Tuesday, January 26, 2010

City of Wellness Settled Across The Pond?



Queen Afua, the one who spawned the Heal Thyself Center, Heal Thyself 21-Day Fast, Sacred Woman Initiation, City of Wellness and Queen Afua Wellness Institute, is known for her travels to global destinations to profess the power of a natural and holistic lifestyle for total body, mind and spirit wellness. She’s broadcast her message on television and radio. She’s arranged numerous teleconferences that keep the momentum going and hosted countless fasting shut-ins in and out of New York City. Queen Afua had been a resident of Brooklyn, and Heal Thyself Center a/k/a City of Wellness a fixture at 106 Kingston Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for over 25 years. But no more, as many have observed in recent months.

It is official: Queen Afua pulled stakes and relocated to London, England.
A long time partner said she “was in shock…no one told her anything.” She now pays her monthly space rent to Ken Bey, Esq., a lawyer and businessman who is authorized by Ida Robinson, the property owner and mother to Queen Afua.

Though one will hear Queen Afua’s voice on the outgoing message at 718 221 HEAL, she moved to London November 2009. Two newer employees who were responsible for promotion and sales left October 2009. Visit 106 Kingston Avenue and make note the Health Thyself Center and City of Wellness signage are removed. The space is available for rental. One source explains “The 40% share of revenue on top of the rent charge makes deals prohibitive.”

Actually, she moves between New York and London. Sunday, January 10 2010 the winter fasting shut-in was at Grace Family Health Center in Canarsie, Brooklyn; Saturday, January 23, 2010 Queen Afua will lead the Women’s Healing Soul Sweat and January 13 – February 3, she will run Setting up a Home Detox Spa at The Open Center in Soho. Customers who purchased product online will have their orders fulfilled. The timing of which is in process.

A Sacred Woman initiate and Kemetic priest remarks on the state of relations between Queen Afua and the many priests and Sacred Woman initiates, “Perhaps there is bad blood running if no one is there to take the work forward in her absence."

Queen Afua is an innovator and reframer of the wellness discourse. She and her diehard naturalists will be missed but it’s a sure bet that she won’t abandon New York altogether. Stay in contact with her by telephone 718 473 0677, 718 221 HEAL or online www.queenafua.com.

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Brooklyn Response to Haiti Disaster



The aftermath of the one-minute, 7.0 earthquake that toppled such towns as Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, has the world rushing to provide rescue assistance to Haiti. Brooklyn Borough Hall was the place for the January 15, 2010 Haiti Earthquake Relief meeting. Co-hosts included Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

Council Member Mathieu Eugene was overcome with grief while discussing steps to assist the Haitian nation. A Haitian-American nurse presented herself and a group of Creole-speaking nurses as eager First Responders. Her frustration was not being able to secure a flight out to Haiti for her group.

A call for temporary status for up to one year for undocumented Haitians currently residing in the United States was made by Bill de Blasio. Similarly, Council Member Jumaane Williams urged US President Barack Obama to sign an executive order for protective status from deportation to Haiti.



Juxtaposed beside handling the remains of tens of thousands of people is the medical treatment and other services to the survivors. Haiti's high youth population is a particular consideration. "50% of Haitians are under thirty years of age," stated Council Member Letitia James, "39% of that amount is under the age of 15 years." James advanced working to relocate these young survivors to their relatives in the United States and adoption for others.

Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Roy Hastick announced that a SUNY Downstate trauma vehicle would be parked at the Flatbush Caton Market that day from 2:00 - 6:00 PM to provide trauma intervention for residents and visitors who are impacted by the disaster.

The most effective assistance the public can give is financial contributions to trusted nonprofits such as the Red Cross. The USAID's website www.usaid.gov has a list of NGOs and instructions on how to help.

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

WBAI Local Station Board Members Elected Under Storm

WBAI-FM experienced a raucous election process for the nine listener and three staff seats on the local station board (LSB). Candidates called themselves independent, Justice and Unity Team members or Take Forward WBAI Coalition aligned. The ballot counting for the December 10, 2009 election resulted in Mitchell Cohen, Lynne Stewart, Alex Steinberg, Nia Bediako, Andrea Fishman, Russell Dale, Elizabeth Brown, Betty J. Dopson and Manijeh Saba for listener seats and Kathy Davis, Janet Coleman and Daniel Vila for staff seats.

Betty Dopson said “I will do my best to work cooperatively and collaboratively to find creative means to keep the station on track.” Ms. Dopson keyed into identifying someone to be responsible for fundraising and an office with much lower rent.

Getting to these seats was surrounded by grave irregularities. Use of an incorrect voter list disenfranchised 10,000 eligible voters who did not receive ballots. A significant number of unpaid staff did not receive ballots because WBAI management rejected the unpaid staff union voter list. A suit was filed by 26 listeners and unpaid staff seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the election; however, Judge Michael D. Stallman denied the preliminary injunction (Index # 116301/2009), December 7 due to not meeting the burden of proof that immediate and irreparable harm would occur if the election was held.

The Justice and Unity Campaign is undeterred by the decision. WBAI producer Mimi Rosenberg, Esq. stated “The denial will be appealed and proceed in the Supreme Court with the underlying law suit.”

At the heart of the struggle over who sits on the board is whether board composition results in a collaborative effort to produce radio programs that report on and address issues of concern for the various communities and cultures within the metropolitan listening area. WBAI’s antenna transmits to southern New Jersey, downstate New York, and southern Connecticut. LSB member Lisa Davis remarked, “There are people who discuss issues but actually have no experience with them.” Rosenberg concurred by saying, “We must support our communities right to tell their stories. Maintaining WBAI as the radio broadcast vehicle that permits those ignored by mass media is invaluable.”

WBAI programming changes include reducing Wake Up Call by five hours, dated national programming and celebrity-hosted programs under interim general manager LaVarn Williams. “WBAI isn’t competing with Air America or NPR,” remarked Rosenberg. Ms. Dopson does not agree that celebrity hosting is the means to covering local issues. Perhaps Mimi Rosenberg aptly describes the listeners sought as “two credit card households.”

Is Eminent Domain Abuse Government Abuse

Spurred by deep concern over the use of eminent domain across New York state to advance real estate development, St. Senator Bill Perkins (30 S.D.), chair of Senate Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions held a community meeting December 19, 2009 at Manhattan Pentecostal Church. He brought together attorneys and representatives of communities facing disruption, namely Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB), Willett Point United and the Kaurs, owners of two gas stations in West Harlem.

Senator Perkins called for reforming New York State’s eminent domain laws, which give the terms under which private property may be taken for a public use. Perkins described the current process as “lacking transparency, accountability and meaningful public participation.” Attorney Michael Rikon, who specializes in this area asserted, “New York State is guilty of the most abusive use of eminent domain.” Property may be deemed in need of improvement because, “Your property is never more valuable than when a Costco is built upon it.” This meeting falls on the heels of the December 15 court ruling in Kaur v. New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) wherein it found unconstitutional the taking of property by UDC d/b/a/Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) for the benefit of Columbia University (Columbia).

Columbia has had longstanding expansion plans within Harlem. In 1968, the community opposed the construction of a university gym and Columbia students took over campus buildings.

Amangit Kaur spoke about the eight-year struggle with Columbia by her family to keep their property and two gas stations on them. Kaur asked the audience to “never lose hope” and “be assured that when the Harlem community stands together, nothing can stop us from winning.”

Attorney Norman Siegel for the community in the Columbia case uncovered that ESDC used the same consultants hired by Columbia to find West Harlem suffering from blight and, therefore, had an independent study performed. Siegel submitted to the court the 500-page No Blight Study, which resulted in the Kaur’s victory.
Siegel asserts that when the courts get documents finding eminent domain abuse, they do rule to reject applying it. Should UDC appeal the decision, Siegel said he looks forward to taking the case to Albany and if necessary, going to Washington. He believes each graduation in appeal expands the precedent from state to national impact.

A community deemed blighted is Willetts Point in Queens. Richard Lipsky said Willets Point doesn’t have sewers or sidewalks. After snowstorms, the residents secure a bulldozer to clear the streets. Lipsky believes the lack of infrastructure and city services is designed to position the community as a blighted area.
Governor David Paterson was in Harlem the same day of the meeting. When asked about improper eminent domain use in Harlem and UDC’s intention to appeal the decision, the Governor said he thought ESDC/Columbia were in compliance with Land Use and thought the Court of Appeals review appropriate.

DDDB’s Dan Goldstein reported Atlantic Yards/FCR will file papers December 23 or 24 to the State to take Goldstein and other properties within the site. The state’s master closing document isn’t available for public view until one week after all entities have signed. Goldstein remarked there are many legal means for FCR to partially complete the arena/housing/commercial development project and own the 22 acres. DDDB lost its case in the appellate court and requested that Governor Paterson stop eminent domain and the land transfer closing.

Newly-formed Brooklyn Arena LDC (BALDC) sold $511 million worth of tax exempt bonds to finance Atlantic Yards/FCR, on December 15, 2009. Amy Lavine, staff attorney at Albany Law School Government Law Center, asserts BALDC was established to circumvent approval by the State Comptroller and Public Authorities Control Board that would be required has ESDC directly initiated the bond issue. “The LDC is not a public entity and is responsible for paying property taxes. BALDC can’t legally finance the project using the applied finance method; so the bond issue is illegal,” summed Lavine.

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