Alice in Wonderland

Wakefield Area News

By Mary V. Lauro

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 8- In a recent editorial, the Daily News suggested that all Member Items be eliminated. We tend to agree. In many cases they are a waste of our money. They are sometimes used, as reported in the case of Councilman Larry Seabrook, to fatten the politician's wallet or reward his friends and relatives or, as is often the case, to buy the good will of a community in order to garner its votes at election time. It is only rarely that a politician will act without self-interest. When he does, he becomes a statesman.

What is a member item? It is an amount of money which an assemblyman, senator or councilperson is able to include in that year's budget for use by a favored group. The favored group must apply and frequently has to jump through hoops before the grant is appropriated. Thus the Bronx Business Alliance (BBA) under the leadership of Margaret Arrighi (CEO) and Kathy Zamachanski (consultant) received beaucoup funds from Albany and the City Council.

As we already reported, in previous columns, Arrighi had contempt for any interference in her alleged schemes. When she decided, and stated in a letter, that the best thing that could happen to White Plains Road was the construction of a 70-unit supportive housing for HIV/AIDs patients on White Plains Road opposite the Food Town Supermarket, it was time to look at corporation papers and By-laws. We found the By-laws were a pastiche of some old merchants association By-laws and the opening clauses of By-laws of the very people who were going to build that 70-unit HIV/AIDs housing! How enormously strange, would you not say?

One of the opening clauses of the By-laws said the corporation had no members which is at it should be, but in later clauses it speaks of members. Indeed, it states that the members of the Board of Directors are chosen on a yearly basis by the members of the organization at the January meeting! Plainly, this whole operation was illicit, yet it was receiving thousands of dollars from various government sources.

John Bonizio and this writer tried to rewrite those By-laws for which consent of the existing BoD was needed. Because Arrighi insisted on retaining Board members who never appeared at meetings, it was not possible to legalize the operation. John Bonizio, a very able and trustworthy person resigned in a year's time.

At this point, I inherited the position of President of the BoD of an illicit operation. Since Senator Klein was one of the main sources of funding for the BBA, I turned to him for assistance in legalizing the operation. Unfortunately, I had to deal with his assistant, John Doyle who, at first saw nothing wrong with the By-Laws which he had obviously not read. When sent to him again at a later date, he insisted that Senator Klein's office did not deal with internal affairs of organization as if Klein's funding a member item of $200,000 was not dealing with internal affairs. Furthermore, at this time, which was during the Woodlawn fracas, Doyle had requested and received a copy of the Woodlawn By-laws which he said was to assist them in becoming a 501C3 organization. He did not consider that as interfering with internal affairs. Did he not know that corporation papers, not By-laws, determine 501C3 eligibility? The point here is that if proper attention had been given, BBA might still exist.

I resigned one day before Arrighi. The BBA is no more. But, I cannot end without pointing out that Arrighi suffered greatly when Governor Patterson froze all member items in the 2009 budget. Arrighi went without pay for two and half years. Her house went into foreclosure. And her health deteriorated.

Yanks Rub Out Mariners

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 6- The Yankees captured the rubber game of the weekend series over Seattle with a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon. It was the eighth time in the last 10 occasions that the Yankees successfully rebounded from a shutout loss with a victory.

Unlike the previous day’s contest, the game on Sunday hardly featured a pitching masterpiece. Both starters pitched five innings. Mariners’ starter Hisashi Iwamura gave up four runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit batsman. The Yankees scored a single run in four of his five innings on the mound.

The run in the fifth was scored on a solo home run by Raúl Ibañez, the homer was his 14^th of 2012 and the major league leading 168^th for the Yanks. The team is currently on pace to shatter its single season mark of 244, set in 2009.

In the following frame, Ibañez came to bat with two out and the bases loaded. The veteran drove in two runners with a single.

In addition to Ibañez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Chris Stewart each twice hit successfully.

Jeter raised his career hit total to 3,228, 24 hits below Napoleon Lajoie. He scored his 1,830^th run in the first, which tied him with Frank Robinson for 14^th place.

Cano has hit safely in 33 of his last 27 games. He and Jeter began the game with identical team leading batting averages of 

.313.

Suzuki’s double in the seventh raised his consecutive game hitting streak to 12. He also tied Don Slaught for the longest hitting streak at the start of a Yankee career. It also is the longest Yankees hitting streak in which a player had exactly one hit in each game.

Freddy Garcia pitched the requisite five innings to qualify for the win. The victory ended his three-game losing streak. The 35-year-old hurler recorded his 150^th career win, a high for pitchers born in Venezuela. Garcia ranks 12^th in wins for all pitchers who were born in Latin America. 

Of the accomplishment, Joe Girardi remarked, “It just goes to show how consistent he’s been.”

Garcia gave up five hits and two runs I his five frames. Girardi was quite pleased, “Freddy’s going to give you everything he’s got every time he goes out. That’s just what Freddy does. He keeps us in every game.”

The bullpen easily carried the remaining four innings, allowing only one baserunner in four innings.

The Yanks now embark on a seven game road trip, four games in Detroit and then three in Toronto. Girardi looked forward with hope, “We won a series leaving. Hopefully, this will get us on a good streak.”

Supreme Yankee Fan

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Roots for her Favorite Team at Yankee Stadium

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, August 5- A very large mid-week matinee crowd of 44,593 were at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday and saw a one-sided 11-3 Yankee victory over the Baltimore Orioles. One of the dedicated Yankees aficionados in the ballpark was Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The distinguished jurist returned to her place of birth to witness an event she loves, a Yankees game. The Bronx native of Puerto Rican ancestry has been a baseball, specifically New York Yankees, fan since her childhood. Her father, Juan, hails from Santurce and her mother, Celina, is from Lajas, in Southeast Puerto Rico. The youngster lived in the Bronxdale Houses in Soundview and later in Co-op City as a youngster. She attended Cardinal Spellman High School in the borough and later graduated with honors from Princeton University, the NYU School of Law and Columbia University Law School.

Interestingly, in a time of bitter partisanship between the major political parties in the United States, Sotomayor’s credentials led to her being appointed to the bench by presidents from both parties. She was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by George H. W. Bush in 1991. Six years later, Bill Clinton selected her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She reached the height of her profession in 2009 when Barack Obama nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Her visit on Wednesday was neither her first time in the current Yankee Stadium nor her first time at a Yankees game. Sotomayor threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Yankees game on September 26, 2009 and she spoke humbly and emotionally as the graduation speaker at the NYU Commencement in May of 2012. On Wednesday, her presence was not political nor to gain attention. She wanted to watch and root for her favorite sports team.

In an informal meeting with reporters during the game, she stated, “Having sat in the old stadium bleachers anonymously, there is quite a chord that gets touched when you come back on a day like today and people are screaming out ‘Justice’ or ‘Sonia’ and it brings a little bit of a tear to my eye.”

Of her feeling at being in Yankee Stadium, she emotionally stated, “The spirit of the Yankees is still in the house. It’s very moving to me and important to me that the comfort they gave me most of my life-watching [them] win-continues.”

Before the game began, she joined the “bleacher creatures” in the roll call of the Yankees starters. Of the group of fans she sat with, she remarked, “I pay homage to the bleacher creatures; they are the greatest fans…To sit in sweltering heat when the sun is blazing, to sit out there in the rain, to sit out there on days when we’re losing and not to take it out on the players takes heart…I felt proud to be out there with them”

When asked why she came to the game, she replied, “I went to watch the Yankees play the [Washington] Nationals in Washington, DC and they won and [Media Relations Director] Jason [Zilo] asked me to come and sit in the bleachers.”

She spoke of her greatest Yankee memory, “The Bucky Dent home run against Boston. I was in law school and made a bet with my best friends.”

Asked if she was the only Yankees fan on the Supreme Court, she responded, “Justice [Anton] Scalia is fond of reminding me that he was the first Yankees fan on the Court…I keep telling him the only difference is that I was born in the Bronx and he wasn’t.’” Although the two justices are divided on judicial principles and philosophy, the two are united in support of the Yankees.

Her tribute to the fans of her favorite club is as follows, “We have the best fans in the world; they are so knowledgeable.” 

In 1995, a Sotomayor ruling had a very important impact upon the sport of baseball. The baseball strike of 232 days ended after she issued an injunction that prohibited MLB from unilaterally implementing a new collective bargaining agreement using replacement players.

She still remains loyal to the sport of baseball, to her favorite team, the Yankees, and to her birthplace, the Bronx.

Dominican Parade

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

The Grand Concourse became a sea of celebration as thousands celebrated the annual Bronx Dominican Parade. In addition to various groups performing, many cultural dancers excited the crowd and celebrated Dominican Pride. 

Tennis Returns to the Bronx

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 27- Tennis
fans from around the world will once again descend on the Bronx next as part of
the yearly EmblemHealth Bronx Open.

The event is held from August
5-12, 2012 at Crotona Park, Bronx. This year's EmblemHealth Bronx Open is a
$50,000 USTA sanctioned Challenger Event, attracting some of best Women Tennis
Professional players in the world as they prepare for the US Open Championships
at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

EmblemHealth is the title
sponsor of the EmblemHealth Bronx Open, an USTA sanctioned $50,000 women's
tennis tournament Challenger Event. The tournament is held at Crotona Park, in
the Bronx, New York from August 5-12, 2012. Fans have the opportunity to watch
WTA Tour professionals from around the world ranked in the top 200, some of
whom who will compete in the main draw of the 2012 US Open Championships at the
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

Tennis players, enthusiasts
and spectators are invited to a fun-filled week of free special events at
Crotona Park, the Bronx.

Activities include adult and
junior tennis clinics, EmblemHealth Fitness Day For Kids, New York's Bravest
(New York Fire Department) vs. New York's Finest (New York Police Department)
Tournament, and the Disney Kids' Around the World Day Parade displaying the
enthusiasm and artistic talents of NYJTL participants proudly marching with
their 10-foot banners. 

2011 EmblemHealth Bronx Open
Women's Singles Final Recap:

In its 18th year as title
sponsor of the 2011 EmblemHealth Bronx Open, EmblemHealth continued to partner
with the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) to promote education and leading
a healthy, active lifestyle for children and families in New York City.

Andrea Hlavackova, of the
Czech Republic, was the winner over Mona Barthel, 7-6, 6-3, in a hard-hitting
singles final played indoors at Riverside Tennis Club in Riverdale when the match
had to be moved due to torrential downpours. It was the second time in the
tournament’s history that the event final was played indoors.



Throughout the tournament, special events were geared to the dual messages of
using tennis to boost academic and athletic performance. Activities included
Kids’ Fitness Day, daily free tennis lessons, and distribution of more than
2,000 free books to kids. At the Disney Kids’ Day Parade, more than 2,000
children from NYJTL programs marched through in Crotona Park with banners they
designed during their summer programs.



Cablevision has supported the EmblemHealth Bronx Open for the six years
broadcasting the finals, filming ancillary tournament events, and packaging the
final product to air on Cablevision’s Neighborhood Journal. 

The Bionic Senator and the Convicted Councilman

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has announced that he will be going in for “Knee Transplant Surgery,” and will be better than before. In fact, Senator Diaz said in a press release, he will become “The Bionic Senator.” 

Diaz Sr. had the knee surgery on July 26th and according to him he will be out of action for 5 or 6 weeks to recover. Diaz Sr. adds that he knows that it is election time and with him up for re-election this bed rest will be torture for him. His doctor has told him that he will be back stronger, better, and faster which kind of reminds us of the television show years ago called “The Six Million Dollar Man.” You can read more at my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com.

The second trial of Councilman Larry Seabrook is over, and Seabrook this time was convicted on 9 of the 12 charges against him. This trial centered on the $177.00 bagel receipt that Seabrook had submitted to be reimbursed for which was said to be doctored. We wonder if it was a plain, sesame, poppy or everything bagel. Check my blog for comments on the decision.

Also go to my blog to see the car that current State Senate Minority Leader John Sampson is reported to have smashed up. The Ford Taurus valued at over $35,000 was totaled, but the cost of the crash now estimated at over $70,000 continues to mount as the other cars involved have their damage estimates revealed.

Hopefully the Con Edison lockout is over by the time you read this, but a Con Edison spokesman has admitted that outside contractors have been brought in to help during the lockout. He said that Con Ed is also paying for all expenses by the outside contractors which will be passed on to their customers. Since Con Ed is not paying its regular workers will their consumers then get a refund on that.

We don't have enough room to discuss the proposed sugary soda ban by Mayor Bloomberg, which will be approved by his puppets at the Health Department. We just hope that more city council members oppose the proposed ban like Bronx Councilman G. Oliver Koppell. By the way Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera where do you stand and why.

Lastly it appears that those 26 public schools that the mayor wanted to close for poor performance will get to stay open as was the court decision. We have to agree with the mayor about closing schools that perform poorly, but how many have been closed over and over again? By the way it is only a mirror of the mayor’s failed education policy when he only cracked down on the third and seventh grades by holding back students so that next year the 4th and 8th grade test scores would look better at the time of an election year. Since many students do not know the names of almost all of their elected officials and important people in history, we would love to know how many students know the name of the current mayor of New York City. Ed Koch, Barrack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Derek Jeter would probably top the list of countless names.

If you have another name that may top the list, have any comments about this column, would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com. Or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.

Jerry Seinfeld to Play Lehman

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 26- For the first time in 14 years, Jerry Seinfeld is presenting full performances of his signature stand-up comedy in New York City. Seinfeld will perform five stand-up shows – one in each New York City borough – on five Thursday nights this Fall.

Seinfeld, a New York native, got his start as a comedian in the City in the 1970s, but other than appearing at benefits and occasional short sets at local comedy clubs, he has not performed a full show in a NYC theater since his sold-out Broadway engagement, “I’m Telling You For The Last Time,” at the Broadhurst Theater in 1998, shortly after the final episode of his iconic TV show, Seinfeld.

"I was born in Brooklyn, went to school in Queens and started out as a comedian in Manhattan. I feel like New York City taught me how to be funny. I'm so excited to perform a special series of shows for my beloved home town," said Seinfeld.

Seinfeld’s five-borough performances will all fall on Thursday nights – the same as the television show that bore his name – and will feature special guest Colin Quinn, who Seinfeld directed in the hit Broadway show “Colin Quinn: Long Story Short” at the Helen Hayes Theater in 2010-11.

Tickets for all five-borough shows go on sale to the general public on Monday, July 30 at 10 am. All performances begin at 8pm. 

PLAYING SCHEDULE:

Manhattan

Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 8pm

The Beacon Theatre located at 2124 Broadway

Tickets are available online at www.BeaconTheatre.com or by calling 866-858-0008

Bronx

Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 8pm

Lehman Concert Hall located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West

Tickets are available online at www.LehmanCenter.org or by calling 718-960-8833

Queens (Flushing)

Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 8pm

The Colden Auditorium at Queens College located at 65-30 Kissena Blvd.

Tickets are available online at www.KupferbergCenter.org or by calling 718-793-8080

Staten Island

Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 8pm

The St. George Theatre located at 35 Hyatt Street

Tickets are available online at www.TicketMaster.com or by calling 718-442-2900

Brooklyn

Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 8pm

The Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College located at 2900 Campus Road

Tickets are available online at www.BrooklynCenter.com or by calling 718-951-4500