminary Budget Proposal: 540 NYPD Cadets Put on Hold

Here is a response form NYC Council members Quinn, Recchia and Vallone on the Mayor's proposed "indefinitely delay", related to the NYPD's cadet program scheduled to start this month. 540 cadets will be told to hold off on their plans to join the NYPD if the Mayor has his way. The obvious concern is the effect on public safety.

Gregory
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April 14, 2011

Dear New Yorker,
We would like to share some important news with you regarding the NYC Council's response to the Mayor's Preliminary Budget Proposal.
As you may already be aware, the NYPD announced earlier this week that it has delayed indefinitely a class of 540 police cadets that was scheduled to start this month. It's our understanding that this action was taken in an effort to meet budget-cutting requirements being imposed for the next fiscal year. This decision is deeply troubling for several reasons.
Further delaying or possibly even eliminating a class this size could jeopardize our continued efforts to keep New York City the safest big city in the country. As you know, protecting the strength and effectiveness of our police force has been a top priority for the NYC Council. Throughout nine rounds of budget cuts we have consistently fought to preserve funding for cadet classes. The class in question was initially scheduled to begin in January and had already been postponed for three months.
On a related note, the Preliminary Budget, as proposed, would have a grave impact on the FDNY, with the proposed permanent closings of 20 fire companies throughout the City. The NYC Council does not agree with nor will we comply with writing the Administration a "blank check" to close these companies.
Continued delay or elimination of these vital services will only serve to undermine our previous efforts, and could have untold consequences for the safety and well-being of New Yorkers. We have and will continue to find places to cut spending, but we must do so without sacrificing the critical services that keep our city safe, strong, and growing.
We have urged the Mayor to reconsider this rash and misguided decision, in keeping with the general commitment to ensuring the safety of all New Yorkers.
The full budget response can be found here:
http://council.nyc.gov/html/budget/PDFs/2012/budget_response_fy_2012.pdf.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Andrew Grossman in the Council's Finance Division at 212-788-9173 or agrossman@council.nyc.gov.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,

Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
NYC Council

Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.
Chair, Finance Committee
NYC Council

Peter F. Vallone, Jr.
Chair, Public Safety
NYC Council

NYS COMPTROLLER DINAPOLI TO DISCUSS THE STATE BUDGET AT NEXT SOUTH BRONX LEADERSHIP FORUM ON APRIL 28

NYS Comptroller Dinapoli will be in the Bronx to discuss NY State budget issues. Please see below for more information. The forum should be a great way to hear and discuss budget issues with our NYS Comptroller.

Gregory
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BALANCING NEED AND PRIORITY: NYS COMPTROLLER DINAPOLI TO DISCUSS THE STATE BUDGET AT NEXT SBLF ON APRIL 28
April 12, 2011: On Thursday, April 28th, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli will speak about the State Budget at SoBRO’s South Bronx Leadership Forum (SBLF). DiNapoli, New York’s chief fiscal officer, is responsible for auditing the operations of all State agencies and local governments, managing the State’s pension fund, overseeing the New York State and Local Retirement System, reviewing the State and New York City budgets, approving State contracts, administering the State’s payroll and central accounting system.
Since first taking the position in February 2007, DiNapoli has transformed the way the Comptroller’s office does business, instilling reforms to make government more effective, efficient and ethical. He has pushed for increased transparency and accountability in government, and identified billions of dollars in waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement.
At SoBRO’s forum, DiNapoli is expected to field questions about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2011-2012 Executive Budget, which called for a $400 million spending cut in selected social services. According to Albany, the budget “reduces [the] state’s current year deficit without raising taxes [and] outlines a broad effort to redesign state government with the goal of producing long term cost savings and better services.” Some of the affected programs such as adult education and senior centers are in the Bronx, where thousands of low-income residents depend on publicly funded social initiatives.
The SBLF gives individuals that play a key role in this city an opportunity to discuss their plans and priorities by addressing leaders from the public, private, non-profit and business sectors, along with members of the community. Previous guests have included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Former Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Charles E. Schumer and many more of the region’s most influential figures. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will make an excellent and honorable addition to this distinguished roster. Breakfast will be provided at 8:30am and the forum presentation will begin at 9am. Representatives from the media are invited to cover this event. Because space is limited, reservations are requested to be made in advance by either emailing Linda Yantz at lyantz@sobro.org or calling, at 718.732.7522.
EVENT INFORMATION
WHAT: South Bronx Leadership Forum
WHO: New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli
DATE / TIME: Thursday, April 28th, 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
LOCATION: SoBRO Center, 555 Bergen Avenue, 3rd Floor, Bronx, NY 10455
CONTACT: Linda Yantz, (p) 718-732-7522, lyantz@sobro.org

Institute for Urban Design Seeks Bronx Submissions for "By the City / For the City" Design Project

The following was received by the Institute for Urban Design. They are requesting submissions from the Bronx of sites that need "fresh design" attention. Please do review the letter sent and please do help to represent the Bronx.

Gregory
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Hello Gregory;

I'm writing to you on behalf of the Institute for Urban Design to introduce a crowdsourcing project we've just launched, By the City / For the City. From now through April 30, we're asking New Yorkers to tell us where the sites are in their neighborhoods that they'd like to see receive some fresh design attention. From parks and streetscapes all the way up to the city's transportation system, we want people in all five boroughs to tell us what they think needs a thorough re-imagining. Then, from May 16-June 17, we'll rally the international design community to create proposals that address the sites, situations, and trends that New Yorkers are most interested in!

In September, we'll be publishing all of these proposals in an Atlas of Possibility for the future of New York, which will serve as the foundation for our first-ever Urban Design Week festival, which is scheduled for September 15-20, 2011.

We'd like to get a really wide range of ideas submitted during the first phase, spread out in every neighborhood across the five boroughs, and we're hoping that you'll be willing to help us get the word out up in the Bronx. It's a fun and easy way for people to share their ideas for building a better New York and actually see their suggestions lead to some creative and exciting proposals. Please let me know if you're interested in learning more about the project, or if you post about BtCFtC on the BoogieDowner. as we're always happy to cross-promote. Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon!

http://urbandesignweek.org/by-the-city/reports/submit

Best,
Brendan

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Brendan Crain
Program Coordinator
Institute for Urban Design
17 West 17th Street, 7th floor
New York, NY 10011
212-366-0780
crain@ifud.org
www.ifud.org