Come and let the 5th Precinct know what is going on in YOUR neighborhood.
Our two ‘beat cops’ are coming to listen to us tell them what’s going on.
And…it’s probably going to be a nice night to be in the park…
Towards a Declaration on the Promotion and Respect of the Rights of People of African Descent
Monday, 29 October 2018
1:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Conference Room 7
United Nations Headquarters
Speakers:
Michal Balcerzak
Chairperson, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (moderator)
Noureddine Amir
Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
Craig Mokhiber
Director, New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
In order to overcome racism, xenophobia and structural discrimination faced by people of African descent and promote full respect of their human rights, the General Assembly proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024) with the theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.” The General Assembly also adopted a Programme of Activities for the implementation of the Decade. Among others, it requests States to consider the elaboration of a draft United Nations Declaration on the Promotion and Full Respect of Human Rights of People of African Descent.
This event is organized by the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.
* * *
Tue, October 23, 2018
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
Downtown Art
70 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
“The young plaintiffs claim that the government’s actions, and inaction, in the face of global warming violate their “fundamental constitutional rights to freedom from deprivation of life, liberty, and property.” Their age is central to their argument: For older Americans, the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change are somebody else’s problem. But today’s children will be dealing with disaster within their lifetimes; the youngest of the plaintiffs, Levi Draheim, will be just 33 in 2040, the year by which a United Nations scientific panel now expects some of the biggest crises to begin.”
So…we can panic or we can get to work…Do something, get involved, build a garden or a neighborhood, enjoy ladybugs, insist that Parks Department become a model of sustainability and green practices…
This:
Not this:
Yesterday it was time for the turtles to leave for their winter home.
From MKGardener Jane:
Hello new and old gardeners:
Just a reminder that it’s very important to check that anything you are planting in the garden, or feeding to birds, is not poisonous to pollinators.
“It is estimated that of the roughly 672 million birds exposed annually to pesticides on U.S. agricultural lands, 10% or 67 million are killed. Ironically it is often the same sunflower and/or other grains intended to feed backyard birds that may have been sprayed with lethal pesticides to keep pests (often including birds) at bay.” http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/wild-wings-organic-bird-foods/
“One in eight bird species are threatened with global extinction, and once widespread creatures such as the puffin, snowy owl and turtle dove are plummeting towards oblivion, according to the definitive study of global bird populations.”
“More than half of ostensibly bee-friendly plants sampled at 18 Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart garden centers in the U.S. and Canada contained high levels of neonicotinoids, which are considered highly toxic to bees, butterflies and other insect pollinators.
Even when they don’t kill pollinators outright, neonicotinoids can impair their immune systems and sense of navigation, potentially turning gardens and backyards into flowery traps.” https://www.wired.com/2014/06/garden-center-neonicotinoids/
Stanton Building Across from Sara Roosevelt Park:
“Thelma Burdick, for whom the building was named, was instrumental to the Lower East Side’s fight for affordable housing.
In the 1950s, she helped to lead a victory against Robert Moses, a legendarily powerful official in the 20th century who was the mastermind behind many of the New York area’s parks, highways and bridges.
The protesters won a commitment from the city to develop affordable housing like the Burdick.
And the building was named after her.
Now…
“Nearly six years after tenants agreed to the deal that paved the way for the hotel, they are still waiting on a playground.
“These days, 43.5 percent of New York City’s population lives below or near poverty, defined as a family of four with an income of $32,402.
The contrast between rich and poor is extreme in the yellow spots on the map below, where at least 40 percent of the families make less than $30,000 a year and at least 5 percent of the households have an annual income above $200,000….”
