syracuse ny vol. 4 no. 3 april 18 - 24 2013 eliminating racism empowering women YWCA To Honor 2 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 -24 | 2013 LocaL office: 2331 South Salina Street Syracuse, NY 13205 PH: 315-849-2461
Headquarters: 282 Hollenbeck Street Rochester, NY 14621 toLL-free: 1-888-792-9303 faX: 1-888-796-6292 eMaiL: info@cnyvision.com WeBsite: www.cnyvision.com Publisher/editor Dave McCleary davemc@cnyvision.com business Manager Pauline McCleary pmccleary@minorityreporter.net art director Catie Fiscus artdirector@MinorityReporter.net PhotograPher La Vergne Harden lharden@cnyvision.com advertising Dave McCleary Lucy Smith advertising@cnyvision.com editorial staff Lisa Dumas George Kilpatrick Gary McLendon Rasheeda Alford contributors Kof Quaye James Haywood Rolling Earl Ofari Hutchinson Boyce Watkins CNY Vision is a publication of Minor- ity Reporter, Inc. We are a family of publications and other media formats committed to fostering self awareness, building community and empowering people of color to reach their greatest potential. Further, CNY Vision seeks to present a balanced view of relevant issues, utilizing its resources to build bridges among diverse populations; taking them from information to under- standing. CNY Vision reserves the right to edit or reject content submitted. The opinions expressed are not nec- essarily those of the publisher. CNY Vision does not assume respon- sibility concerning advertisers, their po- sitions, practices, services or products; nor does the publication of advertise- ments constitute or imply endorse- ment. Deadline for all copy is Tuesday at noon.
CNY Vision invites news and story suggestions from readers. Call 315-849-2461 or email info@cnyvision.com CALENDAR april {COVER P 5 - 7 YWCA to Honor Diversity Achievers {local P 4 Wage Equity Legislation Passed Sharon Owens Appointed New Chief Executive at South West Community Center {national P 8 FBI: Early Test Shows Ricin in Obama Letter {OPINIONS/EDITORIAL P 8-11 Cheers..Take a Shot of Confdence
By Danielle Frazier The City of Back Door Deals By Chris Stevenson In This Issue: 1 www.cnyvision.com| april 18 - 24| 2013 syracuse ny vol. 4 no. 3 april 18 - 24 2013 eliminating racism empowering women YWCA To Honor 20 CNY Day of Percussion Time: 12:00pm6:00pm Locaton: Onondaga Community College - 4585 W. Seneca Turnpike It is a full day of clinics and concerts featuring internatonally renowned artsts, local artsts, OCC students, and area high school students. Clinics and performances this year will feature John Riley, Andy Harnsberger, Kay Stonefelt, Portal, Iktus, Auburn HS Percussion Ensemble, Jamesville- Dewit MS Percussion Ensemble, Central New York All-Star Percussion Ensemble (with Kay Stonefelt, conductor), OCC Percussion Ensemble & the OCC Afro-Cuban Ensemble. On- site registraton starts at noon and contnues throughout the day. There is a $10.00 fee to pay for clinicians and expenses. The fnal concert featuring CNY All-Star Percussion Ensemble and the OCC Percussion Ensemble begins at 5:00pm. The fnal concert is free and open to the public. 20 Party for the Planet Time: 10:00am4:30pm Locaton: Rosamond Giford Zoo - 1 Conservaton Place Join the zoo in celebratng Earth Day 2012! Learn about the zoos eforts to protect wildlife and the environment and see how you and your family can make a diference, too! Enjoy endangered animal demonstratons and keeper talks, tours of our green building and Flora for Fauna garden, puppet shows and green booths and exhibitors. Admission Info: Free with paid zoo admission 25 15th Annual YWCA Day of Commitment Luncheon Time: 11:30am Locaton : SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College The luncheon will begin at noon (registraton begins at 11:30 a.m.) and feature keynote speaker Theresa Mohamed, professor and former chair of the Department of English at Onondaga Community College. Twenty-eight community members will be inducted into the YWCA Academy of Diversity Achievers for their work to make a diference in the community, both locally and globally.). To purchase tckets, call the YWCA at (315) 424-0040 or email ywcaadmin@ cnymail.com. 26 An Evening of Jazz and Wine Tastng Time: 6:30pm9:00pm Lopcaton: Community Folk Art Center - 805 E. Genesee Street WAER and Community Folk Art Center Present: An Evening of Jazz and Wine Tastng. This event will feature a performance from Syracuse based Latn American band Grupo Pagan, and the tastng of local wines. Admission Info: $25 27 Memorial Day Beneft for LaFayete Outreach, Inc Time: 8:00am-12:00pm Locaton: The Columbian Presbyterian Church in LaFayete The event will consist of a silent aucton, bake sale, plant sale,Red, White & Blue Ice Cream Sundaes, and free Kids Craf Area. There will be some new and excitng actvites for this years event, so plan on atending (...and bring your camera!) . For more informaton or to help out: 315-677- 3293, or cpresbyt@twcny.rr.com . 30 Workshop for Landlords on Smoke- Free Housing Time: 9:30am Locaton: Park Central Presbyterian Church, 504 East Fayete Street The workshop is free however advance registraton is requested by telephone at 315-475-8092 or e-mail SyracuseTenant@aol.com. info@cnyvision.com Send us your feedback Learn the Branchs Method NY 5 Hour Pre-Licensing Course National Safety Council (NSC) Defensive Driving Course Private or Group Driving Lessons NSC - Alive at 25 Class Road Test Assessment & Rental Drivers Education NOW Available OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Register Online www.Branchsinc.com NOW 8 Convenient Central New York Locations! Call...478-2446 3 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 - 24| 2013 *answers on page 11 PUZZLES Across 1. Raindrop sound 5. Nasty guy 10. Made brighter (2 words) 12. Playground equipment that goes up and down 13. Extreme 14. Break out 15. Childrens reader 17. They are not in their proper place 22. Heat related 27. Endow with a gif 28. Old USSR related 29. Rise 30. High-class party invitees 31. Stocking material 32. Freed 34. Person who did not get to the party on tme 40. Put aside tll later 43. Nice smell 44. Eagle nests 45. Crazed 46. People who run companies 47. Wisdom Down 1. Positve point 2. Melody 3. Beetle Bailey pooch 4. Sound from a cat 5. Get tpsy 6. Not caring about consequences 7. Land of opportunity 8. Faucet 9. Lady sheep 11. Salary 12. South Korean city 16. Marine vessel 18. Measure of waistline reducton? 19. Genesis garden 20. Finnish poem 21. Badgers burrow 22. Ivan the Terrible, e.g. 23. Pocket problem 24. Like some twins 25. Go up 26. Like brass or gold 29. Right-hand person 31. Partes 33. Goalkeeping successes 35. ___ corder 36. Face to face exam 37. Glandular fever (abbr.) 38. Dubai dignitary 39. 100 meters for example 40. Self-ttled envelope 41. Curse 42. Before, to a poet A New Exciting Business! Mention this Ad to Get: gary Morris, sr., Mba Licensed Real Estate Broker/Owner regina e. Morris Offce Manager/Owner g&r real estate 2007, llc 761 North Salina Street Syracuse, New York 13208 email: GaryRegina5511@msn.com offce: 315.399.5183 fax: 315.399.5191 4 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 -24 | 2013 YouownorrentapropertyinOnondagaCounty builtbefore1978,and Yourfamilyorthefamilylivingintherental propertymeetsincomeguidelines,and Hasachildundertheageofsixlivingthereor visitingoften. 435-3558 Community Development Call Onondaga County You may be eligible for a grant to remove lead from your property if: windows, doors, siding & porch repair Grants available for new Joanne M. Mahoney County Executive Bob DeMore Director EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNI TY www.ongov.net/cd ED and OR - University HOSPITAL Ad - Please run this ad first CNY Vision/Minority Reporter 1/4 page Ad 5 x 6.75 As the regions only Level-One Trauma Center, we are a fast- paced academic medical center with modern technology and up-to- date interventions in caring for the critically ill or injured. Serving 17 counties, we support a population throughout the central New York region. We currently have part-time and full-time positions available in our Operating Room and Emergency Department for RNs. Shadowing opportunities are available. Tuition Assistance Membership in the NYS Employees' Retirement System Excellent Wages and Benefits Upstate Medical University/Upstate University Hospital is an AA/EEO/ADA employer engaging excellence through diversity. Smoke-free campus since 2005 To learn more about career opportunities at Upstate and apply on-line www.upstate.edu/jobs UPSTATE NURSES MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Upstate University Hospital - Downtown and Community campuses Upstate Golisano Childrens Hospital I www.upstate.edu/jobs The equal pay legislatve package, which democrats say is aimed at ending unfair wage discriminaton statewide has passed. Assembly member Sam Roberts was a co-sponsored of the legislaton made the announcement Monday. In order to bring fairness and equality to the workplace, it is crucial that experience and skill dictate what an employee earns, Roberts said. This legislatve package will ensure that Central New Yorkers have equal opportunites and a fair wage to support their families. The equal pay legislatve package would enact the New York State Fair Pay Act to address and enforce pay equity. It will broaden equal pay protectons to include equivalent jobs, making it unlawful for an employer to discriminate between employees on the basis of gender, race or natonal origin and ensuring that traditonal female and minority jobs are not undervalued. It will establish state policy that local politcal subdivisions ensure equal pay for work of comparable value regardless of sex, race or natonal origin, implement a state policy that compensates employees in state service equally for work of comparable value by eliminatng wage inequality for workers due to sex, race or natonal origin and design and publish a report evaluatng wage disparites of public employees related to job ttles, segregated by the gender, race and/or natonal origin of employees Women in New York make 84 cents for every dollar men earn, creatng a yearly pay gap of roughly $8,275 between men and women working full tme in New York State. Further, minority women fare even worse, with African-American women being paid 64 cents and Latna women being paid 55 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men natonally. Inexcusable wage disparites are making maters even more difcult for families who are already struggling to make ends meet, Roberts said. It is tme to put an end to this inequality so that all employees receive equal pay for equal work. Wage Equality Legislation Passed Sharon Owens Appointed New Chief Executive at Southwest Community Center Sharon F. Owens has been appointed as the new Director of the Southwest Community Center (SWCC). Owens will replace long-tme Syracuse resident Jesse Dowdell who ran the center for more than 25 years. Dowdell is set to retre the end of the month. Owens will assume her role on May 1st. She has all of the qualifcatons that we were looking for. We wanted the ultmate person and Sharon is the ultmate person. We are delighted that she is our new CEO, Chair of the Transitonal Commitee and SWCC board member Susan Stearns said. Owens is currently the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Syracuse. She serves as the assistant and chief advisor to the Commissioner in the coordinaton of all housing and neighborhood development actvites for the City and is responsible for oversight and management of initatves and programming funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Friday, April 19th will be her last day. Owens is no stranger to the SWCC. Early in her career she served as Teen Center Director, coordinatng service provision with various agencies operatng within the community center and provided informaton and referral services to teens and their families. She has also served on the centers board of directors. She has such a wonderful grasp of the word community and what it truly means, Stearns said. SNMFs mission is to strengthen and empower families by providing a variety of accessible, supportve services. Miss Owens thoughtul and realistc appraisal of how to approach this task resonated with the Board. Owens plans to begin in an in depth 90 day review and assessment of the current administratve positons, policies, procedures and programs at SMNF, which is encompassed of the Southwest Community Center and three Family Planning Service clinics. Stearns said the Board of Directors is looking forward to working with Owens on innovatve initatves to provide new vitality SWCC and its surrounding neighborhood. Sharon Owens LOCAL 5 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 - 24| 2013 Firmly believing that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs adds to the richness of the Onondagas campus community, Dr. Cathleen McColgin is committed to creating an environment of inclusiveness.-one that celebrates and values the uniqueness that each student, faculty, and staff member contributes to Onondagas community if learners. It is an honor to be selected as a recipient of this award. I am hopeful the efforts that the residence hall staff and I make in our work have a positive impact on the students of OCC, broaden their perspectives and help to develop a greater appreciation for diversity. I am really honored to receive this award. I have been volunteering for a lot of years and never imagined that I would be rewarded for doing so. Volunteering is my life. I love helping other people; you never know when you will need help. It is really important for people to volunteer to help others. It gives you the chance to meet other people from all walks of life, races and genders. It helps bring people together that maybe otherwise would never meet and promotes diversity. I will always volunteer because I know the best things in life are free! Diversity to me is appreciating each individual for who they are and striving to always be inclusive. Its treating everyone with respect and valuing their unique contributions. Diversity comes from the heart. Diversity is the ability to appreciate differences. Im honored to have the tremendous opportunity to stand on the shoulders of those before me and will continue to dedicate my life promoting the values of all people while inspiring them to reach their full potentialso the exciting journey continues! I am honored and humbled to be even considered for this award. Margaret Mead said it best If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will fnd a ftting place. Dr. Mona Ivey-Soto lives by the ideal from Dr. Martin Luther King, lifes most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others? Through her role as a university professor, community activist, mentor and mother, she lives each day by examining and calling out the injustices that exist and advocating for social change. Her teaching, scholarship and service is rooted in a framework of social justice and it is her lifes calling to help future teachers understand, name and challenge the current status of inequality and inequity that exists in every facet of our society. I am an older, African American, woman. Each places in a group of a diverse Americans that need our attention. I am a social work educator with particular interest in encouraging students to pay attention to the diversity around them. This award suggests to me that I may have done something right. As a librarian, I have been fortunate to have the best possible platform to promote diversity, the public library. I am so proud that library ensures equitable access to the disenfranchised, encourages and enlightens every member of our community and provides a forum for civic engagement. COver 28 men and women will be inducted into the YWCA Academy of Diversity Achievers. The honorees will be awarded during the Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism and Promote Diversity Luncheon, Thursday, at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College. The event, hosted by the YWCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County, will celebrate individuals, community leaders and business professionals who make a diference. Executve Director Fanny Villarreal said, Individuals are selected at the YWCA that have helped in the YWCAs mission of empowerment of women in their workplace or place of worship. They support womens work and leadership. They also help to eliminate racism. For the last 15 years, the YWCA has been on the mission to identfy racism in the local community and to make a promise to support initatves to eradicate racism and encourage diversity. We send out leters telling everybody about the chance to nominate someone to be inducted and why they should be awarded, Villarreal said. Some of them are from churches with women in diferent leadership positons. They prety much follow our mission, a spirit of peace, justce and freedom for all. The YWCA works with several organizatons including InterFaith Works Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism and Onondaga Countys Diversity in the Workplace Training programs. Past recipients of this award have come from business, academia, and community organizatons such as Lockheed Martn, WSTM-TV 3, The Salvaton Army and Upstate Medical University. Cathleen McColgin, PhD., Onondaga Community College CATHY DOTTERER, ONONDAgA COMMuNITY COLLEgE CHERYL BRANCH-WRIgHT CARRIER CORPORATIONA CHRIS BOWERS LOCkHEED MARTIN MST CO-PASTOR TWIggY EuRE THE PROMISE LAND CHuRCH VIRTuOuS SOLuTIONS INC. DAVID WALL ONONDAgA COMMuNITY COLLEgE DR. MONA IVEY-SOTOS SuNY CORTLAND CARINg CENTER fOR RECONCILIATION DR. WYNETTA DEVORE HISCOCk LEgAL AID SOCIETY ELIzABETH DAILEY ONONDAgA COuNTY PuBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM YWCA To Honor By Delani Weaver 6 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 -24 | 2013 COver STOrY Elizabeth Stewart Lockheed Martin MST Evelyn Weisbrod MAMI Interpreters farah Jadran SyracuseWomanMagazine gina Lee-glauser Syracuse university Htoo Lay Paw MAMI Interpreters Joe Scripa Onondaga Case Management Jolie Moran Vera House Inc. LaVergne Harden YWCA Syracuse & Onondaga County Marvin francis_ Lockheed Martin MST Mary Meier SuNY upstate Medical university Nichola Arnette-Burke CNY Society for Human Resource Management Rev. Dr. Yong Ju Jee korean Church of Syracuse Robert Daino WCNY Tamara Panzironi Pulse fitness & zumba Center Tashia Thomas Esq. OnCare I feel very humbled and honored to have the opportunity to work with young women to help inspire them to pursue careers in science and engineering by organizing Women in Engineering Day at Lockheed Martin I was surprised to be nominated and then chosen for this award. I am grateful to receive it. I truly love the diversity of cultures at MAMI, and the friendships we have developed. My goal is to foster this by striving to think of others frst and putt them before myself Thank You! Farah is extremely honored to have this honor from the YWCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County. She says, In her mind theres no room for prejudice in this world. I would rather say, hello, to someone and get to know him or her instead of judging them. I have time for open-mindedness, nothing else. I would like to thank Ms. Esther Gray for the nomination and the Board of Directors and the Racial Justice Committee for this Award. I am profoundly grateful for this honor. I am especially humbled to be in the company of this years inductees and previous Awardees. I want to thank the YWCA for this award, and thanks MAMI Interpreters for nominating me. It has been a joy for me to bring together people of country and the Syracuse Community. Thanks to everyone who helped me achieve this, especially Evelyn and Jim at MAMI. As our society becomes more diverse, We should all know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. -Maya Angelou Its my honor to accept this award today on behalf of all people everywhere. My passion for advocacy connects me with people of different races, religions, and cultures. Receiving this award provides motivation for me to continue the work I do and help all people live happy, safe, and healthy lives. Martin Luther King Jr. stated that everyone may not become famous but everyone can become great. Greatness is a matter of service. Today I humbly accept this awardIts a testament of those shoulders before me that I stand on; and all the phenomenal people that Ive been privileged to lock arms with throughout my 20 years of dedicated service. Maya Angelou said We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. I am deeply honored to receive this award. Thank you I feel very honored to be receiving the Diversity Achievers Award. The work that I do in the Offce of Diversity and Inclusion at Upstate helps to identify, address and remedy potential discrimination in the workplace and ensure equal opportunities. More importantly, my supervisor, Maxine Thompson and co- worker, Mozart Guerrier work as a team to foster an environment that respects and appreciates the diversity of our employees and people in the community we serve. Im grateful to work for an organization that is committed to promoting the values that I have always believed in. It is with much pride that I accept this honor from the YWCA. Throughout my professional endeavors, as well as through my volunteer work in schools and various community-based organizations, I have tried to promote diversity in our communities. These experiences have enriched my life and provided me with an opportunity to recognize the values and the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion in our lives. I would like to thank the YWCA for this honor and also CNY SHRM for nominating me. It is an honor to be here today, I appreciate it. Syracuse has many unsettled refuges. I want you to know this. They fed from their homeland due to political or religious persecution, but they live as social or cultural refugees here again. We thank god for giving all of us the great opportunity to introduce and think about refugees and their situations today. I hope that many people can join us to give hope and love to these people. I believe in consistently modeling diversity by treating all fairly and respectfully while providing opportunities for individuals, including women, to grow professionally and assume leadership positions. Community service is a core belief for me. At WCNY we put community needs frst, ensuring that our programming is diverse and educational outreach services to the underserved a top priority. When I opened Pulse Fitness Studio on the near West Side in the city of Syracuse it was my thought to provide a location that was convenient for people of all walks of life to come together. I felt as though most ftness facilities cater to the suburbs or the more affuent areas. I decided it was time for a change. My objective was to build a community and a bond between people whom you wouldnt normally expect to see together through music and ftness. Thank you, I am so honored and privileged to receive this prestigious award and I pledge to continue promoting health and ftness throughout the community and use it as a way to build Unity and Diversity. It is extremely important for me to be an active participant in the elimination of discrimination and oppression. I love having the opportunity to engage people in thoughtful dialogue about isms and encourage the appreciation and value of diversity. 7 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 - 24| 2013 PRE-K REGISTRATION OPENS MARCH 2013 Great Futures Start Early! KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 2013* * All current Pre-K students in the SCSD will automatically be pre-registered for Kindergarten in their home school. Students MUST have their 2nd Measles Immunization [shot] prior to registration being complete. CENTRALIZED REGISTRATION CENTER 315.435.4545 1728 SOUTH AVE [FORMER ELMWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL] MONDAY - FRIDAY 8AM- 4PM TO SUMMER JOBS! BE A YOUTH ENRICHMENT SPECIALIST SAY YES Syracuse is seeking high performing undergraduate students to work this summer in a school-based setting with Syracuse city school district K 5 students! If you enjoy working with children and staff in a collaborative setting, have excellent communication skills, and are flexible & creative, wed love to hear from you! Youth enrichment specialists will support SCSD teachers in the classroom with academic and enrichment projects that will allow students to explore interest areas while enhancing their academic performance.
PAID positions will begin in July and run through early August. Paid TRAINING is provided! To apply go to: www.sujobopps.com Click on temporary jobs Say Yes to Education is a national non-profit foundation committed to increasing the high school and college graduation rates of our nations urban youth. Say Yes Syracuse is a chapter of the national foundation that provides comprehensive supports for students in the Syracuse City School District. Supports include extended day and year programs, family services and legal assistance, and culminates with the promise of free college tuition to one of nearly 100 colleges and universities for those who meet residency, graduation and admission requirements. To learn more, go to www.sayyessyracuse.org
Soo Hyang Jee korean Church of Syracuse Amy Bordynski Onondaga Case Management I am so happy for this chance to share what God has done through us. God makes us meet our refugee friends and shows us how to serve them. This is how my church as well as I can do this work. We have become their friends because they need a friend. We have shown Gods love because they are eager to be loved. This award encourages us. At the same time, I believe that this award makes us keep working for our refugee friends. Jody Crawford Lockheed Martin MST I am honored to be a recipient of the YWCAs Academy of Diversity Achievers Award. Thank you to the YWCA for its commitment to promote diversity. Michael OConnor Onondaga Community College I am humbled to receive this prestigious award. I have always felt that diversity is Americas greatest strength. I entitled the Diversity Councils flm series Strength in Diversity for this reason. I only hope that my work helps encourage people to recognize that diversity is not a problem; it is the solution. I believe the important work in promoting diversity involves creating safe atmospheres for individuals to express themselves both as a person and as a people. I am grateful for my associates who have taught me to recognize discrimination, and how humility will channel my energy away from putting me before others, and into making peace in my world. 8 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 -24 | 2013 fBI: Early test shows ricin in Obama letter By EILEEN SULLIVAN and LAURIE KELLMAN WASHINGTON (AP) -- Leters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator that tested positve for poisonous ricin are related and both are postmarked Memphis, Tenn., the FBI said Wednesday. A senator said police have a suspect in mind. Several other reports of suspicious mail to government ofcials were being checked. In an intelligence bulletn obtained by The Associated Press, the FBI says that leters to Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., both say: To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its contnuance. Both leters are signed, I am KC and I approve this message. The actvity came as tensions were high in Washington and across the country following the deadly bombings on Monday at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured more than 170. The FBI said there is no indicaton of a connecton between the leters and the bombing. The leters to Obama and Wicker were postmarked April 8, before the marathon. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said that police suspect a person who writes a lot of leters to members. She made the comment Tuesday as she emerged from a briefng by law enforcement on the Boston bombing. Authorites declined to comment on a suspect. In additon to the leters, U.S. Capitol police were investgatng the discovery of at least three suspicious packages in Senate ofce buildings. Senate Sergeant at Arms Terence Gainer said in an email that packages were dropped of at the ofces of two senators, and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said in a statement his ofce had received one of them. A third package was found in an atrium on the frst foor of one of the two buildings. A person who delivered at least two of the packages was being questoned, Gainer said, as Capitol police swifly ramped up security. Both the leters to Wicker, R-Miss., and to Obama were intercepted at of-site mail facilites. Separately, Sen. Carl Levin of Mich., issued a statement saying an aide in his Saginaw, Mich. Ofce had received a suspicious-looking leter. The leter was not opened, and the stafer followed the proper protocols for the situaton, including alertng the authorites, who are now investgatng, the Michigan Democrat said in a statement. The discoveries spread concern in the sprawling Capitol complex, and authorites swifly stepped up their security presence. In one case, police sealed of a hearing room where Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martn Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staf, were testfying. In another, ofcers advised Sen. Joe Manchin and aides not to board an elevator because suspicious packages had been found on several foors of the Hart Ofce Building. They just told me theres something suspicious and theyre looking into it, Manchin said. The FBI said the leters to Obama and Wicker were undergoing further testng. Preliminary testng can be unreliable, showing false positves for ricin. Around the Capitol there was an increased police presence Wednesday. Outside, many public garbage cans were empted and turned on their side. Yet public tours of the building contnued as usual. NATIONAL OPINION/eDITOrIAL The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision Have you a failed a test in school or in life? Maybe you had a relatonship that went south; maybe the loss of that dependable job, or the death of a loved one or close friend. These are prime examples which can lead to one losing their self-confdence. Self confdence is assurance: freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilites. The queston is why does so many of us lack confdence when we truly have it? More importantly afer we lose it, how do we get it back? Here are a few tps to getng back on track. Start every morning speaking positve words to your selfwords of encouragement. You can do this in your bed, car, elevator, etc. I normally do this in the shower while getng ready in the morning. I wash on positve words and thoughts and wash of negatvity. In the past I spent this tme planning my day and thinking about all the hurdles I would be jumping over. I was sending myself out in the world already partally defeated. Additonally, take the tme and give yourself a compliment. Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought: Damn I look good today!! I am giving you permission to say it. Tell yourself you look hot. But dont stop there. Speak to yourself this way throughout your days whether at work, home, on vacaton; whenever you can. Do something spontaneous. Buy that sexy cocktail dress; wear that hot pink lipstck; go rock climbing. Try that new perfume or cologne. Read that book that you have been talking about and putng of getng into. No mater what your age, goal setng must be a major priority in your life. Set personal and spiritual goals. You are worth it. As you start to achieve your goals it will raise your self-confdence. Just like everything else in this life our self-confdence must be maintained. Think of yourself as a gardener and your self-confdence as a fower bud. Similar to the fower bud in order to grow and sustain life your confdence must be watered (feed your mind, body, and spirit), exposed to light (positve energy, words both spoken and thought) subject to pruning (clip those negatve feelings, thoughts, and people who hinder your growth). Concentrate on the spiritual goals that you have for yourself. Get connected and stay in connecton. When you study Gods word it does something to you and for your spirit. The bible says, Cast not away your confdence which has recompense of great reward (Hebrews 10:35). ---------------------------- Danielle Frazer is a graduate of SUNY Albany and Lemoyne College. She holds a BA of Arts and a Masters in Educaton. She has been published previously in The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN. Danielle currently works at Upstate Medical University. She is a member of People AME Zion Church. DANIELLE fRAzIER Cheers.. Take a Shot of Confidence www.cnyvision.comFacebook:searchcnyvision Castor Oil Plant 9 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 - 24| 2013 notce to Bidders: Economy Paving co, Inc will be preparing quotatons for the following Onondaga County project: Westcot St Green Corridor, City of Syracuse that bids 4/23/13. We encourage certfed MBE and WBE frms to send quotes for services and/or supplies. You can obtain plans from the Ofce of the Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protecton 3rd Floor Administraton Building 650 Hiawatha Blvd West Syracuse, NY 13204 or call our ofce for more info. 607-756-2819. Please fax quotes to 607-756-4742 or email to jjump@economypaving.com. ADoPtIon ADOPT: A loving married couple wishes to adopt newborn to support whole- heartedly, educate fully, discipline fairly, engage completely and love unconditonally! Natalie/David: 1-855-759- 2229. www.davidandnata- lie.info. 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Individuals or frms who desire to submit a Bid may request an Invitaton to Bid Package from Tara Laws and Designated Contact in writng at fax number: 315-442-3369, mailing address: Central New York Regional Transportaton Authority, PO Box 820, Syracuse, New York 13205 or e-mail: tlaws@centro.org. Bids must be received in the ofces of the Central New York Regional Transportaton Authority, atenton Tara Laws no later than 12:00pm EST on May 10, 2013. Bids received afer this tme and date will be returned, unopened. Firms wishing to submit Bids do so entrely at their own risk. There is not an express or implied obligaton on the part of the CNYRTA to reimburse responding frms for any expenses incurred in preparing and submitng Bids in response to this request. The CNYRTA reserves the right to reject any and all Bids for any reason. Bids received within the confnes of the due date will remain in efect sixty (60) days from the due date. All Bidders will be required to certfy that they are not on the Comptroller Generals List of Ineligible Contractors. Each Bidder will be required to comply with all Equal Employment Opportunity Rules and Regulatons. The CNYRTA hereby notfes all Bidders that it will afrmatvely insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertsement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be aforded full opportunity to submit bids to this invitaton and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, color, or natonal origin in consideraton for an award. 10 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 -24 | 2013 OPINION/eDITOrIAL The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision Bufalo, New York is currently undergoing a gentrifcaton litmus-test that will have pivotal ramifcatons of the overall racial makeup of its populaton if allowed to be successful. On the surface the Rev. Michael Chapman of St. John the Baptst Church has an awesome idea; a $500 million program that will create 15,000 jobs over the next ten years. This is a program the public at-large got to know about back in 2010 which promises to move 150 residents of the Burnie C. McCarley Gardens into new townhouses that will be built on one of Bufalos oldest black communites, the Fruit Belt a series of streets mostly named afer a fruit. If you are old-school like me you might be telling yourself that it seems like yesterday when McCarley was built in 1978, and here Chapman is selling the property to the University of Bufalo Foundaton for $15 million. The truth be told the powerful white man in Bufalo has been wantng that precious land bordering St. Johns and the Fruit Belt for decades. Quietly as its been kept, Bufalo is a longtme Chocolate City that has survived all kinds of schemes to decentralize blacks politcally, urban-renewal, redistrictng, politcal legislatve reducton, and regionalism. Did I cover everything? One mad-scientst-scheme afer another has been fred at blacks here, some of those kooky ideas worked and some rightully didnt. This latest one is part of a larger program called UB 2020. Its not really a new idea. Its been in the works since the late 1960s. In 1967 Bufalo General Hospital announced the UB 2020 plan involving Roswell Park Cancer Research Center directly across the street from High Street. To understand the tes between these three enttes that make up what is the medical corridor, one must understand the history of the insttutons. Roswell was literally founded by a UB Professor of Surgery Dr. Roswell Park in 1898. Bufalo General Hospital was founded earlier in 1855 and is a major afliate of the UB School of Medicine. I really cant complain, given the dysfuncton of the black branch of Bufalos interlocking directves, blacks in Bufalo could easily be living on reservatons next to the Indians. Many of them are masters of talking-black while giving us the blues. We historically have had some of the most separate- thinking group of black leaders in the country. I can only credit God for any victories, perhaps all that dancing and hollering in church has paid of afer all in retrospect. On the other side is a group of McCarley Garden/ Fruit Belt current residents who say Chapmans plan is just another in the long line of urban-renewal lemons being pitched to blacks to the ultmate beneft of whites. The residents have history on their side. Veronica Hemphill-Nichols and her neighbors are living in deterioratng conditons. Nichols of Grape Street is a longtme local actvist. Since 2001 she has been a member of Restoratve Justce, and has worked with the Community Acton Organizaton as their coordinator/trainer in restoratve justce philosophy. Nichols has writen leters on behalf of her Fruit Belt Housing Task Force Unit and McCarley Gardens Tenant Council to Francis Letro, the chairman of UB Foundatons Inc., regarding the appointments of a panel, to be later called an Economic Opportunity Panel or EOP. As it turns out, this panel only consists of members of the UB Foundaton, St. Johns, and The City of Backdoor Deals CHRIS STEVENSON 11 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 - 24| 2013 OPINION/eDITOrIAL The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision Deficit attention disorder Letro. None of the members listed on the panel live or play in the Fruit Belt. They requested an answer to her frst leter by one-third and didnt get it. Most plans regarding Bufalo are discussed outside of Bufalo and approved by whatever key black leader(s) go along with it at the moment. Whites plan way ahead of tme in their best interest, and any black taxpayers getng hip to their agenda can throw them of momentarily, or force a change in plans. While Previous Reverends Burnie McCarley and Bennet Walker Smith Sr., helped local blacks through civil rights, we are now subject to the gamesmanship of what former atorney-now-columnist Alton Maddox calls silver rights leaders. Chapman seems to be making choices over the years that have been only about the money. Rumors are fying he is planning to retre and move south before long and is just trying to cash-in. To me the Fruit Belt/McCarley Gardens controversy is a trial-run, that if successful, will end in the outright ownership of inner city through the direct ouster of most of its African-American populaton by the UB 2020 program. My fear is also that just as in the past, only a few McCarley residents will be able to be successfully moved as a result of Chapmans training program. Claiming to train these young black kids in the feld of constructon and the building trades to have at least 150 new homes ready by 2017-2020 is no small feat, a miracle to say the least. I only see a handful getng moved and the rest of the money claimed to be allocated for them going into somebodys pocket. If you are black and live in Bufalo now, are you ready to live in the suburbs without equal compensaton of the home you were forced to leave? Are you ready to be subject to more racial profling than ever by the all-white Cheektowaga, and Tonawanda police departments who operate out of the same towns you stand to be kicked into? Rev. Chapman has agreed to terms that have yet to be federally approved. Im really cutng a long story short, representatves of the medical corridor are very unwilling to speak with Nichols or her group, issues such as imminent domain, land banking, and of course gentrifcaton also come into play. I dont begrudge a good retrement. I love to see blacks doing well, but not at the dangerous costs we potentally face. A petton with more informaton is being circulated. Chris Stevenson is a regular columnist for blackcommentator, Politcal Afairs Magazine, and a syndicated columnist. Follow him on Twiter, and Facebook, you dont have to join any of them. Watch his video commentary Policy & Prejudice and The Network for clbTV & Follow his Blogtalkradio interviews on 36OOseconds. LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! Leave us a comment! facebook.com/cnyvision The City of Backdoor Deals...from previous page *answers To pUZZLe on page 3 12 www.cnyvision.com | april 18 -24 | 2013