Our Town July 28, 2011

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Does Co-Locating Charter Schools Work?

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Where Shakespeare is the Main Act

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Tingle Mines Politics for Humor

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express LEADERS TALK SHOP—Upper East Side for Change will hold the second of a series of informal talks with local Democratic legislators on Thursday, July 28, 5-7 p.m. at 301 E. 75th St. #19A. Council Member Jessica Lappin will share insights from her experience on the City Council and an update on the proposed marine waste transfer station at East 91 Street. A UESFC general meeting will immediately follow. Refreshments will be served. To sign up, contact Monica at uesforchange@gmail.com.

—Megan Finnegan

LOCAL

outline of the plans for the waterfront esplanade.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity in which residents can contribute to crucial urban planning goals in their own community that will expand park space, reconnect East Midtown to the waterfront and help close the gap in the Greenway around Manhattan,” said Krueger in a statement.

The first forum is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. at NYU Medical Center, 550 First Ave. —Ashley Welch

City OffiCials Get OffiCially Married

PUBLIC FORUM FOR ESPLANADE IDEAS— COMMUNITY STREET FAIR—The East Sixties Neighborhood Association (ESNA) is holding its 11th annual street fair on Sunday, August 7 from 12 to 5 p.m.

The festival will run on East 60th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues and will include a wide selection of vendors selling food and beverages, jewelry, clothing, crafts, gifts and items from a white elephant table.

—Karen Zheng SYMPHONY WINS NATIONAL AWARD—The Park Avenue Chamber

Symphony and its music director, David Bernard, won First Prize in the 2011 American Prize competition in Orchestra Performance for its piece, Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2.

The American Prize is a series of nonprofit national competitions that provides cash awards and regional, national and international recognition for the best-recorded performances of music by

east side Bares New fruit aNd VeGGies

andrew schwartz

State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh and Council Member Dan Garodnick announced last week that they will hold a series of public forums in August and September to seek the public’s input on a plan that would allow the United Nations to construct a new building on a portion of a public park in exchange for major park and waterfront open space improvements on Manhattan’s East Side.

Under a law recently signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, a recreation space on First Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets, currently the western part of Robert Moses Playground, would be transferred to the UN only if an agreement can be reached by October 10 to replace the lost parkland, create greater access to the East River and develop waterfront amenities in the area.

The goal of the forums is to reach a community-led consensus on the details of what is now a very broadly defined

With their children looking on, New York City’s Chief Policy Advisor and Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt and Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz exchange rings at Gracie Mansion while Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiates their marriage ceremony.

ensembles and individuals each year in the United States.

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony performs concerts at venues throughout New York City, including All Saints Church on the Upper East Side, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall.

The orchestra also supports organizations that bring music education to New York City children. They recently raised over $100,000 for the Harmony Program, an organization that provides music lessons to economically disadvantaged children. In December, the orchestra will be heading to China for a tour at the invitation of Beijing Concert Hall Corporation.

The award-winning live recording of Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 can be downloaded from iTunes, Amazon.com and Naxos/ClassicsOnline.

—AW OFFICIAL QUESTIONS DISAPPEARING Borough COMPLAINTS—Manhattan

andrew schwartz

A pile of corn towering over her, a shopper inspects the newly opened East Side Fairway supermarket at 86th Street.

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President Scott Stringer is investigating the case of the vanishing pothole complaints. Earlier this year, his staff began submitting pothole complaints via the online 311 system. Upon following up by phone, they discovered that 311 had no record of the complaints. Overall the staff has noted 134 missing complaints that the Department of Transportation has no way to address.

“It would appear that online 311 pothole complaints are, in fact, falling into a black hole,” said Stringer in a state-

ment. “The fact that these complaints are being lost raises questions about what other types of calls may be falling through the cracks.”

Stringer is calling on the Department of Information and Telecommunications to fix the problem and reveal information about the contractors who are responsible for integrating the online system.

“New Yorkers deserve to know whether outside contractors hired by the city are receiving proper oversight from relevant mayoral agencies,” Stringer said.

—MF HEALTH EVENTS—The Mount Sinai School of Medicine has multiple community events promoting health and well-being coming up in August.

There is a community breast health education and screening program on Monday, August 8, from 12 to 3 p.m. at 212 E. 106th St., between Second and Third avenues. Drop-in support groups for women coping with breast cancer will take place on Mondays, 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 16 E. 98th St. 1B (Bell #30). Group crafts and yoga sessions will be available Wednesdays; for more information, contact 212-987-3053. Mount Sinai is also holding a greenmarket every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 99th Street and Madison Avenue, during which choosing sweets, monitoring salt intake, building a healthy plate and screening for blood pressure will be discussed.

—KZ

COMMUNITY

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“When I started the project, I wondered how much I could learn about Irving Berlin and Beekman Place,” she said. “There were a lot of biographies of him and I read them all, but they didn’t say much about the house itself and how the family lived in it.”

Hanlon spoke with Berlin’s daughters and they described what it had been like living there.

“They were so kind in sharing the details of those years when they lived in

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By Allen Houston Echoes of Irving Berlin music floated out of the Luxembourg House and on to the East River as a packed house gathered recently for a signing of the book The Luxembourg House on Beekman Place: Three Portraits in Time.

The Luxembourg Embassy published the book in honor of its 20th anniversary at 17 Beekman Place. Over its history, the house has also been home to James Forrestal, the first U.S. secretary of defense, as well as Irving Berlin, one of the living legends of American songwriting, who lived there with his family for 42 years.

The book was born from a paper that neighborhood resident Debra Pickrel wrote for an urban history course in graduate school. Her assignment was to write about a house in the neighborhood where she lived. The Beekman Place house caught her attention every time she passed by.

“I was always captivated by the house,” she said. “It’s a touch of magic in Manhattan.”

Pickrel received approval from Consul General Francois Knaff and, with the help of co-authors Pamela Hanlon and Marianne Matthews, went to work on the project.

The book is divided into three chapters that cover the life and breadth of the majestic East Side manor.

The book’s prologue looks at the history of the Beekman Hill neighborhood, while the first chapter, “The Forrestal Years,” examines the building of the house, its ornate features and looks at James and Jo Forrestal, the house’s original owners.

The family commissioned the house in 1929, though it wasn’t completed until 1932. Forrestal was president of the investment bank Dillon, Read & Co. and his wife Jo was an editor at Vogue magazine. In 1940, he moved to Washington to work for President Franklin Roosevelt.

Eventually, he became the first U.S. secretary of defense.

Although he discussed moving back to the house on Beekman Place, the family finally sold the house in 1946 to songwriter Irving Berlin. He and his family lived there until 1989.

Pamela Hanlon, another neighborhood resident, penned the chapter on the Berlin years at Beekman Place.

the house,” she said.

The last chapter of the book focuses on 1990 to the present, after the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg purchased the house and turned it into an embassy.

Marianne Matthews, a local writer who has attended several events at the embassy, penned that chapter.

“My goal was to cover everything that happens there today and to keep the flair of the house,” she said.

In addition to containing the official U.N. consulate, the Luxembourg House also contains the country’s National Tourist Office, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, the Trade and Investment Office and a cultural arm.

“It’s a home away from home for Luxembourg citizens in New York and a place to forge better relationships with the United States,” Matthews said.

The Luxembourg House on Beekman Place: Three Portraits in Time can be ordered from amazon.com.

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news

Learning to Co-exist Public advocate unveils plan to get public schools and charters to play nice

By Megan Finnegan Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is calling out the Department of Education for not sharing well.

As many Upper West Side parents are acutely aware, the DOE routinely places different schools in the same buildings, a process called co-location. De Blasio has been studying the way the DOE handles co-locations, and a report, “Consensus for Reform: A Plan for Collaborative School Co-Locations,” released by his office last week, details the ways that the DOE can do a better job with this tricky but necessary process.

The report calls for the DOE to standardize the site selection process, clarify communications and bring parents more fully into the decision-making process for co-locations. It suggests changes at the city and state level to allow for more conscientious and publicly informed planning before a co-location is finalized.

“I support mayoral control but I don’t see the kind of democracy and due pro-

cess and checks and balances that mayoral control was supposed to guarantee,” said de Blasio at a recent press conference. “People go to a panel on education policy in the hundreds and the thousands and it makes no difference whatsoever— that is not mayoral control as many of us hoped it would be.”

De Blasio emphasized one of the parents’ main gripes: they feel left out of the process and can’t contribute opinions until it comes time for angry protests.

Nowhere is this more apparent than at the sites of co-located charter schools.

On the Upper West Side, parents, elected officials and other education advocates have been lobbying against the co-location of Upper West Success, a new charter school, in the Brandeis High School complex. Opponents of the DOE’s plan have sued to stop the impending co-location, citing the inappropriateness of inserting kindergarten and 1st grade students into a high school facility. The battle has been contentious.

“The DOE has a system that pits parents against parents,” said Regina Castro, a member of the advocacy group New York Communities for Change and parent of a son with special needs who she says has been shunted by the DOE’s colocation policies.

“The biggest losers of the co-location process are the students,” she said.

“Students are doing speech therapy in hallways and stairwells [because they have run out of classroom space].”

Sonya Hampton, a parent of elementary school-aged kids who attend P.S. 149 in Harlem, is adamant that her children get the short end of the stick in their public school’s co-location with two separate charter schools, Harlem Success Academy 1 and a Harlem Children’s Zone pre-kindergarten program, as well as with two other public schools in the building.

“My main thing was look, let me get on the PTA because right now, something’s happening in my community and they’re not involving the people,” said Hampton.

Now her children are feeling the squeeze as Harlem Success grows. The DOE submitted a proposal at the end of last year to allow Harlem Success to add three additional grades to the building. With space already at a premium and

public school kids having to walk out of their way to use bathrooms and entrances, parents like Hampton wonder when the DOE is going revise their co-location strategy—or if they have one at all.

“So far it seems like we have been ignored by the DOE. This whole idea of putting an elementary school in a building with high school students does not make any sense,” said Lisa Steglich, a parent of a student at Frank McCourt High School, one of the schools co-located at the Brandeis complex. “We have to do everything we can to make our voices heard, to let the DOE know that the way they went about this entire process did not comport with education law and that fundamentally it’s not a good idea. It’s a waste of taxpayer money.”

The public advocate pointed out that the battle should be between all parents and the DOE, not parents fighting against other parents.

“If anyone tries to stereotype this as charter schools versus traditional public schools, they’re missing the point,” said de Blasio. “The DOE’s policies are actually fostering division and conflict, largely between charter parents and traditional public school parents. Those are divisions we don’t need to have.”

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news

Shakespeare is Main Act at Society Honoring Bard

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Kids in the Hunts Point Children’s Shakespeare program. as holding pre- and post-show discussions for outside productions, sponsoring open rehearsals and workshops and running programs to bring Shakespeare into schools.

“We did something with Julie Taymor last year for The Tempest,” said Austin.

“We served popcorn, we brought kids from our Hunts Point Children’s Shakespeare ensemble in the South Bronx. They had done The Tempest with us—they do a year-long program with us and they did a full mounted production of Shakespeare.

It was wonderful. David Strathairn went upstairs with them and you could hear them responding and laughing at the comics in The Tempest, because they had been there and they had done it.”

The society also works with the Department of Education to give English teachers the tools to bring Shakespeare to life in the classroom.

“We go into schools—the teaching artists are professional actors who get the students out of their desks, moving around and acting the texts, and young people really respond well to that,” said Heather Lester, director of education.

Part of the society’s role is to assert and refresh the relevance of 400-yearold dramatic works; it’s something that Sexton says he is always considering in new ways.

“There’s nothing like listening to Shakespeare, reading Shakespeare, watching Shakespeare, directing Shakespeare, teaching Shakespeare, for the enhancement of one’s self-understanding and the understanding of each other,” Sexton said. “It’s a place to go to discover the truth about ourselves.”

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By Megan Finnegan At any given time in New York City, dozens of theater companies, schools and acting classes are mounting their own versions of Shakespeare plays. The Shakespeare Society aspires to help each and every one of them. The nonprofit institution, which until recently had been headquartered on the Upper East Side and continues to maintain programming in the community, exists to spread the word of the Bard through educational programs, residencies for directors and public events discussing the seemingly endless meaning that modern society can extract from Shakespeare’s canon.

“The Shakespeare Society is unique here in New York,” said executive director Madeline Austin. “It’s a service in the sense that it serves artists, it serves theater professionals, theater companies. We do not compete—we look for partnerships.”

Currently the society is partnering with the Royal Shakespeare Company, one of the world’s most prestigious Shakespeare producers, for a series of panel discussions to complement the RSC’s summer season at the Park Avenue Armory, where they have constructed a replica of London’s Globe Theatre. The society routinely works with such big names, but they are also available to the little guys.

“If you need a scholar, if you need a director, if you need information about Shakespeare, come to us,” said Austin. They have worked with small, off-off-Broadway theaters in Brooklyn to produce bold renditions of the classics, and have also supported derivative new works, like the play developed at the Red Bull Theater earlier this year based on the Shakespearean character of Queen Margaret.

“One of the things that we do is have week-long residencies with actors and directors,” said Michael Sexton, the society’s artistic director. “They spend the week basically researching a play.”

Residents receive access to artistic, academic and vocal advisors, as well as a stipend for the week.

Sexton, a director himself, knows firsthand the difficulties directors face in mounting Shakespeare’s plays, starting with questions of interpretation, cuts, cast size and casting choices, music and style. The Shakespeare Society offers a lifeline for theater companies just starting out and support for established companies who want to deepen their offerings.

The society hosts five evenings of commentary and performance a year, as well

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news

Tingle Mines the Humor in Politics

By Ashley Welch Though the presidential election is over a year away, one man has his eyes on the prize this summer. His name is Jimmy Tingle and he is a comedian who has taken his one-man show, Jimmy Tingle for President: The Funniest Campaign in History, to the Triad this July. Though the show was created in 2008, Tingle has updated it to reflect the current national zeitgeist.

Whether describing his idea to save energy by placing a small windmill on every traffic light in America or the components of the Tingle Tax Plan, he approaches the day’s pressing issues with a sense of humor.

A comic for over 30 years, Tingle has appeared on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, been a commentator on 60 Minutes II in the Andy Rooney spot and starred in his own HBO comedy special.

Our Town recently spoke with him about his latest show, his start as a comedian and getting his M.A. from Harvard University.

Tell me about Jimmy Tingle for President: The Funniest Campaign in History.

It’s a comedy wrapped in the theme of presidential campaign. I’ve put together comedic

solutions for the serious issues of the day, such as healthcare, taxes, national defense, immigration and alternative energy.

it on to the Tonight Show and on [Late Night with] Conan O’Brien and did my HBO special in the early ’90s.

How is the show different now from in 2008?

It is different now because, as a country, we’re in a much different place. With the debt ceiling and the meltdown on Wall Street, the economy and unemployment are much more important.

You were a commentator for 60 Minutes II for two years. How is being on television different from performing live?

Well, you have a much shorter time slot— you only get two minutes. The editing process to get material on the air is also very different. For example, if I want to try a joke tonight, I just try it. That’s the freedom of a comic. But on national television, there’s a serious editing component to the whole thing. It makes you a better writer and editor.

How do audience members typically react to the show?

They want me to seriously run. They often ask me who is running as my vice president, and I say I don’t need one. I’ve made a recording of the show and if anything happens to me, the American people can watch it and they’ll know what to do.

How did you get your start as a comedian and what has the ride been like?

I started the same way most comics start: going to open mic nights. I also performed on the streets and basically wherever a crowd gathered. The comedy scene was on an incline in early 1980s, which is when I worked up in the Boston circuit and also did some college shows. Then I moved to New York in 1987 and made

You received your M.A. in public policy from Harvard in 2010. Why did you decide to go back to school and what was the experience like?

With my comedy, I follow the issues of the day and take them very seriously. So I figured, why not go back to school and see if there was a way to learn more and participate in a greater capacity? I was very inspired by the faculty and students and it was great to be in the audience listening rather than being the one talking.

What’s your favorite thing about per-

forming? Conversely, what’s the most difficult part?

My favorite part is when you distill a complicated issue down to something really understandable and funny that says what you want it to say and makes people laugh at the same time. The biggest difficulty is constantly staying on top of what’s going on and being able to comment at the same level as your earlier work.

What is your goal for the show and what do you hope people take out of it?

I hope the audience feels optimistic when they leave. I hope they feel relieved of some of the tension and anxiety and that they feel more hopeful about the country and world.

The next performance of Jimmy Tingle for President: The Funniest Campaign in History will take place on July 30, followed by a show Aug. 27.

Check jimmytingle.com for updates and possible additional showtimes in August.

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feature

Smackdown for Proposed Newsstand Irate 72nd Street residents halt presses on planned news kiosk

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while he might bring a little competition to the neighborhood, his comparatively small stand wouldn’t put State News out of business. He’s surprised at the community opposition, he said, because he had assumed that people would be happy with more options and potentially lower prices on items like soda and water.

He also said that he spent several months researching different locations in Manhattan for a newsstand, and that he feels there is a need on East 72nd Street.

“I picked the best place,” he said. “72nd Street is a two-way Indrani and Kaushik Sikder plan to open a newsstand at 72nd Street if the city gives them permission. exchange—so many people live there and so many people it ultimately lies with the city to change nity board’s objections might hold sway are walking around there.” He sees it as the laws. is in the phase seeking approval from a much-needed option for convenience City Council Member Dan Garodnick, the city’s design commission, which can items on the East Side. who represents the district and serves consider the contextual aesthetics of While opponents argue against the as the chair of the Consumer Affairs the proposed site. The other arguments, usefulness of the newsstand, it isn’t a Committee, said that there are location Bookman said, are irrelevant to the valid reason to prevent it. restrictions built into the application application process, of which the next “Competition is not a valid reason to process but that the council may need step is a review from the Department of reject anything,” said Cos Spagnoletti, co- to address how the process works in the Transportation. future. He cited a similar uproar from “Since they are more subjective in residents about another proposed news- this aesthetic contextual review, you stand near East 86th Street and Madison could make an argument that it’s putting “Competition is not a valid Avenue. a commercial business on a residential reason to reject anything,” said “The frequency with which this is hap- block,” said Bookman. “Our position in pening and the lack of significant com- the industry is that we’re appealing to Cos Spagnoletti, co-chair of the community board’s street munity input before they are proposed a different audience [than a traditional means that the city is losing control of the store].” life committee. “From what I process,” he said.

Bookman said that there’s no question could see, and looking at both The city has an incentive to approve it’s tough to make a living as a newsstand sides, legally there is nothing new newsstand applications in order operator, but that he sees many immistopping it from going there.” to fulfill its contract with Cemusa, grants using the business to eke out a livthe company that builds and sells ad ing to support their families as steppingspace on bus shelters, newsstands and stones to better lives. The Sikders are chair of the community board’s street life automatic public toilets. The contract from India. committee, which voted to disapprove states that Cemusa will construct 330 “It’s a nice, entry-level entrepreneurial the application. “From what I could see, new newsstands, a number that has experience,” said Bookman. “It’s not for and looking at both sides, legally there not been reached, according to Robert wealthy people on the Upper East Side is nothing stopping it from going there. Bookman, an attorney who represents to determine an appropriate income level People do not want them on the side the New York City Newsstand Operators for a newsstand operator.” streets; however, the law says they can be Association.

“I come here looking for opportunity,” anywhere.” Spagnoletti said that while he Bookman said that the only part of the said Sikder. “When competition is there, understands the objections of the board, application process in which the commu- the benefit is right there for the people.” andrew schwartz

By Megan Finnegan A group of Upper East Siders are saying no to news.

Residents of 203 East 72nd Street attended a community board meeting last week en masse to protest the application for a newsstand to be erected outside their building. The group, which collected 400 signatures in protest, cited numerous reasons why they feel the newsstand would be inappropriate.

The applicant, a woman named Indrani Sikder, let her husband, Kaushik, defend their plan that they say will not interfere with the neighborhood’s normal business.

Michael Shaffet, the president of the building, wrote an extensive letter to Community Board 8. Speaking after the meeting, he called the plan for the newsstand “outrageous.”

“It doesn’t belong in a non-commercial area,” Shaffet said. Another of the residents’ reasons for opposing the business is their defense of a brick-and-mortar store located around the corner.

“He’s going to strip my business,” said Louis Weissbart, owner of State News, which has been in operation at 1243 Third Avenue, between 72nd and 73rd streets, for the past 32 years, even rebuilding after a fire devastated the store a few years ago.

Weissbart said that Sikder must be out of touch with the realities of selling periodicals if he thinks he can make a living doing it. Profit margins on periodicals are low, and a newsstand operator for a new location has to shell out approximately $28,000 to have the structure built, as well as a $1,076 fee every two years – and that’s not including any legal and applications fees associated with the initial application.

“Especially in the last seven years, when the Internet came into play, the magazine and newspaper business has really dropped,” Weissbart said. “We used to sell 300 [copies of the New York] Times a day; now we sell about 60 Times a day.” He said print media is what draws people into the store, where they can buy an array of candy and other novelty items. Weissbart asserts that the newsstand would cut into his business enough that he would potentially have to lay off one or two of the employees who work the front of the store.

But Kaushik Sikder maintained that,

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July 28, 2011

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Healthy Manhattan a monthly advertising supplement

It’s Not You (the Animals), It’s Me Vegan diets are attracting more people for health, rather than moral, reasons

BY LISA ELAINE HELD ET’S FACE IT—it’s going to be a long time before New Yorkers abandon their search for the best burger, their love for Peter Luger or their yen for Mister Softee on a hot summer day.

But lately, less meaty (and creamy) food options have been showing up all over town.

In the past six months, a vegan pop-up restaurant, Wildflower, opened for three days on the Lower East Side, and a vegan pop-up shop debuted in Williamsburg. Candle 79, the Upper East Side vegan mecca, launched a line of frozen foods to be sold at Whole Foods, and the Soft Serve Fruit Co. opened a Union Square location to peddle their vegan version of frozen yogurt.

And while vegans in New York are not a new phenomenon, this newest trend towards plant-based diets seems to be focused less on stopping the slaughter of animals and more on starting to pay attention to a major American issue— our health.

“It’s a concept whose time has come, and it feels like some big changes have been made in the past year,” said Brian Wendel, the creator of Forks Over Knives, a feature documentary on the benefits of a plant-based diet, which played at Landmark Sunshine Cinemas on the Lower East Side this past May. “I foresee more coming in the near future.”

Wendel said that he had been aware of the general benefits of a plant-based diet for years, but that after reading The China Study, he was shocked by how

L

convincing and expansive the evidence for eliminating meat and dairy from diets really was.

“I just thought, ‘Enough is enough,’” he said. “We’re talking about a diet that can not only prevent, but can reverse many degenerative diseases.”

The China Study, written by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and his son Thomas M. Campbell, summarizes the results of the China Project, a survey focused primarily on research in rural China. The project cited more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between dietary factors and disease and is often called the

10 NEW YORKTOW PRESS 27-August 2, 2011  NYPRESS.COM 12 • OUR N  •July July 28, 2011

most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted.

Campbell’s main conclusion was that people who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic diseases. For example, he demonstrated that cancer growth could literally be “turned on” by animal protein.

Forks Over Knives relied heavily on information from The China Study, and on research done by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., a prominent researcher at the Cleveland Clinic who has shown that heart disease can be prevented, and sometimes reversed, by switching

individuals from animal to plantbased diets.

Despite the amount of evidence on how much healthier a vegan diet can be, most nutritionists still advocate a balanced meal complete with animal protein. Last month, the USDA released new dietary guidelines in the form of a diagram called MyPlate. While the diagram does emphasize eating more fruits and vegetables, it features a separate section for both dairy and protein (protein from either meat or vegan sources, such as soy or legumes.)

And many people, including some nutritionists, do recommend meat and dairy as sources of nutrients such as calcium and protein.

Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, the founder of Real Nutrition NYC near Madison Square Park, said that animal products are not at all necessary to maintain a healthy diet, but that in order to be a healthy vegan, you have to be more diligent about your diet.

“People say they’re going vegan, and they grab lots of carbs because it’s easy and cheap,” she said. “But it takes a lot of work to make sure you’re getting the nutrients from the food you choose to eat.”

For instance, Shapiro explained that Americans tend to think they need more protein than they really do, and it’s actually easy for vegans to get an adequate amount. They just need to know where to find it—in foods like tofu, seitan, beans, lentils and nuts.

“It’s a really dedicated lifestyle,” Shapiro said. It may take more than a few pop-up shops and new vegan businesses for New Yorkers to consider committing.

Still, Wendel said that his Forks Over Knives is starting to change the minds of New Yorkers and people around the country little by little. It has had steady audience approval ratings of over 90 percent, and the movie’s Facebook wall is covered with the comments of recent viewers swearing off meat and dairy for all time.

“It’s going to be one of those things where we’re going to look back in 100 years and think that these behaviors [eating animal products] were bizarre,” said Wendel. “We’ll say, ‘Wow! Back then, not only did they drink the milk of another species, but they went around convincing themselves that there were health benefits!’”

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Streamlining Early Detection

By Emily Johnson The specialists: Director of Anatomic Pathology and Director of Breast Pathology Division, Dr. Ira Bleiweiss, and Chief of Breast Imaging, Dr. Laurie Margolies on using teamwork to conquer cancer Both of these breast cancer veterans have been working in their fields for more than 20 years. “Early in my career, I perceived a real need for quality images and quality patientcentered care where all aspects of the patient’s experiences are paid attention to,” says Dr. Margolies.

That’s the mission at Mount Sinai’s new Dubin Breast Center, part of The Tisch Cancer Institute, where every department involved in every step in a patient’s case is in close proximity to facilitate better care. The pathology team diagnoses between 25 to 40 breast biopsies a day, and they confer with the radiologists on every one. Due to the stellar reputation of Mount Sinai’s Breast Pathology division, radiologists throughout Manhattan continually send biopsies to Dr. Bleiweiss’ team, and he additionally performs numerous second opinions for patients, clinicians, and pathologists both nationally and internationally.

“I would conservatively estimate that I see a thousand breast cancers a year,” says Dr. Bleiweiss.

He likens their specialties to working backstage. “Running the show is essentially what we do. Basically, we’re guiding the hands of the surgeons.”

Who’s at risk?

“There’s literally nobody who doesn’t know someone affected by breast cancer,” Dr. Margolies says. The average woman in the United States has about a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, and the risk increases with age.

Even men can have breast cancer, although this is comparatively rare. Over 207,000 American women a year will learn they have breast cancer, while just over 1,000 men will.

Diagnosis In breast self-exams, you might notice a hard lump or patches of skin with a texture like an orange. Others report a more subtle “thickening.” Bottom line, get to know your breasts so if anything changes, you’re more likely to notice.

Even regular self-exams, however, should not take the place of mammograms.

A patient who notices a lump or whose health care provider notices a lump can be seen in the Dubin Breast Center, where she will experience its patient-focused environment and care while she receives a mammogram and ultrasound. Often a minimally invasive biopsy is needed and these can be performed right in the Dubin Breast Center under ultrasound or mammographic- stereotactic guidance.

An example of the Dubin Center’s patient-focused design is the special biopsy table that was designed to minimize the discomfort of the procedure.

One of the strengths of the Dubin Breast Center lies in streamlining this process from start to finish.

“Coming for a mammogram itself is stressful,” Dr. Margolies says. “Then the biopsy is even harder. Here at Mount Sinai we get our pathology results back the next day. The average wait time around the country is about a week, and those days and hours are palpably painful.”

She tells a story of one woman who felt an abnormality in her breast and came in on a Wednesday for an ultrasound, which was abnormal. By Friday night she had a diagnosis of cancer. It was mere weeks from first imaging to reconstructive surgery.

“Even if, medically, days and weeks don’t impact survival, once a woman knows that there is a problem, life stops,” says Dr. Margolies. “The not knowing—not knowing if an abnormality is cancer or not—is incredibly painful.” One of the strengths of the Dubin Breast Center lies in streamlining the time from detection of a problem to diagnosis and definitive treatment.

Breakthroughs in Mammography and Pathology Recent breakthroughs in mammography now allow doctors to catch cancer earlier. There are methods that allow radiologists to find more abnormalities that are cancer, while simultaneously accurately identifying normal breast tissue. One example of new technology was recently installed in the Dubin Breast Center and complements the state-of-the-art digital mammography and ultrasound available at the center. 3D mammography, tomosynthesis, was approved by the FDA in February 2011 and Mount Sinai has the only such technology in Manhattan. With 3D mammography, the breast is positioned the same way it is in a conventional mammogram, and the imager moves around the breast to take multiple images that result in many thin images of the breast. For example, one 2D image is now complemented by 40 or 60 thin images. This allows the radiologist to see through overlapping tissue to find some cancers that a 2D mammogram might not and to decrease the number of abnormalities detected that are not cancer, which can create significant anxiety.

This new 3D mammography makes breast cancers easier to see in dense breast tissue – a structural condition that can exist regardless of breast size or age. Research suggests that early detection lead to the best outcomes. A recent study of patients in their 40s, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Risk for Distant Recurrence of Breast Cancer Detected by Mammography Screening or Other Meth-

ods,” 2004;292(9), found that those who detected their cancers with mammograms had a higher rate of cure than those who found it by themselves.

The advent of minimally invasive biopsy techniques has also made a huge difference to patients who want to avoid unnecessary surgery. “In the old days everything was surgery,” says Dr. Bleiweiss. He takes out a slide with a tissue sample on it; it’s about the size of a grain of rice. “But at the Dubin Breast Center, every aspect of diagnosis and treatment is built around a model of patient-centered care and patients now have many options.” It is rare that pathologists at hospitals meet directly with patients, but at the Dubin Breast Center, this is frequently the case. Dr. Bleiweiss’ compassion and his ability to help patients understand the pathological changes that are occurring in their bodies have not gone unnoticed. “If patients want a simple explanation or an in-depth scientific description, I’m always available to speak with them.”

Questions for your doctor Stay informed about your treatment, and make sure you know all of your options, from the earliest stages of diagnosis to the final stages of chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery. There are some decisions, like those regarding surgery, that you will need to be a major part of.

“Equally informed people will sometimes choose different treatment options given the same facts.” Very intelligent people make very opposite decisions,” says Dr. Margolies.

“Some people who could have a lumpectomy choose mastectomy. It’s a very complex decision guided, in part, by personal preference.”

Don’t underestimate the power of staying informed; it can give you a feeling of control in a situation where it’s easy to feel helpless.

What you can do Self-exams are important, but for optimal chances of recovery, cancer should be detected before it even gets to the point where you can find it yourself. Whether you are having a screening mammogram or require more advanced diagnostic breast imaging, choose your health providers wisely. Look for up-to-date equipment and radiologists who are passionate about breast imaging, who specialize in breast disease and work with experienced breast pathologists because the complicated nature of breast pathology means there can be a great deal of uncertainty in diagnosis.

“Breast pathology is one of the most difficult areas in pathology because it’s so variable,” says Dr. Bleiweiss. “It’s basically a pattern diagnosis under the microscope; it’s how the cells relate to each other, like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.”

For more information on the Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, go to www.dubinbreastcenter.org O u r T o w n N Y. c o m

July 28, 2011

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Healthy Manhattan

July 28, 2011

BY PAULETTE SAFDIEH HILE A SELF-MADE dinner can significantly cut calories, lighting up an apartment-friendly grill instead of a frying pan can do it best. With some minor tweaking, a summer meal can be more than high-fat burgers and sweet marinades. Foods that aren’t typically cooked outdoors, like tempeh and pineapple, can be grilled to heart-healthy perfection with just minimal effort. “Being healthy doesn’t mean you have to compromise taste,” said Vladimir Grinberg, owner of East Village restaurant The Organic Grill.

Grinberg and his staff know the benefits of healthy grilling first-hand.

“When my mother had cancer, she read an article about macrobiotic food. It suggested that people who changed their eating habits had more time to live,” Grinberg said of his first exposure to wholesome eating 10 years ago. At the time, being healthconscious wasn’t trendy and widespread.

Besides Angelica’s Kitchen on East 12th Street, vegans and health nuts were limited in dining out options.

“I was a virgin in the field. I decided to learn more about it so I could cook for my mother,” said Grinberg, who soon after decided to open the restaurant. The mentality behind The Organic Grill was recognizing that vegan ingredients like tofu and tempeh don’t necessarily make something healthy. Vegetarian restaurants often fry their proteins and drench the food in highcalorie sauces. Grilled foods, on the other hand, require fewer ingredients.

“Our most popular dishes are the grilled ones,” said Grinberg of unique menu options like barbecued pizza (the dough is baked in an oven first) or paninis smeared with sundried tomato mayonnaise. Manager Julia Chebotar prefers a grilled panini to a classic one. “It gives great texture to the crust and bread,” she said. “The cheese melts differently—it’s less gummy. Not to mention, it eliminates unnecessary oil and the vegetables give off their own aroma and juice.”

Like the crew at The Organic Grill, Rich Wachtel is a grill enthusiast who has a no-holds-barred approach to summer’s preferred method of cooking. Since starting the D.C.-based GrillingWithRich.com just over a year ago, Wachtel and his contribu-

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tors have posted innovative recipes featuring everything from avocado to sushi. “It’s a one-stop shop for grilling adventures from around the country,” said Wachtel of his site, which regularly posts product reviews, recipes and video how-tos for approximately 10,000 monthly visitors. “The goal is to bridge the gap between amateurs and professionals. Anyone can do it!” Monthly contributor Rebecca Risser advocates that “anyone” can mean city folk, too.

While Wachtel prefers cooking up beefy burgers in his suburban backyard, Risser prides herself on being an “urban griller.”

When this Texan made the move to a D.C. apartment, she found ways to make grilling conducive to her cramped city lifestyle.

Products like stovetop grills are sold at Bed Bath & Beyond and Home Depot for convenient, indoor grilling. To get the ultimate smoky taste of an outdoor barbecue, Cuisinart makes portable, tabletop grills ($150 on Amazon). Risser insists that although your barbecue may lack the backdrop of a lush green lawn, it can still have the same superb taste. For first-time grillers, Wachtel suggests using your iPad for some assistance. Apps like the Weber Grilling App can set timers, provide recipe ideas and help you keep track of your own creations.

Remember, it’s all about trial and error.

“Be fearless!” encouraged Wachtel.

Chebotar agrees there is no need to fret.

“Almost anything can be grilled. People just need to be willing to try something new.” She suggested a sesame-crusted tempeh burger with grilled onions for a fresh take on barbecued burgers. Tofu and seitan are also versatile protein options, since they absorb flavors really well.

Ultimately, not everything has to be a burger—lots of fruits and vegetables work surprisingly well on the grill, too. “Those high in sugar and fat work best,” said Risser, pointing to her grilled avocado recipe from the Grilling with Rich site. Watery produce, like Brussels sprouts, should be brushed with olive oil beforehand in order to cook properly. Fruits with a lot of sugar caramelize when cooked on the grill, making a quick and savory dessert. With the right gear and creative ingredients, a three-course meal courtesy of your portable grill is within reach.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

a monthly advertising supplement

Recipes Brussels sprouts (GrillinG with rich) 2 cups Brussels sprouts 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. lemon juice Salt to taste BBQ rub Remove outer leaves from Brussels sprouts. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, BBQ rub and salt.

Cook for 5 minutes on stovetop grill, flipping once in the middle.

If grilling outdoors, make sure the grates of the grill are close enough together to prevent any sprouts from falling through. tempeh KeBaBs with rosemary tahini sauce (Daniel lima, heaD chef at the orGanic Grill) 4 1-oz. slices of tempeh 4 onions 4 slices of tomato 4 slices of green peppers Alternate all ingredients on skewers and grill evenly on each side.

For sauce: Mix 4 oz. tahini with garlic, rosemary and oregano to taste.

caramelizeD fruit (GrillinG with rich) 1 Apple 1 Pear 1 Peach 1 Pineapple 2 scoops of your favorite ice cream Cut the apple, pear and peach into quarters and brush with some light butter or margarine. Cut the pineapple into slices and do the same.

Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side. Flip halfway through. Remove from grill and cut pineapple into cubes.

O u r To w n NY. c o m

Ju ly 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

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Caring for a loved one?

Overwhelmed?

Stressed?

Healthy Manhattan

Isabella House: New Opportunities and a Renewed Sense of Life Treating Allergies, COME...SHARE YOU ARE NOT ALONE THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OUTREACH MINISTRY

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was hen she came with her daughter to look ofimpressed with the genuine warmth of at Isabella’s apartmentsThe for independent Isabella saw aCity model apartment and Unity Center of House.

New She York was impressed with the size and the panoramic seniors, Mary was not in the best ofA. spirMarion Gambardella, Ministry Director views of New York. She was invited for dinner its. Her husband of 43 years recently died and Presents: and got to meet even more residents and hear her best friend just moved to Virginia to live Support Meeting the their stories of life at for Isabella.

It turned out to be with her son and his family.A LeftGroup alone in the home where she had raised her children, Mary a surprising and heartwarming day after all.

As she was preparing to leave, the director found herself overwhelmed by daily chores and invited her to come for a trial stay to see if she reminders of years past. would really like living as a resident at Isabella The rain on the drive didn’t help. She only th Saturday, 186th at Saturday, June August at 1:00 1:00 pm House.

Mary agreed — and was happy to see agreed to accompany her daughter to Isabella herCenter daughter liked the idea as well.

House to silence her, “Mom, you have to do someat Thethat Unity West 58 th Street,Mary Newdid York, NYfor 10019 thing,” speech. They arrived just after213 lunch.

After come the stay, and moved into [Between Broadway & 7th Avenue] Isabella House a few months later. Today, she an overview and a tour, Mary and her daughter This important meeting will offer self-care programs and support is a proficient potter, has taken up pen-and-ink were invited to participate in a pottery class. for the Family Caregiver, providing guidance, healing, and hope on drawing, is a regular in the Walking Works Mary had never seen a kiln before and all to make the from most of theWonders experience withoutand losing Program hadyourself made many new she knew about pottery how she had learned in theTV. process. presentsHer considerable arts and crafts shows on cable For theCaregivingfriends. daughter ischallenges: happy as well. Those emotional, to do it alone. monthly Stop visitstrying are something both of them first time she handled clayphysical, and formed it into and economic.

We are here for you! creative shapes. She was surprised at the ease of look forward to now. resources help success Maryon is just one ofavailable our manytoIsabella the clay — and the funYou shewill wasreceive having.valuable She alsoinformation The senior met the other students who told herthe they too you meet challenges ofstories. a Caregiver with aliving new facility strengthin northern Manhattan thought everything to enrich had taken up pottery forand the vitality, first timehelping when you provide betterhas care to yourofloved one they came to live as residentsand at Isabella House. andown enhance anand independent help you protect your health well-being.senior’s life.

For more information or to arrange a visit, As the afternoon progressed, Mary felt more Each meeting includes a Creative Visualization Guided call (212) 342-9539. comfortable. She liked the people she met and

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For More Information, Call Marion A. Gambardella at: (212) 582-1300

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SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF BEEKMAN, MIDTOWN EAST, MURRAY HILL, SUTTON PLACE, TUDOR CITY & TURTLE BAY 14 NEW YORKTOW PRESS 27-August 2, 2011  NYPRESS.COM 16 • OUR N  •July July 28, 2011

Naturally

Herbs can sometimes work better than medications

BY ALAN KRAWITZ For thousands of city residents who suffer from watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, wheezing and other debilitating symptoms that can accompany seasonal, environmentally-based allergies, prescription medications are not always the answer.

Many popular drugs that are prescribed for allergy relief can leave users feeling lethargic or anxious, in addition to a range of other undesirable side effects.

Increasingly, both urban and suburban allergy sufferers have begun turning to herbal remedies in an effort to treat their allergies more naturally and with fewer side effects.

“In many cases, herbs can do a better job of treating allergies without the side effects,” said Dr. Peter Bongiorno, a naturopathic doctor who practices near Union Square.

Allergies, which are the immune system’s overreaction to harmless substances such as dust, flowers or pollen, can be controlled by supplements that help to the block chemical reactions that result in allergy symptoms.

Bongiorno, along with other herbal remedy experts, says that compounds such as quercetin, found in red wine as well as in many fruits and vegetables, helps to block the release of histamine in the body, which causes inflammation and subsequent allergy symptoms.

“Quercetin, along with blueberries and citrus fruits, is very effective at blocking histamine in the body and shutting down the body’s over-response to certain innocuous substances,” said Bongiorno, who credits a severe dairy allergy as a kid with providing the impetus for his later study of herbs and natural medicines.

Tom Nash, head of the herbal medicine department at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in Manhattan, believes strongly in using Chinese herbal formulas to treat a variety of allergies.

“Proper herbal treatment for allergies should come in two phases,” said Nash, who believes in first treating the symptoms of an allergy and then embarking on a secondary regimen to help strengthen the body’s own immune system in order to prevent the development of allergies in the first place.

Nash, who both teaches and supervises at the college’s student clinic where

aspiring experts of Chinese herbology learn their craft, is not a strong proponent of prescription or even over-the-counter remedies for the control of allergies.

“There really aren’t many prescription medications that are very effective in treating allergies,” he said. “What’s available for allergies is mainly hit or miss.”

Tom Nash’s overriding recommendation for people is to always try herbs first, due to the side effects that usually accompany prescription medications. “You can always go to prescription medications if herbs don’t work for you,” he said.

Nash’s overriding recommendation for people is to always try herbs first, due to the side effects that usually accompany prescription medications. “You can always go to prescription medications if herbs don’t work for you,” he said.

He added that most pharmaceutical or Western medicine has its roots in what the Chinese have used for medicine for nearly 3,000 years.

Calling the past year a terrible one for allergy sufferers, Nash related that, back in May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the pollen level in the New York area has been the highest since they started tracking the levels.

“I’ve had patients come to me who usually are never bothered by allergies and all of a sudden they’re having cold-like symptoms that are in fact allergies,” he said.

Dr. Sheilagh Weymouth, a Manhattanbased chiropractor and professional herbalist who practices holistic primary care, said that certain herbs known as “adaptogens” help to balance the system and make people less vulnerable to immune system over-responses.

“The great part of herbs as opposed N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

a monthly advertising supplement

Isabella House: New Opportunities and a Renewed Sense of Life

W

hen she came with her daughter to look at Isabella’s apartments for independent seniors, Mary was not in the best of spirits. Her husband of 43 years recently died and her best friend just moved to Virginia to live with her son and his family. Left alone in the home where she had raised her children, Mary found herself overwhelmed by daily chores and reminders of years past.

The rain on the drive didn’t help. She only agreed to accompany her daughter to Isabella House to silence her, “Mom, you have to do something,” speech. They arrived just after lunch. After an overview and a tour, Mary and her daughter were invited to participate in a pottery class.

Mary had never seen a kiln before and all she knew about pottery she had learned from arts and crafts shows on cable TV. For the first time she handled clay and formed it into creative shapes. She was surprised at the ease of the clay — and the fun she was having. She also met the other students who told her they too had taken up pottery for the first time when they came to live as residents at Isabella House.

As the afternoon progressed, Mary felt more comfortable. She liked the people she met and

was impressed with the genuine warmth of Isabella House. She saw a model apartment and was impressed with the size and the panoramic views of New York. She was invited for dinner and got to meet even more residents and hear their stories of life at Isabella. It turned out to be a surprising and heartwarming day after all.

As she was preparing to leave, the director invited her to come for a trial stay to see if she would really like living as a resident at Isabella House. Mary agreed — and was happy to see that her daughter liked the idea as well.

Mary did come for the stay, and moved into Isabella House a few months later. Today, she is a proficient potter, has taken up pen-and-ink drawing, is a regular in the Walking Works Wonders Program and had made many new friends. Her daughter is happy as well. Those monthly visits are something both of them look forward to now.

Mary is just one of our many Isabella success stories. The senior living facility in northern Manhattan has thought of everything to enrich and enhance an independent senior’s life.

For more information or to arrange a visit, call (212) 342-9539. eats available

ation Registrnow! staS rts .

ISABELLA: Welcome to our Family WWW.ISABELLA.ORG

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to prescription medications is that they work with the body’s systems and not against it,” said Weymouth. She said that these adaptogen herbs, which include American Ginseng, Bacopa, Ashwaghanda and Rhodiola, help to strengthen the body against immune responses, which in turn cause allergy symptoms.

As for treating the symptoms of allergies, Weymouth said that a wide variety of herbs can relieve various allergy symptoms. For example, she said that numerous herbs have strong anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties, similar to many OTC cold remedies.

O u r To w n NY. c o m

“Horseradish root and turmeric are very effective anti-inflammatory compounds while eyebright, bayberry and Echinacea are effective against allergic rhinitis,” she said.

Moreover, Weymouth said that it’s important to treat allergies. Often, if they are allowed to linger and progress, they can turn into bacterial infections and allow viruses to take hold. She stressed the importance of bolstering the immune system with adaptogenic herbs long before the allergy season starts.

“The closer we get to nature,” Weymouth says, “the closer we get to ourselves.”

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ly 2 8 , 22,02011 11 l • NEW OUR TO W N • 15 17 NYPRESS.COM l JulyJu 27-August YORK PRESS

seniors

Where to Beat the Heat Places to cool off when the temperature rises

of senior citizens.

Adults 50 and older are at a higher risk for heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke because of the physiological changes that occur with aging, according to the American Geriatrics Society. The elderly are more likely to have chronic medical conditions that change the way they respond to heat and are more likely to take medication

that prevent their bodies from temperature regulation through sweating. For more information about the signs and risks of heat-related illnesses, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website (www.cdc.gov).

During the hot and

Caitlyn bierman

By Marley Gibbons New York City in the summer can actually be a wonderful place to be.

People head out of town on vacation, the lines are shorter, the days are longer— the frantic pace seems to slow down a notch. There are outdoor programs, activities and spaces to enjoy. But with the season comes, at times, unforgiving heat that can be dangerous to the health

A cool down station at the Manhattan Valley Senior Center.

YOU’RE NOT ALONE IN CARING FOR AN AGING PARENT. It can feel isolating and overwhelming when you’re caring for an aging parent. Solutions At Home™ will work with you to create a customized plan of care to help your parents stay safely at home while giving you peace-of-mind.

Call 800-544-0304 or visit SolutionsAtHome.org to find the right solution.

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humid summer months, it is very important to keep in touch with your neighbors, checking in with each other on a daily basis. Everyone should make sure to hydrate with non-alcoholic, caffeinefree beverages and wear light clothing and high-SPF sunscreen.

If you don’t have air conditioning or are itching to get out of the house but stay out of the heat, there are plenty of places to keep cool uptown.

When the heat indices reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more days or 100 for one day, the Office of Emergency Management issues an evening announcement of a “heat crisis.” The OEM then works with the Department for the Aging and the New York City Housing Authority to activate “cooling centers,” air-conditioned spaces that will be open to the public on the next day of fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk conditions.

Manhattan has 62 Department for the Aging senior centers, Salvation Army community centers and other public spaces that double as cooling centers on scorching days. Check the OEM website after a heat crisis is announced to find the center closest to you, and make sure to call ahead to get their hours of operation.

Two West Side senior centers always welcome folks who need a cool place to sit and have a cold drink, even when it isn’t an official EOM heat crisis. Encore Community Services at 49th Street and Broadway serves lunch free of charge and offers activities such as tai chi and painting classes. Anyone can participate in physical therapy, dominoes, arts & crafts and yoga at the Manhattan Valley Senior Center on 106th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues.

On the East Side, the Lenox Hill Senior Center on East 70th between First and Second avenues is open seven days a week and offers educational classes, transportation services and activities for seniors. The senior center at Saint Peter’s Church on 53rd and Lexington plays movN EW S YO U LIV E B Y

seniors ies, holds dancing and language classes and provides meals. The Department of Aging website has a senior services search engine to locate services by typing in your zip code.

But even less extreme heat can leave the elderly in danger of heat-related illnesses, or of extreme boredom in confined air-conditioned living rooms. The Hansborough Recreation Center on 134th between Fifth and Lenox avenues has an indoor pool and you’ll find an outdoor Olympic-size pool at Highbridge Park on 173rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

Check out the New York City Parks Department’s website to find a pool in your neighborhood. Take caution, though—a frigid pool, bath or shower is a great way to cool down, but quick, extreme temperature changes can lead to dizziness or headaches.

A quiet way to spend the day cooling down is to find a comfortable place to sit and read a good book. The New York City Public Library locations on West 100th, West 115th, West 124th, East 58th and East 96th streets are all air-conditioned.

Check online for daily activities and more locations around the city.

Catch a movie in the cool darkness of a theater or do some window shop-

ping in an indoor mall like the Shops at Columbus Circle or Rockefeller Plaza, which is underground. Shopping malls offer a way to get some exercise walking around in an air-conditioned environment. The city abounds with air-conditioned museums and galleries as well.

Summer in the city has its heat-related challenges, but it sure beats shoveling the snow and salting the sidewalks.

Helpful links: Office of Emergency Management cooling center locator: www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/home/ home.shtml

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Dining

Sweet Secret of Sauternes

The challenge of making the delectable dessert wine

I

began thinking about the refreshing, complex and sweet dessert wine Sauternes last week when I was throwing out the moldy food at the back of my refrigerator.

Let me back up a bit and explain myself.

I have been known to occasionally forget about a rogue container or two of Kung Pao Chicken in the far corner of the icebox. That is why I force myself to do a clean sweep two or three times a year.

This time I found grapes. At least, that’s what they were at one time. Now, they were something akin to slightly wet raisins. The stem seemed to weigh more than the fruits themselves, and a powdery white growth had overtaken the whole bunch. I cringed as I ran to the trash to dump the things, but then I thought about what I was really holding.

What had happened in my vegetable crisper was the same basic thing that happens to grapes naturally in some of the most renowned wine-growing regions of the world. The most famous example is Bordeaux, near the Gironde river, where

the grapes to make Sauternes are grown.

And it all starts with the challenge of making a dessert wine that is sweet but also has a moderate amount of alcohol (Sauternes must be 13 percent at least, by law). Most dessert wines are either ridiculously high in alcohol (sometimes 19 to 20 percent) or very, very low (around 5 to 6 percent).

By Josh Perilo The sweet wines that are low in alcohol tend to be lighter in body and are sometimes slightly fizzy. The sweetness is achieved by stopping the fermentation process before all of the sugars have converted to alcohol. This is the technique used for Moscato d’Asti, which I profiled a couple of weeks ago in my column. These wines are pleasant and delicious, but nowhere near as complex as a Sauternes.

Then there are the dessert wines that really pack a punch with the alcohol content, the most famous being port.

Originally intended to ship for long journeys in less than ideal conditions, port was designed for durability. And it turns out that the two things that act as natural preservatives for a wine are sugar and alcohol. High alcohol levels will also kill yeast cells. So, halfway through the fermentation process, when the grape juice is still sticky and sweet, the producers of port dump massive amounts of what they call “neutral grape sprits” (essentially brandy) into the juice. This ups the alcohol content, maintains the high sugar level and gives port that unique dark, sweet and warm flavor profile that is so appealing. Not too summery, though.

That brings us back to the banks of the Gironde River. In the summer, the weather around the banks of this river becomes, at times, unbearably humid.

The area known as Graves (pronounced GRAHV) hugs the riverbank and produces many of the white wines that are

exported from Bordeaux. The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes are blended to make pleasant wines with floral qualities and a refreshing acidity. But something happens to many of those grapes that are grown close to the river. They get infected with a white, powdery fungus. It is called Noble Rot (or Botrytis Cinerea) and it destroys all of the grapes.

At least, that’s what it would probably look like to anyone but the vintners. To them, it is a godsend. These grapes have been naturally raisin-ated, and the juice (what’s left of it) has become so concentrated that, when enough is collected, it literally resembles syrup. This juice is fermented in small batches and, because the sugar content is so high, even when fermented to 13 percent alcohol or higher, there is still a massive amount of sugar left over. This gives Sauternes the alcohol content that adds to the complexity of its flavor profile yet still keeps it light enough to enjoy on a hot summer evening.

So the next time you’re throwing out that shriveled bunch of grapes, think about the winemakers in western France, who would cringe to see you do such a thing.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshperilo.

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She often spends an hour or two of her own time with a Resident frustrated by the Effects of Alzheimer’s or dementia and is dedicated to providing a rich activity program day in and day out. Never leaving without checking on those not having a good day, Lola will sit and encourage a Resident in her own special manner and then be on her way. While this alone is daunting work, her day does not end here.

Upon returning to the home she shares with her Mother battling Alzheimer’s disease, she eagerly accepts the responsibility of caring for her, her devotion evident. Although most would find this vocation enough, Lola brings yet endless love and energy back to all at 80th Street even on days that she has gotten little sleep caring for Mom. Lola is a gem, and The 80th Street Residence knows that it is “that something special within” each of its exceptional Staff members that makes this assisted living community so intimate and special.

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Community Pages

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Tom Allon tallon@manhattanmedia.com CFO/COO Joanne Harras jharras@manhattanmedia.com grOuP PuBLisHer Alex Schweitzer aschweitzer@manhattanmedia.com direCtOr OF interaCtive Marketing and digitaL strategy Jay Gissen jgissen@manhattanmedia.com

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Unions will need to analyze role, charters will need to adhere to rigorous standards

By Alan S. Chartock There has been a spate of articles recently about alleged wrongdoing in specific charter schools in New York. These instances mirror the inevitable wrongdoing that we hear about in our old-style public schools. In both cases, it is almost inevitable that some rotten apples will spoil a good idea. Public education, be it in charter schools or in the old-style schools, is our best hope. The charter schools model was established as one way to challenge our earlier model public schools to do better; in some cases, this is already happening.

We know that our future is tied to the well-being of our kids. If our kids are not well educated, they will be unable to compete in the world economy. If the kids in India and China can do advanced mathematics and our kids can’t, the United States and the state of New York will be on their way to becoming second rate.

Let’s face it: Rich people can spend a lot of money on exclusive private schools for their kids. Some of these places cost around $40,000 a year. The success of these schools is just another example of the rich getting richer, like at the end of the Monopoly game. For really smart kids in New York, there is the option of meritbased public schools like Bronx Science, Stuyvesant and the LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts.

We all know what the problem is: too many of our kids are left to try to learn in

Medicare and Social Security Aren’t Bargaining Chips

To the Editor: As members of Congress and President Obama seek a resolution to the nation’s fiscal woes, seniors in New York and around the country must not be sacrificed for the sake of a stronger balance sheet.

Programs like Medicare and Social Security are vital to seniors and must not be used as bargaining chips in negotiations over the nation’s debt limit. Half of all seniors rely on Social Security for 50 percent or more of their income and

impossible conditions. We have watched the governor and the Legislature strip our schools of needed resources and seen conditions only worsen. There are those who think our teachers unions are keeping us from achieving educational reform.

They are not. They are no more than an amalgam of teachers who fight for their rights. Of course, things have gotten out of hand. The indefensible is commonplace. The main problem is that, no matter what the union and some fuzzy-headed education professors say, it is harder to fire a bad teacher than it is to get to the moon. If the unions can be faulted for anything, it is for letting things get to a place where the inevitable reforms have to be forced on them. But, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been known to intone, “It is what it is.” As we used to sing on the camp bus, “We’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here.”

We should have learned that, human nature being what it is, some will inevitably take advantage simply because they can. We read of a few corrupt charter school administrators who are so anxious to show good results among their students that they break the rules. They make sure that only those who are likely to succeed are admitted to their schools, when the admissions process should be run by lottery if there are more applications than available spaces. Others are accused of just

plain stealing and hiring by nepotism. The truth is that if we do not have people really holding educators—any educators—to standards, any system can be corrupted.

Let’s face it: Some public schools are better than others because they are run by people who care—and so are some charter schools. All of the evidence is not in yet. It is common practice in some charter schools to have teachers put in longer hours and adhere to a longer work year. We can begin to see that all of this will shake out. The unions will have to examine their role in making schools better—not only for teachers but also for the students, the parents and the communities.

The charter school movement will have to maintain rigorous standards and those charters and the old public schools that are not doing their jobs will have to be closed. It takes guts to do that, especially when a hundred people are screaming at you because they have been turned into an organized mob by a few self-serving charter-crats. For their part, the governor and the Legislature will have to find the money to fund our most essential need: the education of our kids.

Alan S. Chartock is president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and an executive publisher at The Legislative Gazette.

LET T ER S

Medicare beneficiaries and that the promise of Social 40 already pay an average Security—which they have of $5,500 each year in paid into all their lives—will 2 out-of-pocket costs for always be honored. their medical benefits.

The nation must deal with Any loss of benefits its debt crisis. And seniors or increase in costs understand that hard choices would prove catamust be made, but arbitrary Summer strophic to countless spending limits, privatization TreaTS seniors, robbing them plans or plans that would of their financial secureduce benefits are not rity and health at a time acceptable. when they are most in need of support.

Balancing the budget is important to Social Security did not contribute to the the nation’s long-term well-being, but nation’s debt. Does it really make sense for protecting Medicare and Social Security it to be included in debt negotiations now is essential to the immediate well-being taking place in Washington, D.C.? of the nation’s seniors. They must not Seniors deserve peace of mind. They become bargaining chips.

Marilyn Pinsky need to know Medicare will always provide AARP NY StAte PReSideNt the affordable health care they depend on Pets:

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Toilet Training Whiskers?

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Since 1970

Synagogue Rebuilds After Fire

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What Charters and Public Schools Have in Common?

Some of the best sweet spots to cool off this season

By Nancy J. Brandwein Page 6

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N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Moore thoughts

Getting Beyond the Grocery Grind How a visit to the brand-new Fairway got me thinking about food shopping

By Christopher Moore There was a fuss over Fairway.

“They’re giving out T-shirts,” a man said to his companion while walking last week on the northern side of East 86th Street.

“Wow,” she responded, as they both looked south. “There’s a line to get in.”

Indeed, crowds traveled under the green and white balloons surrounding the entrance at 240 E. 86th St., between Second and Third avenues.

Brochures, lollipops and sponsored copies of the Daily News all heralded the story: a familiar West Side institution now has an eastern outpost.

New Yorkers certainly have an emotional connection to the spots where they do their food shopping. But the grocery grind gets complicated fast.

Granted, options abound, including FreshDirect. Somehow that outfit was better at delivering boxes than sticking strictly to my list, so I went back to the streets. Some stores are close to

my heart, like Zabar’s. Last year I got to interview Saul Zabar right there in his natural element, watching him taste and spit out coffee samples. He talked believably about his exacting standards and passion for keeping prices reasonable. He won me over.

His store did too.

Some bigger chains leave me feeling they are generic types, like the Smelly Store, the staple that’s frustratingly close to my apartment and has arguably the best prices. Not the best experiences. The checkout people seem perpetually angry, treating me as if I’m their parole officer. The produce looks like it was culled during the Clinton Administration. Smelly Store is for emergencies.

A better choice is the Expensive Store. We go there a lot. I say “we” because my partner needs to pay when we choose this place. I can’t afford it, although somehow I shopped there for a half-decade before realizing that tooth-

paste costs something like eight dollars.

Expensive Store is especially easy to navigate because we are the only New Yorkers who shop there. Within five years, though, our local Expensive Store will do a Borders and close.

I like the Old Pretentious Store, the one that has fine, fresh fish. All that’s needed now is someone to stand behind the counter and sell the fish.

Understaffed, this place has fantastic single meals to go. Do not look here for the basic, boring stuff, like brandname cereals, sodas or kitty litter. Some Saturdays, though, I can convince myself that if I can’t find it, I shouldn’t be eating it or buying it anyway.

Relatively new to the scene: the New Pretentious Store. The big chain pushing healthy options. It’s revitalized the local real estate scene, become something of a hangout and made us feel good about the hipness level of our ’hood. Here, healthy looks tasty. I go crazy. I buy foods I don’t even like. Once home, though, I dream of trading that

second batch of romaine lettuce for a bag of Doritos or a can of Coke.

Into the breach comes the newest Fairway. On the East Side branch’s Day One, I went over to see the scene. Alas, these familiar signs were not for me.

This meat counter would never be mine.

I was a pretender to this East Side palace. My Fairways were and are the West Side ones, one up at 125th Street (home to the fabulous freezer room!) and one down at 74th Street (grocery shopping as Olympic competition!).

I live between them. Luckily. Happily.

And, yes, sometimes warily. Because of the ferocious crowds drawn to these shrines, they can be a tad scary to visit.

When I get fearful, though, I remember wise words from a shopper. He wrote how the insanity simply amounts to part of the New York experience. He refused to be wary of the crowds. I don’t have his guts, but I share that sense of the city.

Sure, we are what we eat. But we’re also where we shop.

Christopher Moore is a writer and adjunct professor living on Manhattan’s West Side. He is on Twitter (@cmoorenyc) and available at ccmnj@aol.com.

citiquette

Hot Topic

Whether or not to talk weather

By Jeanne Martinet Last week I was waiting for the elevator, preparing to go outside and brave the scorching “heat dome” (as many weathermen dubbed it), when I realized I was not only steeling myself for the oppressive blast of heat but also, in a much more minor way, for the inevitable chitchat with my neighbors about the temperature.

“Hot enough for you?” someone was sure to remark, or, “I don’t remember it ever being this hot before!” As our physical environment is something we have in common with the people around us, presumably these comments are the result of a natural impulse to bond with others.

But does it help us or hurt us to continuously talk about hot it is?

Outside in the nightmarish 104-degree swelter, people were dragging themselves around, looking dazed. Eye contact between strangers was almost nonexistent. People moved slowly, unsmilingly, like zombies. Things seemed blurry, as if everyone was underwater. At mid-day on the Upper West O u r To w n NY. c o m

Side there were relatively few people out—it had the feeling of ghost town, as though half the population had been wiped off the planet. Earlier in the day I had heard one newsman call the heat wave “Heatmagedden,” which at the time I thought was pretty lame considering how many “-geddens” we have had thrown at us lately.

But I had to admit it did seem a little like the end of the world.

Broadway resembled a war zone, with stragglers totally focused on survival. Once you were outside your building there was definitely no room for pleasantries; no one had any energy for unnecessary interaction.

Since Victorian times, discussing the weather has always been considered a socially beneficial pleasantry, although these days the subject can quickly become political over the issue of climate change. But when the weather is causing so much discomfort, it is no longer really a pleasantry. It’s more of the “misery loves company” category.

Here’s the thing: Do we really feel better when we commiserate? When we are experiencing physical pain, like a backache, many experts say it is better to try to get our minds off of it rather than dwell on it. So many situations in urban life are like that; we can easily see a crowded subway car as pure torture or, if we try hard, we can find something about the experience that is interesting—an unusual-looking person, an overheard conversation—or, more likely, just think about something else until we get home.

Just consider it: If every person in the city had a backache, would it really help us all to discuss it? It would if someone had a solution or interesting information regarding backaches. So the next time you are moved to discuss the current heat wave, why not mention that, according to the New York Times, the temperature record for New York City was set in 1936, when it reached 106 degrees. Or that while studies show that aggressive or criminal behavior increases with the heat index, they also show that when it gets really hot—100 degrees or so, especially when it is humid—crime actually goes down. Or offer the latest information about when the temperature is supposed

to go back down to more human levels.

Simply complaining about the heat only makes it feel hotter.

It’s another thing altogether to talk about the heat after you’ve made it through, when you are safely back in the relative cool of your apartment. When you are back in the bunker—that’s the time to bond. Call up your friends who have been out there. Compare war stories. It will make your AC feel that much better.

When I returned home later that day I ran into a worker in the elevator. He beamed at me. “Having fun in paradise?” he said, with a positively beatific smile.

“Ha, ha. It’s a little too warm for paradise,” I replied, assuming he was being sarcastic.

“Not at all,” he said, with an even wider smile. “It’s perfect—everything is perfect the way it is. You just decide it.” Wow. It seemed to me that he really meant it.

I myself could only hope I might some day attain that kind of spiritual perspective.

On the other hand, I couldn’t help wondering: Was this guy truly enlightened or had he just been out in the heat too long?

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

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