Villager, week of August 23, 2012 by Schneps Media

9/11 tiles going gallery, p. 14

Volume 82, Number 12 $1.00

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

August 23 - 29, 2012

W.S.V. residents sue N.Y.U. to save garden, playground BY LINCOLN ANDERSON Arguing that the threatened Sasaki Garden and the Key Park playground are “required” parts of their residential experience in Washington Square Village, the complex’s rent-stabilized tenants have filed a lawsuit to block New York University’s development plans on their superblock. The suit was filed in State Supreme Court last Friday. The plaintiffs are

WSV Green Neighbors, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, along with four residents of the complex, Bertha Chase, Judy Kelly Magida, Timothy Healy and Anna Lervold. They have retained attorney Lawrence B. Goldberg, who also lives in the complex. Goldberg is a former member of Community Board 2 and is

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Hoylman offers more It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Super Tic and Tac! specifics, takes more flak at Senate debate Photo by Bob Krasner

Acrobats Tic and Tac wowed the crowd in Washington Square Park over the weekend with their high-flying stunts. In between doing their incredible feats, the twins keep the energy going with comedic patter.

Unified Village, Asian-Latino districts hot topics at hearing BY LINCOLN ANDERSON Advocates turned out to testify about the shape of City Council districts covering Greenwich Village, Chinatown and the Lower East Side at the New York City Districting Commission’s first public hearing last Thursday. Greenwich Village political activists called for “unifying the Village district,” which is now shared by three Council districts — Districts 1, 2 and 3. Meanwhile, an ongoing, 20-year debate continued to flare over whether to merge Chinatown and the Lower East Side to create a “minority district,” or to keep the current district

lines basically intact. The hearing was held at New York Law School, 185 West Broadway, in front of the 15 appointed members of the Districting Commission. The commission is starting the process, which happens every 10 years, to ensure that the city’s 51 Council districts contain equal numbers of voters — around 160,000 each — and that “protected minorities” are given the chance to elect candidates of their choice. Among those speaking in favor of a unified Village district was former City Councilmember Carol Greitzer, who represented the Village, Chelsea and part of Midtown from 1969 to ’91.

She was joined by Frieda Bradlow, a longtime political activist and a member of Village Independent Democrats club, who said she felt redistricting had been used to punish the Village for its organized resistance in the 1950s and ’60s to despised urban renewal projects. Noting she had lived in the CharltonKing-Vandam Historic District since 1958, Bradlow said, “What I can tell you is that in those days the Village was described as going from Canal St. to 14th St. from the Hudson River to the Bowery — that makes a logical district. “A decision was made that we were

BY DUNCAN OSBORNE There were moments at the Aug. 20 debate among the three candidates for the state Senate seat currently held by Tom Duane when it looked like a debate might break out. “I don’t fill shoes,” said Tom Greco, the straight owner of the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a popular Hell’s Kitchen gay bar. “I wear my own.” Moments before, Brad Hoylman, the presumptive front-runner in the race, told a crowd of roughly 100 that

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had gathered at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, on W. 13th St., that “A lot of people tell me that Tom Duane is a hard act to follow.” For the past 14 years, Duane, who is openly gay, has represented the district that runs from W. 72nd St. to the West Village and from river to river in its Lower Manhattan portion. He is a legendary liberal Democrat.

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EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 12

OFF-THE-WALL ART PAGE 17

August 23 - 29, 2012

Photo by Jefferson Siegel

Police arrested Brendan Rosa, being pinned by three officers, above, in front of Trinity Church last Friday. The protester holding the Monster can, at left, managed to dodge arrest.

Police occupied with busting up Trinity Church protest site BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL Last Fri., Aug. 17, at lunchtime, on the 11-month anniversary of the occupation of Zuccotti Park, about 20 occupiers were on the sidewalk in front of Trinity Church on Broadway, either sleeping or holding signs for passersby to read. A police car from the First Precinct arrived and a lieutenant and another officer emerged. They joined two other officers who had been monitoring the occupiers. The police moved along the line of people lying down on and sitting on the sidewalk, telling the occupiers they had to remove any belongings that were placed on a ledge under the fence that surrounds the church. People complied, but one young man, Brendan Rosa, apparently did not do so quickly enough. The police took his arm and the officers started walking him over to their police car as another officer carried a large plastic tub holding Rosa’s belongings. When they advised Rosa he was being arrested, the young protester began screaming in objection. The officers pushed him onto the hood of their car, then wrestled him to the ground in front of a shocked lunchtime crowd of office workers and tourists.

Other occupiers gathered around and started screaming at the police. More officers arrived and there was a tense faceoff for several minutes. Eventually the occupiers and police retreated to opposite sides of the sidewalk. Fatima Shadidi, an O.W.S. medic who has been at the Trinity Church encampment since it formed more than two months ago, witnessed the arrest. “Part of this protest is to give the homeless youth a safe place to sleep,” she said of some of the occupiers who are young and homeless. Last year, Trinity denied O.W.S.’s requests for permission to use the Trinityowned empty lot at Duarte Square, at Canal St. and Sixth Ave. The protesters had hoped this could be an “Occupy 2.0” encampment to replace their lost home base at Zuccotti Park, from which police evicted them in November. Outraging O.W.S., Trinity pressed charges against occupiers who entered the lot last December and were arrested. One of them received a month-long sentence on Rikers Island because he was caught at the scene holding a bolt-cutter that was presumably used to cut a hole in the lot’s chain-link fence.

August 23 - 29, 2012

SCOOPY’S

NOTEBOOK

permits that were issued. In 2005, the representative noted, Witkoff reduced the project’s height from an as-of-right 32 stories to 16 stories, to address the community’s concerns about its height. The framework that’s still standing is actually the former warehouse’s structural concrete wall — and that’s what they were required to preserve, the Witkoff representative said. Windows that were removed between this concrete frame will be replaced. Brickwork (which was not required be preserved) that was removed because it was weak and not waterproof, will be replaced and the warehouse portion of the project will look just like it did before, he assured. As for Bourgeois’s West Nile alarm, the rep said they haven’t hit Minetta Brook and that, despite being near the river, this particular site isn’t really landfill, but is actually “close to the rock” below. In short, there are no health or safety violations at the site, he said. The building’s foundation should be finished in the next five months, after which they’ll be “going vertical,” he said, with completion estimated in 30 months from now.

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‘CONVERTING’ INTO A PARK? A group of West Village residents have filed suit to stop the construction of the Witkoff Group’s 98-unit residential development at 150 Charles St., site of the former Whitehall Storage building. The developer was granted zoning waivers because the project included a conversion of the former, full-block warehouse building. But, the plaintiffs charge, the warehouse was subsequently totally demolished — except for a few spindly beams that have been left standing — so the approvals should be pulled, the plaintiffs contend. Their suit is not only against Witkoff, but also Robert LiMandri, commissioner of the city Department of Buildings. “It’s outrageous that the developers tell the city one thing and then just go and do whatever they want,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Barry Mallin, told The Real Deal. “The D.O.B. has not been enforcing the law here and is allowing the developer to get away with things they should not get away with.” Jean-Louis Bourgeois, son of the late famed sculptor Louise Bourgeois, lives across from the site and is one of the plaintiffs. Bourgeois called us last week to report concerns about another problem related to the project: He thinks Witkoff may have struck the undergound Minetta Brook, creating a huge pool of standing water on the construction site, which Bourgeois fears could be a breeding ground for West Nile Virus. (Bourgeois took the photo above with his iPhone to show the extent of the prodigious puddle.) Confident their lawsuit will prevail, Bourgeois is currently making plans to convert the cleared site into the Louise Bourgeois Sculpture Park in Sapokanikan/Greenwich Village — “Sapokanikan” being the Native American name of the area when it was home to the Lenapes. In addition to his mother’s sculptures, the park would have a smaller-scale model of the Washington Square Arch, according to Bourgeois. “No one is going to put a red cent into a project that is being sued,” he assured, predicting the litigation will scare off potential condo buyers. Steven Witkoff will just have to admit defeat and sell the property to the residents’ group, Bourgeois said. Still, there would be an homage to the developer, in the form of a tunnel under the West Side Highway connecting the sculpture park with the Hudson River Park, to be dubbed, “The Steven Witkoff Path to the River.” Anyway, this is Bourgeois’s ideal outcome. According to a Witkoff representative, however, the project is being built in full compliance with all approvals and

“It’s Worth The Trip Down The Street!”

Photo by Scoopy

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Occupy Wall Street’s kitchen down at Zuccotti Park was the veritable hub of the “99 percent” movement. A tiny morsel of that spirit lingers on at Union Square, where Kazoo Cruiser (above) can be found daily offering free bagels and donuts. Kazoo didn’t know exactly where they came from, but we had one of the bagels, and it tasted O.K. “To me, Zuccotti was the soup kitchen — rich and poor rubbed shoulders,” he said. Kazoo’s story is a tough one. A former lawyer in Atlanta, he now lives in Brooklyn. He was camping out down at Zuccotti at O.W.S., where he was known for burning dollar bills. Last November, a few days before police evicted the Zuccotti encampment, he was trying to get fuel for his gas mantle lamp at a Brooklyn hardware store, but wasn’t receiving any service. So he lit some frankincense on fire in a Coke can, “just to get some attention,” and found himself being blasted with a fire extinguisher. Long story short, he was arrested for arson, served time on Rikers and then Upstate at another facility. Now he’s back, keeping the flame burning — oops, sorry, wrong word — for Occupy and its food-sharing ethic. Seriously, he seems like a good guy, and we saw no sign of matches or lighters at his booth. He said he’s Indian, which explains the found pigeon feathers in his cap. KOCH: ‘PUNISH PUSSY RIOT’: Former Mayor Ed Koch is decidedly not jumping on the “Free Pussy Riot” bandwagon. In his e-mailed “Ed Koch Commentary” column,

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August 23 - 29, 2012

POLICE BLOTTER Vicious Village assault

Chabbott may ‘foot’ bill

A Jersey City man was hospitalized on the early morning of Sun., Aug. 19, after three men stabbed him in the West Village for no apparent reason. The victim, 48, who is black, had just gotten out of a taxi on Seventh Ave. South, between Charles and W. 10th Sts., at around 2 a.m. when he was attacked by Adriano Smajlaj, 19, Arjan Smajlaj, 33, and Nikolin Bequi, 30, who are all white. After stopping him by pointing a gun at his face, the three assailants began punching and kicking their victim. When he tried to get away they took out knives, slashed him in the face, and then stabbed him a total of three times in the leg and stomach. Police arrived on the scene too late to stop the vicious assault, but they successfully canvassed the area after paramedics rushed the victim away for medical treatment. All three thugs were arrested for assault at around 6:30 a.m.

A First Precinct police officer is reportedly planning to sue Julien Chabbott — the boyfriend of reality TV star Stephanie Pratt — for $10 million, after he ran over the officer’s foot on Aug. 4 while attempting to evade a parking ticket. Officer Felix Recio, 34, has hired a lawyer and will claim that Chabbott, 28, was trying to hit him after arguing the ticket, jumping into his Ferrari and attempting to drive away, according to the New York Post. The altercation occurred outside the Mercer Hotel, at 147 Mercer St. Recio told the Post that he has not been able to work since the incident occurred, and that, even though he was left with only a swollen and bruised foot, he believes Chabbott intended to hurt him much more seriously. But Chabbott’s lawyer responded by saying that he would be shocked if a $10 million suit is filed, because he believes Recio was not even injured by the moving vehicle.

SCOOPY’S NOTEBOOK Continued from page 3

he says Madonna, the State Department and the White House “have it all wrong” and that “the Russian Orthodox Church is the victim, not Pussy Riot.” Three female members of the rock band, of course, were sentenced to three years in jail for “hooliganism” after they invaded a Russian cathedral and sang a profane song, calling for the Virgin Mary to rid the country of Putin. Hizzoner said he doesn’t see the issue as one of free speech, but rather as Pussy Riot perpetrating a “hate crime” against the Russian Church. Plus, he says, it’s bad politically for the U.S. right now to support the young punkers at a critical moment when we need to enlist Putin and Russia’s help in the fight against terrorism. Madonna, at a concert in Russia, recently called for Pussy Riot’s release, and a Russian deputy prime minister subsequently tweeted she was a “whore.” Koch said while Madonna, as an artist, is “always testing the limits of decency,” he doesn’t defer to her on political matters like this one. “I do not believe the issue is properly one of freedom of expression,” Koch wrote. “The right to free expression is not unlimited and does not mean one can say anything anywhere and at anytime. Further, Russia and most countries do not have embedded in their law the constitutional protection of the

First Amendment that we do. I for one am delighted they now punish religious hatred. Aren’t you?” Umm...nah...Free Pussy Riot! SCHOOL OF TOMPKINS: “Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry,” the new documentary film on the well-known Chinese dissident artist, shows a few of his photos of protests in Tompkins Square Park from the 1980s, and notes that his covering those events was an important education for him about democracy and protest movements. The inspiring movie, playing at the IFC Center on Sixth Ave., tells the story of how the embattled artist has been trying to tweet China to democracy. WELCOME TO THE ’HOOD! Speaking of Chinese dissidents, we hear that Chen Guangcheng’s apartment in Washington Square Village overlooks N.Y.U.’s Coles gym, which will see the first project in the university’s superblocks mega-development plan. Coles is to be replaced by the enormous “Zipper Building,” which will incorporate a new gym in its lower level. PIER 40 RESIDENTIAL USE — RATS! As if Pier 40 doesn’t have enough problems, an online commenter who goes by the handle “Pier Parker” recently posted: “Watch out for the rats behind the ramp in the southeast corner of the playing field next to the boarded-up stairway. There must be a huge colony judging by the dozens of holes they’ve burrowed there. Big suckers. They feed from the trash cans.” Apparently, Pier 40 isn’t completely kaput just yet, or these critters would be making “like rats off a sinking ship” and skedaddling.

Pot dealer busted

Burberry shoplifter

Police arrested Andre Kapoyour, 17, after he sold a bag of marijuana to an undercover officer in the West Village on Tues., Aug. 21. The illegal sale, which happened at around 6:30 p.m. on the corner of Christopher and West Sts., marked the first such arrest for Kapoyour, a resident of the Flatiron District.

An employee at the Burberry outlet at 131 Spring St. told police that on Wed., Aug. 15, a man strolled out of the store without paying for clothes worth more than $1,600. The thief — whom the worker described only as a black male — walked in at around 5:30 p.m. and snuck out shortly after with two polo shirts, valued at $450, and four button-down shirts, valued at $1,180. Police said they’ll look at video from the store’s security cameras to try to identify the suspect.

Parking scam Charles Scott, 48, was arrested for selling parking spaces on a street in the Meatpacking District on Wed., Aug. 15. Shortly after midnight, police observed Scott attempting to charge drivers who had parked their cars along Ninth Ave. between W. 13th and 14th Sts. in the teeming nightlife district. He was arrested for fraudulent accosting.

Stumbling, fumbling thief A woman, 40, was walking past the corner of Grand and Wooster Sts. around 3 p.m. on Thurs., Aug. 16, when a man snuck up behind her and grabbed the wallet sticking out of her open handbag. When the thief took off running, it looked as if he would make an easy getaway, but he tripped and fell to the pavement, dropping the wallet behind him. Not wanting to chance being caught, he fled empty-handed, allowing the woman to recover her property. She described the wallet snatcher to police as black, about age 20, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, and 130 pounds, with a blotchy complexion.

Greenhouse haul A visitor from North Carolina recently received a rude welcome to New York City, losing more than $5,000 worth of possessions after her pricey purse was stolen at a Varick St. nightclub. The woman, 30, was enjoying a night out at Greenhouse, at 150 Varick St., on Tues., Aug. 14, when, at around 2:30 a.m., she left her bag unattended for a few minutes. When she returned to her table, the swank satchel — a $1,000 Louis Vuitton — was gone, along with its contents, including a Michael Kors wallet with her credit and debit card, an iPhone 4S, Ray-Ban sunglasses, a MAC makeup kit, her birth certificate and $700 cash. When the woman cancelled her stolen cards, she learned unauthorized purchases had already been made — $76 on the debit card, and $2,000 on the credit card.

FedEx filcher Jonathan Vergara, 26, eluded police for nearly two weeks after stealing packaged computers from a West Village FedEx location, but he was arrested for grand larceny on Thurs., Aug. 16. On Aug. 3, a FedEx employee made a report at the Sixth Precinct about the July 24 theft, in which Vergara walked out with two Apple MacBooks, with a total value of about $5,000. Using video footage, police tracked Vergara and eventually caught him in the West Village.

Umbrella whacking Police arrested Bogdan Chender, 22, for assault on the morning of Sun., Aug. 19, after he hit a man in the face with an umbrella outside the Hotel Gansevoort. The unsuspecting victim, 26, walked out of the hotel, at 18 Ninth Ave., at around 4:30 a.m. when Chender approached and whacked him with the umbrella. The man was left with a cut on his head and a black eye, and was taken to Beth Israel hospital by ambulance after police in the area heard the commotion and responded. It was unclear why Chender had attacked the man. As for his weapon, the forecast had called for rain.

Polished shoplifters Six days after they stole nearly $4,000 worth of nail polish from a Gramercy Duane Reade, Edward Williams, 22, and Joey Graham, 21, were arrested on Thurs., Aug. 16, the Post reported. Security cameras caught Williams and Graham — who is a woman — in the act of snatching up 480 nail polish bottles from the drugstore on Park A ve. South at E. 20th St. on Aug. 10. Police used the recordings to identify the shoplifters and eventually track them down. Both were charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Sam Spokony

August 23 - 29, 2012

The brochure for Washington Square Village given to an original tenant who moved into the then privately owned complex in 1958 included an image showing a third, long, slab building on what is today the southern N.Y.U. superblock, above left. That third slab building was never constructed; instead the southern superblock is today home to Silver Towers and N.Y.U.’s Coles gym. The brochure also touted the complex’s “acres of landscaping,” right, which was part of the so-called “tower in the park” design that was then in vogue as cutting-edge urban living. The complex’s logo, right, evoked the original plan for three slab buildings.

Residents sue N.Y.U. to stop superblock mega-plan Continued from page 1

president of Friends of LaGuardia Place. Goldberg went to court Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order against the N.Y.U. project. But Justice Ellen Coin denied the request, according to Goldberg, on the grounds that she felt “the threat didn’t seem imminent.” N.Y.U. attorneys vehemently opposed granting the T.R.O., Goldberg said, noting it was a long argument before the bench. However, should it appear that the university is moving to start construction, or there are any “imminent changes in circumstances,” Goldberg assured, he’ll immediately return to court to seek a restraining order again. The next scheduled court date is in October. About 25 to 30 percent of the N.Y.U.-owned complex’s units, or about 300 to 350 apartments, are rent-stabilized and occupied by non-university-affiliated tenants, according to Goldberg. About 40 percent of the units are home to N.Y.U. faculty, graduate students and university personnel. There are also a significant number of empty, warehoused apartments, Goldberg alleged. The lawsuit contends that, under the Rent Stabilization Law, rent-regulated tenants, in addition to being entitled to those services expressly stated in their leases, are also entitled to so-called “ancillary services” — meaning services that were in place when they moved in. These would include, the suit says, the Sasaki Garden and the Key Park, which are both located in the central courtyard of the complex, on N.Y.U.’s north superblock, between Bleecker and W. Third Sts. and Mercer St. and LaGuardia Place. These ancillary services — which really are, in fact, “required services” under the law — must be kept, the suit charges. “The concept is to keep all the Sasaki Garden and the Key Park for the use of the Washington Square Village tenants,” Goldberg said. “N.Y.U. wants to make it public to take the tenants’ rights,” he said of these amenities. Coincidentally, Goldberg noted, two years ago, the university removed signs saying the Sasaki Garden was private.

“This has been a long time figuring this out by them,” he said of N.Y.U. “Very clever by N.Y.U.,” he said of the signs’ removal. In addition to adding the two buildings, N.Y.U.’s plans call for re-landscaping the courtyard into a publicly accessible “Philosophy Garden.” The residents’ suit also argues that Washington Square Village’s so-called “tower in the park” construction style — with its open spaces — was an existing condition, too, when they moved in, and so must be kept. Goldberg said the lawsuit’s intention isn’t so much to “block the Boomerangs” — that is, the two new buildings N.Y.U. wants to add in Washington Square Village’s courtyard — but “to preserve what we have — the air, the light and the recreational space that the tenants have enjoyed for 50 years.” The individually named plaintiffs in the suit have lived in the housing complex from 35 to 50 years. In her affidavit, Bertha Chase submitted the original Washington Square Village apartment complex brochure she received when she moved into her home there in 1958. The complex was then privately owned by the Paul Tishman Company. Bold-print headlines in the original owners’ brochure — “A New Kind of Urban Living,” “Acres of Landscaping” — trumpet the complex’s then cutting-edge attractions. “Here the city has been opened up as never before to let in air and light and provide space,” the brochure’s text reads. “Here has been created not just another place to live but a new neighborhood, a new community, a new spirit in the metropolis...humanized, personalized, designed to give each individual a distinct and separate spaciousness to identify as his own. In Washington Square Village, for the first time, you will find a community designed to meet the needs of modern city living. …” Of the “tower in the park” construction, the brochure effuses, “Living amid a park-like landscape in the center of New York City seems beyond possibility and yet this is one of the most amazing accomplishments of Washington Square Village. Of its twelve acres of land, the buildings

themselves occupy only thirty percent of the area. … Thus, one of the principal needs of the urban citizen has been generously solved in the green and flowering acreage of Washington Square Village.” N.Y.U. bought Washington Square Village in 1964. The WSV Green Neighbors lawsuit cites legal precedent — a 1980s case where rent-stabilized tenants in Tudor City in East Midtown Manhattan defeated an effort to build a new residential tower in Tudor City’s park, on the grounds the park was a required service that existed when they moved in. Like Washington Square Village, Tudor City was “marketed as a planned community,” the WSV Green Neighbors’ suit states. “Based on prior law, the rent-stabilized tenants of Washington Square Village have a strong case to preserve our longtime services,” Goldberg said. John Beckman, the university’s spokesperson, said, “N.Y.U. does not believe the claims made in this lawsuit stand up to close scrutiny. First, it is hard to see how improving open space and making it more accessible — as N.Y.U.’s plan does — can be described as depriving residents of open space. And second, our plans do not call for construction on the north block before 2021. “N.Y.U.’s proposals emerged from years of thoughtful planning and community consultation, and have been through a thorough, rigorous, multi-month city approvals process that resulted in approvals from the the City Planning Commission and the City Council,” Beckman said, adding, “We expect that we will ultimately prevail in court.” Additionally, a joint lawsuit against the university plan is reportedly in the works by N.Y.U. FASP (Faculty Against the Sexton Plan) and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, but nothing has been filed yet. “We have 120 days from the approval” to sue, noted Andrew Berman, G.V.S.H.P.’s executive director. The City Council, last month, approved the N.Y.U. plan to add nearly 2 million square feet of development space to the university’s two South Village superblocks.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Landmarks: Bialystoker ‘eligible for consideration’ BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER There’s no need to ask directions to the Bialystoker Center & Home for the Aged at 228 East Broadway. The Art Deco building’s distinctive geometries, executed in warm orange brick, are visible from blocks away. But with the Lower East Side becoming gentrified and real estate increasingly expensive, the Bialystoker nursing home may not be there much longer unless the Landmarks Preservation Commission intervenes. Built during the Depression by poor, immigrant Jews from Bialystok, Poland, the 10-story structure sheltered the aged and infirm of the Lower East Side for 80 years. On opening day — June 21, 1931 — thousands of people gathered on East Broadway to celebrate, and there were congratulatory telegrams from New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt and other elected officials. The building closed on Nov. 1, 2011. Now the entrance is shrouded in scaffolding and the glass on the locked door reflects the empty lot across East Broadway where the Young Israel buildings used to be before they were sold to a developer who knocked them down and then ran out of money. In the nursing home’s once-pretty garden, rotting fruit from a peach tree lies on the ground. A sign on a piece of paper by the front door says, “The Bialystoker Center is officially closed. There are no longer any synagogue services being held here.” The note ends with the words, “Goodby to one and all.” Since October 2011, a battle has raged between the nursing home’s board of directors — who would like to sell the property to a developer for demolition and conversion of the site to luxury apartments — and a group of individuals and community organizations that would like to save the building. The building’s advocates, organized as the Friends of the Bialystoker Home, have flooded the Landmarks Preservation Commission with letters, postcards and petition signatures. As the first step to landmarking, they have asked that the building be placed on the L.P.C. calendar for a public hearing on its merits. In April, Community Board 3 endorsed landmarking the building. Organizations such as the Tenement Museum, the Art Deco Society of New York and the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council are also on board. On July 6, City Councilmember Margaret Chin entered the fray by writing a letter to Landmarks on the building’s behalf. She said that the building has architectural and historical significance for the Lower East Side community. “The Bialystoker Home is part of the fabric of this neighborhood and I could not allow it to be sacrificed for monolithic luxury residential development,” she wrote. As of Aug. 14, Chin’s office had not received a reply from the L.P.C., but Kelly Magee, a spokesperson for the council-

Photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

The Bialystoker nursing home and its three-story annex on East Broadway.

member, did not find this worrisome. “We have discussed this project with them extensively and do not anticipate any problems,” Magee said. Finally, on Aug. 16, there was some news. In response to an inquiry from The Villager, an L.P.C. spokesperson e-mailed to say, “The Commission staff have determined the building is eligible for landmark consideration, and is working with the owners and elected officials to discuss next steps.” Mitchell Grubler, one of the founders of the Friends of the Bialystoker Home, said he found this response encouraging. “This means that the building qualifies under L.P.C. standards to be a landmark,” he said. “That’s something that I have not heard from them before.” However, as of Aug. 21, the building had still not been placed on the commission’s calendar, which is the first step in the landmarking process and would buy the Bialystoker home a 40-day reprieve during which it could not be sold or altered in any way. “I’m glad they’re working on it, but it doesn’t really get us to action,” said Linda Jones, a founder of the Friends of the Bialystoker Home and a member of C.B. 3’s Landmarks Committee. “I hope their statement means that they’re getting close to calendaring.” She believes that the Landmarks Preservation Commission intends to do it, but, she said, “It is really a matter of doing it before something happens to the building. We’ve had a lot of experience

on the Lower East Side of owners doing damage to buildings to make them less eligible for landmarking. We don’t want to see that happen.” Jones lives in the Seward Park co-op behind the Bialystoker nursing home, which she can see from her window. “We have a lot of people watching that building,” she said. “If we saw workers doing damage to it, we would call the police.” The Bialystoker nursing home is millions of dollars in debt. The owner, Bialystoker Center and Bikur Cholim, Inc., owes up to $14 million to New York City and New York State and to the union, 1199/SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, whose members worked in the home. Bialystoker’s six-member board of directors, headed by Ira Meister, who owns a real estate management firm, says that it is necessary to sell the historic building to the highest bidder in order to pay off the debt. According to Magee, the board received between 10 and 15 proposals for the property and selected the Aegis Group, which would pay $17 million for the purchase, tear down the existing building and erect luxury condominiums. But, Magee said, “Aegis has issues with landmarking” and would not buy the property if it were landmarked. Aegis claims that the nursing home’s floor plates would not be suitable for residential development and that the building isn’t structurally sound, Magee said. She added that 1199/SEIU “has come

to some agreement with Bialystoker to cover pension, job placement, health benefits and back pay for their workers. The workers are taken care of,” which, she said, was a concern for Chin. When the building is sold, the New York State Attorney General’s Office would have to sign off on the sale because the current owner is a nonprofit organization. The A.G.’s Office is also said to be looking into allegations of financial improprieties on the part of board president Meister. In 2010, Meister bought a three-story building from the nursing home that stands on an adjoining lot. He paid $1.5 million in cash for the building, in a no-bid, closed deal. Meister said that he did the transaction to shore up the Bialystoker home’s finances. Others have pointed out that he profited from buying the building at a price well below market value. The Attorney General’s Office will not comment on whether it is investigating this deal and, if so, where the investigation stands. A mural painted in 1973 extolling the Lower East Side Jewish community and the ILGWU, which built the nearby Seward Park co-op, ornaments the side of the building that Meister bought. The mural says, “Our strength is our heritage.” In addition to appreciation for the Bialystoker building’s architecture, the loss of much of that heritage is what fuels the Friends of the Bialystoker Home’s fight. “I’m tired of big, high-rise buildings,” said Marcia Iconompolous, who is part of the group. “I understand the profit motive. I understand that real estate on the Lower East Side is cheaper relative to other areas, but we’re losing so much of what this neighborhood was about.” Across from the Bialystoker home, there are still some small Jewish shuls and community service organizations in rundown, 19th-century houses. But on the ground floor of the six-story walk-up on the corner of East Broadway and Clinton St. there are now cute stores selling Stumptown coffee and gourmet cheeses. Down the street, at 175 East Broadway, the landmarked building that once housed the Jewish Daily Forward, was converted into condos in 1999. Ironically, considering the portrait busts of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and other Socialists on the front of the building, apartments there now sell for millions of dollars and rent for as much as $15,000 a month. “The Bialystoker home was constructed by working people who, in the Depression, raised $40,000 to construct this building to take care of the elderly poor of the neighborhood,” said Joyce Mendelsohn, one of the founders of the Friends of the Bialystoker Home. “The building stands as a reflection of the culture of caring, which is part of the legacy of the Lower East Side.” For that reason alone, were there no other, she believes that the Bialystoker home must be saved.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Chick-fil-A escaped N.Y.U. chopping block once before BY KAITLYN R. MEADE Ever since Dan Cathy definitively confirmed his company’s support of the “biblical definition of the family unit” — including marriage as only between a man and a woman — it seems everyone has been weighing in on Chick-fil-A’s presence in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg commented on his Friday morning radio show that it was “inappropriate” for a government official to ban a business based on political views. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn initiated an online campaign against the company and asked N.Y.U.’s president, John Sexton, to end its partnership with the fast-food chain, though she later explained she was acting as a private citizen. Despite being one of the biggest fast-food chains in the South — with an advertising campaign with cows holding signs urging America to “Eat Mor Chikin” — the Atlantabased company has only one location in the city: N.Y.U.’s Weinstein Residence Hall, on University Place.

‘I don’t think that the values expressed by Dan Cathy align with the values of this university.’ Olivia Baackes

While the outlet is owned and operated by the national company, it occupies space on the university’s campus. As such, it is up to N.Y.U. to decide whether to end the partnership, one of the most lucrative of N.Y.U.’s private food vendors. The Village Chick-fil-A has been closed over the summer, along with the other vendors in the Weinstein food court, and is set to open again on Sun., Aug. 26. Last week, The Villager reported that a university spokesperson said Chick-fil-A was “out of step” with the school’s views and practices and that the administration would ask the University Senate to take up the issue. In fact, a few months ago, the Student Senators Council — which is under the umbrella of the University Senate, which also includes the Faculty Senators Council — voted on whether Chick-fil-A should be welcome on N.Y.U.’s campus. A student had brought Chick-fil-A’s contributions to antigay marriage organizations to the attention of the Student Senators Council. However, the company’s official stance was still ambiguous and the council voted to continue N.Y.U.’s partnership with the franchise. In a memo to the university, the council stated: “After extensive deliberation, the Student

Dan Cathy, C.E.O. of Chick-fil-A, recently came out publicly against same-sex marriage.

Senators Council agreed that there was insufficient evidence at this time to justify a ban of Chick-fil-A. At this point, there have been no reported acts of discrimination on the part of the restaurant chain, according to the information presented to the council and the additional research undertaken. It is for this reason that the council voted not to support an institutional ban of Chick-fil-A. “The Student Senators Council encourages concerned students and other community members to continue investigating the issue and further urges them to exercise their right to personally boycott any entity that offends their moral sensibilities.” The position stated in that memo is still in effect until the student senators reconvene in late September, said Ashima Talwar, a council member and president of the Gallatin School of Independent Study’s Student Council. However, the company president’s nowoutspoken stance has prompted many in the N.Y.U. community to ask for a reassessment. “I don’t think that the values expressed by Dan Cathy align with the values of this university,” said Olivia Baackes, president of the Inter-Residence Hall Council, the student leaders of N.Y.U.’s residence halls. “Given our strong commitment to promoting acceptance of diversity, I don’t think Chick-fil-A belongs on our campus or in our city. I can’t speak for every individual involved with I.R.H.C., but previous discussions surrounding this issue have led me to believe that many members agree with me on this issue.” She said one of the goals for the Student Senators Council, which begins training this week, will be “deciding how we go about addressing the Chick-fil-A topic.” If the council votes to pluck the fast-food chain out of Weinstein, it will start a review process that may lead to Chick-fil-A’s expulsion from the city entirely — unless it seeks a new spot in a non-N.Y.U. facility.

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August 23 - 29, 2012

Michael Nash, record-keeper of the left, dead at 66 OBITUARY BY GARY SHAPIRO Michael Nash, a leader in preserving the history of the left, has died. As educator, archivist and historian, Nash led New York University’s Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. “Mike had a profound understanding of how the history of the left fit together with all its parts. It was so alive to him, he brought it to life for others,” said Michael Stoller, director of collections and research services at N.Y.U. Libraries. Stoller said Nash was both archivist and academic. “He understood what scholars themselves were looking for in an archive,” he noted. The Tamiment collection has vast holdings relating to radical history of many stripes. The Wagner Archives have traditionally sought to preserve the historical record of the trade union movement, with a special focus on the New York labor movement. “He sought to enrich the collection with archival material and programming on the social and cultural history of the working class,” said N.Y.U. history professor Daniel Walkowitz. The tousle-haired Nash could be seen working long hours, introducing student classes to the collection or advising visiting fellows. He forged closer relations with such intramural institutions as Ireland House. He landed collections of Guantanamo lawyers, Victor Navasky of The Nation, and those of Howard Zinn, whose papers are at the intersection of history of the left and the subject of writing history itself. Michael Ratner, the president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, recalled marveling as Nash dove athletically into a damp room off an underground parking garage in Brooklyn to expertly select boxes from activist lawyer William Kunstler’s papers. Nash’s acquisition of the archive of C.I.A. apostate Philip Agee amounted to cloak-and-dagger. The flight from Havana to Montreal was met on the tarmac by the Canadian mounted police, the C.I.A. and the F.B.I. The materials were redirected to Ohio, where they were confiscated and sent to Washington, D.C. Most of it eventually arrived at the Tamiment. “He knew it was going to be important to researchers,” said Stoller. The Tamiment now also has Agee’s typewriter that had once been bugged. The archivist’s most eye-opening catch came after receiving a phone call from the Communist Party U.S.A. asking if he would have their archives, due to remodeling and lack of funding. Nash rooted around dusty filing cabinets, closets and storage areas. “They didn’t take anything away, they didn’t know what I was looking for, they didn’t review anything,” he told NPR in 2007. “You know, I’ve been in this business for 35 years and that’s never happened.” Under a desk, he found a box with radical union organizer Joe Hill’s last will and testament, which began, “My will is easy to decide/For I have nothing to divide.” Nash founded and co-directed the Center for the United States and the Cold War, as well as the Frederic Ewen Center for Academic Freedom. With these two centers and with the papers of the Communist Party at the Tamiment as the result of Nash’s efforts, more attention and programing has been paid than in previous years to topics that intersect with the Communist movement, such as the Cold War, the McCarthy period, the House Un-American Activities Committee (a.k.a. HUAC) and the Rapp-Coudert Committee.

Michael Nash.

“His great achievement was to bring a sense of liveliness to the Tamiment,” said writer/scholar Paul Berman. “His great error, in my partisan judgment, was to steer the library away from the anti-Communist left.” He added of the pre-Nash library, “Like most of the old New York socialists, it was an institution dedicated to combating the inroads of the Communist movement on the American left and the American labor movement.” Nash was good at convincing people and organizations to donate their archives because of his sincerity and likability, Stoller said, noting, “He was a genuine optimist.” Author Tony Hiss said the only time he ever saw anyone angry with Nash was when the pair were in a “Quiet Car” on Amtrak heading to Harvard Law School to confer about his father Alger Hiss’s defense counsel files. They were roundly “shushed” because Nash could not suppress his naturally enthusiastic voice to a scholarly whisper. Born in the Bronx in 1946, Nash was interested in Yankee games, comics and baseball cards to the detriment of his elementary school education. “School was not a priority,” said his wife, Jeanne RossNash, adding that, in that regard, “He’s definitely not a role model here.” He considered becoming a mathematician or an economist. His parents’ activism was formative for Nash. In the public schools, his mother, Ruth, taught business, and his father, Julius Nash, taught science. Julius was fired in 1962 for falsifying his teacher application stating that he had never been a member of the Communist Party. Nash’s father went on to manage a toy store and also teach at the Yeshiva of Flatbush. His mother was a member of the Committee of Labor Union Women. “She was very much the feminist,” Ross-Nash said. During his induction physical for the Army, the anti-

Vietnam War activist checked a box saying he was a 1930s veteran of the Spanish Civil War. An examiner said, “It’s absurd you checked that.” Nash replied, “It’s absurd you asked that.” His reward was an exemption: unfit for service. After undergraduate study at Harpur College at Binghamton University, he earned master’s degrees in history and library science at Columbia University, and a doctorate in 1975 at Binghamton in labor history. Melvyn Dubofsky, a professor emeritus at Binghamton University, served on Nash’s dissertation committee in the early 1970s. Dubofsky recalled that the young scholar argued that among immigrant steelworkers and coal miners, there was more radical sentiment than previously believed. The dissertation became Nash’s fi rst book, “Conflict and Accommodation: Coal Miners, Steel Workers and Socialism, 1890-1920” (Greenwood Press). Nash went on to co-edit “Red Activists and Black Freedom: James and Esther Jackson and the Long Civil Rights Revolution” (Routledge) and “The Good Fight Continues: World War II Letters From the Abraham Lincoln Brigade” (NYU Press). Other works by Nash covered archival subjects, such as editing, as in his “How to Keep Union Records.” He and his wife met at a party in Park Slope. She brought clam dip, and he accidentally bumped into her, spilling it all over both of them. Earlier in his career, he worked in archives at the New York Public Library and Cornell University, followed by a 20-year stint at the Hagley Museum and Library in Delaware. For a labor historian, Nash certainly knew his way around the business world, handling corporate donors with aplomb. He even consulted with Bank of America about its archives. At the Hagley Museum, he broadened the collection to include the history of consumer goods. He deserves a toast for acquiring the Seagrams archive, formerly housed in a warehouse in Queens. Also for the Hagley Museum, he snapped up the Avon cosmetics archive, a company that he viewed as helping women gain an economic foothold. He also built the museum’s collection to cover early years of the computer industry. “To sense a collection’s utility and figure out whether it will be of interest to future historians is not an everyday skill of archivists,” noted Glenn Porter, director emeritus of the Hagley Museum and Library, who hired Nash. “Some archivists never see a collection they didn’t want. “I really can’t imagine an archivist anywhere with the range to acquire the archives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the Hagley Museum and the Communist Party for the Tamiment,” noted Porter. But it was a return in 1992 to his first love — labor history — at the Tamiment that was the culmination of his career. His collecting spanned some sectarian divides. “There are records and papers sitting on shelves donated by people who would not want to be in the same room together,” said Chela Scott Weber, acting director of the Tamiment. Nash succumbed to a pulmonary embolism. In addition to his wife, Jeanne Ross-Nash, a psychotherapist in private practice, he is survived by two sons, Raphael Nash of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Gabriel Nash of Wilmington, Delaware. Over the past year, Nash got to know Occupy Wall Street activists well enough that some attended his shiva, the Jewish mourning rite of gathering at the deceased’s home. He enjoyed heading down to meetings of the O.W.S. “Think Tank” and the Archives Working Group with college-age provocateurs in their late teens, 20s and 30s. “Mike felt like he was young again,” his wife said.

August 23 - 29, 2012

NOTICE OF NAMES OF PERSONS APPEARING AS OWNERS OF CERTAIN UNCLAIMED FUNDS HELD BY BNY MELLON The persons whose names and last known addresses are set forth below appear from the records of the above named company to be entitled to abandoned property in amounts of fifty dollars or more. COUNTY OF NEW YORK BELINDA ANZALONE & MICHAEL ANZALONE JT TEN 401 EAST 34TH STREET APT N21F NEW YORK NY 10016-4981 ARTHUR ARONSON TR EDITH ARONSON TRUST U/W 03/16/2001 FBO ARTHUR ARONSON 262 ELIZABETH ST APT 7 NEW YORK NY 10012-3548 PAUL BELL & CYNTHIA A BELL JT TEN P O BOX 500 ROCKEFELLER CENTER NEW YORK NY 10185-0500 FLORENCE R BERK & WILLIAM BERK JT TEN 15 W 53RD, 28 D NEW YORK CITY NY 10019-5401 CAROLYN F CADIGAN 315 EAST 68TH STREET NEW YORK NY 10065-5692 MICHAEL CHUDINSKI 337 E 13TH ST APT 1 NEW YORK NY 10003-5851 WILLIAM C CONNER RM 1902 US COURTHOUSE FOLEY SQUARE NEW YORK NY 10007 MATT DUBEY 25 CENTRAL PARK WEST CENTURY APT 15-I NEW YORK NY 10023-7253 ANN FILINGERI P O BOX 8212 FDR STATION NEW YORK NY 10022

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August 23 - 29, 2012

EDITORIAL The NYCHA crisis At one point during last Thursday’s City Council hearing on the New York City Housing Authority and security cameras, Council Speaker Christine Quinn asked John Rhea, the authority’s commissioner, to commit to providing better accountability on how NYCHA is using the capital funding it gets from the Council. Rhea hedged, saying he needed more “clarity” from the Council. Stunned, Quinn laughed, and said she didn’t understand. It was a telling moment — pointing to NYCHA’s issues around transparency. Eventually, Rhea relented, saying NYCHA would give the Council quarterly updates on how it’s spending these capital funds. That’s a major step forward for a city agency that has come under fire for sitting on $1 billion in funding that should be going to repairs and safety improvements. Daily News exposés have blown the cover off NYCHA’s dysfunction. The News reported the authority has $42 million earmarked for installing security cameras, but which instead has gathered dust for eight years. Councilmembers testified at the hearing that their housing developments critically need cameras to combat crime and gun violence. James Sanders, who represents the Rockaways, said that, over multiple years, he allocated $7 million total for cameras and security for his NYCHA developments. But he stopped, he said, after seeing zero results, feeling the money was going “into a black hole.” In his defense, Rhea said NYCHA tenants approved his “layered access” plan, which includes better front-door locks, cameras and better lighting. But it seems to us Rhea should instead be implementing security improvements more incrementally, as the money comes in — rather than studying, designing, waiting…and ultimately not doing enough, rapidly enough. The News has called for the ouster of Rhea and NYCHA’s two other highly paid commissioners, Margarita Lopez and Emily Youssouf. And the mayor has responded, saying he now wants to eliminate Lopez’s and Youssouf’s paid positions and move to a nonpaid board, similar to what exists at other city agencies. As of now, Lopez and Youssouf remain on NYCHA’s board, each with a nearly $200,000 annual salary — plus paid drivers — since changing the authority’s structure may require state action. Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who chairs the Council’s Public Safety Committee, feels the authority actually has been improving. For example, instead of having a backlog of 500,000 repair requests from residents, that number has dropped to around 300,000. Percentagewise that’s impressive — but the number is still staggering, and it simply shouldn’t take years to get basic repairs. Also, in a smart move, NYCHA “federalized” 21 of its developments last year, becoming eligible for an immediate $400 million in federal money, plus up to $75 million in federal funds annually forever. Mendez also told us that having paid board members at NYCHA is part of the reason for any of its successes. Of course, Lopez held the East Village City Council seat before Mendez and was her political mentor. In fact, they also live in the very same East Village walk-up building. Let’s hope Mendez’s association with Lopez is not coloring — even ever-so slightly — her judgment of an agency that must be looked at with a very critical eye. Meanwhile, Borough President Scott Stringer has issued a report, “Reforming NYCHA,” that blasts the agency for “managerial dysfunction” and having an overpaid board, while senior staff positions are left unfilled. He also supports having an all-volunteer board. As a Bronx pastor said at last week’s hearing, the mayor has focused on things like transportation and public safety, but NYCHA remains “the elephant in the room.” It’s time the administration address the NYCHA crisis with the same vigor it has put into other initiatives.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The truth hurts, and how To The Editor: Re “Top 10 outrageous things about N.Y.U. plan approval” (talking point, by Andrew Berman, Aug. 16): Truisms: New York City is owned lock, stock and barrel by real estate interests. Our elected officials are not leaders; they follow the money the real estate interests use to fuel their re-election campaigns. If you can destroy the building where Edgar Allan Poe lived when he revised and published “The Raven,” and if you can destroy Eugene O’Neill’s and E.E. Cummings’s Provincetown Playhouse, you can do anything, with impunity. And what about the added strain on our aging infrastructure — water, sewage, electricity, gas, phone, cable? Will N.Y.U. pick up the tab if any of these interstitial necessities collapse? Or is this just another burden we taxpayers and consumers will have to bear? New windows? Hah! (Any mention of whether N.Y.U. will install these windows, or merely leave them on the stoops?) Finally, when is the city going to cede Washington Square Park to N.Y.U. — privatize it — so that our elected officials can continue to claim that they’re not increasing our taxes? That’s surely the next step. Glenn Bristow

So grateful for Berman To The Editor: Re “Top 10 outrageous things about N.Y.U. plan approval” (talking point, by Andrew Berman, Aug. 16): Andrew Berman is this generation’s Jane Jacobs and I am so grateful that he fights for the Village. Thank you, Andrew. Even if we lose this battle you will always be remembered for your effort in doing what was right.

black, hot-seat benches in Washington Square Park. However, most exposed hot seats are nowhere near the tree lines, especially on the eastern part of the park. This is more pablum that the Bloomberg administration feeds the public, and is not much better than its deafening silence on the disappearance of St. Vincent’s Hospital. Vahe A. Tiryakian

And after all that… To The Editor: Re “Hot stuff! Park benches are unfit to sit, as they hit 125 degrees” (news article, Aug. 16): And it took forever to “remake” that park. More than half the park was unusable at any given time for about four years. Patricia Bellucci

Just gimme that shimmy To The Editor: Re “Burlesque will be on the menu with stripped-down poetry club” (news article, Aug. 2): Aww, honey. … Does K Webster think that we make money off this job? Do you think that we do burlesque to pay the rent and feed our babies? This is my hobby that I look forward to every week. It’s a highly expensive hobby. I actually would be rolling in dough if I wasn’t spending so much money on my awesome costumes. Some of us ladies simply love our bodies and love the stage. Are you going to tell me that my “DragonBall Z” act in which I spend most of my stage time transforming into a Super Saiyan is a result of being exploited by a male-dominated society? We are artists. Just because it isn’t your same definition of art, doesn’t mean you should pity us and discriminate against us. We do what we do because we love it.

Laura Bong Stella Chuu

You’ve got to be kidding! To The Editor: Re “Hot Stuff! Park benches are unfit to sit, hit 125 degrees” (news article, Aug. 16): According to its spokesperson, the Parks Department is relying on future tree growth to shade and cool the

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IRA BLUTREICH

Paul Ryan doesn’t exactly inspire much trust.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Restoring my vision, getting set to test the waters TALKING POINT BY KATE WALTER I was having my tarot cards read in a cafe on Christopher St. by a seer named Roland. “You’re struggling to find a relationship” he said. “I see somebody but it’s not happening yet. You need a period of rest and rejuvenation.” Damn. How could I still be in that phase? I’d been single for three years, ever since my female partner of 26 years left me. After suffering through a bad breakup, I changed from a cranky journalist and college teacher into a New Age seeker. I had always been intrigued by spirituality, but my interest was dormant while living with a cynic. Without my ex’s judgment, I felt free to explore mystical areas. Since then, I’d joined a fantastic church led by a hip black female pastor — a far cry from my conservative Catholic upbringing. I’d become a spiritual and self-help junkie, advanced my yoga practice and started chanting. I’d learned how to nurture myself. “There are certain blocks you need to remove,” the reader continued. Roland did more layouts and told me I’d meet a water sign woman. That came up three times. I explained that I was going out and mingling with women but had no luck. I was afraid to be open after what happened. “The wound from the breakup left you damaged,” he said. “When you decide you are done resting, that person appears. All these cards are so clear.” Roland stopped and closed his eyes and said, “I’m getting stuff from the other side.” Was he channeling spirit guides? As he analyzed why I was not meeting anyone, he said, “I keep getting this image of blinders over your eyes.” “Sometimes, I’m too critical when I first meet people. Could that be it?” I asked. “Yeah, it’s a defense mechanism, but she’s out there. The blinders have to come off first. So have experiences — online dating, whatever — that will make you more receptive.” “Your energy feels good,” he assured me. “But look at this card,” he said, pointing to the Eight of Swords. “This repre-

sents you. Her eyes are covered and swords are around her. Swords are energy blocks. Releasing them can be difficult.” I took comfort that this ominous card appeared in the present position, not the future. Roland’s words seemed prophetic when, two months later, I saw Dr. Accardi, my eye doctor. After doing his tests he told me, “You have lost so much vision in the right eye in the last 10 months, I suggest you have the cataract removed now.” That shocked me. I knew I had a cataract in one eye, but the last time I was there he was adamant about me not needing surgery yet. I had no idea things could change so fast. This made me feel

old and alone. I thought I’d do this way in the future, like when I was retired or when I had a new girlfriend, who would pick me up at the hospital. By the time I left his office, I scheduled the surgery for during my semester break. As I went online and looked at the operation, I found the visual of a veil being removed from my eye. I kept thinking about what Roland said about taking off the blinders. That morning, I had to be in the hospital at 6 a.m. I was anxious and woke up before my alarm rang. I dressed and did three rounds of kapalabhati breathing, also known as the “yogi’s cup of coffee.” I was dying for a real cup of coffee but had orders not to eat or drink anything. When I left my apartment in the far West Village, it was still dark and superquiet. All the restaurants and bars and stores were closed. It felt a bit spooky. The only place open was the 24-hour deli. I grabbed a cab, and we shot across 14th St. to the Eye and Ear Infirmary. After getting admitted, I entered the pre-surgery assembly line: hospital garb from the waist up, then a battery of eye

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would not be the rare patient whose retina detached. “You’ll be fine, ” he said and patted me on the shoulder. My eye doctor of many years was a kind man and highly rated surgeon. I felt connected because he grew up Catholic in the Italian section of Greenwich Village, near where I live. The entire process took less than 10

Continued on page 19

‘This represents you. Her eyes are covered and swords are around her.’

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drops that widened my pupil and numbed my eye. As I sat on a gurney in the hallway, waiting to be wheeled into the operating room, I started practicing alternate-nostril breathing, a nerve-calming breath my yoga teacher recommended. While in the corridor, I met the Filipino nurse and the anesthesiologist with a Russian accent who’d be assisting my surgeon. Dr. Accardi came by to say hello, “Are you anxious?” “Of course,” I answered, hoping I

Photo by Jefferson Siegel

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If marlins could talk… . After what could very well have been a night of hard partying, this fish was spotted, minus its snout, on Clinton St. near Houston St. on Sunday afternoon.

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August 23 - 29, 2012

Restaurateur reportedly giving space for 9/11 tiles BY LINCOLN ANDERSON After it was recently reported that the 9/11 tiles at Greenwich Ave. and Seventh Ave. South would be moved to temporary storage in Albany while the M.T.A. builds a new exhaustfan facility at the Village intersection, local protectors of the Village memorial leapt into action. In a stunning whirlwind of events, they have secured a nearby vacant building to serve as a gallery for the beloved ceramic tiles. “The M.T.A. sprang it on us so quickly, we’re forming our concepts as we go,” said Dusty Berke, a leader of the team that tends the tiles. Berke said that Sasha Muniak, the owner of Gusto restaurant, has offered the group the use of the neighboring small building he owns at 62 Greenwich Ave. It will be a three-story gallery for the tiles, she said. “We’re not calling it a museum — we’re calling it a gallery,” she said. Details and terms of the lease were being worked out on Wednesday night. “We hope to sign the lease tonight,” Berke said, speaking earlier on Wednesday. According to Berke, Muniak will offer them the building for free, at least at first, allowing them time to fundraise in order to pay rent in the future. Muniak could not be reached for comment, and Berke said they didn’t want him to talk to the media anyway until the deal is sealed. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority had intended to incorporate some of the tiles into its planned “faux-cade” building at the

Supporters of all ages have helped the effort to save Greenwich Village’s 9/11 tiles memorial.

Mulry Square intersection, while the other tiles would eventually find a home somewhere else — hopefully. But that didn’t sit well with the “Tile Team,” who worked with Muniak to come up with the gallery plan. “This is the gateway to the Village. This is

the heart of the West Village,” Berke said. “We don’t think putting it in a box for three years will be good for the memorial.” According to Berke, they have obtained possession of the tiles under the name Tiles of America, Inc.

“Ownership has been transferred to Tiles of America, Inc.,” she said. She didn’t offer more specifics. The tiles were created after the 9/11 attack, crafted at the Our Name is Mud pottery studio, which used to be located nearby. The tiles, fastened to the chain-link fence surrounding the M.T.A.-owned lot, are the city’s last remaining grassroots, spontaneous 9/11 memorial. But the subway exhaust-fan project put the iconic memorial’s future in jeopardy. Last year, before Tropical Storm Irene hit town, Berke and her team, along with neighborhood residents and merchants, worked diligently to take down all the tiles from the fence and store them until the danger passed. Then, they hung them back up on the fence, when possible, having family members of 9/11 victims and first-responders do the honors. The colorful corner also has a “Love Bench” created by a local artist, called so because last year, for the attack’s 10th anniversary, everyone left flowers on it, showing their love. Berke said they also would like the M.T.A. to incorporate a mural along the new fan structure’s top edge and even on its roof, to make it visually appealing and to better reflect the spot’s significance. As for the street corner and the tiles’ new gallery, “lots of celebrations” are planned, Berke said. Berke didn’t give expressly say so, but from the sound of it, the tiles will remain on the fence until after the 9/11 anniversary next month, after which they will at some point be relocated across the street to their new home.

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A report of Unclaimed Property has been made to Thomas P. DiNapoli, Comptroller of the State of New York, pursuant to Section 301 of the Abandoned Property Law. A list of the names contained in such notice is on file and open to public inspection at the principle office of First Niagara Bank, located at 726 Exchange Street, Buffalo, NY 14210, where such abandoned property is payable. Such abandoned property will be paid on or before October 31 next to persons establishing to its satisfaction their right to receive the same. In the succeeding November, and on or before the tenth day thereof, such unclaimed property will be paid to Thomas P. DiNapoli, Comptroller of the State of New York, and shall thereupon cease to be liable therefore.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Hoylman offers more specifics, also takes more flak Continued from page 1 Hoylman never fails to salute Duane when he campaigns. The fact that Hoylman appears to have been selected as the incumbent’s heir was an issue. “How are you supposed to get new ideas?” said Greco. “You need new ideas, fresh ideas, fresh people.” The 90-minute debate, which was sponsored by Citizens Union, a nonpartisan civic group, and NYC Community Media, the parent of The Villager, the East Villager, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and Downtown Express, did showcase Hoylman’s better grasp on solutions to problems facing the district, New York City and the state, but it also demonstrated the extent to which the candidates agree. Tanika Inlaw, a public school teacher, identified her top three priorities if elected as defending and improving public education, building and protecting affordable housing and campaign finance reform. Hoylman and Greco certainly support those goals. All three agreed that hydrofracking must be stopped, that public pensions must be sustained, and that the police practice of stop-andfrisk must end. Ultimately, the winner of the Sept. 13 Democratic primary (held on a Thursday in deference to the 9/11 anniversary), which will decide who takes the seat, may be determined

Photo by Duncan Osborne

From left, Tom Greco, Brad Hoylman and Tanika Inlaw at Monday’s debate.

by more practical matters. Hoylman has far more money and far more political infrastructure behind him. In his most recent filing with the state Board of Elections, Hoylman had an opening balance of roughly $171,000. He raised more than $80,000 since his previous filing just weeks before, and had $209,416.45 in cash on hand. His money has come from the gay community, unions, Wall Street and real estate interests. Greco had an opening balance of $13,600. He raised $8,775 since the earlier report and had $16,875 in cash on hand. Inlaw, who has filed one campaign finance report but not the most recently required fol-

low-up, has loaned her campaign $1,403 and received a single donation of $150. She has debts, including her loan, of $2,748. As of July 17, she had $353 in cash on hand. Like Greco, Inlaw took a poke at Hoylman’s backers. “Unlike my opponent, I don’t have any special-interests groups behind me,” she said. “I’m a public school teacher, I’m an ordinary American.” Hoylman’s 12 years at the Partnership for New York City, a major business lobby, also came up. Bill Rudin, the chief executive officer of the real estate firm Rudin Management Company, is affiliated with the Partnership and

with New York University. The Rudin company is converting the St. Vincent’s Hospital property in the West Village into high-end apartments. The university just won city permission for a major expansion. Both plans are very controversial. Hoylman said, “Absolutely” when Greco asked him if he had done everything he could to save the hospital, “given your day job.” Hoylman added, “St. Vincent’s closed partly because of mismanagement. This was its second bankruptcy.” Hoylman was chairperson of Community Board 2, representing the Village area, until he stepped down to run for state Senate. Hoylman differentiated himself by pressing for specific solutions. Rather than making cuts in the face of expected multibillion-dollar state budget gaps, he wants new revenue sources. He noted that 20 percent of New York City residents are living in poverty. “It’s this growing gap between the rich and the poor that really undermines our society,” Hoylman said. “We need a real millionaires’ tax. The governor cut our millionaires’ tax in half.” When discussing funding for the cash-strapped Hudson River Park Trust, the state-city authority that administers the West Side’s Hudson River Park, Hoylman suggested using money from lawsuit settlements won by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation or from a state bank regulator that just collected $340 million. “We need to identify more revenue sources,” Hoylman said.

August 23 - 29, 2012

To redraw, or not to redraw, Council district lines Continued from page 1 too cohesive and too well-organized — and then the split began,” Bradlow asserted. “I watched it happen to the point we are represented by three councilmembers. The cohesiveness is gone.” Bradlow said she felt this fracturing of the traditional Village district was “retaliation” for residents having beaten back Planning Czar Robert Moses’ attempt to bulldoze and rebuild the northwest corner of the Village with an urban renewal project and also build a cross-Manhattan expressway along Broome St. This segmentation has weakened the ability of Village activists to fight back harmful projects, she said. “We most recently coalesced as a community against the intent of N.Y.U. expansion,” she said. “But we lost out on that one because we were represented by three different councilmembers — that doesn’t work so well.” Bradlow urged the commission to keep in mind one of the key points on districting from the City Charter, namely, that districts should keep intact “communities of interest” — meaning neighborhoods with shared concerns. “And that certainly is the Village,” she stated. Jonathan Geballe, president of V.I.D., also advocated for a unified Village district.

VILLAGE SPLIT 3 WAYS Currently, the western portion of the Village is in District 3, represented by Christine Quinn. The northern and eastern section of the Village east of Fifth Ave. and north of Eighth St. is represented by Rosie Mendez. And Washington Square and the area south of it, plus Soho are represented by Margaret Chin. However, activist Jim Fouratt offered an alternative idea — for a West Side district stretching from Canal St. to 50th St. west of Broadway. “You have the theater community, you have the gay and lesbian community, you have the fashion industry, you have the digital industry,” he said of the communities of interest such a district would unite. The Lower West Side needs effective, unified representation in the City Council, but currently lacks it, he stressed. “We have no hospital,” he said. “We have a pipeline going in with a potential gas explosion. We have N.Y.U. gobbling up everything, and other issues that are not being addressed... .”

2 DISTRICTS OR 1 FOR CHINATOWN AND L.E.S.? Meanwhile, a debate that began during redistricting two decades ago continued to simmer at last Monday’s hearing, showing the ongoing split in the Chinatown and Lower East Side community over how best to shape district lines to ensure minority representation. On one side, Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, argued for creating a single district that would help ensure an AsianAmerican or Latino councilmember would be elected for the foreseeable future. But Chris Kui, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality, said the current district layouts are working, since there is currently a Chinese-American candidate, Chin, representing Lower Manhattan and Chinatown’s District 1, while a Latina, Mendez, is representing District 2, which includes the East Village, as well as the public housing housing projects on the Lower East Side along the East River, which have a heavy Hispanic population. Chin used to be Kui’s deputy director at AAFE, a local housing and social services organization. Obviously, with Chin’s having won election three years ago, they feel the dis-

Photo by Lincoln Anderson

Chris Kui of AAFE, left, testifying before the Districting Commission last Thursday.

trict lines are doing what they were intended to do: elect an Asian-American councilmember in District 1 and a Hispanic councilmember in District 2. Meanwhile, District 3, known as the “gay Council seat,” is currently represented by openly lesbian speaker Quinn, and several openly gay candidates are expected to vie for her seat next year when Quinn faces term limits and is anticipated to run for mayor.

TRACKING THE TRENDS But Fung said, at least as far as Districts 1 and 2 are concerned, the model is not sustainable if minority representation is to be continued. Due to so much development of new housing, in fact, both districts have seen a loss of minority population and an increase in white residents, which Fung said, could lead to the prospect of electing white candidates in both districts. “That’s the future,” Fung said in a phone interview this week. “There’s going to be a lot of changes. I think it would be better to have a stronger minority district.”

CENSUS SHOWS CHANGES Currently, in District 1, the Asian voting-age population is 36 percent, while the white voting-age population, according to the 2010 Census, has grown to 46 percent. In addition, Chinatown residents simply have more in common with Lower East Side residents — in terms of such issues as housing, fair wages, zoning and concerns about development — than they do with wealthier residents in Tribeca and Battery Park City, Fung added. “I think it’s indisputable that Chinatown residents and Lower East Side residents have strong community interests,

and that’s one of the criteria of redistricting,” she noted. Twenty years ago, Fung said, the advocates for creating the current district lines, including AAFE, felt there should be an Asian district and a separate Latino district. However, she said, the landscape has changed, noting, “What was a 43 percent Asian population in District 1 in 1991 is now 36 percent Asian.” And in Mendez’s District 2 — which Fung noted, “was definitely intended be the Latino-opportunity district” — the Hispanic population has also dipped, according to the Census, now standing at only 18 percent, while that district’s white population is 59 percent, Fung added.

‘LOSING MINORITY POPULATION’ “What I’m concerned about is that both districts are losing minority population,” the AALDEF director said, “and I think there’s the possibility of creating a strong minority district, and they have common concerns that would constitute a ‘community of interest.’ ” Kui and AAFE, though, see it differently. “Right now we have two very, very good members of the City Council who are actually Asian and Latino,” he said, referring to Chin and Mendez, “and District 3 [with] the Village and gays and lesbians...kind of connecting all minorities together. We have three progressive voices in Lower Manhattan.” Yes, admittedly, it took 20 years to elect an Asian candidate, but it finally did happen, and things are working, he said. And District 2 has had Latino representation in its past three councilembers: Antonio Pagan, Margarita Lopez and now Mendez.

Continued on page 30

August 23 - 29, 2012

Off the wall: L.E.S. street art CLAYTON BY CLAYTON PATTERSON André’ Charles, a.k.a. The Underground Artist, in the early 1990s came down from the Bronx with the desire to take down Chico and become the leading Lower East Side street artist. For a period of time he gave Chico a run for his money. He burst on the scene and quickly made a name for himself with street murals like his RIP Tupac Shakur and Mike Tyson on Houston St., and of course his full, building piece on the corner of Lafayette and Bleecker Sts. (top right). He lasted a few years and left. Chico is still here. Sioban Meow is one of the long-term residents of Umbrella House squat, at 21-23 Aveniue C. Sioban was one of the front-line activists in the late 1980s/early

’90s L.E.S. anti-gentrification movement. One way she expressed her outrage at the corporate takeover of the community was through her art. Sioban has developed her own set of “Squat Workers,” which had a prominent presence on the L.E.S., such as a figure on the front of Umbrella House (lower right). I’m not sure who painted the mural on the corner of Attorney and Rivington Sts. (above left). This was outside of Pyscho Cycles, a custom motorcycle shop. Indian Larry (DeSmedt) was one of the bike builders. Indian Larry went on to become a legend in the motorcycle world. And of course who can forget Sabotage Books, at 96 St. Mark’s (below left)? This was a gathering place for many of those who were connected to the anti-gentrification movement.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Amidst the chaos of reality, they anchor each other BY BOB KRASNER When it comes to love, you can forget about conventional wisdom, playing by the rules or anything else that might be considered reasonable. Despite financial woes, medical emergencies, age differences and the fact that he likes to dress as a woman, Stu Cottingham and Veronica Vera are happily married newlyweds. The aforementioned tendency toward cross-dressing is not the deal-breaker that some women might think, since Veronica is “the dean of students” at Miss Vera’s Finishing School For Boys Who Want To Be Girls. Although she’s a woman who teaches men how to dress like women and he’s a man who likes to take on a female persona (“Misty Madison”), he luckily had the right attitude toward his male parts (he’s keeping them) or Miss Vera would have let him go long ago. “It was one of the first things she asked me when we started seeing each other,” said Stu. “She wanted to be sure that I was staying a man.” Their colorful pasts have recently blended into an uncertain future. She’s written for Penthouse, performed in adult films and modeled for Robert Mapplethorpe and JoelPeter Witkin. Her résumé includes testifying before Congress, with visual aides, such as photos of herself in bondage, in support of erotica. He was a teenage gang member, following a stint with the Metropolitan Opera’s Children’s Chorus. He designed posters for the fondly remembered Wetlands club and even grew pot for a while. She still meets with the support group (Club 90 ) that she founded with colleagues Annie Sprinkle, Gloria Leonard, Veronica Hart and Candida Royalle to examine the effects that acting in adult films had on their lives. Until recently, Stu was the manager at an animal hospital in Chelsea. After 16 years, he was let go as the result of a managerial decision that is still in dispute, leaving him in a monetary crisis. But Veronica helped him to realize that the lack of a 9-to-5 job left him free to concentrate on his art, an interest he inherited from his father, Robert Cottingham (a commercial artist, not the photo realist), a painter who died young, leaving behind the beautiful works that grace his son’s walls. The setback did not stop Stu from proposing (“the smartest decision I ever made,” he said) and despite the financial issues and the age difference (she’s got 18 years on him) she accepted, only to find out shortly after that he had a brain tumor. It’s important to note the chronology, as Stu proposed before he knew of his illness. It’s important to him that she said yes before they knew he had brain cancer, as he doesn’t have to wonder if she married him out of pity or compassion. Sadly, two of Miss Vera’s previous relationships ended with the culmination of her partners’ terminal illnesses. The first was her gay then best friend and collabo-

rator, Robert, whom she proposed to upon learning that he had AIDS and was being treated for Kaposi’s sarcoma. The second, Phil, was a “great love” who succumbed to colon cancer after just five years together. But “without a doubt,” Miss Vera notes, “Stu is the most important man in my life.” Stu and Veronica’s ceremony was held at Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South. It was, by all accounts, a magical and life-affirming experience. (It’s all covered in a mock New York Times “Vows” article that they had written for their wedding program.) At the wedding, Stu wore the tuxedo of his good friend David Nolan — the soundman and D.J. at Wetlands, who lived in an East Village homesteader building — who died two years ago. The tux fit perfectly, Stu

At the wedding, Stu wore the tuxedo of his good friend David Nolan, who was the soundman and D.J. at Wetlands. said. Their life now finds them immersed in art: He creates it and Veronica lives out the advice that Fluxus artist William de Ridder gave her years ago: “To think of everything that you do as art.” The world that they have created for themselves is referred to as “The Castle Cottingham,” a nod to Stu’s interest in things medieval. The “South Tower” is located in Veronica’s 14th St. apartment, also the home of her 18-year-old cat Charlie. The “North Tower” is a walk-up on W. 49th St., where Stu’s pit bull Madison resides with his cat, Miss Piggy. Hoping to expand the kingdom, they are “hoping for a country estate,” as well. It’s all about the future, which is defiantly uncertain. Stu wears a yarmulke to cover the scars of the operation that he went through just before the wedding, and struggles to remember simple words, a side effect that he believes will not be permanent. Veronica plays a sort of game with him, as he gives her clues as to what those words might be and she patiently and sweetly fills in the blanks. Stu mentions that he’d like to have another 11 years, so that he’ll live at least as long as his dad. They both know that the time may be counted in months, though, due to the nature of the cancer. Veronica isn’t about to give up hope. She sums up her feelings simply, stating, “We’ve been given a great love, accompanied by a great challenge. I’ve always been an optimist. I see no reason to stop now.” For more information about Veronica and Stu, visit: http://missvera.com/ and http:// stuartcottingham.com/.

Photo by Bob Krasner

Veronica Vera and Stuart Cottingham were married in June at Judson Memorial Church in the Village.

August 23 - 29, 2012

I can (finally) see clearly now Continued from page 13 minutes. All I remember was the needle going into my hand and staring into this bright light. I heard Dr. Accardi say three things: “The cataract is out. … This is going swimmingly. … The lens is in.” I liked the adverb “swimmingly.” When I heard that word, I felt secure. Although I was sedated, I felt very aware. I left the operating room with a clear plastic patch on my eye, but my distance vision was amazing. I felt a mellow high when I left the hospital with my friend who picked me up. When I got back to my building, I was shocked to see the lights in my hallway were bright white, not yellowish. Would having better eyesight help me envision new possibilities? My doctor’s words made me recall that my grandfather Jack, my mother’s father, had this operation in the early 1960s. I felt grateful the procedure had improved dramatically over the decades. After his surgery Gramp could only see if he wore glasses with thick Coke bottle lenses. Born and raised in a seaport in Ireland, my grandfather loved swimming in the ocean when he visited us at the Jersey Shore. As

a kid with a Red Cross junior lifesaving badge, I was assigned the task of swimming with him. This started after the day Gramp went into the water solo and swam out too far; the lifeguards were whistling and waving at him to turn around; he was having a “grand time” and had no idea they were signaling him. My mother was upset when she met my grandfather at the shoreline and handed him his glasses. From then on, I became his seeing-eye swimming companion. Two years later, I had the other eye done. I was still single, although I’d met many women online and dated a few more than once. Did I literally need to have the blinders removed from both eyes? The day after my second surgery, I walked to my doctor’s office for a post-op checkup. As I strolled uptown on a summer morning, I was looking forward to going down the shore and swimming in the Atlantic. I had no need for a guide in the ocean. I could see clearly now. I had finished resting and was ready to meet the water sign woman. Walter has just fi nished a memoir, “Looking for a Kiss: A Sapphic Search for Sex and Serenity”

LOWER EAST SIDE PEOPS PROJECT BY FLY

STANLEY COHEN - 08/14/2K12 - AVE. D - LES NYC

Photo by Lincoln Anderson

St. Brigid’s Church, seen in a photo taken about a month ago, will reportedly be reopening this fall after a lengthy renovation.

Rumor E. 12th church is sold; St. Brigid’s work almost done BY LINCOLN ANDERSON Word on the street is that the Catholic Archdiocese of New York has sold Mary Help of Christians Church, at E. 12th St. and Avenue A. Neighborhood activist Carolyn Ratcliffe said earlier this week that a neighbor of hers said Renata, the head of the flea market that uses the church’s parking lot, told her the church had been sold, and that the flea market only had the use of the parking lot — which extends down to 11th St. — for the next two weeks. Ratcliffe said the woman was told the flea market will be relocating to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, at 14th St. and First Ave. Spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said the archdiocese’s policy is not to discuss property sales until they are finalized. He said there haven’t been any finalized sales of church properties recently. That said, however, he noted of Mary Help of Christians, “There’s no secret that it’s on the market.” Zwilling said he believed what’s being offered is the entire site, including the parking lot, but wasn’t absolutely sure if that’s the case. The Mary Help of Christians parish ceased to exist several years ago. The church, however, does continue to have one Mass celebrated there weekly. Meanwhile, on a more positive note, work on the restoration of St. Brigid’s Church, at Eighth St. and Avenue B, is nearing completion. Repairing the church’s semidetached, back wall, on its eastern side, proved more challenging and costly than anticipated, which slowed the progress of the work, Zwilling said. The wall’s pulling away from the church had also damaged the rest of the building, he noted. The wall’s

repair ultimately cost more than the few hundred thousand dollars that the church’s congregants had estimated, he said. “There’s water running underneath the property,” making the job even more difficult, the spokesperson added. Father Ato from St. Emeric’s Church, located at the eastern end of E. 13th St., is already living in the St. Brigid’s rectory, eagerly awaiting the restored church’s reopening, Zwilling said. St. Emeric’s congregants will worship at St. Brigid’s, joined by former St. Brigid’s congregants and others. The archdiocese had closed the damaged church and was trying to sell it off, when an unnamed benefactor stepped in, providing millions to restore the historic “Irish famine” church built by East Village boatwrights. Zwilling said the restoration doesn’t include restoring tall steeples previously sported by the church’s towers since these weren’t on the church when it was originally built, but were added later — plus, putting on steeples “would have added significantly to the cost” of the project, he said. As for when St. Brigid’s will officially reopen, Zwilling said he keeps being given a date, and its keeps getting pushed back a bit further — as often happens with any kind of construction project, he noted — but that it will be happening soon. There were rumors the opening would be next month, but now it’s looking a bit later than that, he said. “They certainly are talking about the fall,” Zwilling said. “It’s not going to be September.” There will be a dedication Mass to mark the opening, he said. A huge plus for the congregation of the church, he added, “It will be opening debt-free” — again, thanks to the unnamed benefactor.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Guerrilla garden action as Stanton lot is taken over BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL A small parcel of land on Stanton St. that has stood vacant for more than 30 years has the potential to become a battleground between garden activists and developers. As gentrification continues apace on the Lower East Side, last Sunday a group of neighbors and activists decided to push back. Recently, locals were alarmed to find a sign reading, “Lot For Sale, Residential Development” on the “L”-shaped plot facing Stanton and Attorney Sts. In a presentation to Community Board 3 earlier this year, plans were unveiled for a five-story building with 14 apartments on the 5,000-squarefoot lot. Though residents in an adjoining building had been making surreptitious forays into the lot for years through a ground-floor window, the construction of a building that would practically abut the walls and windows of 141 Attorney St. and 179 Stanton St. spurred neighbors and local activists to action. Last Sunday morning, Claire Costello, whose window overlooks the lot, approached the chain-link fence on Stanton St. Waiting for her outside the gate were five people from the group “Made In LES.” “I tippled the gate,” she said in her Irish-accented voice, pointing to a narrow entryway under the fence that was now ajar at a 45-degree angle, providing just enough room for the garden-minded activists to squeeze under. A half-dozen volunteers from the Times Up! Gardening Committee followed them into the lot. In addition to worries about a new building blocking light and air, there was the fear of losing the chance to create a new community garden for the neighborhood. “I’ve spoken to all three schools on the street, P.S. 140, P.S. 142 and the Manhattan Charter School. They were interested in a ‘learn to grow’ program,” in a garden, she explained. Costello also envisions a community garden providing space for artists to exhibit work. During several hours, volunteers piled rotted lumber against a wall and filled a pile of garbage bags with pieces of concrete slabs. Dodie Shepard, 9, lifted a shovel bigger than she was as her sister, Scarlett, 6, planted flowers. “We had an idea, let’s do a simple cleanup to gauge the interest of the community,” said John Donahue, a graphic designer and 25-year resident of the block, as he stacked debris against one wall of the lot. “Various groups and community people are interested in open space. Today was kick-started by the proposed development,” Donohue explained. “It is in the interest of the community to have green space. Our garden will add some lungs to the asphalt of the city playground.” The parcel consists of three lots; two and a half lots are owned by the city while the other half lot is owned by William Gottlieb’s estate. The Gottlieb family controls a sizable real estate portfolio in the West Village and East Village. Sunday’s action, which was planned in a month, garnered support from several groups. Green NYC delivered tools and a wheelbarrow for the cleanup. A page on the web site 596acres.org lit up with conversations from interested parties. Wendy Brawer, founding director of the global Green Map System, was a driving force in last Sunday’s activity. “Many of us have been dreaming of this space for years,” she said while watching soil emerge from under the rubble and weeds. “Today’s cleanup is the staring point of a community space. “Stanton Street is on fire,” she continued, pointing out all the new buildings and businesses on the block. “The neighborhood is becoming a convergence point of all kinds of social innovators who want to create green jobs in a healthier community.” “More of this needs to happen,” said Susan Howard, another longtime L.E.S. resident, as she watched hardy perennials and leadwort being planted alongside an existing apple tree. “Unlike Bloomberg’s vision of green space, which is pavement and planters, this is a place where people can get their

Photos by Jefferson Siegel

Helping clear the lot, local residents Laura and Jared Williams hauled a slab to the garbage.

hands into the dirt and grow things to eat, to bring light and air to this urban environment and reduce the heat-island effect,” Howard added. Across the street from the lot is the century-old Stanton Street Shul, where an early planning meeting for the cleanup took place. “We are very happy that neighbors on this block are taking responsibility for cleaning up two derelict lots which attracted garbage on the streets. How could you be against that?” said shul member Esther Malke. “Having a green space will make this block into what shul members and neighbors need.” During the past month, Costello posted fliers throughout the neighborhood announcing Sunday’s action. Petitions left in bars and restaurants garnered dozens of signatures. During Sunday’s cleanup, 250 more passersby signed petitions calling for the garden’s creation. Costello plans to submit the petitions to C.B. 3 and to GreenThumb, which provides support to community gardens throughout the city. Another cleanup is planned in a month. Over the next six months, Costello hopes to remove the last of the gravel and find organizations willing to donate plants and soil. She also envisions a fundraiser in the lot featuring local artists. The creation of the first community garden in 1974, the Bowery Houston Community Farm and Garden, founded by Liz Christy, sparked a rush to claim and convert weedravaged vacant lots into pocket parks throughout the East Village and Lower East Side. With less than a dozen community gardens now in the Lower East Side, the data-sharing collective Oasisnyc.net lists only four vacant lots with the potential to become gardens. “It’s now or never,” warned Brawer. “If we don’t take action now, the potential for community space is lost forever.” Volunteers put a flower in a planter.

For information on how to help, e-mail Claire.Stanton. Info@gmail.com

August 23 - 29, 2012

VILLAGER ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT Expect to get schooled! After a summer’s worth of festivals, Downtown theater gets back to basics BY TRAV S. D. Hello, and welcome to our special “Back to School” edition of the Downtown Theater Column. Many bargains here, but more importantly: Expect to get schooled! August 30 through September 15, No Tea Productions will be presenting “SPACE CAPTAIN: Captain of Space,” a multimedia spoof of 1930s science fiction serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Though it sounds more than a little like “Spacemen from Space” (a multimedia spoof of 1930s science fiction serials which I performed in a couple of years ago), my mind is open to the possibility that it could pass muster, or even jet into uncharted territory. For example, the current production claims that it is entirely “in black and white” — which would be quite a feat for a live stage show. Just how they accomplish that trick is enough to intrigue me! I don’t know this company’s work, so I can’t promise that this show will be up to my high standards for low entertainment. But at least it’s a chance to watch grown men run around in feety pajamas shooting toy ray guns at one another, and that’s not to be sneezed at. “Space Captain” will be playing at the Kraine Theater. More info can be found at noteaproductions.com. August 31, the Bats (the resident company of The Flea Theater) will open “Job.” This version of the Old Testament story about the most put-upon man in history is written by controversial African-American playwright Thomas Bradshaw — who’s been raising the hackles of audiences and critics for years with provocative, politically incorrect plays like “Purity,” “Burning,” “Southern Promises” and “Strom Thurmond is Not a Racist.” While the marketing material promises that his take on “Job” is “honest” and “uncynical,” one still can’t help wondering what outrages he will commit upon it. And I mean that in a good way. “Job” will be playing through October 7. Info and tickets at theflea.org. September 3 through October 1, the Origin Theatre Company will be presenting the fifth annual addition of First Irish, billed as the world’s only theater festival dedicated to Irish playwrights. The month-long festival features plays and musicals by 11 contemporary Irish playwrights (plus Eugene O’Neill), in productions from Belfast, Dublin, Boston and New York — as well as a number of scholarly panel discussions, readings and film screenings. First Irish will be taking place at several theaters throughout the city, including the Irish Rep, 59E59 Theaters, the Irish Arts Center, the National Arts Club and The Drilling Company Theatre. It runs through October 1. More info at 1stirish.org. Here’s a bit of welcome news. Circus Amok — the radical anarchist circus run by “woman with a beard” (never “bearded lady”) Jennifer Miller — returns after a long hiatus, with a four-borough tour of their new show, “Moo.” The 12-member troupe of clowns, acrobats and musicians mixes traditional big top feats of derring-do with some kind of crazy narrative about cops, creditors and a cow on the loose (hence the title). The citywide tour launches September 8, with the Downtown Manhattan shows taking place on September 23, at 1 and 4pm in Tompkins Square Park. Circusamok.org for more details. September 11-16, an outfi t named Gobsmacked Productions is offering a revival of their 1996 show “Sicks: An Evening With Six of the Most Notorious

Photo by Jeremy Mather

The multimedia spoof “SPACE CAPTAIN: Captain of Space” promises a theater experience that’s strictly black and white.

Women in History.” The villainous sextet consists of Lizzie Borden, Bonnie Parker, Catherine the Great, Ma Barker, Queen Mary I and Squeaky Fromme. I think they left out a few notorious women, including some I know personally. Be that as it may, I look forward to spending an hour or two with such interesting conversationalists as these. The show promises to “walk you through life from their sick and twisted perspectives as they tell their own versions of what really happened to land them in the spotlight.” I’m so there! The limited run will be presented at Walkerspace, which also houses Soho Rep. Tickets can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800838-3006. September 12-22, the Workshop Theater Company is presenting a “Play-in-Progress” production of a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi,” at the Jewel Box Theater. Anyone who knows the book will be highly curious as to how such a thing can be made stageworthy (it’s part memoir, part rambling tall tale, part travelogue, part history, part instructional manual and no “story”). Still, stranger things have happened. Both “Oh! Calcutta!” and “Cats!” ran for years. For more info, go to workshoptheater.org. And if you haven’t been hearing enough about Ayn Rand lately, this show by Michael Yates Crowley and Michael Rau of the company Wolf 359 should put you over the top: “Song of a Convalescent Ayn Rand Giving Thanks to the Godhead (in the Lydian Mode).” Playing a myriad of characters, the team previously responsible for “The Ted Haggard Monologues” and “Righteous Money”

mash up comical songs, sketches and poems all revolving around the original evangelist of the church of selfishness. The show runs at IRT September 15-29. Tickets are free or pay-what-you-can, and can be reserved at brownpapertickets.com. September 21-30, a highly unique theatrical performance event will be taking place in the Essex Street Market on the Lower East Side. An entire four-walled, fully furnished and functional ranch house is being built inside the space — in which a trio of actors will be performing a 90-minute play on a loop all day, every day, from 1 to 9pm. The actors will be improvising their movement throughout the house. Spectators can watch the free event through the windows. The script, called “Habit” was written by Jason Grote, long a Downtown indie theater stalwart who has gone on to great success as a television writer. It’s all part of the Crossing the Line festival, co-presented by Performance Space 122 and The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). For more info, fiaf.org/ctl. September 22, 1-8pm look for a bevy of fine free performances along East Fourth Street, as Fourth Arts Block puts on its annual Fab! Festival. The schedule is not yet posted, but one thing I can promise you’ll see is a co-presentation by yours truly and the Innovative Theatre Awards Foundation. I’ll be hosting and presenting an afternoon of Freak Fiction featuring me, the Lady Aye, Dandy Darkly, Steve Bird, Bobby Oahu (aka Josh Hartung), et al. Full schedule and locations TBA, at gabnyc.org. See you there, I hope!

August 23 - 29, 2012

See you in September Buhmann anticipates Chelsea, Tribeca fall gallery highlights

Image courtesy of Galerie Lelong, New York (© Rosemary Laing)

Rosemary Laing: “Eddie” (2010, C Type photograph, 43x101 inches/109.2x256.5 cm).

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN

ROSEMARY LAING: “leak” In Laing’s new series, an upside-down, single-family home disturbs an otherwise harmonious pastoral landscape. The tension initiated by the aggressive manifestation of a manmade structure in the face of calm natural beauty serves as metaphor: the threat of suburbanization to the idyllic vistas of the Australian landscape. Throughout the past decade, on drives along the south coast of Australia, the artist has witnessed small country towns and farmlands become significantly altered through the socio-economic and environmental pressures of suburban development. Though “leak” focuses specifically on the Cooma-Monaro District

in New South Wales, an area that has been the subject of many Australian landscape paintings, Laing's message easily relates to a broader world context. Reception: Thurs., Sept. 6, 6-8pm. Book signing: Sat., Sept. 8, 3pm. On view from Sept. 6-Oct. 20, at Galerie Lelong (528 W. 26th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). Fall hours: Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. Call 212-315-0470 or visit galerielelong.com.

KWANG YOUNG CHUN Born in 1944 in Hongchun, Korea, Kwang Young Chun has exhibited internationally since 1966. He has gained international fame for his unique process

Continued on page 23

Kwang Young Chun: “Aggregation 03-BJ001” (2003).

August 23 - 29, 2012

Receptions, book signings are signs of new gallery season Continued from page 22

of composing structures that consist of thousands of small triangles, each individually hand molded in paper. Young Chun gathers mulberry paper from old books of important Korean texts and dyes the papers into various shades with the help of teas and flowers. The small, minimalist pieces of mulberry paper are then attached one by one to a two-dimensional surface, or built into free-standing sculptures that seem to tell of both distress and poetry. Reception: Thurs., Sept. 6, 6-8pm. On view from Sept. 6-Oct. 20, at Hasted Kraeutler (537 W. 24th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves). Fall hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am6pm. Call 212-627-0006 or visit hastedkraeutler.com. Image courtesy of the artist and apexart

UNREST: REVOLT AGAINST REASON

Tomáš Rafa: “New Nationalism in the Heart of Europe” (single channel video, 2009-12).

Organized by Natalie Musteata, this exhibition presents eight international contemporary artists whose works address issues of inequality, conflict and instability in recent history. Inspired by the recent wave of uprisings in Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan and Morocco, as well as the Occupy Wall Street movement, this exhibition will illustrate how political unrest can quickly gain momentum, extending into streets, offices, schools and involving multiple cultural centers across the world. The selected works by Mounir Fatmi, Claire Fontaine, Shilpa Gupta, Iman Issa, Tala Madani, Ahmet Ögüt, Tomáš Rafa and Alexandre Singh will serve as a reminder that the intersection between creative practice and political activism is not only longstanding but also of the moment. Reception: Wed., Sept. 12, 6-8pm. On view Sept. 12-Oct. 27, at apexart (291 Church St., btw. White & Walker Sts.). Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm. Call 212431-5270 or visit apexart.org.

BRENDAN CASS

Image courtesy of Kansas Gallery

His paintings can be described as a pictorial discussion of the art of the past, of the here and now, and also of what is to come. His forms are organic, reflecting his belief in nature and living. In the past, he has stated: “Nature is what I'm ultimately giving people, something they already are. My work is a reminder to people, to live.” The sentiment evokes Jackson Pollock’s famous statement: “I am nature.” Cass’s process is rooted in drawing, the paint being applied later to

Brendan Cass: “The Rhine River” (2009, Acrylic on canvas, 48x84 in/121.9x213.4 cm).

flesh out the compositions. The results are vibrant, vividly brushed conglomerates of forms made from snippets of references to landscapes, human settlements and atmospheric weather patterns. Sept. 14-Oct. 20, at Kansas Gallery (59 Franklin St., btw. Lafayette & Broadway). Fall hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm. Call 646-559-1423 or visit kansasgallery.com.

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281 W 12th St @ 4th St. NYC 212-243-9041

August 23 - 29, 2012

BY KAITLYN MEADE & SCOTT STIFFLER NEW YORK CITY FIRE MUSEUM Kids will learn about fire prevention and safety through group tours led by former NYC firefighters. The program — which lasts approximately 75 minutes — includes classroom training and a simulated event in a mock apartment, where a firefighter shows how fires can start in different rooms in the home. Finally, students are guided on a tour of the museum’s first floor. Tours (for groups of 20 or more) are offered Tues.-Fri. at 10:30am, 11:30am & 12:30pm. Tickets are $3 for children and $5 for adults — but for every 10 kids, admission is free for one adult. The museum offers a $700 Junior Firefighter Birthday Party package for children 3-6 years old. The birthday child and 15 guests will be treated to story time, show and tell, a coloring activity, a scavenger hunt and the opportunity to speak to a real firefighter (the museum provides a fire-themed birthday cake, juice boxes and other favors and decorations). The NYC Fire Museum is located at 278 Spring St. (btw. Varick and Hudson). For info, call 212-691-1303 or visit nycfiremuseum.org. THE SKYSCRAPER MUSEUM The Skyscraper Museum’s “Saturday Family Program” series features workshops designed to introduce children and their families to the principles of architecture and engineering through hands-on activities. On Aug. 25, enjoy a reading of the children’s book “Sky Boys” (about the construction of the Empire State Building). Following that, kids will construct a skyscraper skeleton with toothpicks and gumdrops. On Sept. 8, “Living and Working in the City” encourages thought about the many uses of skyscrapers around the world and then asks participants to design their own mixed-use tower. All workshops take place from 10:30-11:45am at The Skyscraper Museum (39 Battery Place). Registration required. Call 212-945-6324 or email education@ skyscraper.org. Admission: $5 per child, free for members. Museum hours: Wed.Sun., 12-6pm. Museum admission: $5, $2.50 for students/seniors. For info, call 212-945-6324, visit skyscraper.org or email education@skyscraper.org.

Photo By Michael Kosch

Izzy Hanson-Johnston, Coco Monroe and Maya Sheehy performing in “The Festival of the Vegetables,” at the Metropolitan Playhouse.

CREATIVE DANCE CLASSES CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS Explore painting, collage and sculpture through self-guided art projects at this museum dedicated to inspiring the artist within. Open art stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon, giving children the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay, fabric, paper and found objects. CMA’s new exhibit, “Art Forms: 75 Years of Arts Education,” displays children’s artwork from the collections of celebrated arts educators Leon Bibel, Henry Schaefer-Simmern and Sona Kludjian. The works, dating from the 1930s and 1960s, are juxtaposed with contemporary creations by NYC public school students. “Art Forms” runs through Sept. 30. Throughout the summer, Governors Island joins CMA to present the Free Art Island Outpost — where kids ages 1-12 can participate in a variety of activities (everything from craft stations to sound design). Every Sat. & Sun., through Sept. 16, from 11am-3pm (at buildings 11 & 14 in Nolan Park, on Governors Island). CMA is located at 103 Charlton St., (btw. Hudson & Greenwich Sts.). Museum hours are Mon. & Wed., 12-5pm; Thurs.Fri., 12-6pm; Sat.-Sun., 10am-6pm. Admission: $10 general, free for seniors and infants (up to one year old). Pay as you wish on Thurs., 4-6pm. For group tours, call 212-2740986, ext. 31. Call 212-274-0986 or visit cmany.org for more info. THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM During regular museum hours (Mon.Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 12-5pm), visit the Junior Officers Discovery Zone, designed for ages 3-10. It is divided into four areas (Police Academy, Park and

Children’s dance expert Rachael Kosch is offering two free Open House classes of imaginative ballet/modern dance based on the music of classical composer Michael Kosch. Sept. 5 & 10, 3:30-5pm. Children ages 3-5 are welcome at

Precinct, Emergency Services Unit and a Multi-Purpose Area). Each has interactive play experiences to teach children role of police officers in our community. For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activity, a physical challenge similar to those at the Police Academy and a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in, use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the actual equipment carried by the Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip (btw. Front and South Sts.). For info, call 212-480-3100 or visit nycpm.org. Admission: $8 general, $5 for students, seniors and children, free for children up to two years old. BOOKS OF WONDER New York City’s oldest and largest independent children’s bookstore is partnering with the Bronx Zoo to present Safari Storytime every Fri. at 4pm and Sun. at noon in their Children’s Room until Sept. 2. Plus, you can visit booksofwonder.com to get a discount on Bronx Zoo Total Experience tickets. At 18 W. 18th St. (btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 11am-7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For more info, call 212-989-3270 or visit booksofwonder.com. THE SCHOLASTIC STORE Every Saturday at 3pm, Scholastic’s in-store activities get kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and moving. On Aug. 25,”Klutz: Splat Art and Velvet Art” will encourage kids to draw outside the lines as they enjoy this new variety of coloring. Also, at 11am every Tues., Wed. and Thurs., the Scholastic Storyteller brings tales to life at Daily Storytime. At 557 Broad-

3:45pm for an introductory half hour class, and ages 6-9 at 4:15pm. Refreshments will be served. For enthusiastic movers, ongoing classes are offered through December. Mon. and Wed., at Westbeth Center for the Arts (463 West St. btw. Bank and Bethune Sts.). To reserve a spot or ask questions, call 212-566-3097 or email rachael.kosch@gmail.com.

way (btw. Prince and Spring Sts.). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm and Sun., 11am-6pm. For info, call 212-343-6166 or visit scholastic.com/sohostore. AMERICAN TAP DANCE FOUNDATION Jump, jive and make some noise at the American Tap Dance Center (154 Christopher St., #2B, btw. Greenwich & Washington Sts.). For those who have never taken a tap class before, adults and youth ages three and up are invited to free introductory tap classes throughout September. Mon., Sept. 10 & 17 at 4pm; Thurs., Sept. 6 & 13 at 4pm; Sat., Sept 15 & Sun., Sept. 16 at 11am. RSVP at 646-230-9564. For more info, visit atdf.org. POETS HOUSE The Poets House Children’s Room gives children and their parents a gateway to enter the world of rhyme — through readings, group activities and interactive performances. For children ages 1-3, the Children’s Room offers “Tiny Poets Time” readings on Thursdays at 10am; for those ages 4-10, “Weekly Poetry Readings” take place every Sat. at 11am. Filled with poetry books, oldfashioned typewriters and a card catalogue packed with poetic objects to trigger inspiration, the Children’s Room is open Thurs.-Sat., 11am-5pm. Free admission. At 10 River Terrace. Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org. CREATURES OF LIGHT Descend into the depths of the ocean and explore the caves of New Zealand — without ever leaving Manhattan. Just visit the American Museum of Natural History’s exhibit on bioluminescence (organisms that produce light through chemical reactions). Kids will eagerly soak up this interactive twilight world where huge models of everything from fireflies to alienlike fish illuminate the dark. Through Jan. 6, 2013 at the American Museum of Natural History (79th St. & Central Park West). Open daily, 10am–5:45pm. Admission is $25, $14.50 for children, $19 for students/seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or at amnh.org. For more info, call 212-769-5100. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR LISTING IN THE VILLAGER? Please provide the date, time, location, price and a description of the event. Send to scott@chelseanow.com or mail to 515 Canal St., Unit 1C, New York City, NY 10013. Requests must be received at least three weeks before the event. For more info, call 646-452-2497.

August 23 - 29, 2012

I Love You, Bot Jake Schreier offers up endearing sci-fi buddy comedy

Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

Frank Langella and his co-star in Jake Schreier’s “Robot & Frank.”

FILM ROBOT & FRANK

Directed by Jake Schreier Rated PG-13 130 minutes At The Angelika 18 W. Houston St. (at Mercer St.) For info, visit angelikafilmcenter.com

BY STEVE ERICKSON If the predictions made about our future in “Robot & Frank” are accurate, relationships between parents and children will deteriorate, but we can look forward to a new world of human/ robot bonding. The closing credit sequence of “Robot & Frank” consists of footage of real-life robots, suggesting their future is just around the corner. Jake Schreier’s feature is the kind of relatively low-budget, unpretentious sci-fi film Hollywood no longer knows how to make. I won’t make any great claims for it, but “Robot & Frank” is a lot more enjoyable than Ridley Scott’s

bloated “Prometheus,” which found room for dense theological subtext but couldn’t tell a coherent surface narrative. Christopher Ford’s script is relatively light on the specifics of our robot future. Skype has completely superseded ordinary phone calls. Books are in danger of being replaced by “augmented reality.” Most importantly, robot servants have become ubiquitous. Yet there are some large holes in the film’s vision of the future –– it doesn’t really imagine how television and the Internet might evolve, for example. “Robot & Frank” is content to let the spectator fill in those gaps. At the beginning of “Robot & Frank,” 70-year-old Frank (Frank Langella) is suffering from dementia. He lives in a suburban New York community, where he enjoys walking to the library and flirting with librarian Jennifer (Susan Sarandon). But he keeps talking about going to a restaurant that’s long since gone out of business. His son Hunter (James Marsden) buys him a robot butler (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), who is referred to simply as Robot. However, his daughter Madison (Liv Tyler), who’s traveling in Turkmenistan, is opposed to the use of machine labor. At first, Robot and Frank don’t get along, though in time Robot adjusts to Frank’s routine –– which includes regular trips to a library being modernized by Jake (Jeremy Strong), an obnoxious yuppie, as well as luxury soap shoplifting

sprees. As he grows to like Robot, Frank trains him to pick locks, preparing to burglarize Jake’s house. Beneath the sci-fi trappings, “Robot & Frank” is a buddy comedy. Like many of them, it brings together two men –– Robot is technically genderless, but is voiced by a male actor –– from disparate backgrounds. Buddy films often pair white and African-American men; in this case, Robot adds the element of Otherness. Like many buddies, they spar at first. Frank feels patronized by Robot’s concern for his health and zeal to organize his life. Only with time does he come to respect Robot’s intelligence and ability to think on its feet. For its part, Robot begins to treat Frank as someone more than a man built on self-destruction. Through Schreier’s eyes, the future does not look bright. The cinematography of “Robot & Frank” is bleached-out –– the colors are muted, with dark blues dominating, and the lighting is dim. Perhaps Frank feels more comfortable without the lights on. As far as I can tell, the film wasn’t shot on video, but it looks like HD. Langella avoids playing his character’s dementia as a cute quirk. His relationship with Hunter and Madison is understandably distant, given that he was in prison for much of their childhood. It’s easy to appreciate how Hunter would grow sick of a ten-hour round-trip drive to visit a man who can’t remember that he graduated from college 15 years ago.

The film’s edge comes from the notion of burglary as therapeutic. It’s obviously the only thing Frank ever felt passionate about. Robot initially refers to picking locks as a hobby, and for Frank, it really is one. Monetary gain, at least at this point in his life, is secondary to the thrill of the burglary itself. “Robot & Frank” treats technology as a fact of life, with a potential to be used for positive or negative purposes. Schreier and Ford obviously love libraries, and anyone who finds the prospect of the Kindle replacing paper books horrifying will find kindred spirits behind the story. Jake is presented as a figure to make fun of, and Madison doesn’t come off much better. She’s oblivious to the fact that she’s exploiting the people in Turkmenistan whose photogenic poverty she shows off. Her brand of NGO-driven humanism is, in important respects, the flipside of Jake’s drive to destroy the library. By training Robot to suit his needs, Frank seems to find a workable middle ground between the two. If it weren’t science fiction, “Robot & Frank” might seem awfully familiar –– a tale about an aging crook out to do one last big job. Dozens of films have been made around the world with the same premise. Here, Ford manages to put some inventive twists on his narrative, and the cast members –– not least of them Sarsgaard, whose voice is convincingly mechanical –– give it their all. “Robot & Frank” is a real charmer.

August 23 - 29, 2012

PUBL IC NOTICE S NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a restaurant wine license, #TBA has been applied for by ERJO Company LLC d/b/a Cafetal Social Club to sell beer and wine at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 285 Mott St. New York NY 10012. Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a license number 1265361 for liquor has been applied for by stix restaurant group, llc at retail in a restaurant under the alcoholic beverage control law at 112 e. 23rd street, new york, n.y. 10010 for on premises consumption. Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a license, #TBA has been applied for by Brown Stew LLC d/b/a Miss Lily’s to sell beer and wine. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 168 Sullivan St. a/k/a 130 Houston St. New York NY 10012. Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on premises license, #TBA has been applied for by La Popular Nolita, LLC d/b/a La Popular to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 50 Spring St. New York NY 10012. Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on premises license, #TBA has been applied for by 116 Avenue C Restaurant LLC to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 116 Avenue C New York NY 10009. Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on premises license, #1265140 has been applied for by SIV Andrew Inc. to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 200 Clinton St New York NY 10002. Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that license #1265347 has been applied for by the undersigned to sell alcoholic beverages at retail in a restaurant under the alcoholic beverage control law at 30 E. 23rd St., New York, NY 10011 for on-premises consumption. BITTERED SLING LLC d/b/a Milk & Honey Vil: 08/23 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF 15 CPW HOLDINGS II, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 7/30/2012. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 7/16/2012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: c/o Eastgate Realty, 410 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022. DE Address of LLC: 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any and all lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BLACK SUB 2 LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/21/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/19/12. Princ. office of LLC: 11 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10010-3629. 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., Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF PARTNERS GROUP HERCULES, L.P. INC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/09/12. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Guernsey on 01/12/12. Princ. office of LP: 1114 Ave. of the Americas, 37th Fl., NY, NY 10036. NYS fictitious name: PARTNERS GROUP HERCULES, L.P. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Partners Group (USA) Inc., 150 Spear St., 18th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94105. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Guernsey addr. of LP: Tudor House, Le Bordage, St. Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1BT. Arts. of Org. filed with Her Majesty’s Deputy Greffier, Mrs. Helen Proudlove-Gains, Market Bldg., PO Box 451, Fountain St., St. Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 3GX. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SILVER SUITES 7 WTC LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/09/12. Princ. office of LLC: 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich St., 38th Fl., NY, NY 10007. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, New Castle Cnty., DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with State of DE, Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BIG PROPERTIES HANA, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/09/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 11 E. 44th St., Ste. 500, NY, NY 10017. 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: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: NY FURS, L.L.C. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/06/11. 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, 216 West 30th Street, New York, New York 10001. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SIMPLY WEB 2 LLC App for Authority filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/23/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in SC on 4/30/12. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served. PO address to which SSNY shall mail copy of process against LLC: 114 Peachtree Ct, Orangeburg, SC 29118. Principal business address: 40 Worth St, NY 10013. Cert of LLC filed with Secy of State of SC located: 1205 Pendleton St #525 , Colombia, SC 29201. Purpose: any lawful act. 1909092 Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF NEW SUFFOLK LAND CO. II LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/05. 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 CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BRP VENDORS MASTER TENANT, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/1/12. 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 BRP Development Corp., 18 E. 41st St., Ste. 1201, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF NUCLEAR BLAST ENTERTAINMENT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/11/12. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Serling Rooks Ferrara McKoy & Worob LLP, Attn: Joseph Lloyd Serling, Esq., 119 Fifth Ave., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/23 - 09/27/2012

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on premises license, #TBA has been applied for by Buffa A LLC d/b/a Calexico to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 153 Rivington Street New York NY 10002. Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Hotel Liquor license, #TBA has been applied for by 52 West 13th P, LLC d/b/a The Jade Hotel to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in a Hotel. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 52 West 13th Street New York NY 10011. Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a restaurant wine license, #1265007 has been applied for by Yummy Meep LLC to sell beer and wine at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 73 Warren St. New York NY 10007. Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on premises license, #TBA has been applied for by KAD Enterprise LLC d/b/a Lo-Fi to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 21 Essex Street New York NY 10002. Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that license (number pending) has been applied for by the undersigned to sell wine/ beer at retail in a restaurant under the alcoholic beverage control law at 178 Church St., a/k/a 88 Reade St., Store No. 4, NY, NY 10013 for on-premises consumption. CHURCH STREET FOOD, CORP. Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN a License Number (PENDING) 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 276 Canal Street a/k/a 416 Broadway, New York, NY 10013 for on premises consumption. OM SAI CANAL LIQUOR LLC Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN a License Number (PENDING) 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 377 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016 for on premises consumption. FORCELLA PROCESSING INC. D/B/A FORCELLA Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF POWER STEWART LENDER LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 3/28/12. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 9/27/11. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to c/o Hudson Realty Capital, 250 Park Ave. South, 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10003. DE off. addr.: CTC, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF IRON MULE, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/17/2012. 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: Iron Mule LLC, 226 c/o Jay Stern, 226 West 17th Street, #3D, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF VERITAS, LLC. Fictitious name: Veritas JV, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/25/2012. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 7/20/2012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o National Registered Agents, Inc., 875 Ave. of the Americas, Ste. 501, NY, NY 10001. Principal office Address: 555 West 18th St., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10011. Address to be maintained in DE: c/o National Registered Agents, Inc., 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Arts of Org. filed with the DE Secretary of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012

DRFT HOLDINGS LLC, A DOMESTIC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 7/12/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Michael L. Landsman, Esq., 3 W. 35th St., 9th Flr., NY, NY 10001. General Purposes. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LITTLE CIRCUS, LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/11/12. 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: c/o the LLC 300 E 77th St, ste 4B NY, NY 10075. Purpose: any lawful act. 1927184 Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: JORDAN BACKHUS STUDIO LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/02/12. 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, 45 Grove Street, #2B, New York, New York 10014. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CLAYTON BOOKS, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 8/2/12. 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: Clayton Patterson , 161 Essex St, New York, NY 10002. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity, including but not limited to publishing and distribution of publications. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WB RESIDENTIAL REALTY MANAGER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/11/12. 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 Webb & Brooker, Inc., 2534 Adam Clayton Powell Jr., NY, NY 10039. Purpose: any lawful purpose. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SHDP HZ LLC App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/27/12. Off. loc.: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 7/6/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 700 17th St., Ste. 2250, Denver, CO 80202. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF SOULCYCLE WEST 19TH STREET, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/17/12. 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 SoulCycle, LLC, 103 Warren St., NY, NY 10007. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF NATIONAL RECRUITING NETWORK LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/9/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: 307E 44th St, Ste 814, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF THE ILLUSTRATED COURTROOM LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/5/12. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business addr.: 26 Beaver St., #9, NY, NY 10004. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/16 - 09/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 106 WASHINGTON PLACE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 122 Washington Pl., NY, NY 10014. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP Attn: Lawrence Rosenbloom, Esq., 150 E. 42nd St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: REVERE GLOBAL ADVISORS LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/02/12. 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 Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, New York, New York 10019, ATTN: Charles A. Damato, Esq. Purpose: For any lawful purpose Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF JUDITH CLURMAN LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on5/2/12. 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: Judith Clurman LLC, 75 East End Avenue, #9L, New York, NY 10028. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF JW DEVELOPMENT HOLDINGS, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/16/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/24/11. Princ. office of LLC: 111 W. 40th St., NY, NY 10018. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19801. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Loockerman & Federal Sts., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF OTHERWORLD PICTURES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/20/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 622 E. 11th St., Apt. 9, NY, NY 10009. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 254 ALMOND LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/23/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 254 5th Ave., NY, NY 10001. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, 156 W. 56th St., NY, NY 10019, Attn: Bruce F. Bronster, Esq. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SYCAMORE CAPITAL PARTNERS LP Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/12. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/18/12. Princ. office of LP: 410 Park Ave., Ste. 1500, NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership, Attn: Stephen Schofield at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF 371 BROADWAY HOLDINGS LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/29/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 575 Madison Ave., 22nd Fl., NY, NY 10022. LLC formed in DE on 6/26/12. 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: 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: 08/09 - 09/13/2012

August 23 - 29, 2012

PUBL IC NOTICE S NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY LTD. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/23/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in OH on 9/15/99. 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. OH and principal business addr.: 11501 Northlake Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45249. Cert. of Org. filed with OH Sec. of State, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF AG DIVERSIFIED INCOME FUND, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 4/19/12. Office location: NY County. LP formed in DE on 3/1/12. 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.: c/o Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P., 245 Park Ave., 26th Fl., NY, NY 10167. DE addr. of LP: c/o The Corporation Trust 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, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF AG DIVERSIFIED INCOME MASTER FUND, L.P. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 4/24/12. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Cayman Islands (CI) on 3/6/12. 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.: c/o Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P., 245 Park Ave., 26th Fl., NY, NY 10167. CI addr. of LP: c/o Ogier Fiduciary Services (Cayman) Ltd., 89 Nexus Way, Camana Bay, Grand Cayman KY1-9007, CI. Name/ addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with Registrar of Companies, Ground Fl., Citrus Grove Bldg., Goring Ave., George Town, Grand Cayman. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 08/09 - 09/13/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CABRERA CAMMAROTA PLLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 4/6/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 1133 Broadway, Ste. 708, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF GERGEDAN, LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 6/27/12. 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 2 River Terrace, 15J, NY, NY 10282. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF F4 VOLATILITY ACCELERATION TRADING, LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 2/29/12. 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 410 Park Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 MAINSAIL LLC, A DOMESTIC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/29/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Richard K. Eng, Esq., 100 Lafayette St., Ste. 403, NY, NY 10013. General Purposes. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RUSTY GUTS TOURS LLC Arts of Org filed with the Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/9/12. 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: 40 MacDougal ST. APT#9 NY NY 10012. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF OOS INVESTMENTS LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/03/12. 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: 744-F Spirit of St. Louis Blvd., Chesterfield, Missouri 63005. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PRESTIGE WORLDWIDE EQUITIES LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Art. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/18/12. Principal Office location: 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 17th Floor, New York, NY, New York County. SSNY has been 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: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DOOVOU, LLC Artcl. of Org.filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail acopy of any process against the LLC to: Doovou LLC, 305 Easy West Broadway, NewYork, NY10013. Purpose: anylawful act or activity. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF YORK GLOBAL CREDIT INCOME FUND, L.P. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/11/12. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/20/12. Princ. office of LP: 767 Fifth Ave.,17th Fl., NY, NY 10153. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o York Capital Management, Attn: General Counsel at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with The DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CRESA NEW YORK LLC Application for Authority filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/05/2012. 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: c/o Mark Jaccom, 100 Park Ave., New York, NY 10017 Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CA 9-19TH AVENUE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/16/12. 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, 1407 Broadway, 41st Fl., NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NAME OF LLC: 25-35 TENNIS COURT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 7/9/12. Office loc.: NY Co. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process c/o Talpion Fund Management LP, 65 E. 55th St., 34th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 08/02 - 09/06/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ICONOSCOPE FILMS, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/23/12 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: 16 Ocean Parkway, C20, Brooklyn, NY 11218. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012

2155 GRAND AVE. LLC, A DOMESTIC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/22/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Mandell, Mandell, Okin & Edelman, LLP, 3000 Marcus Ave., Ste. 2E7, Lake Success, NY 11042. General Purposes. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Notice of Formation of Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: SAFE BOATS INTERNATIONAL L.L.C. Application for Authority filed by the Department of State of New York on: 06/07/2012 Jurisdiction: Washington Organized on: 12/23/1996 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: NATIONAL REGISTERED AGENTS, INC., 274 MADISON AVENUE, SUITE 801, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10016. Address of office required to be maintained in Washington: 8800 SW Barney White Road, Bremerton, WA 98312. Authorized officer on its jurisdiction is: Secretary of State of the State of Washington, 801 Capitol Way S, Olympia, WA. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF 625 BROADWAY VENTURE, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/11/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/11/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Gregory S. Courtwright Esq., Lincoln Property Co., 2000 McKinney Ave., Ste. 1000, Dallas, TX 65201. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Trust Co., Corp. Trust Center, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Property investment. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ASIA POOLED 522 LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/03/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/15/12. Princ. office of LLC: c/o J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc., 270 Park Ave., 25th Fl., Attn: Julian Shles, Mng. Dir., NY, NY 10017. 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. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of the State of DE, Corp. Dept., Loockerman & Federal Sts., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012

145 DENTAL REALTY, LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/31/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Richard A. Lehrer, 145 W. 86th St., NY, NY 10024. General Purposes. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LAURENS LEASH, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/14/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Incorp Services,Inc., One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave., Ste. 805A, Albany, NY 12210-2822,also the registered agent. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 217 WEST 115TH FT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/6/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Corporation Service Company, 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NAME OF LLC: S2 REALTY, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 6/15/12. 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 Business Filings Inc., 187 Wolf Rd., Ste. 101, Albany, NY 12205, regd. agt. upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NBC NEWS CHANNEL LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/11/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. LLC formed in DE on 1/4/85. 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: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 101 WEST 57 RESTAURANT LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 3/15/12. 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 BLT Restaurant Group, 950 Third Ave., Ste. 2300, NY, NY 10022, Att: James Haber. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF BLACKMOSS PARTNERS, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/28/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 64 W. 69th St., Apt. 1a, NY, NY 10023. 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. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NBC OLYMPICS LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/11/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. LLC formed in DE on 1/25/90. 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: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NBC UNIVERSAL DIGITAL SOLUTIONS LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/12/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. LLC formed in DE on 11/24/08. 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: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: WINDSOR NEW PARTNERS, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/23/12. 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 Daniels Norelli Scully & Cecere, P.C., One Old Country Road, Suite LL5, Carle Place, New York 11514. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF RSP 79 PROPERTY LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/8/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 5/14/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business addr.: RSP Companies, 1515 Broadway, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10036. 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: 07/19 - 08/23/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF TAMARIX ASSOCIATES LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/11/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/25/12. Princ. office of LLC: 515 Madison Ave., 41st Fl., NY, NY 10022. 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 DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF WILSON CAPITAL GP, LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 11/16/11. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 11/13/11. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: David Wilson, 237 Park Ave., Ste. 900, NY, NY 10017. DE off. addr.: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF WING LAKE CAPITAL, LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 1/4/12. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 1/3/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Michael Beerman, 1125 Park Ave., Apt. 11C, NY, NY 10128. DE off. addr.: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF DERMOT RIVERSIDE PARCEL 2, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/13/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/11/12. 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: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF METROPOLITAN REAL ESTATE PARTNERS IX-ER, L.P. Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 1/13/12. Office loc.: NY County. LP org. in DE 1/11/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Felipe Dorregaray, 135 E. 57th St., 16th Fl., NY, NY 10022. DE off. addr.: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Name/addr. of each gen. ptr. avail. at SSNY. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF F&T APPAREL LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 8/2/11. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 7/22/11. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Salans LLP, Att: Robert Smits, Esq., 620 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10020. DE off. addr.: CTC, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RAM IMAGERY, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/26/12 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: RAM IMAGERY, LLC 40 Arden Apt. 3G, NY, NY 10113 Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF KREAD MANAGEMENT LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 2/3/12. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 2/2/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Adam Krell, 777 Third Ave., 20th Fl., NY, NY 10017. DE off. addr.: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 181 COURT STREET REALTY, LLC Art. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on June 20, 2012. Office location: New York County, SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: c/o Stephen R. Mason, 48 Wall Street, Suite 1100, New York, New York 10005. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

August 23 - 29, 2012

Marilyn on the half shell NOTEBOOK BY JERRY TALLMER Everybody on Fire Island was talking about Marilyn Monroe that summer. She was somebody’s houseguest, but nobody had seen her. Or nobody that I knew, anyway. In any case, I was more interested in Willie Mays, who — my tiny all-purpose beach radio told me — had, on an unbelievable clothesline peg from deep center field, just thrown out the Dodgers’ speedy Billy Cox trying to score from third base. The New York Giants at that instant in 1951 were 13 1/2 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers, with less than a month and a half to go. Maybe! I dared to tell myself, or perhaps to petition God… . Maybe! At that instant there was a scurrying all up and down the sands, and a man and a woman came walking along the water’s edge, followed at some distance by a lone blonde person who was slowly picking up, examining and tossing away seashells. The buzz reached my small group, one of whom was a stunning young woman — and promising first novelist — named Nancy Hallinan. She looked where everybody else was looking and then said: “That fat little girl is Marilyn Monroe?” Well, I’ve remembered it, as you can see, for more than 60 years, and I thought about it again last night when watching the great Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot” on Turner Classic Movies. It’s true — she was a fat little girl in that 1958 comic masterpiece, too, but who cares now? Well, maybe Tony Curtis (a.k.a. Bernie Schwartz) would care were he still alive. He was very funny in that movie putting on a Cary Grant accent, but unfunny and ungracious enough to be widely quoted everywhere thereafter as saying: “Kissing Marilyn Monroe is like kissing Hitler.” They did a great deal of kissing in one sequence in that picture — aboard his supposed yacht — and any fool could plainly see the jump from deep kissing to sexual intercourse, but let that go. I write this, as it happens, on Sunday, August 5, 2012, which is exactly 50 years since the day Marilyn Monroe died, August 5, 1962 — and, to go from the painful to the unthinkable, 67 years and one day from the August 6, 1945, drop-

ping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima — or 67 years and four days from the August 9 atom-bombing of Nagasaki, the mushroom cloud I saw from 135 airborne miles away. It was long ago that one outwore one’s guilt — one’s nation’s guilt — every human being’s guilt — for those two gigantic mass murders. Why beat a dead horse? No percentage in it. I’d rather think about Marilyn Monroe — as I did when, newly arrived at the New York Post, I sat down to write about her on the day she died.

‘That fat little girl is Marilyn Monroe?’

And suddenly realized I’d almost never missed a movie of hers, not even the grotesque “Niagara Falls.” Also that, for my money, her two purist cinematic performances were as the emotionally hungry psycho babysitter in Roy Ward Baker’s 1952 “Don't Bother to Knock” and the hysteria-driven ally of wild horses in John Huston and Arthur Miller’s 1961 “The Misfits.” “People who love people,” she says wonderingly as they lead her away in “Don’t Bother to Knock.” Exactly. I have always ruinously depended on the kindness of strangers. “Happy birthday, dear Mr. President” — tiny ripple of laughter — “Happy birthday to you.” My forever favorite anecdote. Actor Paul Sand (I think it was) is at home when the phone rings. “Hello, Mr. Sand? I have to do a scene tomorrow at the Studio and I was hoping you would work with me in it. This is Marilyn. You know, Marilyn from class?” That fat little girl in any event didn’t drop an atom bomb on anything or anybody. And Bobby Thompson, come September, hit the home run heard around the world, with Willie Mays in the ondeck box, waiting to come to bat. “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” You could look it up.

Mic check! Read The Villager and East Villager!

August 23 - 29, 2012

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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF B N WERWAISS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/18/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Werwaiss & Co., Inc., 708 Third Ave., Ste. 1630, NY, NY 10017. 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: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

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PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PETIA BRADSHAW AND ASSOCIATES LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/26/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: PO Box 461 Lincolnton Station, NY, NY 10037-9998. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF BRANDED CITIES NETWORK, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/2/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 2850 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 110, Phoenix, AZ 85016. LLC formed in DE on 10/27/09. 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: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF 11TH STREET RENTAL LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/03/07. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o RD Management LLC, 810 Seventh Ave., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ALPHAMETRIX EVENTS, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/11/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 7/2/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business addr.: 181 W. Madison St., 34th Fl., Chicago, IL 60602. Regd. agent upon whom process may be served: National Corporate Research, Ltd., 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016. DE addr. of LLC: 615 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF TREVI CARMINE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/31/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: c/o Trevi Retail LLC, 130 E. 59th St., Ste. 14A, NY, NY 10022. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Goldfarb & Fleece LLP, 345 Park Ave., NY, NY 10154, Attn: Marc Becker, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 07/26 - 08/30/2012

WORKSTATIONS AVAILABLE in convenient Penn Station area. Large,

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

open office environment in sunny,

PURSUANT TO LAW, that the NYC Department

high-ceilinged loft office with beauti-

of Consumer Affairs will hold a Public Hearing on

ful old wood floors. Share conference

08/29/2012 at 2:00 p.m. at 66 John Street, 11th floor,

rooms, kitchen, copier, fax, plotter,

on a petition from ITM Garden, INC. to continue to, maintain, and operate an unenclosed sidewalk cafĂŠ

library, TI high-speed Internet connec-

at 10 Little West Street in the Borough of Manhattan

tion service, phone hookup and re-

for a term of two years. REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF

ceptionist. Convenient to all trains. For

THE PROPOSED REVOCABLE CONSENT AGREE-

more information please contact Jeff

MENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPARTMENT OF

(X204) or Larry (X203) at 212-273-9888

CONSUMER AFFAIRS: FOIL OFFICER, 42 BROAD-

or jgertler@gwarch.com or

WAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004.

lwente@gwarch.com.

Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012 Vil: 08/16 - 08/23/2012

August 23 - 29, 2012

Photo by William Alatriste/NYC Council

Mendez, councilmembers grill Housing Authority head Councilmember Rosie Mendez, chairperson of the Council’s Committee on Public Housing, asked John Rhea, commissioner of the New York City Housing Authority, a question at last Thursday’s public hearing on NYCHA and security cameras. Following recent exposés by the Daily News about millions of dollars having been allocated for cameras several years ago still sitting unspent, the heat is on the authority to show better transparency — and to speed up the installation of safety and security improvements. In the end, after being pushed by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, sitting to the right of Mendez above, Rhea agreed that NYCHA would provide the Council with quarterly reports on how it is spending its capital funding.

Unified Village, Asian-Latino districts hot topics at hearing Continued from page 16

to be counted because there’s so much eviction taking place.”

‘FIGHTING FOR 1 SEAT’ CHINATOWN HAS EXPERIENCE If, on the other hand, a new Asian-Latino district were carved out, Kui said, he could foresee negative scenarios. The first would be “Hispanics and Asians fighting against each other for one seat,” he noted. “We have two already,” he said of Chin and Mendez. “Why create a situation where you put them against each other and have only one? We don’t want to go backwards.” Even worse, staking everything on a single district could lead to a candidate from neither minority group winning, but a white candidate coming in and possibly taking the seat, defeating the whole idea of the district. “Then you have nothing,” he said.

CLAIMS CENSUS WAS OFF Furthermore, he disputed the recent Census figures, asserting, “There has been a lot of undercounting” of the Asian population in Chinatown. According to AAFE, many families are living doubled- or tripled-up in apartments. However, people are reluctant to be counted, because Kui said, there’s so much development going on, people fear for their homes. “The Asian population is there — just undercounted,” he stressed. “They didn’t want

What’s more, as seen with Chin’s election, Chinatown voters are more politically savvy and engaged now, according to Kui. “There’s a lot more maturity,” he said. “We have to look at the experience and what’s on the ground, not intellectualize it.” That newfound political maturity won’t evaporate, he assured, saying, “The current representation will continue.” Also important, he said, AAFE simply does not endorse the idea of “separate but equal,” as he put it, that is, the creation of a low-income, minority district. “We don’t like that idea that you concentrate all the poverty, and low-income people — all Chinatown and public housing” into a single district, Kui explained. Bottom line, the district hasn’t changed that much since Chin was elected three years ago, so there’s no need to change things now, he stated. As for it taking two decades to elect an Asian candidate since the 1992 redistricting, Kui framed it in the larger context of Chinatown’s historical underrepresentation. “That’s why we need to preserve the gain,” he stressed. “It’s not 20 years — it’s 160 years.”

MENDEZ: IT WORKS NOW For her part, Mendez said she’s “all in favor of keeping the current district boundary lines. And we work well with the other district,” she noted of Chin. Ironically, Mendez noted, 20 years ago, her political organization, CoDA (Coalition for a District Alternative), was created to advocate for an Asian-Latino district, to counter Pagan’s faction, which backed a district similar to the current lines. Both Lopez and Mendez are products of CoDA, whose candidates have now held the District 2 Council seat for close to 15 years.

‘WHERE DOES TRIBECA GO?’ At last week’s Districting Commission hearing, V.I.D.’ers Bradlow and Geballe both spoke in support of creating an Asian-Latino district. Geballe thought it could be achievable, while also unifying the traditional Village district, without too much difficulty. However, after the hearing, Bradlow — while discussing her preferred solution of a unified Village district and an Asian-Latino district — did wonder aloud, “Where does Tribeca go?” Asked what district Tribeca and Battery Park City would go into, Fung said AALDEF is still working on its maps to show how it all can be done, but hasn’t drafted anything final yet.

THE BERMAN WATCH Meanwhile, redistricting could also affect the District 3 race, specifically whether Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, decides to toss his hat in the ring versus expected candidates Corey Johnson and Yetta Kurland. Specifically, if the N.Y.U. superblocks — where Berman has been actively fighting the university’s 2031 development plans — were redistricted out of District 1 and into District 3 it would be a major boost for a potential Berman candidacy. Add in Soho to District 3, as well, and a Berman run would look increasingly strong. However, Kelly Magee, Chin’s spokesperson, said while District 1 did have a significant population boom in the last decade, its numbers still fall within an acceptable range for districting purposes. That is, District 1’s population of 169,225, according to the 2010 Census, is only 5.3 percent above the mean for the city’s 51 Council districts. There isn’t supposed to be more than a 10 percent population deviation between the city’s largest and smallest districts. Because District 1 falls in the middle of that spread, it wouldn’t warrant a significant redistricting, according to Magee. She said she could see Chin’s district losing a small triangular sliver along East Houston St. to District 2, but not much more than that. The commission is slated to produce its initial district maps by Sept. 5. Another round of public hearings is scheduled for October.

August 23 - 29, 2012

Chin: Don’t expect big changes Councilmember Margaret Chin’s Office provided these maps to The Villager to illustrate the factors at play in any potential redistricting of her district, specifically pertaining to the northern end of Chin’s Lower Manhattan First Council District. The areas highlighted in yellow on the map above include population figures for voting-age residents living in the Washington Square area, on the N.Y.U.-owned superblocks, in Soho and Noho. The map below shows a small portion of the above highlighted map — a section of the East Village, with 3,000 residents — that Chin and her staff believe might possibly be redistricted into neighboring District 2. However, Chin doesn’t foresee a major reshaping of her district.

August 23 - 29, 2012