Community Magazine July 2009

112 Community magazine Schumer Warns of Identity Stealing Scam Calls After receiving a call on his cell phone claiming that his car warranty had expired, Senator Charles Schumer asked the Federal Trade Commission to inves- tigate the fraudulent call. Apparently, scam artists across the country are employing this tactic in an attempt to steal personal information and identity. Scammers calling from numbers 623-238-6228, 408-587-2116, 202-552-1332, 702-520-1105, 609-948-0971 and 562-289-8136, have been identified. Other scammers offer debt consolidation or refinance loans in an attempt to get money and financial information. The calls are illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Federal anti-spam law. Calls can be reported to the Federal Communications Commission at fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html. Bloomberg’s Stimulus Plan Mayor Bloomberg wants New Yorkers facing economic trouble to contact the city for help as part of his Five-Borough Economic Opportunity Plan. Workforce 1 Career Centers are available to help NewYorkers find jobs. The city is revamping the ‘Business Express’ website into a one-stop shop for all permits and licenses for small businesses. The ‘Business Solutions’ centers offer help navigating government regulations, accessing incentives, or getting financing. The Office of Financial Empowerment helps New Yorkers man- age their credit, control their debt, and build up their assets. Free financial counseling is also available. Through the Center for New York City Neighborhoods, families at risk of foreclosure can access free counseling and legal services. The Department of Housing Preservation & Development is offering low-interest loans. To learn more about these programs and the Five-Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, call 311 or visit nyc.gov. Street Musicians Now Work for Donuts It’s not chump change that some Manhattan street musi- cians are playing for since Dunkin Donuts got into the picture. The chain is paying a dozen street artists $20 an hour to play outside a select number of their storefronts in Manhattan as part of a new and novel promotion entitled, “Breakfast not Brokefast.” The campaign is designed to show customers how cheap a breakfast at Dunkin Donuts can be. Entertainers display a sign on their guitar box that asks, “Sure you want to throw that change in here?” And fine print that reads “99 cents could get you breakfast at Dunkin Donuts.” Initial feedback from the campaign seems to be positive and a similar campaign is also running in Boston and Chicago. NY at War with Canada Geese Some 2000 geese were the target of a citywide hunt to clear an area within five miles of the city’s airports from the threat the birds pose to civil aviation. Many of the geese were rounded up using kayaks and brought on shore. As of late June about 800 of the Canada geese, which shed their feathers in the summer and can’t fly, had been gassed by the US Department of Agriculture and City Parks Department. Canada geese were responsible for the potentially fatal accident that forced the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, in January. Animal rights activists are protesting the goose roundup, calling it unnecessary and inhumane. *Alternate Side Parking: For snow and other emergencies call 311 to get an update of parking rules for a particular day **Garbage: Residents who are normally scheduled for collection on the day of a holiday should place their trash out at curbside on the holiday evening for collection. Some residents will experience a disruption of on-time household collection service. Recycling: Residents who are normally scheduled for recycling collection on the day of the holiday will not receive service that week. They should place their recyclables out at curbside the following week on their regular day of service. New York City Municipal Schedule Occasion Day Date Alt Side Garbage Collection Parking Banks & Post Offices Independence Day (Observed) Fri July 3 Suspended Holiday Closed Independence Day Sat July 4 Suspended Suspended Holiday Closed Observance Sat August 15 Suspended Normal Normal Open

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjg3NTY=