Saturday, May 19th

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Herbert H. Lehman High School in partnership with Montefiore School Health Program will conduct a Health & Wellness Community Day for the Throgs Neck and neighboring communities. Health, Mental Health and community organizations are invited to set up tables on our Front Terrace to disseminate information to participants. Organizations with mobile health stations are invited to park in front of the school. In the event of rain the Health & Wellness Community Fair will move indoors.

The Health & Wellness Community Day will be promoted in the Bronx Borough President’s Bronx Week Calendar of Events. Additionally this activity is supported by local area public officials as well as neighborhood organizations. Our goal is to offer a fun filled day of activities for the whole family.

We sincerely hope that your organization will join us at the Health & Wellness Community on Saturday, May 19th.

YABC Basketball 2011-2012

“Were not just about Hoops”

By Francisco Rivera

In its third year of existence, the YABC Boy’s basketball team has grown in many ways since its inception in 2009. While winning a majority of its games during those three seasons, the goal of YABC is to assist the young men in getting their degrees or GED and sending them into the real world prepared for either College or the Job market.

Site administrator Martin Smallhorne has done a wonderful job at helping host in house tournaments as well as providing the boys with full uniforms, equipment and team gym bags. Mr. Smallhorne added this about the Boy’s Basketball program, “Our Scholar athletes understand that if they can’t perform in the classroom, they will not be allowed to perform on the court.  Education is always first.”

The 2011-2012 team consists of 12-14 boys with a common goal and that is to win the YABC basketball championship that eluded them last year as they lost to Thomas Jefferson HS in Brooklyn in the semi finals. Coach Rivera states, “We have a hard working group of young men that need to be fine tuned and understand what we have put together as the game plan for the season. We have a great opportunity to go very far in this year’s tournament as long as they learn to play their roles and stay focused both on the court and in the classroom.”

The team's assistant coach is Osmond Wilson who is in his second year in that role. Assistant coach Wilson says "The team is motivated academically which in turn motivates their play on the court". The current team is 1-0 after beating Grace Dodge High School and things are looking very bright. The games high scorer was shooting guard Dylan McCalla, who led the team with 21 points and five assists. Not only is the team doing well on the hardwood but also their work in the classroom has been praiseworthy so far this year. The current team has an average of 80.25% with a high grade of 97%. Will Laboy hold’s the team high grade of 97%. The 6’4” starting center has found success both on the court and the classroom.  Laboy seemed extremely proud after finding out he was the team’s highest scoring student adding, “I feel honored and blessed to have the highest grade on the team. I mean, a few weeks ago I really showed up to school and now that I’m on top of that, that showed me that I can always be on top if I put my mind to it and stay focused.”

The team’s current roster consists of Will Laboy, Edwin Pena, Saulo Acosta, Roydell Morris, Zahbre Farmer, James Barry, Kris Cabrera, Shaquille Scott, Isiah Arnold, Kwabena “ Lefty” Adjei, Louis Sanchez, Jarrod Davidson, Robert Williams and Francisco Vasquez. The team statisticians and managers are Jasmine Shirley and Barbara Vizcarrondo.

Let’s go Lehman YABC Lions!!!

So, what is OWS’s point? To “protest corporate influence on democracy, a growing disparity in wealth, and the absence of legal repercussions behind the recent global financial crisis” or actually to camp outside in a park for a few weeks, inspire a couple of copycats from all over the world to do the same, and get some sympathy from Wall Street? Apparently the latter of the two.

It is impossible for us to argue about the general public’s perception of what a successful protest may consist of, yet, we certainly hope it is not too arduous to believe that it should consist of demonstrators that are clothed. We find it difficult, to find a connection with the financial industry and public nudity. Perhaps these half-naked demonstrators realize not that they are aiding in making OWS an easy target for mimicry, but actually aiding in the act of protestation. Furthermore, noting that only the very young demonstrators have a practical grumble; whereby they compete for jobs in which one in five actually acquire the job. Unfortunately, this is grounds for frustration, not outrage or wide spread demonstration or disrupting the public, so such a widespread degree. Even more so, considering the fact that New York City is one of the busiest cities in the world, or the fact that it generates more money for America than anywhere else, we quickly realize that the chaos cause is nowhere near the mere chaos at sight.

One will find that upon light inspection of this group, that this group lacks organization and leadership to an extensive extent. One may find irony, upon realization of the level of disruption or damage this unorganized lot has achieved, therefore attracting media attention, further implementing the idea of gathering public sympathy. The lack of leaderships is of such degree it seems to be in the array of:

Random Protester: “Let’s go protest against the CEO of Chase!”

Protest Crowd: “Yea let’s do that!”

…

This event of protesting against this particle CEO took place on October 12, 2011.

We can’t blame them for protesting against the rich, right? That’s their whole fundamental belief, right? Well the strange thing here is that, J.P. Morgan Chase didn’t take on excessive mortgage risk before the crisis, therefore didn’t need Troubled Asset Relief Program money (although it was force into taking the money). The demonstrators also picketed the home of hedge fund mogul John Paulson, who, if the protesters had leaders who did their research, they might have realized that he made his fortune bidding against the housing bubble, and did not aid the inflation of the housing market. Perhaps they are not people protesting, yet skilled anarchist with nothing better to do? That seems much more likely.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli issued a report in late 2011 predicting that Wall Street and other financial industry in New York will most likely lose 10,000 more jobs by the end of 2012. This does not include the 4,100 jobs lost in this same industry since mid-year of 2011, or the 22,000+ jobs lost since 2008. If one takes the time to do the math—which in the case of the demonstrators, the have no time, they are just too busy sitting on their hands in park benches, or  destroying public property— they will find that this industry are hurting badly, for it has declined by 8.9% in revenue generating since late 2006. To this day, the financial giant Goldman Sachs is still planning layoffs. Point here? Wall Street is hurting, and they are not sitting on money watch everyone suffer.

So much for the cliché, that whole dilemma of Wall Street vs. Main Street, the greedy “1%” vs. the hardworking-overworked-underpaid- “99%”. The fundamental belief of OWS —or do they have no fundamental belief due to the disunity and lack of leadership—has just been disproved?! How shocking it must be to find that such an “effective protest” as the media so says, was so easily disproven?  Considering that it most likely will be a slogan used in both presidential campaigns in 2012, the effect of disproving it has a rather of a large vicinity of effect.

Yet, that is still not convincing enough. Still, there are protesters screaming for some real reasons why they can’t find a job. Well… here it is a reason that is intellectual, crafted from logic. Consider what the White House did during the financial downfall. They decided to make a joke out of the financial industry (which consists of nearly 7% if US’s GDP, ~700 billion), the energy industry (nearly 8% of the US’s GDP, ~1 trillion), and private individuals who have accumulated wealth over a couple of million (these particular individuals paid 20+% of all the federal income taxes, not considering other taxes they sustenance). And don’t forget the Administration’s periphrastic cascades against individual companies like Anthem Blue Cross, AIG and Bank of America, or against bondholders, or various other alleged “scoundrels of wealth”.

Now move from mere statistics to actions. Here is one that is shovel-ready. The Administration has spent three years sitting on the Keystone XL pipeline project that has the potentials to create 13,000 jobs and 118,000 part-time jobs. A State Department environmental review says “The project poses no threat to the environment”, yet this Administration’s eco-friends are influencing the Administration from going forward with it…

Then there are the jobs the Administration and its allies in Congress are actively killing. In June, American Electric Power announced it would have to shutter five coal-fired power plants, at a cost of 600 jobs per plant, in order to comply with new EPA rules. Those same rules may soon force the utility to shutter another 25 plants. Bank of America’s decision last month to lay off 30,000 employees is a direct consequence of various Congressional edicts limiting how much the bank can charge merchants or how it can handle delinquent borrowers.

What more can the protesters ask for as a justification? Is this not straightforward?

No, of course not, they will whine about anything if they can do less work whining.

They might say, ‘The rich do not contribute to anything’. This is evidently falsified due to the previous statistic about how much of the federal taxes the 1%  hold up on their end. Yet, this can be further disproven by the example of Charles Feeney. He’s a very rich guy. He co-founded Duty Free Shoppers Group in the early 1960s, and sold his stake in the company to LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton for $2.47 billion in 1996. At the time, The Times noted Feeney’s “net worth far exceeds the $975 million estimated by Forbes magazine.” After the sale, The Times reported estimated that the proceeds, paired with other funds Feeney turned over to the foundation “left the charity with $3.5 billion, even after the $610 million that has already been distributed to charities.” At that point, he donated anonymously to almost every charity, giving thousands and millions of dollars. He gave Cornell University a $350 million donation to construct a new technology-based satellite campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Officials at The Atlantic Philanthropies, the foundation started by Feeney in 1982, confirmed that he was the one who made the gift for the project, which is expected to generate an extra $1.4 billion in tax revenue for the city, plus 20,000 construction jobs and as many as 30,000 new jobs once the facility is up and running. Contributing nothing at all, eh? Charles is one of the millions of 1% who contribute majorities of their wealth to the public, education, or charity. Take Bill Gates for another example. He is the richest person alive today. His commitment of 97% of his total wealth will go to charities and education. Again, this is all minute amounts in the eyes of the demonstrators. We wonder the awkwardness if one asks one of the protesters to donate 32.3% of their wealth to charity. (note 32.3% would be proportional to the amount of donation 1% vs. 99% makes, therefore rendering it to be a fair amount)

Is this enough?

No… they continue.

They might say, ‘Obama is doing a good job’ (Or anything about Obama in general, since he is their great champion). Counterargument, once again is straightforward and simple: “It’s not class warfare, it’s simple math!” That’s how President Obama defended the tax-the-rich foundation of his so-called American Jobs Act.  The President’s rhetoric was, of course, overreaching, as it so often is when he is in campaign mode, and none other than the Associated Press took him to task for his overzealous, inaccurate generalization that the rich are not paying their “fair share.” He also said, “It is wrong that in the United States of America, a teacher or a nurse or a construction worker who earns $50,000 should pay higher tax rates than somebody pulling in $50 million… Middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires. That’s pretty straightforward. It’s hard to argue against that.” Well they aren’t. As the AP pointed out, the rich, are (Mr. Buffett, apparently, notwithstanding), in fact, paying the highest marginal tax rates, as they should. On average, the wealthiest people in America pay a lot more taxes than the middle class or the poor, according to private and government data. They pay at a higher rate, and as a group, they contribute a much larger share of the overall taxes collected by the federal government according to AP’s Stephen Ohlemacher.  The ten percent of households with the highest incomes pay more than half of all federal taxes. They contribute over 70 percent of federal income tax revenue, says the Congressional Budget Office. When President Obama assumed office he quickly surrounded himself with Keynesian economic advisers, and vigorously, pursued a spending spree (they called it a stimulus program) which quickly soared to more than a trillion dollars of extra deficit spending. This was designed to rein in unemployment before it reached 8.0%, which, at the time, was at 7.8%. The result? Nearly three years later, unemployment is at 9.1%.  What we have learned is that the President’s program to reduce unemployment simply failed.  It’s… simple math. Not calculus, not linear algebra, SIMPLE MATH! Unfortunately, it poses to be extremely difficult in this case.

Most of the Occupiers won’t realize that their cause would be better served in Washington, D.C., where they can be arrested and jailed with charges of “attempting to disrupt Congress”. Then again, most of America’s jobless also won’t recognize their values or interests in the warmed-over anti-capitalism being served up in lower Manhattan. Obama has been in power for 3 years, yet this Administration had only been successful in making most Americans think Wall Street is the cause.

The protests are so to be said to be against social and economic inequality, high unemployment, greed, as well as corruption, and the undue influence of corporations—particularly from the financial services sector—on government. Yet, evidently this is not what they are doing. There is no question that Americans are suffering from tough economic times. The unemployment rate under the President Obama continues to remain high at 9 percent while the federal government is considering the raise of taxes, in order to finance more government spending. Americans have a right to be frustrated and worried, but violence is not the answer. The strength of words can be equal to the sharpest swords in one’s arsenal.

Disregarding all of that…OWS protesters have also presented their true colors by both their actions and affiliations. The image that comes to mind when they are brought up is one of increasing violence in conjunction with extremist affiliations that is used to depict the emotionally charged views of “The 99%”. This extremism is to such an extent, that a 78-year-old woman who was merely attempting to go around an ongoing OWS protest in Washington D.C was knocked down stairs; note the protests were borderline peaceful. This unfortunate elderly women wound severely in the regio facialis. Other instances of such violence often elicit Police officers to use an equivalent force of violence harming innocent bystanders. Such unnecessary force caused by the protestors harmed a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran, who suffered from a fractured skull and internal brain injuries in October after being hit by a ricocheting tear gas canister or rubber bullet reportedly fired by Oakland police. At the University of California-Berkeley, campus police also are under investigation for allegedly assaulting students and faculty at an Occupy rally earlier this month. And in Seattle this week, an 84-year-old community activist, a priest and a pregnant teenager were pepper-sprayed.

Is this their commitment? To not work, disrupt, and harm the one who have? To the extent, harming those who were willing to do the ultimate sacrifice for their country?

Wait, it gets better.

Beginning in mid-September, OWS has cost New York City over 10 million dollars within two months of its continuation. It’s unclear what the OWS protests have actually accomplished of course, not considering the damages they have done, economically or otherwise, or maybe not? Perhaps OWS should be kept, because they are actually generating some sort of revenues? Indeed, police have received a windfall from the fines they collect of overtime. GREAT!

Oh wait… no?

80% or more of these fines never get paid for. Law enforcement agencies are tasked with monitoring marches and evicting protesters from outdoor camp, thus compromising the security of our state due to the fact only an acute number of officers left on the task to patrol the city and keep an eye out for terror threats. They become overworked as their funds get drained from cuts in defense spending, resulting in security measures grow exponentially thinner. Aside from being a security and economic drain, the local businesses have also been victimized by its presence. In fact, within two months of its start local businesses have lost revenues totaling to greater than half a million, per business! This does not include other expenses or long term adjournments! These protestors fight for economic equality amongst other things, yet turn a blind eye to their own detrimental effects on New York City, and their egregious waste of the money of the American people. The Occupy movement has intentionally never clarified its policy objectives, relying instead on a broad message opposing corporate excess and income inequality, and hoping for a change to occur which we all know is not in the impending future.

We do not disagree that there are many out there today, suffering due to this economy, yet, on the issue of OWS, we are against it. OWS is a failure fundamentally, for it not only fails to address the issue they are protesting, but as well as their internal issues. It is not only ineffective in conveying their message, but creates pandemonium. We are not only a mere civilization, but we are the Americans, perhaps the greatest of the civilization. We should need not de-grade ourselves to such animalistic behaviors to convey a point. We are in a financial crisis, and we need not more disruptions. What we need is unity among our people, to work together, and finding solutions instead of arguments. Easily put, OWS was inability at its best.

– Yiliang Chen

Special Thanks to My AP English 1% Group Members

Eligibility
To be eligible, students be at least 17.5 years old , have attended high school for four or more years , and have earned 17 or more credits.

How to Enroll
Students who wish to register at Lehman YABC should go to their home school, meet with a guidance counselor and obtain:

1) a YABC Guidance Referral Form Y-1

2) a YABC Course Requirements Form Y-2

3) a copy of his/her current transcript

4) immunization records If you need copies of these forms, please visit this link These documents should be completed and brought to Lehman YABC during the early registration period (by appointment only) and between the hours of 4PM – 6PM, Mondays to Thursdays after school begins. Eligible students who are not currently enrolled in a high school must go to a borough enrollment office to be enrolled in a high school.

For questions, concerns, or to make an appointment, please contact a staff member at Lehman YABC.

Phone: 718-904-4280

Y1 Form

Y2 Form

It was my 4’th year in Lehman High School and joined  YABC in January 2011 with about 17 credit’s, by June of 2011 I had 33 credit’s which made me feel great about myself because I knew I was getting somewhere. The classes in YABC aren’t as big as the classes would be in a regular High school, but to me it was perfect because that meant that the teachers would be able to go around the class and help out every student individually. The teachers are wonderful, they have so much patience and hope in their student’s it makes you feel inspired. The best thing about Lehman High School’s YABC for us young adult’s is the time that it starts which is at 4 in the afternoon , so that gives us the opportunity to have a small part time job on the side. YABC is also affiliated with the FEG’s program which help young adults prepare for future career job’s and also get placed in a paid internship.

YABC has help lots of young adult’s succeed in the future. I am proud to say that I am one of them and that I thank everyone of the teacher’s for putting me in the right path. Next time a family member come’s up to you to talk to you let it be about you doing great at school and how proud they are of you and what you’ve become.

Article by: Tatyana Fuentes

ROYDEL MORRIS
JENNIFER SCHMIDT
JUAN CISNERO
YADIRAH VALDEZ
ALSJA HARRIS
DEANA LANDI
DAVID MEMEDOSKI
EMILIO BELLOSO
KRISTOPHER JACKSON
RICHARD PEISEL
SIXMARY MARTE
CATHERINE PARILLA
JAEL ROBINSON
JAYLENE FIGUEROA
YEFY CHALAS
JOSHUA PATTERSON
MARK SANG
DALE WILKINS
REBECCA LIBAL
KEVIN REQUELME
CARLTON SIMMONS
KAYLA ALVAREZ
LASHANE BLIGEN
CHARLIE CONDADO
MARCUS GREEN
NKIOLE HOWARD
DANIELLE LUCIANO
DERRICK OWENS
JONATHAN RAMOS
OSCAR REYES
DEMI TALOR
MAURICIO VASQUEZ