NEW THIS MORNING

MALCOLM ON THE MUDDLE: In an exclusive interview with City & State former State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith weighs in on the rumors he's considering a bid for mayorand for the first time tells his side of the story about the coup that toppled him from powerthe AEG Aqueduct bidand the New Directions Development Corporationthe nonprofit he co-founded with Rep. Greg Meeks that has been dogged by allegations of wrongdoing: http://bit.ly/N73Sqd       NEW THIS MORNING:   * Gov. Andrew Cuomo dissuaded top State Police officials from using legal counsel during his 2008 inquiry into the agency when he was attorney generalbecause it looked like a presumption of guiltthe New York Times learns: http://nyti.ms/NFGaqa   * Cuomo will veto a bill requiring school districts to consider religion and "family background" when approving government-funded private school tuition for special education studentsthe Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/OG7T8x   * The bike share company expected to install 10000 renal bikes on city streets today is asking Citibank to shell out payments of $3.5 million in case the program is delayed until next spring and runs out of cashthe Post reports: http://nyp.st/N83jfU   * Aides to former Gov. David Paterson requested that State Police replace 10 to 15 white troopers in his security detail with black and Latino officers because they wanted an entourage that looked like their bossthe Times discovers: http://nyti.ms/Pi2DnP   * The city is losing high numbers of the best teachers because it isn't doing enough to retain and reward themaccording to a new studythe Post writes: http://nyp.st/N83wzG   * New York's tough gun laws are not preventing more than 7000 illegal guns purchased from other states from winding up on city streets of themaccording to a federal analysis released yesterdaythe Post notes: http://nyp.st/QbkC3u   * Democratic challenger Simcha Felder alleges that state Sen. David Storobin's nominating petitions contain the name of a woman who died several years agoin a lawsuitthe Post writes: http://nyp.st/QbxeYd   * Columbia University will receive $15 million in financial help from New York City to help double its engineering school by 2030a consolation prize for losing a competition to build a tech campus at Roosevelt Islandthe Times reports: http://nyti.ms/MPjwfb   * Assemblyman Steve Katz sent out a fundraising invitation headlined by Senate Majority leader Dean Skellos with "pistol and rifle shooting" receiving criticism from gun advocates and Skellos's cancellationthe Journal News reports: http://bit.ly/OgwpdR

Fw: NEWLY RENOVATED AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN THE HUNTS POINT SECTION OF THE BRONX

-------Original Message-------       July 30, 2012 NEWLY RENOVATED AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN THE HUNTS POINT SECTION OF THE BRONX Kelly Street Restoration, LP is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for 31 affordable housing rental apartments under renovation at 916, 920, 924, 928, 935 Kelly Street in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. These buildings are being renovated through the Participation Loan Program (PLP) of the City of New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) with funding from Round 3 of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This is the NYC.gov News You Requested For: Apartments and Homes for Rent or Sale To unsubscribe please go to this link: https://www.nyc.gov/portal/signin.jsp Comment on this news service PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!

NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING: * Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver backs Gov. Andrew Cuomo's preference of keeping online communication between him and his aides confidential by relying on text messages, the Post's Fred Dicker writes: http://nyp.st/QHbMI0 * Democratic operatives say Cuomo's "secretive streak" is unlikely to hurt his national standing as he contemplates a run for the presidency in 2016, as long as his state approval rating remains high, the Daily News's Ken Lovett writes: http://nydn.us/OsyOG4 * New York and other states are moving toward changing the way they grant licenses to teachers, deemphasizing tests and essays in favor of prepared lesson plans and taped presentations, the New York Times reports: http://nyti.ms/T0BoCL * The Metropolitan Transit Authority gave Apple an unfair advantage to secure its lease for a retail store in Grand Central Terminal, according to a state comptroller audit, the Post learns: http://nyp.st/QHTq9Q * A rash of fatal injuries to racehorses at the Aqueduct Race Track vexed government officials earlier this year according to documents obtained by the Albany Times Union: http://bit.ly/QHrnaI * The MTA will turn over the responsibility of managing Fulton Center, a $1.4 billion project with 70,000 square feet of retail space due to be finished in 2014, to a private operator, the Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/MVpGbS * Half of Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries's congressional campaign contributions a month before the primary came from out of state donors, the News leans: http://nydn.us/Pf4f1A * The state's health care system is paying $24 billion a year to help cover hospital and emergency costs for preventable illnesses in communities of color, the Post learns: http://nyp.st/LXNooa * Mayor Michael Bloomberg's longtime press secretary, Stu Loeser, is leaving his job next month after more than six years in City Hall to start his own corporate communications firm, the Times writes: http://nyti.ms/Owjq8

Race Matters: Black Women Who Are Obese Or “Hip Heavy” Are Less Likely To Become Pregnant, According To Study

Race Matters: Black Women Who Are Obese Or “Hip Heavy” Are Less Likely To Become Pregnant, According To Study

Obesity Impairs Fertility In Black Women

Young black women who are obese or heavy through the hips were less likely to become pregnant, according to a substudy of the ongoing, prospective Black Women’s Health Study. Fecundity was significantly reduced in a dose-response fashion for women who were overweight (fecundity ratio, 0.89), obese (FR, 0.75) and very obese (FR, 0.68) after adjustment for age, education, smoking history, alcohol intake, physical activity, parity, region, and waist-to-hip ratio. A large waist-to-hip ratio (defined as 0.8 or greater), also was significantly associated with lower fecundity (FR, 0.73), with fecundity ratios less than 1 indicating reduced fecundity or longer time to pregnancy (TTP).

“Overall and central adiposity are associated with reduced fecundability in black women,” Lauren Wise, Sc.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research. The substudy is the first TTP study in black women, and its results largely agree with previous studies consistently linking high body mass index and reduced fertility in white women.

Little is known about the determinants of fertility in black women, who are disproportionately affected by the obesity epidemic in the United States. Studies of central adiposity and fertility in whites have been inconclusive, with some suggesting that adiposity may interfere with estrogen metabolism, increase insulin resistance, and change the quality and pH of cervical mucus, said Dr. Wise of the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University.

The substudy cohort was drawn from 59,000 women in the Black Women’s Health Study, the largest study of U.S. black women’s health yet conducted and now in its 17th year of follow-up. A total of 15,500 women completed a Web-based survey in 2011 reporting the TTP for each planned pregnancy. There were 10,272 births, of which only 4,315 births (43%) were planned. The researchers excluded both the unplanned pregnancies and women who had incomplete data, a history of infertility, and age older than 40 years either in 1995 or while they attempted pregnancy; the final sample included 2,084 births and 209 unsuccessful pregnancy attempts among 1,706 women, aged 21-40 years.

The average age was 34 years for all BMI groups including those classified as overweight (BMI, 25-29 kg/m2), obese (BMI, 30-34) and very obese (BMI, 35 or greater). BMI was inversely associated with education and vigorous exercise, and was positively associated with waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, and current smoking status, reported Dr. Wise and her colleagues. After adjusting for all previous covariates plus BMI, researchers found that a waist circumference of 33-35 inches – but not beyond – was significantly associated with lower fecundity.

Fecundity was not lower in women who were underweight (BMI less than 18.5; FR, 1.11). Indeed, a recent systematic review involving 14 studies and 9,779 men reported that overweight and obese men are at increased risk of oligozoospermia or azoospermia, compared with normal-weight men (Arch. Intern. Med. 2012;172:440-2). Possible hypotheses for this relationship include hypogonadotropic hyperestrogenic hypogonadism due to aromatization of steroids in estrogens in peripheral tissue; direct alterations of spermatogenesis and Sertoli cell function; hip, abdominal and scrotal fat-tissue accumulation, leading to increased scrotal temperature; and accumulation of toxins and liposoluble endocrine disruptors in fatty tissue.

Discuss…

Source

Race Matters: Black Women Who Are Obese Or “Hip Heavy” Are Less Likely To Become Pregnant, According To Study
Bossip Staff
Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:57:19 GMT

Black cloth dolls growing in collector popularity

Black cloth dolls growing in collector popularity

Among porcelain antique dolls, whimsical Kewpies, Barbie dolls and even paper dolls, cloth dolls in the image of African-Americans drew special attention among more than 1,200 collectors in New Orleans for the annual convention of the United Federation of Doll Clubs. The oldest of the black dolls on display was sewn about 1850, said curator [...]

Black cloth dolls growing in collector popularity
The Admin
Sun, 29 Jul 2012 23:32:45 GMT

Mayor Bloomberg’s Big Mouth Is Losing Its Filter

Mayor Bloomberg’s Big Mouth Is Losing Its Filter

City Hall press secretary Stu Loeser will leave Michael Bloomberg without his "attack dog and guardian of his image" for the remainder of term three, the New York Times reports, when he departs the job next month. Despite his self-described "professionally debilitating" last name, Loeser has held the position for more than six years, making reporters feel inadequate, clarifying the sometimes prickly quips of his boss, and steering the ship away from bad press. "I'm convinced," Bloomberg told the Times, "that Stu Loeser has kept me out of more trouble than he's gotten me out of." Loeser will try his hand at cashing in with corporate clients, while Bloomberg will hopefully go full "grumpy old man" and spend his lame-duck months channeling Chris Christie.

Read more posts by Joe Coscarelli

Filed Under: the third terminator ,stu loeser ,michael bloomberg ,politics ,media

Mayor Bloomberg’s Big Mouth Is Losing Its Filter
Joe Coscarelli
Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:53:25 GMT

Summer on the Hudson presents West Coast Swing

Summer on the Hudson presents West Coast Swing

Date: July 28, 2012

West Coast Swing combines elements of Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, Salsa, and straight up booty-shakin', with lots of room for improvisation. It can be danced to pop, blues, rock, hip-hop, R&B, country, soul, and just about everything in between, and has gained a large following worldwide.

Come join West Coast Swing enthusiasts in West Harlem Piers Park on the 125th St. Pier on 7/28, 8/11, and 9/1 to dance from 6-9pm and get a free lesson from 7 pm - 7:45 pm.

Start time: 6:00 pm

End time: 9:00 pm

Contact phone: 311

Location: West Harlem Piers Park

Summer on the Hudson presents West Coast Swing
Sat, 28 Jul 2012 04:00:01 GMT

Jim Crow Style: White Mississippi Church Refuses To Marry Black Couple

 

The predominantly White First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, stayed true to it’s Dixiecratic roots by refusing to marry a Black couple after an outcry from the congregation, reports CNN.

Charles Wilson and his now wife Te’Andrea had programs printed with their wedding date of July 21. The couple had already sent out invitations when they were told that they couldn’t be married in the church.

Wilson had been attending the church for about a month, but his wife had been a member for over a year.

Want to Keep Up With NewsOne.com? LIKE Us On Facebook!

“I feel like it was blatant racial discrimination,” said Wilson in a phone interview. “Prior to this, I had been telling people how nice they were here. It makes you reevaluate things.”

See news reports here:

The church’s pastor, Rev. Stan Weatherford, still married the couple, but not in his church.

“I didn’t want to have a controversy within the church and I didn’t want a controversy to effect the wedding of Charles and Te’ Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day,” said Weatherford, according to WLBT.

Crystal Springs Mayor Sally Garland is allegedly “heartbroken” over the church’s decision because of how it potentially reflects on the town:

“I would hate for a few people to be a reflection of our whole town because it’s not that way,” she said. “We pride ourselves on unity. We don’t want to be known for that.”

Maybe the entire town isn’t like that, but there’s a good chance that the Republican half is. According to a recent study, 29 percent of Republican voters in Mississippi believe that interracial marriage should be illegal.

According to this report, at least some of them definitely live in Crystal Springs.

Jim Crow Style: White Mississippi Church Refuses To Marry Black Couple
NewsOne Staff
Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:40:07 GMT

Officials Consider Requiring Registration Cards For McCarren Park Pool

Officials Consider Requiring Registration Cards For McCarren Park Pool

Officials from the City Council, the State Assembly, the NYPD, the Brooklyn DA's office, and the lifeguards' union joined community leaders at the McCarren Park Pool last night for an under the radar meeting concerning the violent incidents that have marred the $50 million facility's grand reopening. A well-placed source tells A Walk in the Park that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Assemblyman Joe Lentol, and Councilmember Steve Levin convened the meeting, during which a proposal was floated to require registration cards for all those who would use the pool. [ more › ]

Officials Consider Requiring Registration Cards For McCarren Park Pool
John Del Signore
Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:30:00 GMT

HARLEM FATHERS DAY PARADE