The Villager, July18, 2013

an elevating tail, p. 27

Volume 83, Number 7 $1.00

West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Hudson Square, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933

July 18 - 24, 2013

Westbeth empty units fuel rumors; used for storage

BY cLarissa-Jan LiM The roughly 250 people on the Westbeth Artists Housing wait list will have to wait a little longer.

Recently, The Villager received a tip that some apartments at the full square-block artists’ complex at West and Bethune Sts. are being left vacant — and have been for a while.

George Cominskie, president of the Westbeth Artists’ Residents Council, or WARC,

Photo by Tequila Minksy

Protesters on Sunday converged at Union Square, then marched up to Times Square.

Outrage over Trayvon verdict sparks massive protest in city BY heather duBin Thousands of people converged at Union Square on Sunday evening to voice their outrage over the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin. The verdict rendered by a six-person jury, all female, in Florida has ignited a national debate about racial profiling, gun control and the legal system.

Demonstrators carried signs that read, “Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere,” “Trayvon Martyr” and “Will I Be Next?” There were several speakers who led the crowd in chants of “Fight The Power,” “For a Revolution” and “Stop and Frisk Is the Crime!”

Kayla Rivera of Brooklyn, 23, held a neon pink sign, “I Am Standing

CATS For MAYOR

MY Ground / #Justice for Trayvon,” that she hastily made at Duane Reade across the street after coming in from Connecticut. She planned to stand with her sign until her feet were too tired to continue. Rivera expressed her deep disappointment with the verdict.

Continued on page 6

confirmed that there are “definitely 15 empty apartments,” but said it’s possible that the number could even be as high as 17.

“In the 30 years I have lived here, this has never happened,” he said. “If we went above three empty apartments for more than two months it was a rarity.”

When asked about this situation, Steven Neil, executive

Continued on page 12

if you can swim that, i’ve got a bridge for you

BY LincoLn anderson It had been awhile since I had swum in one of New York City’s major waterways — in an organized event, or in any other way, for that matter.

I had done the Great Hudson River Swim (a 2.8miler from 79th St. to the Chelsea Piers) several times before — and miraculously never drowned. I always fin-

ished near the end of the pack.

I think this year that particular race was rained out. But NYC SWIM, which organizes an annual series of river and harbor races, also offers the Brooklyn Bridge Swim, a 1K. Ending my H2O hiatus, I decided to “take the plunge,” and signed

Continued on page 16

JOHN CATSIMATIDIS FOR MAYOR A New Yorker for all New Yorkers

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July 18 - 24, 2013

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July 18 - 24, 2013

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Scoopy’s

notebook Lions and supporters — and REBNY? With fighting lion dancers and about 175 of her supporters in attendance, Jenifer Rajkumar officially opened her new campaign office in the heart of Chinatown on Sunday.

The location, at 18 Pell St., between Mott St. and Bowery, was formerly the beloved Sun Wah Barbershop.

It’s wedged right between the Foot Heaven foot-rub store, on the right, and a hair salon on the left. Nearby just down the street is famed dumpling mecca Joe’s Shanghai, and Confucius Plaza — a key voting bloc — is right across the Bowery.

Rajkumar held up a head of lettuce on a pole for the two lion dancers to fight for. “It’s good luck when you feed them,” she told us. “It was tremendous.” Then she led everyone into the space to continue the celebration with speeches.

Local supporters gave her honorary potted plants and flowers, including Danny Cheung, Tommy Lan, Bo Yok Ho and Stephen Low. Jing Fong restaurant workers gave her a wall hanging “blessing” with a flowered border.

Also at the kickoff event were Georgette Fleischer, founder of Friends of Petrosino Square; Harold Donahue, former president of the Independence Plaza North Tenants Association; and Jeanne Wilcke, president of Downtown Independent Democrats Club. Paul Lee, a well-known former local small businessman, was emcee. Steve Wong, a former top operative for Councilmember Margaret Chin’s 2009 campaign who now runs the Chinese Hotel Trades Association, was also at the shindig.

“This is going to be our command center,” Rajkumar told us. “It’s centrally located. It’s a short walk from here to the Lower East Side.” Sean Sweeney, former president of D.I.D., who couldn’t make the campaign office confab, said, “I think it’s a brilliant strategy — to go right into the belly of the beast.” He added, “I remember that barbershop — it was like $6 a haircut.” Sweeney felt it might have been better, though, if the office was on Mott St., which has heavier foot traffic.

However, a Chin campaign spokesperson downplayed Rajkumar’s Pell St. location as a ploy that won’t work.

“It’s too little, too late,” said Austin Finan. “Rajkumar hasn’t lifted a finger for the Chinatown community, and certainly her accomplishments can’t hold a candle to those of Margaret Chin. She chooses to establish a presence in Chinatown when it’s politically convenient for her. … At the end of the day, Chinatown is going to pull the lever for the candidate who has been there for them through thick and thin.”

Jenifer Rajkumar, center, with supporters and lions, at the opening of her new Pell St. campaign office on Sunday.

Although Sweeney is excited about Rajkumar’s new campaign office, he’s more worked up about the fact that the Real Estate Board of New York has endorsed Chin for re-election.

Crain’s recently reported that a new group, Jobs for New York — including REBNY, building trade unions and others — which plans to spend $10 million on local races, is backing Chin, another Council incumbent and six challengers.

Per Crain’s: “The group hopes to elect a bloc of councilmembers that would make it more difficult for the Council to override vetoes by a business-friendly mayor and to serve as a counterweight to candidates aligned with the pro-labor Working Families Party.” Even so, Chin and five other of the group’s initial eight favored candidates have been endorsed by W.F.P. So, does Rajkumar have a chance of winning, we asked Sweeney? “She’s doing much better than I thought,” he said, “and Chin is imploding with her now taking Real Estate Board of New York money.”

Countered Finan, “From elected officials, to Democratic clubs, to labor unions, to the business community, Margaret

Chin’s support runs the gamut. She has support in every corner of the district and from all walks of people.”

Tunnel-approach art: Sculptor Gina Miccinilli finished her latest work, “Lemniscatus,” on Mon., July 15, on Varick St. between Broome and Watts, where she transformed a triad of 3-ton granite traffic barriers into representations of movement and metamorphosis.

The project was completed in partnership with Marc Fields of the Compleat Sculptor on Vandam Street, the Hudson Square Connection business improvement district, and the Department of Transportation, and creates a pedestrian plaza near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel.

Fields would like to continue with similar site-specific projects in the city where traffic barriers could be transformed into urban art.

Suzy Changar, director of marketing at the Hudson Square Connection, said there would be no formal unveil-

Continued on page 4

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July 18 - 24, 2013

Violence-plagued Varick club keeps dodging bullet

By Kaitlyn Meade Raquel Finley was working as a promoter for Greenhouse, a bar and nightclub at 150 Varick St., and its basement event lounge W.i.P., on June 12, when a stranger struck the 21-year-old in the face with a bottle of Patrón tequila.

“Some guy said, ‘You stepped on my foot’ and bashed her in the face with a bottle,” her mother, Jawan Finely, recalled at the First Precinct police station a week later.

At the time of the incident, Jawan — an attorney with a firm in Flushing — was in Georgia with her husband. Their return to New York was delayed because he had gotten into a motorcycle accident.

“They took her downstairs, cleaned the blood off her — there was blood all over her dress,” Jawan said. “Security found her friend, they put [Raquel] in a cab and sent her home.

They tried to cover it up. Someone was hit with a [bottle of] Magnum Patrón and you don’t call the hospital?” she asked.

When her daughter called to tell her what had happened, Jawan was devastated. She told her to go immediately to a hospital, and was outraged that the club had not called an ambulance for her daughter or called the police to make a report.

It turned out that Raquel had multiple fractures to her face and a split lip. After receiving initial emergency treatment at Jamaica Hospital, she later had to undergo plastic surgery to correct fractures to her eye socket, her mother said.

She said Raquel was so excited to do promotion work for the club, which frequently has high-profile stars like Jamie Foxx. Now, her mother says, she wishes her daughter had made a few phone calls to check out the club’s safety records beforehand.

W.i.P. (which stands for “Work in Progress”) has a record for disturbances as high-profile as the stars who patronize it. The nightspot’s most infamous incident was a bottle-throwing brawl between singer Chris Brown and the entourage of the rapper Drake, which injured several clubgoers, including N.B.A. player Tony Parker, who suffered a scratched cornea.

The fight prompted the State Liquor Authority to suspend the liquor license of the venues, at Varick and Vandam Sts., for several weeks, along with slapping them with a hefty fine. The nightclubs were allowed to reopen and operate conditionally while the S.L.A. conducted its hearings.

Last month, just days after the attack on Raquel Finley, an appellate court overturned the liquor license ban for W.i.P., according to a report by the New York Post, ruling that charges of drug dealing and violence could not be backed up by sufficient evidence.

The June 18 ruling also stated that the club could not have anticipated the fights, and noted new security measures put in place by club owner Barry Mullineux. Those precautions included bag checks and switching from glasses and bottles to plastic cups.

The safety precautions, however, have not

Photo by Kaitlyn Meade

Greenhouse, on the corner of Varick and Vandam Sts.

prevented violence in recent months. In March, police arrested a woman who hit another bar patron over the head with an ice-filled bucket during a verbal argument. The victim sustained lacerations to her head and face.

In another incident, a 27-year-old man was brutally beaten on the street outside of the club as he left at closing time last month, and woke up in the hospital with the side of his skull crushed.

In addition, at least five incidents of grand

larceny have been reported at W.i.P. and Greenhouse in the last four months: on March 6, April 13, April 20, May 11 and June 15.

The New York Police Department has frequently had to reprimand the club, said George Liropoulos, First Precinct community affairs officer. “We’re trying to close them down, I guess. That’s the only one who’s been a big problem for us,” he said. “They’re the only club we’ve got down here.”

“It was a trouble spot. They shouldn’t be in business,” said Bob Gormley, Community Board 2 district manager, in a phone interview.

The clubs have come before C.B. 2 multiple times. The last time they came before the board was in October 2011, addressing community concerns over Greenhouse. Representatives of the club agreed to a number of stipulations, including a database of banned customers and hiring extra security.

“We want them to adhere to the stipulations and be good neighbors,” said Gormley during a follow-up call. “It’s not helpful to have a club that the First Precinct has to visit with some regularity.”

Representatives of W.i.P. declined to comment on the record for this story.

Scoopy’s notebook

Continued from page 3 ing of the project, to allow pedestrians the opportunity to self-discover it.

Local employee Paris Osgerchian, who works as a photo retoucher in a nearby studio, said the neighborhood needs places for locals to sit outdoors. That the sculpted stones sit hard by the tunnel’s traffic flow doesn’t matter to him. “Being a New

Yorker, noise and traffic don’t really bother me,” he said.

Miccinilli, above, A New Jersey native who also teaches on the art faculty at William Paterson University, said of the granite hunks, “I love the idea that it’s reclaimed.” The city repurposes the blocks of stone from material from the dismantled Willis Avenue Bridge. “It’s got such power to it,” she added, “and it challenges our notion of what’s valuable.”

July 18 - 24, 2013

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Police BLOTTER Guilty in Soho House slay A man accused of brutally murdering his girlfriend in their room at Soho House in the Meatpacking District in 2010 has been found guilty, and now faces the possibility of life in prison, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced on July 11.

A State Supreme Court jury voted to convict Nicholas Brooks, 27, of seconddegree murder — the top and only charge brought against him by the D.A. — nearly three years after the death of his girlfriend, Sylvie Cachay, 33.

Shortly after midnight on Dec. 9, 2010, Brooks and Cachay checked into a room at Soho House, the hotel and private-members club at 29-35 Ninth Ave., according to court documents. After considering the evidence, the jury agreed that sometime between 12:30 a.m. and 2:15 a.m., Brooks strangled Cachay and then drowned her in the room’s bathtub, the D.A.’s office said.

The Soho House guest staying in the room beneath the couple told management around 2:10 a.m. that water was leaking through his ceiling. After hotel employees entered Brooks and Cachay’s room to investigate the leak, they discovered the woman’s half-clothed body submerged in the overflowing bathtub. Emergency medical personnel called to the scene pronounced her dead around 3:30 a.m.

The crime’s horrific nature compelled the D.A. to release a statement highlighting the ongoing danger of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence victims all too frequently become homicide victims,” Vance said. “Sylvie Cachay suffered a terrible death at the hands of a man who claimed to love her. In 2010, nearly 1,100 women were murdered nationwide by a husband or boyfriend — and every death was a complete and utter tragedy, forever felt by the victim’s family, friends and community. I would like to thank the members of the jury for their work in this harrowing case of domestic violence."

Brooks is expected to be sentenced Aug. 26.

Attack at Westbeth

A resident of the renowned Westbeth Artists Housing complex was arrested for allegedly attacking another resident on the afternoon of July 12, police said.

The victim, 53, claimed that he was simply walking through the hallway just outside his apartment at 55 Bethune St., around 3:30 p.m., when Ari Satlin, 43, a neighboring resident, bashed him in the head. The unsuspecting man later told police that he wasn’t sure exactly what hit him — he thought it was either a large stick or a pipe of some kind — but he

was left with a large cut on his head that required stitches after a trip to Bellevue Hospital. And while the weapon wasn’t clear, when the bleeding man called police after the incident, he said he was positive it was Satlin who inflicted the blow.

After a canvass of the building and surrounding area, police arrested Satlin and charged him with assault.

‘Con Ed’ con artist The owner of a Meatpacking District pizza joint was shocked to find out that he had been swindled out of nearly $1,000 by a con artist posing as a Con Edison employee.

The victim, who runs Rocky's Brick Oven Pizza, at 304 W. 14th St., told police that the incident began July 7, when an unknown man wearing a Con Ed uniform walked into his restaurant, saying he was there to charge the business owner for scheduled maintenance on the building's electricity meters. Before shadily disappearing, the phony utility-company worker told the victim to call a Brooklyn phone number in order to pay the “maintenance fee,” police said.

Unfortunately for the pizzeria proprietor, he fell for the scheme, and sent $949 to a bogus online account after calling the number the next day and following the imposter’s instructions. The victim told police he only realized his mistake when he later called the real Con Ed to request more information about the situation, and a representative told him there was no maintenence planned for his meter, and that he had been conned.

Unfortunately, when the pizzeria owner reported the crime to police, he couldn’t provide enough information for officers to track down the swindler. So, according to the Sixth Precinct, the case has been closed pending any further evidence.

Cocaine bust

Vigilant police officers on patrol were able to spot a weighty drug deal in progress near Washington Sqare Park on the evening of July 12, and stepped in at just the right moment in order to legally catch both the buyer and seller in the act.

The officers first observed Jason Bonk, 32, carrying a large plastic bag stuffed with alleged cocaine as he walked toward the corner of Waverly Place and Grove St. around 5:15 p.m., police said. But instead of arresting him then, the officers scoped out the location from a distance, waiting to see if any further action would occur.

Their patience was rewarded when Sean Christianson, 33, approached the location minutes later and, under the officers' surveillance, paid Bonk cash in

exchange for the sack of coke, police said.

As soon as the transaction took place, the officers arrested Bonk and Christianson, charging them both with criminal sale of a controlled substance.

Stared down armed thug

A Soho woman was lucky to be alive after challenging an armed mugger’s manhood in Soho on Wed., July 3.

Anna Graham, 54, said she was smoking a cigarette in front of her residential building on Grand St. between Wooster and Greene Sts., at about 1:15 a.m. when she was approached by two men. The first man, wearing a black hoodie, pulled out a black firearm with a brown handle and told her to give him her wallet. According to police, she told the robber she didn’t have a wallet and that he “did not have the balls to shoot her.” She said the man then pointed the gun at her chest, while the other man, wearing a black jacket and white baseball cap, said, “shoot, shoot, shoot.” But the gunman did not fire.

The second man went over to two other women, Graham’s friends, who were loading their belongings into a car in preparation for a trip out to Long Island, and he began to take their prop-

erty out of the vehicle. Police said one of these two women, 49, noticed what was happening and fought with the robber, who kicked her. He then threatened the third woman, 53, and told her to hand over her wallet, police said. She also told them she did not have a wallet and then called 911, causing the muggers to flee north on Greene St. However, the muggers reportedly did make off with an iPad mini, a Samsung Galaxy cell phone and about $600 in cash taken from the car.

A woman in a do-rag was seen fleeing with the two robbers, according to police, who believe she may have been a lookout.

No injuries were reported.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, while praising Graham’s bravery, said each person must make his or her own decision in such cases.

“It may not have been the smartest thing to do, to say this to someone holding a gun to your head, but you have to admire her gumption and guts,” Kelly said, according to the Daily News.

Graham is married to renowned Russian-born sculptor Ernst Neizvestny.

Sam Spokony and Kaitlyn Meade

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July 18 - 24, 2013

Outrage over Trayvon verdict sparks massive protest Continued from page 1

Photo by Heather Dubin

A man noted that he’s not the type who gets racially profiled.

“It’s extremely unjust,” she said. “I feel as if Trayvon’s family and America as a whole has been let down by the American judicial system.”

Martin, 17, was shot and killed on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford by Zimmerman, 29, a neighborhood watch volunteer who thought the teenager wearing a hooded sweatshirt and walking across a lawn at night was up to no good. Last Saturday evening, Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Florida is one of more than 21 states with a “Stand Your Ground” law that allows for self-defense when a person feels threatened by harm or his or her life is endangered.

“I believe that Stand Your Ground law should be taken off the books completely,” Rivera added. “When you stand your ground with a deadly weapon, that’s considered murder.”

Also in the crowd, Shelia Dartley of Manhattan, 41, said she was “absolutely disgusted” by the verdict. “But I’m not surprised by it,” she said, “especially coming out of Florida because of the way they’ve dealt with minorities in terms of justice.”

While African-Americans comprise 16.6 percent of Florida’s population, they account for 42.5 percent of its jail population, and 28.3 percent of arrests in

the state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“We’re beyond disappointed. We don’t even have words at this point,” said Jesse Lang, 31, of the Bronx. Her partner wouldn’t give his name, but said he was “an angry black man, 32, with a 13-yearold son.”

“We had to have a talk with him last weekend about being safe,” Lang said of the teen. “We told him to hold his head up high, but be careful — be aware, there are people who are suspicious of him.”

Many protesters wore hooded sweatshirts in solidarity with Martin, despite the heat. Eric Collins of Brooklyn, 39, was one of them, and his hoodie had a thick white lining.

“I’m wearing it because he died,” he said. “I can be uncomfortable for an hour. The least I can do is be here — he’s not.”

Although Collins was not pleased with the verdict, he did advocate for fairness.

“You have to believe in the justice system,” he said. “If you don’t believe in the verdict, you have to believe in the justice system. There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like the verdict — from gay rights, voting restriction or abortion — there’s always someone who disagrees.”

Collins said the Martin case ruling confirmed to him that black people face a double-standard in terms of how their behavior is perceived.

“My impression is I, as a minority, have to work harder to prove I deserve the rights that are given to other individuals who don’t have to think twice about the rights that have been given to them,” he said.

“I think about this stuff all the time,” he added. “I think twice about any actions that would be deemed as violent. Things can go wrong.”

When he is in front of police officers, he doesn’t put his hands in his pockets, raise his voice or run. He also refrains from making any gestures with his hands, like pointing an index finger, or a violent gesture.

“You have to be submissive to people who are supposed to be protecting you,” Collins said.

He recalled Zimmerman’s claim that Martin’s death was God’s plan, yet his own take has a more hopeful spin.

“Maybe in some twisted way this was supposed to happen, unfortunately,” he said, “because it’s created a movement, and this has caused a chain reaction.”

The protest picked up momentum as demonstrators yelled, “Out of the park and into the streets!” and people pushed through police barriers to pour onto Broadway. Police officers, who had formed a perimeter around the park, did not interfere, and stood in a line to block car traffic on Broadway.

Protesters chanted, “Stand Up! Fight Back!” and a saxophone player and a drummer played “The Battle Hymn of The Republic.” The demonstrators made their

way uptown to Times Square, where they continued to protest and shut down traffic once again.

The U.S. Justice Department is currently reviewing the case, and may pursue criminal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. In a statement released Sunday, the department said, “Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal civil rights statues within

our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the department’s policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.”

An investigation was opened last year by the department. D.O.J.’s criminal section of its civil rights division — along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the F.B.I. — is continuing to evaluate the state trial and evidence from the federal investigation.

Photo by Tequila Minsky

At Sunday’s protest in Union Square, a woman held a sign quoting the great AfricanAmerican poet Langston Hughes.

July 18 - 24, 2013

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‘Hoodie holy days’ show solidarity with slain teen BY heather duBin Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village will join other congregations this weekend in a national protest action inspired by the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin.

“We are going to wear hoodies this Sunday,” said Reverend Jacqui Lewis, the church’s senior minister. “We’re joining faith-based communities around the country — it’s hoodie holy days.”

The protest effort is led by PICO, a national network of faith-based community organizations that work on social issues; Sojourners, a national Christian organization for social justice; Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners, and author; and other faith leaders.

“I was on the phone with rabbis and nonprofit leaders from all across the country,” Lewis said. “We are all trying participate in this movement for justice.”

The service begins at 11:15 a.m. at Middle Collegiate, which is on Second Ave. at Seventh St., and will be streamed live for those who might not score one of the 300 seats in the church.

“My wonderful colleague Associate Minister Chad Tanaka Pack will preach a great sermon,” said Lewis. Afterward,

people will have an opportunity to use art and learn how to talk about justice.

“We’re going to keep this conversation going, have people talk about their feelings, and think about next steps,” she added.

Lewis spoke about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s petition to urge the Justice Department to investigate the Martin case as a civil rights issue.

“We’re gathering signatures for that, and we’re making a push for people to make it to the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, Aug. 28,” she said. “We’re trying to coalesce around voters’ rights, the school-to-prison pipeline, and economic justice — all issues that we faith-filled voice in the public square.”

Lewis closes Sunday prayer with a line borrowed from Sweet Honey in the Rock, the female a cappella ensemble: “We who believe in justice cannot rest until it comes.”

“It’s too hot to have on a hoodie every Sunday,” she said. “But we are in our hearts grieving with Trayvon’s parents, and in our hearts, not wanting gay people, or women with their heads covered, to be targeted. No one should be targeted for who they are.”

Photo by Tequila Minsky

A young girl in Union Square on Sunday watched the protests against the Florida court’s acquittals of George Zimmerman.

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July 18 - 24, 2013

Photos by Roberta Bayley

Arturo the V… do you remember rock ’n’ roll radio?

Arturo Vega, who died at age 65 on June 8, was known as “The Fifth Ramone.” His E. Second St. loft became the band’s headquarters, T-shirt factory and sometime home. He was their the spokesman, lighting director, logo designer and faithful friend, staying with them from 1974 to 1996, when the band broke up for the last time.

Photographer Roberta Bayley, shooting for PUNK magazine, which was very tight with the Ramones, captured iconic images of the band, Vega and her PUNK associates. At right, Arturo Vega, in front of his loft’s entrance, surrounded by the Ramones, during a photo session for the band’s first record cover. Above, posing in front of a painting

by Arturo Vega, from left, Vega; John Holmstrom, founding editor of PUNK magazine; actress Edith Massey of “Pink Flamingos” and “Polyester” fame; Joey Ramone; and Legs McNeil, PUNK magazine co-founder.

July 18 - 24, 2013

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Toshi Seeger, 91, co-founded Clearwater with Pete OBITUARY

By Albert Amateau Toshi Seeger, an organizer and homemaker who was largely responsible for the success of her husband, the folk singer Pete Seeger, died July 9 at their home in Beacon, N.Y., just nine days before the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary. She was 91.

Toshi helped produce many of Pete’s concerts and rarely got credit for them. For one Pete Seeger event she was listed as “chief cook and bottle washer.” Toshi did get credit as executive producer of the 2007 PBS documentary “Pete Seeger, The Power of Song,” which won an Emmy award.

Born in Munich, Germany, to a Japanese father and an American mother, Toshi Aline Ohta was 6 months old when her parents brought her to New York, where they made their home in Greenwich Village.

Her Japanese grandfather, who had translated Karl Marx into Japanese, had been ordered into exile from Japan for illegal support of the Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat Sen. But under Japanese law, a son could serve a father’s sentence and Toshi’s father, Takashi Ohta, volunteered.

A teenager when he had to leave Japan, Takashi Ohta traveled the world, working on British merchant ships and wherever else he could find work. He met Virginia Perry, an American, in Munich where they were married and where Toshi was born in 1922. Takashi Ohta first found work in New York as a caretaker for the Henry St. Settlement, according to a Washington Post article.

Raised in the Village, Toshi went to Little Red Schoolhouse on Bleecker St., the city’s first progressive education school, and then to the High School of Music and Art, where she was in the school’s first graduating class in 1940.

Toshi was 16 when she met Pete Seeger at a square dance. They were married in 1943 when Pete was in Army basic training in Mississippi. Pete didn’t have

Toshi Seeger.

enough money to buy a ring, so Toshi borrowed her grandmother’s ring for the ceremony. She also lent Pete $3 for the marriage license, according to an article by Sue Leonard in the magazine Persimmon Tree.

Pete and Toshi moved to the Hudson River town of Beacon, N.Y., in 1949. They took shelter in a tent while they built their cabin, where they raised their son, Daniel, and two daughters, Mika and Tinya. The family

lived for a time without electricity or running water.

In addition to raising the family, Toshi took an active part in the business side of Pete’s career as a folk singer.

She helped organize the Great Hudson River Revival music festival and the annual Clearwater Campaign that raised money for the Hudson River sloop Clearwater.

The campaign was one of the efforts that led to the clearing of PCB pollution from the river.

“Toshi-Aline Ohta Seeger co-founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater with her husband, musician and activist Pete Seeger, in 1966,” Clearwater officials said in an obituary on the group’s Web site. “Toshi was involved with Clearwater in multiple ways from the organization’s beginnings and helped to steer the various folk concerts and events, including Pumpkin Sail and the early incarnations of the Clearwater Festival. She was active in the development of what has been known as the Great Hudson River Revival for 35 years, a music and environmental festival that welcomes over 20,000 visitors to Croton Point Park in Westchester County, N.Y., each year.”

In 1949 she suggested key participants in the first Newport Jazz Festival, according to George Wein, the festival organizer.

In 1966 Toshi, Pete and their son Daniel visited a prison in Huntsville, Tex., along with the folklorist Bruce Jackson to make the acclaimed documentary film “Afro American Work Songs in a Texas Prison.”

When Pete Seeger was charged with contempt in the 1960s for refusing to name Communist associates, Toshi brought their three children to court. Pete was sentenced to a year in jail but did not serve it because the case was thrown out on appeal. Toshi quipped at the time. “Next time no appeal. Let him go to jail.”

In addition to Pete, who is 94, and their three children, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild also survive. Her first child, Peter, died in 1944 when he was 6 months old.

A memorial service for Toshi is planned for the fall, time and place to be announced.

New elite enclave is at odds with spirit of Village TALKING POINT

By Elissa Stein Reminiscent of gutted stretches of the Upper East Side making way for gleaming, luxury buildings, the soon-to-be The Greenwich Lane site is already promoting an air of exclusivity, seemingly at odds with the sense of community so inherent to the West Village.

According to its Web site, the buildings “…all come together to surround one lush central garden. … The garden is just one of a staggering array of private amenities, all presented at a level of discretion unheard of in most West Village residences.”

It sounds remarkably like a concentrated-wealth, gated community is taking shape in a neighborhood known in the not-to-distant past for inclusion of all sorts.

During the planning process, a community groundswell of complaints made sure the impending tower wasn’t too tall, that the total number of apartments wasn’t too large, and that potential problems of local school overcrowding were addressed. But other issues, like affordable housing options being included in the development, didn’t make the to-do list. Nor did making sure the Lower West Side would again have a fully functioning hospital.

As recently reported by The Villager, the number of apartments in The Greenwich Lane has now been reduced from 350 to 200. And while no floor plans or prices are available yet, one can register at The Greenwich Lane’s Web site, which notes the condos’ prices will generally range from $2 million to $20 million.

Some residents note that perhaps the development will bring retail back to the neighborhood, which has seen too many

store closings as of late. But the other side of that coin is that new shops that would appeal to this upscale clientele could be far too expensive for many locals. While many still mourn the loss of Joe Jr. (the much-beloved diner), Jon Vie (the French bakery on Sixth Ave. that gave free cookies to kids for more than 45 years), Jefferson Market, even Food Emporium, along with many other mom-and-pop shops, it seems unlikely The Greenwich Lane, on the site of the defunct St. Vincent’s Hospital, will encourage reasonable, small-scale, local commerce.

While the developers can’t be blamed for the hospital’s closing, they can be held responsible for other issues, like the contentious rezoning of local elementary schools. The influx of so many new apartments and fear of additional overcrowding means that soon families living a block away from P.S. 41 will

no longer be able to send their kids there. And while the developer, the Rudin company, is donating money to fund public-school art programs and a nonprofit group that supports affordable housing, the exclusion of affordable housing in this massive project all but guarantees additional challenges for the middle class in continuing to call the West Village home.

For a section of the city rooted in history, landmarks and diversity, this impending elite enclave is a reflection of Manhattan’s new reality as a whole.

The West Village had seemed impervious to this trend, but this vast development is proving even this long-established, seemingly protected community is not immune to large-scale change.

Progress and growth are vital, but this movement to exclusively upscale could undermine what makes this neighborhood so unique.

10

July 18 - 24, 2013

editorial

The Trayvon verdict Amid the ongoing concern about racial profiling in America, last Saturday evening’s verdict in the Trayvon Martin killing came as stunning news.

Protests erupted across the country, with the one Sunday in Times Square reportedly having been the largest of all.

At Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village, worshipers this past Sunday, once again — as they did after Martin’s killing in February 2012 — donned hoodies during their service. The gesture is intended as a protest against racial profiling and also in the hope that we, as a society, will be able to transcend the racial injustice that still plagues our country.

It is also a call for justice for Trayvon Martin.

Mayor Bloomberg, probably the country’s most highprofile advocate for gun control, put it correctly when he said this case makes it “crystal clear” why the so-called Stand Your Ground laws, like Florida’s, must be rolled back.

In a statement, Bloomberg said, “Sadly, all the facts in this tragic case will probably never be known. But one fact has long been crystal clear: ‘Shoot first’ laws like those in Florida can inspire dangerous vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns. Such laws — drafted by gun lobby extremists in Washington — encourage deadly confrontations by enabling people to shoot first and argue ‘justifiable homicide’ later.”

The Department of Justice is being called on to continue its investigation into whether the shooter, George Zimmerman, violated Martin’s civil rights. That investigation had been suspended with the start of the Florida court case.

Many legal experts, however, think it highly unlikely that Justice will find against Zimmerman at this point, after the Florida court cleared him of murder, as well as manslaughter.

Clearly, Zimmerman — a wannabe cop who was merely a so-called neighborhood watch patrolman — never should be allowed to carry a firearm again. He has already taken one innocent life, and that is too many. In fact, he never even should have been permitted to carry a gun while patrolling as a volunteer watchman. All he needed was a cell phone or a walkie-talkie — and, in fact, that’s all any volunteer patroller needs. Having a guy like this armed and out looking for teens — or “punks,” as Zimmerman sneeringly described Martin — was an accident waiting to happen, and, tragically, it did.

Zimmerman never would have been as quick to get out of his car and tail Martin — expressly violating police orders — had he not been packing a handgun. Without the gun, after initiating a scuffle with Martin, Zimmerman maybe just would have gotten beaten up — maybe even badly beaten — and maybe he would have then given more thought in the future to confronting teens merely committing the “offense” of W.W.B., Walking While Black.

Furthermore, Zimmerman definitely should have been wearing a bright-colored windbreaker — like the Guardian Angels — or security-type vest that was clearly marked “Neighborhood Watch,” or something to that effect. This would have at least let Martin know what he was dealing with, and might well have kept the situation from escalating.

Even with a concealed handgun, wearing this kind of identifying garment lets people know that this person is presenting himself as some sort of pseudo-authority. Regardless of whether or not the person in the vest is a nutcase, at least the other party can grasp the situation, and has more information to help decide how to respond.

Local police — such as in Sanford, Florida — surely know who the neighborhood watch people are in their jurisdictions, and they certainly know if these individuals are armed. There should be greater oversight and training of them by police, and this could at least start with making them wear mandatory identifying garments or patches, badges, etc.

Zimmerman should never be allowed to carry a firearm again — though, legally, he will get his gun back. But the issues of Stand Your Ground laws and armed vigilante watchmen who profile our youth must be addressed. Reforms are needed, or more innocent youths will lose their lives.

letters to the editor Enjoy your ‘blood condos’!

equality under the law can still chalk up victories in the 21st century.

To The Editor: Re “Fewer but wealthier tenants for former St. Vincent’s site” (news article, July 11): I still wonder how long buyers will be haunted by the ghosts of a hospital in these blood condos. One more example of the arrogance of the Rudin family and their Rudin real estate company is, again, that they change what they said was being built.

State Senator Holyman is correct in saying that the decrease of the number of these new residents will have a favorable effect on the integration into the neighborhood of these rich folk and lower the disruption on existing community resources.

A smaller hospital with a trauma level-one ER could have been built either on the hospital site or across the street on the O’Toole site without being in violation of the landmark ruling.

Jonathan Geballe Geballe is Democratic district leader, 66th Assembly District, Part A

Jim Fouratt

This Pride had special meaning To The Editor: What a privilege to join tens of thousands from the gay community and their multitude of supporters at the Gay Pride March on June 20. Together with Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the DOMA case, and her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, and Roberta’s spouse, Rachel Lavine, we marched in celebration of this important step for marriage equality and gay rights, embraced by the Supreme Court in its recent decisions.

The DOMA win had special meaning for the Village Independent Democrats club, since Roberta and Rachel, who is our Democratic State Committee person, call V.I.D. their home club, and V.I.D. just honored Edith Windsor and Roberta at its spring gala. Also marching were Assemblymember Deborah Glick and state Senator Brad Hoylman, who call V.I.D. their home club, and V.I.D. officers Peter Crosta, Marti Speranza, Lucia Fedora and Katharine Wolpe.

I had the honor of striding alongside Congressman Jerry Nadler — City Council candidate Corey Johnson also marched with us — and it was a thrill to hear, block after block, the deep support: “Jer-ry! Jer-ry!” It was a day to remember that despite continuing attacks on our Bill of Rights, the ongoing struggle for civil liberties and

Arturo put the art in Ramones To The Editor: Re “Arturo Vega, 65, artistic director for the Ramones” (obituary, July 11): I met Arturo at Performance Studios here in New York City back in the early ’70s when the Ramones were first starting out and developing their one-of-a-kind music and look. In those days, Arturo dressed pretty wildly in colorful mesh and striped shirts, wide belts and large sunglasses. We both were there from the first days of the Ramones to more than 22 years of touring with the band.

The Ramones couldn’t pay Arturo at first, so he would make the T-shirts by hand and then sell them at the venues just to be able to tour with the band. Being a great artist helped him develop a unique look for the Ramones’ stage lighting when he became the band’s light tech.

Of course he’s most famous for creating the Ramones eagle logo, now an iconic image. Arturo would create and hand-paint most of the band’s large backdrops and also that wonderfully quirky Pinhead sign (Gabba Gabba Hey!). He was a multi-talented guy and my very good friend... . Adios Amigo.

Monte A. Melnick Melnick was the Ramones tour manager for 22 years and is author of “On The Road With the Ramones

Running a hotel in her home To The Editor: Re “Rising rents and transient tenants” (letter, Georgette Fleischer, July 4): I want to second the concerns expressed in Georgette Fleischer’s letter on the explosion of Airbnb subletting in our neighborhood and its corrosive effects.

Tenants who are apparently too good to work for a liv-

Continued on page 12

EVAN FORSCH ,

July 18 - 24, 2013

11

Pier air rights may open a Pandora’s box of development tAlkinG point BY andrew BerMan In late June we learned that the state Assembly and Senate had passed legislation that, among other things, allows the sale of air rights from piers within the Hudson River Park for development one block inland, with the money from the sales to be used to fund the park. This startling news has raised serious concerns about exactly how much additional development this will lead to, where and what the impact will be.

Unfortunately, none of the answers to these questions are fully clear yet, in part because of the complicated rules governing development in New York. But it’s also partly because very little analysis of these questions was done prior to the Legislature’s approval of this measure, and because exactly how this will ultimately play out still remains to be seen.

This legislation may not, in and of itself, result in a wall of skyscrapers bordering the park. But, at the very least, it may facilitate substantially larger development on the blocks bounded on the west by West St., all the way from Chambers St. to 59th St. Worse, it may open the door to, and provide an incentive and rationale for, rezoning parts of our neighborhood to permit even larger development than just the air-rights transfers, in themselves, would allow. And it is yet another step toward requiring real estate development as the price for securing public amenities and infrastructure — a disturbing trend which has become increasingly common in New York City in recent years.

While it is unclear exactly how the transfer of air rights from park piers will ultimately play out, the scenarios range from worrisome to much worse. The worst-case scenario is that the legislation has already made air-rights transfers immediately possible from piers within the park to inland sites for development. Most of those behind the legislation, including state Senator Brad Hoylman, who voted to approve the measure, and Assemblymembers Deborah Glick and Dick Gottfried, who sponsored it, believe this is not the case. I am hopeful that this is true. But there is enough ambiguity in the language of the legislation that further investigation is needed to conclusively prove this — especially given that state legislation trumps New York City zoning rules, and it is those city zoning rules that the bill’s authors claim prevent the use of the pier’s air rights inland right now.

But even in a best-case scenario, approval of this legislation was the first step in a two-step process to allow these air-rights sales and transfers to take place. And this decision was made with virtually no notice to or consultation with the affected inland communities, outside of some discussion within committees charged with overseeing the development of the Hudson River Park (and even many members of those committees have said they were completely blindsided by this plan).

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In response to the questions we have raised, the Hudson River Park Trust has recently put forward a figure of around 1.6 million square feet as the total of unused air rights currently available under this new rule. To give you some sense of how much this is, the 30-story towers of N.Y.U.’s Silver Towers complex on Bleecker St. — currently some of the tallest and most prominent buildings in the Village — are about 200,000 square feet each. So 1.6 million square feet would be the equivalent of eight more of these towers that currently dominate the skyline of the Village.

But there is reason to believe that the amount of potential air rights ultimately may be even greater. The 1.6 million-square-foot figure is based upon current conditions on the piers. But some of these piers, such as Pier 40, at W. Houston St., may eventually have some or all of their structures (pier sheds) removed, or replaced with smaller ones. The current Pier 40 structure is several hundred thousand square feet; so if even just part of the structure is eventually removed — say, 200,000 square feet — that

Requiring real estate development for securing public amenities and infrastructure is a disturbing trend. creates an additional 200,000 square feet of air rights that, under this new legislation, could be transferred inland for development on those neighboring blocks.

The 1.6 million-square-foot figure also assumes that only those piers that are designated as “commercial” piers, such as Pier 40, Chelsea Piers and Pier 76, among others, have air rights, and that “recreational” piers, such as those at Christopher, Charles and Jane Sts., do not. But this is based upon interpretations of zoning regulations by the city, and the city has been known to change such interpretations before. In recent years, for instance, the city has reinterpreted zoning rules to allow “condo-hotels” in manufacturing zones, and to allow air rights from properties restricted to community uses to be used for private condo development. More importantly, we’ll soon have a new mayor, which means those in charge of making these interpretations will soon be changing, as well. While a new mayor does not have unlimited latitude in this regard, there is room to maneuver on these sort of development and zoning issues, and past mayors have certainly done so before.

But even if the amount of air rights are exactly what state legislators and the Hudson River Park Trust are currently telling us, and their use on inland blocks would still require an additional city or state action, this is not very reassuring.

Neither a city rezoning (a “ULURP”) or a “general project

plan” by the state — the next-step processes that would be required to use the air rights — guarantees a favorable outcome for the community. In fact, experience has shown just the opposite is more likely the case.

And both the city and state processes are ultimately controlled by forces far beyond our neighborhood. A rezoning initiated by the city or a private developer is decided by appointees of the mayor, the five borough presidents and the 51 members of the City Council, who may have a very different view of what is right for our community than we do. And a “general project plan” by the state is decided by forces even farther removed from our community, in Albany. Both processes involve limited, if any, community input, and we have seen how community input can be ignored in city rezonings, as with New York University’s expansion plan.

But perhaps most disturbingly, this new mechanism creates a strong incentive for our current zoning to be reopened to not only allow the transfer of air rights from the piers — which would allow larger development inland to fund the park — but to go beyond that and allow even greater development in our neighborhoods as part of the deal. Based upon experiences in recent years, it is easy to imagine a scenario in which we will be told that in order to get the “benefit” of an air-rights transfer from the piers to fund the Hudson River Park, we will have to accept a zoning change with additional, undesirable elements — whether it be even larger development, undesirable uses or zoning changes elsewhere. This has been the consistent pattern in most, though not all, rezonings put forward by the city when some public benefit is attached.

I don’t mean to imply that the entire picture emerging from the adoption of this air-rights transfer provision is automatically doom and gloom. Is it possible that limited air-rights transfers could be allowed to sites one block inland where larger development than currently allowed is appropriate? Could the tradeoff ultimately be worth it to help the park? Is it even possible that as part of the rezonings or “general project plans” that may be necessary to allow this to happen, other benefits could be afforded our community, or other positive changes made to development rules in our neighborhood?

It is possible. And that is exactly what those who made this air-rights transfer provision possible now have a responsibility to ensure happens, should this provision be used.

But frankly, that will be no easy task. And with this new development-rights transfer legislation, our ongoing fight to preserve the scale and character of our neighborhood, especially along the waterfront, just got a good deal more challenging. This new provision has opened a proverbial Pandora’s box of development potential. And in our heavily real estate industry-influenced city, the outcome of that is, I believe, much more likely to be bad than good.

Berman is executive director, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

Member of the New York Press Association

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12

July 18 -24, 2013

Westbeth vacancies fuel rumors of co-op conversion Continued from page 1 director of Westbeth Corporation, said that because Hurricane Sandy flooded the complex’s basement, which once housed office space for the Westbeth staff, some six apartments are being used for the staff to work out of. Neil also said that several other apartments have been turned into temporary rooms for a staff lounge, as well as changing and locker rooms for the building employees.

As for the other empty apartment spaces, Neil noted that Westbeth has rented them out to current tenants on the in-house moves list, therefore leaving “a net space of zero” for those on the outside wait list. Once a unit becomes available, it is first shown to internal candidates and then to the outside list.

“Mr. Neil is correct to some extent,” said Cominskie, nothing that, to his knowledge, one residential apartment has been converted to a personal office for Neil’s use, and that since Sandy, another is currently being used as a lounge for the maintenance/ security staff, on top of three that are being used as storage space.

However, Cominskie said, “Even if we subtract those three apartments from the mix, that leaves at minimum a dozen empty apartments.”

Roger Braimon, a resident and member of WARC who oversees the artistic merit of potential new tenants, said that some apartments were already being left empty even before Hurricane Sandy hit.

However, Neil said, the repairs process is “not uncomplicated,” and that the staff have been working alongside contractors to clean up and fix the damage caused by the flooding.

But Braimon charged, “There are vacant apartments and there are legitimate reasons for it, but the repairs are not happening fast enough.”

A procedural change might be the cause of the backlog of vacant apartments. According to Cominskie, about two years ago, the board of directors put the management office in charge of overseeing in-house moves. Before then, all in-house lists for moving were available for public viewing and handled by a committee that worked alongside management.

Since that change, the lists have been kept from the public eye and “no one really knows if a person who gets an apartment was on the list ahead of them,” said Cominskie.

Photo by Toni Dalton

The interconnected complex of old Bell Labs buildings at Westbeth makes for interesting compositions and angles for resident photographer Toni Dalton to work with.

He added that, in some cases, people who were either not on the lists or lower on the lists were awarded apartments before those ahead of them were given the option to take an apartment.

“When this change happened, the vacancy rate for apartments surged,” he said. Currently, the average amount of time for an apartment to sit empty is close to 18 months.

According to Braimon, two vacancies were recently given to commercial tenants, although his committee was not informed until afterward.

“WARC worked very well with the board and management for over 20 years,” Cominskie said. “Now, we are told that things are none of our business.”

The in-house moves list is for tenants who wish to move to another apartment due to family composition changes or medical necessities.

“There are some medical conditions that are private that would place a tenant ahead of another,” acknowledged Braimon.

“So, for some reasons, the privacy of the tenant is considered.

Otherwise, it’s a mystery who gets an apartment.”

Cominskie said he understood that management and the board have responsibilities, “but they carry them out without any input from the residents,” he said. “The lack of transparency is appalling.”

This is a sentiment echoed by some fellow tenants. One

tenant, who requested anonymity, said the board of directors “oversee everything in Westbeth, and they have not been very transparent with the residents in terms of what they’re doing.”

WARC got local elected officials to sign a letter that was sent to the Westbeth board of directors regarding the empty apartments, but according to Braimon, the committee has yet to receive a response.

Cominksie noted that apartments were offered to people on the in-house moves list only after the letter from the officials was received.

“Prior to that letter,” he said, “no one had been offered an apartment.”

There are suspicions among some tenants and those on the wait list that the management’s goal in “warehousing” these apartments is to convert Westbeth into a co-op, with the units to be eventually sold at market value.

However, Cominskie said there are many “conspiracy theories” about what the management is up to.

“I do not think they are evil or corrupt,” he said. “There are some very hard-working and dedicated people in the management office.”

Asked if the apartments are being warehoused because, as some worry, Westbeth’s board plans to convert to a market-rate co-op, Neil bristled.

“Absolute, categorical no,” he said, “even if it were legally possible, and it’s not. And anyone who is spreading that rumor is either ignorant or doing it for another reason that I don’t care to speculate about. That’s a completely ridiculous question, because to sell the property we would need the approval of the New York State attorney general, the New York commissioner of housing, and probably the city housing department, and if we did, we would have to take all that money [from any apartment sales] and put it back into a similar notfor-profit corporation.”

An artist who has been on the wait list to get into Westbeth for years and declined to be named, however, said that Westbeth cannot “fool around” with struggling artists who are waiting for an apartment in the famed residential complex.

“A lot of us get crushed by the corporate world,” said the artist, who noted he stopped counting how long he has waited to get into Westbeth. “There are very good artists, and we keep working and are barely making rent, and we’re worried that we’re going to wind up on the street.”

letteRS to the editoR Continued from page 10

325 W. 14th St. New York, NY 10014 (212) 242-1456

www.reddenfuneralhome.net NY State law mandates that funeral trust funds for Medicaid recipients pay for funeral and burial only. The contracts are irrevocable.

ing are constantly rotating short-term renters through apartments. One woman in my building is prolific at this. I’ve met multiple globetrotters in the building — a few days later, they’re gone. The tenant calls them her “friends.” The tenant stops by occasionally to clean the place for the next “friend.”

One of the new features of the building since this parasite started her nonsense here — something we didn’t have in the 35 years I’ve lived in the building — is bedbugs, beginning in June 2012. These afflicted the family below the scam artist, the man living beside her and the family above that guy. Finally, some of her “friends” started getting bit up, but that hasn’t stopped it — she’s had more “friends” in there since them. She must be making a bundle.

Also, we now have burglaries. This is Little Italy, we never had burglaries. Just this spring, two apart-

ments — air-shaft side in the back — were hit while those tenants were out.

I’m not one to name names. This scammer knows who she is, and the landlord has warned her. The state forbids this but the city needs a law, punishable by steep monetary penalty per episode. New York City should do a general sweep-up of these scammers — easily done online, just run a sting.

Elliott Hurwitt E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal St., Suite 1C, NY, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. The Villager does not publish anonymous letters.

July 18 - 24, 2013

13

Park views: Snowden, snooping, safety vs. privacy Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency, leaked topsecret documents that revealed the U.S. government’s mass surveillance programs. Now hiding out in Russia and seeking asylum in Latin America, Snowden follows in the footsteps of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has since taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The Villager recently asked some Washington Square parkgoers what they thought of Snowden and the U.S. government’s surveillance activities.

and no one’s going to come and arrest me.

In China, I’d do five years for talking about the government. In Russia, Putin would say I stole money and put me away for 10 years. Here you can run your mouth; there are ways of speaking out and saying what’s wrong. Do you always correct it? No. But no one puts you away for saying it and trying to get it corrected.

Do you think gathering people’s information is necessary for national security?

Yes, to a point, of course. The world needs a certain amount of eavesdropping and spying, because how else is the government going to know what’s wrong?

Robert Klein, 65 Retired; Brooklyn

Pastor Downes Minister; New Jersey

Interviews and photos

by Clarissa-Jan Lim

What do you think of the Edward Snowden situation?

Well, the idea that there’s too much spying on the American people, I agree with.

But he broke the law. If he thought something was being done incorrectly, there are people in the government that he can go scream to, but he certainly shouldn’t have run to Russia and now looking to go to South America. If you do something and you do it on principle, then suffer the consequences. If I decided to work for the federal government and I had privileged information, and I decided that they weren’t doing the right thing — it would be chaos. You can’t have everybody deciding what the law should and shouldn’t be. If he went through the channels and saw nothing happens, O.K., stand up, have a press conference, and say, “Arrest me, but this is going on and I want a trial and I want to say what the government is doing that’s wrong.” But you don’t run away. He’s going to countries that are worse than anything our government does. He would be dead in those countries if he did what he did there.

Are you concerned that the government collects information about you?

I am, but there has to be a balance. What the balance is I don’t have the information to know. Unfortunately, the world we live in, you can’t have complete freedom. If something blew up in New York City, I’d be screaming, you’d be screaming: “How come the government didn’t put the pieces together?”

Of all the governments, ours is the best.

Perfect, no, but it’s the best of the lot. I can sit here and bitch about the government

What do you think of the Edward Snowden situation?

Well, it's a difficult thing to fault, because everybody knows the government spies — that’s a given. I don’t know what his motive really was, and I think that’s the key. What was he really trying to do?

Do you support what Snowden did?

Yes and no. If the circumstances were a little bit more of a crisis, I think I could support him. But I just think it’s a little silly. He didn’t accomplish anything but get himself ostracized and run away.

Are you concerned about the government’s invasion of your privacy?

I’m not worried about the government spying because they don’t care about me. But I don’t think they should be spying on the level that they are. If they’ve got a clue on something, then follow it up. But if they’re just spying because they say, “Let’s check this guy out,” I don’t go for that. But we need some kind of surveillance, especially these days when you never know what’s going to happen. I think a little bit is necessary, within limits.

Jason Murak, 20 Traveler; Portland, Oregon What do you think of the Edward Snowden situation?

I think it’s lame that he has to run away to Russia to hide because he leaked that

Do you think gathering people’s information is necessary for national security?

No. I think you have to get it earlier. Like, why are terrorists attacking the country?

Charles Peterson, 38 N.Y.U. Fire Safety Director / Accountant; Brooklyn

information. I think that’s something that the people should be readily knowledgeable of.

Do you support what he did?

Yes. There’s proper channels for the government to be telling us things, but they dam things up and don’t really tell us everything.

I support Snowden. I think we should bring him home.

Are you concerned about the government’s invasion of your privacy?

Yes, a little bit. I just worry about how tied to technology everybody is, and how everybody’s leaving a trace with what they use their technology for, and these traces are stored somewhere, I’m sure. It’s kind of weird that they can catalog everything that we do.

Do you think gathering people’s information is necessary for national security?

It may be necessary, because there are things that they’re probably trying to catch that are important for our safety — people who are doing things that are not in line, people that have things to worry about, maybe. I don’t know.

Anna Schinke, 30 N.Y.U. biochemistry Ph.D. student; Roosevelt Island What do you think of the Edward Snowden situation? Do you support what he did?

I think, yes, because he felt it’s not right and the public should know, and I think it was a big step for him.

Do you think the way he did it was right?

Probably, yes. He needed to get the public’s attention.

Are you concerned about the government’s invasion of your privacy?

Yes, I’m from Europe and, especially in Germany, we protect our data much more, I think. For Germany it’s really a big deal for the government to get all your information.

What do you think of the Edward Snowden situation? Do you support what he did?

No. He was there to do a job. When he took the job with the N.S.A. he knew he was sworn to secrecy.

Everybody else is doing the same thing that we do. Now with the Snowden thing, everybody thinks it’s only the United States, when every country does it. I think he should be prosecuted. He’s not a Rosa Parks, and he’s not a Dr. King, because these people broke the law — which was an unjust law — but they stood and they took the punishment and they changed things.

But this guy said what he said and he ran.

So what good is that? I think he should be prosecuted as a criminal, which he is. He was in possession of stolen property. If I were to do that at my job, I would be fined and possibly criminal charges would be brought against me, because that’s United States property.

Do you think it’s important for people to know that their government is spying on them?

They can’t know everything that’s involved with the government. No country does that.

That’s why we have the C.I.A. and the F.B.I. I mean, there are cameras all over N.Y.U. Everywhere we go, your picture’s probably taken — more times a day than you even know about. I mean, it’s part of our protection. You have to do these things. There’re so many times when people have been caught doing things they shouldn’t have been doing, and we don’t even know about it. Everybody goes on with their lives — who cares, everything’s nice and free — but there are people looking out for you.

Are you concerned about the government’s invasion of your privacy?

No. Don’t get me wrong, people who are suspicious, they’re gonna check ’em out. This guy should be brought back. He’s a coward. I have no sympathy for him. Venezuela’s going to take him, I guess, one of our enemies. God bless him. But he’s not a good person. He’s certainly not American. Just because you’re born here it doesn’t make you an American.

14

July 18 - 24, 2013

Photo by Cathy Glasson

Cronut knockoffs hit the shelves Villager reader Cathy Glasson spotted this latest knockoff of a cronut — the hybrid croissant / doughnut invented in May by Dominique Ansel — at a Stew Leonard’s supermarket in Connecticut. The South Village baker was wise to trademark the word “cronut,” since the peculiar pastry quickly became a global gustatory phenomenon, with cronut look-alikes popping up as far away as the Philippines and Australia. The Cro-Do is “162 layers of butter and dough deep-fried to golden perfection,” Stew Leonard’s boasts. Baked daily and for sale off the supermarket shelf, Cro-Dos are certainly more readily available than the coveted cronut — of which only 375 are made daily — and you don’t have to line up at 3 a.m. to get one. Sold in twos, they cost $3.99 (cheaper than cronuts, which go for $5 each) and can be found at three Stew Leonard’s locations in Connecticut and Yonkers. Glasson enjoyed the free samples. She said there were plenty, and there were no lines in sight.

Photo by Six Lowa

Talk about some cool wheels The heat wave has New Yorkers doing anything to keep cool. Six Lowa snapped this shot near the Pitt St. pool on Tuesday. There’s nothing like some clever ingenuity in the midst of an inferno. Thanks to East Village blogger Shawn Chittle for forwarding the photo.

We are pleased to welcome David B. Samadi, MD to Lenox Hill Hospital as Chair of the Department of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery.

Recognized internationally as a pioneer in robotic surgery for prostate cancer, Dr. Samadi brings an innovative approach to the treatment of prostate cancer, prostate health and men’s health at North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Lenox Hill Prostate Cancer Center.

As part of the health system, Dr. Samadi and his patients have access to our award-winning resources and facilities.

Dr. Samadi is a Professor of Urology at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, where we are advancing medical education for the next generation.

Learn more about Dr. Samadi and Lenox Hill Prostate Cancer Center.

Visit lenoxhillhospital.org/roboticoncology.

For an appointment, call (212) 365-5000.

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July 18 - 24, 2013

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July 18 -24, 2013

If you can swim that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you Continued from page 1 up online.

I figured this would be a piece of cake. I don’t swim a whole lot — I try to do a half hour of laps once a week, just to keep in shape, and it’s good for my lower back. But if I could do a 2.8-mile swim three times before and survive, I was sure I could do a 1K, which is only about six-tenths of 1 mile, easily.

But I had to do a 1-mile qualifying swim at the McBurney YMCA, on W. 14th St. — 33 laps, in a 25-yard pool, a total of 1,650 yards.

I came in at 55 minutes. But I then learned (I hadn’t seen anything posted on the Web site) that the minimum requirement is 45 minutes because there is a window in which the swimmers must finish before the tide changes. NYC SWIM gave me one more chance, and this time I went all-out, only crawl, all the way, and clocked in with time to spare, at 40 minutes.

It was now about a week before the race, so I told myself I’d try to hit the pool a few more times to get in top Michael Phelps-like shape. Of course, I only ended up swimming about 10 minutes the evening right before the race. But that was O.K. I didn’t want to be too tired out there.

What to eat the night before the race to give me some energy? I knew that runners always carbo-loaded on pasta and beer before the New York Marathon. Again, somehow I just didn’t seem to have any time to even boil water to make pasta. So I figured I would buy, hmm — donuts! I bought a half dozen,

There was a countdown — and then, suddenly, I was swimming in the East River.

and popped a couple that night. And I also went off my lite beer “diet” and chugged a real, actual beer, since I figured, I needed the extra calories.

The race start was sometime after 9 a.m. on Sun., July 7. After getting up early that morning, I packed the bare necessities that I would need — MetroCard, an ID card, a bit of money ($20), a baseball cap for the sun after the race — in a small knapsack.

Wearing my swimsuit under my shorts, I biked to the subway, then rode the 4 train to Borough Hall, and then biked down to Brooklyn Bridge Park, under the Manhattan Bridge, where the swimmers were already assembling and getting ready.

I locked my bike to a fence, then went and checked in. Our bags were tagged and would be vanned over to Manhattan for us.

Two women, one on either side of me, with black magic markers, drew a pair of 545’s (my official number) on each of my

Photos by Tom McGann

Looks like these NYC SWIM volunteers had this guy’s number.

shoulders. At a table I picked up a neongreen latex swim cap with 545 written on it, and also a velcro ankle strap with a little orange box. When I emerged from the water on the other side, an NYC SWIM volunteer would take this box and click it off, recording my finish time.

I sat on the grass and stripped off my T-shirt, shorts, socks and sneakers, and tried to fasten my ankle thing on so that it wasn’t either too tight or too loose.

This new grassy park was a beautiful setting in which to stretch and warm up. This particular point of land seemed to be one of the few places in the city that oppressively hot weekend where you could actually feel a breeze.

There had been an online “webinar” about the race and the course that we were advised to watch beforehand, but of course, again, I somehow didn’t have any time for that, either. But, luckily, David Leslie — the wellknown East Village activist and former daredevil / performance artist — was swimming in the race, and he gave me some pointers as we stood there in our Speedos. He pointed out the series of large red buoys that had been put out in the river to mark our way.

Basically, he said, he was going to try to avoid getting kicked in the face — which is a problem he had experienced swimming this race the year before.

The participants would be sent out in five, staggered waves, to try to avoid a massive jam-up — and more kicked faces than a Jackie Chan movie. Leslie had decided he was going to do breaststroke at certain points, so he could better see the swimmers around him.

I had been seeded number 366 out of around 375 swimmers, and not surprisingly, had been stuck in the fifth and final wave. I told myself I would use my pathetically low

seeding as motivation, and would prove the world — or at least NYC SWIM — wrong.

Nate, an NYC SWIM volunteer, who would also be in the race, explained the course to all of us. The trains roaring overhead on the Manhattan Bridge didn’t help things, as Nate had to keep pausing giving

A swimmer appeared determined in Brooklyn Bridge Park as she got ready for the race.

the instructions until they had passed.

We would swim out, round the first buoy on our left, then keep the string of red buoys that followed on our right as we swam toward the Brooklyn Bridge, then would hang a right at a yellow buoy and then swim across the river under the bridge, and — if

we were all lucky — finish on the Manhattan side.

As we stood listening, an enormous scow came motoring up the river, quickly followed by the Circle Line. I envisioned having to tread water while waiting for humongous boats to pass by me. A woman asked if boat traffic on the river would be halted during the race, and Nate answered, yes. “Thank you!

Excellent question!” I thought to myself.

We next lined up in a big semicircle on the lawn, and I was toward the end. The swimmers were all races, all ages, slightly more men than women. A nice English guy in my group, who was standing with the help of arm braces, was missing most of one leg. He said he was in finance and did triathalons.

Before long, we were moving down a lightblue rubbery rug and entering the river. It was 72 degrees, we had been told, not cold at all. There were fairly big rocks, about the size of footballs, underfoot as we waded in. I dove forward a bit, just to get past these rocks.

I was at the head of our wave as we were all lined up and ready to go. I faintly heard the countdown start, “…14, 13, 12… .” Between “2” and “1,” I just went for it, and suddenly I was swimming in the East River.

I did the crawl out toward the first buoy, then did a bit of breaststroke just to see where I was heading. It felt great to round the first buoy.

My goggles luckily weren’t leaking, but they seemed sort of fogged up. Maybe it was the grayish glare off the water, I’m not sure. But somehow, I didn’t feel like I could see exactly where the surface of the water was when my head was going in and out of the river — and, well, I got a little nervous. So I did the breaststroke for a while. But I was a little concerned about that, too, because it’s a slow stroke, and I thought I might run out of gas if I just kept breaststroking.

Each wave of swimmers had a “swim angel” assigned to them. This was basically a good swimmer who would be nearby to help out. As I neared the second buoy, our swim angel was coaching a woman around it, and I was gaining on them. Meanwhile another female swimmer was trying to edge by them on the inside of the buoy. I breaststroked back toward Brooklyn a bit to get out of this traffic jam and round the buoy.

I just tried to keep calm, keep swimming.

But, at some point, the realization hit me: “This isn’t like swimming laps in the pool. There are no pool walls out here to ‘bounce’ off — to put my hand on and then spring off with my feet to head back the other way. And there’s no pool floor to put my feet down on.”

Maybe it was because this time, I really had the sense of being out in the middle of the river — farther away from shore. Also, in the Hudson River Swim, there was always some current, to some extent, sweeping us downstream. One year, I don’t think anyone even had to swim a stroke — the current alone would have carried us all the way to Chelsea Piers.

But there was no current helping us along as we stroked our way down toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

In addition to swim angels, there was also a flotilla of kayaks manned by volunteers and

Continued on page 24

July 18 - 24, 2013

17

villager arts & entertainment Decidedly smart and strange, ‘Chess’ is one of the year’s best When man and machine face off, audience wins FILM COMPUTER CHESS

Written & Directed by Andrew Bujalski 2013, 92 minutes Not Rated Through July 31 At Film Forum 209 West Houston St., btw. Sixth Ave. & Varick St. Call 212-727-8110 Visit filmforum.org

BY SEAN EGAN A film about a computer based chess tournament certainly doesn’t seem to be particularly cinematic or entertaining in theory — but somehow Andrew Bujalski’s latest directorial effort takes this premise and turns it into something memorable and highly engaging. “In some ways, the fantasy of making this movie was born of frustration with trying to figure out how to crack the market, and how to produce things that were quote-unquote ‘accessible,’” says Bujalski, the critically acclaimed director of indie films such as “Funny Ha Ha” and “Beeswax.” “And when I got tired of thinking of doing that, I would retreat off into my fantasy, going ‘Well what’s the least commercially viable thing I could do?’ ” The film that resulted from this train of thought is “Computer Chess” — which is one of the strangest, smartest and best films of the year thus far.

Though “Computer Chess” bears many similarities to Bujalski’s past directorial efforts — particularly in its distinctive, naturalistic performances and dialogue and its understated, homemade vibe — it also marks a significant departure for the director in many ways. While his other films mainly focused on the small scale, personal trials and tribulations of modern twentysomethings, “Computer Chess” is a period piece. Set in the early 1980s, the movie concerns a group of programmers compet-

Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.

Wiley Wiggins as Martin Beuscher and Patrick Riester as Peter Bishton, in “Computer Chess.”

ing to see who has designed the best chessplaying computer software at a convention — one of which will eventually play against a human chess master. This framework, while certainly interesting, is mainly used to hang a series of humorous and increasingly weird and unsettling vignettes around a cast of colorful, realistically drawn characters.

While Bujalski admits to having trouble settling on an edit because “there was no obvious thing to compare it to tonally,” one could possibly summarize the tone as being some kind of bizarro blend of Christopher Guest mockumentary, Cronenberg-esque themes and Lynchian imagery and dread — all acted and filmed in as low-key a manner as possible.

“This was in every sense, an experimental project,” Bujalski asserts. “I didn’t want this movie to feel like any particular other thing I had ever seen,” he continues.

A sense of over-familiarity is certainly not a criticism that could be leveled at “Computer Chess.” Its distinct, lo-fi black

and white visuals come courtesy of the rare, unwieldy 1970s video cameras used to shoot the movie. This was a first for Bujalski, who had previously only used 16mm in his features. Though he says the cameras produced “very specific challenges and headaches” while making the film, including “all kinds of technological woes” inherent in using such old technology with modern computers and editing software (digital editing was another first for the director), Bujalski found using the cameras contributed greatly to the film.

The troubles then became “in some strange way part of the fun,” and he embraced the quirks of the cameras, allowing “a lot of room to let error be our friend,” — which is reflected in the effective pseudo-cinema veríté documentary style of the film.

Furthermore, for the first time, Bujalski worked without a full screenplay, instead relying on an eight-page treatment to guide production, in order to “approach the project with a feeling of looseness, as if any-

thing was possible.” He found though, that this method of working “required us to be all the better prepared on a daily basis,” and ultimately “was similar to working from the script.”

To aid in expanding on the premise outlined in the treatment, Bujalski says he got “a lot of computer programmers to act in the movie, advise on the movie, and tell me how it should sound,” which helped contribute to the sense of authenticity created by the film. He even eployed non-diegetic music for the first time — a unique mix of acoustic folk-type songs and ambient synthesized sounds. In the past, Bujalski forewent this kind of music in his small personal dramas, for fear of “telling an audience how to feel at a given moment,” but felt at though “Computer Chess” “had a lot more room for playfulness. It had a lot more room for me to, you know, shove you around as a director and ask you to

Continued on page 21

18

July 18 - 24, 2013

Just Do Art!

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

MATT WONG: SUMMER 2013 TOUR

Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and Jerry Reed would be proud — and you’d be impressed — upon viewing one of the YouTube clips featuring West Windsor, NJ guitarist Matt Wong. The 15-year-old, who’s been working the strings and frets since he was six, is currently in his “fingerpick” style stage. When the Wong biopic gets made, that’ll probably be just one of the many notable stops along his career arc (think Picasso’s Blue Period or SNL’s original cast phase).

Already composing jazz-based originals, arranging classics and touring in support of his debut album (“Fly me to the Moon”), Wong gives thanks to the aforementioned predecessors as well as fellow YouTube presence Tommy Emmanuel — credited for inspiring Wong to fingerpick (which allows him to hold down the melody, rhythm and bass parts simultaneously, while adding a little percussion). See what all the fuss will one day be about, and say you saw him in the early years, when Wong gigs at Caffee Vivaldi (the NYC stop on his summer tour of the Tri-State area and Pennsylvania).

Free. Sat., July 27, at 7:15pm. At Caffe Vivaldi (32 Jones St., St, btw. Bleecker & W. Fourth Sts.). For info, call the venue at 212691-7538 or visit mattwong.webs.com. Also visit caffevivaldi.com.

Continued on page 19

Photo by Bill Wong

Matt Wong’s summer tour touches down at Caffe Vivaldi, on July 27.

Photo by Liz Ligon, courtesy of Friends of the High Line

¡Arriba! Community Dance Parties bring a little swing to those hot summer nights.

¡ARRIBA! COMMUNITY DANCE PARTIES

Salsa to Latin mamba under summer skies, and be happy again. Part of High Line Live! and presented with HAI (Hospitals Audiences, Inc., an arts nonprofit that brings arts events to the city’s underserved communities) and Hudson Guild, ¡Arriba!

Community Dance Parties bring together dancers and amateurs alike in an open-air Latin dance party! On July 24, the joyful, driving lyrics of Liliana Araújo and her band Forró da Madame bring Brizillian forró (a style of music characterized by percussive beats and the zabumba bass drum) to Chelsea, with vocals that will keep you dancing till you drop. August 21 features Nu D’Lux. New York’s “most original Cuban style dance band and perhaps the funkiest Salsa on the planet” combines a host of styles to make a sound that is lively, spicy and entirely their own. Wear through your dancing shoes, and then head down to a nearby restaurant or wine bar to mellow out the end of your night with laughter and conversation. As Nu D’Lux declares, “This party’s not for sitting, friends.”

Wednesday, July 24 and Wednesday, August 19, 7-10 pm. Chelsea Market passage at 16th St.

— Maeve Gately

July 18 - 24, 2013

19

Just Do Art!

Photos courtesy of the artist

Judith Kalina’s “We are Perfectly Designed” (2013, paper collage, 12 3/4”x12 ¾”).

Judith Kalina’s “Where is Where” (2013, paper, tape, graphite collage, 7 1/2 x 8”).

Continued from page 18

JUDITH KALINA: COLLAGE EXHIBIT

STARGAZING ON THE HIGH LINE

Chelsea’s elevated park has more to offer than cool breezes and lazy strolls. Long before the sky darkens, members of the Amateur Astronomers Association gather on the High Line — and invite you to watch the sunset through their telescopes.

The real show begins when the planets and red giants begin to emerge. On a recent Tuesday night, tourists, families and locals alike peered through the lens at a dim, red spot we soon learned was Mercury. The smallest of the planets, Saturn, was also visible (as were its orange rings). When Venus rose over the Hudson, we gasped in wonder as a huge white spot flew by. Too big to be a plane and too fast to be a star, it was the International Space Station — and we all looked up in awe, at humanity in the heavens.

Free. Tuesdays, 6:30-9:30pm, on the High Line. Location and times vary, depending on conditions. For updated info, visit thehighline.org or call 212-206-9922.

— Maeve Gately

Judith Kalina, who’s had her paintings shown, has also been working in public for quite some time now, behind the scenes doing collage and writing poetry. Her current exhibit at Cornelia St. Cafe puts a public face on those efforts. “In these new works,” the artist explains, “I am formally combining image and text and in the process, discovering unimagined connections and new meaning in even the smallest, least important materials.”

Free. Through July 28, at the Cornelia St. Cafe ((29 Cornelia St., btw. Bleecker & W. Fourth Sts.) ). For info, visit judithkalina.com and corneliast.com.

THE JENNY RUBIN SHOW!

“Everyone has something honest to

say,” says comedian, writer and storyteller Jenny Rubin — and for the past nine years, she’s been telling it like it is. Her bi-weekly comedy and storytelling show mines its “hanging out in her living room” vibe to coax similar acts of public honesty from others.

On July 25, Rubin welcomes Jordan Carlos, Neil Charles, Jonah Loeb and Bridget O'Neil along with musical guests Brian Halverson, Django Martel and David Sheinkopf — who played one of The Delancey Brothers in the film version of Disney’s “Newsies.”

Is he the same guy who’s been favorably reviewed on Yelp for his dentistry skills? Ask him yourself at the end of the evening, if Rubin hasn’t tackled these and other probing questions during the lively and occasionally rowdy interview segment.

Thurs., July 25, at 8pm. No cover, one-drink minimum. At 2A (2nd St. & Ave. A).

20

July 18 -24, 2013

Brother Act A maligned, misfit youth finds his voice in an all-boys prep school THEATER CHOIR BOY

Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney Directed by Trip Cullman Through August 4 At the Manhattan Theatre Club Studio Stage II, New York City Center 131 W. 55th St. (btw. 6th & 7th Aves.)

Tues.-Sat. at 7:30pm Wed., Sat. & Sun. at 2:30pm $30 For tickets, visit nycitycenter.org

BY DAVID KENNERLEY Around midway through Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Choir Boy,” a group of boys at a boarding school for “strong, ethical black men” belt out the classic spiritual “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” in a locker room. And while that was one of the few gospel-style songs I knew in this potent, transporting piece, I felt I was truly hearing it for the very first time.

The rendition was so poignant I wondered if McCraney, who has made a name for himself creating works like “The Brother/ Sister Plays” and “Wig Out!” that drew from his past as a shy, God-fearing boy growing up in crack-infested Miami housing projects in the 1980s, was motherless himself. A quick bio check confirmed that after a nasty battle with drug addiction, his mother died of AIDSrelated illness at age 40.

This is just one of many authentic, exhila-

Photo by Joan Marcus

Grantham Coleman and Jeremy Pope (sitting) in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “Choir Boy,” directed by Trip Cullman.

rating moments in “Choir Boy,” which is chock-full of glorious singing, although it would be wrong to label it a musical. More precisely, it’s a drama featuring gospel music, hymns, civil rights anthems, and soulful ‘80s pop thrown in for good measure — all integrated skillfully into the plot.

When these boys sing, it’s because their hormone-fueled emotions run so high, ordinary dialogue fails them. The intense spirituality of the music, which ranges from plaintive to angry to joyous — soars straight to

the heavens, carrying us along with it. Jason Michael Webb is the music director and vocal arranger.

Each student has plenty to sing about.

Pharus Young (Jeremy Pope), presumably based on the playwright, is a gifted vocalist — and unapologetically gay. He fends off homophobia with sass and finds salvation as head of the gospel choir, which, while not as impressive as being captain of the baseball team, carries no small amount of prestige in the religion-based Charles R.

Drew Prep School for Boys. The effeminate, self-righteous Pharus refuses to snitch after being harassed for his sexual orientation. At Drew, breaking the honor code by ratting on a brother is even worse than being a queer choirboy.

His jock roommate, AJ (Grantham Coleman), is incredibly accepting yet must deal with the stigma of association with the “Sweet Boy.” Pharus’ nemesis is a bully named Bobby Marrow (Wallace Smith), who fights to escape the shadow of his uncle, the school headmaster. David (Kyle Beltran) has ambitions of becoming a minister but is bedeviled by a host of inner demons. Junior (Nicholas L. Ashe), Bobby’s dutiful sidekick, is having trouble mastering basic reading and spelling skills and relies on his brothers to help him.

The boys are kept in check by the watchful Headmaster Morrow (Chuck Cooper) and Mr. Pendleton (played by the esteemed veteran actor-director Austin Pendleton), a rumpled professor with unorthodox teaching methods.

Director Trip Cullman extracts admirable performances from the committed ensemble. Pope shades the bossy, defiant Pharus with unexpected nuance, eliciting scorn one moment and sympathy the next. As the nononsense headmaster preoccupied with the school’s reputation and finances, Cooper adds a welcome dose of compassion, serving as a much-needed father figure for many of the boys. In the underwritten role of Junior, the radiant Ashe is a knockout, burning with a quiet intensity that speaks volumes.

The play crackles with McCraney’s gritty, unsentimental dialogue spiked with ugly epithets and penis jokes that make it feel raw and fresh, if not unnerving.

Set in the contemporary South, “Choir Boy” is a spare, keenly sensitive meditation on African-American tradition, sexuality, brotherhood and finding a place in the world.

Aside from some awkward transitions and a patchy narrative, my biggest quibble is that scenes are so quickly paced, there’s no room for applause following any of the soul-stirring, amazingly graceful musical numbers.

July 18 - 24, 2013

21

Director Bujalski, on his boldly original, thoroughly odd feature Continued from page 17 enjoy it.”

For such an offbeat, experimental movie however, “Computer Chess” remains highly enjoyable and never feels like a chore to watch. It has been received warmly by critics since it started making rounds at festival screenings earlier this year — including receiving the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film prize at Sundance (awarded to the best film using science and technology as a theme, with science professionals as main characters). Critics are also quick to note that the film is quite accessible — maybe the most accessible in Bujalski’s oeuvre thus far. “It’s been kind of almost a perverse irony that the movie has apparently received as accessible,” laughs Bujalski, marveling at the film’s warm reception from critics and audiences. “I really had no clue until the day we premiered. Before we premiered I thought ‘Okay, this could be, you know, I might have to spend the next few years apologizing for this.’ And then after we premiered I thought, ‘Oh God what if they ask me to do this again? I’d have no idea how!’ ” One of the biggest draws of the film is its sense of humor, derived from a ragtag group of characters, vividly brought to life by great performances by a cast of mostly non-professionals. “I have massive respect and admiration and appreciation for the actors who were able to go there,” comments Bujalski, asserting, “I think there was some extraordinary work amongst the cast.” Indeed, some of the actors disappear so totally into their roles, it is hard to remember that this isn’t actually a found-footage film from the 80s.

“Ultimately the acting is up to the actors, and I give all credit to everyone involved to bringing that period alive,” Bujalski insists. A performance of particular note is Patrick Riester as Peter, the shy, socially maladroit young programming apprentice, who strikes up a tenuous relationship with another young programmer (Bujalski comments on his penchant for fractured romances: “I like love stories, and I’d like to write a good one. And I guess I also like broken love stories.”) In addition, Myles Paige, previously seen in Bujalski’s debut, “Funny Ha Ha,” nearly steals the show as Michael Papageorge, the down on his luck bad-boy independent programmer of the computer chess world. Paige plays Papageorge with a potent mix of misplaced rock star-like swagger and pathetic vulnerability, which makes watching the character's arc simultaneously hilarious and very sympathetic and relatable.

Though it is certainly accessible, “Computer Chess” is not at all a simple, light film. It plays around with some seriously heavy themes, and (especially towards the end) embraces a sense of darkness and dread previously unseen in Bujalski’s films, but excellently executed here. As the film progresses, it finds the characters having to grapple with some serious existential ques-

Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.

Andrew Bujalski, director of “Computer Chess.”

Photo courtesy of Goodbye Cruel Releasing

Myles Paige (left), seen here in “Funny Ha Ha,” brings rock star swagger, to “Computer Chess.”

tions and confront some dark truths and situations — not all of which are resolved by the last reel. This only serves to make the film all the more memorable, causing viewers to seriously consider what they just watched and the implications of what is presented on screen.

In particular, the meeting of man and technology, and sex and the mechanical are juxtaposed in ways that provoke both strong laughs and a most serious sense of unease. “There’s a lot of sexual anxiety in the movie, and you know, you could certainly make the case that that’s one of the big subtextual or textual, I guess, things that are going on,” says Bujalski.

Making the film caused him to spend a lot of time thinking about artificial intelligence, and its relationship with mankind — which plays a major role in the film.

“The idea of artificial intelligence is just such a strange pursuit,” Bujalski marvels, and while appreciating the work of those developing it, asserts “It comes from a most peculiar place.” To the director, “The desire to create an artificial intelligence on some level has to come from a desire to understand our own intelligence. And that’s the constant problem or challenge in artificial intelligence, I think is that it’s hard to say what artificial intelligence is or should be until we can define exactly what the thing is we are trying to recreate.” On how this existential struggle plays out in the film, Bujalski says, “I think that in some ways these guy that are building the computer and trying to get it to play chess at the highest level, is in a very roundabout, strange way meant to be a journey of self discovery and a way of understanding our own minds.”

“And,” he adds, laughing, “its a hop, skip and a jump from there to sex and trying to kind of understand another human being through intimacy.”

Bujalski, for his part seems to be a talented, intelligent, if unassuming guy, ready to praise others for their work on the film, while downplaying his own role.

“I feel like more than ever in the past, that my work on this movie largely happened in my subconscious,” he muses. He says, half jokingly that “To be a director is a really strange job because generally speaking everybody else on the set has some very specific talents that they bring there — and you don’t necessarily have any talent, you know,” noting that a director’s only responsibilities is “to hold the whole thing in your head” and “set the tone, somehow.”

“It’s kind of an ineffable thing. It’s hard to talk about what that is or how you succeed or fail at it, and I certainly don’t know really,” he continued quickly.

From “Computer Chess,” it is safe to say that Andrew Bujalski has succeeded in creating a boldly original and thoroughly odd film that is funny and thought provoking in equal measure — and deserves to find a wide and appreciative audience, and be considered amongst the best films of the year.

22

July 18 - 24, 2013

Publ ic Notice s Notice is hereby given that an on-premises license, #TBA has been applied for by Bo’s Bontemps LLC d/b/a Bo’s to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 6 West 24th Street New York NY 10010.

Vil: 07/18 - 07/25/2013 Notice is hereby given a license, number 1272040 for on-premises Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at Carnegie Hall / 154 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 Performance Hospitality NYC LLC Vil: 07/18 - 07/25/2013 CAPTAN CONTENT AND TAXONOMY LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/5/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 457 FDR Dr., #A801, NY, NY 10002.

General Purposes.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 163 EAST 63RD STREET, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/29/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: A. Charles Baillie, 163 E. 63rd St., NY, NY 10021.

General Purposes.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 75 EAST LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/26/13. Office location: NewYork County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Brady Klein & Weissman, 501 5th Ave., 19th Fl., NY, NY 100176185. General Purposes.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: FLOWER DISTRICT LLC. Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 03/19/2013 Office location: County of New York. Purpose: any and all lawful activities. Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 845 Third Avenue, Suite 1400 New York, NY 10022 Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 REAL MIND OPENERS, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/30/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Teresa Gallo, 711 West End Ave., #5-DN, NY, NY 10025. General Purposes.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013

Notice of Formation of The New Development Project 2 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/26/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Jason E. Burritt, Esq., Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 620 Eighth Ave., 33rd Fl. NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of SoHo Start LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/25/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: SoHo Start LLC, 15 W. 139th Street, New York, NY 10037. Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Formation of 50 WEST EQUITIES INVESTOR LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/05/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 55 Fifth Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10003-4398. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Robert Kantor at the princ. office of the LLC, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Qualification of RGN-NEW YORK XLVIII, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/28/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/07/13. Princ. office of LLC: 15305 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 400, Addison, TX 75001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808.

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Qualification of Permanens Non-Agency RMBS Allocation Fund LP App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/27/13. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/26/13.

SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 315 Park Ave. South, 18th Fl., NY, NY 10010. The registered agent upon whom process may be served is: John J. Regan, c/o Permanens Capital Advisors LLC, 315 Park Ave. South, 18th Fl., NY, NY 10010. DE address of LP: 615 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Name/address of each genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013

Notice of Formation of Mo’ Motion Ventures, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/4/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Maureen Holohan, 203 W. 109th, 2W, NY, NY 10025. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Notice of Formation of 230 Central Park South Treetops LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/27/13.

Office location: NY County.

Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 230 Central Park South, NY, NY 10019, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 Name of LLC: Soho Capital Management, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 6/25/13. Office loc.: NY Co. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Charles Petersen, 132 Greene St., Apt. 3F, NY, NY 10012, regd. agt. upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful act.

Vil: 07/18 - 08/22/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of VOOT LLC Arts of Org filed w. Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/16/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to business address:The LLC, 124 W 30 St, Rm 303, NY NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful act.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of DURST VERNON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/01/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Rosenberg & Estis, P.C., Attn: Gary M. Rosenberg, Esq., 733 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of GREENE LIVING LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 254 Greene St., Ground Fl., NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of M&A BEDFORD PROPERTIES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/12/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1344 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10128.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013

Notice of Formation of STONYBROOK CAPITAL ONE, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Deutsch, Metz & Deutsch, LLP, Attn: Jeremy E. Deutsch, 18 E. 41st St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of Rudrabhishek (US) LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 10100 Old Columbia Rd., Columbia, MD 21047. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Business consulting.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Formation of 21B LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 300 E. 74th St., Apt. 36G, NY, NY 10021. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Barbara Gural, 38267 Ranch Garden Rd., Park City, UT 84098. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Qualification of 1006 MADISON LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/9/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/7/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Thor Equities, LLC, 25 W. 39th St., NY, NY 10018. DE address of LLC: c/o National Registered Agents, Inc., 160 Greentree Drive, Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 Notice of Qualification of 354 BOWERY – BAZBAZ LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/25/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/21/13.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o FB Strategic Partners, 299 Park Ave., 42nd Fl., NY, NY 10171. DE address of LLC: c/o United Corporate Services, Inc., 874 Walker Road, Ste. C, Dover, DE 19904. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013

Notice of Qualification of A. AnthonyABMFS, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/19/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 8101 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. S., Ste. 150, Houston, TX 77079. LLC formed in DE on 3/2/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: c/o The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 07/11 - 08/15/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: BEST BRANDS SALES COMPANY, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/27/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 20 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Formation of DS ADMIN, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/25/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Kalnick, Klee & Green, LLP, 767 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Formation of Good Life Society, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:The LLC, 33 West End Ave., NY, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Qualification of TALISMAN GROUP ADVISORS L.L.C. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/20/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/07/12. Princ. office of LLC: 510 Madison Ave., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10022.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process and DE addr. to c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013

Notice of Formation of JULAIDAN FAMILY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/13/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Moses & Singer LLP, Attn: Daniel S. Rubin, Esq., 405 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10174-1299. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 Notice of Qualification of Lumenate Technologies, LP App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/18/13. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Texas (TX) on 11/15/05. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. TX address of LP: 16633 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 450, Addison, TX 75001.

Name/address of each genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Cert. of LP filed with TX Secy. of State, 1019 Brazos, Room 105, Austin, TX 78701. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of Homeownership Lending, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/21/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: Homeownership Lending, LLC, c/o UHAB, 120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005.

Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of Knock Out Beauty LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/16/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: Knock Out Beauty LLC c/o Sharlay Sloss, 850 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10025 . Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity.

Vil: 07/04 - 08/08/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: ORANGE STREET GROUP LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/29/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 30 Christopher Street, Apartment 2D, New York, New York 10014.

Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

IDENTITY COUNSEL INTERNATIONAL LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/26/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Joseph J. Atick, 1 Irving Pl., NY, NY 10003.

General Purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 ABBEYDALE LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/22/13. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 373 Park Ave S, Fl 6, NY, NY 10016. General Purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 CONVENT/ST. NICHOLAS, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/1/13. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 425 W. 144th St., NY, NY 10031. General Purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 TRUSOUND LLC, a domestic LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/11/13. Office location: New York County.

SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 2440 Broadway, #7, NY, NY 10024. General Purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF REBEL ROYAL LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/19/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: MIA SPIVEY-REBEL 249 E 118TH ST, APT 10B NY, NY 10035. Purpose: any lawful act Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Formation of ROC NATION APPAREL GROUP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1411 Broadway, 39th Fl., NY, NY 10018. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Formation of Beauty 4 Empowerment, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 Eighth Ave., 13th Fl., NY, NY 10011, also the registered agent. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

Notice of Qualification of ADLY Holdings LLC App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/10/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 6/7/13. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 405 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10174. DE address of LLC: 160 Greentree Drive, Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Qualification of 15 East Holdings LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/5/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 6/4/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, Attn: CT Corporation System, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Qualification of Irving Place Investor LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/12/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 825 3rd Ave., Fl 37, NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 2/5/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Qualification of SDF24 Flushing LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 825 3rd Ave., Fl 37, NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 1/8/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

July 18 - 24, 2013

23

Publ ic Notice s Notice of Qualification of SDF25 Lewis LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/17/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 825 3rd Ave., Fl 37, NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 1/8/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013 Notice of Formation of 4th Avenue MM LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/5/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Adam America Real Estate, 370 Lexington Ave., Ste. 607, NY, NY 10017, Attn: Omri Sachs. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 APP FOR AUTH for CEBRIK SISTERS, LLC App for Auth filed with SSNY 06/11/2013 LLC. Registered in New Jersey on 11/15/2012 Off. Loc.:New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, c/o Brian D. Fuhro, Esq., 36 Mountain View Blvd., Wayne, NJ 07470. Purpose:Any lawful act or activity.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF GSO Eclipse Associates I LLC Authority filed with the Sect of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/14/13. N.Y. Office Loc: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 6/4/13. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 345 Park Avenue, 31st FL, NY, NY 10154. DE addr. of LLC: 200 Bellevue Pkwy, Ste 210, Wilmington, 19809. Cert of Form filed with DE Sect of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 Notice of Qualification of HENRY V MURRAY SENIOR LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/05/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/04/13.

Princ. office of LLC: 299 Park Ave., 42nd Fl., NY, NY 10171.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Paul Hastings LLP, Attn: Martin L. Edelman, Esq., 75 E. 55th St., NY, NY 10022. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013

Notice of Formation of 16-18 East 30th Street CBP LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 4/11/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 Notice of Formation of 126 E. 65th St. LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 5/7/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 126 E. 65th St., NY, NY 10065.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 Notice of Formation of 93 Crosby Owner LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 1/11/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Javeri Capital, 592 Fifth Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10036. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 Notice of Qual. of 16-18 East 30th Street LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 5/1/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 2/13/13. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Jaz Patel, 101 Worthington Rd., White Plains, NY 10607. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904.

Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 Notice of Qual. of 110 Residence LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 4/10/13. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 5/22/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: David Snoddy, 110 E. 70th St., NY, NY 10021.

Reg. Agt. upon whom proc. may be served is NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904.

Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 Notice of Formation of CAREX PROPERTIES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/17/12. Off. loc.: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Peter L. Herb, Esq., 1133 Broadway, Ste. 1215, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013

Notice of Qualification of NIC 6 Manor at Woodside Management LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/4/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 1345 Ave. of the Americas, 46th Fl., NY, NY 10105. LLC formed in DE on 5/22/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/20 - 07/25/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DeRosa Double Reeds, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on May 14, 2013. Office location:NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: c/o DeRosa Research and Trading, Inc 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 555 NY, NY 10023. The principal business address of the LLC is:450 W 46th Street # 4RE New York, NY 10036 Purpose: any lawful act or activity Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013 VEH Solutions, LLC Authority filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/17/13. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 1/18/13. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: 190 Spring St, NY, NY 10012. Cert of LLC filed with Secy of State of DE located: 401 Federal St, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013 Notice of Formation of WEST SPRING GREEN LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/22/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Diane S. Parrish, 505 Greenwich St., PHB, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013 Notice of Formation of 300 EAST 23RD ST. ASSOCIATES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/02/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 618, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: INTERNATIONAL ART TRADING LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/03/13.

Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, c/o The Moinian Group, 3 Columbus Circle, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10019. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION of ORIGIN MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/06/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: ORIGIN MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, LLC, 117A E. Main Street, #245, New Rochelle, NY 10801.

Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013 Notice of Formation of SID Home One LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/17/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 153 E 87th St., Apt. 3D, NY, NY 10128.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013 Notice of Qualification of El Rey Network LLC App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/30/13. Off. loc.: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 1/31/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. DE address of LLC: Corp. Trust Ctr., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801.

Arts. of Org. filed DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013

Notice of Formation of CS 122 West 146th Street LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/30/13. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 1350 Broadway, Ste. 1010, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013

Notice of Qualification of 1749 Holdings LP Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 5/24/13. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 152 W. 57th St., 22nd Fl., NY, NY 10019. LP formed in DE on 4/24/13.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LP:The CorporationTrust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013

Notice of Qualification of GSO Bakken Overseas Holdings I LP Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 5/23/13.

Office location: NY County.

LP formed in DE on 5/8/13.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business addr. of the LP: 345 Park Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10154. DE addr. of LP: c/o The Corporate Service Company, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Vil: 06/13 - 07/18/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Diamond Tech Property Development & Construction LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NewYork (SSNY) on 04/06/11.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is to: Diamond Tech Property Development & Construction, 266 Griffith St, Jersey City, NJ 07307. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity.

Vil: 06/27 - 08/01/2013

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an Order entered by the Civil Court, New York County, on the 07/12/2013, bearing Index Number: NC-001549-13/NY, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 111 Centre Street, NewYork, NY 10013, grants me (us) the right to; Assume the name of: Andrew Lee Randles-Friedman. My present name is: Andrew Lee Friedman. Also known as: Andrew Freeman. My present address is: 320 West 38th Street, Apt 1031, New York, NY 10018. My place of birth is: Baltimore, Maryland. My date of birth is: December 23, 1970.

Vil: 07/18/2013

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an Order entered by the Civil Court, New York County, on the 07/12/2013, bearing Index Number: NC-001549-13/NY, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, grants me (us) the right to; Assume the name of: Zachary Earl Randles-Friedman. My present name is: Zachary Earl Randles. Also known as: Zachary Randles.

My present address is: 320 West 38th Street, Apt 1031, NewYork, NY 10018. My place of birth is: Paducah, Kentucky. My date of birth is: March 24, 1973.

Vil: 07/18/2013

Public Notice NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANTTO LAW, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition from CITY WINERY NEW YORK, LLC to establish maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 155 VARICK STREET in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004.

Vil: 07/11 - 07/18/2013

Public Notice NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANTTO LAW, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition from PACHANGA, INC. to establish maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 450 WASHINGTON STREET in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004.

Vil: 07/11 - 07/18/2013

Public Notice NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANTTO LAW, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor, on a petition from MARKJOSEPH STEAKHOUSE CORP to establish, maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk café at 261 WATER STREET in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years.

REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREEMENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004.

Vil: 07/11 - 07/18/2013

24

July 18 - 24, 2013

Getting in the swim of things in middle of the river Continued from page 16 some motorboats flanking us, including a Police Department harbor unit.

After I rounded the yellow buoy and started heading for Manhattan, I began to feel a bit relieved. It was cool swimming beneath the Brooklyn Bridge — actually we were just north of it. But what was really cool was the water, literally, and that’s what I enjoyed most — being in that refreshing liquid medium. Hey, this is how they used to cool off in the old days — O.K., admittedly they didn’t swim all the way across the river.

I’ve seen a couple of brief reports on this race (by writers who I assume weren’t actually crazy enough to swim in it, like me) and they all focus, to varying degrees, on the “poop factor.” That is, how clean is the water, and is there sewage in it? My understanding is that the rivers are pretty clean nowadays, but that if there’s a heavy rain, the city’s combined sewer system (for both rainwater and sewage) gets overloaded, and, well, the poop pours right out into the rivers. If it had been rainy before the race, or if water quality was iffy, the swimmers were advised to take an antibiotic afterward.

At the halfway point, I started backstroking, and this made me feel even more relaxed, since it was a comfortable stroke, and I felt like I was moving along at a pretty good clip.

I would do some crawl, breaststroke a bit, then switch back to the backstroke. I was sort of doing my own medley out there.

Suddenly, though, the current kicked in.

Someone in a boat to my left started yelling at me that I was drifting upriver. So, I swam on an angle to my left. “Come over here!” someone shouted. I thought it was from the boat.

But then a swim angel — a guy, not a woman — to my right, said to swim toward him.

“Just head straight for the middle of those two red buoys!” Tom, the swim angel, explained. Naturally, my blue-tinted swim goggles had turned the red buoys, on the Manhattan shore, into a brown blur, and I could barely make them out. Thanks, Speedo!

So now I tried to put on a little speed. I did the crawl more. I had plenty left in the tank. I would survive — now it was time to go for it.

As we neared the bridge’s massive western stone stanchion, I became more aware of other swimmers splashing near me.

The current flowing upriver started to feel stronger. As we steered around the stanchion, it became darker as we swam into the bridge’s shadow. I also thought I could feel the water swirling a bit more here. Perhaps there were eddies created by the bridge’s tower.

I tried to turn on the jets and finish with a strong kick. But it seemed that everyone had the same idea. A big woman in front of me was kicking furiously. Suddenly, a smaller woman in a wetsuit was darting on my right — and passing me as I slowed down due to the woman in front of me. Cheater!!! Wetsuits add buoyancy.

My hand clunked into something solid. Was it the East River bulkhead? The finish line?

No, it was a kayaker.

“Hard right!” he barked at me like a drill sergeant.

Photos by Tom McGann

After the race, David Leslie posed for a photo with his wife Celest, right, son Brooks and Janet Clancy at Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club at the South Street Seaport, where awards were handed out to top finishers.

And then I found myself hitting a sandy slope underwater, like some half-blind amphibian crawling ashore. I had finally made it to “Scott Stringer Memorial Beach,” a key feature of the borough president’s Blueway plan.

Now I was being hustled up the beach, and a volunteer was unstrapping and taking the timer thingy off my ankle.

Next, a friendly volunteer handed me some flip-flops. They were pretty flimsy, and mine broke almost instantaneously — but I appreciated the gesture. Barefoot, I tromped down past the former fish market’s historic Tin House to Pier 17, where the winners would be announced. We were given some good swag, including a maroon T-shirt and a light backpack, both with the Brooklyn Bridge Swim logo.

The first-place finisher was Luane Rowe, 24, from Sydney, Australia — a nation of great swimmers — who finished in a blistering 12 minutes and 38 seconds. Awards were also given for top finishers in their age categories.

There was at least one person in their 80s.

It felt like I had been splashing around

out there for at least 40 minutes. But when I checked the results online later, I was surprised to see that I had finished in 21:23, only about 9 minutes slower than “Aquagirl” Rowe. Also, I was happy to see that I had come in 201st place, out of a field of 371 — right in the middle of the pack. All right! I felt like I was a real swimmer. I could hang.

Two swimmers didn’t finish, and were pulled out of the water.

As we were waiting to rinse off at an outdoor shower, David Leslie introduced me to a couple of his “aqua friends,” who happened to be standing right in front of me in line, fellow East Villagers Bill Morrison and Laurie Olinder. They had, in fact, introduced Leslie to the Brooklyn Bridge Swim three years ago.

The multitalented Olinder designed the original logo for the East Village’s HOWL! Festival and is a founding member of the RIDGE Theater. Morrison is an indie filmmaker.

I asked Leslie — who I somehow beat by 15 seconds — about his experience in this year’s bridge swim, his third.

“It’s something that I had always fantasized and visualized many times when standing down in DUMBO on the edge of the river,” he said. “I used to have a studio there and we’d go down and hang out under the bridge. I’d say, ‘I can make it across… . I think I can make it, I think I can make it.’

“When I found out from Bill Morrison that they were doing organized swims, I had to get involved.”

Leslie said he was proud that he had shaved six minutes off his time from last year, and that he also dropped 18 pounds while training for three months for this year’s swim.

He said he really enjoyed the mix of swimmers, young and old, in shape or overweight, men and women.

“It’s a great equalizer,” he said.

Looking forward to 2014, he added, “I’m certain I can improve it next year. I want to knock two or three minutes off my time.”

Funny, that’s the same thing I was thinking.

Looks like the swimmers’ ship came in: Volunteers handed out Brooklyn Bridge Swim swag after the race.

July 18 - 24, 2013

25

Portal 2 transports people to after-party with queen clAyton

Photos by Clayton Patterson

The Portal Parades — by the East Villagebased Free Art Society and Antidote Games — promise to transport participants to the “hidden East Village.”

On July 13, dressed in a black-and-white theme a crowd converged at Portal 2, on E. Sixth St. between Avenues A and B, next to Sidewalk Cafe, where a new freshly painted portal has materialized in the doorway of the old Gladiators Gym. Then, at an after-party at ABC Sanctuary, 638 E. Sixth St., with the Queen of Duality, the 13 Portals Kickstarter campaign kicked off as Portals fans partied to the sounds of Kiss Slash Crooked Smile, Johnny Arco, Walker Fee and more, and then jammed on instruments.

Tucked into abandoned doorways around the East Village, hand-painted and intricate murals by Nicolina Johnson and Perola Bonfanti depict the ancient and esoteric meanings behind the numbers and symbols they represent.

According to the 13 Portals Web site, “Participants enter into the game through the… site and then work together online and in the streets to crack puzzles that uncover the secrets and meanings of each portal. One portal leads to the next revealing deeper mysteries, bringing more challenging puzzles to solve. The streets of the East Village will be transformed into a realm of mystery and magic, with participants discovering keys in hidden eggs, questioning local shopkeepers for clues, and navigating the waters of the East River to find another piece of the Portals puzzle. Every week, a new portal will be unveiled with the chance for participants to obtain one of 64 special keys for the final mystery experience. Each Portal conceals multiple layers of information in a real-world adventure orchestrated by Antidote Games, a Brooklyn-based games studio.” For more information, go to http://13portals.com/ .

Portal 2, at the old Gladiator Gym, and scenes from last Saturday’s Portal Parade, part of an ongoing series.

26

July 18 - 24, 2013

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July 18 - 24, 2013

Nyx has a ball wowing them with her high-flying catches pet Set BY heather duBin When Nyx plays catch in the Tompkins Square Park dog run, people walking by stop to watch in awe. It’s quite a spectacle when the almost 3-year-old Belgian Malinois leaps about 3 feet into the air with seemingly little effort and lots of agility to field balls from Tripp Zanetis, her owner, of Stuyvesant Town, over and over again.

The heat from this past weekend was no deterrent for Nyx, who took off after each successful catch connection with Zanetis to the dog plunge pool, and completely immersed herself.

“She always liked baths,” said Zanetis.

“The ocean is her favorite thing. She’ll dive under the waves to get the Frisbee — she has no fear.” Whether it was for fun or the cool-down factor, Nyx returned post-dunk for more ball action, and kept the game going for an hour. Catch. Dunk.

Catch. Dunk. …

“She needs a lot of exercise — an hour a day in the park, and three to four walks a day,” said Zanetis. He and his roommate, who both have flexible schedules, take Nyx out regularly. “We’re pretty good about that, she gets a lot of attention,” he added.

Zanetis, a fire marshal for the Fire Department of New York, and a searchand-rescue helicopter pilot for the New York Air National Guard, got Nyx at 3 months in September 2010, from a Kentucky breeder. She’s from a line of dogs that do Schutzhund — a German sport used to train dogs for police work or search and rescue.

Nyx did some search and cadaver work when she was a puppy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“They imprint the dog with the smell of a cadaver early on,” Zanetis said. At some point, Zanetis would like Nyx to be a search dog.

For now, her athleticism will be relegated to the park. Strangers take photos of Nyx when she’s in action, and have even asked Zanetis to train their dogs, but she actually was the one who got things rolling.

“At around 4 months old when she was a puppy, she’d bring the ball to me,” he recalled. “I’d throw it in the apartment to her, and she’d bring the ball back and put it in my lap.”

Nyx is “super-good in the house,” and doesn’t live up to the breed’s “Malligator” nickname. Zanetis credits dog trainer Cesar Milan, a.k.a. “The Dog Whisperer,” for teaching him to yell at an object instead of at Nyx for bad behavior. Dogs are then able to associate an owner’s upset with an object. The first time she chewed up a shoe of his, “I yelled at the shoe,”

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A wet Nyx goes airborne for yet another catch in the Tompkins run.

Zanetis explained. “ ‘Bad, bad shoe.’ She’s never done it since.”

When Zanetis is deployed, Nyx heads to Indiana to stay at his parent’s farm.

“The first time she saw a horse, she was freaked out,” he said. “I was on it, and she was heeling, but then she jumped up on my lap.” Her preferred residence would be the beach, or a farm with a really good lake.

“It’s almost a crime having a dog in the city,” reflected Zanetis. He was going to wait until he was in a relationship to have a dog, “but then I thought I’d wait until I’m 60, so I got her.”

A Belgian Malinois is very invested in its owner and very emotionally attached.

“Wherever I am, she’s within 5 feet,” he said.

Zanetis has worked as a firefighter at Ladder 11 in the East Village for nine years, and was inspired to join the F.D.N.Y. after he was at Ground Zero, the night of Sept. 11, 2001.

“I was in Albuquerque when Osama bin Laden was killed,” he said. “I broke down that night, and Nyx pushed her weight into me, and put her head in my lap until I stopped crying. You can’t replicate that.”

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July 18 - 24, 2013

Let the Countdown Begin!

Summer time is officially fun, full and fresh at Fairway!

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JULY

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