Our Town February 9, 2012

NEWS: FDR honored at Four Freedoms Park February 9, 2012

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Notes from the Neighborhood Man Sentenced for Upper East Side Murder Attempt Earlier this week, District Attorney Cy Vance announced the sentencing of 26-year-old Ramon Lalondriz-Castillo for the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend. The crime took place on the Upper East Side in 2010 as the victim was leaving her job with a co-worker.

At the corner of East 91st Street and Third Avenue, Lalondriz-Castillo rushed her from behind and threw her to the ground before firing several shots and running away. She was hit in the arm and at the base of the skull but made a full recovery after being taken to the hospital. She was able to identify her attacker.

Lalondriz-Castillo pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree and will serve 15 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. The district attorney applauded the sentencing and used the crime as an example of underreported dating violence that he said in a statement can be “just as serious as domestic violence between adults.”

Brain-Tickling Conversation The New York Psychoanalytic Society

Community

meeting Calendar Thursday, Feb. 9 • East 79th Street Neighborhood Association meeting, 6 p.m., City University of New York, 535 E. 80th St. • Community Board 8 Youth & Education Committee meeting, 7 p.m., Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center, 415 E. 93rd St., dining room.

Monday, Feb. 13 • Community Board 8 Landmarks Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m., Lenox Hill Hospital, 130 E. 77th St., theater.

• Community Board 8 Full Board meeting, 6:30 p.m., Memorial SloanKettering, 430 E. 67th St., auditorium.

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and Institute will host a discussion between Dr. Lois Oppenheim, professor of literature and psychoanalysis, and Adam Gopnik, award-winning journalist and writer for The New Yorker, Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Gopnik has won acclaim as an art critic as well as for his work as a travel writer and essayist, and has written extensively about his time spent in France. He will discuss his career and creative process with Oppenheim and will sign copies of his latest book, The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food. 247 E. 82nd St., second floor auditorium. Tickets are $25, $10 for students with ID. Call 212879-6900 or email admdir@nypsi. org to RSVP.

Local Reps Denounce National Public Transit Cuts East Side Rep. Carolyn Maloney joined local legislators and transit leaders on Monday to decry a Republican effort to cut federal spending for public transit, a move that they say would directly impact New Yorkers. Opponents of the proposed spending cut say it would deprive New York State of $1.7 billion that would go to fund capital improvements for subways, buses and commuter rails. The bill, H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, just passed the House Ways and Means Committee, and would use revenue from expanded domestic drilling permits to fund infrastructure projects while cutting certain funding streams.

“The Republican transportation bill isn’t worth a warm bucket of asphalt,” Maloney said in a statement. “The Republicans need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a bill that keeps the dedicated funding stream for mass transit that we’ve had since the Reagan administration. The MTA receives more than $1 billion every year from the Highway Trust Fund; we need this funding to ensure that the MTA’s system continues to be safe and reliable for the long term.”

“The Republicans are proposing nothing less than the dismantling of mass transit,” said West Side Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the senior northeastern member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a statement. “In the GOP bill, mass transit would be dependent on appropriations from general revenue for the first time in 30 years, rather than being

GiANT EASTSiDE HONOR

Dan Brady Jr., owner of Brady’s Bar, stands with Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Brady’s Bar is temporarily renamed “Manning’s Bar” in honor of the Giants’ trip to the Super Bowl. funded, as it has been, from the Highway Trust Fund. Such a shift in federal priority could be catastrophic for urban centers like New York, which rely on mass transit for basic mobility and economic functioning.”

Nadler said that the bill is “nothing less than the dismantling of mass transit,” and MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph Lhota said that the bill would undeniably “hit the MTA hard.” Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for New York Public Interest Research Group’s Straphangers Campaign, also derided the bill.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg strongly condemned the bill for keeping cities out of the 21st century. “Eight million people take mass transit every day in New York, which helps to cut traffic, reduce pollution, spur our economy and improve public health,” he said. “The bill passed today ignores the needs of cities across the country by relegating transit to an ‘alternative’ transportation with an uncertain funding stream.”

Following a press conference at City Hall on Monday, Nadler went even further in an op-ed for The Hill’s Congress Blog.

He wrote that H.R. 7 is the worst transportation bill he’s ever seen and called it “such an outdated way of thinking that it would, if enacted into law, set us back decades.”

Speaker John Boehner said that the House will be moving to vote on the bill in the coming months.

Kellner Supports Lawsuit Against Nuke Commission

Upper East Side Assembly Member Micah Kellner signed an amicus brief to support a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The lawsuit contends that the NRC illegally granted federal fire safety exemptions to the Indian Point Nuclear Facility in 2007 without holding a public comment period.

“It’s clear from the tragedy at the Fukushima plant in Japan that we need to increase safety standards at nuclear facilities, not secretly reduce them behind closed doors,” said Kellner in a statement. “This really makes me wonder what else the NRC isn’t telling us.”

Other East Side elected officials, including State Sen. Liz Krueger, have called for the closure of the Indian Point facility based on the potential danger to New York City if a meltdown or other accident were to occur at the plant.

Lappin Speaks Out Against Churches in Schools As the state Legislature considers passing a bill that would unequivocally allow religious organizations to hold worship services in public schools, Upper East Side City Council Member Jessica Lappin has been one of the few in the Council to speak against the measure.

Thirty-five council members have signed onto Resolution 1155, which calls upon state legislators to pass a bill “amending the New York State Education Law continued on page 10 N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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February 9, 2012

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OPEN THINKING | ON A NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT NO. 3 IN A SERIES

TIME TO REINVENT THE CLASS SCHEDULE?

By Ty Tingley Co-Head of School, Avenues The school day has traditionally been divided into equal periods. But is that really the most effective way for students to learn? Certain classes — such as science or literature — might benefit from longer periods, while others are better taught in shorter, more frequent sessions. A flexible schedule can play a critical role in a student’s education.

Read more about Ty Tingley’s thoughts on education at www.avenues.org/wty. You’ll find articles, video, interviews and details on parent information events hosted by the leadership team of Avenues: The World School.

Ty Tingley is the Co-Head of School at Avenues and oversees the development of the school’s curriculum.

Avenues is opening this fall in Chelsea. It will be the first of 20 campuses in major cities, educating children ages three to 18 with a global perspective.

news

Our Bodies, Ourselves author at V-Day Event

By Anam Baig Judy Norsigian, executive director of Our Bodies, Ourselves, will speak at the annual V-Day party at The Fourth Universalist Society at 160 Central Park West. The free event raises funds for charity and spreads awareness about violence toward women and girls worldwide. The event will take place at 6 p.m.

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around the globe suffering from sexual, physical and psychological abuse. Ten percent of the funds raised at the event will go to the Spotlight Campaign on Haiti.

This is the fourth year the church is hosting a series of V-Day events to educate the public on women’s health as well as raise money for organizations that involve the well-being of the female population of New York.

The beneficiaries of the Valentine’s Day event this year are Men Can Stop Rape and the Center Against Domestic Violence, two organizations that the church has continuously supported.

Last year, the church raised $20,000 for these organizations.

The internationally renowned Norsigian, a women’s health advocate and writer on a wide range of women’s

health concerns, including contraception, sexually transmitted infections, women and health care reform and other topics, will be the keynote speaker.

Norsigian has been a pivotal part of Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS), also known as the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, a nonprofit, public interest women’s health education, advocacy and consulting organization.

The first publication of the bestselling women’s health book Our Bodies, Ourselves was in 1971, which subsequently launched the nonprofit of the same name. Last October, Our Bodies, Ourselves celebrated its 40th anniversary by releasing a newly revised, updated edition of the book addressing current issues such as changes to the health care system and safer sex. Other topics such as birth and pregnancy are constantly revised to reflect the latest technology and research.

Norsigian, who has been with the book since its first printing, will address the attendees on the importance of women’s health, its current status in the world and what the community can do to help. She will also be sure to address the Susan G. Komen for the Cure controversy—the organization’s indecision about funding breast screening and mammogram tests for Planned Parenthood.

“What Komen and the evangelicals and Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns, who launched the pointless political inquiry, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are really mad at Planned Parenthood about is this: Part of what they do is help people plan parenthood.

They support birth control. In some cases, they provide it—like your corner drugstore, but better,” she wrote with Ellen Shaffer on the OBOS blog. “We might start to learn what it will take to mobilize an outcry to really stop the attacks on women’s health.”

To register for the free event, visit 4thuvdayvalentinesparty.eventbrite.com.

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February 9, 2012

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feature

Bellevue One of the Few East Side psychiatric ER provides care designed for children

By Megan Bungeroth

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In an adult psychiatric hospital, “you may have a youth [who is] out of the home and would be very susceptible to drug trafficking and even prostitution.”

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He said that having children in their care go to Bellevue instead of a regular ER makes a world of difference.

The agency runs The Children’s Center across the street from Bellevue, where they hold children who have been removed from their homes and are awaiting foster care placement.

“We run the gamut of different mental health issues, but what is common among all of them is the history of psychological or emotional trauma,” said Mendoza.

Children come to Bellevue through

andrew schwartz

n most emergency rooms in the city—and in the state and across the country—children who come in with psychological symptoms are treated much the same as adults. An 8-year-old suffering from undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who has acted up in school, maybe out of frustration over falling behind in his work, and thrown a chair at his teacher might be held in a psych ward with schizophrenic grown men if the ER doesn’t have the resources on hand to treat him immediately. A suicidal teen brought in by her concerned parents might not be able to see a child psychiatrist who can understand the nuances and specific troubles of the developing adolescent brain.

It’s a nationwide problem, with only about 6,000 practicing child psychiatrists in the country, compared to over 70,000 adult psychiatrists. Emergency rooms struggle to diagnose and treat children who come in needing immediate psychiatric care, and many end up unnecessarily admitted to the hospital, sometimes in the same wards as adults.

With a dedicated staff and a grant from New York State, Bellevue Hospital Center is working to create a different option for children with psychiatric emergencies. At its Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), a specially trained team of doctors, nurses and social workers sees kids as young as 3 and as old as 17 with a broad range of psychological problems.

The program is exclusively intended to help children and often succeeds in catching psychiatric problems long before they might be addressed in the traditional hospital system. The program sees over 2,000 patients every year.

Dr. Jennifer Havens, director and chief of service in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry, said she’s been working her entire career to make psychiatric treatment better for kids. One of the reasons she believes so strongly in the CPEP model for children is because without it, kids often fall through the cracks or get unnecessary treatment.

“First of all, a medical ER isn’t a safe

place for psychiatric patients. You go to the ER if you’re dangerous to yourself or you want to kill yourself or others,” Havens said.

At Bellevue, the children’s center is sectioned off as a separate unit. It’s brightly lit and clean, with flat-screen televisions and a consciously minimalist aesthetic of bare walls and simple furnishings. There is nothing that might be torn off, thrown or used as a weapon. It’s entirely secure and constantly monitored.

Police officers who enter the unit must empty their ammunition and fire their weapons into a sand pipe to show that they’re not loaded.

“The other problem is, there aren’t usually psychiatrists just sitting there waiting for people to come in,” Havens said. “For kids and adolescents, what generally ends up happening—not just in New York but all over the country; this is a national problem—is that they’re seen in either pediatric or medical ERs,” often by people trained to treat adults.

“Children are not just little adults— they have other issues that cannot be treated in the way that adults can be,” said Dr. Angel Mendoza Jr., an assistant commissioner for child and family health at the city’s Administration for Children’s Services who acts as its medical director.

Dr. Judith Joseph, left, with Dr. Jennifer Havens, inside the CPEP. referrals from other hospitals, are brought in by the NYPD or ACS, through the school system or with their parents.

Havens said that often the children are simply very angry—and rightfully so—and need to talk to someone who can understand them. They are able to hold children for evaluation from 24 to 72 hours without admitting them to the hospital, which is crucial for the child’s potential treatment and recovery.

“A lot of kids get admitted to the hospital [in other ERs] because they need to go somewhere else, they need to get immediate intervention,” Havens said.

She said that many children can be treated within the 72-hour window, avoiding a traumatic hospitalization. If young patients are hospitalized, they are admitted to a separate ward with 30 beds.

Mendoza pointed out that there are risks beyond just emotional scarring or physical danger if a child is placed in a psychiatric ward with adults.

“There are other kinds of risk that may not be immediately obvious to people,” said Mendoza. “For example, a lot of these adults are involved in drug trafficking. You may have a youth [who is] out of the home and would be very susceptible to drug trafficking and even prostitution.”

Havens said, “Most of the kids that come to us are very upset. They’re either angry or sad; sometimes they’re psychotic. It’s a real emergency if you have a kid who wants to kill themselves or wants to kill you or is not going to school or is hallucinating.”

People with depressive mental illness-

es like schizophrenia often present the first symptoms as adolescents, Havens said. The average time between a child presenting symptoms and receiving a diagnosis for that type of mental illness is three to four years, a time during which they aren’t getting vital treatment.

“These kids would go to medical ERs, get lousy care in the wrong environment and get admitted, regardless of what they needed,” she said.

While the CPEP program is expensive, the goal is to cut down on psych admissions, which actually saves hospital expenses in the long term.

“If [a child] were in a regular ER, not in a CPEP, they would have probably just gotten admitted, whereas it’s cheaper to have them observed in a CPEP,” because it tends to be for a shorter period of time, said Dr. Judith Joseph, a fellow in child and adolescent psychiatry midway through her rotation in the Children’s CPEP. The program is also designed to put agitated parents at ease and help them cope with their child’s condition.

“If you put yourself in the place of a child who is coming in for depression or suicide or psychosis, and the parents imagine going to an adult ER versus what we have downstairs, which is colorful, friendly—just the environment alone is therapeutic,” Joseph said. Havens added that the remote controls for the TVs often work as well as sedatives to calm a child down.

Bellevue also sponsors follow-up care through an interim clinic, where continued on page 10 N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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news

Roosevelt Legacy Honored in New Park

By Sean Creamer What was once an obscure stretch of land known as “Welfare Island,” home to smallpox cases, is being reimagined as a monument to the president who led Americans out of the Great Depression.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, expected to open fall 2012 at the tip of Roosevelt Island was first envisioned by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in the early 1970s. The concept was brought to architect Louis I. Kahn, who worked on the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Conn., and Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif.

Kahn drafted plans for the park and made several drawings but died in 1974 in a men’s room at Penn Station. His death, coupled with the economic turmoil of the times and Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, a major advocate of the project, being called to Washington, D.C., to serve as vice president under Gerald Ford, led to its abandonment.

After four decades, the project began anew with backing from former U.S. Ambassador William vanden Heuvel, who found out that the govern-

ing force on the island, the design by Kahn, and is visible Roosevelt Island Operating from the park’s garden and Committee, was planning the flanking promenades. to build another park on the The garden will be lined 4.5-acre stretch of land. by two allées lined with 150 The exterior of a room at linden trees. The allées will the end of park will feature feature inscriptions called a niche housing a sculpRoosevelt Legacy Chapters, ture of Franklin Roosevelt’s or Chapters of History. The head made by sculptor Jo project will also feature a Davidson in 1933. digital education program The four freedoms that that will turn a stroll into are celebrated in the park a lesson in Roosevelt-era are freedom of speech and history. Using their smart expression, freedom of worphones, patrons of the park ship, freedom from want and will be able to call up minifreedom from fear. These documentaries about each ideals will be illustrated on FDR Four Freedoms Park is expected to open in fall 2012. story inscribed upon the the walls behind the niche. park’s granite parapets.

The walls of the room are 12-foot-tall room because a room is a place where Below the garden are two promenades granite slabs weighing 36 tons apiece. people meet and trade stories, where that meet at the entrance to the room.

The monolithic slabs are spaced an inch “secrets are told and treaties signed,” The banks of the promenade are pieced apart and the walls inside the space are said Sally Minard, CEO of the Franklin D. together by granite in a fashion that polished so that reflected light will play Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park LLC. resembles a puzzle. At the entrance to on the floor and walls of the room.

“His concept of architecture is that the memorial is a grand staircase hidden Opposite the entrance is an open win- everything starts in a room,” Minard said. behind a jardinière that will hold five copdow that displays a view of the East River The park is shaped like the bow of a per beech trees. and the United Nations. ship, with Kahn’s room at the tip. The The cost of the project so far is $50 Kahn designed the project around a room is a constant focal point, a key million.

Zone Green Amendment Has Some Seeing Red

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gy-efficient building walls, the addition of sun-shading devices on windows and glass walls, construction of solar panels and other rooftop additions like rainwater tanks or even wind power turbines and creating greenhouses on roofs. Many of the changes would primarily affect the rooftops of existing buildings.

Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, said they are still reviewing the 50-page proposal and forming opinions about it but they have some concerns over the potential results of such sweeping changes.

“The idea of the exterior insulation, eight inches of exterior insulation, strikes us as potentially damaging to historic streetfronts,” Bankoff said. “When we’re talking about historic buildings, we’re not talking about landmark buildings necessarily, we’re just talking about old buildings.”

He also said that while the city should be applauded for thinking big and going green, some of the technologies it espouses may not be worth the expense and alteration to the skyline.

“Do you want to start putting a 50-foot wind tower on a 100-foot building that will only generate 6 percent of its energy?”

andrew schwartz

By Megan Bungeroth The city under Mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken some aggressive steps toward a greener future, and the Department of City Planning recently released its latest development in transforming New York into a more sustainable place to live.

The Zone Green Text Amendment is currently circulating through the city’s community boards for comments and feedback, and while some applaud its purpose, others have expressed trepidation over the methods used to achieve the green results and whether the zoning changes will amount to irreversible and unwanted changes to the city’s streetscapes and skylines.

The purpose of the amendment, a City Planning spokesperson said, is to remove zoning impediments that would hinder green building and renovating practices.

The proposal was developed in consultation with the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability, and the DOB will be in charge of enforcing any zoning changes and policing how they are implemented.

The main components of the proposal involve changing zoning regulations to allow for the conversion of more ener-

line,” she said.

Preservation advocacy group Landmark West has previously commissioned skyline studies on the Upper West Side, and its director of preservation, Cristiana Peña, confirmed that they are reviewing the proposal in that light to determine how it might affect landmark-protected buildings.

Cowley said some board members expressed concern A green roof on the top of the Upper East Side. over how the changes would be managed between the Bankoff said.

DOB, City Planning and the Landmarks Page Cowley, an architect and one of Preservation Commission, which all have the co-chairs of Community Board 7’s their own definitions and goals regarding Land Use Committee, said some board green buildings. City Planning confirmed members expressed similar reservations that the DOB will still be overseeing all about the proposal, which will go before building additions. the full board on Tuesday night without a “This is where it starts to impact the resolution from the committee. private residents, and the question is, “Some people felt that changing the how can this be done in such a way that ways that the tops of buildings look and certain types of rooftop additions maybe increasing the bulkhead, which can go as need to come back to the community high as 40 feet, wasn’t a problem. For oth- board for review?” she said. ers, people don’t know how this is going Community Board 8 will review to affect existing, nonlandmarked build- the proposal at its full board meeting ings—how this is going to change our sky- Wednesday, Feb. 15.

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February 9, 2012

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profile

Girl Scout of a Certain Age National group’s former leader is anything but retiring

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unteer to CEO of the local council. One day, in 1976, she got a call to interview for the national CEO position.

“I think I was very relaxed because I knew they couldn’t be serious, if in all those years you’ve never had a within person,” Hesselbein said of the Scouts’ tendency to hire outsiders. “They said, ‘Well, if you had this job, what would you do?’ And I described the total transformation of the largest organization for girls and women in the world.”

She landed the position and set to work implementing her plan.

“Because I had already described the transformation and vision, they bought it,” she said. “There was no pushback.

Foundation for Nonprofit Management, and I haven’t been home since,” she said.

Now Hesselbein spends her days running the Institute, giving web seminars and traveling—she’s visited 68 countries and splits her time between her Upper East Side apartment and her house in Pennsylvania—to speak to young people and those who want to learn from her management style, which places service above personal ambition.

“Today we have a very passionate mission to strengthen the leadership of the

Bellevue continued from page

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patients can return for follow-up visits while they arrange for more permanent care, and through the Home-Based Crisis Intervention service, which brings specially trained social workers to follow up

Tapped In continued from page

andrew schwartz

By Megan Bungeroth If Frances Hesselbein receives just a modicum more recognition in her life, which she very likely will, she’ll have to get a new office. Every inch of her wall is covered with framed honorary degrees, photographs of her smiling and looking familiar with dignitaries and presidents and numerous translations of books she has edited on leadership.

Resting in a case above her couch, a military sword commemorates her tenure as the Class of 1951 chair for the study of leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point. She wears on her jacket a miniature matching sword, along with her Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented to her by President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Some women who reach their nineties surrounded by the tokens of their lifetime accomplishments might take a little welldeserved time to relax, but Hesselbein’s only major concession has been to cut down her weekly traveling schedule to once every two weeks.

Hesselbein, who prefers not to give her exact age, has been widely recognized for her work in leadership around the world. She credits her attitude and character as the hallmarks that brought her from a rural town in Pennsylvania to the Upper East Side.

“Leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do,” Hesselbein said, reiterating a mission statement she has spent her life promoting. “It is the quality and character of the leader that determines performance.”

Hesselbein is the president and CEO of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, which until recently was called the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. She’s been running the organization since 1990, after she retired as CEO of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Hesselbein was born and raised in the steel mill town of Johnstown, Pa., which she credits with giving her an upbringing surrounded by diversity. She attended a semester of junior college at the University of Pittsburgh but, despite her family’s urging, decided to come home to help her mother and younger siblings after her father died suddenly when she was only 17.

She then worked for a few years until marrying John Hesselbein, a writer and documentary producer. The couple had a son (now deceased), and Hesselbein raised him and got involved in the local Girl Scouts, working her way up from vol-

F ebruary 9, 2012

Frances Hesselbein.

Everybody was together.”

Hesselbein is credited with turning the Girl Scouts from a mostly white group to an incredibly diverse one. She also placed a greater emphasis on math, science and technology and began the Daisy program for kindergarten-age girls. When she talks about these achievements, she always says “we,” noting that all of the changes resulted from cooperation at many levels, an attitude that has become her hallmark as she espouses a flat leadership system in which a CEO is in the center of overlapping circles instead of at the top of a hierarchy.

When she retired from the Girl Scouts, Hesselbein, by then a widow, expected her life to settle down, but instead she was tapped to use her experience to train others in the ways of leadership.

“I bought a house in Pennsylvania, I promised Doubleday I would write a book on leadership—I wasn’t going to travel at all—and six weeks later, I find myself the new CEO of the new Peter Drucker

2

to afford houses of worship maximum access to school property,” but Lappin contends that its passage would amount to state-subsidized religious services and would violate the separation of church and state.

“Most New Yorkers probably don’t realize that, right now, about 160 New York City schools are doubling as churches,” said Lappin in a statement.

“I’m not talking about a religious afterschool club or Bible study group; these churches use the same public space, at the same time, in the same school each

social sector,” Hesselbein said. “When you bring the three sectors together with common vision, common cause, common mission and we all work together, it’s so much more powerful and productive.”

When asked how one teaches the qualities of leadership, Hesselbein said that it’s a matter of showing people opportunities.

“In 1846, Emerson wrote, ‘Be an opener of doors,’” she said. “I just love that, and I think that any of us in any type of leadership have to be opening doors to younger leaders.” in a child’s home and help parents manage their symptoms and care.

“We have a place for you to be, it’s comfortable, you can play on the Wii, we know how to work with your family, we can make the right plan for you,” she said of Bellevue. “If you don’t need an admission you’re not going to get one, because we can take care of you. It’s fairly basic, but it’s shockingly rare.” and every week for free or just the cost of custodial fees.”

Lappin cited a decision by the Second Circuit Court last year supporting the Department of Education’s argument that allowing regular worship in public school spaces is essentially state-sponsored religion, and asserted that the state bill’s language would force the city to allow any group, including “the Ku Klux Klan or a pornography club,” to hold meetings in public schools.

Churches and other religious groups that have regularly held services in public schools, some for many years, have until Feb. 16 to move out, according to a directive from the Department of Education, unless the state legislation stopping that move passes first.

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N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

arts

That Lubovitch Touch Choreographer Lar Lubovitch is all over town

By Susan Reiter Back in the 1980s, when live music was not the rarity it has become for dance performances, Lar Lubovitch often collaborated with Ransom Wilson, a prominent flutist and conductor. Among Wilson’s projects was the Solisti New York Orchestra, which was in the pit for several Lubovitch company seasons— including the premiere of perhaps his best-known work, Concerto 622.

Steven Schreiber

in different spaces as often as possible, in the spirit of seeing the work differently— or choreographing for the scale of the specific space.”

At MMAC, where Marni Nixon will appear as the narrator, he plans to maintain the intimacy of the piece. That space “has a little bit more room, but we’re trying to make it very compact, because it called for a small amount of space. So rather than try to stretch the dance out, we’ll make the space accommodate the origins of the dance.”

The busy Lubovitch will offer a different program the following weekend to open the 92nd Street Y’s annual Harkness Dance Festival, which has a theme of “Stripped/Dressed” this year. In the first half, an interview/lecture/ demonstration, a rotating eminent dance writer will speak with Lubovitch while dancers in practice clothes perform excerpts from Bartel- dances. The second half will offer a full performance of The Legend of Ten, a 2010 work set to two movements of a Brahms quintet.

The Harkness performances mark a return to the building where Lubovitch presented his first-ever dance concert in the city in 1968.

And Lubovitch will reconnect with his past in another way when he choreographs for the Martha Graham Dance Company’s March season at The Joyce Theater, where he was invited to create one of the company’s ongoing series of Lamentation Variations.

“That’s where I began—I wanted to be a Graham dancer,” he said, “I also wanted to be a choreographer, but I needed to dance for a while and I wanted to do my dancing with Martha. But that didn’t happen.” He danced with the Harkness Ballet, Pearl Lang and others, and the rest is history. The day after the final performance at the Y, he will go into the studio with the current generation of Graham dancers.

Lubovitch dancers Nicole Corea and Reid me in Histoire du Soldat.

More recently, Wilson has formed Le Train Bleu, a musical collective of some of the city’s most exciting young musicians. Among its projects is a residency at Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space; last year, Wilson reunited with Lubovitch, inviting him to create the choreography for Le Train Bleu’s performance of Histoire du Soldat, Stravinsky’s bracing and unusual musical drama for chamber ensemble, actors and dancers.

The work’s single Galapagos performance took place on a snowy evening last March, so it was over by the time anyone saw Roslyn Sulcas’ enthusiastic New York Times review. She wrote that Lubovitch “finds ingenious ways to deploy the limited space, deepening our sense of the music’s spare yet rhythmically complex instrumentation.”

Happily, Histoire du Soldat returns this week for three performances, sharing a program at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center (MMAC) with Crisis Variations, Lubovitch’s most recent work, which had its premiere last November. During a recent pre-rehearsal interview at a café near Union Square, Lubovitch said he had no hesitation about accepting Wilson’s offer for a one-nightonly event in an especially tiny venue.

“It was an invitation to stretch, which is always desirable,” he said. “I like to be O u r To w n NY. c o m

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company Feb. 10–12, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 W. 60th St. (betw.

Amsterdam & West End Aves.), www. manhattanmovement.com/event/LAR; $15+.

Feb 17–19, Harkness Dance Festival, 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., www.92Y.org/harknessfestival; $15.

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arts

The Power of Cinema

The Athena Film Festival doesn’t want to just highlight female filmmakers—it wants to change attitudes should do this.’”

Kolbert is quick to point out that while it is a festival celebrating tales of courageous women, “we’re looking for stories, not the maker.” As such, the works of many male filmmakers are also included in this year’s lineup. “Gender is not a determinant to great art,” Kolbert said, “and if men are excited to make films about women in leadership, then that’s all the better.”

Festival co-founder Silverstein studies industry trends and is quick to lament that the numbers of female moviegoers don’t mirror the number of female moviemakers— or the number of female protagonists, for that matter. “The number of female directors has decreased in the last decade. Last year, women made up 7 percent of all film directors,” she said. “This year, they make up 5 percent. Only 2 percent of all cinematographers are women.

Clearly, women are in more positions in the world, but we’re seeing a regression in terms of women in this industry.”

So Kolbert and Silverstein have created the Athena Film Festival Awards

Andrei AlexAndru/SAmuel Goldwyn FilmS

By Penny Gray This weekend at Barnard College in Morningside Heights, the Athena Film Festival: A Celebration of Women and Leadership will take over the campus, projecting on the big screen tales of women balancing power and personhood in a wide array of cultures and contexts.

The festival was founded last year by Kathryn Kolbert, director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard, and Melissa Silverstein, who writes Women and Hollywood for the Indiewire blog.

Kolbert, a formidable force for women’s rights who famously argued the Planned Parenthood side in Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the Supreme Court in 1992, explained the festival’s conception. “This all grew out of an event that Melissa Silverstein and I attended at Gloria Steinem’s house to celebrate Jane Campion and welcome her to the U.S. We looked around, saw all of these incredible female filmmakers who were struggling to bring stores of heroic women to the screen, and suddenly it clicked that we

Rachel Weisz in The Whistleblower, part of the 2012 Athena Film Festival. to actively honor female leaders and filmmakers who are making strides for women and leadership in the industry.

Julia Barry will accept the Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Ziskin, her late mother, and Rachael Horovitz, Julie Taymor, Dee Rees, Nekisa Cooper, Theresa Rebeck and The Fempire (Diablo Cody, Dana Fox, Liz Meriwether and Lorene Scafaria) will all be celebrated for their contributions over the last year.

This year’s festival features a wide selection of features, documentaries and shorts.

“The films are all fabulous,” Silverstein exuded. “I looked at so many wonderful films when choosing this year’s selection, and these films are all astounding.”

The Whistleblower, starring Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci and Vanessa Redgrave, captures the true story of an American police officer who takes a job as a U.N. peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia, only to discover widespread human trafficking. The Rescuers, a documentary, follows a survivor of the Rwandan genocide as she travels with a survivor of the Holocaust to discover a path to healing and recovery for her country.

As Kolbert said, “When there are more women in leadership roles on Wall Street than there are in Hollywood, you know there’s a problem.” With any luck, the Athena Film Festival will take a step towards the solution.

All screenings will take place on the Barnard campus or at Columbia University’s nearby Miller Theater. Tickets and more information can be found at www.athenafilmfestival.com.

FILM

Theory vs. Practice A dazzling allegory in ‘Chronicle’

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from both with state-of-the-art panache.

Videography by Matthew Jensen makes spectacle the movie’s real subject. Chronicle’s sharp, ultra-clear, subtle imagery is more compelling than what happens to Andrew, Steve (Michael B. Jordan) and cousin Matt’s (Alex Russell) friendship after they develop telekinetic superpowers upon encountering a meteorite.

Chronicle alludes to the metaphoric hormonal urges of DePalma’s classics Carrie and The Fury—in fact, it’s loaded with pop references. Screenwriter Max Landis throws in plot concepts and gimmicks without ever achieving the concentration on moral quandary and mythology that distinguished last year’s TrollHunter, the Scandinavian upgrade of the witnessto-horror stunt premise.

Landis and Trank only play around with that potential. But when the three friends discover an ability to fly and play football in the sky, the metaphor for prowess and transcendence blends digital video effects and genuine cinematic spectacle into the damnedest thing since

the skydiving scenes in Point Break.

Beyond its gimmicky premise, Chronicle’s visual excitement raises the important issue of how we use and respond to media. When the camera appears to follow Andrew’s A scene from Chronicle.

P.O.V. or capture his different adventures and humiliations—from spe- ries an onus (their noses bleed) and couslunking to flying to sex—Trank seems to in Matt comes up with rules that Andrew be exercising cinematic form. defies when enraged. Lacking consistent The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield follow-through, Chronicle deteriorates and the Paranormal Activity movies have into a destruction-of-Seattle finale, evendegraded cinematic form, but when the tually trashing Trank’s subtle references hand-held, real-time stunt isn’t trite, the to Nirvana’s cheerleaders-in-hell music matter of aesthetic purpose and artistic video “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” responsibility must be pondered, as here.

That Plato question is smart-assed.

Masterpieces like Peckinpah’s The Chronicle superficially touches on philosWild Bunch, Bertolucci’s The Conformist, ophy as it superficially questions violence DePalma’s The Fury and Spielberg’s War while exploiting Hollywood’s violent Horse and The Adventures of Tintin trends. Chronicle’s frustrating misuse of make aesthetic issues part of their sto- dazzling cinematic technique raises the ries—the Blair Witch hoaxes don’t. question of the era: Do youth audiences Trank’s fumbling allegory questions know what cinematic form is for? responsibility: The boys realize that their Follow Armond White on Twitter ability to move things and do damage car- @3xchair.

AlAn mArkField

By Armond White “Ever hear of Plato’s allegory of the cave?” one teenager asks another in Chronicle. This philosophy quiz was unexpected in the midst of a thrill ride movie, but Chronicle is so surprisingly interesting I wondered if its makers ever saw The Conformist (1970), where Bernardo Bertolucci visualized Plato’s allegory.

When it’s good, Chronicle is less a thrill ride than a deliberation on movie thrills and contemporary youth market tastes.

In Chronicle, debut director Josh Trank uses all of the high school adolescent clichés polished into queer angst, Obama stargazing and hunk sensitivity.

It’s commercial formula with a brash spin; Andrew’s (Dane DeHaan) snooping camera represents a poor kid’s attempt at both the self-consciousness of the social media age and Hollywood’s latest cheap trend: using subjective realism as a premise for the horror and supernatural genres. This goes back to The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, trite exploitations of the hand-held, real-time camera gimmick, but Trank distances himself

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Dining

No Screws Loose

Yep, screw cap wine is just as good as the corked variety “I’ll have the New Zealand sauvignon blanc,” the gentleman said to me, winking at his wife. “I heard they make ’em good down there.”

“Indeed,” I replied.

Minutes later, I returned with a perfectly chilled Marlborough-area sauv blanc. It was one of my favorites on the list, and I was always excited when a customer bought it; they were seldom disappointed. I reached the table and presented the bottle to the gentleman. He scrupulously inspected the label, then gave me an overly serious nod to indicate he was pleased.

I quickly and deftly twisted the wine bottle open.

The man’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he watched me spin the screwcap off of the top of the bottle and place it on the table next to him. I reached over to splash a taste into his stemware, but before the bottle could reach it he had

covered his glass with both hands.

“Wait a second,” he cried. “You didn’t tell me it didn’t have a cork!”

I dropped my head and prepped myself for the usual spiel. I had found another nonbeliever I had to convert.

While there are fewer and fewer doubters out there now, there are still those who don’t think a quality wine can have the

By Josh Perilo same type of closure as a bottle of soda pop.

The truth of the matter is that it doesn’t make any sense for a wine not to have the same closure as a bottle of Coke.

If you think about soda, we’re talking about a highly preserved liquid that is designed to travel well. The only unstable thing about it is its effervescence.

Now, if you think about a regular, dry wine, we’re talking about a highly unstable liquid that, historically, travels very poorly. So poorly, in fact, that the very reason that port, the dessert wine from Portugal, was invented was to solve the

problem of how difficult it was to ship wine before refrigeration. Sugar and alcohol were added to aid in preservation in order to make the difficult trip across the sea, hence the thick and sugary tradition of port.

By putting a screw cap on a bottle of wine, you have eliminated one very preventable form of wine spoilage: oxidization. Cork is an organic material.

It expands and contracts depending on the ambient temperature and humidity.

If you’ve ever been inside a wine cellar, the first thing you probably notice is how chilly it is. Not cold, but just chilly; 55 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. That happens to be the perfect temperature at which cork can sit around for years at a time. It also helps if the humidity is high. If it’s too low, the cork dries out and shrinks and oxygen can then seep in and spoil the wine.

But that’s not the only way a cork can ruin your vino. As I mentioned before, cork is organic. Just like any organic material, it is a fantastic vessel for bac-

teria. So every time a cork is used to seal up a bottle of wine, it must be sterilized. A mild and diluted wash of chlorine is used to clean the corks, then they’re rinsed and ready to go.

But just like in any manufacturing business, mistakes are made. Every year, between 3 and 6 percent of all corks are not thoroughly rinsed. Before you call poison control, though, relax. This doesn’t mean you’ve ingested bleach. It does mean, however, that if you unfortunately grab one of these bottles, your wine will be what sommeliers refer to as “corked.”

If you’ve ever smelled a wine that reeks of wet basement or old sweat socks, that wine is corked. It won’t hurt you, but it isn’t a pleasurable experience either. And though 3 percent sounds low, that works out to about 6.6 billion gallons of rancid juice a year.

So why does anyone still use cork?

Precisely because there are still folks out there who don’t understand the advantage of a screw cap, or Stelvin closure.

So please, go forth and spread the good word. Don’t be afraid! Screw cap wines are not only good, they are the future of the industry.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshperilo.

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WCMC OT_Feb2012_v8_OurTown 2/7/12 12:47 PM Page 2

THE

NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN/WEILL CO

Women’s Health Alert: Fighting Heart Disease in Your 40s

T

he risk for heart-related death is increasing in young adults ages 35 to 54, and the numbers are even more alarming for younger women. It is the number-one cause of death for both men and women in the United States, yet every year since 1984 more women have died of cardiovascular health problems than men, according to the American Heart Association.

“Although there has been a general decline in deaths caused by heart disease, the last decade has seen a steady increase among younger women ages 35 to 44. Women account for more than 50 Dr. Holly Andersen percent of deaths due to heart disease and 60% of stroke deaths in this country,” says Dr. Holly Andersen, Director of Education and Outreach for the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at NewYorkPresbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Andersen offers the following advice to women on recognizing a heart attack and reducing their risk of heart disease.

Enjoy yourself. Eat right, be active, attempt to get a ♥ According to the American Heart Association, good night’s sleep, practice stress reduction, and enjoy low-levels of good cholesterol (HDL) are a stronger fun times with friends. predictor of heart disease death in women than in men over 65.

Know the warning signs of an attack. Women oftentimes do not experience the crushing chest pain Call 911. The most recent survey from the AHA associated with a heart attack. Women are more likely showed that only 53% of women who believe that to experience atypical symptoms, which may include they were having a heart attack would call 911. Time neck, shoulder or abdominal pain. Others may just is muscle and can mean the difference between life have nausea, vomiting, fatigue or shortness of breath. and death. If you think you are having a heart attack, do not wait – call 911. Emergency medical teams can Test for the silent attack. Some women feel no begin to treat patients before they arrive at the hospital pain at all and experience what is known as a “silent and save precious time that is often lost when patients heart attack.” Silent heart attacks lead to long-term try to drive themselves to the emergency room. shortage of blood and oxygen flow to the heart.

If you are a post-menopausal woman and have at least Get an EKG. Once in the emergency room it is importhree risk factors for heart disease, you should talk tant to ask for an EKG test or an enzyme blood test to with your doctor. check for a heart attack, since medical professionals may Know your risk factors. Your risk of having a heart attribute a woman’s symptoms to other health conditions such as indigestion. attack greatly increases if you are obese/overweight, a smoker, and have high cholesterol and/or diabetes.

The following risk factors are of particular importance The Heart and Mind Connection: to women: What You Need to Know ♥ Smoking greatly increases the risk of heart attack Robert Allan, PhD, Clinical Psychologist for women under the age of 45. The combination Learn about anger management and of smoking and birth control pills increases a the importance of stress reduction. woman’s risk by at least 20-fold. ♥ High C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels are a marker Thursday, February 23, 2012 of inflammation that has been shown to be an inde2:30 pm to 3:30 pm pendent risk factor. Ask your doctor to check your level with a simple blood test.

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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in Manhattan on the Upper East Side at York Avenue and 68th Street, comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.

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NEWS YOU LIVE BY

Winter 2012

NEWSLETTER

ORNELL

Patients to Benefit from New Research Building Innovations

NewYork-Presbyterian’s Green Efforts Honored

Steven J. Corwin, MD, Chief Executive Officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, joined Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., MD, former Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, at a ceremony marking the dedication of the new Belfer Research Building in November. The building will support scientific exploration that may lead to pioneering new treatments and cures for some of the world’s most daunting health challenges – cancer and infectious and neurodegenerative diseases among them.

“The proximity of a translational research center to the Hospital means that our patients will be directly benefiting from the exciting work that will soon be under way in the medical research building,” Dr. Corwin said. “Our close ties and unique partnership with Weill Cornell Medical College continues to reap tremendous benefits for both institutions and our patients will be healthier for it.”

Nearly 300 people, including Medical College and Hospital officials and donors, assembled next to the construction site for the November 9 ceremony to honor Renée and Robert Belfer, and others, who donated $100 million toward the construction of the building.

Scheduled to open in 2014, the $650 million building on East 69th Street will double Weill Cornell’s research space and enable the College to attract top-tier medical researchers. The 18-story, 480,000-square-foot building will be eco-friendly and sustainable.

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell’s building at 525 East 68th Street received ENERGY STAR certification last month in recognition of the Hospital’s record for energy management. No other hospital in New York achieved this honor in 2011. NewYork-Presbyterian has earned six ENERGY STAR awards since 2005 — more than any other hospital in the country.

ENERGY STAR certification means that NewYork-Presbyterian was in the top 25 percent nationally for meeting strict energy standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, emitting 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, on average, than similar hospital buildings nationwide without tradeoffs in performance or comfort.

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell has been recognized for its 7.5-megawatt cogeneration plant, which converts gas into electricity while excess heat is used to generate steam for heating and cooling. The plant is reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 27,000 tons each year, the equivalent of pulling 4,600 cars from the road. It’s also reaping financial benefits for the Hospital, resulting in $6.1 million in energy savings every year.

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia’s Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center features recycled materials and is estimated to be 30 percent more energy efficient than a standard structure.

It received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the Green Building Certification Institute.

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of only six hospitals nationwide to achieve a gold or platinum designation.

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“The only way we can make serious strides in treatment and eventual cures for serious diseases will be through an intensive collaborative research effort, and nothing exemplifies this like the building that stands before us,” Dr. Gotto said.

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cancer is highly curable and often even preventable.

4. Screening for colorectal cancer begins at age 50, but may need to start at a younger age for those with certain risk factors.

5. Screening is done BEFORE symptoms occur. Screening tests allow the detection of early colon cancer when it is highly curable, as well as the detection of growths, called polyps, which can turn into cancer. In removing a pre-cancerous polyp, colon cancer may be prevented.

Don’t wait for symptoms. Get screened for colorectal cancer. It could save your life.

For information on preventing colon and rectal cancer or to learn about upcoming events, visit NewYork-Presbyterian’s Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at: http://monahancenter.org

Call your doctor today. Or, for more information on colon cancer, visit www.MakeThatCall.org

For general information, call (212) 746-5454. For information about physicians and patient programs, call (877) NYP-WELL. www.nyp.org • weill.cornell.edu Produced by the Department of Public Affairs of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, (212) 821-0560.

O u r T o w n N Y. c o m

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Dining

Uptowners’ New Drinking Guides Hybrid establishments City Swiggers and Vino-Versity teach drinkers as they serve from ciders to the strongest stouts.

Customers can purchase drafts or flights of six different beers to enjoy at one of the tables situated in the back of the store. The shop will also fill 32- or 64-oz. glass growlers with the beers on tap that patrons can take home with them.

The couple, who spent years traveling to breweries and beer conferences, carefully selected their inventory to range from rare microbrew imports such as the Belgian Hof The Upper East Side’s new City Swiggers.

Ten Doormaal to the more whimsical RJ Rockers Son of a Peach and Wells establishment that serves the wine swigBanana Bread Beer. Pamela Rice said, gers. Vino-Versity, part wine retailer, part “It’s all about educating the taste buds. educational space, opened its doors this We carry sour beers, smoked beers and past fall. fruit flavors. We also have 30 ciders and This is not the first foray into the realm seven gluten-free beers.” of wine for co-owners Shari Schneider While City Swiggers caters to the beer and Michael Vitanza. In the ’90s, the duo connoisseur, just down the street is an owned the wine-centric Divine Bars on the East and West sides, where they were among the first to offer wine and tapas pairings.

Schneider explained that their new venture was born from Divine Bar. “We Independently Owned Since 1885

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By Beth Mellow When Alan Rice left Wall Street, he turned to alcohol—beer, specifically. No, he didn’t spend his days at the local pub drinking. Instead, he decided to create a second career out of a lifelong passion.

Along with his wife Pamela, a former nonprofit executive, Rice opened City Swiggers on the Upper East Side (320 E. 86th St.) in November. The beer tasting shop, like new wine store Vino-Versity (1657 1st Ave.), is a hybrid establishment that is part retailer, part hangout.

“Beer has always been a hobby and passion of mine,” Alan Rice explained.

City Swiggers features more than 500 beers from microbreweries across the world. It’s a place where you can purchase beer by the bottle and create mixand-match six-packs to take home. The shop also features 14 regularly rotated beers on tap that include everything

held tastings regularly there and we called them ‘Vino-Versity.’ Now, at Vino-Versity [the shop], we not only offer a great selection of wines for purchase but we also have a space for tastings and classes,” she said. “What’s unique about our classes is that they are for laypeople. We don’t attempt to make anyone a wine expert.”

In a room outfitted with wooden floorboards and oak tables meant to capture the essence of a winery’s atmosphere, the store offers everything from a champagne class called “Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere,” to a two-part wine primer called “Wine Sense for the Wine Dense,” based on a curriculum that Vitanza and Schneider developed to train their staff at Divine Bar. Their most popular class, according to Schneider, is a wine-and-cheese pairing workshop called “Rind, Brined and Wined!” In addition, the shop holds “Destination Tastings” every other Tuesday, featuring 24 different wines from specific regions of the world. VinoVersity also caters to private events, even hosting a tasting of pink wines for a bachelorette celebration.

More information about City Swiggers and Vino-Versity can be found at www.cityswiggers.com and www. vinoversity.com.

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shopping

What’s in Store?

Searching for the perfect gift on Valentine’s Day can be a chore. Whether it’s finding the right size or the right card, there are almost too many options to sort through. In this week’s “What’s in Store?” we searched local shops to find that special V-Day gift for the one you love.

versary with the Love Box, six macarons ranging from pink grapefruit and vanilla to black currant and violet, all in a pink box.

Custom-Made Pillowcase, $70 stitch’T 212-860-7029, info@stitchT.com.

Instead of being conventionally boring this Valentine’s Day, wow your sweetheart with a custom-made pillowcase! stitch’T will take your vintage T-shirts and transform them into quilts, duvet covers, pillowcases and more! Clear your closet of those ratty old high school gym T-shirts and take them over to stitch’T—if you mention Our Town when you order, you’ll get a 15 percent discount. Call or email for more information.

Moet & Chandon Rosé Grafitti Valentine Gift Bag & Pen, $69.95 Sherry-Lehmann Wine and Spirits, 505 Park Ave., 212-838-7500.

This fantastic gift really brings out the artist in you. For this Valentine’s Day, get this delicious limited edition rosé; you can write a message to your love right on the bottle with the pen that comes with it.

The Love Box chocolate gift set, $21 Maison Ladurée, 864 Madison Ave. betw. 71st and 72nd Sts., 646-558-3157, www.laduree.fr.

This French pastry shop on the Upper East Side is celebrating its 150th anni-

Dylan’s Dirt Balls (for the Single and Loving It), $13.60 Dylan’s Candy Bar, 197 E. 76th St., 212452-3026, www.dylanscandybar.com.

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your relationship this Valentine’s Day, let Dylan’s Candy Bar show you the way. On their website, choose from a number of chocolaty items based on your relationship status.

Scarlet Bouquet, $100 Jerome Florists, 1379 Madison Ave., 212-289-1677, www.jeromeflorists.com.

For beautiful, best-of-the-best roses for your darling this Valentine’s Day, visit Jerome Florists. The scarlet arrangement has a dozen forever-young roses with flat seeded eucalyptus and hypernicum berries, all delicately arranged in a square vase.

Heart-Shaped Egg Mold, LOVE Toast Stamp, each $10 Maxiga, 1204 Lexington Ave., 212-288-0875.

What’s more romantic than breakfast in bed this Valentine’s Day? How about heartshaped eggs and toast with “love” printed on it? This kitschy little gift store on the Upper East Side offers a huge assortment of cuteness, but these two items would be excellent this Valentine’s Day. John Fondas’ Sailors’ Valentines, $50 Ruzzetti and Gow, 1015 Madison Ave., 212-327-4281, www.ruzzettiandgow.com.

Sailor’s valentines are probably the most romantic things to come out of the

Valentine earrings at Jaded. seafaring life. The octagonal boxes open up to beautifully intricate seashell mosaics, complete with sentimental messages that sailors would write to family and loved ones back home. Highly collectible, these timeless valentines can be appreciated in John Fondas’ book Sailors’ Valentines through pictures and histories set in a keepsake box.

Ruby Pave Earrings, $190-$225 Jaded, 1048 Madison Ave., 212-288-6631.

This little jewel spot on the Upper East Side brings the latest jewelry trends in an antique style. For Valentine’s Day, Jaded recommends these modern red-and-black dangle earrings with delicately placed diamonds.

Lace Chemise, $94 Bonne Nuit, 1193 Lexington Ave., 212-472-7300.

This unassuming lingerie/hosiery boutique has a beautiful lace chemise that’ll wow your lady this Valentine’s Day with sentiment—a powder-pink long chemise with lace at the low neckline and waist.

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black history month

Rare Look at Amendment Banning Slavery

By Joanna Fantozzi On the 147th anniversary of the signing of the 13th Amendment last week, the New York-Historical Society unveiled a rare copy of the historic manuscript signed by President Abraham Lincoln, a document that has not been displayed in New York for almost half a century.

The document is on loan from David Rubenstein, philanthropist and founder of the Carlyle Group. It is one of only 13 known copies of the signed amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865, and will be displayed at the Historical Society until April 1.

Rubenstein unveiled the exhibit for 160 students from three city schools. The event also called attention to the need for schools to reinvigorate history education, with Rubenstein applauding the students’ enthusiasm for American history.

“I hope that many people have a chance to take a look at this,” Rubenstein said. “You should take this document as the symbol of our country being reborn.”

The signed 13th Amendment is an unusual historical document because presidents rarely sign amendments, said Jim Basker, president of the Gilder-

andrew schwartz

Lehrman Institute, a New York-Historical speaker and later vice presiSociety partner. Lincoln’s signature repredent under Ulysses S. Grant, sents the document’s historical and ideoowned this particular copy logical importance to the 16th president, of the 13th Amendment. The said Basker. Lincoln died just months document has long since before the amendment went into effect. faded and the text is practiThe unveiling of the document also cally illegible, requiring proaligns with the beginning of Black History tection from the elements. it Month, which was particularly resonant had to be evaluated by a confor some of the younger attendees. servator before being placed “If this amendment had never hapin the glass display case. pened, I would not be here,” said Giselle In addition to this Cuevas, an eighth grader at KIPP Charter Philanthropist David Rubenstein spoke to students last rare document, the NewSchool. “We learned a lot about the his- week at the New-York Historical Society for the unveiling York Historical Society tory of African Americans and since I’m of a copy of the 13th Amendment signed by Lincoln. has acquired first-hand black, that’s very important to me.” notes of the Constitutional The Historical Society last year wel- is so real,” said Noreen Coughlin, an 8th Convention, which have been on display at comed one school’s mural, which com- grade history teacher at I.S. 259. “Most of the museum since November. Mirrer said bined scenes from American history with them have never even been here before.” that through the display of these precious art deco style and the Greek myths. By The installation is on display in the documents and other exhibits, she and placing an emphasis on educating stu- American History section of the museum. others at the New York-Historical Society dents about American history, Society The Society obtained the artifact from want to educate Americans and bring hisPresident Louise Mirrer hopes to help Rubenstein over a year ago; he bought it tory education back into the spotlight. end what she called “an epidemic of his- at an auction for an undisclosed amount Basker agreed. “A lot of people think torical illiteracy.” However, she described of money. Rubenstein, a philanthropist history is a bunch of facts and figures, but the student guests from I.S. 259, KIPP and and self-proclaimed history lover, owns it has to be about imagination,” he said.

Notre Dame as exemplary students and many historical documents, including a “To be able to come and see Abe Lincoln’s praised their high test scores. handwriting—if that excites a kid, then T:10”1297 copy of the Magna Carta.

“They see the history in a book, but this Schuyler Colfax, who served as house you’ve won the game.”

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Healthy Manhattan a monthly advertising supplement

The Heartbeat Goes On Robotics and old-fashioned patient care on the new frontier of cardiology treatments

By Alexander Tucciarone In New York City, about 20,000 people die from heart disease every year. Hospitals across Manhattan have tackled cardiovascular disease in recent years by combining new and minimally invasive procedures with a focus on community outreach.

“Fixing heart valves using catheters is the new frontier,” said Dr. Gregory Fontana, chief of cardiac surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. “That’s where all the action is right now.”

Repairing the heart’s valves with procedures that are less invasive than open-heart surgery is possible because of advances in surgical robotics; surgeons can now operate on the heart through a very small incision between the patient’s ribs. An advantage of this new approach is that it doesn’t require surgeons to split open the patient’s chest with a 10- to 12-inch incision. By removing that step from the process, doctors greatly reduce the amount of strain placed on the body during surgery.

Lenox Hill is not the only hospital currently pioneering the use of microrobotics in the treatment of cardiac patients. Dr. Didier Loulmet, a cardiac surgeon at NYU Langone Medical Center, is also increasingly reliant on this new type of surgery and its reduced invasiveness.

“This is now my technique of choice for patients with degenerative mitral valve disease,” Loulmet said. “When I see patients three months after they’ve undergone a robotic mitral valve

O u r To w n NY. c o m

repair, it’s hard to tell they’ve had heart surgery.”

And advances in technology are not limited to using surgical microrobots for valve repair. Dr. Vivek Reddy at Mt. Sinai Hospital is a leader in the use of renal sympathetic denervation, a surgery for patients suffering from hypertension.

Surgeons performing renal sympathetic denervation insert a catheter through the patient’s leg that cauterizes the tissue inside the arteries around the kidney. During this half-hour-long procedure, surgeons never touch the heart itself.

Reddy began performing this procedure at Mt. Sinai a year ago and in that time, 20 patients have undergone the surgery. Results at Mt. Sinai have matched those for the procedure worldwide, with 80 percent of patients experiencing significantly reduced hypertension.

“At this point, the procedure is still in the clinical trial phase,” Reddy said.

“But the potential for patient benefit is

enormous.”

Advances in cardiac imaging have also contributed to the reduced invasiveness of the latest surgeries. Using ultrasound technology, physicians can now generate a 3-D sonogram of the heart. Dennis Finkielstein, director of ambulatory cardiology at Beth Israel Medical Center, is a proponent of this cutting-edge technology.

“Echocardiography and 3-D imaging have provided an unprecedented level of perspective from a noninvasive look at the body,” Dr. Finkielstein said.

Another new technique for treating heart patients called cardiac cooling has been pioneered by Bellevue Hospital. This treatment involves lowering a patient’s body temperature to between 89.6 and 93.2 degrees following a typically fatal cardiac arrest. About 50 people have undergone cardiac cooling at Bellevue in recent years, and more than half of these patients’ hearts have recovered from the cardiac arrest.

“Cardiac cooling is a major advance in patient care,” said Dr. Norma Keller,

chief of cardiology at Bellevue Hospital.

“It has become part of the Bellevue tradition of providing progressive, cutting-edge care at the forefront of cardiovascular procedures.”

Improvement in the treatment of cardiac patients has gone beyond technological innovation and into fresh ways of approaching those suffering from heart disease. The Coach Program at Mt. Sinai is typical of this new level of engagement with patients.

The program runs for 18 months and focuses on patients identified as suffering from hypertension. Patients receive a call from a Mt. Sinai nurse once a week inquiring about their health and reminding them to take their medications. About 85 percent of participants have controlled their blood pressure within three months of beginning this routine.

Mary Ann McLaughlin, medical director of the cardiac health program at Mt. Sinai, is a leading advocate of this program.

“The sense of concern from these phone calls is a major part of the program’s success,” Dr. McLaughlin said.

“We are empowering patients to take care of their own health.”

This new emphasis on engagement has also taken Mt. Sinai administrators out into the community. Mt. Sinai’s proximity to Central and East Harlem, neighborhoods with the city’s highest rates of heart disease, has made this mission all the more crucial.

Dr. Icilma Fergus, director of cardiovascular disparities at Mt. Sinai, now leads the Harlem Healthy Eating Services, which meets on the third Wednesday of every month and is focused on improving the diet of New York’s underserved communities as a way to fight heart disease.

“The highest rate of heart disease and diabetes in New York City are in Central and East Harlem,” Fergus said.

“The mission is to champion cardiovascular health across all communities—using a grassroots approach, we affect people at their own level, developing their sense of management over their daily lives.”

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Healthy Manhattan

Getting to the Root of Heart Disease Dentists & cardiologists work together on links to gum and heart problems

By Ashley Welch Brushing, flossing and biannual dental checkups may be advice you start hearing from other doctors in addition to your dentist. That’s because good oral hygiene can do more for you than a healthy smile—it may actually help prevent other health problems, including heart disease, according to researchers.

For years, studies have established a link between periodontal disease, a serious type of gum disease, and illnesses, including diabetes, stroke and low birth weight. Recent research has also found evidence of a connection between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease, the narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.

“There’s definitely an association there,” said Dr. Ronald G. Craig, associate professor of basic science & craniofacial biology and of periodontology & implant dentistry at the NYU College of Dentistry.

“With all of these conditions, there’s one common denominator and that’s periodontal disease.”

Research shows that people with gum disease, symptoms of which include swollen, receding and bleeding gums, bad breath and loose teeth, are twice as likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States according to the Center for Disease and Control.

Though researchers are still trying to get a better understanding of the link between periodontal and coronary artery disease, several theories exist to explain the connection.

One theory suggests that bacteria present in periodontal disease can enter the blood stream, increasing the hardening of the arteries throughout the body and infecting the heart valves.

However, more recent research suggests that it may be inflammation that links periodontal disease to other chronic

conditions like heart disease.

“What we are finding as clinicians and researchers is that the chemicals that are present during periods of inflammation are the same in our mouths as they are in our hearts,” said Dr. Philip D. Ragno, director of cardiovascular health and wellness at the Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. An inflammatory response is an overreaction of the immune system where inflammation mediators, chemicals, are released and cause damage to tissues in the body.

Patients with periodontal disease have elevated levels of these chemicals, which may cause damage elsewhere in the body, including the heart.

“In the mouth, these chemicals may damage the roots of our teeth and cause

People with gum disease are twice as likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems.

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tooth loss and bleeding gums,” Ragno explained. “In the heart and elsewhere in our bodies, they can cause inflammation and weakness in the arterial walls. This will allow for the accumulation of cholesterol, initially as soft plaque and later as hard plaque. If this process progresses to a dangerous level, it can ultimately lead to heart attack or sudden death.”

As a result of the connection between the two diseases, physicians and dentists alike are pushing to work together in a team approach to address the issue.

“By having cardiologists screen for periodontal disease and having dentists screen for coronary artery disease risk factors, a bidirectional referral process will allow patients to get proper care,” Ragno said.

Patients can also take steps to decrease their risk of periodontal disease, thus decreasing the risk of other health complications.

“Unfortunately, most patients do not exhibit signs of periodontal disease until the more advanced stages,” said Dr. Laura Torrado, a cosmetic and restorative dentist practicing on Central Park South. “So what we really push is for prevention rather than treatment when

problems arise.”

Torrado notes that certain risk factors are out of patients’ control. Older adults, as well as people with a genetic predisposition, are more likely to develop periodontal disease. In addition, hormone changes in females as a result of pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives and menopause may increase the risk of periodontal disease.

However, not partaking in other risk factors, including smoking and poor eating habits, can greatly reduce the risk of developing gum disease. Another important factor is maintaining good oral hygiene.

“The first line of defense is brushing twice a day, flossing and using an antibacterial mouthwash,” Torrado said. “The second line of defense would be to come in at least twice a year for dental cleanings and a checkup.”

Craig noted that more research needs to be done “in order to see if treating patients with periodontal disease will effectively decrease the risk of heart disease.”

For now, he said, it is important that patients do all they can to prevent periodontal disease and get treatment if they notice any symptoms.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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Healthy Manhattan

Macular Degeneration is up as Boomers Age Early prevention is key with leading cause of vision loss

By Dr. Cynthia Paulis Jim G. was an engineer who traveled the world after he retired, going to China, Africa, Madagascar, Europe, North and South America. Now 84, he is afraid to cross the street because of his macular degeneration.

About 1.75 million Americans have advanced age-related macular degeneration with vision loss, and that number is expected to grow to almost 3 million by 2020. The disease is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans who are age 55 and older.

It occurs when the small, central portion of the retina known as the macula deteriorates. The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of the eye.

The disease develops as a person ages and can cause significant visual disability.

Dr. Roland Smith, professor of opthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center, said the aging population is one reason for the increase.

“We also have much better ocular and diagnostic examinations being performed, so before, patients were being dismissed and told that their eyes were getting old and their vision was failing,” he added. “Now they are being identified as having macular degeneration.”

Macular degeneration comes in two forms: dry and wet. In the dry form, “cells actually die, and the patches of dead cells known as drusen shown by the appearance of yellow deposits can coalesce in the area of central vision,” Smith said. A few drusen may not cause changes in vision but, as they grow in size and as their numbers increase, a person may have a dimming or distortion of vision when they read. In its advanced stages, patients will have blind spots and eventually lose their central vision but many times will retain their peripheral vision.

The dry form can develop to the wet, “where new blood vessels grow under the macula and bleed, causing a sudden catastrophic visual loss,” Smith said. When blood vessels leak blood and fluid into the retina, the vision is distorted, making

straight lines look wavy. Fortunately, only 10 percent of people with macular degeneration go on to develop the wet form.

Some of the first signs and symptoms of macular degeneration may go unnoticed until it starts to affect both eyes. The first sign is usually a distortion of straight lines, which progresses to a gradual loss of central vision.

Dark blurry areas or white-outs appears in the center of vision with diminished or changed color perception. There is an increasing need for bright light when reading or doing close work.

Soon, words on a page become blurry and

Some of the first signs and symptoms of macular degeneration may go unnoticed until it starts to affect both eyes.

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there is difficulty in recognizing faces.

A risk factor for macular degeneration is heredity. Jim’s mother had macular degeneration; both of them were also smokers, a big risk factor because it alters the vessels in your eyes.

Jim, who quit smoking more than 20 years ago, said, “I can see large objects, especially those that are well lit, but at a distance, not so much. It makes me fearful when crossing a street because I can’t see a car 30 or 40 feet away. On depth perception, one of the irritating things is that I have difficulty putting toothpaste on my toothbrush. I no longer write because I can’t see what I write and I no longer drive.”

In the past, he was treated with lasers but now Jim receives injections in his eye to treat his disease.

Dr. Shantan Reddy, a vitreoretinal surgeon at NYU Langone, explained the procedure. “We inject an antibody into the eye to combat a molecule that is respon-

sible for the wet form of macular degeneration. This has revolutionized care…It is not a cure for the wet form, but it does slow it down dramatically.”

He said the injections are done once a month and are not painful.

Along with the injections, the treatment places patients on a high-dose formulation of antioxidants, which seem to help reduce the progression of the disease. The formula includes vitamins C, E and A, zinc and copper.

Reddy stressed the importance of getting eye exams before there is a noticeable problem because vitamins can prevent macular degeneration from worsening. He recommends eating green leafy vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants such as fish, cereal and milk.

High cholesterol and hypertension can also exacerbate the disease. He also suggested wearing sunglasses for ultraviolet protection for the eyes.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Women’s Healthcare Services Returns to Tribeca Following the closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital, many physicians came to New York Downtown Hospital so they could continue to serve their patients on the West Side. With the opening of a new Center on 40 Worth Street, we are pleased to welcome two exceptional physicians back to the community. They will be working in collaboration with physicians from Weill Cornell Medical Associates.

Dr. Zhanna Fridel and Dr. Vanessa Pena are board certified obstetricians and gynecologists utilizing leading diagnostic and treatment methodologies across a broad spectrum of women’s health issues.

• Normal and High Risk Obstetrical Care • Complete Well Woman Care • Diagnosis and Treatment of Gynecologic Conditions • Laparoscopic Surgery • Osteoporosis Detection and Treatment • Urogynecology (female urology) • Cord Blood Banking • Cervical Cancer Vaccination • Menopausal Management • Contraception

For an appointment with Dr. Fridel and Dr. Pena,

call (212) 238-0180

40 Worth Street, Suite 402, New York, NY 10013

www.downtownhospital.org

O u r T o w n N Y. c o m

The Moody’s Foundation Center For Cardiovascular Health At New York Downtown Hospital

Through the generosity of the Moody’s Foundation, New York Downtown Hospital created a comprehensive, state-of-the-art center that focuses on the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cardiovascular disease through a holistic, integrative approach. Our team of physicians works with you to assess your cardiovascular risk and design individualized treatment plans that allow you to live a healthier, more active life. Our cardiovascular specialists can also perform procedures at NewYorkPresbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center, allowing our patients access to innovative treatment options.

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Center has been recognized for its high level of service, and we offer Cardiovascular Wellness Evaluations designed to attain a multi-faceted approach to achieving your best health.

We are committed to providing a superior level of care and patient service, and invite you to learn more about the services we offer. Consultations and testing services are easily scheduled with a single phone call, and in most cases can be arranged and performed within 24 to 48 hours. Most major insurance plans are accepted, and convenient appointments are available, including early morning and late afternoon visits.

For an appointment with Dr. Fridel and Dr. Pena,

call (212) 238-0180

40 Worth Street, Suite 402, New York, NY 10013

www.downtownhospital.org February 9, 2012

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Separation of church and state is too important to tamper with

By Jessica Lappin How would you react if you found out that our public schools were being regularly turned over to far-right churches that believe—and argue—that gay and lesbian Americans are less than equal? Or that exclude people who haven’t been baptized?

You might be, as I am, stunned and outraged.

Yet, this is precisely what has been going on, almost unnoticed, over the past decade here in New York City.

In 2001, a federal court ruling forced the city to open public school doors to religious groups, not simply for an occasional meeting or a youth group but for regular religious services. Since then, a growing number of our public schools have been doubling as churches on nights and weekends. And most pay little, if anything, for the privilege; often nothing more than the custodial fees.

Many of these religious organizations are part of a “church planting” movement whose stated goal is to see a church in each and every school in New York City.

They are well on their way: Ten years ago, just a handful of churches were using our schools as houses of worship. Today, that number is about 160.

But that is all slated to end shortly.

Last June, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Second Circuit ruled that worship services could be excluded from public schools and that subsidizing houses of worship risks violating the constitutional ban on the establishment of a state religion. As

a result, the city gave these churches a from rolling back equality for women to fomenting hatred of other faiths and February deadline to move out.

Now they are fighting back with state peoples.

I appreciate the great work that so legislation, State Senate Bill 6087-A and Assembly Bill 8800, which would explic- many religious institutions do for our itly authorize religious worship on public city and have worked alongside many on school property. What’s more, the legis- issues of common concern and purpose. lation is so broad that it would “prohibit But the wall separating church and state the adoption of restrictions to exclude is a critical component of our successful or limit speech during non-school hours, democracy. Nowhere in America is that wall more important than including speech that in 21st-century New York, expresses religious conduct a city more culturally, or viewpoints.” ethnically and religiously What would that mean? diverse than any in history.

It would mean that the On Feb. 2, the City Bronx Household of Faith, Council held a hearing on the lead plaintiff in the a resolution, which has court case and the church been signed by 35 counbehind this legislation, cil members, urging the could continue to use P.S. state Legislature to pass 15 to rail against marriage this measure. Given the equality for lesbian and testimony that we heard, I gay New Yorkers. It would Jessica Lappin. hope that a solid majority mean the Heritage Baptist Church could continue to use M690 High of the City Council will join me in strongly School in Queens to condemn our public opposing it.

As a graduate of New York City’s public schools (while preaching inside them!) schools and the mother of a son about to for teaching tolerance of homosexuality.

It would leave the Department of enter kindergarten, I believe strongly that Education powerless to block a contro- our public schools should remain schools versial pastor like John Hagee from using and not become houses of worship. our schools and arguing, as he has, that Jessica Lappin is a New York City the Holocaust was part of God’s plan to relocate Jews from Europe to Israel. And Council member representing the Upper it would potentially put our tax dollars East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt to work subsidizing—thereby support- Island. She is a member of the City ing—all kinds of radical “religious” views, Council’s Education Committee. andrew schwartz

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Schools Shouldn’t Double as Houses of Worship

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F ebruary 9, 2012

No Dump on East Side

In response to your article on the ill-proposed marine transfer station at 91st Street, I want to clear up an important misperception. The statistics around median household income in the boroughs that have MTSs hide the fact that these are built in commercial, not residential areas. There are no residences, schools or community services in the immediate areas surrounding these stations.

This is in sharp contrast to the proposed site at 91st Street and the East River. This is a densely populated residential neighborhood, including housing projects located less than 1,000 feet from the site. The access road to the MTS literally bisects Asphalt Green, a community center that serves 20,000 children a year.

This would be the only MTS located in a residential area in all of New York City. Right now, Manhattan’s trash is transported on clean-air vehicles to a cogeneration plant in New Jersey, where it is converted to electrical energy.

The best comments from OurTownNY.com

Given all of the urgent issues our city faces when it comes to education and emergency services, all New Yorkers should be outraged that our elected officials want to spend upwards of $200 million of our taxpayer dollars on a “bridge to nowhere” and in the process destroy a vibrant neighborhood.

—Natalie Clare Another thing I find troubling: there are comparatively few parks along the East River, and Carl Schurz Park is probably the most beautiful and most utilized. Everyone comes, every language is heard, every age group represented. The benches that face outward to that broad expanse of water where the two rivers meet is one of the most beautiful sights on either side of Manhattan and is a real haven for the seniors, among others, who occupy those benches any day when the weather isn’t terrible.

They are barely two blocks from the pro-

posed garbage station. With one sweep of their political hands, Ms. Quinn and Mr. Bloomberg wipe off the face of the East Side the best children’s fitness center and the most serviceable, loveliest park along the East River.

—E. Diamond As an Upper East Side resident, I find it appalling that this mayor and his rubberstamp political followers like Christine Quinn have the nerve to attempt to force this environmental disaster upon our residential neighborhood. I can assure you that if Mr. Bloomberg was living in Gracie Mansion, this idea would never happen. This marine transfer station is ill-planned, ill-conceived and should never be allowed to be built.

Let the mayor look in industrial areas where this belongs and stop refusing to do so.

The entire Upper East Side community is united in making this issue Mr. Mayor’s Waterloo.

—Halgofish

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

MOORe tHOuGHtS

Let’s Do a Little Less Voting All those scheduled elections prove it’s past time for reform

By Christopher Moore What we say about voting does not mesh well with how we do it.

We talk about voting as if it matters, as if we want Americans to do it, as if this obligation of citizenship is a priority.

But we too rarely make it easy to vote.

Sometimes, we set up barriers. Other times, we create scheduling chaos.

Nationally, especially over the past four years, Republicans have tried to make the trip to the polls more onerous through state laws covering millions of prospective votes—especially votes that would likely be for President Barack Obama. There has been a call for more identification requirements, among other notions, allegedly targeting the largely overstated problem of voter fraud. Increasingly, national Republicans care as much about ballot access as Mitt Romney cares about poor people.

Statewide, we are having trouble with our dates. Last week, U.S. Judge Gary Sharpe moved New York’s congressional primary to June 26, permitting more

time for absentee balloting. The judge is among those who believe that active military personnel should be encouraged to participate in the system they defend. A wacky thought—as is the idea of having time to count those ballots.

Other dates for New Yorkers to remember this year: April 24, for the presidential primary; Sept. 11, for the previously scheduled state primary; and Nov. 6, the general election.

Take the dates one by one. April 24, when 95 delegates will be chosen, could conceivably matter in the Republican race. Democrats can decide whether to give a boost to the president. He doesn’t recognize my right to my same-sex marriage; I don’t recognize his right to a second term. But maybe we’ll make up in time for the Nov. 6 vote, the biggie.

In between, there’s that statewide primary on Sept. 11, obviously a dark day on our calendar. That’s also the primary to cancel. The sensible conclusion: one primary for congressional and statewide legislative races and local ones, too. Vote

on all of that in June.

The governor has weighed in; last week he said that taxpayers don’t want to pay for three elections. True. He was quoted in the Daily News as saying, “Who’s going to come out just for a congressional election?” That’s a fair question, especially for those of us who live in districts where the incumbent is set for life, even if he should have been indicted by now. Once we get to the point where there’s a primary set solely for congressional races, it’s a sure sign that reform is overdue.

Let’s try leading for a change. Granted, it’s way too late for this state to become a pioneer in early voting. Even Florida— where they famously fight over whether to count ballots once they’re cast— caught on a while back. As we were reminded last week between clips of ads about the evils of Newt Gingrich, Florida no longer forces its citizens to stop everything and vote on just one day. New York should implement something similar.

So, step one: Nobody should vote four times this year. Three times is one too many, but we’ll live with it, knowing that picking a president is a messy business.

Step two: Pass an early-voting law. Give voters options. Step three, if we dare to dream: Provide a machine that inspires confidence.

The newest system, as close as the downstairs lobby for those of us who are lucky on Election Day, usually features a message about how something went wrong with the voter’s ballot. Then come the reassuring words from the able poll workers on the front lines of democracy.

Wouldn’t it be better to have technology that does not require reassurance to begin with?

That may be too much to hope for.

In the meantime, we can prove we care about voting by doing it just a little less frequently over more days. This state played a critical role in opening voting rights to all of its citizens, especially women. New Yorkers must think seriously about the right ways to exercise a key right.

Christopher Moore is a writer living in Manhattan. He is available by email at ccmnj@aol.com and on Twitter (@ cmoorenyc).

citiquette

I’ll Favor You But only if you ask the right way

By Jeanne Martinet It was not raining hard, just enough for it to be unpleasant. I was carrying groceries in both hands and was looking forward to the dry warmth of my apartment. Suddenly, I heard myself hailed by someone. I looked up from under my dripping hood to see an acquaintance, Lynn, a friend of a friend, standing in the doorway of the Verizon store. I had seen her around the neighborhood and we had stopped to chat several times.

“Jeanne, just the person I need!” Lynn called, waving me over. “Would you mind watching my car while I finish up this transaction in here?” She pointed to a white car double-parked a little farther down the street. “If a cop comes, just act like it’s your car and you’re about to move it.”

While the asking of favors is certainly a common human behavior, I am convinced the number of favors exchanged is in direct proportion to the number of residents per square mile. In a crowded city, we often find ourselves in the position of having O u r To w n NY. c o m

strangers ask us for favors—whether it be holding someone’s place in a line, saving a seat in the movie theater or helping someone get on the bus. We share a “we’re all in this together” feeling and look upon each other as comrades in battle.

Then there are the kind of favor you often need done simply because of life in New York, such as having someone take in a package for you or let the super into your apartment while you are at work (or the granddaddy of all New York favors, helping you move).

I have noticed recently that many people do not use the proper etiquette when asking favors. Adhering to the following guidelines will not just please Emily Post, it will help ensure your favor actually gets done: • Always acknowledge that you are asking for a favor; don’t try to slip it in, hoping the other person won’t notice you are asking him to do something for you.

In other words, preface your request with “I have a favor to ask you.”

• It’s not a bad idea to employ a little flattery (you can call this love or positive energy if you don’t like the word “flattery”). Telling the person something like, “You’re so amazingly good at this kind of thing,” can’t hurt.

• Be humble (“I do so hate to ask you, I feel as if I’m imposing”) and show you are flexible—that you will try to make sure this favor can be done when and how it is most convenient for the other person. Also, always give an out (“If you can’t do this for me, it’s totally fine.”) Obviously, when the favor is granted, show plenty of gratitude.

According to Webster’s, the definition of “favor” is “a kind act, something done or granted out of good will rather than from justice or for remuneration.” You should never do a favor for someone else if you expect something in return—other than, perhaps, a thank you. You may hope the other person will return the favor some day, but you shouldn’t count on it.

Perhaps most importantly, when you are asking someone for a favor, be sure it

is an appropriate request—that is, something you can not do by yourself—and that the person you are asking is the right person for the job. You would not ask someone with a herniated disc to help you move a couch. And you should not ask someone you hardly know to stand out in the rain and watch your car, unless it is clearly an emergency.

And what is the right way to turn someone down? There is an art to dodging favors, just as there is an art to favorasking. Don’t be afraid to lie. The white lie is something everyone uses but most won’t admit to.

But I’ll admit to it. When I was standing in front of the Verizon store, annoyed at Lynn’s overstepping, I felt like saying, “I don’t even know you, I’m standing here in the rain with bags in my hands and I’m not wild about lying to the police, so, NO!” What I said instead was, “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, I’d love to help you out but I’ve got someone showing up at my door in five minutes. I’ll only just make it home as it is. Good luck!”

Jeanne Martinet, aka Miss Mingle, is the author of seven books on social interaction. Read her blog at MissMingle.com.

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