Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and members of the Board of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival joined Buddhist monks Shi Fu Jie Tong and Shi Fu Ming Yu from the World Chan Buddhist Association, Chinese musicians, and Shaolin martial artists, who performed the Traditional Blessing and Awakening Ceremony of the Dragon Boats for the 2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Commissioner Benepe and several dignitaries also participated in a dragon boat race.

INVESTIGATION INTO PENN STATE SEX SCANDAL. Will Undergo Severe Scrutiny.
The results of Penn State's internal investigation into the Jerry Sandusky scandal is being released in a report that may answer many troubling questions and generate many other requests.

BIDEN ADDRESSES BLACK VOTERS. Joe To Speak Before NAACP Convention.
Vice president Biden is expected to offer another rebuttal to Mitt Romney's accusations and defend President Obama before the largest civil rights organization in the US.

CHENEY SUPPORTING ROMNEY. Dick Lends His GOP Star Power.

The Joint Special Envoy for the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, Kofi Annan, today reaffirmed the importance of implementing a six-point plan to halt the violence in the Middle Eastern country, and stressed that the international community must continue to work together to end the ongoing conflict there.

The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation—the economic development arm of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.—is screening candidates for job openings with FreshDirect.

Details on those jobs are available at the following links:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/bronx-overall-economic-development-corpor…

http://www.facebook.com/notes/bronx-overall-economic-development-corpor…

US Congressman Joe Crowley is a seven-term representative from NY's 7th Congressional District, which includes sections of Queens and the Bronx Rep. Crowley’s remarks as prepared:

“Today, Republicans in the House will once again bring up a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

“We’ve seen a lot of repeal from them, but not as much with respect to their so-called plan to replace.

“But, I think I’ve figured out what the GOP wants to replace the Affordable Care Act with.

Summertime and all the Slurpees today are delicious and FREE: it’s 7/11 and that means 7 ELEVEN stores started giving away these cold drinks from 11A until 7P and that’s how they celebrate their nationwide store chain's anniversary.

The 7 ELEVEN City Island Images visited was located near the end of the #6 New York City Subway line. This store was giving away a few hundred an hour and their bar tender, who at first did not want his photo taken told City Island Images "I expect to serve hundreds more of these delicious Slurpees."