Talking and Mixing to the Hip-Hop and Reggae Beat

Talking and Mixing to the Hip-Hop and Reggae Beat – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com

Talking and Mixing to the Hip-Hop and Reggae Beat

By David Gonzalez

Ángel Franco/The New York Times Patricia Chin and her husband, Vincent, who died in 2003, started VP Records in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved it to Jamaica, Queens.

Islands figure big in the history of hip-hop — Public Enemy emerged from Long Island and the Wu-Tang Clan ruled Staten Island. But they’re newcomers compared with what some say are the genre’s original island roots: the West Indies.
“The Great Wuga Wuga,” Sir Lord Comic A very early example of the D.J. style on a recording, circa 1966.

In the 1960s, huge portable sound systems would be set up in some of Jamaica’s poorest communities, where deejays like U Roy would talk — toast — to specially recorded instrumental tracks. Small wonder that Joe Strummer of the Clash once called U Roy the “originator of rap.”

This is not a stretch. In the 1970s, Clive Campbell, the son of Jamaican immigrants, started having parties in the community room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, where he would — like he no doubt saw back in Kingston — talk to the beat. Thus began D.J. Kool Herc and the global assault of rap. (Another early turntable master, Joseph Saddler — better known as Grandmaster Flash — has roots in Barbados.)

to read more, click here [nyt cityroom]

WEEK-END EVENTS

Dance Listings

EMERGENCY FUND FOR STUDENT DANCERS (Saturday and Sunday) Advanced students from the Ailey School, Merce Cunningham Studio, Dance Theater of Harlem School, Limón Institute, Houston Ballet and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance present a concert to assist dance students and teachers in emergency or crisis situations. Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m., Dance Theater of Harlem School, 466 West 152nd Street, Hamilton Heights; $20; $15 for students and 65+; reserve seats at tantulov@dancetheatreofharlem.org.

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SAVION GLOVER
(Tuesday through Thursday) This virtuosic and imaginative artist
celebrates tap as a form of music as well as of dance in “Savion
Glover’s Solo in Time,” which merges his melodic footwork with live
flamenco music. (Through March 22.) Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.;
Thursday at 8 p.m.; Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street,
Chelsea, (212) 242-0800, joyce.org; $19 to $59.

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Events

AFRICAN DRUMMING
Saturday at noon, a discussion about African culture and the history of
drum instruments like the djembe and udu, with the Urban Park Rangers. Inwood Hill Park, 218th Street and Indian Road, nyc.gov/parks/rangers; free.20090226

AFRICAN SCULPTURE AND PAINTINGS
Through March 31, a display of Ghanian sculptures from the 13th to the
17th centuries and bark paintings by Congolese pygmies. Open Monday
through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. LaGuardia Community College, Shenker Hall, 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, (718) 482-6037; free.

SECRETS OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
Sunday at 2 p.m., a look at items not readily visible at the cathedral,
like a statue of Peter Stuyvesant and images in stained-glass windows. Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, at 112th Street, Morningside Heights, (212) 932-7347, stjohndivine.org; $10, $8 for students.

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Walking Tours

BIG ONION WALKING TOURSSaturday
at 1 p.m., “Historic Chinatown,” meeting on the southeast corner of
Grand and Chrystie Streets. Monday at 1 p.m., “Historic Harlem,”
meeting on the northwest corner of 135th Street and Lenox Avenue. Each,
$15; $12 for 63+, students and members of the New-York Historical Society.(212) 439-1090, bigonion.com.

SHOREWALKERSSaturday at 9:30 a.m., the “Great Manhattan Bridge Walk,” a 12-hour walk of more than 25 miles, crossing over all of the bridges that connect to Manhattan, meeting at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Washington Heights, 178th Street and Broadway; (917) 783-6540 or (718) 398-3561.shorewalkers.org; $3.

COURTESY OF THE NY TIMES

He Is Living in a Cardboard Box – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com

He Is Living in a Cardboard Box

By Corey Kilgannon
William ColonCorey Kilgannon/The New York Times William Colon with his box on West 33rd Street.

William Colon can sleep late on Saturdays.

Mr. Colon, 53, spends nights in a cardboard box on the sidewalk right outside the executive offices of the huge B&H photography store on Ninth Avenue, which is owned and largely staffed by Jews who close the store on Saturdays to observe the sabbath.

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE [NYT]

Wilbert A. Tatum, 76, Ex-Amsterdam News Publisher, Is Dead

By Jennifer 8. Lee

Wilbert A. Tatum, whose 25-year leadership of The Amsterdam News made his name nearly synonymous with the paper’s, died on Thursday while vacationing with his wife, Susan, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. He was 76.

He died after multiple organ shutdown around 1 a.m. local time, said Elinor Tatum, his daughter who had succeeded him as publisher in 1996 when she was 26. Ms. Tatum said her father was a diabetic and had been in a wheelchair.

Mr. Tatum held multiple roles over his time at The Amsterdam News, including editor, publisher, chairman and chief executive. Among the more polarizing decisions of his leadership: defending Tawana Brawley against official findings that the sexual assault she said she had been through was a hoax; printing the name of the Central Park jogger who was raped in 1989; and running editorials against Mayor Edward I. Koch in a box on the front page week after week under the headline “Why Koch Should Resign.”

When asked by his daughter why he did not run for political office, he told her he thought he could accomplish more where he was, running one of the nation’s oldest continuously published black newspapers.

SOURCE: NYTIMES

Bring Out the Sound System: The West Indian Roots of Hip Hop

Date: Saturday, February 28th
Time: 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: The Point CDC (940 Garrison Ave., Bronx)
Cost: Free

“When discussing the origins of Hip Hop, most agree that it began in the Bronx. Many also agree that it is an African-American artform with many antecedents. It is a known fact that the trinity of Hip Hop DJ pioneers have roots in the West Indies including DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash… Dr. Natasha Lightfoot of the Bronx African-American Oral History Project, will lead a discussion featuring Hip Hop pioneers and legends including Kool DJ Herc, Kool DJ Red Alert, Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box) and VP Records co-founder, Patricia Chin…Carter Van Pelt of Wax Poetics will interview Patricia Chin about the history of VP Records… The discussion will be followed by a presentation on Jamaican and Hip Hop sound systems from the 1970s by DJ Kool Herc and Brother Vincent. The evening concludes with a reception… dance to the music of DJ Just Ice; and purchase West Indian fare…” Full info here.

A Mystery Vigilante Paints Dog Waste

By Jennifer 8. Lee

There is a vigilante dog-waste graffiti painter on the Upper East Side, according to a new YouTube video put up by Stan O’Connor, a local tour guide. The vigilante is apparently going around after hours spray-painting dog droppings that are being left on the sidewalk, apparently in violation of New York’s strict scooper laws.

After the dog waste is finally removed, the bright rings of orange and green spray paint remain, reminding passers-by of what used to be there. Mr. O’Connor’s video takes viewers on a tour of the colorful splotches.

They are oddly reminiscent of the chalk body outlines from homicides — only more blob-shaped.

source: NYTIMES-CITY ROOM

Poor Face Obstacles to Renew Public Health Insurance, Study Shows

Poor Face Obstacles to Renew Public Health Insurance, Study Shows – NYTimes.com

Study Cites Obstacles for Poor to Renew Health Insurance

By JULIE BOSMAN

More than a third of New York State’s recipients of Medicaid and other public health insurance programs fail to re-enroll on time, losing coverage even though they remain eligible, because of daunting paperwork and other obstacles, according to a new study.

The study by the New York State Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve public health through education and expanding access to high-quality care, said many people were deterred by Medicaid’s annual recertification process and that the resulting churning, in which recipients fall off the rolls and then reapply from scratch, costs the state money because it is more inefficient.

“We’ve tried to open the front door as wide as possible to these programs,” said David Sandman, the senior vice president of the New York State Health Foundation. “And now we need to focus just as much attention on closing the back door to make sure eligible people stay enrolled.”

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE

An Immigration Attorney Is Accused of Being a Fraud

An Immigration Attorney Is Accused of Being a Fraud, and

His Clients Scramble for Help

By NINA BERNSTEIN

More than 100 former clients of a man accused of falsely posing as an immigration lawyer thronged the 19th-century marble lobby of the New York City Bar Association on Monday night, drawn by an offer of free advice from real lawyers.

Filing upstairs, the clients waited under chandeliers and portraits of legal giants, then jammed conference rooms where 54 volunteer lawyers, working in pairs, tried to untangle the messes left in their immigration cases by the accused man, Victor M. Espinal.

Mr. Espinal, 59, was charged last month with pretending to be an immigration lawyer since at least April 1992 and defrauding three clients, all of them Latino immigrants. He pleaded not guilty and has been released on $50,000 bail.

“He was doing a thriving business,” marveled one of the volunteer lawyers, looking over the packed room in the bar association’s West 44th Street offices.

TO READ FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE

NYC Transit tests three-door bus in Bronx

BY Edgar Sandoval and Pete Donohue
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Friday, February 20th 2009, 12:10 AM

Photo of a three-door bus built by Nova Bus.

It’s ”Let’s Make a Deal” in the Bronx, where NYC Transit is testing a bus with three doors.

Exiting straphangers can choose door No. 1, located near the driver and farebox, door No. 2 in the middle of the bus, or door No. 3 toward the rear.

The triple-portal feature reduces time spent discharging passengers at bus stops – and speeds trips for riders, NYC Transit Vice President Joseph Smith said.

The 60-foot big rig started a month-long road test on the Bx12 local route last week. The route includes Fordham Road and Pelham Parkway.

Bus riders in the Bronx who have ridden the new bus can’t get enough of it.

Christine Sooknana, 26, said the bus seems to run at a faster pace than the regular ones and she does not feel as cramped.

“This one is much faster,” said Sooknana, riding home last night after work. “It’s very spacious.”

Eleana Britto, 18, said that she had to look twice to make sure what she was seeing was in fact a bus.

“It looks so cool,” she said. “It’s better inside and out. And if something happens, you can run out faster.”

Ramon Caraballo, 40, said people spread out more, because exit points had increased.

“Usually people stand in the front of the bus, because they want to get out faster,” Caraballo said. “As you can see, they don’t do that on this one.”

If the bus handles the daily grind, officials are expected to place a bulk order for eventual distribution along other routes across the city.

This would be good news for New York’s economy, since Volvo subsidiary Nova Bus has built a plant in upstate Plattsburgh.

The plant will employ 186 workers by the end of the year and 300 when at full capacity, around 2012, Nova Bus spokeswoman Nadine Bernard said.

pdonohue@nydailynews.com

Bronx next in line for state-of-the-art public restrooms

BY Bill Egbert
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, February 24th 2009, 1:16 AM

DelMundo for News

Bystanders walk by the new public toilet located at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 103rd Street in Corona, Queens.

Hold it.

While the city says the Bronx is on line for the next two state-of-the-art public toilets, it’s not giving any timetable.

Community Board 8 in Riverdale-Kingsbridge and Board 11 in Morris Park-Van Nest are set to have the toilets installed and have already picked out favored locations.

There are only two Automatic Public Toilets — or APTs — operating in the city  — one in Corona, Queens, the other in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park.

The city Department of Transportation, which oversees street furniture, plans eventually to install 20 of the pay toilets citywide, although no definite number has been set for each of the five boroughs, and the DOT was unable to say when they would be installed.

Each stand-alone APT costs a quarter to use and automatically cleans itself after use — including washing down the floor and drying itself.

The handicapped-accessible booth is climate-controlled and also has a wash basin with warm water and a mirror.
Community Board 11 voted at its December meeting to place its pay toilet at the 180th St. subway station, said District Manager John Fratta.

While the installed pay toilets have proven popular, at least one Bronxite was skeptical.

“A bathroom stall that opens right onto the street?” said Ella Rosario, 34, as she exited the 180th St. station. “I’m not sure I could trust that.”

To ensure privacy, the tamper-proof door can’t be opened from the outside except by inserting a quarter, and even then it won’t open until the current user leaves and the unit washes itself down.

And there’s no overstaying your welcome — after 12 minutes, an alarm and red flashing lights go off for three minutes before the door pops open.

Anthony Cassino, former chairman of Board 8, said the DOT approached it a few months ago with a proposal to locate a pay toilet at 237th St. and Broadway, a rather remote location in the quiet Riverdale neighborhood.

The DOT is now working with the board to select a more appropriate site.

To limit opportunities for mischief, the toilets will be set to operate only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The APTs will be installed and maintained by Cemusa, the same street furniture company erecting the sleek, new glass bus stop shelters popping up across the city.

wegbert@nydailynews.com

STATEMENT FROM RUPERT MURDOCH

STATEMENT FROM RUPERT MURDOCH

By RUPERT MURDOCH

February 24, 2009 –

As the Chairman of the New York Post, I am ultimately responsible for what is printed in its pages. The buck stops with me.

Last week, we made a mistake. We ran a cartoon that offended many people. Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted.

Over the past couple of days, I have spoken to a number of people and I now better understand the hurt this cartoon has caused. At the same time, I have had conversations with Post editors about the situation and I can assure you – without a doubt – that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation. It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such.

We all hold the readers of the New York Post in high regard and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community.

NYPOST

Tropicana Discovers Some Buyers Are Passionate About Packaging

Tropicana Discovers Some Buyers Are Passionate About Packaging

By STUART ELLIOTT

IT took 24 years, but PepsiCo now has its own version of New Coke.

The PepsiCo Americas Beverages division of PepsiCo is bowing to public demand and scrapping the changes made to a flagship product, Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. Redesigned packaging that was introduced in early January is being discontinued, executives plan to announce on Monday, and the previous version will be brought back in the next month.

Also returning will be the longtime Tropicana brand symbol, an orange from which a straw protrudes. The symbol, meant to evoke fresh taste, had been supplanted on the new packages by a glass of orange juice.

The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamored for a return of the original look.

TO READ FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE

Special Guest Gary Bartz To Play Alongside McCoy Tyner Trio At The Blue Note

Event:
Feb. 24th- 25th
(8:00 pm, 10:30 pm)
Blue Note Jazz Club
New York, NY

It is not an overstatement to say that modern jazz has been shaped by the music of McCoy Tyner. His blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand has transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. His harmonic contributions and dramatic rhythmic devices form the vocabulary of a majority of jazz pianists.

Saxophonist Gary Bartz is a musician who believes that jazz and other black music genres are not separate, but rather are pieces of a great whole. His musical portfolio, including his seminal early work with his Ntu Troop, has become some of the most vital, inventive music from an astute musical mind to be laid down and preserved. With over 30 recordings as a leader (as well as more than 100 recordings as a guest artist with others), Gary Bartz has taken his rightful place in the pantheon of improvisational music greats.

Location:
Blue Note Jazz Club
131 W. 3rd St
New York, NY 10012
212-475-8592
www.bluenote.net

 

Giant Foods Issues Potato Product Recall

Bacterial Contamination Fears Spur Recall Order

POSTED: 7:50 pm EST February 22, 2009

UPDATED: 10:42 am EST February 23, 2009

BALTIMORE — Two grocers have issued a recall on some potato products.

Watch The Report

Giant Food and Stop & Shop have pulled 20 oz. bags of Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns, Simply Potatoes Homestyle Slices and Simply Potatoes Red Potato Wedges.

The products were recalled by Northern Star Co., a subsidiary of food processor Michael Foods Inc. The recalled items all have “use by” dates on their packages ranging from March 29 to April 3, 2009.

The products may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. The bacteria can be very damaging for pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems.

Customers who have purchased these products should discard any unused portions and bring the receipts to their stores for a full refund.

Giant Food operates 182 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

Stop & Shop operates stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and Maine.

Rev. Al Sharpton wants FCC to investigate New York Post’s parent company, News Corp.

By Erin Durkin and Meredith Kolodner
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Sunday, February 22nd 2009, 3:02 PM

Giancarli for News

Rev. Al Sharpton talks at a Sunday press protest against the New York Post.

Related News

TheRev. Al Sharpton and several City Council members riled by a cartoonperceived as racist want the Federal Communications Commission to yanka waiver allowing Murdoch’s News Corp. to run two newspapers and two TVstations in the city.

“You can stem protests because you own somuch of the media. People can’t question you,” Sharpton said on hisweekly radio show on 98.7 KISS FM. “Advertisers are reluctant to pullout because you own so much of the media market.”

In additionto the Post, which last week ran the cartoon that critics say comparesPresident Obama with the face-mauling chimp shot dead by cops, NewsCorp. owns The Wall Street Journal and local Fox 5 (WNEW) and My9(WWOR). It also owns the Fox Network and online networking siteMySpace.

Sharpton said he hopes to get a million signatures online this week to show regulators the depth of opposition.

AtMedgar Evers College in Brooklyn, meanwhile, students burned copies ofthe Post and encouraged classmates to boycott the paper and shut downtheir MySpace pages. “We are the ones who are putting money in theirpockets,” said Marie Antoine, a senior and president of the studentgovernment association. “They have treated us like animals.”

“Wedon’t need this trash,” said state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn),standing behind a barrel of burning copies of the Post. “This is whereit deserves to be.”

Brooklyn City Council members Letitia Jamesand Charles Barron are demanding the city pull all advertising from thePost and cancel any subscriptions.

The protesters dismissed claims that their demands infringed on freedom of speech.

“Youhave the freedom to do it, and we have the freedom to make you pay forit,” Sharpton said. “We can hardly fight back if he owns half thenewspapers in town and half the TV stations.”

mkolodner@nydailynews.com

Want to Run the N.Y.C. Marathon? Get Out Your Checkbook

Want to Run the N.Y.C. Marathon? Get Out Your Checkbook

By LIZ ROBBINS

The application process opened Thursday for the 40th running of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1. The first big road races of the year have had record fields, so the marathon’s registration, which closes June 1, could increase for 2009.

The marathon has already had another significant increase. With the economic outlook uncertain, the organization that directs the race has raised its entry fees.

Members of the New York Road Runners will pay $13 more than they did last year, with the fee increasing to $138. Nonmembers will pay $171, an extra $16, and those from other countries entering the international lottery will pay $21 more, $231. The New York City Marathon is the most expensive premium marathon in the country.

click here for more…[nyt]

Black Couple Hold Record For Longest Marriage

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February 23, 2009

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Black Couple Hold Record For Longest Marriage

In Arts, Culture & Leisure posted by TD Staff on 02/23/09

Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of the Brownsville community sets record with 84-year marriage.

Click on image for full article

They can thank their granddaughter Iris Godette for getting the recognition. She submitted the information to the Guinness Book of Records. The information was apparently checked by Guinness and a certificate was given to the couple.

Wal-Mart Settles Lawsuit Claiming Discrimination

Wal-Mart Settles Lawsuit on Hiring

By REUTERS

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) — Wal-Mart Stores said Friday it had settled for $17.5 million a class-action lawsuit in which plaintiffs claimed the retailer had discriminated against African-Americans seeking jobs as truck drivers.

Wal-Mart denied allegations that it had discriminated “on the basis of race in recruitment and hiring for the position of over-the-road truck driver in Wal-Mart’s private fleet,” according to a joint statement.

The settlement is subject to court approval.

The federal case was brought in 2004 by a Mississippi man, Daryal Nelson, and aimed at Wal-Mart distribution centers in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia. It subsequently achieved class-action status.

In legal documents, Mr. Nelson had claimed that besides a commercial driver’s license, a good record and good work history, he was required by Wal-Mart to have a good credit rating to qualify for a position as a truck driver.

TO READ FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE

Partitioned Apartments Are Risky, but Common in New York

Partitioned Apartments Are Risky, but Common in New York

By MANNY FERNANDEZ

The woman on the first floor hung a sheer white curtain across the middle of the room, to divide the space with the bed from the space with the table and chairs.

The room where she and her husband live is about 23 feet long and 11 feet wide. They pay $650 a month, plus electricity. Their room has been illegally converted into living quarters in a three-story apartment building in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

TO READ FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE

Venus wins Dubai Championship

American beats Razzano, then pays tribute to banned Israeli Peer

Venus William  celebrates after she beat France’s Virginie Razzano in the final of Dubai WTA Tennis Championships on Saturday, Feb. 21.