Our Town September 29, 2011

New Parents Expo: The best new products for your baby Everything you need from Pre-Natal to Preschool, plus speakers and activities for the whole family

Oct. 15-16 at Pier 92 Âť Get tickets at newparentsexpo.com

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Alternative Healthy Manhattan: Shed pounds with yoga September 29, 2011

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A RY

Since 1970

A RY

Our Salute to the...

Building Workers of the Year Visit us at www.CityMD.net and see inside page 44 for more information

express

Tapped In Notes from the neighborhood Compiled by Megan Finnegan

PSYCHOANALYZE THIS In a rare chance to peer inside the mind of a great writer, the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute presents Dr. Lois Oppenheim, literature and psychoanalysis professor, in discussion with award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates, who will reflect on her creative process and career. A book signing will follow. Friday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m., 247 E. 82nd St. Tickets are $25, $10 for students with ID. RSVP to 212-879-6900 or admdir@nypsi.org.

Transfer Station (MTS) for waste at the proposed East 91st Street site. The group, Residents for Sane Trash Solutions, is soliciting donations and has been touted by other neighborhood groups and individuals organized against the MTS. The group’s board of directors, which is still being formed, according to its website, so far includes President Jed Garfield, Vice President Elaine Friedman and Treasurer Arthur Lutzke.

The group is registered as a 501(c)(4) charitable organization, which means that it receives certain tax exemptions but can also pursue lobbying and donations to the group are not tax deductible.

UNCONVENTIONAL SATURDAY NIGHT SCENE

Rallying around the cry, “The fight isn’t over,” the group states that they seek to “join together as a community [to] fight and prevent the construction of this planned garbage facility.” They plan to spend money on lobbying, public relations and legal action, though so far nothing more specific is laid out on the website.

Many local elected officials and residents fought months ago to stop the City Council from approving the project in their vote on the capital budget, but with the strong support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the MTS remained on the budget and the city has allocated $125 million for its construction. Opponents say the facility will bring pollution and excessive garbage

truck noise and traffic to the densely populated neighborhood, and have been using every possible angle to fight its implementation. Supporters of the project cite environmental justice and say the Upper East Side needs to bear its fair share of the city’s garbage facilities.

Currently, the new group is urging residents to write to the National Marine Fisheries Service to express concern over the impact the MTS could have on the East River estuary. So far, no major roadblocks have been thrown in the MTS’ path, but it’s still several years from being complete and operational. In the meantime, opponents are seizing on every opportunity to thwart the project.

DOGGONE GOOD TIME

Those who have tired of the old dinner-and-a-movie routine have the weird opportunity to see an acting/live music/ historical reenactment/science project on the Upper East Side. Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) presents a concert this Saturday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m., featuring Listening to History, a lute and string ensemble that performs with scientific lectures/demonstrations accompanying classical music, and REBEL, a baroque quartet.

The program starts with “Galileo’s Muse,” a performance “with rarely performed lute music by Galileo’s father and brother, sparkling 17th century Italian dances and sonatas and a live reenactment of the experiment of the Inclined Plane, featuring cellist and professor Benjamin Wolfe,” according to GEMS. The second half of the evening, entitled “The British Connection: Distinguished Eccentrics,” featured harpsichord performances of works by Corelli, Purcell, Blow, Boyce and Geminiani.

Tickets start at $15 for those 29 and under, $25 for middle and $40 for front of hall seats. Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, 417 E. 61st St. Call 212-8660468 or visit gemsny.org for tickets.

Isaac Rosenthal

NEW GROUP SPRINGS UP TO OPPOSE MTS A brand new opposition group has sprung up whose sole stated purpose is to stop the city from building a new Marine

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Billy Newman is pulled along on his Spider-Man skateboard at the ninth annual “My Dog Loves Central Park” country fair last weekend. Sponsored by Central Park Paws, the fair featured games, contests and experts on everything canine.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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news

UN Land Swap Not Fair, Say Tudor City Residents

By Megan Finnegan As local elected officials work to craft a memorandum of understanding that would clinch the city and state deal to sell the Robert Moses Playground to the United Nations, local opposition to the plan has become more vocal—and more desperate. While details are still being hammered out, it is likely that the Oct. 10 deadline to sign the MOU will be met and that the state legislation allowing for the playground’s alienation and sale will be enacted.

The complicated land swap deal would allow the playground to be sold, allowing the UN to build a new facility and move workers out of buildings currently being leased from the city. In turn, the city would be able to sell those buildings, generating millions of dollars that would be designated for the completion of a continuous greenway along the East River, completing the path between East 38th and 60th streets.

Its proponents, among them a lengthy list of outdoor and biking advocacy groups as well as all of the East Side elected representatives, laud the plan for the eventual benefits it will provide the community by facilitating the creation of a greenway that the city currently doesn’t have in the budget to create. Opponents, most of whom live in the surrounding

Tudor City neighborhood, say it’s unfair to give up one of their only open spaces for a benefit that no one will see for at least 10 years.

Edan Unterman, a corporate attorney who serves as president of the East Midtown Coalition for Sensible Development, said the Tudor City residents who belong to his organization feel they’re being robbed of their playground and are not going to get a fair trade.

“Ultimately, the UN is taking something that belongs to the kids of this neighborhood,” said Unterman. As for the greenway, he said it won’t replace what they will lose. “It’s a completely different use and it’s not for this neighborhood. It’s meant to get the biking community past the UN. That’s of no use to this community at all.”

The playground, which occupies about a half-block along the east side of First Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets, is mostly used by school-aged children and a local men’s roller hockey league.

The city will most likely create a replacement for the lost playground at Asser Levy Place, but some residents say that a space 20 blocks away isn’t an adequate replacement.

“By the time this is done, 20 years from now, the esplanade may very well be impossible or that much easier to do

The Robert Moses Playground would be swapped for a project that would create a continuous greenway along the East River. without having given up this little park,” ly next to the airshaft to the Midtown said Vivienne Gilbert, the president of her Tunnel,” Gilbert said. building, 5 Tudor City Place. She said that David Cantor, public relations spokesin addition to giving up the playground, person for the newly formed coalition she’s concerned construction on the site Friends of the East River Greenway, said will make the area a terrorism target. proponents of the deal hear these con“To build on this site, they have to cerns but don’t put as much weight on cross 42nd Street and build right on top them. of the Midtown Tunnel, the 7 line, right on “When we get to that point, if the continued on page 40 top of the water retaining wall and exact-

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N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Bring the kids and enjoy freepumpkin-decorating, face-painting, chocolatedipping, games, a strolling magician, The Cat in the Hat stilt walker, the inflatable jumping-castle, and more.

For the adults, enjoy your favorite brew, burgers, bratwurst, franks, and music.

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September 29, 2011

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92Y.org/worlds © 2011 92nd Street Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association. An agency of UJA-Federation.

Saturday, October 1, 2011 1pm – 4 pm

92nd Street Y is a world-class, nonprofit community and cultural center that connects you to the worlds of education, the arts, health and wellness, and more. Open yourself to new possibilities.

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AN OPEN DOOR TO EXTRAORDINARY WORLDS

The Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza and The Haley Foundation present The Eighth Annual

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NEWS

Reps. Give Second Ave. Subway a B

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East Side elected officials announced the results of their annual Second Avenue Subway report card last weekend

By Megan Finnegan Members Dan Garodnick and Jessica Local elected officials announced the Lappin, to share the results of an extenthird annual MTA report card on the han- sive analysis of the project’s progress dling of the Second Avenue Subway con- and methodology. They also marked one struction project last week, awarding the of the first milestones of completion as transit authority a solid B average, the the MTA finished digging tunnels for the same grade it received in 2010 and a slight first phase of construction this week, five increase from its B- in 2009. weeks ahead of schedule.

“The MTA is at its best finding new and The report card awards the highinnovative ways to solve construction est grade, an A+, for “project merit,” a problems and at its worst proactively tak- point few on the Upper East Side would ing steps to reduce impacts on residents argue, considering the gross overcrowdand businesses,” read the report issued ing of the Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 line.

by Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Maloney was The MTA estimates that the first phase joined by her fellow Upper East Side rep- of completion on the Second Avenue line resentatives, Assembly Members Micah will see 23,500 riders daily. The report Kellner and Dan Quart and City Council also praised the economic benefits of the project’s job creation, as well as communication with the public and construc2011 2010 2009 tion management. Where the MTA needs Grade Grade Grade improvement, according to the report, is Category A+ A+ A+ Project Merit most notably in mitigation of construcA+ A+ A+ Economic Benefits tion impact, which received a C-, the lowest grade on the report.

B+ B+ Communication with B+ Benjamin Kabak, author of the poputhe Public lar blog Second Avenue Sagas, which N/A N/A Completion of Tunnel A+ chronicles news related to the construcConstruction tion, said that while the report is useful as B BB Construction a “psychological reminder of the project,” Management the grades haven’t changed much. He BBBPlanning questioned the report laying the harshest CCCMitigation of criticism on a category for which he says Construction Impact the state bears more responsibility.

BC+ C On-Time Record “[It’s] a little critical of the mitigation C+ C C Staying on Budget of the construction impact, which has CN/A N/A Progress on Station gotten the lowest grade,” said Kabak. “A Entrances and lot of that doesn't really fall on the MTA; Ancillary Facilities it falls on the city and state's unwillingBC+ C+ Progress Toward ness to start up any tax break programs Completion for businesses in the work zone.”

Overall Grade B B BElected officials point out that they’ve continued on page 40

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Septem ber 29, 2011

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Proceeds fund the restoration and maintenance of Carl Schurz Park

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September 29, 2011

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news

The Upper East Sider’s Chozen People

By Amy Kraft Ronne Fisher has always loved to make Jewish delicacies and homemade ice cream. But the 63-year-old architect never thought she would turn her passion into a kosher ice cream business.

“I’ve always loved cooking,” the Upper East Sider said. “But I never contemplated this.”

In 2008, Fisher and her two daughters, Meredith and Isabelle, were sitting around the kitchen table eating frozen rugelach when they came up with the idea to create an ice cream that tasted just like Jewish desserts. From that, Chozen was born.

Chozen all-natural kosher ice cream is sold in select grocery stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and comes in a variety of flavors, including Ronne’s Rugelach, Matzoh Crunch and Chocolate Gelt. The family-owned business operates out of a home office on the Upper East Side and has a production facility near Syracuse.

Starting next week, Chozen will offer overnight delivery of their ice cream to anywhere in the continental United

States. The company is also unveiling its newest flavor, Coffee Talk.

“It’s sort of inspired by coffee cake, sort of inspired by Saturday Night Live,” Meredith said, referring to the popular Mike Myers skit on SNL. While her mother makes the recipes, Meredith, 32, has been busy getting the word out about the company’s expansion.

“We get a lot of inquiries from stores outside of the region that we can’t service,” Meredith said. “But we’re about to get distribution in Texas.”

But schlepping ice cream across the country wasn’t always an easy thing for the Fishers. Once they formed the idea for the company, Ronne had a lot to learn about ice cream. In February 2009 she enrolled in Ice Cream University, a workshop taught by Malcolm Stogo, where people learn how to make different kinds of ice cream, combine ingredients and run a business.

“The biggest challenge for us was finding products that would not turn to mush when you put them in the ice cream,” Fisher said. After a few bland attempts at combining ingredients, Fisher turned to

Meredith Fisher, left, Ronne Fisher and Isabelle Fisher-Krishana, founders of Chozen Ice Cream. local bakers to modify her recipes for use in ice cream.

They also had to experiment with machinery to find the right equipment to keep pieces of the baked goods intact once they were blended in the ice cream.

Soon after the original flavors were developed, Chozen ice cream was flying of the shelves of grocery stores including Zabars, Eli’s Vinegar Factory and Dean & Deluca, and Jewish and Gentile ice cream fans were raving.

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“People were very amused by the concept of rugelach or matzoh crunch ice cream,” Fisher said. “And people would just smile.”

When the family is not mixing matzoh and milk or rolling rugelach, they can be spotted around the neighborhood, sampling kosher desserts at Orwasher Bakery on East 78th Street or William Greenberg desserts on Madison Avenue. Fisher also enjoys dining at Bella Blu restaurant on Lexington Avenue and The Mark on Madison Avenue.

For now, the Fishers will be making the most of outdoor events before temperatures drop. Chozen ice cream will be available this Saturday at Smorgasburg, the open-air market on the Williamsburg waterfront. It will also be at the Jewish Community Project in Tribeca in October for Sukkot.

Soon enough, Fisher hopes to have her ice cream in stores across the nation.

“I think our first line of attack is just on the Eastern seaboard,” she said. “And then if we can handle all that distribution, we’ll start going west.”

For more information, visit chozen.com.

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Presented on a Love-Offering Basis For More Information, Call Marion A. Gambardella at: (212) 582-1300

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

THEATER

The Absurdity of Language, in French and Out The Pearl Theatre dusts off Eugène Ionesco and The Bald Soprano

By Mark Peikert There was a time, back in the days of experimental, absurdist theater, when Eugène Ionesco and Samuel Beckett were routinely referred to in the same sentence. In the 21st century, however, it is Beckett who is still produced in New York City, while an Ionesco revival is treated as a rarity instead of a necessity.

Among the few companies still paying court to Ionesco is The Pearl, the sturdy repertory company dedicated to preserving and presenting the classics.

In 2001, The Pearl produced the firstever New York revival of Ionesco’s Exit the King (almost a decade before Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon brought it to Broadway) and now they’re presenting what may be Ionesco’s best-known play: The Bald Soprano. A one-act about the comedy of language, The Bald Soprano is, when done correctly, a ridiculous and potent farce. For director Hal Brooks, The Pearl’s choice to revive this particular Ionesco is a chance to stake a claim for its presence in the theatrical canon.

“It’s an opportunity to sort of present it as a classic,” Brooks admitted recently.

“That is the spirit of the work that they do [at The Pearl]. It’s one of the more modern plays that they’ve produced, and

Film capsules

By Armond White 30 Minutes or Less—A satire about the competition for money and recognition that drives Americans crazy, made more humorous than cynical by Danny McBride and Jesse Eisenberg’s solipsistic humanity as kidnapper and victim. Minor but authentic new millennium century comedy. Dir. Ruben Fleischer.

The Black Power Mixtape 19671975—An unenlightening curio that pilfers unused footage shot by Swedish TV documentary reporters about U.S. black radicalism. It waxes nostalgic about matters now swept under the “post-black” carpet. Dir. Goran Olsson.

Columbiana—Striking entertainment and an emotional action movie. As a sexy, damaged assassin hunting down drug dealers to avenge her parents, Zoe Saldana gives the movie star performance of the year—a soulful, modern-day Irma O u r To w n NY. c o m

I think they saw in it all of the ingredients that makes for a classic play. It’s certainly a play that requires an agility with language, and obviously the company possesses that and can master language.

That is a very good fit to do something a little more modern and fun.”

Ionesco’s first play, The Bald Soprano was inspired by his attempts to learn English and his discovery that the couple in his manual, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, didn’t seem to know each other. “As he was copying down [the lessons], it dawned on him that he saw in that the absurdity of language,” Brooks says. “So he claimed that he was trying to learn English and that led him to writing a play.”

Brooks, however, has his doubts about Ionesco’s honesty, even after spending time on The Bald Soprano, which he calls a “gorgeous soup of sound” in the original French.

“It’s hard for me to take him at his word,” Brooks says. “He’ll say something like he wants it to be an anti-play about the tragedy of language. But at the same time, you’ve got to know that it’s really funny! I

just wonder sometimes about his sincerity in a certain way.”

Regardless of Ionesco’s reasons for writing The Bald Soprano, The Chairs or the rest of his oeuvre, the question of why he lingers on library shelves and on the stages of college theaters remains

unanswered. For an absurdist playwright still discussed and written about who was once potent enough to have a film adapted from one of his plays (1974’s Rhinoceros, starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder and Karen Black), his absence from New York City stages is puzzling.

Maybe Brooks is correct when he ques-

tions the English translations of the plays, many of which date from the same period in which Ionesco wrote them.

“Beckett wrote in French but he also did his own translation. And so when Beckett was writing in French, in his mind he’s translating. And when he’s writing his plays in English, in a way he becomes more restrained,” Brooks says.

“And that, I think, is a major difference. The translation of Ionesco, they’re never going to do it justice. You’re always going to do yourself a little bit of a disservice. It’s never going to have that flow that the French has.”

In translation or not, The Bald Soprano remains a lark, one that The Pearl and its company will be presenting for a whole new generation of theatergoers to discover on their own. Including, possibly, some enterprising soul willing to take on the task of crafting an all-new English translation.

The Bald Soprano Through Oct. 23, City Center Stage II, 131 W. 55th St. (betw. 6th & 7th Aves.), 212-581-1212, www.pearltheatre.org; $39+.

NOW PLAYING Vep. Dir. Olivier Megaton.

The Debt—Shameless-bordering-onludicrous Holocaust exploitation, as a Mossad trio brings a Nazi war criminal to justice. In flashbacks, Jessica Chastain plays the same rueful agent as Helen Mirren—a cipher out of a spy novel. Dir. John Madden.

Drive—Fake toughness, fake sentimentality, fake style infected by Michael Mann. Brooding existential stuntman and petty criminal Ryan Gosling is so laconic and cool he’s inadvertently comic. This second-rate actor occasionally drops his Steve McQueen impersonation and lets slip Mickey Rourke’s old smile. Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn.

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life—An inventive political, cultural and ethnic defense of France’s ’60s pop icon and rebel Serge Gainsbourg shows a caricaturist’s whimsy—especially in the subtext of Jewish self-consciousness, psycho-political anime effects and Eric Elmosnino’s lead performance. Laetitia Casta does a wor-

thy, knockout Brigitte Bardot impersonation. Dir. Joann Sfar.

The Help—America’s Jim Crow history reduced to sisterhood entertainment about servants and masters. Still, the white actresses (Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard) take center screen, squeezing out the black actresses (Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer). Dir. Tate Taylor.

Our Idiot Brother—Not even Paul Rudd’s charm can redeem this story of a holy fool—a hippie throwback—who shames his three bourgeois sisters. Smug, preachy and visually hideous. Dir. Jesse Peretz.

Restless—Doomed girl (Mia Wasikowska) and gloomy boy (Henry Hopper) crash funerals and muse on death and godlessness. A nihilistic love story for depressive teens. Dir. Gus Van Sant.

Straw Dogs—An affront to our art heritage and sense of humanity, this shoddy remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 master-

piece reduces psychological depth (about a man defending his home) to cheap slasher film theatrics and dumb political agit-prop. Dir. Rod Lurie.

Toast—Biopic about British food writer Nigel Slater’s childhood (Oscar Kennedy and Freddie Highmore) is actually a funny and edgy story about the development of a gay man’s sensibility. Helena Bonham Carter wonderfully portrays Slater’s nemesis/inspiration—a full-blown, memorably ambivalent characterization. Dir. S.J. Clarkson.

Warrior—Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte as brothers and dad who take family dysfunction to the boxing ring.

Loopy premise but lots of high drama and deep theatrics. Dir. Gavin O’Connor.

Weekend—Rather precious but not unaffecting love story about two young gay British men (Tom Cullen and Chris New) facing the limits of attraction and commitment. An indie take on the ’70s classic Sunday Bloody Sunday. Dir. Andrew Haigh.

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new york family

Schools of Choice In her new book, noted education journalist Peg Tyre helps parents analyze what it means to be a “Good School” today

By Melanie Dostis A few years ago, journalist and New York City mom Peg Tyre rocked the educational establishment with her groundbreaking and bestselling The Trouble with Boys—a polemic which unpacked how our school systems can be inhospitable to boys. Now she’s back with another timely and well-researched book— The Good School: How Smart Parents Get Their Kids the Education They Deserve—which has so many good ideas about the future of education it’s bound to become a helpful guide not only for parents but also for educators.

Can you tell me about your professional and personal backgrounds? Are you raising kids in the city or the suburbs?

I have been a journalist my whole career.

I was a correspondent for CNN and then I covered education and social trends for Newsweek for seven years. [Tyre has two children, 15 and 19. She and her family live in Park Slope, Brooklyn.]

What inspired you to write The Good School?

After writing The Trouble with Boys, I really sat back, recalibrated and thought: What else is there that I’m interested in doing? I believe everyone should have equal access to education. I decided to focus on all the things I had the privilege to learn and what parents should also know because it’s useful to them. They’re the ones in this whole school reform. The data tells us that parents don’t choose that well.

I like to think that with The Trouble with Boys, I contributed to opening this new dialogue. And the issues [from The Trouble with Boys] are known about and worse today. So I asked myself: How can I not just write a book that people will read but write a book that will further discussion?

And that’s the story of how this book came about.

In your opinion, what should parents look for in a preschool?

Preschools play a funny game because they’re so busy telling you how lucky your

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child will be to get in. Parents are really nervous about looking at what the schools really offer. They don’t really know what to look for.

One thing the research doesn’t really support is a big worksheet approach to academics in preschool. Learning needs to be play-based—that’s one of the things parents should look for.

Teachers should know how to embed learning through play. And it shouldn’t just be play all the time! But it shouldn’t be worksheets, like a scaled-down version of third grade all the time either. There should be a ton of talking, and singing, rhyming, clapping to the beat for syllabication.

Parents pay huge amounts of money for preschools in New York City. Is it worth it?

There’s some cartoonish anxiety levels.

But I think more preschool options will be opening up for parents. I think what middleclass parents have to realize is that they have really good options and they need to take a deep breath.

During your reporting and research, what did you find most surprising about education today?

I approached math with deep dread but I found that innovative stuff is happening there. What’s really interesting to me is what’s happening in the laboratories: cognition of math, how we hold numbers. It was really surprising to me to see how that field is exploding and will be pressing into classrooms in about five years. I’m pretty stoked!

It’s about to undergo traumatic transformation. Kids will think about numbers very differently. We have this internal math structure; in some kids it’s stronger and in some kids it’s weaker. The question then is: Can we intervene? Should we?

So how do you get kids to think that math is meaningful?

I think we know less about the building blocks of math. Teachers know less about the right order to teach math. Teachers need to be immersed in serious training and be good at math themselves. You don’t want

Septem ber 29, 2011

teachers that are math phobes.

How do you address reading in the digital age?

It’s really important for your kids to stay at grade level. It’s so common for kids to be behind grade level and for parents to find out too late. Parents really need to get together with the school and find out what can be done. Reading is good!

I think parents need to lighten up about what their kids read. If you look at the data, you’ll see any kind of reading is good, from a cereal box to a graphic novel to a gamer magazine, Twilight, Hardy Boys—it doesn’t matter! It doesn’t have to be Tolstoy; let them read what they want to read.

A lot of learning is going online. I worry that it’s a way of cheapening the educational experience. I don’t want my kids to be learning Death of a Salesman online. I want them to be with some fantastic teacher who can bring to them the richness of this cultural artifact.

You talk a lot about students who are behind grade level. What can be done to change or prevent this? How responsible are schools and teachers and how responsible are the parents?

At preschool, parents need to ask questions like: How is my kid doing at establishing sounds and letters? Parents shouldn’t hear, “Oh, your kid is very well-behaved; we love him a lot.” That’s no good. You never want that! You’re looking for substantive knowledge. Teachers should be on that.

If you learn your kid is starting to fall behind, then a parent needs to ask the teacher what can be done for extra support.

Parents should watch out for “He’s behind but he’ll catch up.” Parents need to ask what can be done right away! An even worse answer is: “I think he should stay behind a year.” You don’t want to hear they’re going back to the same school with the same program and the same kind of instruction. He didn’t learn the first time, he’s not going to learn the second time. It’s a matter of bringing him the information in a different way.

What are your thoughts on private versus public education?

There are some fantastic private schools and there are some really mediocre private schools. And then there are some really expensive private schools that are mediocre.

Many parents think that just because they’re paying a lot and some of the kids in

the graduating class are getting into Yale that the school is fantastic. But what parents do not see is that many of the kids are canceled out in the data, that some kids don’t do well, that teachers are not getting a lot of development. Those are bad signs for schools! It’s hard to get the information that you need about private schools. Some schools live off their reputations and so the schools do not have to do much serious self-examination.

How do you think the American education system has changed over the years and in what direction do you believe it is heading?

Public schools were sort of a monopoly for a while. But some schools were really bad and there was no way to change them.

There’s been a big effort to break that up and to create new models and other options for parents. That came with a responsibility for parents; we have a lot of options and it’s really hard to sort them through. That’s how I think we got here... Parents are starting to realize that there are really good options in NYC and that is a pretty new and exciting development in the last 15 years. If your kids are highly accomplished, there are fantastic high schools. There is also a whole other rung of experimental schools which I think are super interesting and working really well.

I’m very encouraged by the public education in New York. However, I do worry that NYC makes it hard for parents to find a good school; parents have to go on a kind of mall crawl from open house to open house. I hope that my book makes it a little easier for them.

What’s next for you? Any projects in mind?

I’m a little tired from this book. I’m going scuba diving with my son and then I don’t know!

For more information, visit pegtyre.com.

This article first appeared in the Sept.

2011 issue of New York Family. For more family stories visit NewYorkFamily.com.

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DINING

Super Tuscans Rehabilitate Maligned Image Chianti no longer a dirty word in wine world

so well recognized that they could make anything and the American market would buy it. Eventually, though, we Americans caught on and the name Chianti became synonymous with “cheap, crappy wine.”

Ultimately, their laziness proved to be a good thing. It led many of the producers in Tuscany who really cared about wine to break tradition with Italian wine laws and

By Josh Perilo start making what are now known as Super Tuscans. Eventually the Chianti producers stepped their own game back up and are now, again, one of the first-class growing regions of the world.

I had the pleasure of trying several Chiantis at the portfolio tastings recently and am happy to report that this year’s offerings look very good. The Fattoria di Faltognano Chianti Montalbano 2008 ($12 at Yorkshire Wines and Spirits, 1646 1st Ave. at 85th St., (212)717-5100) is a great example of this. The hallmark scent of burning leaves is the main event on the nose in this wine, complimented by a slightly herbal backbone with hints of black licorice. The flavors are led by notes of tart black cherry and bitter herbs. The middle holds up with mild tannin and the finish is peppery and robust. Old world charm all the way.

If you like your Chianti a little earthier, I would recommend the Tenuta di Lilliano Chianti Classico 2008 ($29.99 at 67 Wine and Spirits, 179 Columbus Ave. at 68th St., (212)724-6767). Right from the start, wafts of fresh Portobello mushroom and wet earth pour from the glass. There is a surprising amount of tart fruit in this wine, with brambleberry jam notes up front. The middle has excellent structure, with just enough tannin and acidity to balance out the fruit, and the finish returns to the earth with more mild mushroom notes.

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the tannic structure that the others had, it made up for it in subtlety. Dried flower petals, orange rind and clove were the major flavors up front with a good acidity down the middle and a touch of mulberry and pepper on the finish.

Next week, I’ll conclude my overview of the annual portfolio tastings. Stay tuned!

Thai Highs and Lows

By Nancy J. Brandwein In a stretch of Ninth Avenue that could should be called Banghok Kitchen instead of Hell’s Kitchen, Pure Thai Shophouse has developed a devoted following for its canteen atmosphere, authentic valuepriced noodle dishes and, reportedly, its interesting snacks. I’m puzzled about the latter; the lunch menu offered the usual satays, curry puffs and spring rolls. I ordered my favorites—crispy tofu ($2.50) and chicken curry puffs ($3/2)—and the most unique: steamed fresh roll ($3). The waitress pointed to tiny shreds of what roll casing has the lovely looked like coconut on texture of a flabby hometop of each section. As made noodle and pleases my daughter would say, the eyes and taste buds.

“Fail!” Also disappointing 766 9th Ave. Cross sections revealed were the bland fried tofu a rainbow of sausage, (betw. W. 51st & W. 52nd Sts.) steak fries with a ho-hum smoked tofu, sprouts and “gastrique,” i.e. sauce. Yet 212-581-0999 cucumber, and each rested the chicken curry puffs in a sweet tamarind reduction. “But,” I were flaky, earthy and redolent of lemonmotioned the waitress over, “What about grass, and bouncy Thai pop music, comfy the crab?” (Whenever I get a chance to stools and a long wooden bar for single order pork and crab together, I do.) The diners all give Pure Thai a fun feel.

DANIEL S. BURNSTEIN

By Josh Perilo In my previous column, I began my annual, weeks-long rehashing of the fall season’s portfolio tastings. The portfolio tastings are a chance for distributors in the New York City area to invite their clients from both restaurants and retail stores to taste everything. Literally.

It is an overwhelming offering, but the purpose is more the opportunity to try things you may not usually be looking for, sort of like the wine equivalent of a visit to the Strand.

I like to write each year about some of the trends and products that stand out.

Last week I wrote about the continuing popular trend of California (specifically Napa Valley) Sauvignon blanc. This week I’m heading to Europe to talk about the ubiquitous and often maligned Chianti. areArt Italian restaurants in New York N ORDER -There Email City that do not serve Chianti. And I’m not rth talking about ultra-region-specific Italian Media restaurants that only serve food and wine h St. from, say, the Piemonte region or Puglia.

Y 10018I’ve spoken to the wine directors of some these268-0502 places, and their justification is that 724 Fax:of(212) Chianti is too common and is not an interuction@manhattanmedia.com esting enough wine for their esoteric lists. th@manhattanmedia.com I think that mindset is both unfortunate and idiotic. While there were a good of decades in the mid-to-late 20th .687”H,handful 1/8 page century when Chianti went through a very Ad on Thursday, 9.29.11 sad decline, the region is back and firing on all cylinders. They are producing some of the most consistently excellent wines in Italy overall, and some of the most affordable vino from Tuscany specifically.

The trouble all started in the early ’70s, when many producers of Chianti let the quality of their wines slip. They were able to do this because the name “Chianti” was

One of my favorites was the Agricola San Felice Chianti Classico Riserva Poggio Rosso, 2004 ($42 at Beacon Wines and Spirits, 2120 Broadway at 74th St., (212)877-0028). This one was one of the classic, floral-style Chiantis, with powerful scents of rose petals and cedar right out of the bottle. While this wine lacked

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building service workers awards

The Best in the Building Business

The woman or man who holds the door for you,

cleans your office or fixes your apartment has a story to tell, and this week we have the stories of 25 of the best building workers in the city, as picked by the 32BJ Service Employees International Union.

You’ll read about a maintenance worker who saved a burning man from the World Trade Center a decade ago, a Mets groundskeeper who is nonetheless partial to the Yankees, and many more who’ve shined at work while raising their families, in our annual Building Service Awards special section.

Presented by

This year’s winners—supers, cleaners, security guards, doormen and women—were honored last week at a ceremony hosted by 32BJ SEIU and Manhattan Media.

Josh Rogers Manhattan Media Special Sections Editor

The New York Yankees are Proud Supporters of

the SEIU Local 32BJ and

Salute all of the 2011 honorees

O u r To w n NY. c o m

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We proudly salute the winners and nominees of the 20191 BUILDING SERVICE WORKKE ERS OF HE YEAR AWARDS TTH

EIU Thank you Local 32BJ SSE

G GEEO ORRG MFFO & SSO ON OM ORRTT & NSS,, IIN GEE CCO NCC CCoom mm meerrcciiaall RReeaall EEssttaattee SSiinnccee 11991199

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NEWS YOU LIVE BY

building service workers awards

Laboring for a Woman in Labor & Everyone Else desk, tenants agree that Amankwah goes above and beyond his job description.

“I’ve seen many people working this desk over the years,” said Brian Dutzer, who has lived in the 415-unit building for over 10 years. “Eugene is by far the nicest, most thoughtful and most considerate concierge I have ever met. I consider him a dear friend of the family.”

Amankwah said that feeling is mutual.

He is on a first name basis with every tenant who lives in the building and has developed close relationships with them.

Doorman of the Year “Coming here isn’t really like working for someone,” he said. “It’s more like seeing family.”

When observing Amankwah during one of his shifts, however, it is obvious that juggling his multiple responsibilities is no easy task. He answers two phones and watches three computer screens, each displaying multiple pictures from security cameras throughout the build-

ing. He makes sure no one enters the building who isn’t supposed to be there and logs every delivery that comes to the desk. Tenant complaints and concerns are also brought to his attention.

“It’s really not an easy job,” he said.

“There’s a lot going on and I’m constantly multi-tasking. You can’t be distracted.”

Yet for Amankwah, a joke or story from one of the tenants’ children will put a smile on his face, no matter how busy he may be.

“The kids always bring me joy,” he said, “even when I’m having a bad day.”

Amankwah said being recognized with the Doorman of the Year award also makes his hard work worthwhile.

“Sometimes, this can feel like a thankless job, so winning this award feels really good,” he said.

In fact, this is not the first time that Amankwah has been honored for his work. In 2009, he was recognized as the Best Doorman on the Upper West Side.

He said he attributes such recognition to his consistency, attention to detail and extreme organization. He also emphasized that he works with a wonderful

karl crutchfield

By Ashley Welch Tarini Chakravarti will always be grateful that her doorman was prepared the night she went into labor.

It was around 2 a.m. one day last October when she and her husband Mark Elliott left their apartment in the Vaux Condominium on Central Park West to head down to the lobby. Chakravarti was in excruciating pain and could not think of anything but getting to a hospital.

Eugene Amankwah saw them on the security camera at his desk. He ran down to the basement and returned with a wheelchair to meet Chakravarti at the elevator. Leading the couple outside, he hailed them a cab within minutes.

“We were so grateful Eugene was there for us,” said Chakravarti, who gave birth to a little boy name Kai. “It was amazing how prepared he was.”

Amankwah, 32, has been a concierge at the Vaux Condominium for the past five years, though he worked as a porter and temp there for some time before that. Whether it’s making quick decisions while assisting a pregnant woman in labor or facilitating deliveries at the front

Doorman of the Year Eugene Amankwah was also honored in 2009 for his work. staff and said he is very grateful to the woman who trained him, Gloria Madero, a concierge at the Vaux Condominium for over 20 years. He credits much of his success to his family, friends and girlfriend, as well, who have always supported him.

When asked to sum up his feelings after learning he received the award, he thought for a moment before answering.

“It feels like I made it,” he said. “People know me now.”

Cooper Square Realty is proud to be a sponsor of the

2011 Building Workers of the Year Awards

Congratulations to all of the winners for a job well done!

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building service workers awards

Princeton Relies On Her the Most

HAI ZHANG

Donna Brown.

By Paulette Safdieh As a New York real estate agent in a struggling economy, Donna Brown took a doorwoman job on West 95th Street’s Princeton House in 1990, considering the position a part-time solution to an unsteady, commission-based salary.

Twenty-one years later, Brown finds herself sitting in the same foyer, now as Service Employees International Union

32BJ’s Doorwoman of the Year. In addition to the union, the Princeton House’s residents and management company recognize Brown’s diligence and work ethic as well.

“I do a lot of things outside of my regular duties,” Brown said of her day-to-day tasks, which include scheduling deliveries and ordering movie tickets for residents.

“I guess those are the things people see.”

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Brown, who declined to provide her age, spent two years post-high school living with friends in Nigeria before moving to New York. She studied business at Long Island College and went on to become a real estate agent.

Brown used her knowledge of the field to secure the job at the Princeton House when the market crashed.

“I was in and out of luxury buildings all the time,” said Brown. “I thought, why not get a concierge job?”

While the regular paycheck caught her immediate interest, the friendly faces of co-workers and residents influenced Brown’s decision to stay. Princeton’s management company, New Bedford Management Corporation, and the building’s board of directors appointed Brown to a leadership position in which her

responsibilities exceed those of an average doorwoman.

“I get out-of-the-ordinary requests, like checking airline flights for residents,” said Brown.

Brown also schedules all move-in and move-out dates—a job usually executed by management companies. She organizes deliveries and maintenance calls

Doorwoman of the Year and works with outside contractors like FedEx and UPS. “She runs the building,” said Helen Flaum, 65, the current board president and Princeton resident for six years. “The property manager depends on her, the staff depends on her. We’ve gone through three supers and they’ve all depended on her, too.”

With 210 units in the building, Brown finds herself constantly busy.

“Over the years, I just started making all the phone calls and handling everything,” said Brown, who loves to multi-

task. “It diversifies my day.”

Brown rides the F train from Roosevelt Island to the Upper West Side five days a week to arrive promptly for her 7 a.m. shift.

While she works hard Monday through Friday, her time off reflects her adventurous spirit. Brown enjoys cooking, writing poetry and spending time with her friends and husband. More than anything else, she appreciates a break from her luxury surroundings to rough it outdoors.

“I love camping,” she said. “[My husband and I] just spent two weeks camping throughout the state of Oregon.”

Those who know Brown well agree the Doorwoman of the Year award landed in the right hands. Having worked with her for over four years, John Grier, the Princeton House’s union representative, can vouch for her quality of work.

“She is a very, very good person,” said Grier, 55, citing Brown’s professionalism and articulate manner. “She knows everyone in the building and has always been very helpful and responsive. She helped me unionize the building, for crying out loud!”

“From one woman to another, it’s wonderful to see someone recognized for good work,” said Flaum. “I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.”

Stan’s the Man Who Transformed York Hills

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the building since 1983.

As she went on to explain how Stan beautified the entire building inside and out, from the installation of new sidewalks, trees, shrubs, flowers and potted plants both on and off the property, to equipping every floor and stairway with emergency lights in case of blackouts (“Last time there was a blackout, people didn’t even know,” he joked), to proposing the hiring of security guards for the lobby, Housey kept repeating the phrase,

Super of the Year “Where else do you see that happen?”

“He certainly is an exceptional super,” said a member of the building’s board, Barbara Pokorny. “He does his work beyond anything you would expect him to do. He takes great pride in keeping the building looking good.”

Pokorny points to her first encounter with Stan as the moment when she knew that he could bring something special to the building. The board was interview-

Septem ber 29, 2011

ing different supers for the position and Pokorny wanted to see if any of them noticed the plastic bags hanging in the trees outside the building. Stan was the only one who had. “Right then I said he’s hired,” Pokorny said.

Stan was a blueprint engineer in his native Romania but moved to New York in 1991 to seek better opportunities for his family. He found part-time work as a handyman before settling in to his current gig. “I jumped into this building,” he said. “The building was in very poor condition, but it was a good jump.”

Stan was very quiet and humble about his award, simply saying he loved his job and incessantly thanking the board of directors for listening to him and agreeing to provide him with whatever approval he needed to get the job done.

Housey, one of the people who nominated him for the award, wrote about how Stan was recently informed of a WWII veteran in the building whose apartment had fallen into disrepair. Stan had the entire apartment cleaned and painted, and provided him with a television and air conditioner that had been given away

HAI ZHANG

By Annie Lubin York Hills Apartments on 81st Street and York Avenue is a huge red-bricked building encompassing an entire city block.

Juxtaposed just a few blocks east of the pristine properties on Park, Madison and Lexington avenues, the building shouldn’t stand out as a model of immaculacy compared to its neighbors, but it does.

And the reason? Ask anyone—from the building’s board members to its residents—and they’ll agree that it’s all due to the building’s super, Craciun Stan, who for the past 15 years has put more care and concern into the place than anyone could have asked for.

“Fifteen years ago, I remember walking through the building and being scared,” said Stan. “Now it’s better than those buildings on Park Avenue, I’m telling you.”

Since taking the job in 1996, Stan, 57, has gone above the call of duty, always one step ahead of any complaints or problems that might arise.

“If you only knew what this building was like before he came here,” said Yvonne Housey, who has been living in

Building superintendent Craciun Stan. by another resident. “This is all done, quietly, and with respect and dignity,” wrote Housey.

“I am 78 and disabled,” she wrote, “and my son said he has peace of mind knowing Stan and his staff care about us.”

Stan plans on staying in the building until he retires.

“I like the building,” he said, “they’re like family.”

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

THE DURST ORGANIZATION salutes the

BUIlDING SERvIcE WORkERS UNION (SEIU local 32BJ)

for keeping everything running smoothly.

The Durst Organization Builder, Owner and Manager Since 1915

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

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building service workers awards

Life Lessons Serve Resident Manager Well But it was largely due to Rampino’s quick response that everyone in his building was evacuated without anyone being hurt. And once his building was clear,

Hai ZHanG

By Jermaine Taylor Frank Rampino learned his first, and most important, life lessons about hard work and sacrifice from his parents.

“My father and mother had six children,” said Rampino, 53. “We were poor and we never knew it, because my parents worked hard to make sure we always had everything we needed.”

He said he also learned a lot about sacrifice as he saw his parents, secondgeneration Italian-Americans, sleep on “a pull-out couch in the living room” of the family’s small Borough Park, Brooklyn, apartment while his five siblings and he shared the bedrooms.

It’s those lessons, more than any other, that Rampino, a member of SEIU 32BJ for the last 32 years, has taken with him as he’s moved through his career and begun his own family.

And it’s that same commitment to hard work and helping others that was on display 10 years ago on 9/11.

“It was horrible,” said Rampino, who at the time was a residence manager at 400 Chambers St.—only a few short blocks from the World Trade Center.

“The dust alone was overwhelming,” he said, adding that pieces of debris from the plane and collapse of the towers actually struck a number of nearby buildings, including his own. “You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t see.”

Frank Rampino was named the Super of the Year.

Rampino, who had a 4x4 parked in a nearby garage, says he offered to assist police and fire department personnel in moving equipment in and around the site.

Looking back 10 years later, however, he characterizes his actions that day simply: “I just like helping people.”

That’s why Rampino, now resident manager at 171 E. 84th St. on the Upper

East Side, is still helping people. In his current role, he maintains the 38-story residential condominium and its more than 200 apartment units with the help of a staff of 15.

“The people are very nice,” he said.

Although he admits that it’s “a lot of coordination” and requires an ability to deal with “multiple personalities,” he said he loves the job, even after all these years.

“You just have to know how to work with people.”

When he’s not working with his staff or tenants, Rampino is also juggling his duties as president of the Manhattan Resident Managers Association, which represents all of the residence managers (or building superintendents) in the borough. As president, Rampino says he’s most proud of the efforts the group has undertaken to give back to the community by raising money for scholarships for young people and donating to such causes as Toys for Tots and Ronald McDonald House.

When asked for a fond memory from his career, Rampino recalled the story of a young African immigrant he met a number of years back who was stuck in a dead-end job making $6 an hour with no benefits and no opportunity for advancement. Rampino says he was able to get the young man a job as a porter making almost double his previous pay. It was

through that job that the young man met his wife. He’s now a member of the union and has a family, said Rampino.

“If you’re willing to work hard, I don’t mind helping,” he said, adding that he has people from all different backgrounds on his staff. “I’ve got African Americans, Dominicans, Italians, Albanians—you name it, I’ve got it,” he said proudly.

And at a time when many unions are being criticized, Rampino said he’s grate-

Super of the Year ful to SEIU 32BJ and other unions for working hard to make a profession that was once “looked down upon” by some a viable, well-respected career path.

“Now this is a job that people want,” he said. “You have great medical coverage, you have job security. Thank god for the union.”

Still, despite how far he’s traveled from that two-bedroom apartment in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Rampino said he tries to always remain humble, remember where he came from and never lose sight of his values.

“I don’t toot my own horn,” said Rampino. “This is just the way my parents brought me up.”

Job or No Job, He Saved a Burning Man on 9/11

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safety. It took them nearly 20 minutes.

Miraculously, when they reached the paramedics, the man was still alive—badly burned and in shock, but alive.

Just as the men got out of the collapsing first tower, the second plane hit, only a block away. As the second tower came

Hero of 9/11 down around him, Almenares suffered devastating back injuries that would leave him disabled and out of work for the next two and a half years. The pain stays with him even now, accompanying him on his daily duties at NYU. Nicaraguan-born Almenares is the shop steward for SEIU 32BJ at NYU. He’s the “eyes and ears of the union,” representing his coworkers’ interests and communicating their needs to the manage-

Septem ber 29, 2011

ment. An active member of the union for 19 years, Almenares has traveled across the country to countless rallies and meetings, and appeared on NY1 and CNN to campaign for workers’ rights.

Last year, Almenares’ dedication to the job won him an award from NYU Public Safety.

Almenares’ pride in his work is matched only by his devotion to his kids: Ivan, 15, and Ivana, 9, who was born one month to the day after the 9/11 attacks.

As his daughter approaches her 10th birthday, Almenares is careful to explain to her what happened on that day just before she was born, and how different her life could have been. He told her, “If I had died, your country would’ve took care of you.” Almenares got choked up as he relayed Ivana’s response: “Dad, there’s nothing they could have done for me— not enough money in the world. I’m just glad you’re alive.”

daniel s. burnstein

By Emma Thorne He’s a proud maintenance worker for NYU now, but for Ivan Almenares, every day carries a reminder of his last job.

Ten years ago, Almenares was working for ABM Industries keeping 1 World Trade Center clean. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was making a trip down to the basement to get Windex and rags when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the tower.

“I didn’t know it was a plane. I thought it was a bomb,” said Almenares, now 36.

He and a co-worker ran out to see what was happening. “As soon as we came out of the office, we saw a guy burned—his face, his hands.”

The burning man had been waiting for the elevator when it crashed on the basement level, exploding in “a fireball,” Almenares said.

Through air so thick they couldn’t see and hardly could breathe, Almenares and his colleague carried the burning man to

After Ivan Almenares helped rescue a man on 9/11, he was badly injured from the collapsing Twin Towers and was unable to work for a two and a half years.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

is proud to support

The Building Workers of the Year Awards and congratulates all of this year’s honorees

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

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building service workers awards

School’s Mr. Fix It Also Keeps Things Clean As a skilled mechanic prior to joining the school, Miller continues to utilize his expertise working with his hands and building things from the ground up.

“I made a radiator cover for Principal Fidelia. She was pretty amazed at how quickly I did it and how good it came out,” Miller said, proudly.

“He’s altogether an excellent handyman,” said the principal, Yasmine Fidelia.

Public School Cleaner “He gets done whatever we need him to do.”

She said Miller is very supportive of the school’s staff, is a “great handyman” and a very fast worker. “There is nothing he can’t fix.”

United Federation of Teachers representative Vicky Halm also had glowing reviews for Miller. “The building is always clean,” Halm said. “He is always friendly and a pleasure to work with. He goes out of his way to help out even if something is not his job.”

Halm recalls several instances where Miller helped teachers and faculty members get their cars out of the snow even though he didn’t have to help.

She quipped, “Thomas is a really good guy. His only drawback might be that his jokes aren’t so good.”

But Miller was forced to grasp responsibility at an early age when he dropped out of high school in his senior year to care for his cancer-stricken mother as well as his brother and two sisters.

“My mom passed away when I was 17 and I was married at 18. It wasn’t easy,” said Miller, who has three kids himself and whose wife works as an assistant principal at P.S. 139 in Brooklyn.

“I think that’s why I try to give kids the message to stay in school and get an education so they can get ahead. It’s always better to have an education than to not have one,” he said.

As a shop steward for SEIU 32BJ, Miller helps out other union members as well as students and faculty.

He helped a 60-year-old African immigrant who was making only $5 an hour working for a city-based contracting

CLARK JONES

By Alan Krawitz Thomas Miller, a cleaner and handyman at P.S. 276 in Brooklyn, has never been afraid of getting his hands dirty.

And that strong work ethic has not gone unnoticed by both students and staff alike.

Miller lives in Staten Island but for the last 12 years has been driving to Canarsie each day for his 7 a.m.–4 p.m. shift, where he helps maintain a school that serves more than 1,100 students, grades K-5.

“Every day is something different,” said Miller, 42, who grew up in Brooklyn.

“I do everything from fixing equipment in the school to helping kids retrieve balls that go astray. The job is exciting.”

He explains that he enjoys a good relationship with both kids and teachers at the school. “People come to me with various problems. I treat everyone with respect and am always willing to lend a hand,” Miller said.

Speaking about the kids in the school, he says that most know him by name— even if he doesn’t know all of theirs. “It’s tough to keep track of everyone, it’s a big school,” Miller said.

P.S. 276 Handyman Thomas Miller. company get steady work and medical benefits.

“This guy is so grateful to me that he calls me every week to see how I’m doing,” Miller said. “He tells me that if it wasn’t for me reaching out to help him, then he might have starved.”

Making Sure Public Housing Looks Good

ANDREW SCHWARTZ

Lateste Thompson, a caretaker at a NYCHA complex, said, “I care about the outside because I represent what people see when they get here.”

By Jesse D. Leon Some people relax by curling up on the couch with a book, watching television or going for a walk. For Lateste Thompson, the fastest way to relieve stress is retail therapy.

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“I love to shop. Oh my God, when I’m stressed I go shopping,” Thompson said.

“It just relaxes me so much.”

To support her shopping sprees, Thompson, 44, works as a caretaker in the New York City Housing Authority’s Sheepshead-Nostrand Houses. The residents of her buildings appreciate her nine-year effort—which is a big reason the mother of five from Coney Island won the “Best of Brooklyn” Building Service Workers award.

In a typical day, she checks her buildings for any hazardous conditions or any bulk items left in the hallway, cleans up the exteriors and services the trash compactors. Managing the exterior areas is important to Thompson, who wants to make the 68-building complex presentable for its more than 2,200 residents and their visitors.

“Where I work, I care about the outside because I represent what people see when they get here,” she said. “You know, give it a good impression when people come into the neighborhood.”

She was surprised when a resident told her that she was nominating Thompson

Septem ber 29, 2011

for an award, and didn’t think much of it when the woman pressed Thompson for her contact information. After the nomination, the union voted and Thompson had the most votes out of all Brooklyn workers, said Kwame Patterson, union spokesperson.

Best of Brooklyn Although Thompson enjoys her job, she has always dreamed of becoming a psychologist or drug counselor.

“I like to get into people’s minds to see where they’re going,” she said. “If you’re on the wrong path it could be someone to encourage you and strengthen you in a way that somebody else can’t do it that’s close to you.”

For now, her dream is on hold, because the hours she works are too demanding to go back to school. On the job from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Thompson sometimes works straight through the weekend, and is on call during emergencies,

like this past winter’s blizzard.

While she loves to talk about shopping, her real priority is providing for her five children so they can focus on school. She remembers how her oldest, Raymond, now 25, fell in love with drama and theater in high school. Raymond spent so much time on school productions that his grades were dropping.

“I told him that if you don’t get it together, drama’s done because school comes first,” Thompson said. “I don’t know what I did, but when I went back for parent-teacher night his grades were up, he graduated valedictorian.”

When she does indulge her shopping passion, Thompson, who is divorced, is more likely to buy for her kids or her 2-year-old granddaughter than for herself.

And she doesn’t mind talking about being a bargain hunter and clipping coupons; she was very pleased when she recently paid $16.95 for a dress at Macy’s that was originally marked as $125.

“If you know how to shop, and you know how to budget your money, you can do it,” Thompson said. “I work hard for what I buy.”

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building service workers awards

Locked Out But Determined to Get Back to Work have success with anything,” he said.

Born in Jamaica, Pennant left a Kingston suburb in 1970 for New York to find a better life. Pennant spent some years as a superintendent in Bensonhurst

Best of Brooklyn before becoming one of 36 handymen at Flatbush Gardens. Soon after, he sent money to bring his family to the United States, including his son and four daughters. That family has grown to include 13 grandchildren.

“I’m happy,” Pennant said. “I have a family here.”

Often, his children will come over for a dinner of his favorite meals of rice and peas, oxtail or fried fish. Some evenings, they put on music and dance.

Pennant, a senior citizen, said he stays healthy by a regimen of vitamins and soymilk. He avoids frozen foods and has stopped drinking alcohol. When he goes back to Jamaica, he brings back bags of roots and Jamaican Dogwood bark that he boils into a tea.

At work, Pennant sees himself a peacemaker, someone who is straightforward and not prone to gossip or rumor.

He takes up disagreements with his coworkers in private, not in front of building management or other workers.

“Some of them get mad at me, but it comes with the territory,” he said.

Pennant said he likes his job, even though he’s had some close calls over the years. Ten years ago, he was using a circular saw when it shot back and hit his hand.

He now has a surgical pin in his index finger, but it could have been worse.

A marshal in this year’s Labor Day Parade in Manhattan, Pennant keeps the sash at home as souvenir to show his grandchildren.

Alfredo Edwards, a handyman at Flatbush Gardens for 25 years who was standing outside, said Pennant doesn’t merely deserve an award to recognize his service to his building and his co-workers.

“Deserve it is just a pat on the shoulder,” Edwards said. “He earned it.”

But the lockout can’t end soon enough for Pennant, who can’t wait to go back inside—especially as the temperature gets cooler. One of his legs still hurts from

andrew schwartz

By Dan Rosenblum Over the last three decades, Desmond Pennant could be found in one of Flatbush Gardens’ 2,500 apartments fixing leaks, bleeding radiator lines or plastering walls. A handyman at the sprawling complex since 1978, Pennant was a Mr. Fix It, a vanguard against regular wear and tear at the sprawling Brooklyn apartment complex. That was before last November.

Since then, Pennant has instead spent his days outside, on the corner of New York and Foster Avenues. Rejecting a new contract that would cut benefits and wages, Pennant and over 70 other members of SEIU 32BJ have been locked out of their jobs. Now Pennant’s days start at 7 a.m., but instead of taking work tickets, he holds signs and keeps track of the other plumbers, porters, sewer workers and other strikers.

“I more than deserve it,” Pennant said.

“Why? Because I’m a no-nonsense guy.”

Pennant said he doesn’t know why he won this year’s Building Service Workers Award. But he knows he earned it after years working to maintain the 59-building complex and helping mediate between the building’s employees and management.

“Once you put up the fight, you can

Desmond Pennant, a handyman at Flatbush Gardens, has been locked out of his job for almost a year. being outside day after day last winter.

And more than anything, Pennant said, he’s looking forward to going back inside and getting back to work on apartments.

“I come as a handyman and I’m going out as a handyman,” said Pennant.

A Cleaner and Counselor for College Students

By Anika Anand As she walks into the front entranceway of Queens’ York College, Alma Pringle greets everyone with a friendly hello. Since she began working at the college as a janitor about 11 years ago,

“We would all just get together, hold hands and pray.”

andrew schwartz

Alma Pringle, a bathroom cleaner, leads a prayer group at York College.

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she said she’s met so many nice people—from her colleagues to professors to students.

“The students are lovely and the people are very nice. Everyone is always saying, ‘Hey Ms. Alma,’” she said. “I know everybody.”

Over the years her work duties have changed. Now, she spends her evenings cleaning 16 different bathrooms on the first and second floors in the Academic Core building.

She pushes open the men’s bathroom

Septem ber 29, 2011

door on the first floor and points at the urinals and sinks.

“I make sure I clean all the bathrooms. I mop them every night…and clean all the urinals, all the toilets and all the sinks,” said Pringle, 51. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s my assignment.”

Even after she was diagnosed with a kidney disease four years ago, she figured out a way to keep working and make her dialysis appointments. She said the students call her “hardcore” because she’s always staying busy between work, doctor’s visits and going to church.

Best of Queens Last year she began sharing her love of the church with students at the college through the Center for the Study of Women and Society. Before her shift started, she would chat with students and some would ask her to pray for

them before they left to take a test. This became more frequent, and one day Pringle decided to start an hour-long prayer class once a week.

“A lot of the students started coming, guys and girls,” she said. “We would all just get together, hold hands and pray.

We just expressed things we wanted from God.” While Pringle loves the people she works with at the college, she is excited to retire in a few years and pursue her dream of becoming a caterer.

“People ask me to cook things all the time,” she said, and rattled off the ingredients—shrimp, tuna, carrots, relish—in her famous macaroni salad.

She shines a warm, genial smile as she talks about the people in her life: her only son, a 23-year-old Navy medic working in Guam, her fiancé, whom she plans to marry next June, and the students at York College.

“The students have bought me gifts on my birthday, they have called me on Mother’s Day,” she said. “The students are just wonderful.”

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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September 29, 2011

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building service workers awards

Beautifying His World and Queens

By Linnea Covington Some people get lucky, and Azell Bost happens to be one of them. When he moved from North Carolina to New York City 31 years ago, within two days he had a job as a building manager at the Rochdale Village housing complex in Jamaica, Queens. A few years later he moved up and started doing grounds

out with a friendly meet and greet with his main boss before getting his hands dirty.

Another part of the job that keeps him busy is his involvement with the union, where he is the shop steward for the Rochdale community. With 150 members to take care of, Bost spends a lot of his time working on cases and supporting the employees. Though it’s hard work, sometimes, he said, it can get comical. For example, he recently went on a case where a worker was caught

‘It was one of the highlights of my job,’ he said, adding, ‘But Hillary, I thought she would be taller!’

Best of Queens

daniel s. burnstein

snoozing on the job and his employer offered up photographic proof.

“The guy swore up and down it was not him in the photo,” said Bost, his amusement trickling through as he spoke. “The more he kept denying the more I kept laughing, and man, the stories these guys will tell are incredible, I can’t make them up.”

Even when things are tough, Bost keeps a light heart and pushes to make

work, and today, he is still there as one of their professional landscapers.

“I am blessed,” the 59-year-old said on the phone. “It’s a good place to work and I love that it changes everyday.”

Bost handles everything on the 120 acres from cutting the grass, shoveling snow, maintaining the parking area and planting trees and flowers. His day runs 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and he usually starts

things good for himself, and the people around him. The job also has perks. On two separate occasions, he met Jesse Jackson when he was running for president, and saw the Clinton family while Bill Clinton gave a speech in Rochdale Village. Even though the Secret Service kicked him, and the rest of his team, off the job, he still got to watch the former president speak.

“It was one of the highlights of my job,” he said, adding, “But Hillary, I thought she would be taller!”

Bost came to the city with his high school sweetheart, with whom he continues to live within a romantic movieesque, marital bliss, not far from his work. They have three grown daughters and in his free time, he avidly follows sports, especially the Miami Dolphins, and is a self-described diehard New York Mets fan.

As the weather cools down and the promise of harsher climates doesn’t feel too far off, Bost said he isn’t worried—after all he has dealt with it for decades.

“We are outside all the time and deal with cold,” he said. “While you are all

Azell Bost earned the Best of Queens award. tucked under the covers we are plowing the snow—that’s what we signed on to do; that’s our job.

With A Wink and a Smile

karl crutchfield

Chavis Randy Fulton was honored with the Helping Hand award.

By Linnea Covington Being friendly and helpful isn’t just Chavis Randy Fulton’s job, it’s the way he naturally works; for over 15 years he has brought this friendliness and goodwill to the residents of the Riverbend Houses in Harlem.

“The reciprocation of love I have received from the cooperatives here is

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definitely a blessing,” he said over the phone. “I enjoy my job very much, and it’s not just for employment, but because it’s been enriching learning about people and the other cultures.”

The large co-op building sports 19 floors, with an average of eight units on each and most with families, which means hundreds of people see and greet Fulton every day. But it’s not just people in the building that he takes care of.

Fulton said one day, while he was on a city-bound vacation, one of his residents called up in a panic. She was worried about her mom who lived further south in Manhattan and hadn’t been picking up the phone. Always the hero, Fulton paid a call on her mother, found out everything was fine, and reported back.

“I think I show a level of commitment and compassion for the people I serve,” the 47-year-old said. “I treat my job like I want someone to treat me and make a strong effort to be the best I can from day to day.”

When he arrives at the complex, Fulton, whom many of the tenants

Septem ber 29, 2011

call by his middle name, Randy, starts out by burning some incense to calm the space. Next, he checks one of the most vital areas of the building, the elevators. He prepares any equipment and is then ready to greet the residents with a smile as they go to work and school.

Helping Hand Award “Cooperatives have told me, ‘You are always so happy and smiling,’” he said, his grin coming across over the phone.

“I am definitely a public servant at heart, pretty much, I just want to be of assistance.”

Before he started at the co-ops, Fulton ran a youth program with the NYC Housing Authority in Harlem, where he also lives. Then he worked with various Catholic Charities, and finally came to his current job. The reason he ended up as a porter was twofold: benefits and to have stable house so he could raise his kids.

Like the apartments he runs, Fulton is large. Standing over 6-feet tall and weighing about 270 pounds, he comes off as a force not to be reckoned with.

Part of the reason he rocks the football player body is because he sometimes coaches a football league for a community church. He also spends his free time amateur boxing and working out, and on his weekends he takes out a tandem bike with his 9-year-old son.

Actually, a lot of his free time is spent with his son, he said. He takes him to play basketball, to karate lessons, piano tutoring and Cub Scouts, where he has done a stint as Cub Master. Fulton also raised two grown daughters, 26 and 23, one who works in real estate in the city and the other studying for her master’s in education. Fulton himself studied liberal arts in college.

For now, Fulton happily works the door in the Riverbend Houses with a respect and a kind word. He has played Santa at holiday parties, is known for his irrational fear of rats, but most of all, for his solid character, happy smile and open nature.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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More CUNY Award Winners 4 RHODES SCHOLARS in 6 YEARS 7 TRUMAN SCHOLARS in 6 YEARS 8 GOLDWATER SCHOLARS in 3 YEARS 7 NSF GRADUATE FELLOWS in 2011

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building service workers awards

She Grew Up in LeFrak, Now She Helps Kids Like Her rapport largely by combining her two loves: basketball and community service.

Sands has a long history on the court.

She grew up playing ball in LeFrak City with “Inside the NBA” co-host and twotime NBA champion Kenny Smith. When Smith started a North Carolina basketball camp in 1991, he tapped Sands to

Helping Hand Award coach.

Sands continued to mold young athletes at tournaments in Corona sponsored by another LeFrak City NBA star, Kenny Anderson. Years earlier, Anderson himself learned a few tricks from Sands, she said.

Off the court, Sands has supervised visits to Rikers Island for at-risk youth.

She recently proposed an after-school reading initiative to Henderson, and will take part in a new mentoring program.

“I love kids,” said Sands. “I want to show them that there’s life besides the streets.”

Sands’ fellow workers in the 32BJ

Building Service Workers Union just honored her with its annual Helping Hand Award.

“I’m humbled and honored that people took notice of what I do, because I do it from the heart, and not to get any recognition,” said Sands Two years ago, Sands’ co-workers petitioned for her to become a union shop stewardess. The position involves establishing harmony between management and about 200 maintenance workers, she said.

But Sands is no stranger to labor disputes. In 1997, she filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission against MidState Management, alleging the company denied her and other women access to permanent maintenance jobs at LeFrak City. That action led to a workplace discrimination suit in Brooklyn’s Federal District Court that Mid-State Management settled out of court.

Sands said equal opportunity is now the status quo at LeFrak City and the relationship with management is positive.

Sands, who declined to give her age—a lady doesn’t tell, she said—lives with her

andrew schwartz

By Tom DiChristopher Jennifer Sands has been a maintenance worker in Corona, Queens, for 16 years, but the community she serves knows her by another title: the mayor of LeFrak City.

On paper, Sands is a gardener at the sprawling 20-building apartment complex. In reality, she does a little of everything, from supervising painting projects to coordinating holiday decorations. While these tasks make her a familiar face around LeFrak City, it’s her commitment as a mentor and community organizer that earned her the nickname.

This year, the LeFrak City Tenants Association and management acknowledged her unofficial contributions by making her the coordinator of the LeFrak City Summer Youth Employment Program.

“I couldn’t have picked a better person to step up to the plate,” said Loretta Henderson, president of the Tenants Association.

Henderson chose Sands for her rapport with kids, which she says is rooted in mutual respect. Sands developed that

Jennifer Sands held her own playing ball with future NBA stars from LeFrak City, where she now works. mother, sister and niece. She credits family as the seed of her accomplishments.

“My mother always told me if you can help one person along the way, then your living was not in vain,” she said. “And I believe that from my heart.”

Protecting the Vulnerable in a Public Bathroom

By Linnea Covington Deep in the depths of the booming bus station in Times Square, Cynthia Gonzales cleans, supervises and, most of all, protects the bathrooms on her watch. During her shift, as matron at Port Authority, Gonzales sees her share of wayward characters.

“I have one of the biggest bathrooms in the building,” the Trinidadian native said. “Some of the people I have to deal with, they aren’t so good.”

One tough situation she remembers dealing with was an older, homeless woman who, like many down-and-out people in that area, decided the bathroom was her private domain. The woman’s leg became so badly infected that Gonzales finally had to call someone to take her away. That wasn’t until after the woman attacked the matron. In the end, the leg was amputated and the

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woman was gone from Gonzales’ life.

But others have taken her place in one way or another.

The reason Gonzales won the building workers award is because she actu-

‘I like dressing up and the elegance of being an extra,’ she said. ‘And I like being out there, in the public eye,’ Cynthia Gonzales said.

ally saved another woman’s life. Not many people can say that, and Gonzales does so reservedly, with reluctance. The situation involved a sex offender coming after a young woman in the bathroom she attended. It’s an ongoing case and

Septem ber 29, 2011

she doesn’t want to talk about it, nor did she want her photo to be published. She doesn’t want to be associated with the incident too much, and she also thinks what she did is just part of the job. A job Gonzales continues to do, as she has done there for over 20 years, through pure strength and will.

Life Saver Award “I really enjoy what I do,” she said over the phone. “I look at myself as a valuable employee.”

When she isn’t lording over the facilities, she spends a lot of time at home with her family, including her 26-year-old son. As for her age, Gonzales wishes it to remain a mystery, but she is spry enough to work stints in acting into her schedule. Pursuing the

silver screen as a hobby, she has appeared as an extra in numerous films and television shows, including Law & Order.

“I like dressing up and the elegance of being an extra,” she said. “And I like being out there, in the public eye.”

Funny enough, Gonzales hasn’t seen a single episode, film or even a clip of any of the pieces she has been in. “I’m just too busy,” she said. Instead of watching herself, she catches a football game, especially the Baltimore Ravens; or enjoys any basketball game, no matter who is playing. Sometimes she sews her own clothes, and the rest of her free time goes to the union and her efforts to organize and recruit new members.

While Gonzales remains satisfied with her work, the one thing she wishes is that after 20-plus years, she could finally get Sundays off to go to church.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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building service workers awards

Working Hard, Staying Upbeat at Moody’s ranging occupation. Bell sets up conferences and does light construction as well as keeping things clean and, above all, safe. When asked if he was an organized child, Bell lets out a wonderful low rumbling laugh and says, “Well, my mother isn’t around now so she can’t say anything other, so yes I will say I was neat

Longevity Award and tidy as a child. I guess I do like order.”

Bell has a 23-year-old son named Connis, which is Bell’s middle name.

Connis lives with his mother, but Bell has many cousins with whom he visits.

In fact, he was taking his annual summer trip with the cousins when we caught up with him in between banana pudding, ribs, cornbread, sweet corn, grilled shrimp and chicken.

Back up north, Bell recalls the days at Moody’s in both 1993 and 2001 when the World Trade Center was attacked.

On both occasions he was working and saw a lot, although he doesn’t say much

about it other than the fact that the maintenance workers were called back first, a week after 9/11 “to make order and clean up.”

Bell loves to take photographs and through the years he has taken some pictures of conferences that Moody’s has used, but his favorite place for photographs is the roof of 7 WTC. “I love to go up and look down and see the city from that high up. The pictures can be beautiful.” Bell works long hours, usually arriving between 6:30 and 7 a.m. for the 8 a.m. shift. “ I like to get to work early, although there have been many different companies handling maintenance in this building, I always say I work for Moody’s and I think folks know I can be relied upon.

During my shifts I have seen so many things: babies born, robberies, people sick, big conferences and of course the two attacks, but I have always been reliable. I guess people see that. I think I am good in a crisis.”

When the transit strike hit the city, Bell walked from Brooklyn to downtown Manhattan for three days, always arriving

andrew schwartz

By Wickham Boyle The building workers union gives an annual award to honor longevity, and this year’s recipient, George Bell, was tracked down in Georgia in the middle of a barbecue so that he could share some of the wisdom and tenacity that led him to this place.

George Bell, 60, grew up in the south, and you can still hear the soft echoes in his cadence and parlance as he drawls through the ether from Georgia to New York.

“I grew up in Newbury, North Carolina, but I came to New York City when I was 21 years old because all my brothers and sisters were there already,” he said in a telephone interview. “I had spent summers in the city and liked it so I came up and got a job in Miller Meat Packing in Brooklyn, on Myrtle Avenue. I worked there for about a year, and then I worked for a cabinetmaker all while I was living in Bedford Stuyvesant. I started at Dunn and Bradstreet, that is Moody’s, in 1974.

They were on 99 Church Street at the time. We moved buildings, we are now at 250 Greenwich Street [7 World Trade Center], but I am still with them.”

Maintenance, it turns out, is a wide-

George Bell began working for Moody’s predecessor 37 years ago. early. “I lost weight with all the walking and it was cold. A few days before Christmas, Moody’s gives kids parties for the holiday and they had to be set up and broken down and I thought, well can’t let the kids down.

When someone asks me for something, 89 percent of the time I can do it.”

It seems Bell’s employers think he delivers on an even higher percentage.

Green Thinking Fuels Passion While Saving Green

By Marley Gibbons Marat Olfir, the superintendent for 750 apartment units at the Brightwater Towers complex in Coney Island, could be considered a scholar of “building science.” He has no less than 77 certifications, most of them in green building

andrew schwartz

Marat Olfir has 77 certifications, mostly in environmentally friendly building maintenance.

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maintenance, and he’s still going back for more classes.

Olfir left his home in Odessa, Ukraine, for the United States in 1995 because he heard stories from friends calling home about their “big shot” maintenance jobs in America. By June 1996, he was working as a handyman at a non-profit organization in Manhattan and three years later he was employed by the Kennedy House building in Forest Hills. Early 2000 was when he “fell in love with studying,” he said.

He invested his own money for online classes at Phoenix University, where he spent three years and graduated with honors and a B.S. in management in 2007. He says his degree helped him get where he is now. He was also one of the first 32BJ members to complete a 40-hour course in environmentally conscious building maintenance.

After joining 32BJ in 1999, Olfir enrolled in more classes, this time for free. Why not, he thought. With 12 years of experience under his belt, reading books about boiler room upkeep and plumbing gave him fresh ideas and the “majority of benefit [was] from communication and networking,” he said. He appreciated the

Septem ber 29, 2011

chance to learn from the mistakes and struggles of other superintendents.

In September of 2008, the water storage tank on one of the Brightwater roofs needed a cleaning. The tank cleaning company told Marat that his employers, the building management company, would have to pay for new float switches. He consulted his network of fellow

Green Award supers and learned the current switches could simply be lubricated for a much lower price, thus saving his management company almost $7,000.

“If I hadn’t known the other supers, I probably would have told my manager that we need the new switches,” he said.

Olfir, 38, keeps a record of his green initiatives at the Brightwater Towers, not for recognition, he says, but because he wants to share his green knowledge with other superintendents.

The building saves $14,000 annually because Olfir had the pipes insulated after learning about the benefits of the

treatment in class. He said he had to climb into the crawl spaces of the building to figure out which pipes were not insulated, but that it was totally worth it.

For Olfir, the most surprising thing he has learned in building science, as he calls it, was the concept of the “stack effect.” This is the notion that costly energy—heat in the winter and cool air in the summer— rises through openings in the top of the building, like smoke from a chimney. He found that insulating the windows, doors and other openings in the top apartments and on the roof made a huge difference in energy costs. “I can’t sense it, but I know how much money I’m saving,” Olfir said.

Olfir’s passion for savings through green practices is apparent. When asked if he benefited from the hours of courses and certification, he said he did it “most likely [for] personal satisfaction.” He takes classes nights and weekends and is thankful to his wife, Olga, and their two children, Victoria and Brandon, for their support.

“I’m going to be honest, when I go to the park with my daughter, I bring a book.

Any extra time I have, I spend reading,” he said.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

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building service workers awards

Loyal to the Field, if Not the Team voicing your opinion about that,” he said.

After all, “some employees are die-hard Met fans.”

Yarborough applied to work for the Mets on a whim. He was on the 7 train passing by Shea Stadium shortly before its 2008 closing when he noticed a line of job applicants stretching around the stadium. Yarborough was working in construction at the time, and was looking for steadier employment.

Stadium Cleaner of the Year When Citi Field opened the following spring, he was put on the post-game custodial crew, working from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. By mid-season, he was managing the trash collection group.

“They noticed my leadership skills, I guess,” he said of the promotion. “Plus, I’m very punctual,” he added, noting that he hasn’t missed a day’s work in three years.

The job was seasonal, but Yarborough struggled finding construction gigs in the winter, with many of the jobs having

washed up in the recession. Though he collected unemployment, he said that the time off was difficult.

“That’s not for me,” he said. “I like the work. I think it keeps you young.”

Yarborough received another promotion last winter, this time to a year-round position as a machine operator, cleaning carpets, floors, bathrooms and just about any other mess around the stadium. He now works the day shift, preparing the stadium before the game.

“The women’s bathroom’s the worst,” he said of his duties. But he was also spends a surprising amount of the day cleaning up after the stadium’s feathery residents.

“The birds keep you working,” he said, noting that a variety of species live in the stadium, from pigeons to hawks. “They go right under the net and there’s feces on the marble [of the stadium entrance].”

Yarborough usually eats lunch at the employee’s cafeteria, which serves ballpark food. But he said that the fare doesn’t taste the same when it’s divorced from the game.

“If people aren’t yelling and spilling beer, it’s not as good,” he said. “Any baseball game is magical.”

Yarborough can imagine staying with

P.J. SMITH

By Max Sarinsky For many New Yorkers, free tickets to Mets games would be a pretty good job perk. But for Christian Yarborough, one of the groundskeepers at Citi Field, the job isn’t about the perks.

Since joining the Mets organization three years ago, he’s been to just a single game on the team’s dime. And even then, he didn’t make it to the final out, leaving his friends at the ballpark in the middle.

“Half a game, maybe,” he said. “I was tired after the shift.”

Yarborough was once a bigger fan.

When the Mets built their dynasty in midto-late late ’80s, he frequently attended games with family and friends.

But his interest in baseball has waned over the years, and he now describes himself as more of a football fan. “I’m a fake fan,” Yarborough said about baseball. “I watch the playoffs.”

Despite living in Queens his whole life, he has split his allegiances between the Mets and Yankees, depending on which was the better team year by year. In fact, his first icon was Reggie Jackson, the Yankees slugger in the late ’70s.

On the job, however, Yarborough, 40 keeps mum about his history with the Mets’ cross-town rivals. “You can’t be

Groundskeeper Christian Yarborough said he was more of a Mets fan before he started working at Citi Field, but now he leans more toward the Yankees. the Mets for a long time, but said he’ll continue to keep his ears open for other opportunities. “I was taught at a young age, don’t stay stagnant,” he said.

And even though he hardly follows the Mets anymore, there is one reason he’s rooting for them to break their losing ways: “More work.”

Her Stages Shine at Least as Bright as the Stars

CLARK JONES

Elia Perez’s floors sparkle so much that she impressed Oscar de la Renta when he saw the clear reflection of his models’ shoes.

By Juan DeJesus When Tropical Storm Irene hit the city, the floors at New World Stages experienced flooding and damaged ceiling tiles.

But after Elia Perez and her determined team of custodians got their hands dirty, you could never tell.

The floor shimmers and the glass spar-

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kles inside the New World Stages, causing even the most calloused New Yorker or tourist to take notice of the immaculate facilities—which strikes a note of pride in the 55-year-old Perez.

“Millionaires, famous actors, designers, families come here because they like it. They like it because it’s clean, it puts them at ease, it allows them to enjoy the show,” Perez said in Spanish.

The Salvadorian has worked at New World Stages for the last seven years.

Perez started as a cleaner for U.S. Airways. She soon graduated to maintaining Rockefeller Center and impressed her employers with her knack for detail and demand for absolute cleanliness. Her employer there recommended her to an agency at 2 World Trade Center.

Perez split her time between the two New York City icons until the attacks of Sept. 11.

After 9/11, she found a new home at the hit Broadway show Urinetown. During her time there, her impeccable cleaning style did not go unnoticed, prompting Michael Coco to offer Perez a tour of a

Septem ber 29, 2011

new theater that was under construction.

“It was very touching that they would let me take a look to see if I wanted to work there. The building was still under construction and it really made me feel wanted,” said Perez.

When the construction at West 50th Street was completed in 2004, Perez and her husband Oscar joined the staff as full-time employees watching over the poured concrete floors and the shimmer-

Theater/ Event Cleaner ing light boxes that adorn the outside of the theaters.

“Every morning I come in and every morning Elia will say good morning in such a cheery and uplifting manner,” said co-worker Tom Wilson. “Even after a long day that you know has taken a lot out of her, she will still turn to you and smile with such enthusiasm.”

Perez demands the same of her fam-

ily—who also happen to be her employees—her daughter Jackeline Perez, 29, son Arnold Perez, 22, and husband Oscar 54.

Jackeline started working with her mother in 2004 and has used the opportunity to pay for a degree in psychology at Nyack College in Manhattan. She currently works a couple of hours in between her job as a case worker.

Perez impressed designer Oscar de la Renta, who even went as far as to ask who cleaned the facilities and how she got the floor spotless and shiny enough for his models’ shoes to reflect off the floor.

When asked how she felt to be recognized for all of her hard work, Elia took a moment and held her hands together.

“My heart wanted to jump out of my chest. I come to work with enthusiasm and love. I work as if my heart were part of my hand,” said Perez, before adding, “I love what I do and the people that I work with. But most of all I want to make people feel at ease and valued. That is why I clean and why I feel that hard work and cleanliness are integral to all of us.”

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

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Her Toughest Job Was Being a Single Mom its doors at night have always seemed menial to Ramos, she has found inspiration to perform them for 23 years.

“I was motivated because I have kids,” she said. “I don’t have a choice.”

While Ramos came to the United States for job opportunities and doesn’t regret her decision, she quickly realized that a lack of proficiency in English

All four sons earned college degrees.

makes more fulfilling work difficult to obtain. She enrolled for several semesters at Hunter College and Long Island University, but in each attempt, more pressing needs at home interrupted her course of study.

She found fulfillment in her four boys as she simultaneously worked for their well-being. Today, the same is true, though her circumstances have changed slightly. Her sons are now grown and married, each with a college degree and a job.

Theater/ Event Cleaner

said. “For me, it’s different.”

In 1987, Raisa Ramos, 59, left the Dominican Republic to come to New York City. She had to find a job and raise her sons. Within months of moving to Washington Heights, she found a job at Bernard B. Jacobs Theater on Broadway.

Though the tasks of cleaning Jacobs Theater in the morning and closing

“It’s wonderful now,” Ramos said of her life. “I’m finished with everything.”

That’s not to say that she doesn’t have more in mind for herself. When Ramos looks to the future, she hopes for enough time to satisfy a long list of dreams and interests.

Myriad topics illuminate her smile and her eyes—travel, music, volunteering and, as Carlos teases, window-shopping.

She denies the latter accusation, but concedes to a passion for reading, as names like Paolo Coelho and Umberto Eco surface. Ramos stays in tune with society and younger generations of her family by reading The Economist and Muy Interesante, a Spanish-language monthly magazine.

Of course, she mostly wants time for family: her sons, their wives, two grandchildren, her own longtime friends and her sons’ childhood friends, who still stop by for dinner.

“The family just keeps growing,” said Adriana, her daughter-in-law. “The more the merrier.”

They come together for cookouts of traditional Latino food. Ramos doesn’t

andrew schwartz

By Kenneth Christensen At mention of her 2011 Building Service Worker Award, Raisa Ramos takes a long pause and shrugs her shoulders in modesty.

It feels good to be recognized, but as a single mother of four boys—Eric, Carlos, Christian and Oliver—she feels that her accomplishments transcend an award. Working hard stems from her habit of always putting others first, said Carlos.

“Some people do the minimum,” she

Raisa Ramos. discriminate if she catches someone eating unhealthy food. She gives them an earful, followed by a mouthful of something more nutritious.

“She takes care of a lot of people,” said Carlos. “We hope that when she needs it, everyone gathers around her to do the same.”

Green Is Clean, Thanks to Her

By Amora McDaniel With a kind, motherly voice and a penchant for calling others “my dear,” Luz Hurtado has an ability to make people feel she cares. Her kindness has been a

‘I had never heard of... [a worker] to be honored for your job.’

daniel s. burnstein

For almost 30 years, Luz Hurtado has cleaned offices for SL Green.

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defining characteristic in her life, one that has given her opportunities that were once unimaginable.

As a teenager growing up in Colombia, Hurtado knew that she wanted to improve her life. But, being from a poor family, she saw few opportunities. She enjoyed taking care of people, so she began working in a hospital. One of her patients, an American man, was so impressed with how she took care of him that in 1975, he

Septem ber 29, 2011

asked Hurtado to move to America and take care of him there. Barely an adult, Hurtado decided to take his offer, leave her entire family behind and move to America.

She said she was not scared to move so far away from everything she knew at such a young age. But her fear was almost debilitating years later when she found herself a single mother alone in New York with two young children.

Midtown Office Cleaner “I used to have nightmares,” said Hurtado, 55. “I would say, ‘Oh my God, what are we going to do?’”

Fueled by her love for her children, she worked hard to make a life for the family of three. Hurtado began cleaning offices in 1983 for SL Green, where she still works, and raised her children Karen,

23, and Tarina, 21.

“I have no more dreams at my age,” Hurtado said, laughing. “I am just so happy seeing my kids do good.”

In addition to caring for her children, Hurtado enjoys helping her community.

She loves reading, particularly the works of Indian writers. She also helps people in her neighborhood, Jackson Heights, learn to read and write English, and says being around young people keeps her feeling alive.

Though happy to win the Building Services Award, Hurtado was surprised that there was recognition for the hard, and often thankless, work that office cleaners do.

“When the union called on Tuesday, at first I said, ‘No, I’m not interested,’ because I didn’t know what they were talking about,” Hurtado said, laughing.

“I had never heard of something like this—for workers to be honored for your job. I was just so surprised and happy.”

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building service workers awards

Adding Life to New York Life few times, and she’s always there to help open the door,” Chisolm said.

Chantal Joseph, another New York Life agent, said Quizi is more than just the office cleaning lady.

“She’s really passionate about her job, and that passion comes through every day,” Joseph said. “She’s always smiling.”

Quizi thinks that’s why she won the award. She said she respects her job, and

Midtown Office Cleaner the people she works with.

“Many people count on me in this place. I don’t have everything to offer, but I’ll try to help in any way I can,” Quizi said, adding that she sometimes brings her co-workers coffee when they’re working late.

She said the recognition serves as validation for her hard work. She said life as

an immigrant hasn’t always been easy, but she prides herself on never giving up.

She left most of her family in Ecuador when she immigrated with her father 18 years ago. When she first arrived in the U.S., she got a job at a factory, where she said her supervisor constantly yelled and criticized her and her coworkers.

After six years at the factory, she was promoted. She asked her supervisors for a raise, and after six months of discussion, her supervisors offered her a 50-cent raise. She quit.

Shortly after, she got hired as an office cleaner, which she says was a much better fit. Quizi said she was better able to support and contribute to her family, and was respected by her co-workers.

Twelve years later, Quizi is proud of her life: her work, her family and now, the recognition of her coworkers for a job well done.

“When most of us are leaving for the night, she’s just coming in,” said Chisolm, her co-worker. “And her smile will just make your day.”

daniel s. BUrnstein

By Jackie Kostek Norma Quizi does her job, and does it well.

She was just named NYC’s best Midtown office cleaner by the city’s building service workers union.

Quizi, a Queens resident, has spent 13 years working as an office cleaner, the past 12 years at 420 Lexington, where she works with the employees of an insurance company, New York Life.

She said she was humbled when her co-workers nominated her for the award and started voting for her.

“I told my co-workers before I knew the results, ‘I’m not thinking about whether I’m going to win or not, because I feel like I’ve already won with you,’” said Quizi, 42. She said she appreciated her co-workers taking time from their days to do something nice for her.

Sam Chisolm, an insurance agent at the company, said Quizi is pleasant, kind and always there when someone needs her.

“I’ve locked myself out of my office a

Norma Quizi’s smile and cleaning skills brighten the day for insurance workers at 420 Lexington Ave.

Cleaning Medical Waste & Confidential Files with Care

andrew schwartz

Yuet Hong Chu.

O u r To w n NY. c o m

By Laura Shin Yuet Hong Chu came to the United States in 1982. She arrived with the motivation to work hard, and she hasn’t let it go.

“In China, the environment is that everyone works very, very hard. It’s a cultural thing,” she said through a translator.

“We’re taught from a young age, do the work, do it well and take pride in it.”

Chu, 46, is an office cleaner at the NYU Langone Trinity Center in the Financial District. As the sole daytime cleaner for the 22,000-square-foot medical facility, those who work at the center say Chu does it all.

Some of her responsibilities include cleaning up after each gastrointestinal procedure, cleaning bathrooms, shredding confidential files, collecting garbage and constantly cleaning the facility’s two waiting areas.

But she does far more than she is asked to do, said Patty Yee, pulmonary function tech at Trinity. “She goes above and beyond. She even helps doctors when they’re really busy. She’ll even heat up their lunch for them.”

Chu has been working at Trinity since

2008 when it first opened. Her favorite part of her job is learning new things and building relationships with the people who work there.

“The people here are very nice,” she said. “If I don’t know how to do something, they are always willing to teach me how to do it.”

Lower Manhattan Office Cleaner The most challenging part of her job is getting all her tasks done on a day when there are a lot of patients. As a fast-paced medical office, work can get stressful, she said.

She always gets the job done, however, and always with a smile on her face, said Tracy Murrin, office manager of the center.

“She’s the most humble, genuine, hardworking individual that I think any of us have ever come across,” Murrin said. “It’s refreshing to see someone who always thinks of others around them and is never

negative.”

Chu said she came to America for better opportunities. She lived in San Francisco for many years, which is where most of her extended family still lives.

She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.

When she isn’t working, Chu said she tries to spend as much time as possible with her kids.

“I take them out shopping. On Saturdays, we always go out to eat dinner and on Sundays we cook dinner together at home,” she said.

Her kids are one of the things she is most proud of in her life. It is important for her to be a good role model to them, she said.

Before working as an office cleaner, Chu worked as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant and also as a seamstress, but she said she likes her current job better.

As for her dream job, Chu said she would love to either stay home or work with children at a daycare.

Still, she loves her job at Trinity and the way everyone welcomes her. She said she feels like part of the family.

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Raising a Family and Strengthening the City Moore worked the overnight shift while his wife worked during the day.

That way, one parent could always be at home with the kids.

“It put a little stress on us in our personal life, but we knew we were doing this for the bigger picture,” Moore said.

“And we had weekends.”

Lower Manhattan Office Cleaner Crystal is now 24 years old. She works as a security guard and attends classes at Monroe Community College in The Bronx.

Alberto Jr., is 19. He attends Westchester Community College and hopes to become a police officer, Moore said.

Moore said he has encouraged his son to become a cop. Moore said his dream job was to be a firefighter—not that he doesn’t like his job now.

Moore’s worksite has been the Stern School of Business at NYU for the past

two years. He said he prefers the night shift, so he starts work every weeknight at 11 p.m. He takes out the recycling, waxes floors, cleans bathrooms, moves furniture and whatever else is required of him.

Moore’s company, Collins Building Services, is the fourth building services firm he has worked for. Because he has a union job, he said, a new company owner only means a new shirt.

That’s why Moore said he does the extra work for the union a few times per week even though he works the night shift. He said the work commonly involves phone banking or assisting with rallies. Sometimes it means traveling to other states, which he has more time to do now that his kids are grown.

When he isn’t at his worksite or working for the union, Moore said he likes to stay at home or go shopping with his wife or watch Yankees games.

But when it comes time to go to work on or off the clock, Moore said he is grateful to be a union man.

“The job, yes, it helps me pay my living

andrew schwartz

By Tristan Hallman Office cleaner Alberto Moore, 50, left the New York University campus at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, but his day wasn’t done.

Three hours later, he stood on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 91st Street, handing out flyers for New York State Assembly candidate Dan Quart.

Quart, a Democrat, won the special election for the Upper East Side assembly seat that night. Moore worked for Quart on behalf of SEIU 32BJ, a union that represents service employees such as porters, doormen, security guards and maintenance workers.

Moore downplays his work for the union’s causes. He said he is just a regular guy, no more deserving of special recognition than anyone else.

“To me, it’s not a big deal,” he said. “It’s not a sacrifice as they make it seem. It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Moore said he joined the union more than 21 years ago at his then-girlfriend Brenda’s suggestion. He later married Brenda, who is now an administrator for Century 21 real estate. The couple raised two children, Crystal and Alberto Jr.

Alberto Moore was named Lower Manhattan Office Cleaner of the Year. wages and stuff, and it helps me with the expenses,” he said. “But the union is what makes the job rewarding.”

Making Sure Everything is ‘Fantastic’

andrew schwartz

Clifton “Mr. Fantastic” Minott says if you walk into his building upset, “I’m going to make you laugh.”

By Alan Krawitz To his colleagues, Clifton Minott is much more than the security and safety expert at 1333 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. While he has yet to be mis-

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taken for a superhero, his eternally sunny disposition at work has earned him the label of “Mr. Fantastic.”

The union’s more traditional designation for Minott’s job is actually that of a “starter,” a position that is essentially a hybrid of a security officer, a safety director, a doorman and a handyman.

“Everyone likes me in the building, I make people feel good,” Minott said.

“Even strangers really enjoy the way I greet them when they come into the building.”

Colleagues say that the nickname stems from Minott’s penchant for answering the question, “How are you?” with “Fantastic.”

Beloved by all who encounter his optimistic gaze, Minott has been a fixture at the front door of the building in Herald Square for the past three years.

“I’m the first person people see when they enter the building and I always say ‘fantastic’ to anyone entering the building,” he said enthusiastically.

Born on the island of Jamaica, Minott came to the U.S. in 1976 in search of a better life.

“My father was a mechanic and I guess

Septem ber 29, 2011

I kind of followed in his footsteps a bit,” said Minott, who is also a certified auto mechanic. “If it doesn’t fly, I can fix it,” he said matter-of-factly.

However, after being laid off from his job as a mechanic several years ago, Minott decided to return to the security business, a field where he had worked before.

Security Officer– Commercial Building At the building, Minott works in tandem with the building’s superintendent, porters and all types of handymen. “They all love me,” explained Minott, with enthusiasm.

So beware, sadsacks. Minott warns visitors that, “You can’t be mad when you come into my building. If you’re upset, I’m going to make you laugh.”

A one-time DJ, back in the days of turntables and mammoth amps, Minott is now a devout family man who resides in a well-kept home in South Jamaica, Queens, with a 15-year-old son and

24-year-old daughter as well as his wife of 18 years.

He is also an avid sports fan who enjoys basketball and football. “I’m a big Jets fan,” he notes.

But when it comes right down to it, Minott is a man who truly enjoys his work.

In fact, Minott loves his job so much that when he was offered a full-time position at a local auto repair shop, he turned it down.

“I enjoy working at the building so much that I didn’t want to leave,” Minott recalled. However, Minott doesn’t want to lose his auto mechanic edge so he still dabbles in auto repair on the weekends at both his home and at a nearby auto shop.

Cynthia Watson, Minott’s former boss at Andrews International Security more than two years ago, said that Minott was an exemplary employee. “Clifton was extremely pleasant,” Watson recalls. “I love his outlook. His character is unusual.

He’s not someone you see every day.”

Ramone Mejia, a handyman and coworker, concurs. “Clifton is an incredible guy,” he said. “He’s very easy to work with.”

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

building service workers awards

Fighting to Secure Benefits for Guards tagious. Her large brown eyes are gentle and expressive, flashing when she laughs or the conversation alights on subjects she is passionate about. The fight for security guards’ rights ranks high among these, but a higher place still is reserved for the person who inspires Brown to fight in the first place: her 15-year-old niece, Axya.

Axya has struggled with impaired motor skills since birth—struggled to

Security Officer– Public Building breathe, struggled to walk, struggled to speak, struggled even to hold up her head. In spite of her struggles, she has blossomed into a straight-A student with a reputation for helping out her classmates. She aspires to become a doctor.

“She encourages me to fight, ’cause I’ve watched her fight for survival since she was born,” Brown said. “That’s my baby. If she can fight, so can I.” Brown also draws inspiration from her Christian faith and from her partner, Deborah. The two were married in a

ceremony on a Canadian cruise ship last August.

When she isn’t encouraging security workers to unionize, arranging marches or lobbying the city and state legislatures of New York, Brown enjoys reading mystery novels, following the news on CNN and the BBC, listening to music—her favorite artists include Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and modern jazz singer Tony Parker —and watching action movies.

“I like Denzel,” she said.

She also enjoys seafood, ginger tea and, on occasion, a couple of shots of 1800 tequila.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Brown also takes night classes that are offered through her union, studying plumbing and green building. She hopes to become a fire safety director or a building maintenance worker.

Even if she moves on from security guard work, she won’t give up the fight for security guards’ rights. The cause is simply too important to her.

“No one ever graduates from school and says, ‘I’m going to be a security guard,’” she said. “That’s the nature of the business. No one plans on staying a security guard for 10 years. Most security

andrew schwartz

By Ajai Raj Aurelia Brown is fighting for security guards nationwide—and she isn’t giving up anytime soon.

For her efforts to wrest decent wages, health benefits and basic benefits like sick days and personal days from the contractors who benefit from the guards’ labor, the 32BJ Service Employees International Union has honored Brown, an airport security guard at John F. Kennedy International Airport, as Security Officer of the Year in a public building.

Although she appreciates the recognition, Brown isn’t in it for the accolades.

She has been fighting on behalf of security guards for 10 years now, but has only received benefits for three years. She will not be content until all security guards are so fortunate.

“We have our eyes and ears out for the city,” she said. “We look out for people and property. Why not get what we deserve?”

Though her confidence is apparent in her bearing, and her conviction evident in her speech, Brown, 49, does not otherwise look the part of the steely-eyed reformer. Her hair is braided in elegant cornrows; her smile is generous and con-

Aurelia Brown. guards work two jobs, and don’t have time to spend with their families and their children.”

Family is of utmost importance to Brown. She moved to Harlem from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts as a teenager, but still talks on the phone with relatives three to four times a month. She currently resides in Brooklyn, but considers Harlem her true home.

“I’m still an uptown girl,” she said.

Keeping Students Safe and the Union Strong

daniel s. BUrnstein

Nicole Tanis.

By Ellen Keohane As a security officer, Nicole Tanis occasionally faces angry or annoyed people who just want to get past her.

“It’s really important to stay calm,” she advised. “You need to be patient, alert and aware of what’s going on,” she added.

Tanis, 57, currently works at Columbia University for Summit Security Services, which is a member of SEIU 32BJ, as a security officer and at times, a fire safety director. In honor of the quality of her work at Columbia she has earned O u r To w n NY. c o m

this year’s Building Service Workers of the Year Award for Security Officer at a University.

“Nicole is a strong leader amongst her coworkers,” said John Patterson, lead security field representative for 32BJ. She is “highly respected” by her co-workers and her employer, he added. “Nicole leads by example.”

“It’s very rewarding. I’m very happy about it,” Tanis said at the union’s offices at 101 6th Ave. on a recent Friday evening. Wearing glasses, small gold hoop earrings, black pants and a windbreaker, Tanis occasionally pulled out handwritten notes while she spoke softly about her position at the university. “My duty is screening the students who live at the dorm. And if they have friends with them, they have to register at the front desk— the same thing with their parents,” Tanis said.

Tanis also serves as a union shop steward. As part of her duties, she is in charge of a couple of sites, she said. “If they got problems, I’m the one to handle it with my field representative.”

In addition, she recently took a six-

week leave of absence from her job to participate in the union’s political organizing brigade. With other members, she visited local congress members’ offices, participated in a phone bank, and knocked on doors to support candidates sympathetic to union-supported issues, she said. “Times are hard. If we don’t make a little noise, we don’t get anything at all,” she said.

Security Officer– University Born in Haiti, Tanis moved to New York City in 1972.

“It was difficult [with] the language [differences], so I decided to go to Belgium because we had relatives there,” she said. “I studied there for a while, but then I came back here.”

A 19-year Chelsea resident, Tanis has spent the majority of her life in New York City. In her free time, she enjoys painting and recently participated in a union art show where her portrait of a conquista-

dor was displayed. She is also a mother and a grandmother. Her 29-year-old son, who is in the U.S. Navy, and a 6-year-old grandson live in San Diego.

Tanis studied fire safety at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1989. She also holds certificates in private security and investigation from the Barclay Career School, as well as certificates in tax consulting from the National Tax Training School and accounting from Adelphi University.

Prior to her position at Columbia, Tanis supervised security officers at a car impound lot and worked as a security officer at 6 World Trade Center in the 1990s, in addition to other buildings and government sites. She also has bookkeeping and accounting experience, and has worked as a freelance paralegal, she said.

Tanis has been at Columbia for three years—although in different locations on campus, she said. “It’s a very challenging job. I enjoy doing it,” she said. “Having also been a student, I understand the students very well. They have good sense of humor.”

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Doorwoman of the Year Donna Brown and President Mike Fishman.

Clifton Minott and 32BJ Executive Vice President Kevin Doyle.

President Mike Fishman, Jimmy Breslin and Mary Calvi.

Supers of the Year Craciun Stan and Frank Rapino, with (center) 32BJ Executive Vice President Kevin Doyle.

Elia Perez and Max Cabral from The Shubert Organization.

Yuet Hong Chu and Councilmember Margaret Chin.

9: Council Member Carmen Arroyo and Hero of 9/11 Award winner Ivan Almenares

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President Mike Fishman and Doorman of the Year Eugene Amankwah.

Nicole Tanis and Council Member Gale Brewer.

The Longevity Award winner George Bell and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Helping Hand Award winner Chavis Randy Fulton and Jimmy Breslin.

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

building service workers awards

The 2011 Building Service Worker Award winners.

DOUGLAS ELLIMAN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Congratulates the BUILDING SERVICE WORKERS UNION (SEIU Local 32BJ) The Recipient of the 2011 Building Workers of the Year Award

Would like to congratulate the winners of the 2011 Building Workers of the Year Awards and is a proud sponsor!

O u r To w n NY. c o m

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Education

For Unemployed, a Chance to Work More and more job seekers are turning to continuing ed programs

By Laura Shin As the national unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 9.1 percent, more unemployed New Yorkers are considering continuing education courses to help pave the way to a new job.

“We have many students who are adults who have worked before and are trying to reinvent themselves because of the job market,” said Diane Romeo, executive director of the Division of Continuing Education at CUNY’s City College of Technology.

“Most of our students are somewhere in the 35 to 45 range,” she said.

Continuing education courses are generally designed for adults looking to enhance their work skills or gain skills in a new area. There has been an increase in enrollment in these courses since the recession, said Romeo.

One reason these courses may be a worthy investment is that many schools offer pre-certification or state certification upon completion of the required courses. These certifications open the door to the many jobs that require them.

For students who are unemployed and looking for job opportunities, the most popular areas are teaching assistance and

Subway 6 tried to pass such measures but were stymied from the top down.

“The state has stepped up, we’ve passed two pieces of legislation—one is the grants program [that then-Gov. David Paterson vetoed] and the other is my property tax break bill,” said Kellner. “The person standing in the way of this is the mayor. The mayor has yet to show concern or understand the depth of the impact on the neighborhood.” Kellner insists that if the mayor were to put his weight behind finding creative solutions for businesses and local residents more could be accomplished at the state level.

Garodnick said the liability for mitigating the construction problems do, in fact, rest with the MTA. “The construction impacts detailed by Congresswoman Maloney are ones that only the MTA has the power to prevent,” he said. “We continued from page

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childcare, computer courses, building operations, basic plumbing and housing, medical courses and billing and coding, Romeo said.

“People feel secure investing the time and money for these courses in order to find a job with benefits,” Romeo said.

Most colleges in the city, both public and private, offer some kind of continuing education program. While costs may differ, there are many affordable options.

City Tech has just started offering an installment payment plan for students taking certain courses. While other forms of financial aid are not available there, Romeo said their tuition is affordable.

And the courses aren’t just popular among the unemployed. Many adults currently working in the field are also taking courses as a way to enhance their skills and add value to their resume.

“It’s just as competitive to keep the job that you have these days,” Romeo said.

Some students also take courses for personal enrichment, she added. For example, many people choose courses such as home repair to learn to repair things on their own, eliminating the need to hire a handyman and saving money.

launched and promoted the Shop Second Avenue campaign, incorporated the local businesses into an advocacy group, pushed for changes to the look of the construction site and an end to night blasting, among many improvements, but everyone would be much better served if these problems never arose in the first place.”

“A major public works project of this magnitude is going to cause pain along the way,” said Lappin, who also pointed out that she and other local officials have worked at every level to create solutions for affected businesses.

The report sheds a generally positive light on the Second Avenue Subway, repeatedly pointing out the eventual boon to the neighborhood when finished but voicing skepticism about the MTA’s ability to complete the project on time (the first phase is scheduled for completion in December 2016) and within budget.

“What I'm hoping, and I know people in various positions are hoping, is for somebody to do a full study on why it's taking so long and why it's costing so much,” said Kabak.

Septem ber 29, 2011

UN continued from page 4 NYPD and other city authorities think that building there is going to create some kind of public threat, they’re not going to let it happen,” Cantor said, pointing out that the new construction will be subject to standard ULURP and other review processes.

Calling the negotiations for the MOU “very, very detailed,” Cantor said that those involved are trying to accommodate community concerns. Micah Lasher, head of legislative affairs for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about meeting the Oct. 10 deadline for the MOU but warned against speculating on exactly what it will spell out.

“This is an incredibly complicated deal with two or three separate financial transactions and a lot of actions that need to take place in the future,” said Lasher. “There are an enormous number

of details that need to get worked out.”

Some opponents say the city and state should not be the only parties working out those details. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, recently released a background report insisting that the whole project should be reviewed by Congress, warning it might cost the federal government money, though it’s not clear how this would happen. Meghan Clyne, managing editor of policy journal National Affairs, published an op-ed in the New York Post asking “Why should we fork over millions of dollars—and a city park—to make the United Nations’ dream of nicer, more convenient offices come true?”

City officials continue to highlight the eventual public benefit of the greenway, hoping East Siders will latch onto that ultimate outcome.

“Of course we want waterside access, but what we are we willing to trade for it?” said Gilbert. “What we’re being asked to trade is security and a place for our children to play. And I think it’s not as insignificant as people make it sound.”

N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

51688 NYC Dept of Aging Manhattan Media 1/4 pg 4.917” x 5.541” 9.21.11 p2

People with Medicare, Mark Your Calendars!

Open enrollment for 2011 is October 15th to December 7th.

During this period you can enroll for the first time, and sign up for or switch your Medicare Prescription Plan and/or Medicare Advantage Plan.

All changes are effective January 1st, 2012.

For more information call 311 and ask for “HIICAP.”

KIDS & TEENS START A NEW CHAPTER GET BACK TO READING AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

Bring back your overdue books, check out a new book, and have your fines waived!

THROUGH OCTOBER 31!

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Wall Street Rallies Foreshadow Things to Come

By Alan S. Chartock capitalist, created Social Security.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the Like many in this country, you may world’s richest men, recently warned about believe that some of the major banks and the possibility of demonstrations and riots corporate giants have gone unpunished in the United States. In fact, this country for their misdeeds and wronghas made it known that it would not coun- doing. You may believe that the tenance interference with peaceful protests richest among us are underoccurring in places like Libya, Egypt and taxed. As I write this, congressioSyria. We supported the demonstrators in nal laws that have been enacted those countries and read with horror the (Dodd-Frank) to stop the more Twitter and Facebook reports of police egregious of these excesses are beatings and shootings of young protes- under attack by Republicans in tors who said they’d had enough; they were Congress. They are yelling that willing to demonstrate and die for their any efforts to stop wrongdoing are “job principles and the killers.” opportunity to make To put it mildly, a democratic change. lot of young people To put it mildly, a lot of Bloomberg’s prewho can’t find jobs young people who can’t diction that such have had it. They find jobs have had it. things might happen are beginning to They are beginning to here needs some take to the streets. discussion.

Like The same thing is take to the streets.

Franklin Delano happening in Israel, Roosevelt before where young peohim, Bloomberg must know that when ple in the same middle-class demographic government permits repression and wide- are protesting. You almost never see these scale wrongdoing, the capitalistic struc- protests in the United States—when you ture is endangered. Progressive capitalists do, they are either ignored or minimized understand full well that when kids can’t by the major news organizations that are get jobs and programs like Social Security owned by our modern press barons. and Medicare are threatened, the whole In recent times, we have witnessed a system is put at risk. Once you deprive the burgeoning new journalism. Now, anyone middle class and the poor of their homes with an iPhone can be as significant a and their jobs, you really do risk bringing journalist as one working for a traditional down the system. That’s one of the main newspaper or broadcaster. Naturally, reasons why FDR, another progressive some of the old-style journalists insist

Broken System

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is sentencing thousands of animals to death by not following up with building new shelters.”

Shame on the council, the ASPCA and the Mayor’s Alliance for Animals, among others, for not fighting for what’s best, instead adding dollars to an already broken shelter system.

To the Editor: I’m extremely disappointed in the WHO WILL SAVE HER? City Council, particularly Christine Mickey kraMer Quinn and (my East 75th strEEt UES representative) Jessica Lappin (“Who Will Save Them?” Sept. 22) for fast-tracking the bill that will excuse the city of its obligation to build desperately needed animal shelters in both the Bronx and Queens. As To the Editor: As both a 40-year Turtle Bay resident Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal said, “This might increase the number of staff and an avid walker, I wholeheartedly suppeople, but there will be no room. This port construction of a continuous walk-

Septem ber 29, 2011

that they alone are the journalists—that a protestor with an iPhone who posts on Twitter or Facebook is something else.

That’s nonsense.

The concept of who a journalist is has changed completely because of emerging technology. The idea that you are only a journalist if you work for Rupert Murdoch and his handpicked right wing reportorial staff, toeing the company line, is absurd.

I recently saw a piece in the New York Times (another group of progressive capitalists) that referenced some video taken by young protestors at a Wall Street rally.

To put it mildly, the stuff was chilling. A kid asks an officer a question and is thrown on the ground. Other kids are left bleeding, constrained by handcuffs so tight that one young protestor’s hand changes color.

Under the old rules of journalism, a newspaper might say, “There were several arrests made.” When you see kids beaten and crying, you get a very different impression. That is not to say there won’t be some who see it and say, “Good, they deserve it.” Most will not. And no matter what, it is very different than reading about it in the morning papers.

The paper becomes a prism, while YouTube lets you see it all in real time.

The smart papers are referencing the videos. If Bloomberg turns out to be right, we’ll be seeing some serious disturbances and a lot more new citizen journalism.

Politicians argue over best way to save beleaguered city animal shelter system

By Megan Finnegan Page 4

PHOTO BY ANDREW SCHWARTZ

Visit us at www.CityMD.net and see inside page 6 for more information

Green Jewel

way and bike path along the East River between 38th and 60th streets because it will eliminate the most glaring gap in the increasingly magnificent Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.

From personal experience, the East River Greenway is a vital venue for countless recreational and competitive runners, joggers, walkers and bikers. Its benefits for our Midtown East community and New York City residents and visitors in general far outweigh any arguable loss. The neighborhood will gain invaluable access to the now inaccessible waterfront and the East Side will gain more open space.

I urge our local officials to move forward with this extremely important proposal. ed Martin Manhattan N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Healthy Manhattan a monthly advertising supplement

Shed Pounds With Yoga?

Studies say probably, although the reasons are unclear

By Lisa Elaine Held

L

ike many men, Brandt Passalacqua ended up in a yoga class because his girlfriend at the time made him go.

He was overweight and recovering from a serious illness, and he needed to make a change.

“Long story short—I started taking yoga and my obsessive-compulsive eating stuff started to diminish,” he said. “Through my own process, I realized that yoga was a really good tool for weight loss.”

His book, Peaceful Weight Loss Through Yoga, was published in 2005. Since then, Passalacqua, now a registered yoga teacher and 100 pounds lighter, has dedicated himself to teaching other people to shed pounds the same way.

As yoga has become increasingly mainstream in the United States (and especially in New York City) in recent years, many people have turned to the practice for its physical benefits rather than spiritual enlightenment.

Women’s magazines and DVDs, in turn, advertise its weight loss potential with overzealous claims. Blast belly fat! Get chiseled abs! You can have it all with yoga!

But is this just a case of commercialization and marketing, or is yoga a truly effective method when it comes to slimming down to a healthy weight?

The body of research that has emerged so far, while far from robust, points to the latter. continued pg 44

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Yoga appears to be linked to weight loss, perhaps because it can reduce stress eating.

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Healthy Manhattan

Here’s the Rub There is none for careers in massage therapy as demand grows

By Lisa Elaine Held

S

hortly after the economy went into panic mode in the fall of 2008, Sean Chillemi, a student of massage therapy at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, opened the doors to Ren-Shen Healing, his own center for massage and acupuncture.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking at first,” he said. But instead of collapsing, his small business grew enough that by the following year he expanded into a space that was three times as large.

This past February, he expanded again into a space that is nine times the size of his original center, and he’s on track to make six figures by the end of this year— just three years after getting his license to practice massage therapy in New York.

As the economy continues to falter and stock fluctuations raise fears of a second

FROM pg 43 One study that included over 15,000 participants, published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine in 2005, found that regular yoga practice for four or more years was associated with better weight maintenance among participants at a normal weight and with greater odds of weight loss among overweight participants.

“Although causal inference from this observational study is not possible, results are consistent with the hypothesis that regular yoga practice can benefit individuals who wish to maintain or lose weight,” the researchers wrote.

A review of clinical research related to yoga published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice this year, cited several studies that showed a number of results, such as yoga leading to an overall reduction in food consumption and eating speed, lower weight gain and decreased body mass index.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that yoga is burning calories at the same rate as a Zumba class.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine Calorie Activity Table, a 150-pound person burns about 180 calories in an hour of Hatha yoga.

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recession, many people like Chillemi are choosing careers in massage therapy, a profession that may not have been considered a lucrative career path in the past but was named one of the 50 best careers of 2011 by U.S. News & World Report.

“More spas and massage clinic franchises are popping up to meet increased demand for massage services,” wrote Alexis Grant in the U.S. News report, and the Labor Department expects employment in the industry to grow 19 percent between 2008 and 2018.

“Consumers have become more aware of the stress-reduction and medical benefits of massage,” said Lynn Temenski, head of the massage department at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine near the Flatiron building. “And their experience has been validated by rigorous scientific research showing that massage is effective in reducing stress hormones.”

Temenski said that the medical community has also shown increased interest in massage as integrative medicine has become more mainstream, and physicians are increasingly referring their patients to massage therapists.

Another reason demand for massages may be up is that more people consider

The same person would burn about 500 calories by exerting a “moderate effort” on a stationary bike in an hour.

This, of course, is an estimate, and more vigorous forms of yoga such as Power Vinyasa or Bikram (hot yoga) would yield much higher numbers.

But the numbers do provide a foundation for comparison—when it comes to calorie burning, yoga seems to be on the low end of the spectrum compared to other popular forms of exercise.

But calorie counting is old news, says Tara Stiles, celebrity yoga teacher, owner of Strala Yoga in Soho and author of Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga.

“Most people I know that are having problems with weight loss, they’re eating unconsciously or because they’re stressed out,” Stiles said.

According to Stiles, yoga addresses that by putting you in touch with what your body really wants and needs and by

September 29, 2011

a massage a necessary antidote to their economic woes—while the recession may have nixed their resort vacation this year, an hour-long shiatsu is still affordable.

“People are making massage therapy a priority in their lives,” explained Meg Darnell, the dean of alumni and student services at the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences in Chelsea. “It’s not the luxury or indulgence it used to be considered.”

So as the demand for massage services grows, so does the demand for qualified therapists, the majority of whom typically enter the field as career changers, like Chillemi, who was on track to start a career in finance when an aggressive skin cancer diagnosis just after his 21st birthday inspired a major shift in perspective.

“We get 18-year-olds to 50-yearolds from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life,” said Darnell.

Temenski agreed, but noted that as massage becomes more mainstream, she has noticed an uptick in the number of high school students choosing massage therapy as their first path right after graduation.

A degree is not required to practice massage therapy in New York State, but a license is. In order to become licensed, students must complete 1,000 hours of instruction in a state-approved program, only five of which are located in New York City, according to the state’s website.

reprogramming your nervous system so you start to crave things that are healthier for you. The mindfulness you develop will also help you recognize when you’re full.

“Everything just becomes more common sense,” Stiles explained. “Yoga is the practice of becoming more intuitive, and I think that’s why it’s really beneficial for weight loss.”

Passalacqua agrees. The system of weight loss he developed and now teaches, which is aimed at the severely obese, doesn’t even necessarily include a vigorous form of physical yoga. It uses the physical postures to gradually teach body awareness, retool the nervous system and reduce stress.

“We do the prep—movement,

“Yoga is the practice of becoming more intuitive, and I think that’s why it’s really beneficial for weight loss,” Tara Stiles said.

The required coursework is a combination of western courses such as anatomy and physiology and practical training in eastern and western massage techniques. Once the coursework is completed, students must pass the statelicensing exam to begin practicing.

Schools like Pacific College and the Swedish Institute offer a slightly more extensive training program that allows the student to fulfill the state licensing requirements while also completing an associate’s degree. They can even go on to complete a master’s in Oriental medicine or acupuncture.

While both schools report high rates of employment after graduation, it’s important to know that most massage therapists are self-employed or work parttime as free agents at several different facilities. Because of the nature of the work, an entrepreneurial drive is extremely helpful, especially when a therapist is starting out.

And while it’s possible to make a comfortable living as a massage therapist, Chillemi cautions that no one should go into the field for the sole purpose of making money.

“A good business plan will help tremendously to keep you focused and able to support yourself,” he said. “But if you don’t love what you do and aren’t passionate about it, that will reflect in your treatments, and it will be difficult to succeed past a certain point.”

breathing, meditation, getting their nervous system in check, getting the awareness of their body up—that’s the yoga stuff,” he said. “The last thing is the weight loss.”

The process is not a quick fix diet, and Passalacqua usually works with clients for a minimum of six months. Often, it will be for two or three years.

The reward for such long-term dedication, he says, is a system that allows you to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of your life rather than going through the ups and downs of dieting.

Yoga may also help with weight loss because lower stress levels reduce the amount of cortisol in the body, and high levels of cortisol increase abdominal fat, said Dr. Christina Geithner, a professor of human physiology and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.

And, while it may not sound like exercise science, Geithner also said that yoga classes tend to take the focus off of the limitation of the body and encourage practitioners to accept their bodies at any weight.

“Some people have said it’s the first time they’ve had a loving relationship with their body,” she said. “If you care about your body, you’re going to make better choices.”

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NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL & WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE FALL SEMINAR SERIES

O C TO B E R REVERSING TYPE 2 DIABETES: Surgical and Innovative Interventions

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Seeking Advanced-Stage Cancer Patients with Anxiety For Research Study We are looking for volunteers to participate in a scientific study exploring the effects of spiritual or mystical states of consciousness on anxiety and emotional distress associated with a diagnosis of advanced cancer

Louis J. Aronne, M.D., F.A.C.P. Francesco Rubino, M.D.

___________________________________________

STROKE RECOVERY: New Hope for Survivors

A person receiving a diagnosis of advanced cancer is faced with multiple and severe physical, emotional, and spiritual or existential challenges. Often, the feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and questions around meaning and spirituality contribute to more overall suffering than physical symptoms. It is now widely believed that issues related to meaning, spirituality, anxiety, and depressed mood are at the core of the suffering that patients with advanced cancer may experience.

Michael W. O’Dell, M.D. Joel Stein, M.D.

N OV E M B E R EASING BACK PAIN: Standard and Alternative Treatment Options

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Researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Bluestone Center for Clinical Research are conducting a scientific study using a novel drug, psilocybin, a psychoactive agent found in a specific type of mushroom and used for centuries for religious and spiritual purposes. Entheogens, the class of plants and chemicals that includes psilocybin, have been used for thousands of years as sacraments to induce mystical or spiritual states of consciousness as part of spiritual and healing observances.

Victoria Chan Harrison, M.D. C. David Lin, M.D. Jeffrey Radecki, M.D.

Volunteers who participate in this study will receive careful medical and psychological screening, preparation, and educational materials about the details of the study. The study will consist of two study sessions. Additional meetings will involve preparation and supportive counseling to assure comfort and safety throughout the study. Questionnaires and interviews will be used to evaluate the effects of the study drug on mood and quality of life.

GETTING PAST THE GAS: Medical and Non-Surgical Remedies for Heartburn and Indigestion Christine L. Frissora, M.D., F.A.C.G., F.A.C.P. Alyssa Rutchik Padial, M.S.P.T., O.C.S.

Seeking Advanced-Stage Cancer Patientswith Anxiety For Research Study

This research study is fully approved by and adheres to the strict regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Fall in Central Park

Time: All seminars will begin at 6:30 pm.

Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 76, have received a diagnosis of advanced-stage cancer, and be experiencing anxiety or mood changes secondary to their diagnosis. Further information regarding eligibility is available upon inquiry.

Strict confidentiality will be maintained on all persons inquiring or participating in the study.

Place:

If you, a family member, or someone you know is interested in this study, please call Krystallia Kalliontzi, M.Sc., Clinical Research Coordinator, at (212) 998-9252.

All seminars held at: Uris Auditorium Weill Cornell Medical College 1300 York Avenue (at 69th St.)

Version Date – 1/20/09

For more information:

NYUSOM IRB APPROVED 2/2/09

Or if you require a disability-related accommodation, call: 212-821-0888 or visit our website at: www.weill.cornell.edu/seminars All seminars are FREE and open to the public. Seating is available for 250 people on a first-come, first-served basis.

Weill Cornell Medical College

NewYork-Presbyterian

The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell

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4.9 x 11.25

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E E R F NEWS YOU LIVE BY

t: om s a .c et po ck Ex Ti ts y en Bu Par ew

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Tired of waiting days, even weeks to see a doctor?

THE EVENT OF THE YEAR FOR EXPECTANT & NEW PARENTS

Call us toll free at 855-MDTODAY to see a board certified physician TODAY or at a convenient time for YOU! With 2 convenient locations on the Upper East Side (East End Ave/84th St) and Midtown Manhattan (Madison/33rd)

OCTOBER 15 TH & 16 TH, AT PIER 92, NYC Bringing together the latest products and services for Pregnancy, Baby and Toddler.

Plus America’s # 1 Pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp!

We offer: Same day appointments || Open 6 days per week including Saturdays 2 Convenient Locations || Primary care visits, Sick visits, annual physicals, cardiac consultations || Most Insurance plans accepted Let us help fit your healthcare into your day. Please call us to schedule an appointment in a private office setting.

Call us toll free at 855-MDTODAY. We are in your neighborhood!

Everything You Need From Pre-Natal To Preschool!

Leading Brands & Services! Stroller “Test Drive” Track!

Free Buggy Tune-Up! Maternity Fashion Show! Play Area For Little Kids!

And An Incredible Group Of Speakers!

LIZ LANGE

DR. BOB SEARS

DR. HARVEY KARP

VICKI IOVINE

ROSIE POPE

Designer of Liz Lange for Target and Co-Founder of Shopafrolic.com

Co-Author of The Portable Pediatrician: Everything You Need To Know About Your Child’s Health!

Creator of The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block DVDs and books.

Author of The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy and The Girlfriends’ Guide to Surviving The First Year of Motherhood

Star of Bravo’s “Pregnant In Heels” and Founder of Rosie Pope Maternity

Tickets and Information: NewParentsExpo.com For more info, contact Rebecca Martin, rmartin@manhattanmedia.com, or 212-284-9732

National Depression Screening Day Gracie Square Hospital invites the community to join us on

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

Come and receive a FREE screen to see if depression may be affecting your life.

Educational resources and materials - Confidential interview with mental health professional - Refreshments 420 East 76th Street New York, New York 10021 First Floor - Room # 100 (212) 434-5312

Joint Commission Accredited. Licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) and the other Member Institutions of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System (the System Member institutions) are each operated by a separate not-for-profit corporation. Neither NYPH nor NewYork- Presbyterian Healthcare System, Inc. employs or supervises the medical staff of the System Member institutions, is licensed to provide medical care to patients at any System Member institution or operates any System Member institution.

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

OZ MOVING & STORAGE 212.452.MOVE www.ozmoving.com

September 29, 2011

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seniors

Education on a Phone Wire for seniors who have a hard time getting out of their house, whether they are bed-bound, need assistance, or because of the weather,” said Bonnie Jacobs, Dorot’s director of education.

“People know they are expected to be on the call—if they aren’t, people are concerned.”

The process of the program proved simple. Each class gets a facilitator for about 10 to 12 students. The price is cheap, around $12 per course, and they don’t give out any homework or tests. Once signed up, on the appointed day and time everyone calls in and the course becomes an interactive discussion. Or karaoke, like the “Sing-Along Broadway” course led by Leo Schaff, an actor and songwriter.

Another way the itinerary becomes interactive is through books that Dorot ships to the students, like the one used in “The Modern Portrait,” a course on objects in the Museum of Modern Art taught by Diana Bush, an education specialist at MoMA. “Trying to make a connection over the phone is so different than lecturing in a gallery,” said Bush, who has

been giving art courses with the organization for four years. “But the most rewarding thing is how much I learned through our discussions.”

The “Old Books, Rare Books” seminar is taught by a rare book cataloger from the New York Public Library; the “Poetry Co-Op” is run by a poet and former New Yorker writer, and “Folktales of Sukkot” features discussions with a rabbi.

For Ricki Saady, University Without Walls has deepened her connection with her religious community. At 52, Saady is one of the younger students, but since she is homebound with chronic fatigue and severe asthma, it has helped her stay active and kept her going. For 11 years she has participated in discussions about the Torah, Jewish mysticism and biblical studies and has facilitated courses on different people in the Bible like King David and Jacob.

“It’s been a lifesaver, the program,” she said. “It’s helped people that can’t go to schools to take courses and I have also developed a lot of friends through it.”

Russell Dian

By Linnea Covington Twenty-two years ago, Myrna Shapiro opened up her local Long Island newspaper and discovered an ad for classes she could take at home over the phone. Since Shapiro was confined to a wheelchair, she immediately decided to try it.

“I started taking one or two classes and I got hooked,” the 75-year-old said.

Provided by Dorot, an organization that has helped the elderly since 1976, the program she joined was University Without Walls. They offer about 160 courses each term on subjects across the board, including opera, poetry, film, finance, art, and religion.

The first class Shapiro took mimicked today’s book clubs, where the participants read and discussed a four books over time, all without actually meeting in person. Nowadays this might not sound so novel, but University Without Walls started in 1989, when online video chatting didn’t exist and the conference call wasn’t a common thing.

“The genesis of the program is figuring out a way to create a community

Dorot, which runs University Without Walls, offers about 160 classes over the telephone to students like Kathy Leeds.

Shapiro said she too has clicked with a few people and developed long term friendships based on shared interests and chemistry through the courses.

Over the phone, naturally, Shapiro said, “I am very grateful to Dorot because it has provided a wonderful outlet for me and I only have good things to say about everybody.”

The only dedicated Assisted Living Facility in New York City specializing in Enhanced Memory Care.

A remarkable force at The 80th Street Residence, Lola Stephens, Recreation Coordinator, is but one shining example of the workers that makes this Alzheimer’s and dementia community so unique. No matter what the task, she exudes compassion and understanding.

Lola never says no and helps anyone who needs a hand — be it a Resident having a bad day or a Family Member who needs a hug.

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.

430 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075 • 212-717-8888 • www.80thStreetResidence.com

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Septem ber 29, 2011

Ensconced in the landmark neighborhood of the Upper East Side, Residents continue to enjoy the heart and soul of this incomparable city they have always loved.

• Beautiful Upper East Side Environment • Each floor a “Neighborhood” with Family Style Dining & Living Room • 24-hour Licensed Nurses & Attendants specially trained in dementia care • Medication Management • Around the clock personal care, as needed • Housekeeping, Linen & Personal Laundry • Courtyard & Atrium Rooftop Garden • Chef prepared Meals Nation’s first recipient of AFA’s Excellence in Care distinction.

80th Street Residents in Central Park with the Essex House Hotel peeking from behind.

430 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075 Tel. 212-717-8888 www.80thstreetresidence.com N EW S YO U LIV E B Y

Elder Care Attorney Focusing on Wills, Trusts, Medicaid Planning, Estate Administration/Probate, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies and Guardianships.

TODAY’S OPTIONS FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS MANAGEMENT

• Personal Service • Reasonable Rates • Happy to Make Home Visits • Will Review and Refer Personal Injury Cases

11th ANNUAL CHARLES L. CHRISTIAN SYMPOSIUM

Law Office of Peter Aronson, PLLC Peter Aronson, Esq. 11 Broadway (Ste 615) New York, NY 10004 Tel: 212-600-9531 paronson@peteraronsonlaw.com www.peteraronsonlaw.com

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5TH 2PM-5PM Hospital for Special Surgery

LAWYER ADVERTISING

535 East 70th Street, 2nd Floor Funded by the Charles L. Christian, M.D. Endowment To register for this program or to receive information about other programs and services offered by the Arthritis Foundation NY chapter, please call (212) 984-8730 or email info.ny@arthritis.org

Quality Home Care

Y & L RENOVATIONS INC

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646-214 -2086 www.seniorhelpers.com

has a weekly e-mail blast!

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to receive your weekly dose of East Side news and be entered to win FREE theater tickets!

Senior Helpers locations are independently owned & operated. ©2009 SH Franchising, LLC O u r T o w n N Y. c o m

September 29, 2011

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Community Pages Buys for Cash

Paintings, Silver, Jewelry Bric-a-Brac, Pottery, Furniture Anything Old

Upper east side salOn

Call geOrge’s 212 249-7161

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reaL eState

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earlY eDuCatIon CoorDInator WanteD Coordinate 3 early childhood education centers in the northwest Bronx. programs include child care (private pay and funded). Head Start and UpK for children 1-5 years old. Supervise large staff, develop budgets, and work with Board and parent association.

Master’s degree in early Childhood education nyS teacher’s Certification (birth-2nd grade) 10 years administrative experience in eCe required. Supervisory Licenses, SDa, SaS and SBL recommended. resumes and 3 letters of reference to employment@mmcc.org. excellent salary and benefits.

PARK AVENUE – SHARED SPACE Interior, exterior and corner offices.

Conf. rooms. Secretarial & IT support.

Flexible plans. Private offices $1450/up.

Virtual offices $90/month. www.410park.com Call 212-231-8500

BaYsIDe, Bell BlvD medical center, (directly opposite Bay terrace shopping center) furnished & equipped. perfeCt for: DDS, MD, psych, other professionals. on-site valet parking. p/t & f/t. Signage!

Location! 718-229-3598

LegaL notICeS

nYC Dept. of ConsuMer affaIrs will hold a public hearing on wed. 10/12/2011 at 2pm at 66 John Street, 11th fl., on a petition from 83/amsterdam restaurant Corp. to continue to maintain and operate an enclosed sidewalk cafe at 477 amsterdam ave. in the the borough of Manhattan for a term of two years. requests for copies of the proposed revocable consent agreement may be addressed to: Department of Consumer affairs, attn: foIL officer, 42 Broadway, ny, ny 10004.

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Silver, Chandeliers, Paintings, Rugs, Brick-a-Brac, Estates & All contents from homes.

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UPDATE OLD CANS W/SMALL, EFFICIENT, LOW-VOLTAGE HALOGENS. WHOLESALE BULBS DELIVERED

Manhattan express DelIverY Moving & Delivery Servicing ny/ nJ/ Ct $10 off furniture Delivery $100 off Moving Jobs over $800 Call: (646) 509-8181

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Laptop Screen Repair Data Recovery $49.99+up Virus Removal $55.99 20% discount to all students with ID on all services 15% on parts and merchandise 10% on laptops!

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foSter Care

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Call toll free 800-454-3727

REFURB SPECIAL We Will Completely Refurbish Your Old Computer

for the unbelievable price of $149

Experts In Understanding and Handling Seniors’ Computer Issues Call IT Doc NYC Today!

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Opening fOr 2 hairstylists.

POLICY NOTICE: We make every effort to avoid mistakes in your classified ads. Check your ad the first week it runs. We will only accept responsibility for the first incorrect insertion. Community Pages assumes no financial responsibility for errors or omissions. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or re-classify any ad. Contact your sales rep directly for copy changes. All classified ads are pre-paid.

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September 29, 2011

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