Chelsea Now

YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CHELSEA, HUDSON YARDS & HELL’S KITCHEN

Brewer: Tenants Must Organize

BY YANNIC RACK Instead of relying on the city to take care of predatory landlords, tenants in Chelsea must join together to fight back, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said last week.

When at risk of being pushed out of their apartments, residents’ best hope is to form tenant groups and seek their own legal assistance, according to Brewer.

“My experience for many years has been, when you have a building you can organize, Continued on page 2

Plan Has Palace Playing Off Broadway

BY JACKSON CHEN A century-old Broadway theater will likely be lifted up 29 feet to make room for four floors of commercial space, having won conditional approval, subject to a peer review, from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

The project involves the vertical move of the Palace Theatre at 1564 Broadway (at W. 47th St.), which was built in 1913. According to Elise Quasebarth, a preservation consultant hired by the development team, the theater was created as a vaudeville venue, and Continued on page 4

THIS CAT IS TOP DOG

A Boston Terrier may have snagged the larger front page photo, but 20-year-old domestic shorthaired cat Chloe gets top billing at West Chelsea Veterinary. See page 12.

Photo by Yannic Rack

Our Dogged Readers Are The Cat’s Meow Loyalty, intelligence, and good taste are qualities we recognize in all of our regular readers — but Chris Dietz and his eight-year-old Boston Terrier, Betty, are in a league of their own. See page 13.

Tenants Challenge Landlord Lies

BY EILEEN STUKANE Over the decades, residents of 517-525 W. 45th St., a complex of five buildings of various heights, have outlasted a turnover of owners who thought they could harass tenants into leaving their grandfathered loft dwellings.

The wave that is breaking over the city — tenant harassment by landlord construction — had already toughened the W. 45th St. residents, who were alert to change and ready for the new owner, Offir Naim, who purchased the complex in July 2014.

They soon learned that his plan was to construct additional stories on their buildings to make them all taller — however, they felt the owner’s NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) application for this work contained fraudulent information. The burden of proof rested on their shoulders, but tenants say that even with proof in hand, their major difficulty is what seems to be a lack of

© CHELSEA NOW 2015 | NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

interest by DOB officials to acknowledge falsified documents and halt an approval process, signaling a system badly in need of change.

Led by Tom Cayler of 525 W. 45th St., residents have become involved in trying to correct falsified application information provided by the owner and his architect to the DOB — information that misidentifies the actual heights of their buildings. Being in the Special Clinton District, the buildings have a height limit of 66 feet or seven stories (whichever is less). When the owner’s architect, Daniel Bernstein of Kutnicki Bernstein Architects, submitted plans to the NYC Loft Board to comply with required codes for the eight Interim Multiple Dwelling (IMD) units — the grandfathered lofts in the 18-unit building complex — it was revealed that these plans

Continued on page 6 VOLUME VOLUME 07, ISSUE 07, ISSUE 43 | 22 DECEMBER | JULY 24 16 - 30, 22, 2015

NextGen NYCHA Necessary, Not Ideal, Notes Brewer

Photo by Louise Wateridge

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer visited NYC Community Media’s offices to talk NYCHA, landlord harassment and community boards.

Continued from page 1 you have a chance. But as individuals in different buildings, you get the short end of the stick,” she said.

Brewer made the comments during a Dec. 11 interview at the Brooklyn offices of Chelsea Now and our sister

2

December 24 - 30, 2015

publications, where she also spoke about NYCHA’s NextGen plan and the need for more businesspeople to join Manhattan’s community boards.

A landlord trying to move longtime tenants out of apartments, often rent-stabilized, is not a new occurrence.

Throughout 2015, Chelsea Now

has documented the tactic of landlords who falsify information on Department of Buildings (DOB) applications, in order to conduct illegal construction work. Tenants whose lives are made unbearable vacate their apartments, which can then be turned into illegal hotels or become market rate units.

Rather than wait for help from DOB — which rarely detects false applications from landlords, and whose inspectors are often left toothless in the face of building violations — Brewer suggests that existing support networks should be expanded.

“I do think that you need, literally, tenant organizations that have lawyers and organizers in every single neighborhood in Manhattan, in order to stop this,” she said.

“We do have some tenant groups in Chelsea, thank goodness, but you don’t catch all [of the landlords].”

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently unveiled a new legal services program aimed at helping tenants fight off evictions.

The city will invest $12.3 million into hiring lawyers for the program — bringing total spending to combat eviction and landlord harassment to $60 million, or enough to get 113,000 people legal representation, according to the New York Daily News.

“There are strong and clear laws against such harassment, against forced evictions, but so many of our tenants who are in these situations don’t have the legal support they need,” the mayor said at a Sept. press conference announcing the plan.

Brewer said that while any such effort is helpful, the money is unlikely to reach many of those tenants that are often the easiest targets for ill-intentioned landlords.

“It’s just never enough,” she said.

“Particularly for the seniors, a knock on the door and they freak out. They take the money and leave.”

Regarding the DOB and its inspectors, the borough president sees even less hope.

“I don’t know how much is incompetence and how much is [that

they’re] short-staffed, but we don’t have enough enforcement,” she said.

“You need something on the ground, almost 24/7, in terms of lawyers and organizers,” she added.

“If you don’t have that, no matter how good DOB is, that person is still gonna get nervous [when harassed], and is still going to leave. That’s my experience.”

Brewer also discussed the future of NYCHA’s public housing developments, which have been in the spotlight this year after the agency unveiled its latest plan to save itself from the brink of bankruptcy and preserve the city’s affordable housing stock.

Called NextGeneration NYCHA, the plan details a wide range of issues and proposals, but none is more controversial than the “NextGen Neighborhoods” program, which would allow developers to build half affordable and half market-rate housing on public land.

The program is piloted at two housing developments: one on the Upper East Side, the other in Brooklyn — but NYCHA’s chair and CEO, Shola Olatoye, has said that it would also be rolled out in other “hot neighborhoods” in the future.

While NYCHA expects this to generate hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade, tenants have long been opposed to so-called “infill housing” because it comes at the expense of open space.

Brewer said the program isn’t ideal, but also added that it is crucial to keep the agency afloat.

“I prefer 100 percent affordable, and less money for NYCHA. To have fifty-fifty is a challenge. On the other hand, I understand NYCHA needs the money,” she said.

But local community boards and residents should have been more involved in the discussions, Brewer told Chelsea Now. “I’m a big believer in sunshine. If you work together, you have a better product.”

Continued on page 15 .com

.com

December 24 - 30, 2015

3

Palace Theatre May Take Its Act 29 Feet From Home Continued from page 1 later converted to a legitimate theater in 1965 after the Nederlander Organization bought it. The interior of the theater was later designated a landmark in 1987.

The owners say they are using a unique jacking technique that will allow the property to be adapted to the changing economics of the city. Many preservationists, however, charge that the theater is being treated as though it stands in the way of development.

To pull off the project, Tony Mazzo, president of Urban Foundation/ Engineering, explained that the key to the jacking is to “to go so slowly so the theater doesn’t know it’s moving.”

Mazzo, who previously worked on relocating the Empire Theater a few doors down on W. 42nd St., said the theater would be boosted one inch at a time, followed by a round of checks by construction workers posted at each of the jacks. While the building is jacked up, existing structural columns supporting the theater will be removed and replaced by new columns, according to the plans.

In order to keep the building aligned, Mazzo said the theater will be wrapped in a protective crate encasing it throughout the jacking process.

He said that after the first inch is completed, the rest of the process is just repetitive. The developer added that the lifting should take two weeks’ time, and be minimally intrusive on the theater’s interior.

Once the theater lifting is complete, the team will work on excavating the

Library of Congress

The Palace, in a 1920 photo by American Studio, NY.

ground below, Mazzo said, creating four floors of retail space — one at ground level, and three below ground.

As for theater improvements, the plans call for a 10,000 square-foot increase of space available for theater use — allowing patrons a proper waiting area that currently does not exist — and a number of cosmetic renovations inside the existing space.

“Even when the Palace was built, the one thing it didn’t have was lobbies and amenities space that matched the grandeur of the auditorium and the theater itself,” said Nick Scandalios, the executive vice president of the Nederlander

Organization. “The Palace is actually really missing something without the amenities of a lobby space.”

However, to get inside the theater, patrons will have to enter through a new entrance on W. 47th St. underneath a 75-foot long marquee, as opposed to through the current Seventh Ave. entrance.

Despite the plan’s improvements, opponents expressed wariness of the jacking process and possible damage to the historic structure.

“We appreciate the ingenuity and technical expertise of the engineering team,” said Alex Herrera, director of

the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Technical Services Center. “But there’s so many moving parts for this project to succeed, and [they] must be executed perfectly without exception.”

One of the biggest worries revolved around the impact on the theater’s fragile composition of plaster and glass, said Historic Districts Council executive director Simeon Bankoff.

“I pray their engineers are good enough to do this, but the fact is they shouldn’t,” Bankoff said. “Theaters are not really the most robust things structurally.”

Bankoff argued that the project is completely unreasonable, and they should seriously consider not moving it at all.

As for Mazzo, there would be enough measures in place to prevent any construction mishaps. The developer explained that even if one of the jacks — whose capacities are twice the amount needed — failed, there would be a mechanism in place that would evenly distribute the load, and allow the work crew enough time to replace the jack and resume the process.

Ultimately, members of the LPC shared concerns about the jacking process but approved the plans. However, the commission included a clause that said the applicant was required to get an independent peer review done of the proposal. Peer review would continue throughout the lifting process.

If the peer review raises concerns, the owners and their team will be due back in front of the LPC for additional consideration.

Urban Foundation/Engineering

A schematic shows the current and proposed structures of the Palace Theatre.

4

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

EPA Fast-Tracks Hudson Cleanup Review

BY YANNIC RACK The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is speeding up its investigation into whether the cleanup of the Hudson River by General Electric (GE) was a success, giving in to pressure from environmental groups who say the company needs to do more to clear chemicals out of the waterway.

The $2 billion, six-year dredging project concluded earlier this year — and GE claims it successfully removed the dangerous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) it dumped into the river before 1977.

Instead of waiting until 2017, the EPA announced this week that it will now start early next year with its inspection of whether the dangerous pollutant — which has been linked to cancer as well as reproductive, neurological and hormonal disorders — has been successfully removed from the river.

“I’m glad the EPA has shown the common sense to fast track its review of GE’s dredging in the Hudson River before it lets the company off the hook for bringing the river to the brink of extinction,” New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, who is a member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said on Dec. 23.

Hoylman has long advocated for the cleanup and, along with two dozen other elected officials, sent letters to GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt and Governor Andrew Cuomo in July, urging the company to go beyond its court-mandated dredging requirement.

The 200-mile stretch of the Hudson River from Glens Falls, which spans about 40 miles north of Albany down to the Battery in Manhattan, is a federal Superfund site because of the PCBs — which means GE is required to clean it up long-term.

“This conforms to the schedule we understood EPA planned to follow,” GE spokesperson Mark Behan said of the new timeline, which would see the agency finish its assessment before April 2017.

GE had announced in October that its crews removed more than 300,000 pounds of PCBs from the river, completing the six-year operation. “We are confident that the Hudson dredging project has achieved EPA’s goals of protecting human health and the environment,” Behan said.

Although the EPA study will now be expedited, GE can still go ahead with dismantling the plant that processed the dredged sediment. .com

Courtesy Office of State Senator Brad Hoylman

Panelists at a June 4, 2015 event hosted by State Senator Brad Hoylman (at podium) discussed time-sensitive efforts to save the Hudson River from irreversible environmental damage.

The change of gears at the EPA comes after a slate of environmental groups, including Scenic Hudson, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, met with agency officials earlier this month to express their concern about the state of the operation.

In a letter to the environmental groups dated Dec. 18, Mathy Stanislaus, who oversees the EPA’s Superfund cleanup programs, laid out the new schedule for the review, and said that the study will also include more public participation, as well as an assessment of current conditions in the Hudson.

The agency also notified the groups that if the review determines the cleanup has not made the river “protective of human health and the environment,” as required under Superfund law, it would consider additional remedial actions.

Environmentalists praised the EPA’s agreement as a major step forward, but also warned that contamination remains at unsafe levels.

“Everyone recognizes that the current PCB remediation is not adequate to protect the Hudson River and people who, despite the health advisories, continue to eat Hudson River fish,” Peter Gross, Executive Director of Clearwater, said.

The chemical has contaminated wildlife to the point that it is not recommended for women under the age of 50 and children under the age of 15 to eat fish from the river.

“For the better part of a century,

General Electric treated the Hudson River as its own personal dumping ground, spilling millions of pounds of toxic PCBs into the river throughout most of the last century,” Hoylman said.

“The EPA has heeded the call of

advocacy groups and elected officials like me, but we’ll need to keep up the pressure to make sure GE fully compensates the people of New York for one of the greatest environmental disasters of our time.”

NEW YEAR'S EVE SERVICE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 AT 7:30PM

A special Jazz service in the Sanctuary.

Holy Communion. Followed by a festive reception in the Marble Loft (274 Fifth Ave).

Chad Tanaka Pack, preaching; Chris Whittaker, music.

1 West 29th Street / New York, New York 10001 / 212 686 2770 MarbleChurch.org December 24 - 30, 2015

5

Vigilant W. 45th St. Tenants Do

Photo by Yannic Rack

L to R: Tom Cayler, Douglas Kelley and Daniel Schneider are residents of the five-building complex that makes up 517-525 W. 45th St.

Continued from page 1 were also going to the DOB as part of an application to add two stories to LeslieLohman_MOD_12-2015.pdf 1 12/8/2015 the four-story 517 building, and one

story each to the five-story 521 and 525 buildings. Their application claimed that, in the end, all three buildings, as measured from the curb, would top off at 64’11”.

(Bernstein has not respond12:28:02 PM ed to repeated email requests for an

interview.)

Cayler had sleepless nights wondering how an extra story could be constructed on his building, which seemed to be about 60 feet already and could not be taller than 66 feet. After consulting an architect, Cayler learned that the DOB would require a topographic survey by a certified surveyor to be included in the owner’s application for the type of construction he intended.

To validate any discrepancy in height, tenants would have to commission their own topographic survey from a reputable certified surveyor.

The Tenants’ Association approved the $1000 required to hire such a surveyor. The building owner’s application submission to the DOB specified the present height of both the 521 and 525 buildings to be 54 feet. The tenants’ surveyor found the 521 building height to be 59.93 feet, and the 525 building to be 61.70 feet — heights which would prevent additional stories to be added within the zoned area’s limitation of 66 feet.

THE DOB DANCE Taking the tenants’ certified topographic survey, Cayler arranged a meeting with the DOB’s Deputy Borough Commissioner of Manhattan, Joseph Bruno. “The plans hadn’t received final approval because they hadn’t satisfied HPD [NYC Housing Preservation and Development] and Loft Board requirements, but zoning and codes were resolved,” said Cayler.

“Commissioner Bruno told me, ‘We can only base our approval on what we were given,’ and I told him I was giving him a certified document and asking the DOB to rescind its approval for zoning and codes, because I was proving that the submitted documents were materially misleading. He said, ‘We’ll have to do a review,’ this and that. The most distressing part of this is the DOB couldn’t have been less interested.”

Cayler was able to bring together representatives from the offices of Councilmember Corey Johnson and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, along with District Manger Jesse Bodine

Medium of Desire An International Anthology of Photography and Video

December 18, 2015 - March 16, 2016

26 Wooster St, NYC 10013 212-431-2609 LeslieLohman.org Tuesday - Sunday 12 - 6 pm Thursday 12 - 8 pm

6

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

ocument Fraud and Take Action of Community Board 4 (CB4), for a conference call with John Waldman, DOB’s intergovernmental and community affairs liaison. The topic of discussion was the misrepresentation of building height in plans submitted to the DOB. Waldman later sent an email to all parties stating: “The job in question is in disapproved status. We do not usually audit jobs until they have been approved.” He added that the “potential discrepancy in the floor to floor height of the building” can be dealt with “in the review process.” The logical question from tenants is why plans should be permitted to progress through a complicated approval process, when there is what the DOB cites as a “discrepancy” and what tenants label as “fraud that is a felony” in submitted plans.

“This building has had a checkered past of misrepresenting or falsifying information to the Department of Buildings, with the sole purpose of skirting the law intended to protect tenants and the general public. While I am glad that this current project has been disapproved by DOB, reports have indicated that DOB has struggled with catching issues of this size and scope in the past, suggesting that more enforcement is needed to stymie the underhanded dealings of dubious landlords,” said Assemblymember Rosenthal (D/ WF-Manhattan). “It is essential,” she continued, “that DOB take a proactive approach in situations like this by ensuring that the plans submitted are accurate, and in cases where they are not, the applicant should be sanctioned and have their professional license revoked when appropriate. My office will continue to ensure that the department is properly reviewing all future documents submitted by this building in order to protect my constituents’ safety and quality of life.”

In a Dec. 9 letter to DOB’s Manhattan Borough Commissioner Martin Rebholz, CB4 outlined the issues and requested that the DOB review and “conduct a full audit” of the application for the W. 45th St. buildings. The letter was also sent to NY State Senator Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, Councilmember Johnson, and HPD’s Assistant Commissioner, Deborah Rand. Meanwhile, the onus is on the tenants to stay alert to the approval process. .com

Photo by Yannic Rack

The two buildings in the foreground are part of the 517-525 W. 45th St. complex.

TENANT DETERMINATION In September, under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), Cayler filed with the DOB for the document upon which the zoning and codes were approved, and for the topographic survey, which is required by the DOB and should have been submitted with the architect’s application. His request was denied. He appealed the denial, and is still waiting for his request to be granted. He did, however, receive an email that his request has been “forwarded to the Borough Commisioners Office for handling.”

A “Notice of Filings and Objections” for applications can be found on the DOB’s website. There are 52 objections related to the W. 45th St. application — all of which have been resolved, with the exception of four subheaded items having to do with a Certificate of Occupancy.

After those have been resolved, the next step is final approval. Objection Item 38, which validates the submission of a topographic survey, was resolved on April 21, 2015, although the name of the surveyor and the date of the survey are blank. This, among other zoning documents, is what Cayler would like to see. How could a certified topographic surveyor have been so off base in calculations, and how could the DOB approve?

“I can tell that there’s no topographic survey,” says Cayler, who explains that a “job folder” can be found for the W. 45th St. buildings by researching

the DOB’s website, and while there is a zoning diagram document, Cayler found that “no topographic survey has been submitted.” When Chelsea Now directly questioned the DOB’s spokes-

person about whether there had been an official topographic survey for the buildings by the owner, the written response was: “The job will remain in disapproved status until the application shows compliance with all necessary code and zoning requirements, including providing documentation to demonstrate that the project will conform to the height restrictions set forth in the NYC Zoning Resolution.”

In other words, the question was not answered, although the DOB had signed off on a survey, resolving Objection Item 38. Had the tenants of 517-525 W. 45th St. not remained vigilant, nor spent the $1000 needed for their personal surveyor, would the owner’s application have marched forward unimpeded?

Right now the application for these buildings is on the DOB’s radar, but only because tenants have pushed, prodded, and remained determined.

Unfortunately, a time-consuming vigilance is all too frequently needed in order to live in New York City today.

Christmas Services at the Christmas Church Thursday, 12/24 Christmas Eve

Sunday, 12/27

5:30pm Children & Family Service 10pm Carols 10:30pm The Mass of Christmas

Friday, 12/25 Christmas Day

10am Choral Eucharist

St Peter’s Episcopal Church

First Sunday of Christmas 9am Children & Family Service 10am Holy Communion 6pm Evening Prayer

Sunday, 1/24/2016

Episcopal Visitation

by Bishop Andrew Dietsche 9am Children & Family Service 10am Holy Communion 6pm Evening Prayer

Sunday, 1/3/2016

Second Sunday of Christmas 9am Children & Family Service 10am Holy Communion 6pm Evening Prayer

346 W. 20th St. (btwn 8th & 9th Aves.)

212.929.2390 | stpeterschelsea.org December 24 - 30, 2015

7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

PUBLISHER

Jennifer Goodstein

EDITOR Scott Stiffler

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sean Egan

ART DIRECTOR Michael Shirey

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Rhiannon Hsu Chris Ortiz

CONTRIBUTORS

Lindsay Bu Stephanie Buhmann Sean Egan Dusica Sue Malesevic Winnie McCroy Puma Perl Yannic Rack Paul Schindler Trav S.D. Eileen Stukane Zach Williams

EXECUTIVE VP OF ADVERTISING Amanda Tarley

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jack Agliata Allison Greaker Jay Rivera Jim Steele Julio Tumbaco Published by

NYC COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC

One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Phone: (212) 229-1890 Fax: (212) 229-2790 www.chelseanow.com scott@chelseanow.com © 2015 NYC Community Media, LLC Member of the New York Press Association

Chelsea Now is published weekly by NYC Community Media

LLC, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

(212) 229-1890. Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $75. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2015 NYC Community Media LLC, Postmaster: Send address changes to Chelsea Now, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Central Park stable plan is ‘unworkable’

Time to end horrid ‘tradition’

To The Editor: Re: “West Side Stables are Holdouts of Old New York” (news, Dec. 10. 2015): Mayor de Blasio’s plan to reduce the carriage trade, which suggests building a stable in Central Park for 70 horses, is unworkable.

Parkland, according to NYS law, is an inalienable right of the public. No one can simply grab a parcel away for a private industry. Otherwise, Central Park would be whittled away to nothing by developers.

The mayor made a campaign promise to shut down this inhumane and unsafe business, but failed to successfully lobby the City Council to get them to agree. His administration never answered questions about job retraining or released the Environmental Assessment Study. Even former Mayor Bloomberg knew how to lobby the City Council to win an extension of term limits.

It is unlikely that the carriage trade will willingly cut their work force by two-thirds. Even if the plan were for all the horses, they would never agree to move the hack line, which is on 59th St., inside Central Park. This is their source of business, but it has been the site of many accidents.

The mayor and Council need to understand the unpredictable, nervous nature of a horse, which is not conducive to pulling a carriage in a city like New York. They will spook and bolt at the slightest provocation, and have done it on Ninth Avenue and within congested Central Park. It was never just about getting them off the street.

The city needs to look for another alternative. Retrofitting the carriages by motorizing them is the best alternative and truly a win-win — a fraction of the cost of the electric car, which turned into a white elephant. Horses will go to sanctuaries. No jobs will be lost. The same business model can stand with the drivers remaining independent. Stables can be used to store carriages or rented out.

Teamsters’ George Miranda claims he is interested in compromise — what about it, George?

To The Editor: Re: “West Side Stables are Holdouts of Old New York” (news, Dec. 10. 2015): Instead of waxing nostalgic for a bygone era, Chelsea Now must recognize that these carriage horse stables are appalling and inadequate. The published photos show filthy, cramped quarters, horse manure on the floors, pigeons in the feed pails, and one means of egress (a fire would be disastrous). The New York carriage horses — many of them large draft breeds — require much larger stables than would ever be available to them in New York City.

Think about it: 78 horses crammed into Clinton Park Stables. That’s approximately the same number (80) living on 140 grassy acres at an upstate New York sanctuary that I visited last month. There is a reason why people don’t keep horses inside the confines of New York City. These horses, when not stuck between the shafts of the carriage for nine hours a day, go back to Hell’s Kitchen — through gridlocked traffic — to be locked up in these industrial buildings.

As Fodors.com advises in its list of 15 Things NOT To Do in New York City: “Don’t take a carriage ride.” As Frommers.com says, “Horses belong on city streets as much as chamber pots belong in our homes.” It’s time to let this horrid “tradition” go the way of chamber pots and gas lamps. Stop exploiting horses in the name of entertainment.

Elizabeth Forel President, Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Reader Feedback From Facebook Re: “Shedding Light on NYCHA’s Future” (news, Dec. 10, 2015): This explains why our developments don’t have heat, locking doors, and other basic essentials — because the Chair [Shola Olatoye, the authority’s

Jen Willder

E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to Scott@ChelseaNow.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, NYC Community Media, One Metrotech North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Please include phone number for confirmation purposes.

Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.

chair and CEO] is out promoting the Mayor’s NexGen Plan while doing absolutely nothing for this generation. Acting as the mayor’s executioner, the neediest developments are being allowed to crumble, and the only repairs being done are in the handful of NextGen developments — like Ingersoll, getting all-new, state-of-the-art boiler systems, while nearby Farragut has to strug-

gle with on-again, off-again water, and several other developments in nearby Brooklyn Communities that are struggling with inadequate (or no) heat.� Now we hear another NextGen development, Wyckoff [Gardens], is getting expedited and special treatment!

Coincidence, they say. I think not!� Tyree Stanback

Happy Holidays from

PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR: The Publisher shall

not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

8

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

POLICE BLOTTER PETIT LARCENY: Christmas Party Calamity This decidedly warm Christmas season — which has rarely called for much bundling up — may have played a role in a 36-year-old man’s coat check forgetfulness, when he left a Sat., Dec. 12 holiday party at the Dream Hotel (335 W. 16th St., btw.

Eighth & Ninth Aves.), and failed to pick up his jacket on the way out.

When he turned up two days later to reclaim his missing outerwear, he discovered that his $150 pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones had been removed from his pocket. The presumably stolen property has not yet turned up.

PETIT LARCENY: Drunk Dial An intoxicated out-of-towner showed perhaps a little too much (naïve) Southern hospitality at about 1 a.m. on Fri., Dec. 18. The 23-yearold San Antonio, TX resident (staying on W. 48th St.) engaged a stranger in conversation at the northwest corner of 11th Ave. and W. 40th St., and was asked to borrow her phone soon thereafter. Upon lending him a $600 iPhone 6 to make a call, the man took off with it. Unfortunately, the victim was too drunk to provide officers with his direction of flight, let alone anything in the way of a useful description.

ASSAULT: Two Times, Trouble A 55-year-old man was victimized, twice, on Fri., Dec. 18, at the northeast corner of 10th Ave. & W. 38th St. It was there, around 7 p.m., that his 2014 Toyota Camry was rear-ended by an unknown party. A heated verbal argument followed outside the car, which culminated in the fender-bendee getting his face struck

CASH FOR GUNS $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawedoff shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.

.com

multiple times by the perp — causing swelling and redness — before he fled the scene.

CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY: Bad Pipe Dream At around 5 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 18, police responded to a complaint, and discovered a 26-year-old woman in the stairwell of 415 W. 25th St. (btw.

Ninth & 10th Aves.) — a NYCHA housing complex, of which she was not a resident, and had no permission to be inside. Found on her was a crack pipe, with crack residue inside it. She was also in possession of one debit card and one credit card, neither of which were in her name.

It was then discovered that the individual had two active warrants — and she was promptly arrested.

GRAND LARCENY: Big (Apple) Spender It seems as though someone went on an unauthorized Christmas shopping spree on Wed. Dec. 16, around 1:30 p.m. That’s when a 23-year-old man visiting an Apple store (401 W. 14th St., at Ninth Ave.) realized that his wallet was missing. He later discovered that $4,000 worth of Apple purchases were charged to his card — which was subsequently cancelled.

In addition, his $300 wallet was, naturally, still missing. No arrests were made in connection to the theft.

—SEAN EGAN

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.).

Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226.

Domestic Violence: 212-7418216. Youth Officer: 212-7418211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-924-3377.

Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced. The next meeting is Dec. 30.

December 24 - 30, 2015

9

Jacob a. Riis Revealing New York’s Other Half Inequality remains a fact of life in America. A century later, this New York master’s photos still explode with outrage.

“heart - rending retrospective ” – The New York Times

mcNY.ORg 1220 FiFtH ave at 103Rd st

10

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

PrEP Awareness, Use ‘Increased Substantially,’ Study Says

BY DUNCAN OSBORNE A series of surveys show that the awareness and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among New York City gay and bisexual men has steadily increased between 2012 and 2014.

Using data from the city health department’s Sexual Health Survey, researchers in the agency, who were led by Nana Mensah, found that the percentage of men who were aware of PrEP rose from 34 percent in a sample of 311 men in the Spring 2012 survey to 81 percent in a sample of 348 men in the Fall 2014 survey.

The Sexual Health Survey was deployed online six times from the Spring of 2012 to the Fall of 2014.

The men were between ages 18 and 40 in all six surveys, and they elected to participate in the survey, so the results cannot be extended to the wider community.

In Spring 2012 survey, 1.6 percent of the 311 men reported using PrEP within the six months prior to taking the survey, and 6.6 percent of the 348 men in the Fall 2014 survey reported using PrEP in the six

months prior to taking the survey.

PrEP, anti-HIV drugs taken by HIVnegative people to keep themselves uninfected, was approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2012, so the men in the Spring 2012 survey were probably enrolled in a PrEP study.

In the Fall 2012 survey, 3.5 percent of the 347 men reported PrEP use in the six months prior to taking the survey. That increase may have resulted from the attention the FDA approval received in July 2012. In both 2013 surveys, the percentage of men reporting recent PrEP use was below two percent, then it increased to 2.9 percent in the Spring 2014 survey.

Men who were between 30 and 40 and had more than a high school education were more likely to be aware of PrEP. In the Fall 2014 survey, white men were more likely than African-American men to be aware of PrEP. The data showed the only correlation with PrEP use was participating in the Fall 2014 survey, which may simply mean that more men on PrEP chose to respond to the Fall 2014 survey.

The city health department data is consistent with PrEP use increases reported by Gilead Sciences, the company that manufactures and markets Truvada, the only drug approved for PrEP, and with data from the state health department showing increases in PrEP use among Medicaid beneficiaries.

PrEP, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which prevents HIV infection in people with a recent exposure to the virus, and treatment as prevention (TasP), which treats HIVpositive people so they are no longer infectious, are the three pillars of the state Plan to End AIDS. All three drug regimens are highly effective when taken correctly. The plan aims to reduce new HIV infections in New York from the current roughly 3,000 a year to 750 annually by 2020.

The city data was presented at the National HIV Prevention Conference, which was in Atlanta in early December. The study authors concluded that PrEP awareness and use among the men surveyed had “increased substantially” over time, but PrEP use “remained low overall.”

Roughly 95 percent of the new HIV infections in New York are in the city. In 2014, there were 2,718 new HIV diagnoses in the city and 81 percent, or 2,194, were in men. Among men, 74 percent of the new HIV diagnoses were in gay and bisexual men.

The plan will have to reduce new HIV infections by an ambitious 72 percent over the 2014 number, and it must reduce new HIV infections among New York City gay and bisexual men substantially. Annual HIV infections among those men have been high and stable since 2001.

The city is funding networks of community groups and healthcare providers to identify candidates for PrEP and get them on the drug.

It is also training doctors, nurses, and physician’s assistants on PrEP. The city’s eight currently-operating sexually transmitted disease clinics will begin delivering PrEP to clients, and the health department is funding pilot projects to deliver PrEP to hard-to-reach populations.

The health department recently launched an ad campaign that promotes PrEP.

Being sick and hungry is an urgent crisis no one should face.

Help us deliver hope, compassion and love, all wrapped up in a nutritious meal.

Volunteer.

Donate. Advocate. godslovewedeliver.org

.com

December 24 - 30, 2015

11

NYCritters

Sweet, Confident Chloe Has Charming Quirks

Photo by Faceboy

With a bed that stays exactly where she likes it, West Chelsea Veterinary cat Chloe is right at home.

BY FACEBOY There’s a very young girl in my building — let’s call her “Sally” — who is absolutely obsessed with cats. I came home one day to see her pounding on my door and exclaiming most insistently, “I wanna see the kitty!” I have no idea how she knew I had a cat, as my cat, Allie, is very quiet. Quite the opposite is Chloe, who is the subject of

this edition of NYCritters.

Chloe is a 20-year-old domestic short-haired female who resides in the West Chelsea Veterinary. Her primary caretaker is Liz Luboja, who describes Chloe’s personality as quite demanding, very confident and very sweet.

When asked if she has any quirks, Luboja said, “Yes, her most identifiable quirk is her extremely loud meow. We suspect it’s so loud because she’s deaf, so she can’t hear herself — but yeah, it definitely has to be her meow.”

During our five-minute interview, we were interrupted no less than 17 times by her distinctive meow — which doesn’t really have an “e,” and sounds more like “MOW!” and sometimes “ROW!” I would imagine this caterwauling could get tiresome to one in a NYC apartment (as well as the neighbors).

But at the vet, Luboja assured that it just makes her funny. “I mean, with a meow like that, there’s not a time when you’re not funny,” she commented.

Chloe loves people, and also loves

her brush, which is placed on her bed so she can rub on it as she pleases — but she’s very specific about the placement of her bed. “When she’s out at night,” Luboja explained, “she has this whole area back here, but she has only one spot where she wants her bed. If you move her bed, she won’t use it. So you have to have her bed and brush in one specific spot. Everything else you can move around, but you can’t move her bed and her brush.”

Since it’s now the holiday season, I thought it prudent to ask about the practice of giving pets as gifts. Luboja said, “I usually think that it’s not the appropriate thing to do. As you can see, like in Chloe’s case, they can be a 20-year commitment — and to surprise someone with a 20-year commitment is usually not the best way to go about things.”

On the subject of human or animals friends, Luboja said, “She has all human friends. She is not a fan of other cats. Dogs, she’s okay with, but other cats she prefers not to have anything to

do with. So she’s got the whole hospital filled with the West Chelsea team as her best friends.”

So as not to leave the reader wondering, let’s get back to Sally — who, as you’ll remember, is very much a fan of cats. Her mother caught up to her at my door and apologized for the intrusion.

“It’s no intrusion at all,” I said, as I opened the door for Sally to meet my cat. Sally saw Allie, who promptly ran and hid (Allie, it seems, is not a fan of excitable children).

Apparently just seeing a cat is enough for Sally, who happily shouted, “I saw the kitty!” and went about her day.

West Chelsea Veterinary is located at 248 W. 26th St., btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves. For services and other information, visit westchelseavet.com or call 212-645-2767.

I recommend Dr. Farber, who has taken excellent care of most of my family’s critters for many, many years.

168 West 4th Street, NYC

212.242.6480

www.pepesrestaurants.com

AMAZING BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH

A traditional Spanish and Mexican restaurant located in New York’s West Village neighborhood.

JOIN US FOR AN

SERVED DAILY BETWEEN 12PM AND 3:30PM

Our menu showcases the simple reflective food flavors of Spain.

Using the best ingredients and implementing a simplistic technique resulting in a clean, dynamic presentation, creating memorable dining experiences through passionately created culinary dishes, many of which are prepared in the wood-fire oven, including our signature dish, Paella Valenciana.

WE SERVING ARE OPEN CHRISTMAS EVERESERVATIONS &1970 DAY NEW YEARS STRONG! EVE & DAY! WEOUR ARE NOW ACCEPTING FOR THANKSGIVING COMMUNITY SINCE —AND AND STILL RUNNING

12

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

Betty Makes a Grab for Her Favorite Paper

BY YANNIC RACK Chris Dietz has been dogged in his devotion to Chelsea Now — but it’s his four-legged companion who has a real grip on the paper.

“I always read it. I got the first edition still,” Dietz told us when we recently spotted him on W. 16th St. What caught our eye was his companion, however. Eight-year-old Boston Terrier Betty was carrying home the paper for Dietz, wrapped in a plastic cover and secured between her teeth.

It turns out Betty has been on delivery duty ever since Dietz got her four years ago.

“She just grabbed it out of my hand one day,” he said. “She liked carrying it.”

Dietz, 52, said his favorite part of the paper is the weekly police blotter. He has lived in Chelsea all his life and still resides in the apartment where he grew up on W. 27th St., together with his brother, his sister and a niece — all fans of the paper, too, Dietz noted.

“Everybody in the house reads it, so I bring a couple copies home,” he said.

Betty sure looked like she didn’t mind — snapping the paper right out of her owner’s hand again before trotting off dutifully.

Photo by Yannic Rack

Betty likes to carry each fresh, new issue of Chelsea Now, and the protective wrap supplied by Chris Dietz keeps it crisp all the way home.

Generations Generations Generations A Study of the Life and Health of LBG People in a Changing Society Generations Project is enrolling participants in a study about the lives and experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer people.

Your input will help in understanding problems facing our community!

Eligible participants will receive a $75 incentive!

THE NEW SOUND OF

BROOKLYN The Community News Group is proud to introduce BROOKLYN PAPER RADIO. Join Brooklyn Paper Editor-in-Chief Vince DiMiceli and the New York Daily News’ Gersh Kuntzman every Monday at 4 pm for an hour of talk on topics Brooklynites hold dear.

Each show will feature in-studio guests and call-out segments, and can be listened to live or played anytime at your convenience.

WITH

SPONSORED BY

Recruitment Code 9999

.com

For more information or to find out if you’re eligible, please visit www.GenerationsScreen.com or call 212-304-5710

VINCE DIMICELI

GERSH KUNTZMAN

LISTEN EVERY MONDAY AT 4PM ON BrooklynPaper.com/radio December 24 - 30, 2015

13

14

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

Beep Says Community Boards Need Businesspeople

Photo by Eileen Stukane

Hands up: Who wants to join CB4? Gale Brewer’s office is accepting applications until Jan. 29. For info, visit manhattanbp.nyc.gov.

Continued from page 2 The same philosophy applies to community boards, she noted — especially when it comes to their relations with local businesses, who are more often than not mindful of the boards, who deliberate their liquor licenses and sidewalk cafes.

Rather than find themselves at two opposite ends of the stick, Brewer thinks boards and businesses should be working together, hand in hand.

“We need more businesspeople to be on these boards,” she said. “I know how hard it is. I put businesspeople on Community Board 7 and Community Board 4 when I was in the City Council, but it’s hard. They have to be in their business, so they got off because they just didn’t have the time. This is a real problem.”

In fact, she said business owners can offer valuable insight because of their background.

“It’s nice to have a real businessperson, because then somebody can say, ‘Hey that’s not actually how

! y a d l ia c e p s r u o y te a br Cele It ’s a unique way to commemorate!

d receive Order Online today an Season! in time for the Holiday

Show your pdivridersityeof! the

brate the Show your pride and cele carpet beautiful, handcrafted h wit nity mu com TQ LGB TQ LGB sal ver uni of a range keepsakes representing onstrate unity, dem ces pie art t gan symbols. These ele flair ile adding personalized pride and allegiance wh , ted sen pre and executed to your décor. Beautifully recipients t tha s gift que uni ke carpets keepsakes ma to come. will treasure for years

for C o d e wo r d

unt 15% discoE! is PRID .com

pets.com www.keepsakecar kecarpets.com anthony@keepsa 800-859-1650

it works.’ And we need that,” Brewer said.

She also noted that her office was currently accepting applications for community board membership until Jan. 29, and encouraged New Yorkers living, working, or studying in the borough to consider applying.

“Please, if you’re a businessperson, try to get your application in,” she said. “It makes a big difference.”

For details and to apply, visit manhattanbp.nyc.gov.

Christmas At The Church of the Ascension The Feast of the Nativity

Christmas Day

Family Service - 5pm (Children’s Choir)

Sunday Services

Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24

Prelude Music for Christmas Eve - 9:30pm Festival Eucharist - 10pm

Friday, December 25 Holy Eucharist with Hymns - 11am

Holy Eucharist at Side Altar - 9am Holy Eucharist with Choral Music - 11am Meditation and Sacrament - 7PM Monday Through Friday Holy Eucharist at Side Altar - 6PM

Fifth Avenue at 10th Street - New York, NY 10011 December 24 - 30, 2015

15

Scavello’s On The Island RestauRant & Lounge pr es ent s “It’s a ‘HIT.” No pun intended!” FoX tv “It’s guaranteed to give you more laughs…

This is actually funny!” daiLy NeWs

perForminG live

special Guest DJ Chris Navatta | NoN-stop eNtertaiNmeNt

FUN FOOD DANCING LAUGHING Forget a date, bring an alibi!

Friday, January 8th, 8pm Interactive comedy murder mystery show with a 4-course dinner, unlimited Wine, dancing and a show! $90 per ticket to buy tickers, call 718-885-2570 or email scavellop@aol.com

Give your valentine the gift of freestyle Friday, February 12 | starts 9pm

EntrancE $125 IndIvIdual Groups of 8 or morE dIscountEd ratEs Four course sit Down Dinner unlimiteD Beer anD House wine

718-885-2570

*a small convenience fee will be charge to all tickets to cover the tax and service.

101 City island avenue | Bronx, ny 10464 | telephone: 347-680-3865 | email: sCavellop@aol.Com

16

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

Rhymes With Crazy

A Tail as Old as Time Babies are filled with what is colloquially called the “love hormone” or “cuddle hormone.” It floods their brain, and as we look at them, it floods our brains too. When researchers examined dogs’ urine after this same kind of gazing-into-their-owners’ eyes, they found the love hormone in it, too.

Studies of wolf urine did not show the same thing. Somehow, dogs evolved to transmit and receive the same love signals as human babies, and beguile us the same way.

This bond is so intense that the Good Dog Foundation harnesses it to help people who are lonely, scared or hurting.

“We work with lots of patients in hospitals, rehab units, nursing homes,” said McPherson, who has run the program for 18 years.

One time, early on, she and her dog were helping a man who’d been paralyzed on his right side by a stroke.

“He could not get his body to move,” she recalls. But when her dog jumped into his lap, the man would desperately try to throw the ball.

This was back before the rehab unit was completely thrilled with the idea of having a dog around. But as the patient began to get his movement back, says McPherson, “The doctor was amazed at the results.”

He became a big supporter of the Good Dog Foundation.

Schools are signing up, too, to help

Marvelous Fiction Romance Novel in NYC Barnes and Nobles

“Different Minds.”

This marvelous novel by the youngest Lebanese Author Joyce E. Rayess captures New Yorker’s attention for fiction-romance lovers. “Different Minds” is available in Barnes & Nobles bookstores and in all e-bookstores. .com

students with everything from autism to dyslexia, as well as other learning and emotional issues.

“We work with the kids one-on-one because they become so stressed out in the classroom that they can’t read,” says McPherson. “But then they read to the dogs and it’s amazing. They feel very comfortable. And what’s phenomenal is that when the dog and the child are in a space, reading, the child becomes ‘cool’ to the other kids. They say, ‘Can we go read to the dog?’ So what was a negative becomes a positive, and the kids’ reading really does improve.”

A recent study at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel, here in New York, scientifically proved another benefit to humandog interaction: chemo compliance.

The study involved 42 patients undergoing six weeks of chemother-

apy and radiation for head and neck cancers. The protocol is grueling.

Many of the patients get very sick and can’t eat. Some have trouble talking. But over the course of their treatment, with a loving dog at their side, their feelings of emotional and social well-being actually increased.

“I would’ve stopped the treatment, but I wanted to come see the dog,” wrote one patient.

In the play, Matthew Broderick’s character is similarly saved by his love (graduating to obsession) with the dog he found: Sylvia. But eventually his awakened soul goes on to reconnect with his wife, a human played by Julie White.

Dogs need humans, humans need dogs, and humans need humans, too.

Call it a tail as old as time.

Lenore Skenazy is a keynote speaker who authored the book, and founded the blog, Free-Range Kids (freerangekids.com).

3024 QUENTIN ROAD • BROOKLYN NY

718-339-0700

STONEYCREEKCREMATION.COM Stoney Creek Cremation & Burial Society is an alternative to costly funeral home and cemetery services and merchandise, allowing us to leave a more meaningful, healthier, greener society to those we leave behind. Join our Society today and know you have chosen to leave a footprint for the future.

For those wishing to preplan their final contribution to society, if paid in full today we will include the cost of the crematory. ($995 Society’s Service Fee)

✁

BY LENORE SKENAZY Do people save dogs or is it the other way around?

That’s the question posed by the Broadway comedy “Sylvia,” starring Matthew Broderick as a disengaged middle-aged New Yorker who falls in love with a very human dog — so human that she is played by the talking, sniffing, adorable Annaleigh Ashford. But the who-saves-who question was also posed after a performance of the show last week, to an audience of dog fans.

On stage were Broderick, co-star Robert Sella, and two dog experts: Rachel McPherson, founder and executive director of the New Yorkbased Good Dog Foundation, which has 1,000 trained therapy dogs volunteering in the tri-state area, and Dr. Laurie Santos, founder of Yale’s Canine Cognition Laboratory. Yes, they are studying doggie thinking at Yale.

“How many of you stuck around tonight because you have a canine at home?” Santos asked the audience.

“How many of you find yourself wondering what’s going on inside his or her head? Do they love me? Do they care about me?”

The audience laughed a little self-consciously.

Good news, the professor reported: Our dogs do love us. In fact, when they look into our eyes, they are bathed in as much love as we are.

“Scientists have learned that part of the bonding that allows us to bond with a dog is the same thing that helps us bond with our babies,” Santos said.

If you are requesting info, please email us at stoneycreekcremation@gmail.com or mail coupon to our address: ❑ YES Name_________________ Address__________________________

Tel:____________________Email____________________________ Acting as a for profit organization. Crematory fee is not included, death certificates and disposition permits not included in service fee.

December 24 - 30, 2015

17

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

Photo by Ethan Minsker

Comprised of Antagonist members, the band SLC appears in the film “Self Medicated,” directed by Movement co-founder Ethan Minkser.

Two Square Blocks of Lower East Side Fame The Antagonist Movement has a vision worth seeking out

BY PUMA PERL Sometimes, it’s good to be wrong.

I often find myself feeding into a New York City conversation about dead scenes and lack of innovative movements. In optimistic moods, I maintain that there is vitality somewhere that I just don’t know about. DYI happenings in basements off the beaten track; a new type of sound or genre; an original vision — but I’m never sure if I’m right.

Last May, I participated in an event arranged by the Destination Downtown project. Clayton Patterson, the wellknown artist/activist/provocateur and I discussed our experiences creating art in a changing Lower East Side landscape. The third presenter, Ethan

18

December 24 - 30, 2015

Minsker, was new to me. Originally from Washington, DC, he is a writer, filmmaker, artist, fanzine publisher, and creator/editor-in-chief of Psycho Moto Zine. He is also a founding member of the Antagonist Movement — a group of artists, writers, and musicians who promote and support one another. That night, I didn’t fully comprehend the richness and density of the movement, although bits of it had been somewhere on my radar. In July, I attended a screening of “Self Medicated,” and the light bulb flickered.

“Self Medicated,” a 93-minute film directed by Minsker, demonstrates the ways in which art, within a supportive community, keeps the depression and

isolation which plagues many artists at bay. It begins on the Lower East Side, where the movement was founded, and, through animation, interviews, and an exceptional soundtrack, demonstrates its global reach and aspirations.

Watching the film, that light grew from a flicker to 60 watts. I knew people involved, and was familiar with many of the venues; I began to connect the dots and add a little color.

I met with Ethan Minsker several weeks later. He brought along an armful of zines and DVDs, as well as answers to my questions — beginning with, “Why the hell didn’t I know about you guys?”

“We are famous in two blocks in the

Lower East Side, but outside of that nobody knows us,” he replied. “The sad part is we can’t figure out what two blocks those are.” Interestingly, there are pockets in the world, including Quito, Ecuador, in which they are very wellknown, and several days later Ethan and other members would set off to Australia to make art, show films, and connect with old and new compadres.

And that is the story of how the Antagonist Movement began — friends connecting. A number of the original members were working in various bars and clubs around the Lower East Side.

In 2000, a pop-up show of paintings

Continued on page 19 .com

Antagonist Ethos Accommodates Acceptance, Provocation

Photos by Ethan Minsker

Design by Ethan Minsker and Un Lee

Ethan Minsker’s “Ghost Guns” installation has the titular objects moving in unpredictable directions, reflecting the randomness of being targeted and killed.

“Self Medicated,” which addresses how art can keep depression and isolation at bay, is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Continued from page 18 took place in the basement of Niagara, a bar on Avenue A. What was planned as a single show moved upstairs and became a weekly event for 11 years. Group shows, live bands, and DJs were added. Two years later, the writers in the group decided that they needed a venue. Poet Sergio Vega, an Antagonist co-founder, along with Anders Olson (another co-founder), was working at Black and White, and the Fahrenheit Writer’s Night was born. A public access show on Manhattan Cable Network was added in 2004.

“An artist’s life doesn’t need to be a solitary life,” said Minsker. “The Antagonist Movement is a social art movement, a group of people who like one another and like each other’s art, and mentor other emerging artists.”

This is not the first movement with a social aspect, but it may be one of the most inclusive. There are no age, gender or racial barriers — a severely disabled woman, for instance, created one of the zines Minsker brought me. Part of the mentoring philosophy can be attributed to the spirit of the late Arturo Vega, who was widely recognized for his punk rock roots and graphic designs (including the creation of the Ramones logo).

Arturo worked with the Antagonists since 2002, as a general member, a .com

Antagonist Movement member Shannon Marie Daugherty in her Long Island City studio.

curator, and, eventually, as their main advisor and mentor.

The Antagonists are committed to continuing his legacy through building community and creating the laboratory that allows people to experiment, and to utilize art in ways that push ego aside.

As a writer, I would have been remiss had I not paid a visit to the Fahrenheit Writer’s Night. The movement’s name is based on a literary reference — there can be no story featuring only protago-

nists. We need antagonists to provide the conflicts and move the story forward.

Richard Allen has been in involved with the Antagonists and Fahrenheit since the beginning and was filling in as host.

I had planned to read a story, but decided to do a piece with a musician friend since it seemed more in sync with the evening. “It comes in waves,” explained Allen. “It was once only writers, poets and other ne’er-do-wells. In the last few years it’s turned into quite

a hodgepodge of musicians, even the occasional comedian. Recently, we are in a singer/songwriter phase.”

One of the most well-known people to have gotten his start on this stage is actor Jonah Hill, Oscar-nominated for “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Moneyball.” On the other hand, as one participant stated on the cable access show, “The best night ever at Fahrenheit, there were three readers and maybe six audience members.

These guys just wanted to get up and be heard, say what they wanted to say. And it was a great night.”

This dichotomy perfectly describes the Antagonists, who pledge to make art regardless of audience size or commercial success. Minsker’s next project is “Ghost Guns,” an installation that displays the ways that guns move randomly in any direction; it’s dedicated to the friends he has lost. As per the manifesto, “An antagonist is not only one who opposes, but one who provokes.” As per me, “It’s good to be wrong.”

Visit antagovision.com (and access the Public Access Show icon). The Fahrenheit Writer’s Night takes place at 8 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month, at Black and White (86 E. 10th St., btw. Third & Fourth Aves.). To submit art, contact them through Facebook or Instagram. “Self Medicated” is available on Amazon and iTunes.

December 24 - 30, 2015

19

WeddingPrideDirectory CELEBRATING GAY AND LESBIAN MARRIAGE

ATTORNEYS Law Office of Rachel Einbund, PC 118 East 28th Street, #1005, New York, NY 10016 212-252-2125, rachel@lo-re.com http://lo-re.com Law Office of Rachel Einbund is a boutique immigration law firm specializing in family petitions, marriage-based green card applications, and LGBT visa processing. We combine a one-on-one client-centered approach with cutting-edge legal analysis.

CENTER PIECES Edible Arrangements 133-22 Springfield Blvd.

718-528-3344 158-18 Cross Bay Blvd.

718-848-3344 1357 Fulton St. 718-622-3344 1557 Ralph Ave. 718-451-3344 www.ediblearrangements.com/ stores/StoreLocator.aspx

CEREMONY AND RECEPTION VENUES Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts* Our Pocono Wedding Packages provide the perfect intimate celebration for 2, with as little or as much privacy and intimacy and as your hearts’ desire. Beside the backdrop of the beautiful Pocono Mountains, or from a candlelit indoor ceremony, a Wedding Concierge can help you plan a special day that’s uniquely customized for you in every way.

Discover all the ways you can create a Wedding to remember.

800-972-3820 CoveHaven.com/Pride Edison Ballroom Delivering Happiness One Event at a Time.

240 West 47th Street, New York, NY 10036 212.201.7650 info@edisonballroom.com Entertainment Cruises* Emilie Hagon • Wedding Specialist 646-358-3117 • ehagon@entertainmentcruises.com Erin Trinidad • Wedding Specialist 646-358-3116 • etrinidad@entertainmentcruises.com Grand Oaks Country Club Grand Oaks goes above and beyond when it comes to setting the standard for superiority in the industry. Award-winning chefs are dedicated to provide customized menus for the most selective tastes.

200 Huguenot Avenue, Staten Island. NY. 10312 718-356-2771 grandoaksnyc.com Highlands Country Club 955 Route 9D, Garrison, NY 10524 845-424-3254 The Highlands Country Club offers a unique blend of romance and elegance in a country setting, just one hour north of New York City. Established in 1898, the Highlands Country Club includes a grand ballroom and several indoor and outdoor spaces that blend old world elegance with the verdant surrounding landscape to accommodate up to 150 guests.

The Hotel Andrew 75 North Station Plaza, Great Neck, NY 516-482-2900 www.andrewhotel.com Leave the details in accommodat-

20

December 24 - 30, 2015

ing your friends and family the the professionals at The Andrew, Great Neck’s Boutique Hotel, where chic sophistication meets the timeless essence of Long Island’s Gold Coast.

La Marina 212-567-6300 La Marina, located in upper Manhattan, offers a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces for parties of 50 -1,500, right on the shore of the Hudson River.

Step into our extraordinary venue where the food, the scene and the music share a stage; where the George Washington Bridge consumes the panorama; Boasting unbeatable views and large open spaces, both indoors & outdoors La Marina can be your dream wedding.

Landmark Venues 866.683.3586 LandmarkVenues.com Landmark Destination Weddings, Crave Caterers, The Boathouse At Mercer Lake, Stone House at Sterling Ridge, The Ryland Whitehouse Station, Celebrate At Sung Harbor, Hotel Du Village, Liberty House Restaurant & Catering For over 25 years, we have been celebrating beautiful weddings at our venues across News York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Marble Collegiate Church* Weddings at Marble Collegiate Church, renowned for our inclusiveness and diversity, we have many unique spaces to offer, from our elegant Sanctuary, to more intimate sacred venues. At Marble, your Wedding can be spiritual, beautiful and memorable. It’s a celebration of love. That’s what Marble Collegiate is all about. 1 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001 212-686-2770 www.MarbleChurch.org Plaza Athenee 37 East 64th Street at Madison Ave, New York 212-644-0202 plaza-athenee.com Le Trianon, our ceremony space is elegantly appointed in natural earth tones with ten windows overlooking the townhouses of East 64th Street. For your wedding reception, the venue’s dazzling, gold-domed Arabelle restaurant provides one of the most unique settings in Manhattan with its blend of murano glass and brass chandeliers, chiffon colored walls and murals of Asian pagodas.

Russo’s on the Bay 162-45 Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach, NY, 718-843-5055 russosonthebay.com Exemplary service and exquisite cuisine combined with professional attention to detail was the best way to achieve customer satisfaction.

Sirico’s Caterers Sirico’s is a tasteful event planning and catering hall in Brooklyn, maintaining a beautiful facilities with top-notch event services. With three event halls accomodating 300 guests. They pride themselves on elegant wedding receptions and private events that are second to none.

In The Heart Of Dyker Heights 8015/23 13th Avenue Bklyn, NY 11228 718-331-29008–331–2900 www.siricoscaterers.net Soleil Caterers 212-316-5000 Your wedding day is one of the most memorable days of your life and we at Soleil Caterers would love to be a part of it. No matter what your theme or food preferences are, we

will work closely with you down to the last detail to be sure that every moment is exactly as you picture.

Terrace On The Park 52-11 111th Street Flushing, NY 11368 718-592-5000 www.terraceonthepark.com Award winning food, breath taking views, and impeccable service.

Tio Pepe 168 W. Fourth St. in New York 212-242-9338, tiopepenyc.com At Tio Pepe you have a choice of atmosphere. The skylight dining room supplies a touch of romance while the enclosed sidewalk cafe provides a room with a view of Greenwich Village.

The Vanderbilt at South Beach Waterfront Facility 300 Father Capodanno Blvd., Staten Island, NY 718-447-0800 www.vanderbiltsouthbeach.com Boasting both a luxurious banquet hall, as well as magnificent outdoor oceanfront space.

Vavaldi’s 201-10 Cross Island Parkway Service Road Bayside, NY 11360 718-352-2300 www.vavaldiny.com Woodhaven Manor Caterers & Banquet* 96-01 Jamaica, Ave., Woodhaven, NY 11421 718-805-8500 woodhavenmanorny.com We have created the ultimate venue for the most special of celebrations!

ENTERTAINMENT Amazing Bottle Dancers Add a touch of tradition and excitement to your B’nai Mitzvah or Wedding! bottledancers.com 800.716.0556 East Coast Band New York’s Ultimate Party Band 516-354-2372 EastCoastBand.com Soul System Orchestras 1650 Broadway, Suite #503 New York, 800-466-7685 soulsystemorchestras.com Soulsystem Orchestras bands have been on the leading edge in providing “elegantly hip” wedding entertainment for the past 15 years.

Clients can choose from a 3-piece ensemble to a 20-piece swing orchestra and beyond.

FORMALWEAR Lindman NewYork What the dress is to the bride, the necktie is to the groom.

Well, perhaps not quite, but it is important. Well-designed neckties for you, the best man, and the groomsmen will capture—as well as add to—the style and sophistication of the wedding as a whole.

917-364-6675 LindmanNewYork.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY Central Park Cosmetics 200 West 57th Street Suite 1005 10th Floor NYC www.centralparkcosmetics.com 646-692-3248 Look and feel your best!

Laser Hair Removal,

Coolsculpting Ultherapy™ Microdermabrasion IPL Skin Rejubenation Facials

HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS Sand Castle on the Beach 127 Smithfield, Frederiksted St. Croix, Virgin Islands 340-772-1205 sandcastleonthebeach.com Our quaint, beach side boutique hotel is designed to meet your personal vacation style. We maintain a sense of intimacy and freedom in this seaside oasis. It’s our home and we invite you to relax and unwind in this comfortable and tranquil setting.

Villa Amor Camino a Playa los Muertos, Sayulita Bahia de Banderas Nayarit, Mexico 619-819-5407 hotelvillaamorsayulita.com.

“Sweeping ocean vistas and a sexy room concept do away with outside walls and invite you to see Sayulita through a rustling fringe of palm fronds.”Travel+Leisure.

JEWELRY Fortunoff Fine Jewelry New Jewelry Boutique

by Esther Fortunoff 1504 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY 11590 FortunoffJewelry.com 800-636-7886 Shop 24/7 - Phone appointments available Solomon Jewelers 74 Manetto Hill Plaza Plainview NY 11803 516-681-6111 www.solomonjewelers.com A third generation family business with seventy years of experience, Solomon Jewlers is the only premiere certified Verragio Dealer in NY State.

OFFICIANTS Alisa Tongg Storyteller & Celebrant For AisleBound Couples Ceremonies from Scratch Serving NYC, New Jersey and Pennsylvania 570-369-3955 www.alisatonggcelebrant.com For This Joyous Occasion Officiating Services & Seaside Ceremonies Andrea Purtell NJ Wedding Officiant Weddings, Vow Renewals & Baby Blessings Certified in NJ All Faiths/Non-denominational Traditions/Lifestyles Point Pleasant Beach Atlantic Highlands Red Bank Asbury Park Ocean Grove Island Beach Long Beach Island www.forthisjoyousoccasion.com thisjoyous@gmail.com 848-333-9948

Mitch the Minister Mitchell S. Maged Wedding Officiant and Minister 201-410-6834 www.mitchtheminister.com email: mitchtheminister@aol.com 70 Oneida Avenue, Oakland, NJ 07436 Ny Life Events Mary A. Carroll – Universal Life Minister 201-410-0782 – In your home or venue • Wedding/Civil Union – NonDenominational • Evenings/Weekends – NJ-NY-NYC www.NJLifeEvents.com Reverend Greg Kits, DD NY & NJ Wedding Officiant 973-220-9400 text/cell Gregg37@optimum.net Servicing NY, NJ, & NYC www.GayWeddingMan.net www.TheWeddingMan.net Reverend Luisa’s Holistic Weddings & Ceremonies Interfaith Minister Bilingual English & Spanish Wedding Ceremonies for Tristate Couples 2014 ABC-NY Sparkle Award Top Wedding Vendor Officiant 2015 Couples Choice Award Wedding Wire 917-572-4831 revluisaceremonies.com Reverend Samora Smith Common Ground Ceremonies Ordained as an Interfaith Minister Specializing in all types of ceremonies Commongroundceremonies.com 711 East 11th Street, New York 646-709-2090 Sacred Journey Healing* Reverend Kyle Applegate Interfaith Minister 212-777-1119 kyle@sacredjourneyhealing.com sacredjourneyhealing.com Stephen David DYM/WEDinNYC LGBT Wedding Officiant Creating Custom Wedding Ceremonies for you and your partner. www.WEDinNYC.com 917.855.6830

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO Glamour Me Photo & Video* 109-19 Rockaway Blvd.

South Ozone Park, NY 11420 718-504-1970 www.glamourmestudio.com

REAL ESTATE SERVICES Accurate Building Inspectors 1860 Bath Ave. in Brooklyn 718-265-8191, accuratebuilding.com Accurate Building Inspectors is a full-service home and building inspection firm servicing the tri-state area since 1961.

Rev. Kyle Applegate Interfaith minister 212-777-1119 kyle@sacredjourneyhealing.com www.sacredjourneyhealing.com

PICK UP THE LATEST ISSUE OF WEDDING PRIDE TODAY!

.com

Holiday Holdovers Theater with seasonal cheer lasting past this year

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

A WILDER CHRISTMAS Peccadillo Theater Company’s evening of rarely seen Thornton Wilder one-acts begins with “The Long Christmas Dinner,” which spans 90 years, and listens in on an American family’s annual holiday gathering. Then, “Pullman Car Hiawatha” expands on the eavesdropping theme, as the audience becomes privy to the thoughts and motivations of people of all ages and social standings, brought together as they travel for the holidays, on a train headed to Chicago. A cast of 17 plays multiple parts.

Through Jan. 10. Mon. & Wed. at 7 p.m., Thurs.–Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. At Theatre at St. Clement’s (423 W. 46th St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.). For tickets ($25), visit ThePeccadillo.com or call 866-811-4111.

THE IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE: “A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES” Comfortably (if temporarily) ensconced at Union Square’s DR2 while their longtime Chelsea base gets a major upgrade, it’s no accident that matters of home have been at the heart of recent productions from the Irish Repertory Theatre. “Da” and “The Weir” both explored the siren call of place — and now, as they prepare for a Spring 2016 return to

Courtesy Amore Opera

Musetta and her wiles soon make Marcello succumb, in the Amore Opera production of “La Bohème.”

W. 22nd St., the current production proves (in more ways than one) that you can go home again. Adapted and directed by IRT Artistic Director Charlotte Moore, this music-filled revival of the Dylan Thomas classic, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” is stuffed like a Christmas goose with many of the IRT’s favorite things: ghost stories, colorful families, and near-tearful reflections on disappearing ways of life.

Through Jan. 10, at The DR2 Theatre (103 E. 15th St. in Union

Square). For performance schedule and tickets ($70), call visit irishrep.org or call 212-727-2737.

AMORE OPERA The material is tried and true, the venue is new, and the mission — to foster music appreciation at affordable prices — is a song that remains the same, as the Amore Opera marks its seventh season by becoming a staple at The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture. Their fully staged and orchestrated production of Giacomo

Puccini’s “La Bohème” (through Jan. 3) runs concurrently with Amore Opera Academy’s all-kids production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” (through Jan. 2).

At The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker St., at Elizabeth St.). Tickets for “La Bohème” are $40 ($30 for seniors, students, children) and $75 for the New Year’s Eve Gala. Tickets for “Hansel and Grete” are $25. For performance dates and reservations, visit sheencenter.org or call 212-925-2812. Artist info at amoreopera.org.

Photo by Carol Rosegg

Photo by Carol Rosegg

Anna Marie Sell and John Pasha as married couple Harriet and Philip in Thornton Wilder’s “Pullman Car Hiawatha.”

L to R: Katie Fabel, Kenneth Quinney Francoeur, John Cullum, Ashley Robinson, Mark Hartman and Jacque Carnahan in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” at the Irish Repertory Theatre.

.com

December 24 - 30, 2015

21

22

December 24 - 30, 2015

.com

Photos by Maris Hutchinson

Exhibition view of “Jim Shaw: The End is Here,” at the New Museum through Jan. 10.

Buhmann on Art: Jim Shaw

‘The End is Here’ reveals stunning range and inventiveness

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN For over 30 years, Jim Shaw has worked in painting, sculpture and drawing, as well as all sorts of hybrids in-between. He sources his eclectic imagery from comic books, record covers, conspiracy magazines, and obscure religious iconography (among others) in order to draw an accurate portrait of the American subconscious in its contemporary political, social and spiritual context.

His work, which ranges from early airbrush drawings to immersive sculptural installations, is further sparked by his large personal collections of objects that are representative of both consumer desires and counterculture. For Shaw, seemingly mundane artifacts reflect something profound: shifting social and political values that describe how individual Americans are the product of a variety of conflicting forces.

Shaw’s eclectic imagery is drawn from comic books, record covers, conspiracy magazines, and obscure religious iconography. .com

Shaw, who emerged in the vibrant Los Angeles art scene of the 1970s after graduating from the acclaimed California Institute of the Arts, has never had a comprehensive museum show in New York until now. Rectifying this oversight, “Jim Shaw: The End is Here” is a major survey that encompasses no less than three entire floors of the New Museum, and succeeds in revealing the stunning range and inventiveness of Shaw’s unique oeuvre.

Through Jan. 10 at the New Museum (235 Bowery, at Prince St. btw. Stanton & Rivington Sts.).

Open Wed., Fri., Sat., Sun., 11 a.m.– 6 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Open Mon., Dec. 28 & Tues., Dec. 29, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Closed Dec. 25 & Jan. 1.

Tickets: $16 general, $14 for seniors, $10 for students (with ID), free for under 18. Pay as you wish Thurs., 7–9 p.m. Call 212-219-1222 or visit newmuseum.org.

“The End is Here” features objects from Shaw’s personal collection that represent counterculture and consumer desires.

December 24 - 30, 2015

23

CTOR

EFFICIENT CARE TRAINING CENTER EFFICIENT CARE TRAINING CENTER

ourse

dge

Courses:

Jacket Name 4C 6 x 5.69

GRAND OPENING

HOME HEALTH AIDE TRAINING New to our Jamaica Campus Home Health Aide Training YourFuture Future Starts NOW! Your Starts NOW! Every course you need to be certified is offered daily.

Su Futuro Empieza Ahora!

Home Health Aide (Day and Evening Courses) Experienced Instructors Job Assistance Provided

INING CENTER

AHORA!

certificado se ofrece diario. a division of

Day and Evening Courses• Experienced Instructors 54-06 Myrtle Avenue, 2nd Fl. 168-25 Jamaica Avenue JOB Assistance Provided • Se Habla Espanol

Jamaica, NY 11432 Ridgewood, NY 11385 168-25 Jamaica Ave., 54-06 Myrtle Ave., 2nd Fl.718-609-1674 718-307-7141 Jamaica, NY 11432 Ridgewood, NY 11385 718-609-1674 718-307-7141 EXCLUSIVE! Accessible by Accessible by FJE M andBECOME Q58, Q55, B52,A TRAINLTO B26, B54

and Q24, Q56

SECURITY GUARD INSTRUCTOR 40 Hour Instructor Development Course

SECURITY GUARD TRAINING Instructors: Tom Flynn & Bob Loveridge

We have NYS DCJS mandated Security Guard Training Courses: • 8 Hour Pre-Assignment Training Course Become a NY State Certifi ed Job Security Guard Today!

• 16 Hour On the Training Course • 8 Hour Annual In-Service

8 Specialty HR. Pre-assignment Courses: • Fire Guard Prep Class OSHA 10 Job • OSHA 30 •CPR / AED 16 HR. •on the Training Fireguard Prep CARE TRAINING CENTER IDC - (InstructorEFFICIENT Development Course)

Su Futuro Empieza AHORA! Jamaica Ave., paraestar certificado se ofrece diario.

54-06 Myrtle Ave., 2nd Fl.Cada168-25 curso tiene que necesitas Jamaica, NY 11432 Ridgewood, NY 11385 Asistente de salud domiciliaria a division of 718-609-1674 718-307-7141 (Cursos de Dia y de Noche) Accessible by L M and Q58, Q55, B52, B26, B54

24

December 24 - 30, 2015

Accessible Instructores con by experiencia J Ebuscar trabajo Assistimos Fen and Q24, Q56 .com