The Villager, Dec. 20, 2012 by Schneps Media

Sloshed Santas invade! p. 15

Volume 82, Number 29 $1.00

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

December 20 - 26, 2012

Ditching Friends, Durst to pursue own Pier 40 plan BY LINCOLN ANDERSON Three months ago, Douglas Durst unveiled an alternative plan for Pier 40. Then, in recent weeks, the high-profile developer declared the aging West Houston St. pier’s piles could be repaired for as little as around one-third of what the Hudson River Park Trust has been saying — or just $30 million versus $80 million. Capping things off, last

Photo by Stacy Walsh-Rosenstock

Beating guns into plowshares About 50 people, including an interfaith group of religious leaders, gathered in Washington Square Park in a chilly drizzle last Sunday evening to hold a candlelight vigil for the victims of the tragic Connecticut school shooting. The clerics demanded stricter gun control.

Kurland announces her run, and says she gave up her gun BY LINCOLN ANDERSON On Dec. 10, Yetta Kurland announced that she’s running for City Council in the Third District, for the seat currently held by Speaker Christine Quinn, which stretches from the West Village up to Hell’s Kitchen. Three years ago, riding a wave of voter backlash over Quinn’s enabling the extension of term limits despite two voter referenda against it, Kurland made an impressive showing against the powerful Council speaker, winning 31 percent of the vote to Quinn’s 53 percent. It was

always expected Kurland would make another run for the seat. Kurland, a civil rights attorney, raised her local profile as a champion of fighting to save St. Vincent’s Hospital and then, after it closed, to try to get a replacement hospital. Within days of announcing her candidacy earlier this month, Kurland nabbed some prime endorsements, including the 38,000-member Transport Workers Union (transit workers union) and Local 1180 of the Communication Workers of America. Other candidates in the Council

contest include Corey Johnson, chairperson of Community Board 4, and Alexander Meadows, a member of Community Board 2. Although there has been much interest in whether preservationist Andrew Berman will jump in the race, it’s still unknown what his plans are. The Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation director did not respond to several requests for comment by press time on whether he intends to run or not. Meanwhile, last Saturday evening,

week, Durst resigned as chairperson of Friends of Hudson River Park, the waterfront park’s main private fundraising arm. In a statement sent to The Villager last Friday morning, Jordan Barowitz, Durst’s spokesperson, said of the prominent builder, “He is still deeply committed to the park, but he has a different vision from the

Continued on page 28

City denies D-SNAP expansion, angering Downtown politicians BY SAM SPOKONY Area politicians are slamming the city’s decision not to continue or expand a federally funded program that provides food benefits to people affected by Superstorm Sandy. Until its application period ended on Dec. 18, the Disaster Supplemental Assistance Program (D-SNAP) was available to eligible Manhattan residents within the 10002 zip code — nearly all of the

Continued on page 6

Lower East Side and part of Chinatown — as well as those within Coney Island and Red Hook in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway in Queens and parts of Staten Island’s southeastern shore. D-SNAP, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides replacement benefits for food stamp recipients who lose food in a disaster, while also extending ben-

Continued on page 10

EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 12

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December 20 - 26, 2012

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The white line indicates how the currently unified P.S. 3/P.S. 41 district would be split in two under the proposed plan.

N.Y.U. thinks Village’s public school zone shouldn’t be split BY SAM SPOKONY New York University has come out in opposition to the Department of Education’s proposal to split the zone currently shared by Greenwich Village’s two public elementary schools, P.S. 3 and P.S. 41. If the shared zone were to be split, parents who live in the schools’ current catchment area would no longer be able to choose where to send their children, and enrollment would be based on two distinct zones. D.O.E. has said that it believes the plan would reduce severe overcrowding and administrative problems that are now facing both schools. According to a Dec. 17 letter sent to D.O.E. Deputy Chancellor Mark Sternberg, the university said it is against the plan because the element of choice between the two schools has played “a pivotal role” for the families of N.Y.U. faculty members as they plan for their children’s early education. This is the first time the university has taken an official stance on the issue, and it comes late in the game. The District 2 Community Education Council is currently scheduled to vote on the proposal on Jan. 23, and its decision will be binding. N.Y.U. also sent a copy of its letter to Shino Tanikawa, president of the District 2 C.E.C. The letter, which was written by N.Y.U. Senior Vice President Lynne Brown, also claimed that splitting the shared zone would create an unwanted division within the university’s overall community. In addition, it suggested that a split zone could negatively impact the university’s ability to attract new faculty members who would want the option to choose which school their child could attend. “The university believes that the removal of such an option could have a detrimental impact on the attractiveness of Greenwich Village as a place of strong, progressive public education

opportunities,” the letter stated. That plan to split the zone shared between P.S. 3 (located on Hudson St., near Grove St.) and P.S. 41 (located on W. 11th St., between Sixth and Seventh Aves.) comes on the heels of two rezoning proposals by D.O.E. that were made to accommodate two new public elementary schools in District 2 — one in Midtown East, which will open in 2013, and another in Chelsea, the so-called Foundling School, which will open in 2014. Both rezoning proposals were approved by the District 2 C.E.C. on Dec. 6. The rezoning associated with the Foundling School, which goes into effect in 2014, will cut several blocks from the current northern boundary of the P.S. 3 and P.S. 41 shared zone. Many local parents and teachers are divided over whether the proposed zone split — which would also take effect in 2014 — will actually ease overcrowding and administrative burdens, or whether the lack of choice will end up being more than it’s worth. The District 2 C.E.C.’s Dec. 19 public hearing — which took place at press time — gave parents and teachers a final chance to air their opinions before the Jan. 23 vote. The vote on the zone split has already been postponed twice due to the intensity of the debate. It was first scheduled for Dec. 6, and then Dec. 19, before being pushed back again. At its Dec. 18 meeting, the Community Board 2 Social Services and Education Committee considered drafting a resolution either in favor of or against the proposal, but decided against it. All of the committee’s members agreed that they would rather stay neutral than support one side of a divisive issue, since they believed a resolution would only lead to heated and emotional disputes at C.B. 2’s Dec. 20 full board meeting.

December 20 - 26, 2012

SCOOPY’S

NOTEBOOK SILVER HAS HUD CHIEF’S EAR: It’s clear that New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Sandy are starting to become a little impatient — rightfully so — with the fact that President Obama’s $60 billion federal relief package is still stalled in Congress. But one thing seems to be equally clear: When that money does come, it will include the grants that so many small businesses in Lower Manhattan have been calling for in the storm’s aftermath. We spoke to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver last Thursday, who told us that he’d recently been on the phone with Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development — who was chosen by Obama to oversee the Sandy relief effort — and Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security. Silver said that he’d urged both officials to make sure that a portion of the federal package is devoted to small business grants, since many impacted business owners simply need more than loans in order to fully recover. Both Donovan and Napolitano were sympathetic to those concerns, Silver added, and Donovan explicitly told him grants will be included in the relief package — though declining to specify how much. The HUD honcho was probably already considering the grant money, but it seems like Silver’s call may have sealed the deal. Which makes sense, since the two powerhouses often worked side by side on legislation back when Donovan led the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The speaker even gave us a little more insight on just how tight the two are, saying that Donovan called him up immediately after Obama put him in charge of Sandy relief. “He told me that I could give him a call whenever I have suggestions or need something [related to hurricane recovery], so I did.” Silver said, adding, “I’ve known Shaun a long time, and we’re good friends.” STRINGER CLEARS THE FIELD: If any upcoming race can be considered “a lock,” it’s the one for city comptroller. “As soon as Scott Stringer entered the race, it was over,” said Arthur Schwartz, Village Democratic state committeeman. “Garodnick had raised a million dollars, and Scott had three million. The handwriting was on the wall.” Both City Councilmembers Dan Garodnick and Domenic Recchia have dropped out of the running and endorsed the Manhattan borough president. Garodnick is reportedly running for re-election and Recchia may be considering a run for Brooklyn borough president. DAP BACK OPEN? OH, SURE...: We hear from Rich Caccappolo, Community Board 2 Parks and Waterfront Committee co-chairperson, that the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, at Seventh Ave. South and Clarkson St., will soon reopen, after having been knocked out of commission by Sandy. The boiler issue has been addressed and other repair and improvement projects in the building that were started during the downtime since the storm are being completed. The Parks Department Web page says the center should open its doors again by this Fri., Dec. 21. As the late Tony Dapolito, “Mr. Parks,” would say, “Oh, sure.” LEFTY FORUM SURVIVED THE STORM: We were digging some free jazz at The Brecht Forum, at West and Bank Sts., on Saturday night. There, we found renowned performer and educator Bill Cole — pictured above, playing a Chinese suona — who was jamming alongside bassist Shayna Dulberger and saxophonist/flautist Ras Moshe, who’s been a friend of ours ever since we first saw him improvising with serious soul at the University of the Streets, over in the East Village. The Brecht Forum is a part of Westbeth, the artists’ housing complex whose residents

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faced some serious problems because of Superstorm Sandy, which flooded their basement and left them without power, water or elevator service for more than a week. Many pieces of residents’ artwork that had been stored in Westbeth’s basement were damaged beyond repair, but at least we’re glad to see the Forum made it through all right. JASA VANISHING ACT: We ran an article last week in The Villager about the senior housing at 200 E. Fifth St., which is owned and run by the Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA). Even though the building is for independent living — not a nursing home or assisted-living facility — numerous residents felt that JASA and their building management had not prepared for or responded adequately to Sandy. Fast-forward to this week, and we get an e-mail from Lyn Lovinger, a resident of the place, who said she believes that management confiscated and threw out copies of The Villager that were in the building’s lobby, which gets a delivery of 50 of our newspapers each week. We checked in with other residents, and while no one was able to say for sure what happened, they also suspected that management may have tossed out the papers that included JASA’s notso-good press. A JASA spokesperson said she and other sources at the organization didn’t know anything about the situation. Interesting... . OH, NO! VEGAN OUT! Sadly, even Lucky Ant couldn’t help Whole Earth Bakery from succumbing to its new exorbitant rent at its longtime location at 130 St. Mark’s Place near Avenue A. The vegan mecca is set to close its doors imminently. However, Whole Earth super-fan Clarinda Kovar called us and left a voice message — she actually started crying at one point during the message — to tell us that there is hope for Whole Earth, and that they’re hoping to find a new location. In the meantime, she urged folks to stop in and wish proprietor Peter Silvestri well, and buy some healthy holiday goodies for the last time in the cherished old location, where Peter and his mom opened shop in the midst of the ongoing Tompkins Square riots in 1991. Kovar tells us Peter is looking at possibly baking at a commercial kitchen or sharing a pre-existing baking space during the transitional period, with the possibility of a relocated Whole Earth in the future. People can donate toward Whole Earth’s survival via Paypal at wholeearthbakerynyc@gmail.com, or by check made out to Peter Silvestri, and mailed to the office at 413 W. 47th St. #1A. Or contact Donna to discuss investing/partnering/donating/working with Whole Earth Bakery. Contact Donna at wholeearthbakerynyc@ gmail.com and CC to donna_nyusa@yahoo.com. Silvestri will be baking holiday cakes, pies and goodies at the St. Mark’s address through Sun., Dec. 23, and will be open for pickup on Mon., Dec. 24.

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Suspect charged in elevator muggings Freddie Keitt, right, appeared at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thurs., December 13. Keitt, who is reportedly homeless, is charged with assaulting and robbing Yvonne Sherwell-Demakopoulos, 85, in the elevator of her W. 13th St. building on Sat., Dec. 8. His image was captured on surveillance camera video, and he was arrested three days later after being spotted by Stuyvesant Town security. Keitt is also being charged with victimizing three other women in elevator robberies, including a 58-year-old woman in Far Rockaway, Queens, on Dec. 4; a 28-yearold woman in the East Village on Dec. 8; and a 22-year-old woman near Gramercy Park on Dec. 9, when police say he used a gun. The robber not only stole Sherwell-Demakopoulosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s handbag but also her wedding ring. According to WABC News, the West Village woman is now carrying a new warning device for safety â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a whistle.

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Gilmar Ramirez, 19, was arrested after allegedly pelting a Sixth Precinct officer with bundles of newspapers as he was being tossed out of the W. Fourth St. subway station early on Mon., Dec. 17. The officer was responding to a report that Ramirez started a heated dispute in the station around 5:30 a.m., and was attempting to diffuse the situation by telling Ramirez to leave, police said. But once Ramirez got to the top of the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stairwell, he reportedly began yelling at the officer and acting like he wanted to fight, and subsequently picked up the morning papers and began heaving them down, police said. He was charged with reckless endangerment.

High times A pot-puffing perp tried to stop officers from cuffing him when he got nabbed on Sat., Dec. 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but now he might end up in the joint. Police said they found Rodney Spencer, 51, in possession of a small amount of marijuana while he was at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Sts. around 11 p.m. When he was instructed by the officers to put his hands behind his back, police said he refused, and then began flailing his arms to try and prevent himself from being handcuffed. Once things finally settled down, Spencer was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and resisting arrest.

Get out of the way! Ryan Hogan, 29, was arrested on Sat., Dec. 15, around 9 p.m. for obstructing government administration, after he tried to stop paramedics from taking an overly intoxicated woman to the hospital. Police called for the ambulance around 9 p.m. after the woman was spotted in Hudson River Park, near W. 14th St. and 11th Ave. Based on the police report, it was unclear

what Hoganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship to the woman was, but once the emergency medical personnel arrived he immediately began blocking their path to her â&#x20AC;&#x201D; first with his body and then with his bicycle. He refused to stop after numerous orders to move, police said, and was eventually apprehended.

Kitchen chaos Kelsy Alvarez, 26, was arrested for assault and menacing on Tues., Dec. 11, during his shift at a restaurant near Washington Square Park when he flipped out on a co-worker after being told to clean up the kitchen. The victim, a 44-year-old male employee of North Square Restaurant and Lounge, at 103 Waverly Place, which is part of the Washington Square Hotel, told police that around 3 p.m. Alvarez refused to clean up and responded by shoving him and then repeatedly punching him in the face. As if that werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, the victim also said that Alvarez then grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and brandished it, before he was held back by another employee. Alvarez reportedly then calmed down and placed the knife in his locker before walking outside, where he was apprehended by police responding to a report about the kitchen violence.

Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no shoe-in A woman was caught swiping four pairs of shoes from a Union Square store on Wed., Dec. 12. Alexa Lombardo, 22, was spotted by a security guard at the DSW outlet around 4:30 p.m. as she removed and then concealed the shoes, police said. The guard made a civilian arrest, and handed Lombardo over to cops after they responded to the call. Lombardo was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

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December 20 - 26, 2012

N.Y.U. faculty elect to hold Sexton no-confidence vote BY SAM SPOKONY New York University Arts and Science faculty have decided to hold a vote of no confidence in the leadership of John Sexton, the university’s president for the past 11 years. At a Dec. 13 meeting, 56 percent of the 279 faculty members supported holding the no-confidence vote. It will be a largely symbolic gesture but, if it were to pass, the vote would also likely send a powerful message to an administration that many believe is in the process of severely damaging Greenwich Village with its multibillion-dollar N.Y.U. 2031 expansion plans. The impending no-confidence vote, which will not be held until March 11-15, highlights a sharp divide within the N.Y.U. community that has existed ever since the expansion was first proposed. Last week, in advance of the Arts and Science faculty meeting, Martin Lipton, chairperson of N.Y.U.’s board of trustees, wrote a statement reaffirming the board’s full support for Sexton.

And in response to the Dec. 13 vote, N.Y.U. Faculty Against the Sexton Plan — a group with more than 400 members, which has brought legal action against the university administration over the expansion plans — released its own statement, calling N.Y.U. 2031 “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” “It should now be clear to all that N.Y.U.’s faculty has lost its faith in this administration to lead N.Y.U. in a way that is educationally productive, inclusive and financially sound,” the statement read. “The no-confidence vote is a response to a pattern of top-down decision making by President Sexton and his administration that has produced a crisis in faculty governance at N.Y.U.” Arts and Science is the largest academic community at N.Y.U., comprising the College of Arts and Science, the Graduate School of Arts and Science and the Liberal Studies program. It is one of the 12 schools whose representatives comprise the N.Y.U. Faculty Senators Council.

Photo by Clayton Patterson

Squat got smoked out Smoke from a fire early Sunday evening in a building next door to Umbrella House, on Avenue C at Second St., emptied out the former squat. Matt, sitting with coat draped over him, waited outside until it was O.K. to re-enter.

December 20 - 26, 2012

Kurland announces her run, says she gave up her gun Continued from page 1 in the wake of the Newton, Connecticut, school massacre, Kurland led a vigil in Union Square against gun violence. Two years ago, after the mass shooting in Tucson that left several dead and Congressmember Gabbie Giffords critically injured, Kurland also held a vigil in Union Square against gun violence. However, at that previous vigil, Kurland did not divulge that she herself was in fact a handgun owner. Kurland’s gun ownership was “outed” in a New York Times article in February of last year, which noted that she was among the more than 37,000 New Yorkers legally licensed to have a handgun in the city. Kurland responded to that article with a letter to the editor the Times apparently never published, but which Kurland circulated to her supporters, in which she claimed she needed the deadly firearm because she was a “court officer.” Other attorneys snickered, noting she’s not a peace officer, plus she handles civil rights cases, not organized crime and drug cases. In a subsequent interview with this newspaper, Kurland said she mainly had the gun because her then Englishlanguage school — which issues visas to foreign students — voted for her to

have it as part of its post-9/11 security plan. That prompted fellow civil rights attorney Ron Kuby to comment, “I don’t know why an English-as-a-Second-Language school needs someone running around with a gun. You can check with [Police

Falling for an old rumor flung at Senator Chuck Schumer by his former Republican opponent, Yetta Kurland incorrectly claims the senator, like herself, has been licensed to carry a handgun.

Commissioner] Ray Kelly on this, but I don’t see Yetta Kurland as my first line of defense against terrorists wanting to learn English.” Last year when Kurland participated

in a vigil against gun violence and this newspaper asked her if she still had her gun, she declined to answer — instead accusing The Villager of harassment for simply asking the question. However, when queried again about her gun this week, she responded by saying she has left the school, the Hello World Language Center, and no longer has the weapon. “When I owned a language school in New York City, I was licensed for a firearm as part of our school’s public safety precautions,” she said. “I took on this responsibility and worked hard to protect the students and teachers in my school. When I left the school I terminated all responsibilities and no longer have a firearm license, nor do I have a gun. “I am an unwavering longtime advocate for gun control. Further, many progressive, outspoken politicians who advocate for gun control have been licensed for a firearm, including New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. I am not alone and continue to be a voice in efforts to make this world a safer place.” Kurland further called for a ban on all assault weapons; for stricter and unified, national gun laws to stop people from transporting weapons from states with lax gun laws to ones with tougher regulations, like New York; for a commitment to mental healthcare to identify warning signs and get people treatment; and for better emergency preparedness and public safety plans for public facilities, such as schools. Schneiderman worked in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in Massachusetts in the 1970s. As for Schneiderman today, a spokesperson said, “He does not have a gun or a gun license.” Meanwhile, Kurland better focus on her fact-checking before she releases her next statement. A Schumer spokesperson said the senator has, in fact, never owned a gun or been licensed to carry a gun. The spokesperson said this was a bizarre rumor that has been “bouncing around forever,” and was even employed against Schumer during his last election by his Republican opponent, Jay Townsend. During a 2010 debate, Townsend falsely accused Schumer of being “licensed to carry a concealed handgun.” Of course, Schumer is one of the country’s leading gun-control advocates. “No, he does not have a firearm,” the Schumer spokesperson told The Villager. “He is not licensed to conceal and carry.” However, while Kurland said she no longer has a gun or a gun license, the New York Police Department said her registration for a “carry permit” — to carry a gun on her person in public — is still on the books with them. “She has a carry permit,” confirmed Sergeant Brendan Ryan, a police spokesperson, speaking on Tuesday. “She has a license for carrying.” The police spokesperson said the per-

File photo

Yetta Kurland speaking at a rally to save St. Vincent’s Hospital in June 2010.

mits need to be renewed every few years. Kurland did not respond by press time to a follow-up question on the fact that, despite her saying she no longer has a gun-carrying permit, she is still registered with the N.Y.P.D. as having one. She also did not respond to questions on exactly when she left the language school and when she gave up the gun, or how she disposed of it, such as by turning it in at a local police precinct or at a Manhattan district attorney-sponsored gun buyback, which is designed to get guns off the streets. Kuby, for one, who said he always enjoyed shooting guns recreationally before he moved to the city, said he decided to turn in his weapons at Greenwich Village’s Sixth Precinct years ago. “I began to realize I’m a lot safer without having a pistol in my pocket,” Kuby told this newspaper last year. “I get in too many arguments. When you’re armed you don’t have to walk away. … Just shut up and walk away. The mouth is more powerful than the pistol.” Kurland’s campaign opponent Johnson declined to comment on the latest twist in the tale of Kurland’s gun, but he said there may still be more to report. “I have no comment on this at this time,” he said. “There’s a lot more to understand here regarding her story and justification for owning a gun and having a carry permit.” Asked if he owns a firearm, Johnson replied, “I do not have a gun. I have never owned a gun. I have never had a gun license, and I do not plan on ever having a gun or a gun license.”

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December 20 - 26, 2012

Judge says ‘Mystery Man’ Cro-Mag thrashes the rap must have had an evil plan BY JEFFERSON SIEGEL James O’Donnell, 41, dubbed by some in the media the “International Man of Mystery,” was sentenced last Fri., Dec. 14, to 15 years in prison for possession of a loaded gun, a silencer, ammunition and several daggers. The weapons were discovered when O’Donnell was observed by police while he was trying to open a door in the West Village in March 2010. Police subsequently discovered O’Donnell’s storage locker and found another gun, two more silencers, a laser scope, three more daggers, a stun gun and more than 300 rounds of ammunition. At O’Donnell said sentencing, Judge Lewis Bart Stone suggested the weaponry he possessed suggested a man on an assassination mission. O’Donnell also had antiBloomberg literature in his possession. “Preventing crime is as important to my office as prosecuting it,” Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said after the sentencing. “With an arsenal of dangerous and deadly weapons, the defendant had the means to do incredible harm. Thankfully, members of the N.Y.P.D. and prosecutors from my office were able to stop the defendant before he was able to harm anyone, and keep him off the streets.” Vance also thanked Police Offi cers

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Harley Flanagan outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Sept. 27 of this year.

Harley Flanagan, the bassist and co-founder of the New York hardcore band the Cro-Mags, had assault charges against him dropped last Friday. Flanagan had been arrested at a hardcore concert in Webster Hall last July and was accused of stabbing and biting two members of the band, with whom he has had a running feud. After the charges were dropped during a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court last Friday, Flanagan’s lawyer, Sean Parmenter, said that prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to prove the accusations beyond a reasonable doubt. In the photo, Flanagan is showing a gash and swelling on his leg from a stab wound that required 30 stitches — one of the injuries he suffered during the fight.

December 20 - 26, 2012

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December 20 - 26, 2012

City denies D-SNAP expansion, angering Downtown pols Continued from page 1 efits to many households that would not ordinarily be eligible for food stamps but suddenly need assistance. Two coalitions of elected officials â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Manhattan-based officials at the city and state level, led by state Senator Daniel Squadron, and citywide officials at the federal level, led by Congressman Jerrold Nadler â&#x20AC;&#x201D; wrote letters last week urging the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Human Resources Administration (which is handling D-SNAP distribution) to make the program more accessible. In particular, the city and state politicians requested for other affected parts of Lower Manhattan to be included in the program. They also asked H.R.A. to place a D-SNAP application center within the Lower Manhattan area, since currently the only two centers are in Downtown Brooklyn and Staten Island. In addition, both groups of politicians called on H.R.A. to extend the deadline for D-SNAP applications, saying that many residents required more time to both learn about the program and reach one of the application centers. In a Dec. 13 letter responding to those requests, H.R.A. Commissioner Robert Doar gave an outright denial of

any possible expansion or extension, citing a need to use federal money â&#x20AC;&#x153;responsiblyâ&#x20AC;? as New York â&#x20AC;&#x201D; along with other Sandy-afflicted states â&#x20AC;&#x201D; continues to ask the federal government for tens of billions of dollars in federal assistance. Currently, President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $60 billion package for Sandy relief is stalled in Congress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Expanding the areas that are eligible for D-SNAP, as you suggest, would call into question our fiscal responsibility,â&#x20AC;? Doar wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;at a time when, as you know, many in Congress are reluctant to authorize the federal relief we need, especially for those in public housing,â&#x20AC;? referring to New York City Housing Authority buildings. But Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who had signed on to Squadronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter â&#x20AC;&#x201D; asserted that public housing residents would, in fact, be better served if D-SNAP were expanded to include the East Villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10009 zip code, which includes 10 NYCHA complexes that house a total of around 11,000 people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very perplexed by the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision, because that zip code meets their own criteria as an area thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in need of these benefits,â&#x20AC;? said Kavanagh, whose district runs from the East Village to the edge of Midtown East. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve said that

they wanted to target public housing that lost services during the storm, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what happened in the developments along the East River.â&#x20AC;? He added that he was similarly at odds with Hoarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reasoning regarding fiscal responsibility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course we should be responsible with funding,â&#x20AC;? Kavanagh said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not debating that. We simply believe that they are failing to make a benefit available to a community that needs it, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mistake.â&#x20AC;? City Councilmember Margaret Chin, whose district includes nearly all of the areas below Houston St., took issue especially with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision against placing a D-SNAP application center in Lower Manhattan. She scoffed at Hoarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement, in his letter, that free shuttle buses were being provided to the Downtown Brooklyn site. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shuttle bus? Come on!â&#x20AC;? Chin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are just too many obstacles and limitations. The whole point of bringing in D-SNAP was to give people the food benefits that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t offered anywhere else, but is this really helping all the people who need it?â&#x20AC;? She acknowledged that the city should be focused on acquiring all of the federal funding currently sitting in Congress â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a good deal of which will certainly be

used in harder-hit areas of the city â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but stressed that it â&#x20AC;&#x153;doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make senseâ&#x20AC;? to not provide this particular service to Lower Manhattan residents who are still struggling. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver also voiced his disappointment with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision, citing the struggles of Lower Manhattan residents who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t qualify for regular food stamps, but whose incomes are still low enough to make any loss of food a devastating one. Not focused on identifying any particular zip code, Silver said that the city should simply expand D-SNAP eligibility to include all Lower Manhattan residents whose food security has been compromised. And Squadron â&#x20AC;&#x201D; along with his aforementioned colleagues â&#x20AC;&#x201D; said that he will continue to push for H.R.A. to reopen the application process now that it has already expired, as well as urge the agency to reconsider and expand the program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;D-SNAP is meant to provide relief to families struggling in Sandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wake,â&#x20AC;? Squadron said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yet limited qualifying zip codes, application centers, and times mean that many New Yorkers in need wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get vital food assistance. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m disappointed in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision not to make the program as inclusive as possible.â&#x20AC;?

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December 20 - 26, 2012

Free C.P.A.’s add their help for hurting small businesses BY SAM SPOKONY As many await more information about forthcoming federal grants, small business owners impacted by Superstorm Sandy will now at least be getting some free help from accountants across the New York metropolitan area. Last week the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants announced the start of a three-month volunteer program that will provide pro bono service to business owners who need help with insurance claims, personal injury claims, measuring business interruption, economic damage calculations or business valuations, among other related matters. “Service is at the core of our profession and a central tenet of our Society,” said Gail M. Kinsella., president of N.Y.S.S.C.P.A. “I’m proud of members who are volunteering to connect business owners with resources and information to help them rebuild their livelihoods.” The program includes more than 100 N.Y.S.S.C.P.A. members, and is being run in partnership with the city’s Department of Small Business Services and the city’s Economic Development Corporation — both major sources of post-Sandy business loans. C.P.A. volunteers will provide on-call telephone counsel — and in some cases in-person counsel — to businesses owners located within affected areas throughout the city. There is certainly still a need for that service throughout Lower Manhattan, nearly two months after the storm, as many small businesses continue to struggle with both physical damage and lost income as a result of having to close shop for long periods of time. “Business owners are very committed to customers they serve, as well as the employees that rely on them,” said C.P.A. Paul Sinaly, whose firm, based at 28th St. and Fifth Ave., is getting involved in the volunteer effort. “But because of that, a lot of them aren’t looking into critical details involved in getting the money that’s being made available to them by city and federal

agencies, like FEMA.” Sinaly added that the application process for loans offered by S.B.S. to stormaffected small businesses — which are distributed in amounts of up to $25,000 — is actually not as complicated as many business owners generally think. A little help, he explained, can go a long way toward recovering in the storm’s aftermath. “Impacted businesses are really missing an opportunity if they don’t avail themselves of these programs,” Sinaly said. “At this point, it’s up to owners to reach out to us if they need help working through the disaster, and I hope they do reach out.” Lee Ferber, a C.P.A. and partner at the Murray Hill-based firm Gentry, Marcus, Stern & Lehrer, which is also supplying volunteers, noted that some owners may not even have truly felt the storm’s impact on their business until now. “That seems especially prevalent in places like doctors’ offices, where all of a sudden you realize you’re not getting many patients, and you finally feel the effect of the storm reverberating through your business,” Ferber said. “And now, you need to take a look at what you’ve lost in that period of time, by comparing your finances and customer levels to last year's totals, in order to get the funds needed to really recover.” Bernadette Schopfer, another C.P.A. and the director of taxation at the volunteering firm Maier, Markey & Justice, which is based in White Plains, explained that the sheer severity of post-Sandy economic damage has made her firm's members willing to travel to provide help. “We felt a need to reach out and get involved,” Schopfer said. “This isn’t about trying to get new work for the firm. It’s just an unconditional offering of our services, to try and mitigate the suffering.” Small business owners interested in receiving these free C.P.A. services can learn more by calling the city Department of Small Business Services’ Business Solution Center office in Lower Manhattan at 212-618-8914 .

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year from

Assembly Member

Dick Gottfried 242 West 27th Street New York, NY 10001 (212) 807-7900 email:GottfrR@assembly.state.ny.us

The Church of St. Luke in the Fields (An Episcopal Church in the Diocese of New York)

487 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014 www.stlukeinthefields.orH t 212.924.0562

CHRISTMAS SERVICES AT ST. LUKE’S CHRISTMAS EVE MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 5:00pm: Christmas Pageant & Eucharist 9:30pm: Prelude & Congregational Carols 10:00pm: Festive Choral Eucharist Midnight: Festive Reception (School Gym)

CHRISTMAS DAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25 10:30am: Choral Eucharist

December 20 - 26, 2012

EDITORIAL The war on guns After the latest bloody mass shooting — last week at an elementary school in Newton, Connecticut — we are once again left numb and feeling helpless at the senseless violence. Twenty-six lives wiped out — 20 young children and six teachers and staff. The shooter — a low-functioning, troubled individual, unfortunately schooled in how to shoot automatic weapons by his survivalist mom — took his own life, but not before blowing away his instructor. It seems like just yesterday that we were reading about and seeing shocking images of Gabbie Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman gunned down by a crazed shooter. Though severely and permanently injured, Giffords survived. Six others weren’t so lucky. Giffords has become a face of gun violence. Every time we see her on TV, we’re painfully reminded of our country’s gun insanity. After Tucson there was a flurry of calls for stricter gun control, for a ban on automatic weapons, at least on high-capacity ammunition clips. However, politicians’ fear of the powerful gun lobby resulted in the same old inertia. This time, though, it seems there is real momentum to achieve reform. The horror of little lives rubbed out by a disturbed individual is just too much to bear. A collective realization is sweeping the country that we must do something, and do it now. President Obama, showing a refreshing resolve to take on the N.R.A. and try to sway the cowardly, self-interested politicians, has finally called for regulations on high-capacity clips and automatic weapons, as he must. That caliber firepower simply isn’t needed by average people. Here in the Village, local spiritual leaders and community leaders gathered in Washington Square Park on a damp, dreary evening last weekend to mourn Newton’s victims and pray for an end to the madness — and to demand reform. They came together, Christians, Jews and Muslims, to decry our country’s culture of violence and the weapons with which that violence is perpetrated. They were joined by David Gruber and Corey Johnson, respective chairpersons of Community Boards 2 and 4; state Senator-elect Brad Hoylman; and Councilmember Margaret Chin. It is time. Sensible people must rise up to limit the culture of violence. Speaking Friday night at a benefit for Native American activist Leonard Peltier — who remains in jail for the shooting death of two F.B.I. agents four decades ago — filmmaker Michael Moore, reworked the N.R.A.’s favorite motto, saying fatalistically, “Guns don’t kill people, Americans kills people.” However, if our nation wasn’t armed to the teeth with heavy weaponry, far fewer people would be losing their lives. Also locally, we’re glad to hear City Council candidate Yetta Kurland — who led her own gun-control vigil over the weekend — say she has given up her gun, which she had claimed she needed variously because she is a “court officer” and because of her former language school’s post-9/11 security protocol. But we also would have liked to hear Kurland say she disposed of the gun properly by turning it in at a local police precinct or district attorney-approved buyback program — to get one more gun out of circulation — but she didn’t respond to our question. Rather embarrassingly, in her statement to us, she tried to use Senator Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as examples of other political figures who have possessed gun licenses. But in Schneiderman’s case he really was in law enforcement, and in Schumer’s case it’s completely false — he never had a gun or gun license! Kurland shot blanks on that one. Finally, Mayor Bloomberg absolutely deserves recognition for pressuring the president to step up and strengthen our nation’s gun laws. Bloomberg’s staunch gun-control stance may be the most enduring part of his legacy as mayor, and he is doing himself — and our city — proud at this moment. In the chilling aftermath of Newton, working together with a renewed will, we can save our country from future senseless gun violence.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Sexton really packs ’em in To The Editor: Re “No confidence in Sexton?” (Scoopy’s Notebook, Dec. 13): John Sexton and his predecessors have ruined New York University and the Village area. Sexton wants N.Y.U. to be on par with Harvard and Yale, but has succeeded in turning N.Y.U. into a very expensive community college. A degree from N.Y.U. today is not worth one that someone received 20 years ago. He is not about quality of education but how many students he can stuff into his classes. He also wants to surround himself with yes men/women, not anyone that will challenge him. He wants this to be his legacy. I hope the vote passes, I only regret that I can not vote against Sexton. Jerry Blake

School kids crossing 14th St. To The Editor: Re “Ed Council O.K.’s Village rezoning due to new school” (news article, Dec. 13): Why does this article talk about the crossing of 14th St. as if it is something new? Before the vote, kids crossed from above 14th on their way going down to P.S. 3 and P.S. 41. Now after the vote, in 2014 other kids will cross instead from below 14th going up to the new P.S. 340. Also, across School District 2 kids cross other two-way streets like 14th St. all the time. Manhattan does not have the luxury of avoiding that type of setup. As for the argument of P.S. 340 being “sited incorrectly,” the reality is the city is not going to use eminent domain to just take property for making new schools. Also it should be pointed out that Mr. Gentile previously made the argument that the school was “sited” just fine. His argument was that the zone should be “Park Ave South, 23rd St., Seventh Ave., 14th St. solved” (see the C.E.C. Facebook page for his comments). Basically, he wanted to pass off the issue to P.S. 11, which is not overcrowded. Like it or not, P.S. 41 and P.S. 3 already served Chelsea and the Village for decades. So its hardly radical that P.S. 340 do the same given its location at 16th St. and Sixth Ave. Joseph Smith

JASA was not in Zone A To The Editor: Re “Seniors say facility left them in the dark during Sandy” (news article, Dec. 13): No one could have predicted that buildings in New York City would lose power of such magnitude. No one is responsible for

EVAN FORSCH

the ramifications of Hurricane Sandy. Also this building was in a Zone B area and so did not have a mandatory evacuation. If you want to blame somebody, blame the city for not classifying this and other buildings as being in Zone A. The city was in complete chaos that night, and no one should be made to appear as though they abandoned these people. It’s all an unfortunate incident caused by a natural disaster, and luckily none of these people were injured or died or lost their home. Regina Falangi

Economakis was there; So what? To The Editor: Re “Landlord who ‘reclaimed’ building a ‘big fan’ of new museum” (news article, Dec. 13): Space that could have been filled with a newsworthy article on one of the most innovative new developments in the East Village is instead wasted with an inconsequential fluff piece. Not even good gossip. Who cares that Alistair Economakis came to the opening of MoRUS? Surely not anyone interested in seeing exhibits of a people’s history of this once diverse and activist neighborhood. The lineup of presenters was a Who’s Who of L.E.S. artists, writers and community organizers — living testament to the area’s unique history of the 1970s to early 2000s. This piece of “reporting” exemplifies how our formerly radical neighborhood has lost its substance and soul. Heidi Boghosian

Rosie’s term-limits reversal To The Editor: On Oct. 28, 2008, after a raucous debate, the New York City Council voted, 29 to 22, to extend term limits, allowing Bloomberg to seek re-election and undoing the result of two voter referendums that had imposed a limit of two four-year terms. Councilwoman Rosie Mendez was arguably the most outspoken opponent of this extension. The intense acrimony surrounding the decision left a sharply divided Council. Most of the city councilpersons who would benefit from getting an additional term voted in favor of the legislative change, but Ms. Mendez chose a higher and more virtuous path. She stridently and openly fought against it. She accused the mayor and his Council supporters of flouting the will of the people as expressed in not one, but two, referendums on the subject, insisting that democratic procedure demanded a public vote on the issue. She went so far as to warn her colleagues that, if the term-limits exten-

Continued on page 29

December 20 - 26, 2012

Ban SantaCon! Inebriated St. Nicks out of control TALKING POINT BY SARAH FERGUSON I want to call this column “Kill SantaCon!” but I won’t in respect for the slain innocents of Newton, Connecticut. But seriously folks: We need to ban SantaCon. This erstwhile Festivus of WTF holiday cheer has morphed into an urban menace that darn near traumatized my 4-yearold son and his two playmates last Saturday night. And it’s got to stop. Forgive my mommy brain for not realizing when we left the house that this was the slated day for this yuletide extravaganza, in which drunk people dressed up as Santa and his minions converge on bars and locations throughout the city flash-mob style. In fact we had our own convergence to get to: the 20th annual UnSilent Night procession, a supercool tradition conceived by Lower East Side composer Phil Kline, in which people parade from Washington Square to Tompkins Square Park carrying boomboxes playing tape loops of Klein’s ethereal composition. It’s a truly magical event — like Christmas caroling, but instead of singing, it’s all about LISTENING to the ebb and flow of the boomboxes playing layers of chiming hand bells, Tibetan bells, xylophones, Trappist monks and Renaissance church psalms over the cacophony of city sidewalks, pretty sidewalks… . Like SantaCon, UnSilent Night is now held in hundreds of cities worldwide, across four continents! (See www.unsilentnight.com .) I really wanted my son to experience it! We were running late, so my friend Satoko and I decided to take a cab from my apartment off Avenue C in order to arrive in time for the 6:45 p.m. start. Woe unto me, for this was about the same time that thousands of zombie Santas were instructed via txt msg to converge on Williamsburg. It was like trying to catch a cab at 11:30 on New Year’s Eve! The damn Santas kept stealing our cabs! “Why is Santa drunk?” my bewildered son Christopher Zen asked me. “I don’t like these drunk Santas. These are bad Santas,” he informed me, watching the idiots mobbing bars on Avenue C. After flailing our arms in the cold for 20 minutes, I finally cornered a limo that was disgorging a posse of inebriated elves outside the car service joint on 11th and C. This

Photo by Bob Krasner

Some East Village bars hung up signs on Saturday night saying rowdy SantaCon revelers could party elsewhere.

driver of MinuteMen limo service was milking SantaCon for all it was worth. He wanted $20 to take us to Washington Square Park, because of the “heavy traffic over there.” Now the damn Santas were inflating all the car fares! (Isn’t such fare gouging illegal now?) Cursing, I paid it, but by the time we got to the arch in Washington Square, the UnSilent Night procession had departed. So my son and his friends Icharo, 6, Tadashi, 4, their mom Satoko, my partner John and I went dashing east through the madding crowds to find them. But we kept getting waylaid by Santas! There must have been 35,000 Santas on the streets last Saturday night. The NYC SantaCon Faceook page posted 30,550 RSVPs alone! So there we were, holding hands with two 4-year-olds and a 6-year-old, bravely plowing our way through all the rowdy Santas literally clogging the sidewalks. They would not move! By this time, I had lost all pretense of mommy cool. “F--- you, Santas!” I screamed. “Santas ride sleighs,” I jeered at the assholes hailing cabs on every corner. “Or at least take public transit!” One jerk actually asked me why I didn’t go “take the bus!” Since I’d left a CD in my boombox, I decided to blast them with my own soundtrack of roots

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Published by NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC 515 Canal Street, Unit 1C, NY, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 229-1890 • Fax: (212) 229-2790 On-line: www.thevillager.com E-mail: news@thevillager.com © 2012 NYC Community Media, LLC

reggae, including Peter Tosh’s “Steppin’ Razor” — “I’m like a walking razor, don’t you watch my size, I’m dangerous” — which I played loudly like a machete to clear the path. By this time, it was just Zen and me — we’d lost John, Satoko, Icharo and Tadashi in a clusterf--- of Santas outside McSorley’s on E. Seventh St. But we did run into some really cool Santas, too. Like the Santa who kicked down plastic harmonicas and Frosty the Snowman

‘I don’t like these drunk Santas,’ my son, Zen, 4, told me. ‘These are bad Santas.’ rings to our munchkins on Avenue A. And we eventually caught the tail end of the UnSilent Night parade, which was super-beautiful and Zen, forcing me to still my anger and LISTEN to the intricate medley of sounds that enveloped us. It felt empty, like the tinkling of glass ornaments blowing in the frosty wind and police sirens swirling.

Once inside Tompkins Square, the randomly assembled processioners shut down their tape decks and quickly dispersed. There was very little pomp and circumstance or holiday revelry whatsoever. But our small group hung out to eat Trader Joe’s candy cane Oreos and light candles for the 26 children and teachers gunned down in Newton and their families. We had expected to run into some kind of vigil for the dead kids (and teachers), but strangely there was nothing in Tompkins Square. No Hare Krishna wreaths of scattered rose petals around the big tree in the center of the park; no brightly chalked exclamations of outrage and sorrow on the asphalt. Just drunk Santas burping past us. Then this lovely couple strolled by — a man dressed as an ornate Christmas tree and a woman done up to look like a Nutcracker toy soldier. They asked if they could take pictures of our kids frolicking with their glow sticks around our makeshift memorial. This SantaCon couple had actually gotten married earlier that day at a bar on the West Side called Hudson Terrace, in a drunken ceremony officiated by an actual Santa reverend. They then made their way east amid the marauding red masses, finally landing ship at Zum Schneider beer garden on Avenue C, where the beleaguered bartenders took heart and poured them free drinks — unlike all the obnoxious clone Santas that Zum andmany other bars were by then shooing away. The names of these adorable newlyweds from Queens were Gary Hart, 31, a daycare teacher, and Melissa Nerone, also 31, an accountant for nonprofit construction firms. They said they had been together for years, but waited five years until gay marriage got legalized in New York State to tie the knot. “Because it didn’t seem fair for us to be able to get married otherwise,” Hart said. They’d also been motivated to wed by year’s end to lock in certain tax benefits, so SantaCon seemed as good an occasion as any. (They are planning a “proper” ceremony in Dumbo next summer.) We were a tad disappointed to hear that they did not plan to honeymoon at the North Pole. (Barcelona or Berlin seemed more likely.) “SantaCon, I’m just not feeling it this year,” Nerone sighed, shaking her Nutcracker head. “It’s too many frat boys.” Amen. C’mon New York. We can do better than this! BAN SANTACON.

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December 20 - 26, 2012

Expert on community building wins a top fellowship BY SAM SPOKONY The chief and founder of a Tribeca-based business venture focused on sparking development in underserved communities — and, currently, in the Two Bridges neighborhood — has earned an impressive new notch in his belt. Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, or BALLE, an international nonprofit, announced last week that James Johnson-Piett, principal and C.E.O. of Urbane Development, was one of 16 professionals chosen for its 2013-14 Local Economy Fellowship. The fellowship is the only one of its kind in North America — including representatives from both the U.S. and Canada — and comprises an 18-month leadership immersion program that allows fellows to share ideas and build networks, while also strengthening their capacity to change their own communities. “It’s a really great honor, and it’s exciting to be part of this interesting local development movement that’s burgeoning right now,” said Johnson-Piett, 33, who, unlike most of the other BALLE fellows, has already seen his share of nationwide action. In addition to Urbane’s current work on the Lower East Side, where it is was hired by the Two Bridges Neighborhood Council to help survey and create solutions following the loss of that area’s Pathmark supermarket, Johnson-Piett’s four-year-old company has developed vibrant, locally based food and financing programs in cities like Detroit, Seattle and Newark. Johnson-Piett explained that, while the entire experience will be beneficial, he’s especially interested in the “community capital” concept that represents one of the key elements of the fellowship. The idea of community capital is based around creat-

ing local work opportunities and sources of money that come from within a particular neighborhood, rather than relying on outside sources, such as large banks or chain store conglomerates. “It’s about community members investing in themselves,” Johnson-Piett said, “and that’s the main reason I applied to be a part of this.” He added that, following a recent orientation, the fellowship will begin with a five-day retreat in Northern California in late January. Five other retreats will take place, roughly every three months. And while he’s certainly going to be taking in perspectives on various other projects, Johnson-Piett noted that the fellowship may provide valuable insight on his work in Two Bridges. In a previous interview regarding that project, he had stressed that the loss of the neighborhood Pathmark — which was relied upon for years by local seniors and lowincome residents — could present new opportunities for smaller local grocery stores to step up and fill that gap. “Two Bridges is a really unique neighborhood,” JohnsonPiett said. “What I’m hoping is that [the BALLE fellowship] will be a great way to tap into new networks of socialimpact funding and other kinds of help, because there’s just so much to be explored within that community.”

Sound off! Photo by Sam Spokony

Write a letter to The Editor

James Johnson-Piett, C.E.O. of Urbane Development.

Christmas at

Trinity Church & St. Paul’s Chapel Trinity Church | Broadway at Wall Street

St. Paul’s Chapel | Broadway & Fulton Street

CHRISTMAS EVE, Monday, December 24

4pm Eucharist with Children, Youth & Families 6pm Holy Eucharist 9:15pm Choir & Congregational Carol Sing (Choral Eucharist begins at 10pm )

11pm Midnight Eucharist

CHRISTMAS DAY, Tuesday, December 25 11:15am Choral Eucharist Webcast live at trinitywallstreet.org

212.602.0800 trinitywallstreet.org

an Episcopal parish in the city of New York

December 20 - 26, 2012

Photos by Milo Hess

Woozy Santas come bearing beers and shot glasses SantaCon revelers congregated throughout the city Saturday, including in Midtown, in these photos. They were cabbing it all over the place, and barhopping far and wide, with many seemingly shunning mass transit this year. While the annual event keeps growing, many residents and merchants are sick of it, saying they’re tired already of the “bad Santa” shtick (“Ho, Ho, Ho!” not funny anymore!) and that it’s just tens of thousands of drunk and obnoxious frat boys and girls.

Volunteers Needed for a Gum Disease Study! The New York University College of Dentistry Bluestone Center for Clinical Research is seeking volunteers with and without gum disease to take part in a clinical research study. The purpose of this research study is to find out which germs make gum disease worse.

The study requires you to come visit our clinic for up to 14 visits. To qualify, you must: • Be at least 25 years old • Have at least 20 natural teeth • Have not used tobacco products for at least a year

Compensation provided for time and transportation At the end of the study participants will receive a full dental cleaning.

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December 20 - 26, 2012

Jazz greats, artists make a play for new L.E.S. venue;

Photos by Sarah Ferguson

Legendary dancer and choreographer Yoshiko Chuma stunned the house with an improv set that was both militant and funny.

Poet Amiri Baraka scatted with sound artist Myia Masaoka.

DJ Spooky, with iPad: “Everybody is moving out to Brooklyn. Yo, this is Manhattan! We have to do something about this!”

BY SARAH FERGUSON On Dec. 4, more than 30 leading jazz, performance and visual artists threw down at a benefit to launch a new venue for improvisational music on the Lower East Side. Didn’t hear about it? Let me run down some names: DJ Spooky, William Parker, John Zorn, Henry Grimes, Joe Lovano, Roy Campbell, Christian McBride, Charles Gayle, Yoshiko Chuma, Billy Martin, Amira Baraka, Marshall Allen and hip-hop star John Forte, formerly of Fugees fame. All these folks and then some came out to the Angel Orensanz Center on Norfolk St. to jump-start The Under_Line, a still-in-the-vision-stages scheme to create a permanent space for such mind-bending collaborations to occur on a regular basis. Their aim is to land a spot in the still raw basement of the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center on Suffolk St. “It’s very frustrating not having a venue for what you do,” explained Patricia Parker, a dancer/choreographer and founder of the annual Vision Festival, an internationally renowned event that has showcased avantjazz, poetry and dance in New York City for the last 17 years. “I’ve had an office at C.S.V. for nearly a decade — it’s tiny, a former bathroom. I can’t do anything in it,” said Parker, who is also executive director of Arts for Art, a nonprofit group that supports experimental and emerging artists. Now, with the city dropping millions to bring C.S.V. — a former elementary school turned public arts space — up to code, Parker wants to make sure she has a stake in the action. “Music can’t survive on the Lower East

Side by paying market rate,” observed Parker, who first floated her plan for an experimental music venue in 1997, after the closing of Tonic on Norfolk St. Back then, she and guitarist Marc Ribot and actress/musician Rebecca Moore went to City Hall to demand that the city recognize the great cultural capital being squandered, and provide artists with an alternative, affordable space. But when the economy collapsed in 2008, their campaign stalled. Now Parker is reviving her dream. While arts spaces are still dropping like flies, a 2009 court settlement put to rest the incessant infi ghting at C.S.V. that had kept City Hall wary of investing in the dilapidated building. Since then, the city has released more than $11 million to finance a new heating system, roof and windows and the replacement of nearly 1,000 ornate terra-cotta elements adorning the exterior. C.S.V. is now accepting proposals for how to revamp the interior, the fate of which is still up for grabs. “Patricia is welcome to attend any of the town meetings that we’ll be having so people can submit ideas,” said C.S.V. Director Jan Hanvik. But his first priority is getting C.S.V. up to code: adding exits, wheelchair ramps and an elevator, and more bathrooms. “I’d say we’re a good four years away from leasing out the basement to anyone,” Hanvik said. That doesn’t deter Parker. “This is about making me a viable candidate for the space,” she said of The Under-Line campaign. “To make anything like this real, you need to build support — from politicians and the public, and also

out together for years. It was the kind of tightly woven improv you get from artists so accustomed to riffing together, they can travel through each other’s notes and take you along for the ride. One could hear echoes of Soho loft parties and old L.E.S. jazz haunts from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s bouncing off Angel Orensanz’s soaring walls, which were lit up in pastel hues like a Matisse. “There’s a real renaissance going on right now of improvisational music,” noted jazz pianist Connie Crothers. “There’s thrilling music going on right now. It just needs to be heard. I think if we could create such a venue as The Under_Line — run by and for the artists themselves — there would be a huge burst of musical creativity. “This works,” Crothers added of the stunning music that filled the hall. “It’s just that people don’t know about it.” In fact for the Under_Line to succeed, Parker and her backers will have to do a lot more promoting. Turnout for the event was good but sparse given the depth of talent on the bill. And even some performers weren’t clear on what they were there for. “I came out not knowing much about what this event was about,” confessed Grammy-nominated hip-hop star John Forte, who performed a reggae-influenced set with his band. “When they asked, I said sure. But I didn’t know the gravity of what this was until I showed up.” Poet Amiri Baraka, who closed the night with a surprise spoken-word set, was concise when asked why a space like The Under_Line is needed: “So we can be humans,” Baraka responded. “How can there be humanity when there is so little art?”

from the artists who will reap the benefits of the space.” For the artists, it’s not just about another venue to perform. “We need a place for rehearsals and for musicians to meet and practice and deal with all the daily things that go into keeping a musical lifestyle together,” pianist Matthew Shipp told the audience at Angel Orensanz, which included many veteran artists and family members. “We need all the help we can get,” Shipp said, “because these times don’t make it easy for anyone not doing corporate work.” DJ Spooky cut to the chase: “Everybody’s moving out to Brooklyn. Yo, this is Manhattan! We have to do something about this!” While Spooky does not lack for venues — he is currently doing a yearlong residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art — he built his name as a DJ while living on the Lower East Side in the 1990s. “My old studio was a junkyard at Second and B called The Gas Station,” he recalled. “Most of my parties and events used to happen in a five-block radius of this place. “There are so many heroes in this room. I’m just honored to be here,” Spooky added before launching into a pair of compositions based on custom iPad apps and recordings he took of the ice shelves melting in Antarctica. Other highlights included a free-form jam with William Parker and Christian McBride on bass, Charles Gayle and Hamiet Bluiett blowing sax, Jason Kao Hwang on violin, and composer/instrument builder Cooper-Moore keeping crazy time on lap drum and snare. It was a flurry of raw talent and ideas from artists who have been working it

December 20 - 26, 2012

A creative approach to keeping creativity in the hood

Composer and instrument builder Cooper-Moore, digginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; deep on drums.

Free jazz pioneer Milford Graves played a way-out set with post-bop saxophonist Joe Lovano.

Jazz pianist Connie Crothers with artist Jeff Schlanger, who has been painting jazz musicians live for the last 37 years. He designed the flier and art for the Under_Line launch.

Organizer Patricia Parker, right, who is spearheading the drive for the Under_Line venue, with poet and longtime friend Amina Baraka.

Dueling bassists, Christian McBride, left, and William Parker.

December 20 - 26, 2012

presents

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Space is Limited! Please reserve at rsvp@downtownexpress.com BCBD Regularly Schedules Networking Events to Help Increase Your Business Downtown

Photos by Sam Spokony

Youth drop-in center sails to new home after Sandy The Ali Forney Center, which provides housing and services to homeless L.G.B.T. youth across New York City, has certainly been getting all the help it needs after the organization’s Chelsea drop-in center was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy’s floodwaters. Executive Director Carl Siciliano announced several weeks ago that, through events and donations, A.F.C. had already met the $400,000 fundraising goal required to move the organization into its new Harlem drop-in center at W. 125th St. and St. Nicholas Ave., which opened on Tuesday. And on Sunday, A.F.C. raised even more funds to bolster its transition from the storm, this time with a benefit concert at XL Nightclub on W. 42nd St. The event, organized by the It Gets Better Project, a fellow L.G.B.T. group, featured performances by former “All My Children” soap star Natalie Hall (top photo); Ari Shapiro, National Public Radio’s White House correspondent (below, left), who’s a surprisingly good singer; and numerous young Broadway stars. The evening was hosted by drag queen comedy duo The Haus of Mimosa (half of whom is below, right), who performed a few of their own spirited songs.

December 20 - 26, 2012

Pete Seeger sang “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

Common rapped for Leonard Peltier’s release.

Moore, ‘Hurricane’ and Co. call for Peltier pardon BY LINCOLN ANDERSON At a progressive-packed benefit at the Beacon Theater last Friday night, activists and entertainers including Michael Moore, Harry Belafonte, Peter Coyote, Pete Seeger and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter pleaded for President Obama to pardon jailed Native American activist Leonard Peltier. In 1977, Peltier was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the firstdegree murder of two F.B.I. agents during a shootout two years earlier at South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. He entered prison at age 31 and is now 67, and reportedly in bad health. Peltier has admitted he shot at the agents. The question that has never been adequately answered, as one of the speakers at the benefit said, is whether “he finished them off.” Folk legend Seeger, 93, led the crowd in a sing-along of the classic “Turn, Turn, Turn,” about the cycle of life. Belafonte, 85, noted he lost his singing voice after suffering a stroke three years ago. But he could still speak eloquently about Peltier’s cause. He said he had talked on the phone with Peltier shortly before the Upper West Side benefit, and the jailed activist had told him that the event should be about raising consciousness of incarceration, not cash. “He said he knows about the East and Sandy. ‘They need the money in New York,’ ” reported the calypso crooner. Common rapped for Peltier’s pardon and had the willing crowd’s hands waving in the air, and Mos Def sang his hit “Shine Your Light.” Native American performers Bill Miller and Jennifer Kreisberg brought down the house with their powerful and haunting singing. Jackson Browne made a cameo to strum and sing along with Bruce Cockburn on the tune “Indian War.”

Carter, the former middleweight boxer immortalized in song by Bob Dylan and on screen by Denzel Washington, served nearly 20 years in jail for a triple murder at a New Jersey bar. A federal court threw out the conviction in 1985, saying that Carter had been wrongfully convicted based on racial profiling. Holding up his writ of habeas corpus that freed him, Carter said, “I never leave home without it.” A film clip was shown of late radical lawyer Bill Kunstler arguing for Peltier’s innocence based on gun forensics. Moore was a surprise speaker on the night’s lineup. “Oh, my God!” someone in row I excitedly called out as the famously lefty filmmaker’s name was announced. “President Obama, do the right thing and let Leonard Peltier out of jail,” Moore said. “If not you, President Obama — who? It’s got to be you.” The “Bowling for Columbine” director then touched on last week’s massacre of schoolchildren in Newton, Connecticut, noting it’s just the latest tragedy in an issue he’s been “following for a while.” Somewhat pessimistically, Moore said, “Yes, we need gun control. But there have been 61 mass shootings since Columbine in this country. There is just something about violence stuck in America’s craw.” Riffing on the N.R.A.’s bumper sticker slogan, Moore said, “Guns don’t kill people — Americans kill people.” Circling back to wrongful imprisonment, Moore declared, “We’ve got to stop this phony drug war and using it as an excuse to lock up innocent black and Latino men.” Referring to Wall St., he fumed, “We’re just blocks away from the biggest criminal operating in the country — and no one is arrested!”

Photos by Tequila Minsky

Margo Thunderbird was one of several Native American singers and musicians to perform.

December 20 - 26, 2012

The lesson for today: Assault by gun — a right that’s wrong TALKING POINT

P UBLIC N O T ICE S NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ALL THE TASTES OF NEW YORK, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NewYork (SSNY) on 01/17/12 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: AllTheTastes of NewYork, LLC 228 E 36th St., Apt 5D, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PREMIUM CONSULTING GROUP LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy, of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/03/2012. Off. loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Justin Kohn, 211 N. End Avenue 22-B,NY, NY 10282. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF FEIL 3500 SUNRISE ASSOCIATES LLC App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/12. Off. loc.: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/9/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The Feil Organization, 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 618, NY, NY 10001. DE address of LLC: United Corporate Services, 874 Walker Road, Ste. C, Dover, DE 19904. Arts. of Org. filed DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ADP12 LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/12/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Reid A. Rosen, Esq., 15 Wilputte Place, New Rochelle, NY 10804, the registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful purpose. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012

NAME OF LLC: MIDMARKET DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 10/10/12. 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: 11/15- 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PARK LANE HOLDINGS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/22/12. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Vano Haroutunian, 729 7th Ave., 17th Fl., NY, NY 10019. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012

BY JERRY TALLMER Good morning, children. This object on my desk is a radio. It was invented by a number of people, but mostly by Nikola Tesla (18561943) and Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1911). It is an instrument of information, guidance and culture, among other things. Let us turn it on and see — no, hear — what it has to tell us this morning. Oh. The radio is telling us that at 9:40 this morning — Friday morning — someone has shot and killed 26 people, 20 of them children ages 5 to 10 (later corrected as ages 6 and 7), at a little one-story elementary school in the Sandy Hook section of a small town called Newton, Connecticut, just across the border from the state of New York. Now that’s culture for you. It’s even spooky. Sandy Hook. Hurricane Sandy. Let us turn on the television and see what it is telling us, and showing us: Automobiles parked any which way. Lots of them. Police cars. Ambulances. Lots of them. A fire station. A schoolhouse. Gurneys. National guards. State troopers. F.B.I. persons. Local cops. People running. People struggling uphill. People hugging small children. People crying. Lots of them, of all ages. It is a school killing in America the Beautiful, second only statistically to Virginia Tech (32 dead) back in the year 2007. Fits right into the template of slaughter by guns — by guns — by guns — by guns — at a Midwest shopping mall, in a movie theater, in a Sikh temple, in front of a Tucson, Arizona, supermarket, at another school, another school, another school...61 mass killings — and counting — since 1982. Children, now the daily press is reporting on the armament carried into that schoolhouse by the young man dressed in armor-plated black who shot and killed those 26 human beings — 20 first-grade kids, six adults, one of them the much-loved principal — that morning. One wonders how the killer could even have walked, bearing all this lethal gear. And what, if anything, was he thinking? A A A A

Bushmaster assault rifle. Glock handgun. Sig Sauer handgun. shotgun (found in the killer’s car)

And guess what, children. We are told that at least three of these weapons, among them the assault rifle, were purchased — quite legally — by the killer’s mother, a divorcée who lived alone in a good-sized house in Newton and may or may not have at one time been a teacher at that very school. Whatever the case, she paid for those gun purchases through a bullet fired into her face that made her son’s first murder victim that ghastly morning.

All quite constitutionally kosher. Look here, children. Read this. It's only 27 words. It is the Bill of Rights Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, adopted December 16, 1791. As follows: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. Gun lovers love the Second Amendment. They live and die by it. And make other people die by it, lots of them. Their N.R.A. — National Rifle Association — has ninetenths of the politicians in this country shaking in their cradles because of it, for fear of it. Some old fogies around here can even remember when N.R.A. stood for something diametrically different, F.D.R.’s National Recovery Administration. Children, it is distressing, it is infuriating — is it not? — that every person of author-

Nobody is asking to repeal the Second Amendment — just to amend the Second Amendment.

ity in this country, up to and including an otherwise pitch-perfect president, is playing dodgeball with this question. Every person of authority but one, it would seem. Who’d have thought that Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, so doggedly wrongheaded on so many things, would be so right on in demanding action, at long last — action, no more mealymouthed words — on this one. Gun lovers decry any slightest hint of gun regulation whatsoever as a mortal threat to the Second Amendment. Well, children, nobody is asking for repeal of the Second Amendment (or of any of our priceless constitutional amendments). All one asks for — suggests — proposes — is an amendment of the Second Amendment. As follows: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of a qualified, certified, licensed, non-insane person to keep and bear non-automatic arms shall not be infringed. We do that, or the likes of that, with dogs and fish and automobiles and the drivers of automobiles, not to mention airplanes. Why not with hunt-happy homo sapiens? Let ’em hunt. Just not hunt us. Or our children. Class dismissed.

December 20 - 26, 2012

VILLAGER ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Your $5 Downtown Christmas! Lay down your Jackson and you will see… BY FACEBOY, SAINT REVEREND JEN MILLER & SCOTT STIFFLER Has it really been a year since we liberated a hefty sawbuck from the office supply slice of this fine publication’s A&E budget and tasked two of Downtown’s most resourceful yet cash-starved Art Stars with purchasing decorations, party favors and gifts culled from budget-friendly Lower East Side stores? Yes, Virginia, it has — and in the interim period (in a nod to our nation’s less-thanrobust economy and our own evolving frugality), we’ve shown you how to have a $15 L.E.S. Summer and a $10 Downtown Halloween. Rich with good intentions but little else, our most recent excursion was a rock-bottom endeavor meant to take us beyond our usual downscale retail destinations (B&B Variety Store, Jade Fountain Liquor Corp.) while serving as a thrifty template for…

YOUR $5 DOWNTOWN CHRISTMAS! Meet Your Hosts Originally from Middle Earth, Maryland, Saint Reverend Jen Miller (revjen.com) does not contain the wearing of elf ears to December. She is an “Art Star, Troll Museum curator, writer, painter, Voice of the Downtrodden & Tired and Patron Saint of the Uncool.” Co-founder of ASS Studios, her new book “BDSM 101” comes out on Valentine’s Day. Rev. Jen’s AntiSlam, which before its brief hiatus ran for 16 years, guarantees you six minutes of stage time and a judge’s score of “10.” The Anti-Slam has returned, still with the same cover charge ($3), but at a new home: Thursdays, 7-9:30pm, at Pyramid Club (101 Ave. A, btw. 6th & 7th Sts.). Stick around for “The Metro” — Pyramid’s 80s Brit Pop/New Wave dance party. It’s free with admission to the Anti-Slam. See? You’re saving money already! Born and raised in Greenwich Village, Faceboy began a long friendship and collaboration with Rev. Jen when the two met in the mid-1990s — as he started what would become a 13-year run of “Faceboyz Open Mike.” Based on Rev. Jen’s dubbing her AntiSlam performers as “Art Stars,” Faceboy declared Downtown’s emerging comedy performance circuit as the “Art Star Scene” (A.S.S.). Faceboy is producer and host of the monthly burlesque/variety show, “Faceboyz Folliez.” The next installment: Dec. 22, 9pmmidnight, at Bar 82 (136 Second Ave., btw. St. Marks Place & 9th St.). Admission: $10. Visit faceboyzfolliez.com.

Photos by Scott Stiffler

Meat & Greet: Faceboy, sporting 2012 New Year’s glasses from last year’s excursion, presents a (free!) 2013 Poni’s Prime Meat Market calendar to his (vegan!) BFF.

Rich with good intentions but little else, our most recent excursion was a rock-bottom endeavor meant to take us beyond our usual downscale retail destinations.

Stop #1: A $5 Journey Begins With a Single Freebie In an email dispatch filed just hours after our adventure concluded, a weary but reflective Faceboy recalled a false start — and a first stop: Our smallest budget yet actually helped me to open up to ideas for free things one

Faceboy holds our Christmas tree (branch), while Rev. Jen cradles coffee and nurses an office party hangover.

Continued on page 22

December 20 - 26, 2012

From SoSta, with love and knew we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possibly afford an actual tree, Rev. was curious about the prices.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the Xmas tree stand,â&#x20AC;? recalls Rev. Jen, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I asked about the smallest trees. They were about two feet tall and cost 35 dollars. I asked if they could be replanted, since they were obviously bebbehs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the tree-seller woman said something like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;They are adorable but they are slowly dying.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terrible.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And she said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like eating vegetables.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; This made sense somehow. They are both plants that grow out of the ground, so them â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dyingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is no big deal.â&#x20AC;?

Continued from page 21

can do or procure. Early on the morning of 12/12/12, I eagerly headed out to our meeting place. I was excited, because I knew that by 12:12pm, we would have a nip bottle of rum and I could toast the 12/12/12 12:12 occasion with my cowriters and dear friends. It would have been a good idea to check my calendar, because our meeting was actually the next day. Though embarrassed and slightly crestfallen at my mistake, I used the extra time to come up with a list of freebies. Calendars immediately came to mind, because many shopkeepers give them away. I got one for Rev. Jen at Pinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Meat Market (149 Sullivan St.) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a local familyrun establishment that I highly recommend to all carnivores. The owner always greets me with a hearty, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bonjourno!â&#x20AC;? and once shared a taste of his homemade grappa that he uses for his second-to-none sausages and other tasty meat treats. When I gave Rev. Jen her calendar, she was horrified. Not because of being a vegetarian (the rack of lamb pic didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bother her at all). It was some of the recipes that caused her to recoil in fear. Note: said recipes are NOT what is sold at Pinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Again, this small historic enclave is a meat loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paradise.

One Calendar: Free

Stop #2:

One Fallen Tree Branch: Free

Stop #3: East Side Dollar Inc. (73 First Ave., btw. 4th & 5th Sts.) Photos by Scott Stiffler

What would Lao Tzu do? These 25 ornaments have Christmas and April Foolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; potential.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Much like Christmas itself, joyful anticipation quickly melted into crippling despair.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Faceboy

Sidewalk Christmas Tree Forest Meat was still on the brain, as we turned our attention to a gigantic inflatable Frosty and a similarly oversized banner (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fresh Cut Treesâ&#x20AC;?) that harkened back to the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s storefront glory days â&#x20AC;&#x201D; when signage tempted passersby with the allure of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live Poultry Fresh Killed.â&#x20AC;? A string of garland, although appealing and reasonably priced at $5, mocked our

budget â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but a resourceful Faceboy rallied the troops by presenting a â&#x20AC;&#x153;treeâ&#x20AC;? that Charlie Brown himself would have rejected as depressingly anemic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I walked past a nearby tree seller,â&#x20AC;? said Faceboy of the journey from his L.E.S. dwelling to our present First Ave. location. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking for a fallen branch, I soon found the perfect one. For a moment, we were joyful. Though we had our tree branch

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BREAD & PUPPET THEATER THE POSSIBILITARIANS & DEAD MAN RISES Wed - Sat, December 19 - 22 8pm $12 CIRCUS OF THE POSSIBILITARIANS Sunday December 23 3pm & 6pm All Seats $12 Children under 12 $6

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Adapted from the Charles Dickens story by

DAVID â&#x20AC;&#x153;ZENâ&#x20AC;? MANSLEY Thursday - Sunday December 20 - 23 Thurs-Sat at 8pm Sun at 3pm All Seats $10 Children under 12 $5

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T TELL MOTHER

THE EAST RIVER HOTEL

Written by PETER WELCH Directed by CLARK KEE

Written & Directed by JEFF RANDALL WISEMAN

Thursday - Sunday December 27 - January 13 Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm $10/tdf

Thursday - Sunday December 28 - January 13 Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm $15/tdf

TNCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Programs are funded in part by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts

Recalling Stop #2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s double dipping of uneasy omens (a single tree branch and $5 garland), Faceboy noted that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Much like Christmas itself, joyful anticipation quickly melted into crippling despair. We really needed a little Christmas cheer, and soon found it at a 99 cent store. There was a plentiful selection â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but when we saw the box of 25 tiny Christmas present ornaments for $1.49, we knew we found our purchase.â&#x20AC;? That they are empty boxes, observed Faceboy, â&#x20AC;&#x153;also serves as a Taoist gift.â&#x20AC;? To back up that assertion, he cited Lao Tzu â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who wisely said of a clay pot, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The emptiness inside makes it useful.â&#x20AC;? And with that, we all shared a jolly laugh â&#x20AC;&#x201D; secure in the knowledge that were he alive today and accompanying us on our December quest, Lao Tzu would surely cackle with impish glee upon recognizing the April Foolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day potential of these ornamental boxes. Hilarity would ensue, when our prank victims discovered that these beautifully wrapped boxes contain no treasure. So we vowed to save a few of our Christmas Elegance Classic decorations for use on the first day of the cruelest month.

Christmas Present Ornaments = $1.62 (including tax)

Big trouble in little SoSta: This sturdy manhole cover put the kibosh on dreams of a lucrative lawsuit.

Stop #4: Manhole, at the corner of Orchard & Delancey Sts. The fact that you only have a single bill sporting Andrew Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gloomy mug should not prevent you from the simple pleasures of coining a new acronym or attempting to facilitate a nuisance lawsuit. Stop #4

Continued on page 23

December 20 - 26, 2012

Cheap gifts and clever freebies Continued from page 22 on our journey provided ample opportunity for both. Invoking his own take on a term (SoSta) coined by Rev. Jen, Faceboy said that, “Being NoSta (North of Stanton Street) was disconcerting. Thus, we hurried back to our comfort zone, stopping to jump on a manhole cover. With fingers crossed, we hoped to fall through and sue the city. No luck there.”

Faulty Manhole Cover Lawsuit: $0.00

Stop #5: The Lower East Side Tenement Museum Shop (103 Orchard St., at Delancey St.) At the Tenement Museum, notes Rev. Jen, “The finger puppet we procured was a ‘finger monster,’ and it made a fabulous tree topper. My employee discount (I’ve worked there for 11 years) meant we were able to obtain it and still get the nip of rum!” Packed with customers who had the unmistakable look of L.E.S. residents, the finger puppet we settled on was just one of many affordable “only in New York”-style selections. After a free trip to the in-store outhouse (no coin-fed locks here, thank you), Faceboy declared the L.E.S. Tenement Museum Shop’s facilities to be among the cleanest he’d ever seen in a retail establishment. Similarly bright and sharp: the staff!

Photos by Scott Stiffler

You can’t lose when you booze: A nip of rum brightens our spirits.

‘My employee discount (I’ve worked there for 11 years) meant we were able to obtain it and still get the nip of rum!’ —Rev. Jen, on purchasing a finger puppet at the L.E.S. Tenement Museum Shop Scratch and lose: The “Holiday Hundreds” lottery ticket was a bust.

“Despite being the day after their Christmas party, with hangovers abounding,” says Faceboy, “we were cheerfully greeted by the staff. Karolina was particularly helpful in making decorations for our tree and did a great job beautifying our branch. She even shaved a penny off the final price of the puppet! Paying it forward, we donated this to the museum.”

Tree Decoration = Free

Finger Puppet = 75 cents (minus Rev. Jen’s employee discount of 30 cents, plus six cents tax) Local Deal: If you mention Karolina’s name, and can prove you’re a resident of the 10002 zip code, you'll receive a 10 percent discount.

Continued on page 24

Coins for a worthy cause: The L.E.S. Tenement Museum Shop has reasonably priced finger puppet monsters, for your little monsters.

December 20 - 26, 2012

Christmas for under $5 Continued from page 23

Stop #6: A Nearby Basement Liquor Store Faceboy says, “With $2.63 remaining, we headed to a liquor store we hadn’t been to before. Trying new things had been a theme for us this year, and we were not disappointed with the nip of rum.

Rum Nip: 1.50 (no tax!)

Stop #7: Amigo Mini Mart (118 Delancey St.) It was now time for our last and most anticipated stop: “The newsstand,” notes Faceboy, “where we’d purchase the scratchoff lottery ticket that would forever change our lives. In addition to a wide array of lotto choices, there was a potpourri of porn and ‘tobacco use only’ paraphernalia. We were definitely at the right place to start spending the soon-to-be windfall! I don't know how to describe the pain of losing. How was it possible? What are the odds??? We had two out of three for $30, $45 and an earth-shattering $2,000. Scott had to rush off and I walked Rev. to her place. Sadness soon waned as we realized we really had fun on this venture. We weren't rich but loved our tree, presents, rum, puppet and each other. Lastly, since for reasons I'll never understand, we didn't win the scratch-off,

these tips on free shit to do will certainly come in handy. Enjoy!” • Use a book of matches to make a Nativity scene. Be careful! Matches are highly flammable. • Volunteer for the Trap-Neuter-Return program. Rev. chose this great charity, which we gave the money raised at the last Faceboyz Folliez to. Anyone pissed off that it didn't go to people should STFU because people are the main cause of the global warming that's creating all of this destructive weather. • Visit your local public library. They will actually lend you books, CDs and even movies. I used to say, “Libraries are like Churches. They have big doors, I have to be really quiet and can never find what I'm looking for.” But now, you can check online to see what’s available. • Cry. Crying gets the sad out of you.

Lottery “Holiday Hundreds” Scratch-Off = $1.00

Total Budget: $5 Total Spent: $4.87 With 13 cents left in our pockets (split, for safe keeping, into 6, 4 and 3-cent amounts), we vowed to dedicate the remaining funds to our Valentine’s Day budget — which several leading economists project as being in the range of $5-$7. Do YOU have ideas of where we should go and how we should spend it? If so, email scott@chelseanow.com.

December 20 - 26, 2012

Just Do Art!

29 at 7:30pm and Sun., Dec. 30 at 3:30pm. The New Year’s Eve Dinner Gala/performance is Mon., Dec. 31, 7:30pm. Additional performances at 7:30pm, Wed, Jan. 2-Sat., Jan. 5 and on Sun., Jan. 6 at 2:30pm. “La Bohème Opera-in-Brief” plays Thurs., Dec. 27-Sat., Dec. 29 at 2:30pm and Sat., Jan. 5 at 2:30pm.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

GIRL, A LOPSIDED TREE WON’T RUIN CHRISMAS

La MaMa’s “Midwinter Night: Sacred and Profane Rituals” celebrates Koliada.

MIDWINTER NIGHT: SACRED AND PROFANE RITUALS Music from the Carpathians, a Baroque Nativity folk opera and carnivalesque Goat Songs by a punk group from Toronto comprise “Midwinter Night: Sacred and Profane Rituals” — an evening (or in one case, a matinee) of world music theater presented by Yara Arts Group. In 2003, the La MaMa resident company (which creates works of theater based on the cultural traditions of East Europe, Central Asia and Siberia) began collaborating with traditional artists from the Carpathians. This first section of this three-part “Midwinter” endeavor focuses on the winter ritual of Koliada. Older than Christmas and rich in symbolism, Koliada’s traditions are still carried out by villagers living high in the Carpathian Mountains — where some believe that Spring and the harvest will not come unless certain songs are sung in every household. In this context, they become powerful incantations (“what is said, will be so”). The instruments played by Koliadnyky, an ensemble of Ukrainian winter song singers from the Hutsul region, include hand-made flutes, the duda (bagpipes made from a goat) and the trembita (also known as the Carpathian mountain horn, it’s made of a hollowed pine tree that has been struck by lightning and wrapped in birch bark). The program’s second section features Yara Artistic Director Virlana Tkacz’s adaptation of a Baroque folk Christmas opera from Ukraine. The final part of the evening offers raucous Goat Songs. In a symbolic depiction of the old year’s passing and rebirth, a wooden goat puppet dances, dies and is brought back to life (because, the belief goes, “where the goat will dance that's where wheat will grow”). Music will be provided by Toronto’s 14-piece Lemon Bucket Orkestra. This self-described “BalkanKlezmer-Gypsy-Punk-Super-Party-Band” just got back from a tour of Romania, where their series of half-naked, mohawked performances may seem tame in comparison to the beats a certain wooden goat will be grooving to. Thurs., Dec. 27 through Sat., Dec. 29 at 7:30pm; Sun., Dec. 30 at 2:30pm. At the La MaMa E.T.C. Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. Fourth St., btw. Bowery & 2nd Ave.). For tickets ($25, $20 for student/seniors and $10 for children), call 212-475-7710 or visit lamama.org. Also visit brama.com/yara.

AMORE OPERA’S “La Bohème” Amore Opera revisits the production that marked its inaugural season — Puccini’s timeless masterpiece, “La Bohème.” Set in the 1840s, the opera in four acts (which had a little something to do with inspiring a little Broadway smash called “Rent”) concerns a group of bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris — specifically, the tragic arc of two young lovers. Directed by Nathan Hull and conducted by Gregory Ortega, Amore’s “La Bohème” is fully staged (with full orchestra) and presented in its original Italian (with subtitles). An abbreviated, 90-minute version is also offered, as part of Amore’s “Opera-inBrief” series (geared towards young audiences and families). The New Year’s Eve performance of the full production also functions as the company’s annual fundraiser — and includes hors d’oeuvres, dinner between acts, a champagne toast at midnight and a special post-midnight concert. Through Jan. 6, at the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St., btw. Aves. A & B). Tickets are $40, $30 for students/seniors. The New Year’s Eve Gala is $125. All tickets for the Opera-in-Briefs are $15. To purchase, visit amoreopera.org or call 888-811-4111. “La Bohème” plays Thurs., Dec 27-Sat., Dec.

Photo by Joe Marshall

Unemployed elves Herby and Vinnie, in happier times.

Alternative Theater Company’s Joe Marshall — the troubled but brilliant mind behind “The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever” — is back on the boards with a brand new holiday-themed travesty. As sassy and defiant as its title suggests, “Girl, A Lopsided Tree Won’t Ruin Christmas” begins with the death of Santa Claus — leaving his two most trusted elves, Herby and Vinnie, out of cash, out of a job and in need of a plan. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the ghetto-fabulous Tym Moss is starring in an Off-Broadway show as a flamin’ cowboy, a prepubescent girl, a high society lady, a little boy and a drug addict. Worlds collide, hilarity ensues and somehow, we hope, the damaged characters get the miracles they deserve…and demand! Through Dec. 29, at The Players Theatre Loft (115 MacDougal St., btw. W. 3rd & Bleeker Sts. Thurs. at 7:30pm; Fri./Sat. at 7pm; Sat. at 2pm, Sun. at 5pm. For tickets ($45), visit lopsidedchristmas.com or call 866-811-4111. Also visit alternativetheatreco.org.

TINSEL TUNES BY THE TINSELTONES The Merchant’s House Museum — New York City’s only family home preserved intact (inside and out) from the mid-19th century — survived survived the Great Fire of 1835, the Civil War and the Draft Riots and, more recently, Hurricane Sandy. Unfortunately, that last challenge to MHM’s structural integrity happened right in the middle of their Ghost Tours (a major source of income). So show this worthy nonprofit some love by visiting the house for a few upcoming events featuring imaginative takes on traditions both old and new. Now through Jan. 7, “From Candlelight to Bubble Light: A 1950s Christmas in an 1850s Home,” retro-decks the 19th century MHM with hundreds of East Village art scene icon Deb O’Nair’s post-1950s Christmas cards, ornaments, decorations and lit-from-within plastic holiday icons. On Dec. 22, “Tinsel Tunes by the Tinseltones” continues MHM’s comparison/ contrast theme, with a concert of favorites from both the 1850s and the 1950s — performed in a stunning Greek Revival parlor filled with O’Nair’s vintage holiday memorabilia (some say the Tinseltones bear a striking resemblance to the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society, MHM’s charismatic and vocally gifted artists-inresidence). On Jan. 1, “New Year’s Day Open House” recalls the centuries-old tradition of paying New Year’s Day calls. Take a tour of the MHM, then enjoy a cup of holiday punch and canapés in the cozy period kitchen.

Photo courtesy of Deb O’Nair and the Merchant’s House Museum.

Enjoy 1950s décor, and tunes, amidst the 1850s splendor of Merchant’s House Museum.

Back to their roots: Amore Opera’s “La Bohème” revisits the company’s inaugural season production.

“Tinsel Tunes” is performed Sat., Dec. 22, at 7:30pm. Reservations required. “New Year’s Day Open House” happens on, well, New Year’s Day (Tues., Jan. 1), from 3-6pm. Tickets are $20, reservations required. “From Candlelight to Bubble Light: A 1950s Christmas in an 1850s Home” is on display through Jan. 7. Free with museum admission ($10, $5 for students/seniors). Museum hours are noon-5pm, Thurs.-Mon. At the Merchant’s House Museum, 29 East Fourth St. (btw. Lafayette & Bowery). For tickets and info, visit merchantshouse.org or call 212-777-1089.

December 20 - 26, 2012

PUBL IC NOTICE S NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to the New York State Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, that Beam B, LLC, Serial Number 1267094, has applied for a license to sell wine and beer for onpremises consumption, doing business as Bugs, located at 504 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10009. Vil: 12/20/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by Musket Hospitality LLC to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 265 Elizabeth St. New York NY 10012. Vil: 12/20 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a restaurant wine license, #TBA has been applied for by RGD Wine & Dine Group Inc. to sell beer and wine at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 197 1st Ave. a/k/a 351 East 12th St. New York NY 10003 Vil: 12/20 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by 289 Hospitality LLC d/b/a Marquee to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment with two additional bars. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 289 Tenth Avenue New York NY 10001. Vil: 12/20 - 12/27/2012 PLOOSH LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/24/12. Office in NY Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 156 W 15th St Apt 4AB New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 1152 SECOND AVENUE, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/21/12. Office in NY Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 1152 2nd Ave New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF J&L GRANDCHILDREN’S LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/03/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Joshua Levin, 205 W. 95th St., NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HORIZON 6F LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/07/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 244 Madison Ave., Unit 724, NY, NY 10016. 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: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC) Name: HSP PARTNERS LLC. Application for Authority was filed by the Department of State of New York on: 10/24/2012. Jurisdiction: Delaware. Organized on: 10/17/2011. 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: 325 Canal Street, #2, New York, NY 10013. Address of office required to be maintained in Delaware National Corporate Research, Ltd. 615 South DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901. Authorized officer in its Jurisdiction is: Secretary of State of Delaware John G. Townsend Building, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a license, number 1265249 for wine and beer has been applied for by the undersigned to sell wine and beer at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 249 Broome Street, New York, NY 10002 for on-premises consumption. (Feihu Food Inc. d/b/a Zest) Vil: 12/20 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ACISION LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/17/07. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Registered Agent Solutions, Inc., 99 Washington Ave., Ste. 1008, Albany, NY 12260. Principal office: 6404 International Pkwy, #2048, Plano, TX 75093. Address to be maintained in DE: 1679 S. DuPont Hwy, Ste. 100, Dover, DE 19901. Arts of Org. filed with the DE Secretary of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ASPIRE CHANNEL, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/31/12. 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: Aspire Channel, LLC, 2077 Convention Center Concourse, Ste 300, Atlanta, GA 30337, ATTN: Paul Butler. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013

NYLLCCO, LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 03/02/2012. Off. Loc.:NewYork Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, 305 Broadway, Suite 200, New York, NY 10007. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 CENTRAL PARK FINANCIAL LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 10/10/2012. Off. Loc.:NewYork Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, 551 Fifth Avenue, 6th Floor, Suite 612, New York, NY 10176. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF PARK VIEW 54C LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Jacob & Co., Attn: Angela Arabo, 48 E. 57th St., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WLZ 43-45 EAST 60TH STREET MANAGER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/27/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Kane Kessler, P.C., 1350 Ave. of the Americas, 26th Fl., NY, NY 10019, Attn: Robert L. Lawrence, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 119 CHAMBERS RETAIL OWNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/6/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Centurion Realty, LLC, 512 7th Ave., 37th Fl., NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 75 & 81 ORCHARD ASSOCIATES LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/30/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 417 Fifth Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10016. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF GUSTUS MANAGEMENT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 6/29/2012. 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 Poles, Tublin, Stratakis & Gonzalez, LLP, 46 Trinity Pl., NY, NY 10006. Term: until 12/31/2099. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF S & J GATES AVENUE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/29/12. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Jusuf Zlatanic, 201 E. 80th St., Apt. 16A, NY, NY 10075, principal business address. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF EXECUTIVE ADVANTAGE, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/4/12. NYS fictitious name: New York Executive Advantage, LLC. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in CT on 5/10/12. 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. CT and principal business addr.: 22 Randolph Farm Rd., Milford, CT 06461. Cert. of Org. filed with CT Sec. of State, 30 Trinity St., Hartford, CT 06115. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by Barragh Corp d/b/a The Clinic to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 340 9th Avenue New York NY 10001. Vil: 12/13 - 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF GREEN ACRES 666 FIFTH RETAIL EAT TIC OWNER LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/16/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 210 Route 4 East, Paramus, NJ 07652. LLC formed in DE on 11/5/12. 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: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF GREEN ACRES 666 FIFTH RETAIL EAT TIC PARENT LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/16/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 210 Route 4 East, Paramus, NJ 07652. LLC formed in DE on 11/5/12. 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: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a license number 1266405 for liquor, beer, and wine has been applied for by SAIGON SHACK CORP. D/B/A THE BOIL to sell liquor, beer, and wine at retail in the restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 139 CHRYSTIE STREET, NEW YORK, NY for on premises consumption. Vil: 12/13 - 12/20/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a license, no. 1266002 has been applied for by 3KAD LLC to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, at a Restaurant located at 245 E 55th Street, New York NY 10022, for on-premises consumption. Vil: 12/13 - 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF S&P/DOW JONES INDICES LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/24/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 6/28/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Attn: General Counsel, 1221 Ave. of the Americas, 48th Fl., NY, NY 10020, principal business address. DE address of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/20 - 01/24/2013 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #TBA has been applied for by 252 Hospitality Group LLC d/b/a Kipsey’s to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 438 2nd Avenue New York NY 10010. Vil: 12/13 - 12/20/2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an on-premise license, #1266947 has been applied for by LJ East Houston LLC d/b/a Lobster Joint to sell beer, wine and liquor at retail in an on premises establishment. For on premises consumption under the ABC law at 201 East Houston Street New York NY 10002. Vil: 12/13 - 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 53 MERCER STREET PARTNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/13/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 236 Elizabeth St., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o Geller & Lehmann LLC, 10749 Falls Rd., Ste. 202, Lutherville, MD 21093-7033. As amended by Cert. of Amendment filed with SSNY on 11/16/12, the name of the LLC is: 258 WYTHE AVENUE PARTNERS LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: 1075 FARMINGVILLE LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/29/10. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, c/o The Tzanides Law Firm, PLLC, 275 Madison Avenue, Suite 1000, New York, New York 10016. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 DAJD REALTY LLC, A DOMESTIC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/9/12. Office location: NewYork County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, c/o Andrew Schonzeit, 37 W. 26th St., NY, NY 10010. General Purposes. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WEISSGLASS PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES, PLLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/27/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against the PLLC may be served. The address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the PLLC is to: Weissglass Psychological Services, PLLC, 139 W 75th St, Apt 5 New York, NY 10023. Purpose:To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 43-22 QUEENS STREET L.L.C. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/30/12. 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 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activities. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 28-E LAUSANNE LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 10/29/12. 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 H.B. Woolfalk, Esq., 113 Walworth Ave., Scarsdale, NY 10583. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF INFINITY 55-01 MYRTLE AVE LLC, FILED UNDER THE ORIGINAL NAME INFINITY RETAIL PORTFOLIO LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/26/12. 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 1407 Broadway, 30th Fl., NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 2505 THIRD DEBT LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/20/12. 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 c/o Bluestone Group, 40 Rector St., Ste. 1500, NY, NY 10006. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WATERMELON CANTINA LLC FILED UNDER THE ORIGINAL NAME 107 THOMPSON STREET CAFE LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 2/22/12. 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 c/o Golenbock Eiseman et al, Att: David Rubin, 437 Madison Ave., 35th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF AIM QUANTITATIVE GLOBAL SF LP Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 5/3/12. Office loc.: NY County. LP org. in DE 4/18/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to 529 5th Ave., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10017. 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: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF TWO SIGMA ACTIVE EXTENSION U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY PORTFOLIO, LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 8/6/12. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 8/2/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Matthew Siano, 379 W. Broadway, NY, NY 10012. 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: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF TWO SIGMA ACTIVE EXTENSION U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY FUND, LP Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 8/6/12. Office loc.: NY County. LP org. in DE 8/2/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Matthew Siano, 379 W. Broadway, NY, NY 10012. 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: 12/13 - 01/17/2013

NOTICE OF QUAL. OF TWO SIGMA ACTIVE EXTENSION U.S. SMALL CAP EQUITY MASTER FUND, LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 8/6/12. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 8/2/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Matthew Siano, 379 W. Broadway, NY, NY 10012. 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: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF ARDEN GARDEN STATE NJ FUND, L.P. filed under the original name Arden Liberty Fund, L.P., Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 8/10/12. Office loc.: NY County. LP org. in DE 4/19/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to Att: Averell Mortimer, 375 Park Ave., 32nd Fl., NY, NY 10152. 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: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF RIVER PARTNERS 2012-TAH, LLC App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/16/12. Off. loc.: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/13/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Levin Capital Strategies, LP, 595 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10022. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed DE Secy. of State, Loockerman & Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 147 WEST 46TH STREET OPERATING, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/2/12. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 560 Fifth Ave., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10036, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 NAME OF LLC: SHOWTIME ON THE PIERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 11/16/12. 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 Quinn McCabe LLP, 9 E. 40th St., 14th Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/13 - 01/17/2013 SUBSTITUTE TURPENTINE LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/6/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to:The LLC, 118 Perry St., #J40, NY, NY 10014. General Purposes. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013

December 20 - 26, 2012

PUBL IC NOTICE S NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WHITE PEACOCK LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/21/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Hunter Gray, 225 W. 13th St., NY, NY 10011. 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: 12/06 - 01/10/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ALALI VENTURES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/9/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Ahmed Alali, 330 E. 75th St., NY, NY 10021. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF YURMAN RETAIL CANADA, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/20/12. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Pavia & Harcourt LLP, Attn: Jordan E. Ringel, Esq., 590 Madison Ave., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF THEKEEP NYC, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/9/12. 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 John R. Devine, Esq., Miles & Stockbridge P.C., 10 Light St., Baltimore, MD 21202. Regd. agent upon whom process may be served: Mary S. Devine, 234 Thompson St., #10, NY, NY 10012, principal business address. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013

GILDA PROPERTIES LLC a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/24/12. 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: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 MAPPHOTODATA LLC Arts., of Org., filed with NY Sec. of State (“SSNY”) 11/20/2012. Office in New York County; SSNY designated agent for service of process with copy mailed to Pryor Cashman LLP, 7 Times Square, New York, NY 10036, Attn: Joshua Zuckerberg, Esq.; All lawful business purposes. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 J OAK LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/5/2012. Office in NY Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 248Terrace Ln., Galax, VA 24333, which is also the principal business location. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 BOULEVARD BISTRO, LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 07/30/2012. Off. Loc.:NewYork Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, 117 West 123rd Street, 8A, New York, NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF CGL MANAGEMENT SERVICES, LLC App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/15/12. Off. loc.: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 5/8/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 4401 N. Mesa St., El Paso, TX 79902. DE address of LLC: 1675 South State St., Ste. B, Dover, DE 19901. Arts. of Org. filed DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF OFS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/13/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 2850 West Golf Rd., Ste. 520, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. LLC formed in DE on 3/18/10. 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: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF OFS CAPITAL SERVICES, LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/13/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 2850 West Golf Rd., Ste. 520, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. LLC formed in DE on 4/16/10. 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: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 YOGAYAEL LLC Arts. of Org filed NY Secy of State(SSNY)11/6/12. OFC in NY Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 119 W 72 St #274 NY NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful act. 1985259 Vil: 11/29 - 01/03/2013

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF VIKING MVI II LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 4/27/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 3/22/12. 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.: c/o Viking Global Performance LLC, 55 Railroad Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830, Attn: General Counsel. DE addr. of LLC:The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 12/06 - 01/10/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF LIN MOBILE, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/15/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/07/12. Princ. office of LLC: One West Exchange St., Providence, RI 02903. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: To engage in the development and sale of advertising solutions for the mobile and smartphone markets in addition to any other lawful act or activity incidental thereto. Vil: 11/29 - 01/03/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ARCHETYPES BRANDS LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/07/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/21/12. Princ. office of LLC: 5 Crosby St., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 11/29 - 01/03/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF MIRROR THE HAIR SALON AT CAROL’S DAUGHTER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 99 Hudson St., NY, NY 10013. 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: 11/29 - 01/03/2013

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF FACE UP, LLC Authority filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/25/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 6/1/12. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 80 State St Albany, NY 12207-2543. Principal business address: 550 Madison Ave NY, NY 10022. DE address of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd Ste 400 Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of LLC filed with Secy of State of DE located: PO Box 898 Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful act. 1984366 Vil: 11/29 -01/03/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ARIAMA LLC Authority filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/9/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 11/8/11. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 80 State St Albany, NY 12207-2543. Principal business address: 550 Madison Ave NY, NY 10022. DE address of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd Ste 400 Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of LLC filed with Secy of State of DE located: PO Box 898 Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful act. 1984362 Vil: 11/29 - 01/03/2013 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF XTRAINER LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/9/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 515 Madison Ave., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/29 - 01/03/2013 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF D&C HOSPITALITY INVESTMENTS, LLC Application for Authority filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 8/28/12. 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: D&C Hospitality Investments, LLC, 6400 S. Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 1730, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF 696 PARTNERS LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/13/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/31/12. Princ. office of LLC: 1 Astor Pl., Apt. 2P, NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o US Corp. Agents, Inc., 1521 Concord Pike, Ste, 301, Wilmington, DE 19803. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 470 VANDERBILT PARKING LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 10/5/12. 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 50 Broadway, 4th Fl., NY, NY 10004. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 109 WEST 27TH STREET, LLC Art. of Org. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/17/12. 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 45 White St., NY, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUAL. OF GRAND AVENUE FEE OWNER LLC Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 10/24/12. Office loc.: NY County. LLC org. in DE 8/1/12. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011, the Reg. Agt. upon whom proc. may be served. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp.: any lawful activities. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF 1022M LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/28/12. 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 Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF RGN-NEW YORK XIII, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/01/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/18/12. Princ. office of LLC: 15305 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 400, Addison, TX 75001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 LAW OFFICES OF FRANK TRIEF, PLLC, A PROF. LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/16/2012. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Frank Trief, 9 E. 40th St., 16th Fl, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: To Practice The Profession Of Law. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF DEBRISTECH, LLC Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/7/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Mississippi (MS) on 8/20/10. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: National Registered Agents, Inc., 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011. Principal office address: 925 Goodyear Blvd., Picayune, MS 39466. Arts of Org. filed with the MS Secretary of State, P.O. Box 136, Jackson, MS 39205. Purpose: any lawful activities. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF WESTON BLACKWOOD LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/13/12. 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: 225 Fifth Ave, Ste 6R, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HLAM DUFFIELD III LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 6/5/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o LAM Group, 202 Centre St., FL 6, New York, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HENAN DUFFIELD III LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 6/6/12. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Lam Group, 202 Centre St., 6th Fl., New York, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF GWB AMSTERDAM LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/2/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 417 Fifth Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10016. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF NGC PARTNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o F. Confuorti, 2 Wall St., NY, NY 10005. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF T2 MULTISPORT NYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/12. Off. loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 429 E. 52nd St., Apt. 15J, NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF CHILTON GLOBAL NATURAL RESOURCES LONG OPPORTUNITIES, L.P. App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/7/12. Off. loc.: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/30/12. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, registered agent upon whom process may be served. DE address of LP: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name/address of each genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Cert. of LP filed DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SALAURMOR GP LLC App. for Auth. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/27/12. Off. loc.: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 9/25/12. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 527 Madison Ave., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10022. DE address of LLC: Stellar Corporate Services LLC, 3500 S. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF NORTH RIVER I MANAGER LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/29/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 10/25/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o North River I Manager LLC, 224 12th Ave., NY, NY 10001, principal business address. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SIMPLEX TIME RECORDER LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/1/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in MA on 6/30/12. 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. Principal office address: 1501 Yamato Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33431. Cert. of Org. filed with MA Sec. of the Commonwealth, One Ashburton Pl., Boston, MA 02108. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Vil: 11/22 - 12/27/2012

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF THREE-HUNDREDTH STREET LLC Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/29/12. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 10/18/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011. 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: 11/22 - 12/27/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF INFINITAS, LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/12 Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal address:140 W. 71st St, #4E New York, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF JCM ASSOCIATES I, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/26/12. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 35 W. 64th St., Apt. 6B/C, NY, NY 10023. 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: 11/15- 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF FLUID NEW YORK LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/1/12. 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: 22 E 21st St Suite 6-R, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful act. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ECW COMMUNICATIONS, LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/11/2012. 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: Emily Campagna Walsh, 211 North End Ave., Ste. 8Q, 10282-1227 New York, NY Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012 45 MCCLINTON ASSOCIATES, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/30/12. Office in NY Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process toThe LLC 45 Broadway 25th FL New York, NY 10006. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Vil: 11/15- 12/20/2012

December 20 - 26, 2012

Durst ditches Friends to pursue his own Pier 40 plan; Continued from page 1 Trust of how to move the park forward. He believes all sides have the best interest of the park in the hearts, but it was counterproductive for him to remain in his role as chairman of Friends.” Ben Korman, who was one of the group’s two vice chairpersons, has also resigned his position, and Durst and Korman have both left the Friends’ board of directors. The Friends of Hudson River Park was formerly the 5-mile-long park’s main watchdog group, aggressively suing the city and Trust to get unwanted municipal uses out of the park, such as the Department of Sanitation garage on Gansevoort Peninsula. But the Friends has more recently forged much closer ties with the Trust as Friends has morphed into the chief fundraiser for the state-city park authority.

NO CHOICE BUT TO RESIGN In an e-mail sent to The Villager this Tuesday, Korman said, “I have been on the board of the Friends for almost 13 years. I fully endorsed the mission changes at Friends and its collaboration with the Trust. However, the Trust leadership’s emphasis on putting housing in the park and their lack of both transparency and a long-term financial strategic plan for the park, forced my resignation and reignited the need for advocacy on behalf of the Hudson River Park. The park is a precious public amenity that must be protected and enhanced.” Korman, whose C&K Properties formerly ran the parking operation at Pier 40, collaborated with Durst in crafting the alternative Pier 40 plan that the developer unveiled in late August. That proposal includes a high-tech commercial office campus, along with automated, valet parking, while retaining Pier 40’s popular artificial-turf playing field. Durst has previously stated of his alternative Pier 40 proposal that he’s just “putting it out there” to be “helpful” and that he would not reply to a request for proposals, or R.F.P., if the plan was put out to bid by the Trust. Durst opposes residential development on the pier, saying it just “won’t work.” Yet the Trust wants to open up the Hudson River Park Act of 1998 to allow a wider array of uses for

Developer Douglas Durst.

the park — including residential housing — saying that more viable, revenue-generating options are needed, since two previous tries to redevelop the decaying structure both failed.

GRATEFUL GOODBYE In response to a request from The Villager for comment on Durst’s resignation, Madelyn Wils, the Trust’s president, and A.J. Pietrantone, the Friends’ executive director, issued a joint statement last Friday: “The Friends of Hudson River Park and the Hudson River Park Trust are extremely grateful for the many contributions of Douglas Durst and the Durst Organization to Hudson River Park,” they said. “His philanthropy and advocacy for the waterfront and this distinct New York City amenity have had a profound effect on the quality of life for countless New Yorkers. We welcome the leadership and commitment of Friends’ Acting Chairperson Justin Sadrian as we develop a more permanent transition plan for the board in the coming months. Despite these and other challenges, including the recent impact of Superstorm Sandy, the Friends and the Trust remain wholly committed to working together to secure resources for the park and sustaining its future.”

The park still hasn’t had its electrical power restored since Sandy almost burned out Pier 40’s transformer. However, Pier 40’s playing field reopened Monday after repairs following Superstorm Sandy. In a telephone interview last Friday, Pietrantone explained how Durst and Korman announced the news. “Wednesday, at our quarterly board meeting, they resigned,” Pietrantone said. “They basically expressed a desire — because they had a difference of opinion about some of the activities of the Trust, particularly about Pier 40 — that they thought it was in the best interest of the park and for the Friends that they step down.” Durst joined the Friends board in 2002. Korman was one of the group’s founding board members in 1999. As for how Durst’s departure will affect the Friends’ pocketbook, Pietrantone said, “That’s something that remains to be seen. Douglas Durst is a very philantrophic person. He’s been a major contributor.”

‘The Trust leadership’s emphasis on putting housing in the park…forced my resignation and reignited the need for advocacy on behalf of the Hudson River Park.’ Ben Korman

NID STILL NEEDS HIM Durst remains a steering committee member of the nascent NID, or neighborhood improvement district, for Hudson River Park. The NID’s catchment area would extend two to three blocks inland from the waterfront park, and — if the special district is approved by the city — property owners would be assessed a special tax, which

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would raise millions annually for the park. “The NID is one thing he’s been a major catalyst on,” Pietrantone noted. Losing Durst is a blow, but the Friends is committed to its mission, the executive director assured. “A leadership change is a setback,” he said. “But we’ll move forward and get the park the resources it needs.” One of the Friends’ biggest coups was the settlement of a lawsuit it filed to get the Sanitation facility off of Gansevoort Peninsula, near W. 14th St., so that a park can be built there. Under the agreement, the city agreed to pay the Trust an escalating fee each year it didn’t vacate the peninsula. As a result, by the time Sanitation vacates the parcel — which is expected to happen in spring 2014 — the city will have paid $36 million to the park. The Friends earlier this year also raised $1 million for the Trust at a white-tent benefit on Tribeca’s Pier 25, setting a new record for a fundraiser for the park. The group has a goal of raising $4 million per year, which will go toward the park’s operations, and also hopes to raise even more cash on top of that to help with capital costs to finish the park’s construction.

GLICK: ‘TRUST MUST BE FLEXIBLE’ Assemblymember Deborah Glick has been one of the most vocal critics of residential housing in Hudson River Park. But she didn’t see much of a downside to Durst’s departure from the Friends. “I think it’s a loss for the Friends,” she said, “not maybe for the park. I believe that Douglas Durst has been a huge supporter of the park — and of the park as a park. “I’m sorry that there is this conflict with the Trust,” Glick added. “I think that Douglas only has the park at heart. I’m sure that he will continue to be involved [in the park]. “I would hope that the Trust, going forward, would be flexible enough to work with partners who are totally focused on the future of the park, and be more engaging and receptive to hearing things that are not simply whatever they have decided behind closed doors is the future of the park.

Continued on page 29

December 20 - 26, 2012

But says he has no interest in developing the pier Continued from page 28 “They need to work with those of us, and people like Douglas, who are committed to the park’s future,” Glick continued. “And just because he has pointed out some of the financial shortcomings that many of us have pointed out before in their financial plan, there’s really no reason for them to be so offended.”

and the Central Park Conservancy, he’s a close second. But Douglas Durst is the most environmentally concerned person in the world you’re going to find. So it’s a loss.” Schwartz, who is the chairperson of the Hudson River Park Advisory Council, said personally he’s open to any and all ideas for Pier 40 — including Durst’s — at this point. “It’s always good to have counterproposals,” he said. “It’s always good to have a competition of ideas, if they’re not hot air — and Douglas Durst doesn’t spout hot air.”

FINANCED GANSEVOORT SUIT Arthur Schwartz, a longtime Village waterfront activist, said the loss of Durst’s financial prowess is serious for the park. “Durst is one of the richest people in America,” he said. “He’s not in the Bloomberg field, but he’s one of the biggest developers in America. If it wasn’t for Doug Durst, Friends wouldn’t have existed its first 10 years. He not only donated a large percentage of the money that paid for the litigation they did — hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars — about the Sanitation facility at Gansevoort, eliminating the tourist chopper flights at the W. 30th St. Heliport — he was also the connection to people in the money world. “This year they raised more than ever at their benefit, so there was something at play there more than Doug Durst; so it doesn’t mean that fundraising will go away without Durst,” Schwartz noted. “But it’s a loss, a real loss. I would guess, in New York, there isn’t a person of his means more dedicated to parks. Ratner

DURST’S PRIOR PIER 40 PLAY Schwartz recalled that Durst and Korman made a play for Pier 40 back in 2003 during the Trust’s first R.F.P. attempt to find a developer for the pier. At first, their proposal was for a waterbased FedEx hub, with shipments ferried to and from the pier by barges. That plan morphed into one including rooftop gardens. Both plans preserved the pier’s sports fields. The second version featured a Home Depot and a Costco. “I wouldn’t call them superstores,” Schwartz said, though conceding, “They were big enough.” Schwartz, who was chairperson of Community Board 2’s Waterfront Committee at the time, supported the Durst/Korman plan, and said Glick did, too. “Everyone thought the proposal was great,” he recalled. “And that was when Aubrey Lees [the then C.B. 2 chairperson] came in and did the ‘Sunday Night Massacre,’ and took me and Elizabeth Gilmore and Tobi Bergman off the

Waterfront Committee. And the next thing we knew, the Oceanarium was being pushed, which the Trust wanted.” Lees thought there was a conflict of interest since Korman and the three committee members were all Friends of Hudson River Park board members. But Schwartz said the city’s

‘NOT A NONPROFIT LEADER’

‘I would hope that the Trust, going forward, would be flexible enough to work with partners who are totally focused on the future of the park.’ Deborah Glick

Conflict of Interest Board ultimately ruled there was no conflict. Ultimately, that R.F.P. process sunk, as did another R.F.P. attempt a few years later that featured a pitch by The Related Companies for a glitzy “Vegas on the Hudson” entertainment destination spot, which topped all previous plans for inspiring horrified community opposition. Bergman is the head of P3, a youth sports

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Continued from page 28 sion passed, the Council’s legitimacy would be forever tarnished. She said her constituency wanted the opportunity to vote on the issue, and that they wanted her to vote “No.” She denounced what she called the “arrogance” of Mayor Bloomberg. She voted in favor of holding a voter referendum on extending term limits, no matter what the cost to do so. Ms. Mendez happened to be correct: Third terms are characterized by indifference, detachment and even arrogance and are seldom considered successes. Fast-forward four years: Rosie Mendez has announced that she is running for a third term! At least Bloomberg had his financial credentials in the face of a huge economic crisis as a justification. So how does Ms. Mendez now justify this power grab? The explanation might be very interesting because the district is now unrecognizable from what it was in 1988 when Margarita Lopez was elected and hired her protégé Rosie Mendez, who later ascended to the office. The policies of 1988 are still in place in the East Village and that is why there is

no Alphabet City Business Improvement District (BID) and why there are so many intractable land-use issues pitting landlords against tenants. This also explains why there is a deficit of community space and space devoted to the arts, and it explains why the old P.S. 64 on E. Ninth St. is empty. Radicalism 1960s style is quaint and retro and interesting to read about, but it is ill-suited to running a city in 2013. Our leaders have become walking anachronisms and a supermajority of Democrats on the City Council quashes valuable ideas available from the other side of the political spectrum. It’s time to shelve the retro radicalism, banish third terms, and balance the debate at City Hall.

lf you haven’t yet done so, read the book “Who Killed John Lennon.” It is clear that Chapman was an already deranged individual selected by some fascist “black bag ops” government agency to be brainwashed into shooting John Lennon. Their techniques are sophisticated. Using hypnosis and drugging, they program such “Manchurian candidates” to carry out a killing and then have no memory of why they did it, or to give false motives that they really believe but were implanted along with the compulsion to murder their target. J.F.K., R.F.K., Martin Luther King Jr., Fred Hampton, John Lennon — the list of politically motivated murders of American citizens by “our” government is practically endless! When will the sheeple awaken?

Steve Sinclair

Mick Davis

Brainwashed assassins To The Editor: Re “John Lennon, David Peel and rock’s greatest flattery” (news article, Dec. 13): I’m a current member of David Peel’s band, The Lower East Side.

organization that uses Pier 40. It’s also part of the new Pier 40 Champions coalition of youth sports leagues, which recently floated an idea for towers next to — but not on — Pier 40 as a way to raise funds for both the decaying pier and the cash-strapped park.

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

Asked for comment on Durst’s departure from Friends, Bergman said, “Douglas Durst is a great builder who cares about New York and the park, but I think he realizes his strengths are not the ones needed to be an effective nonprofit leader. At board meetings, he always projected a sense of reluctance or ambivalence. I think it is impossible for a developer to play an unconflicted, leading role in creating public policy for Pier 40 because of its innate development significance and also because of its impact on nearby in-play properties, especially the St. John’s Building. His best value to the pier will be as a responder to a future request for proposals. Of course, given the needs of the park, we all hope he will continue to be a generous contributor.” Indeed, some suspect Durst will eventually make another play for the prime pier property. A duo of a developer and a parking magnate who once operated at Pier 40 is too coincidental, according to one source close to the Trust who requested anonymity. “There’s an utter and complete lack of randomness” in Durst and Korman striking out on their own, he said. But Durst spokesperson Barowitz insisted the developer isn’t interested in the St. John’s Building property, which stretches for several blocks along West St. in front of Pier 40. “Like every other large developer in town, we looked at it,” he said, “but we are not buying it, nor are we trying to buy it.” And Barowitz added, “As we have said from the beginning of the process, we have no interest in developing Pier 40.” Likewise, asked if he’s angling to run the parking again at Pier 40, Korman said, “I have no intention in getting involved in executing the plan. The purpose of our plan for adaptive reuse of Pier 40 is to prove that there are economically viable solutions for Pier 40. I have been working on it for the benefit of the park and its users, not for any self-serving purpose.”

FEBRUARY PIER 40 FORUM? David Gruber, the new chairperson of Board 2, has been “immersing himself in the waterfront,” as he put it, getting a handle on Pier 40 and all the rest. But he said he’s not in a position to speculate on Durst’s maneuverings. “This is internal stuff, to be honest with you,” he said. “I never met Durst. I never physically met him. But I’m looking forward to meeting him and seeing the presentation of his plan.” Gruber said he plans to hold a public forum on Pier 40 and the park but not until February at the earliest. “There’s a lot of players, moving parts,” he said. “I’ve got to get them all lined up.”

December 20 - 26, 2012

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