Our Town - February 11, 2016 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper er East Side

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CHAPIN SCHOOL FACES ANOTHER HURDLE Yorkville condo board goes to court over private school’s expansion effort BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

A condo building in Yorkville is suing the Chapin School over an expansion project that would add three ﬂoors to the school’s building at 100 East End Ave. The board of directors at 90 East End Ave., which sits across 84th Street from the Chapin School, filed a proceeding Jan. 27 against the school, the Department of Buildings and the Board of Standards and Appeals. The suit seeks to rescind the BSA’s awarding to Chapin variances it required to move forward with the expansion and the DOB’s issuance of after-hours work permits to the school. Chapin is looking to add three floors comprising a glass-encased gym on the top level, and ﬂoors for locker rooms and performance art space beneath that, to its existing eight-story building. Last summer the school worked overtime on its basement-level cafeteria space, with nighttime construction hours that locals said caused disruptive noise and cable and phone outages. Community Board 8 rejected Chapin’s application

outright last January, citing concerns with the construction schedule and increased traffic congestion. The board also cited its apprehension at how the building would look upon completion. But the school forged ahead with its application to the BSA, which granted permission for Chapin to move forward with the project as long as it complies with certain requirements, such as installing a sidewalk shed to reduce noise from construction work. The condo board’s Article 78 action – a proceeding used to challenge decisions made by a city or state agency – alleges Chapin disregarded public review processes “at every turn in order to pursue the construction and meet its self-imposed schedule,” and that the DOB and BSA enabled them to do so by making “irrational and unlawful determinations that should be overturned.” At issue is whether the city should have considered Chapin’s cafeteria work on the lower floors, which the school maintains is as of right and outside the scope of any public review, as part of their larger application to add three floors to their

SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION IN NEW YORK While the practice appears to be diminishing, it remains an open secret within some communities BY RUI MIAO AND VIRGINIA GUNAWAN

“It’s a girl,” said the doctor. “You want to get rid of it? It’ll take just three minutes.” Lily Zhou trembled — her motherly instincts mixing with sadness. “It’s my daughter, it’s a life,” she recalled thinking. “I can’t do this.” And, according to the mother of four from Brooklyn, her experience is not an muncommon one within the city’s gynecological clinics. “Most of my friends would either go to Chinatown or Flushing for this,” she said. Pregnant women, most of them Chinese and Indian, often go to abortion clinics to for early stage fetal gender tests. The results can lead still another procedure — abortion — if the baby is a girl, according to dozens of interviews with physicians, community leaders and Asian immigrants in Manhattan’s Chinatown, Queens’ Flushing and Jackson Heights and Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. Like many of her friends, Zhou tested her baby’s sex each time she conceived. Unlike others she knows, she never had an abortion. She has three

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday February 12 – 5:09 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CALLS TO RESTRICT UBER DRIVERS’ HOURS Demands have been made for the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission to restrict Uber drivers’ hours as they do with yellow cabbies. Cab and transit-safety groups wrote earlier this week to the TLC that a cap on drivers’ shifts is both fair and, more importantly, lifesaving, the New York Post reported. Currently, TLC regulations limits yellow taxi drivers to 12 hours a shift, but while there is a weekly 100-hour limit on Uber drivers, there is no daily restriction and some drivers have told the Post that they have worked 19 hour shifts to make enough. Though Uber has insisted that many of its drivers only work 30 hours a week and no more than 12 a day, a company spokesman assured advocates that the company will take further steps to make sure that its drivers are not over-working themselves. While all groups involved agree that passenger and driver safety is of utmost importance and that long

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hours behind the wheel may cause driver impairment, current technology makes it difficult to monitor the hours that drivers are on shift, the Post reported.

PARKING COMPANY ORDERED TO PAY CARLYLE $1.3 MILLION A parking company that has operated next to the Carlyle Hotel for more than a decade has been ordered to pay the hotel $1.3 million in back rent and other fees, DNAinfo reported. The hotel claimed that Quik Park, which has more than 100 locations citywide, essentially operated rentfree at the hotel’s multi-level garage for ﬁve months after its lease had been terminated. But Rafael Llopiz, Quik Park’s CEO defended the company’s decision to stop paying rent due to The Carlyle installing scaffolding for repairs on the building in 2013, which resulted in loss of business for the garage, according to DNAinfo. Quik Park said it would

appeal the ruling. A company spokeswoman said Quick Park tried to reach a compromise the hotel, but the landlord refused to cooperate. Quik Park was also booted from four other locations, three of which are on the Upper East Side, DNA reported.

LUXURY APARTMENT DESIGNS RELEASED Designs for a new, 19-story luxury apartment tower planned for East 87th Street were released earlier this week. The residential tower is expected to rise 210 feet and keep 150 of the 550 parking spaces that currently exist in the property’s six story parking garage, formerly known as Allan’s Garage, DNAinfo reported. The high rise, between Lexington and Third avenues, will comprise large glass windows and terraces. Three ﬂoors of the garage will be converted to apartments, the news site said. This project will be completed 2017, according to the architectural ﬁrm designing the building.

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

RECORD AMOUNT OF HEROIN SEIZED IN 2015 A record-breaking 880 kilograms of heroin, a majority of it in New York City, was seized by authorities in the state last year, about one-third of all of the drugs recovered in the U.S, the New York Post reported. The total amount recovered by the Drug Enforcement Administration is far higher than the 517 kilograms they took in 2014 and 10 times the 89 kilos taken in 2009, the paper reported Heroin, a highly addictive opioid that is synthesized from morphine, is smuggled over the Mexican border, processed in mills around the city and being distributed to surrounding

cities in the northeast, according to James Hunt, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s New York office. Heroin use has increased in the past few years as the availability of prescription drugs has decreased and the prices for them risen. “Opioid abuse has ravaged communities nationwide and hit the Northeast like a tidal wave, from Maine to Montauk,” said Hunt. New York City is a very popular destination for the drug in the U.S. and DEA agents are finding amounts worth millions all over the city, the Post said.

BILKED BUILDER One local architect must want to build a case against an unknown ID thief. On Jan. 28, an unknown person wrote two fraudulent checks from a Citibank business account belonging to Torborg Architects. The ﬁrst check in the amount of $2,640.74 was made out to a Yennessy Estevez. The other check in the amount of $2,730 was made out to Binta Kaba. The owner of the business told police he does not know anyone by either name, and that did he not write those checks or give

anyone permission to do so. He also said that no checks were missing from his account. The total stolen came to $5,370.74.

STATS FOR THE WEEK Reported crimes from the 19th Precinct for Jan. 25 to Jan. 31 Week to Date

TESTY GUY A shoplifter tested the mettle of a local drug store. At 7:14 p.m. on Monday, January 25, a man entered the Duane Reade at 2760 Broadway, jumped over a counter, and took items worth more than $3,000 from the shelf, placed them in his pants and then ﬂed southbound on Broadway. The items stolen were 2 FreeStyle strips 50s valued at $151, 6 FreeStyle strips 100s priced at $875, 10 One Touch test strips worth $1,228, 1 One Touch test strip tagged at $67, and 16 One Touch test strips priced at $964, making a total of $3,285.

SHOVELED At 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, January 27, a 27-year-old man was walking northbound on Amsterdam Avenue near West 109th Street when a 30-yearold man approached him yelling incoherent statements before hitting the victim across the

2015

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Murder

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Rape

n/a

-100.0

Robbery

200.0

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Felony Assault

66.7

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Burglary

150.0

60.0

Grand Larceny

20.0

106

0.0

Grand Larceny Auto

n/a

-50.0

HUMBLED The Big Apple gave a rude reception to a visitor from the Lone Star State. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 30, a

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2016

right side of his face with a metal shovel, cutting his cheek and mouth. The shovel wielder stayed at the scene of the attack while the victim ran home to call 911. Police searched the area but could not ﬁnd the perpetrator.

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50-year-old woman from Humble, TX parked her black 2013 Toyota Versa at the rear of 103 West 107 St. When she returned the following morning, her rear driver’s-side window had been broken and items removed from inside the car. The belongings stolen included a 14–35/2.8 camera lens valued at $900, a Panasonic CX 7 priced at $800, a black GoPro 4 tagged at $499, and a camera bag worth $50, making a total stolen of $2,249.

20-LARGE CHARGE One Upper West Side resident received some bad news – and some good. A 56-year-old woman living on Central Park West learned that a Citibank credit card account had been opened in her name without her knowing it. Between Jan. 17 and Jan. 28, transactions amounting to $20,287 were made without her knowledge. The bank canceled the card and told her that the account would be reimbursed in full.

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The Empire Diner in 2007, toward the end of its glory days. Photo: Raanan Geberer

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A DINER’S NINE LIVES The Empire, once a Chelsea mainstay, went through several incarnations before folding, likely for good in December BY RAANAN GEBERER

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Today, the area around 10th Avenue in Chelsea is defined by the High Line. But in the decades before the High Line opened to the public, the neighborhood was better known for its art galleries — and for the Empire Diner. With its chrome exterior, the Empire State Building model on its roof, innovative cuisine and music played on an upright piano, the Empire, at 22nd Street and Eighth Avenue, was a fixture of Chelsea life from the 1970s until the early 2000s. But the diner has closed three times in the last six years, and as of this writing, there are few clues about its future. Originally, the Empire Diner was a “regular” New York City diner, serving typical diner fare. The diner was built in 1946 by the Fodero Dining Car Corp., a New Jersey company that was responsible for many of the diners in the Northeast. As a diner on the far West Side in those days, it certainly served factory and warehouse workers as well as those who worked on the docks. It was closed at some point be-

fore being refurbished and reopened in 1976. At that time, it was rehabilitated by new owners Jack Doenias, Carl Laanes and Richard Ruskay into something quite different. A June 1976 New York Times review of the recently-opened Empire reveals that it began specializing in nouvelle cuisine such as leaf spinach in a nest of alfalfa sprouts with minced bacon, and spareribs with noodles accompanied by asparagus served in a lemon dressing. The reviewer, John Canaday, also wrote that it appeared that “the median age of the diners is no more than 30,” and that many of them probably came there after going to late-night clubs. It also said that the Empire was certainly one of the noisiest restaurants around — something my father also remarked upon about when he visited in the 1990s. I first started going there in 1996, and find that Canaday’s description held true into the 1990s and 2000s (although by that time, you could add art galleries to late-night clubs). Among my favorite dishes were Asian stir-fry with tofu and lentil burgers with horseradish sauce. At least at one point, it didn’t carry artiﬁcial sweeteners or diet soda — something that made my Overeaters Anonymous-going friend, who

had to go next door to get Sweet ‘N Low, rather upset. The Empire also made its mark in popular culture. It was shown in Woody Allen’s “Manhattan,” According to a statement issued by the diner’s then-management when it ﬁrst closed in 2010, in its heyday it served “Chelsea residents, actors, police commissioners, athletes, gangsters, such luminaries as Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg and anyone carrying a New York City Guide Book.” The Times reported in 2005 that after Rukay and Doenias died, Laanes sold the operation to executive chef Mitchell Woo and general manager Renate Gonzalez, both of whom had been with the diner for many years. In late 2009, however, there were reportedly problems in lease negotiations between the diner owners and the owners of the property. There was no lease renewal and the Empire Diner, in its most famous incarnation, closed in May 2010. Later that same year, the diner was taken over by a new group and renamed the Highliner, but that incarnation was short-lived. In January 2014, it was taken over by a team that included Amanda Freitag as executive chef. It was once again called the Empire Diner, al-

though it had a different menu than the original. However, Freitag stepped away from the kitchen at the Empire in July 2015 to focus on her book and her TV work. The new Empire closed in December 2015. Freitag told DNAinfo that, “I would love to do something in the neighborhood because it’s still growing and wonderful, but ... the rents are unmanageable.” When I took a walk over to the Empire in late January, the blinds were drawn and the door locked. Through one window, one could still glimpse the intact counter and tables, as well as a sign advertising different types of craft beer. Alex Herrera, director of technical services for the New York Landmarks Conservancy, an advocacy group that seeks to preserve the city’s architectural heritage, thinks the Empire Diner would be a good candidate for landmarking by the city. “There are already diners on the National Registry of Historic Places,” he said. Hererra said the diner is already a landmark with a small “l”: “You see it, and you already know where you are.” However, he said, the real estate pressure on sites in the area of the diner, given today’s market, is intense, unlike the environment 10 or 20 years ago, when 10th Avenue was a “sleepy” area. Will the Empire Diner be saved — or reopened? We’ll have to wait and see.

FEBRUARY 11-17,2016

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CHAPIN SCHOOL FACES ANOTHER HURDLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Empty storefronts along Third Avenue between 85th and 86th Streets. Photo: Daniel Fitzsimmons

STORES VANISH, QUESTIONS REMAIN Two retail stores in Yorkville disappear, locals wonder what’s next BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

A retail mystery is developing along Third Avenue between 85th and 86th Streets following the sudden exodus of a Nine West and Easy Spirit on the western side of the block. The block is also home to a branch of HSBC bank. A teller there said Thursday that the bank is not closing and is actually expanding, but not into the former Nine West or Easy Spirit spaces. Construction noises were heard behind a blue partition at the HSBC bank branch last week, and the teller added that the bank is actually expanding into retail space to the west. Easy Spirit sells women’s footwear and Nine West is a women’s footwear and accessories store. A sign in the window of the now-vacant Easy Spirit directed customers to their Queens Center location. “After many years of service, this Easy Spirit location is permanently closed,” read the sign. A woman who answered the phone at their Queens location said she did not know what was replacing their former Upper East Side storefront.

The retail block is connected to a large residential condo building with an address of 185 East 85th St. The block is lined with halal and handbag vendors, and sits close to the Lexington Avenue subway station at 86th Street. A doorman at the condo building said he doesn’t know much about the work, but that the storefronts aren’t being replaced with a new building. “They’re not getting rid of the building because it’s attached to [185 East 85th Street],” said doorman Elvis Mujaj. A resident of 185 East 85th St., who was picking a copy of Our Town out of a newspaper box in front of the build-

ing, said she doesn’t know what’s going into the storefronts either. “I wonder what we’re getting,” Julie Hayes said. “The sign at Easy Spirit said go to Queens, they used to have a million stores in Manhattan, maybe they’re going out of business.” Calls and emails to the building’s management company, Charles H. Greenthal and Co., went unreturned. Work permit applications filed by Greenthal in December and January with the Department of Buildings indicate plumbing, structural and interior work in excess of $500,000. Greenthal is listed as the building’s owner on DOB records. Staff in Councilman Ben Kallos’ ofﬁce said they did not know the nature of the work going on at the building. “Apparently the businesses got out in the past week or two,” said Kallos’ chief of staff, Jesse Towsen, who is seeking more information. A call to the Carnegie Hill Neighbors, an Upper East Side BID which covers territory nearby, went unreturned. Do you know what’s going on at 185 East 85th Street? Email Daniel. Fitzsimmons@StrausNews.com.

building. The condo board’s lawyer contends that BSA improperly excluded the cafeteria work on the lower floors from the larger application, and in so doing illegally circumvented environmental and public review regulations, thereby depriving the wider community of protections provided by the public review process, known as the State Environmental Quality Review and City Environmental Quality Review. “The purpose of [the review process] is the identification and disclosure of potentially adverse impacts so that alternatives or remedial steps to protect the environment may be taken if necessary,” the suit says. “[The city and state reviews] are implemented through specific procedures and regulations that must be strictly followed, but were not followed, depriving petitioners of the protections that [the reviews] are intended to provide.” The suit also says DOB improperly granted Chapin after-hours work variances, and cites the city building code that says construction may only occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. for emergency work, public safety, city construction projects and for construction activities with minimal noise impacts. Chapin has said previously that last summer’s after-hours construction was necessary to get the new cafeteria completed before the school opened for the year. The suit argues as well that Chapin’s application to the BSA does not meet the requirements for obtaining the variances they eventually received from the agency, which concern unique physical conditions of a given building and an owner’s ability to earn a reasonable return on their property. The suit says that quality of life for residents at 90 East End Ave. has been “greatly diminished” since construction began. “The residents are dealing with an increase in noise, vibrations, dust and traffic.” Ron Jacobs, who is named in the Article 78 as a petitioner and board member of 90 East End Ave., said he could not comment on the case before speaking with the board. A spokesperson for the Chapin School said the condo board has no case. “This litigation is without merit, and the school continues to coordinate closely with our neighbors to make sure the project proceeds smoothly and with the least amount of inconvenience,” said the spokesperson. A BSA spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation and referred inquiries to the city’s Law Department, which did not return the request for comment. The DOB did not return a request for comment. Late last year a coalition of Yorkville residents attempting to stop Chapin’s expansion, efforts that included testifying at BSA hearings and CB8 meetings as well as writing letters to the BSA and DOB, were dealt a blow when the BSA granted Chapin the needed variances. In November, the coalition, which is separate from the board at 90 East End Ave., indicated they were shifting their efforts to finding ways they can limit the disruption caused by the expansion. The coalition’s main objective now, according to local resident Lisa Paule, is securing a guarantee of no weekend or evening work from the school. They also want guarantees of proper hazardous waste removal, limited idling by work trucks and a quiet construction elevator. A noisy construction elevator was a constant nuisance during a 2008 expansion at Chapin, according to Paule. A construction advisory group, headed by the offices of Councilman Ben Kallos and Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, is being organized to work with the school and surrounding community. “A CAG meeting has not yet been put on the calendar, but we are being told that the first meeting will likely take place in early- to mid-March,” said Cali Madia, a spokesperson for Seawright. Chapin officials have signaled their willingness to participate in the construction group, and a spokesperson said the school expressed publicly a desire to meet with the community on these issues since the process began. “The school is committed to being a good neighbor, working with Councilmember Ben Kallos, Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, Community Board 8 and its Chair Jim Clynes and other key stakeholders to develop the most effective structure to ensure meaningful community engagement as this important project moves forward,” the Chapin spokesperson said. Paule said she welcomes Chapin’s involvement in the CAG but wants to see substantive concessions afforded to the community during construction. “If it’s not action-oriented that I don’t know what we’re doing here,” she said. “We don’t want to talk if it’s going to be about the scope of work or how great Chapin is. We welcome Chapin’s involvement but we’re looking for results.” Paule also applauded the proceeding filed by the condo board. “[It’s] important,” she said. “It demonstrates that residents have rights, that there are laws in place to protect these rights and quality of life of community members, and that the BSA cannot willfully disregard the rights, safety and security of residents in making decisions that compromise the community.”

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FEBRUARY 11-17,2016

SCIENCE PROVES BEDBUGS ARE CLANDESTINE FARE BEATERS Geneticists tracking pests’ DNA find similarities along subway routes BY VERENA DOBNIK

Scientists have mapped the genome of bedbugs in New York City, then traced fragments of the nefarious pests’ DNA through the subway system. In the grubby recesses of hundreds of stations, they discovered surprising genetic diversity among the bloodsucking creatures. The next step is to ﬁgure out how the information can be put to good use, such as to develop better insecticides or blood thinners. But these goals will take further medical research. For now, the focus is on two main players in New York life: the subway and bedbugs. Scientists already have found that genetic traces of bedbugs in northern Manhattan are more closely related to those in the island’s southern part, while there are bigger variations between the Upper East Side and Upper West Side. Geneticist Christopher Mason, who worked on the project, says the reason for that can be found simply by looking

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at a subway map: In Manhattan, for instance, subway lines run the length of the island north to south, while there’s no subway link through Central Park between the East Side and the West Side. Not that bedbugs are riding the subway, noted George Amato, an evolutionary biologist at the American Museum of Natural History who also worked on bedbug project. He says New York’s bedbugs “move around with people, dogs, and people’s items — and they probably move most easily the way people move most easily.” Amato collaborated with Mason, who works at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Institute for Computational Biomedicine. A bedbug colony at the famed museum was used for the genome map. A similar map was assembled by an international research team at 36 institutions, including the University of Cincinnati. The New York team’s resulting scientiﬁc paper on the subject was published this month in Nature Communications. A second paper on bedbug genetics, from the University of Cin-

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Photo: Dan Nguyen, via ﬂickr cinnati, appeared in the same issue. To learn how the bedbug has evolved and spread, the New York team took DNA sample swabs from 1,400 city locations including subway cars, turnstiles, ticket vending kiosks, and above ground places like parks. Amato said there are many ways small fragments of the critters’ DNA,

or DNA of a related species, could get into the subway — clinging to the clothes of some of the 6 million daily riders and their belongings, or washed down into the stations. Amato said the ﬁrst rough bedbug genetic sequence emerged about a year ago, but it took months to reﬁne the model into an accurate genome.

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“Before this, people were just feeling their way through in the dark; this genome turns the light on for various areas of other research,” said Amato. “Our team is now moving on to the genetics of cockroaches and other living fossils.”

FEBRUARY 11-17,2016

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Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a letter to the editor.

My Story

OVERHEARD ON THE CORNER

SAVING A CHURCH BY BETTE DEWING

What’s needed are photos of The Friends of Our Lady of Peace holding nightly vigils around the century-old church on Second Avenue, which was shuttered in August by the Archdiocese of New York. Such pictures are needed to illustrate signiﬁcant and ongoing media coverage of these peaceful protests to save this deeply loved church, on East 62nd street between First and Second Avenues. Of course, “the word” the church desperately wants to hear from the Vatican is to reopen this church, whose dedicated congregation has raised enough money to support its operation for the next decade. The church is also landmarked. Incidentally, St. John the Evangelist Church to which it’s now officially merged, has a rather “cold and modern ambience,” said a non-member who visited Our Lady of Peace whenever business or vacation time brought him back to the Upper East Side. The “new church” on East 55th Street and First Avenue is also further away for most members — a decided hardship for some, especially elder members or single parents with children. And to my knowledge, like most faith groups, not a lot is done to escort those in need of assistance to services and other events – even as the population ages. And too little is publicly said about how faith groups provide space for public service group meetings like 12 Step groups. And much more. And I just now learned of the unexpected passing of Father Angelo, who in his tenure at St. Stephen of Hungary Church did so much to make it

BY ARLENE KAYATT

ManDogDollars

a community place. He initiated the Thanksgiving Dinner for the Community and other programs for the public at large, including low-cost exercise classes for seniors and a Saturday Green Market. He reportedly made invaluable improvements to St. Stephen’s elementary school. And not surprisingly, the congregation was very distressed when his retirement was suddenly pushed up by the church hierarchy. Too little was publicly said about that. Father Angelo will be greatly missed and all he did must surely be remembered. But back to the hopeful reopening of Our Lady of Peace — well, faith groups need more coverage. Except now it’s given to some conservative evangelicals who favor a candidate despite his foul mouth who even mocks a rival for having his mother on the campaign trail. A not

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unrelated digression, but we need more elders on the campaign trails and, of course, family members when they exist — and using walkers and wheelchairs too. More intergenerational support systems are needed to prevent and solve so many intractable social problems with communication and relationship skills taught from pre-kindergarteners on out. And shouldn’t faith groups be in the vanguard of all that? In the meantime, Valentine’s Day is deﬁnitely not about couple love only. And it couldn’t be a more appropriate time to join The Friends of Our Lady of Peace — no matter our creed or if we just believe the city can’t afford to lose any more faith groups because of the great community good they do. It’s also archcitecture we can’t afford to lose. dewingbetter@aol.com

Associate Publishers Seth L. Miller, Ceil Ainsworth Regional Sales Manager Tania Cade

Poignant, funny UES encounter — Standing at the bus stop on Lex/88-89. Sidewalk very, very narrow. There’s Annie’s Market, located within the bus stop, bedecked with flowers and produce. Next to it, going downtown, is a small shop that sells candy, newspapers, lottery tickets. Lady and dog walk out of shop. Man, inside shop buying something, left his backpack on the street. Lady and dog walk into Annie’s. A few seconds later the man comes running out of the candy store, picks up his backpack, and starts wailing and walking in a circle swinging and waving the backpack. On the verge of meltdown, he’s looking up and down the street for the lady with the dog. Checks Annie’s, goes inside. Within seconds, the man, the lady and her dog are standing in the entrance way of Annie’s. The man is still waving the backpack and frantically pointing to a portion of it and showing it to the lady. She takes out her wallet and tries giving him money. Two dollars. Five dollars. Seven dollars. Bus riders and passersby have no clue as to what’s going on. Here’s what happened - the nice doggie, seeing an unattended backpack, lifted his leg and peed on it. The man whose pack was peed on was especially upset because his clothing, his lunch, his everything was in the backpack. All interventions from the bus riders and passersby were to no avail - until, that is, a lady standing at the bus stop told the lady with the dog to give the man some money to buy a new backpack. Out came a twenty dollar bill. “Give him $27,” the bus stop lady interjected. “You were giving him $7 anyway.” Still frantic,

the man took the $27 and said he’d buy a new backpack and another lunch. Lesson: Watch your back and your backpack.

City sidewalk packs Starting with Whole Foods 87th/Third — A very, very windy Thursday morning. Leaving Whole Foods from 87th Street exit. Shopper and store staffer standing in the vestibule between the automatic doors talking and moving bags so they can place them into the unattended shopping cart left on the street. Suddenly a strong wind hits the shopping cart. The cart starts moving quickly down the street almost hitting a woman walking with a baby in a stroller. Screams. Pedestrians, shoppers scrambling to grab the moving cart. The Whole Foods staffer was able to stop the cart as it grazed the woman with the stroller. Something has to be done so that unattended shopping carts are not left on the street outside the Whole Foods store, or any store for that matter. Whole Foods has signs saying where to enter (on 88th St.) and where to exit (87th) the store. They should put up warning signs that carts cannot be left unattended or untethered on the sidewalk.

And other sidewalk dangers A moving shopping cart is but one example of the dangers of Manhattan’s crowded sidewalks which are more challenging than ever and getting worse. Vying for sidewalk space in Manhattan you’ll ﬁnd pedestrians, pets, wheelchairs, walkers, shopping carts, toddlers, moms or dads or nannies (sometimes all at the same time) wheeling babies in strollers, runners, speed walkers, people with dis-

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Staff Reporters Gabrielle Alfiero, Daniel Fitzsimmons Director of Digital Pete Pinto

abilities, kids on scooters, the upright, the uptight. Exacerbating the challenge in many instances are the conditions of some of the city’s sidewalks — broken, cracked, bordered off where there’s construction, hard-to-access curb cuts, uprooted trees, overﬂowing wastebaskets, street vendors, delivery bikes tethered to street poles. Safety is a real concern for New Yorkers when walking the city’s streets and sidewalks. Now bikers want sidewalk. NOT. Cycling on the sidewalk should be a punishable offense. It’s unsafe and unduly dangerous and should be treated as such.

Fairway 86th foibles Hot stuff — Big sign at the hot food section located opposite one of the check-out lines announcing BEST FOOD ONLY @ FAIRWAY — HOT BAR — ENJOY THEM NOW OR TAKE THEM HOME’ — forget the grammar. How does one “enjoy them now” when there’s no place to eat “them” in the store? Unlike the West Side Fairway, Fairway 86 has a take-out café, not an eat-in cafe. I don’t think Fairway wants shoppers walking around the store eating food from its hot food bar — plus they would be using their fingers because plastics aren’t provided. Counting beans — A kindly Fairway staffer asked an elderly customer waiting on the check-out line if he wanted her to get him soup when he asked what soups they had that day. Told lentil and chicken noodle, he said lentil. Large or small? Large. The staffer meticulously ladled the lentils from the soup bar to the take-home cup making sure to fill the cup to the max with loads of lentils, little broth. Nice of her to help out the gentleman - beans are better than broth. But what about the next customer waiting to get a cupful, large or small, of lentil soup, and finding only lentil broth? I don’t think so. Arlene Kayatt’s East Side Encounters runs bi-weekly in Our Town. Know of something she should include in the column? Email her at news@strausnews.com

Block Mayors Ann Morris, Upper West Side Jennifer Peterson, Upper East Side Gail Dubov, Upper West Side Edith Marks, Upper West Side

FEBRUARY 11-17,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Primary and Multispecialty Care on the Upper East Side

Photo: Elyaqim Mosheh Adam, via ﬂickr

SLEEPLESS ON THE 6 BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL

“Don’t sleep in the subway, darlin’/Don’t stand in the pouring rain ...” sang Petula Clark back in 1967. Even at 9 years old, I knew that was good advice. A half century later, apparently the song remains the same. “Subways are not for sleeping,” said Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, citing that 50 percent of reported subway crimes — like sexual assault and pickpocketing — “involve sleeping passengers.” Does this shock anyone? We don’t live in Mayberry. You have to watch your back in NYC — always — because there are people who will take advantage of you for no other reason than that they can. Some might call this blaming the victim. Many straphangers, led by Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, are doing just that. People think the police should be out catching the criminals, not rousting hard working people who can’t keep their eyes open. I disagree. My advice is to ﬁght the feeling to nod off, until you get home and can fall onto your bed; pump unsoothing music from your iTunes library into your ear buds if you must, as it’ll be better to start to go deaf then risk being targeted by a criminal. Closed eyelids are like wearing a sign that says, “Slash my face; steal my cell. You’re welcome.” When I take the subway, I hop on the 6 at 86th and Lex (until of course the Second Avenue

subway is complete — ha ha.) I never get a seat. This turns out to be a good thing, as sleeping standing up is a skill I’ve never mastered. As a young woman though, seats were aplenty when, between my junior and senior year of college, I worked for the New York Telephone Company (back when there was still only one phone provider). I lived in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx and got on the first stop of the 6 and got off the last, which was and still is Brooklyn Bridge. It was quite the journey. In the mornings, I rode to work with my mother, who was always yelling at me for — pick a reason — that I was less interested in dozing, than trying to ﬁgure out how to jump off the train and run away. But coming home, I had peace. I was hardly what you’d call exhausted from my 9-to5, which was spent filing and gooﬁng around with the other children of company employees. This, though, was a time before iPhones, iPods, iPads and Kindles. In fact, it even predated the Sony Walkman. My only distractions were fashion magazines or books, both, which to this day, serve as effective sleep aids for me. That plus the cradle-like rocking of the subway car had me out like a light by Spring Street. Many a time I would be awaken by the not so gentle nudge of the person whose shoulder

I had inadvertently been using as a pillow. May I offer a belated yet heartfelt thanks to the fellow commuters who did everything from elbow me to shout, “Girl, will you get off me,” to force me from my potentially hazardous slumber. I wasn’t always so fortunate. There was the time I was awoken by the jolt of the train, only to realize I had been snuggling with a strange man who appeared to believe he had won the subway seat lottery. Instead of my usual feeling of embarrassment, I was terriﬁed. Another time, I opened my eyes somewhere in the South Bronx to ﬁnd that only a rather sketchy looking character and myself occupied the previously packed car. If I had been alert when the crowd had started to thin out, I would have switched to a more populated one. When I think of my summer of subway snoozing I cringe, and shudder at the thought of what could have happened to me while I was in dreamland. Even though I believe I’ve learned from my long ago mistake, things happen. So NYPD Transit Officers as well as fellow train takers, if you ever see me getting some shuteye, please remember the immortal lyrics of 80s duo Wham! and “Wake me up before you go-go.” During her waking hours, Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novels FAT CHICK and BACK TO WORK SHE GOES.

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Out & About More Events. Add Yo Your Own: Go to ourtownny.com

Thu 11 â&#x20AC;&#x153;MUSTANGâ&#x20AC;? FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th St. 7:30 p.m. member, $8; nonmembers, $14 A pre-Oscar screening of the movie Mustang and a postscreening Q&A with director Deniz Gamze Erguven and the ďŹ ve lead actresses. Tickets may be purchased online, by phone, or via the FIAF Box Office. 212-355-6100. www.ďŹ af.org/ VALENTINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S events/winter2016/2016-02DAY CRAFT 11-mustang.shtml TIME â&#x2013;˛

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Silberman School of Social Work, 2180 Third Ave. (119th Street), Centro Library Room 120 2-3:30 p.m. Free Artist Jorge Luis RodrĂguez will meet with residents of El Barrio, the neighborhood where one of his best known sculptures, Growth, has been on display at Harlem Art Park since 1985, to talk about the signiďŹ cance of public art in working class communities. 212-396-6545. www.hunter. cuny.edu/calendar/#/?i=1

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Great Hall Balcony, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street. 5-8 p.m. Free with museum admission Expect familiar classical tunes mixed with a fair share of the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature, cutting-edge repertoire. Guest artists and collaborators will also make periodic appearances. Relax and enjoy cocktails and appetizers while looking out over the majestic Great Hall. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org/events/ďŹ ndevents

Yorkville Library, Meeting Room, 222 East 79th St. 3 p.m. Free Drop in for a quick craft. Bring creativity and make something special. Ages 3 and up. 212-744-5824. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2016/02/12/ valentines-day-craft-time

Sat 13 CENTRAL PARK ICE FESTIVAL 2016 Central Park, Naumberg Bandshell and the Mall (midPark at 72nd Street) 3-7 p.m. Free Celebrate Central Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ fth annual Ice Festival and witness ice-carving artists transform more than 6,000 pounds of ice into sculptures. www.centralpark.com/ events/show/3002/centralpark-ice-festival-2016

THE LEAST RESISTANCE AND THE RIGHT WAY Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. Adules $25, Students and Senior with valid ID $18, members and children under 12 free A viewing of the two short ďŹ lms artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss worked on together.

212-423-3500 www.guggenheim.org/newyork/visit/plan-your-visit

Sun 14 ANTI-VALENTINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAY COLLAGE PARTY 92nd Street Y, Classroom, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street. 3 p.m. from $55 Join for this special collage workshop for LexList â&#x20AC;&#x201D; get your frustrations out while creating a beautiful masterpiece! Bring old photos, gifts from an ex or other reminders of your single life and learn some basic collaging techniques. There will be plenty of wine. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/Anti-Valentine-sDay-Collage-Party

FOUND OBJECTS REIMAGINED DROP-IN ART WORKSHOP Floor 4 Studio, 1109 Fifth Ave., at 92nd Street.

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1-4 p.m. Free with Museum admission Construct your own imaginative work of art by combining various found and recycled objects. 212-423-3200. www. thejewishmuseum.org/calendar/ events/2016/02/14/drop-inart-workshop-2.14.16

Mon 15

terrain is uneven with many hills and stairs. Highlights include McGowanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pass, Fort Clinton and Nutterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bakery. 212-310-6600. www. centralparknyc.org/events

Wed 17 UPPER EAST SIDE FICTION READING GROUP

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Tue 16 BALLET EXERCISE CLASS FOR ADULTS

67th Street Library, 328 East 67th St. 2-3 p.m. Free (You must register in person) Come dance and experience Museum of the City of New the ballerina in you. Learn basic York, 1220 Fifth Ave. ballet steps and experience 11-2 p.m. Free the joy of dance in a class that Teddy Bears got their name combines ballet and exercise for from Teddy Roosevelt, who refused to kill a bear on a hunting older adults. 212-734-1717. www.nypl.org/ trip. To celebrate Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events/programs/2016/02/02/ Day, learn about President Rooseveltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on NYC and ballet-exercise-class-adults make your own teddy bear. This event is geared toward families APOCALYPSE-CINEMA with children 6-12 years old and includes a free snack. Albertine, 972 Fifth Ave., at 212-534-1672. www.mcny. 79th Street org/event/teddy-bears-teddy7 p.m. Free roosevelt A conversation between Emily Apter and Peter Szendy focusing on general annihilation NORTHERN FORTS while paying attention to ďŹ lms TOUR like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Melancholia,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Twelve Central Park- Charles A. Dana Monkeysâ&#x20AC;? and others in the Discovery Center, inside the Park apocalyptic genre. 212-650-0070. www. at 110th St albertine.com/events/ 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. $15; apocalypse-cinema/ members $10. A tour that illuminates the rich history of Central Park and the British and American troops that were once stationed there. The

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Barnes & Noble, 150 East 86th St. 7 p.m. Free This month discussion will be over A Brief History of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seven Killingsâ&#x20AC;? by Marlon James. 212-369-2180. www.stores. barnesandnoble.com/store/227 8?subtype=detailCalendar

PRESCHOOL STORIES AND FILMS 96th Street Library, 112 East 96th St. 11:15 a.m. Free Stories and ďŹ lms for preschoolers will be viewed. 212-289-0908. www.nypl.org/events/ programs/2016/02/03/ preschool-stories-and-ďŹ lms-0

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FEBRUARY 11-17,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS JAN 6 - FEB 5, 2016

Chicken Festival

1584 1 Avenue

The following listings were collected from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s website and include the most recent inspection and grade reports listed. We have included every restaurant listed during this time within the zip codes of our neighborhoods. Some reports list numbers with their explanations; these are the number of violation points a restaurant has received. To see more information on restaurant grades, visit www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page

Kobeyaki

215 E 86Th St

Maison Kayser

1535 3Rd Ave

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 1469 3 Avenue

The Burger Bistro

1663 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (19) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Naruto Ramen

1596 3 Avenue

Corner Cafe & Bakery

1246 Madison Avenue A

Inﬁrmary

1720 2Nd Ave

Pascalou

1308 Madison Avenue A

Just Salad

1471 Third Ave

Pinocchio Ristorante

1748 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (17) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Hot & Crusty Bagels Cafe

1276 Lexington Avenue

Bawarchi Indian Cuisine

1546 Madison Ave

Uptown

1576 3 Avenue

Monique’s Lounge 108

181 East 108 Street

La Tarte Flambee

1750 2 Avenue

Cascalote Latin Bistro

2126 2Nd Avenue

89 Tenzan

1714 2Nd Ave

R & J Lounge

109 E 116Th St

Bricklane Curry House

1664 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (9) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

The Guthrie Inn

1259 Park Avenue

Merrion Square

1840 2 Avenue

Cuchifrito

168 East 116 Street

Ray’s Pizza

1827 2 Avenue

Earl’s Beer & Cheese

1259 Park Ave

Dunkin’ Donuts

200 East 89 Street

Red Star Restaurant

112 East 116 Street

New Fresh Wok

1777 1St Ave

Grade Pending (19) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Milenio Bakery

2030 Third Ave

Moustache

1621 Lexington Avenue

Le Viet Cafe

1750 2Nd Ave

JJ Brown Cup

1707 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (16) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Thais New York

1718 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (28) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.

Pio Pio Express

1746 1 Avenue

Grade Pending (22) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.

New Nyc Yoan Ming Garden 1407 Madison Ave

Grade Pending (36) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

New Fa Shing Chinese Restaurant

2107 3Rd Ave

Sant Ambroeus Cafe At Sotheby’s

1334 York Ave

Grade Pending (23) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewageassociated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Vegan Divas

1437 1 Avenue

Hanabi

1450 2Nd Ave

Grade Pending (20) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Russ & Daughters At The Jewish Museum

1109 5Th Ave

Not Yet Graded (2)

The District

1679 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (17) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Tanoshi Tei

1374 York Ave

Bagels & Co

500 E 76Th St

Taco Today

1659 1 Avenue

Tasti D-Lite

1380 1 Avenue

The York Social

1529 York Ave

Not Yet Graded (21) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

E.J Luncheonette

1271 Third Avenue

Good Health Natural Cafe

1435 1 Avenue

A La Turka

1417 2 Avenue

Cafe Evergreen

1367 1 Avenue

Kings Carriage House

251 East 82 Street

5 TOP

FEBRUARY 11-17,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

OUR BUS IS YOUR BEST BET.

FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR

$15 Meal/Retail Coupon Two $10 Free Bets & One $5 Free Bet

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MUSEUMS

“THE ILLUSIVE EYE” The new exhibition at El Museo del Barrio explores optical and kinetic art from 17 countries with a focus on the Americas, and presents an examination of optical art’s mystical origins through a presentation of at times mind-bending geometric works that trick the eye. “The Illusive Eye” Now through May 21 El Museo del Barrio 1230 Fifth Ave., between East 104th and East 105th Streets Museum hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission $9 For more information, call 212-831-7272 or visit www.elmuseo.org

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Day Service on Thursday Friday & Saturday from Manhattan

Port Authority 201.420.7000 ext. 2353

85th Street Candy 212.288.7690

Ernesto Briel’s “Nebulosa.” ©The Gustavo Valdes Collection Why not extend your stay? Visit mymohegansun.com to view your hotel rates.

MUSIC

CELEBRATING BRAZILIAN CARNAVAL

“A TASTE OF LOVE” New York Baroque Incorporated, an ensemble that performs on period instruments, presents Handel’s “Il Delirio Amoroso” with soprano Sara MacKimmie at the Museum of Sex. The evening also includes culinary treats, champagne and wine. “A Taste of Love” Thursday, Feb. 11 Museum of Sex 233 Fifth Ave. at East 27th Street 6 p.m. Tickets $95 For tickets, visit www.nybaroque.org/events/

A day-long celebration of Brazil at the Ailey Extension, hosted by Salsa dancer Quenia Ribeiro, includes dance lessons and Brazilian drumming workshops, ending with a high-energy, musicﬁlled dance party. Celebrating Brazilian Carnaval Saturday, Feb. 13 The Ailey Extension 405 West 55th St. at Columbus Avenue 1-11 p.m. $25 for single class, $80 for full day To purchase, visit http://www.alvinailey.org/ Celebrate-Brazilian-Carnaval or call 212-4059500

DANCE

THEATER

Make an inspection of Fort Clinton, Nutter’s Battery, and other installations that played roles in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. ($15)

“CLIMATE CONTROL”

“CITY OF GLASS”

Elephant Complex | Travels in Sri Lanka

Kathryn Posin Dance Company premieres new work “Climate Control” to start the Harkness Dance Festival at 92nd Street Y. The project, a collaboration with composer and singer Meredith Monk, incorporates a live performance of Monk’s composition “Facing North” with movements inspired by dances from different regions and climates. “Climate Control” 92nd Street Y Feb. 11-12 1395 Lexington Ave., at 92nd Street 8 p.m. Tickets $25-$35 For tickets, visit 92y.org/harknessfestival or call 212-415-5500

In a new adaptation of Paul Auster’s “City of Glass,” video projections onto cracked glass represent some of the story’s themes. The detective story, set on the Upper West Side, stars Robert Honeywell as private investigator Daniel Quinn, who receives a fateful phone call that sets the story in motion. “City of Glass” Feb. 19-March 12 New Ohio Theatre 154 Christopher St., between Greenwich and Washington Streets Assorted show times Tickets $25-$30 For tickets, call 888-596-1027 or visit www. untitledtheater.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH, 6PM

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ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

Northern Forts Tour

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH, 11AM Charles A. Dana Discovery Center | Central Park nr. 110th St. | 212-310-6600 | centralparknyc.org

The Explorers Club | 6 E. 70th St. | 212-628-8383 | explorers.org Explorer John Gimlette speaks on an enigmatic island and its great medieval reservoir cities, Portuguese cinnamon forests, Dutch forts and British tea plantations. The talk concludes with the current conﬂict and a battleﬁeld the size of Central Park littered with burnt-out vehicles. ($25)

Just Announced: Padma Lakshmi—Love, Loss and What We Ate

THURSDAY, MARCH 10TH, 7:30PM Asia Society and Museum | 725 Park Ave. | 212-288-6400 | asiasociety.org With Top Chef back in full swing it’s a good time for the show’s co-host Padma Lakshmi to make the rounds, discussing food, family, and the scars that life leaves, as covered in her new memoir. There will be a book sale and signing as well. ($12)

For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,

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Todd Goldman’s poster hangs in Dr. Lisa Eng’s clinic. Eng put up the poster and thinks it might have dissuaded women from having an abortion solely because they were carrying a female fetus. Photo: Virginia Gunawan

SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 girls and her youngest, a 1-yearold son. She had not planned on having this many children. “After my first girl, we began to expect a boy,” Zhou, 34, said. She came to New York in her early 20s from Fujian, a province in southeastern China. She now runs a Chinese takeout restaurant with her husband in Flatbush, Brooklyn. “We don’t have a preference for boys,” Zhou said. “We just wanted a boy to make it more of a perfect family.” Culturally, Chinese people believe a balance of yin and yang will bring a family good luck. Having a boy is simply a wish, not a necessity. An unscientiﬁc street survey with dozens of Chinese women between the ages of 23 and 50 in Manhattan’s Chinatown and Flushing suggested that most believe that male preference in Chinese immigrant culture has dissipated. Still, they said, some older relatives and close friends continue to favor boys over girls and sex-selective abortion is an open secret within the city’s Chinese immigrant communities. Men are also becoming more open-minded. “We love our

girls,” said Tony Chiu, a hairstylist at B’s Salon on Division Street. Chiu and his friends sometimes even claim to prefer “daughter to son,” in protest against the stereotype that Chinese men harbor discrimination towards females. Still, men and women interviewed indicated that they can be pressured by family members, especially from older generations, to have boys. “My husband ﬁrst agreed that we stop trying after our second daughter,” Zhou said. But not long after, he started to nudge her again, she said. “He would say ‘my mother won’t cut me lose, let’s try again, one last time,’” said Zhou, whose mother-in-law moved to the United States a few years ago and is now living with the family. Dr. Lisa Eng, a gynecologist who practices in Manhattan’s and Brooklyn’s Chinatown, referred to the preference, even insistence, of some older Chinese women on having a male descendent to carry their surname as the “mother-in-lawfactor.” “Half of the time, the women are really remorseful,” she said. “The woman doesn’t care about [her husband’s] name. It’s the mother in law.” Common in China because of that country’s one-child policy, sex-selective abortion is a way to preserve one’s’ lineage. Sons are considered more valuable

since they will support the family, while daughters are going to be married off and will not contribute to her parents. “Mothers-in-law can WeChat their in-laws globally and pressure them to get a boy. They will nag, nag, nag until they get what they want,” Eng said. WeChat is the most popular social media and messaging platform among the Chinese community.

A RECENT PHENOMENON Sex screening methods have developed rapidly in past 50 years. Procedures such as the non-invasive prenatal test can detect a fetus’ sex as early as seven weeks into pregnancy, while more conventional tests such as amniocentesis and ultrasonography are used in a later stage of the pregnancy. Just a drop of blood from a pregnant woman’s fingertips can now reveal the sex of a

child. But it can be expensive. With a lab processing and appointment fee, in total, Zhou spent $800 to test her third daughter’s sex in 2012. The price has dropped somewhat because of competition among medical companies, said Eng. still, it’s cheaper than sperm sorting, which can cost up to $20,000, according to Eng. Sex-selective abortion is a rather recent occurrence, said

Rohini Prabha Pande, an independent consultant with the World Bank and International Center for Research on Women. Male preference “has been going on for hundreds of years,” yet “sex-selective abortion is a fairly recent phenomenon” and has spread along with technology. Before that, girls would be neglected, discriminated and abused, she said. The number of sex-selective abortions is difficult to determine. Reasons for abortions are not officially tabulated. Major abortion clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, do not ask for reasons on consent forms. The city’s Department of Health does not list reasons in a summary of vital statistics and they do not keep statistics on numbers of females and males that are aborted. (It does provide though, the percent of live births by infant’s sex. As of 2013, the percentage of male live births in the city is 51.3, whereas 48.7 for female. This is within the normal range of worldwide sex ratio at birth ---lower than 1.06. ) “It is not a subject to be talk about in the open,” said Arpita Appanagarri, the women’s health initiative coordinator at Sakhi for South Asian women, a non-governmental organization focusing on domestic violence victims among South Asian Women. “Let alone collecting data about it.” Sunita Puri, an Asian-American physician interviewed 65 immigrant Indian women in California, New Jersey and New York who pursued fetal sex selection between September 2004 and December 2009. Her research found that “forty percent of the women interviewed had terminated prior pregnancies with female fetuses and that 89 percent of women carrying female fetuses in their current pregnancy pursued an abortion.”

PRESSURES ARE FAMILIAL, CULTURAL

Chinese language newspapers carry a proliﬁc selection of abortion ads, some of them also offering early gender tests. Photo: Rui Miao

Betty Rose Green, Manager of Community and Outreach at New York Asian Women’s Center, which helps Asian immigrant women get out of domestic violence situations, said that most of the women who come to the center complaining about being forced into a sex-selective abortion are from South Asian countries, and nearly all of them had already given birth to more than one girl. “These women were ridiculed or abused in their families” for not bearing sons, said Green. “Their husbands listen to their in-laws,” who have strong son-preferences. Pande, the World Bank con-

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Dr. Lisa Eng in her Mott Street office. sultant, believes coercive sexselective abortion amounts to domestic violence, with, oftentimes, emotional violence turning into physical violence. “First, women who want to keep the baby are often forced to abort; while on some other occasions, women who want to keep the baby but agree on or even initiate the abortion, because they understand that they will be looked down on if not,” she said. “When immigrants relocate to a new country but still live in an area together, it’s essentially like back home,” Pande said. “The social norms can take generations to disappear, and we oftentimes underestimate the power of this kind of social pressure.” Can legal action help these unborn girls? China and India, where the practice of sex selection are the highest, prohibit prenatal testing, speciﬁcally ultrasound, to detect a fetus’ sex. More than two dozen European countries, six in Asia, two in the Oceania region and Canada have enacted policies to minimize or even prohibit sex-selective abortion. None have been effective in stopping sex-selective abortion. In October, China brought to an end the country’s one-child

policy — and will now allow couples to have two children. The one-child policy was implemented in 1979 to curb the country’s population and has allegedly prevented 400 million births in the span of more than three decades. “How do you tell someone that their culture is wrong? And who are you going to target? The mother in laws?” said Eng, the Chinatown doctor. Some fear that banning sexselective abortion will only put women’s birth control rights in jeopardy. “Such proposed legislation targets doctors who perform abortion,” said Sarah Burns, a professor of clinical law at New York University. “It also needlessly threatens doctors by making them responsible for policing a patient’s reason for seeking an abortion.” Seven states currently ban sex-selective abortion at any point of the pregnancy. In January 2015, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) was introduced in Congress and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. In Arizona, where sex-selective abortion is banned, the population of child-bearing Asian women comprises just 0.009 percent of its total population. Census data shows the states

which banned sex-selective abortion have very small number of Chinese and Indian population. In March 2015, New York Assemblyman, Marco Crespo, primarily sponsored sex-selective abortion ban bill to be enforced in the State of New York. The bill is on hold. It is his second attempt after failing in 2012. He declined an interview request. Advocacy organizations such as the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum admitted that male preference is an alarming matter that needs to be solved but it is not a constitutional matter. “The real solution is to change the values that created the preference for sons,” said Miriam Yeung, the forum’s executive director. “Son preference is a symptom of deeply rooted social biased and stereotypes about gender.” Pande suggested that community advocacy may work. “We need to help people understand that it’s OK to have a girl in this country,” she said. “You don’t need to worry here — she can get highly educated like a boy, she can go to work, and she can have a late marriage. It’s ﬁne here.”

The Original Teachings of

Theosophy as recorded by H.P. Blavatsky & William Q. Judge

The Secret Doctrine The evolution of the GOD-IDEA proceeds apace with man’s own intellectual evolution. So true it is that the noblest ideal to which the religious Spirit of one age can soar, will appear but a gross caricature to the philosophic mind in a succeeding epoch!... Outside of initiation, the ideals of contemporary religious thought must always have their wings clipped and remain unable to soar higher; for idealistic as well as realistic thinkers, and even free-thinkers, are but the outcome and the natural product of their respective environments and periods. H.P. Blavatsky

All Meetings Free No Dues No Collections TV Channel 57, 3 Fri @ 9:30PM

SUNDAY EVENINGS 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. February

14 28

Foundations for a New Age Theosophy in Myth and Allegory

March

Karma - the Moral Law of Compensation Eastern - A Time of Renewal

For full program contact:

The United Lodge of Theosophists Theosophy Hall Phone (212) 535- 2230

347 East 72nd St., New York www.ULT.org

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BILL SIGNED PROTECTING GROCERY STORE EMPLOYEES Mayor Bill de Blasio recently signed a law designed to protect employees in large grocery stores from immediately losing their jobs after a change in ownership. “The law will help grocery store employees avoid instability after an ownership transition, giving them an opportunity to plan ahead or keep their jobs after being evaluated by their new employer,” de Blasio said. “This is just another way the City is helping hardworking

New Yorkers.” The bill protects large grocery store employees from immediately losing their jobs after an ownership transition, according to a release from the mayor’s office. Under the law, new grocery store owners must retain the incumbent owner’s employees for a transition period of 90 days. After 90 days, the new employer must evaluate each employee and may offer them continued employment. Prior to

In Brief MOBILE PAYMENT FOR METERED PARKING ANNOUNCED New Yorkers will be able to pay for all 85,000 metered parking spaces with their cell phone by the end of 2016. The technology will enable drivers to park without stopping at the meter and printing out receipts, and will be enforced via the police department’s new tablet devices that will allow traffic enforcement agents to immediately determine whether a parked car is paid up. “No more fumbling for change or scrambling to the meter to beat a ticket,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “This is a 21st century upgrade that is going to make parking a lot more convenient.” Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg also touted the technology. “Pay-by-cell offers New York drivers greater customer convenience and quality of life,” she said. “This more efficient payment system also allows motorists to pay for only the time they use.” There are currently 13,700 Muni-Meters across the ﬁve boroughs that govern 85,000 metered parking spaces. Muni-Meters accept coins, New York City parking cards and credit cards. Muni-Meters will continue to accept these forms of payment. There is no budget impact from this proposal, according to the mayor’s office. The NYPD’s tablet devices are already being secured as part of a previously announced technology upgrade for the entire department. In addition, the DOT is developing the mobile application for drivers through a no-cost innovation contract. The new technology will enable drivers to add more time to the meter by phone within posted time-limit rules, and receive credit if they utilize less time than they pay for. The new system will draw on the experience of a pilot program in the Bronx’s Belmont neighborhood that encompassed 264 parking spaces as well as a 57-space DOT parking lot.

RFP FOR FUTUREWORKS NYC ANNOUNCED The city’s Economic Development Corporation recently issued a request for proposals for partners in building Futureworks NYC, a network of services and spaces to support New York’s manufacturing sector. The initiative aims to build a 21st century production economy powered by advanced manufacturing, according to the agency, and ensure that city residents, communities and traditional businesses can participate in and beneﬁt from the innovation economy. The EDC claims that with the creation of a so-called advanced manufacturing center at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, “Futureworks NYC will transform New York City’s manufacturing and production ecosystem by supporting the city’s researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and businesses with affordable access to production tools, technologies, and business support.” The goal of the initiative is to catalyze new advanced manufacturing technologies and the city’s manufacturing base with investment in shared resources and infrastructure. “By partnering with industry, academic and research institutions, and communities to build services and spaces dedicated to new methods of production, NYCEDC will work to establish the city as a leader in advanced manufacturing,” said the EDC. The agency projects new and current investments will generate more than 20,000 new jobs and support the city’s existing 530,000 manufacturing and industrial jobs. “Today we take the next major step toward delivering on Mayor de Blasio’s vision for a thriving 21st century economy,” said EDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “Futureworks NYC will help position our city as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and help us grow quality, middle class jobs for New Yorkers.” Torres-Springer added that establishing a network connecting manufacturing hubs around the city, anchored by up to 40,000 square feet of space at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the program will ensure that industrial businesses can take advantage of new technology and new demand. To download the RFP or for more information, visit the RFP web page at www.nycedc.com.

Business

the transition, incumbent owners must post a notice with information regarding the transition and notify employees of their rights. In addition, the incumbent owner will be required to provide the new owner with a full and accurate list of their employees. A grocery employee alleging a violation of this law may ﬁle a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs within 180 days of the date the violation occurred. “The council is proud to support policies that improve New York City,” Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said of the bill, Intro.

632-B. “Today thousands of hardworking men and women in our city’s grocery industry, along with the communities and families who depend on these workers for their nutritional needs, have cause for celebration,” said Councilman I. Daneek Miller, chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor. “With passage of this legislation we will be able to provide stability that would otherwise not exist during grocery transitions.”

INDIAN POINT PLANT SPILLS RADIOACTIVE WATER Leak into groundwater from nuclear power facility on Hudson River BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

An apparent overflow at a nuclear power plant north of New York City spilled highly radioactive water into an underground monitoring well, but nuclear regulators said the public isn’t at risk. Officials at the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, 40 miles north of Manhattan, reported last week that water contaminated by tritium leaked into the groundwater under the facility. The contamination has remained contained to the site, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ordered the state’s environmental conservation and health departments to investigate. “Our first concern is for the health and safety of the residents close to the facility and ensuring the groundwater leak does not pose a threat,” Cuomo said in a statement. The leak occurred after a drain overflowed during a maintenance exercise while workers were transferring water, which has high levels of radioactive contamination, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Normally, a sump pump would take the water and ﬁlter it into another treatment system, but the pump apparently was out of service, Sheehan said. After the drain

The Indian Point Energy Center, on the Hudson River 40 miles north of Manhattan, spilled radioactive water into groundwater there. Photo: WhatsAllThisThen Follow, via ﬂickr overflowed, the water seeped out of the building into the groundwater. It was unclear how much water spilled, but samples showed the water had a radioactivity level of more than 8 million picocuries per liter, a 65,000 percent increase from the average at the plant, Cuomo said. The levels are the highest regulators have seen at Indian Point, and the normal number is about 12,300 picocuries per liter, Cuomo said. Contaminated groundwater would likely slowly make its way to the Hudson River, Sheehan said, but research has shown that water usually ends up in the middle of the river and is so diluted that the levels of radioactivity are nearly undetectable.

“We don’t believe there’s any concern for members of the public,” Sheehan said. “First of all, this water’s not going anywhere immediately ... and, again, because of the dilution factor, you wouldn’t even be able to detect it were you to take a direct sample.” A spokesman for Entergy Corp., the New Orleans-based company that operates Indian Point, said the overflow was “likely the cause of the elevated tritium levels.” “Tritium in the ground is not in accordance with our standards, but I think people should keep in mind there’s no health or safety consequences,” spokesman Jerry Nappi said. “There is no impact on drinking water on or off site.”

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The Loyola Knights one-two punch was evident this season, with co-captains Mike Frank and Jake Preston leading the way. Frank became Loyola’s leading career scorer this year, amassing 1,749 points, surpassing Andrew Leone career tally. Leone now plays for NCAA Division 1 school Fairﬁeld. Frank is described as a proliﬁc scorer by Coach Fred Agnostakis, can both shoot from range — he drained 33 3-pointers — and drive to the basket. Preston is an all-around player, who can score, rebound and defend and was given multiple duties by Agnostakis. “He is often given charge of guarding the opponent’s best player and is always in the middle of the fray,” the coach said. The duo now leads the Knights into the New York City Athletic League playoffs.

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THE WINDOWS OF MY MIND BY MELITTA ANDERMAN

The lure of the street vendors’ voices, that’s my siren song. I have always loved groping my way through piled up counters, not knowing what lies underneath. The days of Kleins on 14th Street, Alexander’s on Third Avenue, Filenes on Broadway, B. Altman on Fifth Avenue are now gone. Internet shopping is the new norm when all you can feel is the keyboard and the texture of the product is only visual. The sensual pleasure of the hunt is a bygone entity only available in your imagination. But there is hope for me. I live in Manhattan’s Yorkville sector where practically every corner is a virtual treasure trove of exotic, alias pashmina scarves, knockoff designer bags ( I have an in with a Third Avenue vendor who has the best buys), costume jewelry from all over the world, $3 sweaters with labels intact so I know the manufacturer, summertime straw hats and winter woolens. In-season fresh fruits and veggies are artfully displayed on carts. Lus-

cious papaya, melons, berries vie for position alongside cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, beans. I could go on describing what awaits the eye but I’m getting too excited. Take me to the most exclusive shop, sit me down on a plush couch, bring the champagne ﬂute and have models parade for my personal pleasure and this is what happens. The drink makes me sleepy, the clothes shown are not really me and I get bored. I want to leave but I’m stuck in my own quicksand and can’t get out. I don’t know when my street shopping craze started but I don’t like sales people hovering around me, fixing hems to line up with my one lopsided hip, breathing down my neck to adjust shoulders to conform to my protruding breastbone. Sometime when I’m in a regular dressing with a three-way mirror I see what my expensive hairdresser did to the back of my head and I see the extra bulge around my waist and tummy that was as ﬂat as a surf board.

Photo: Jim Pennucci, via ﬂickr

SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM’S ADVANTAGES Proposed legislation would cover every state resident BY SHARON R. KAHN

Photo: Mark Morgan, via ﬂickr

More than 33 percent of all Americans cannot access needed medical care due to money. A single payer tax-prepaid health service is not necessarily a socialistic solution. Canada, a capitalistic country, has a single-payer system. The difference between Canadian capitalism and the American version is merely over who the payer is: the government, as opposed to a combination of patients and their insurers. The American system is the one where care is rationed: insurers ration care when they review records and decide to reduce physician payments or terminate the level of care received. Patients ration their care when they can’t afford either co-pays or medication needed to treat their ailments. Not to mention the lack of true parity for mental health, vision and dental care. Under the Affordable Care Act, states are encouraged to inno-

vate their health care systems. The proposed New York Health Assembly Bill (Senate bill S.2078A) currently under consideration in the New York Legislature is an opportunity to offer a singlepayer system. Under this bill, every New York resident would be covered, regardless of their age, their income, their savings, their employment or their legal status. Residents desirous of medical care would simply ﬂash their eligibility card in front of the receptionist to receive services. There are no co-pays or deductibles. Doctors would bill the Health Department for services. Tests and prescriptions are all covered. Doctors and hospitals remain private: they negotiate patient care directly with the patient. New York Health would just pay the bills. No medical bankruptcies. No loss of employer coverage when sickness trumps employability. Current taxes and fees could cover the bulk of it via the state payroll tax. Non-payroll income, such as capital gains, dividends and interest would also be used

to fund New York Health. Perhaps taxes would rise — however, overall, costs for the individual would decrease — no more premiums, deductibles, co-pays and out-ofnetwork minimums, which after all, constitute a de-facto negative tax. Property taxes will decrease as local share of Medicaid funding would end. The average cost of an employer-provided family plan in New York is over $17,500/year with an average family deductible of over $2,200. The average individual spends over $6,000 a year for health care premiums. Overall health care costs will decrease as the proﬁt that insurance companies must have (up to 30 percent of the health care dollar) will disappear. Doctors’ administrative costs will decrease, as there will be no need to have billing specialists whose sole job is to negotiate with various insurance companies. Under single-payer, Federal funds currently utilized for Medicare, Medicaid, Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus would be combined with the state revenue

in a health trust. New York would receive a federal waiver so that the new single payer option—New York Health, would be enveloped within Medicare, Medicaid, Family Health Plus, Child Health Plus, ACA benefits and any other federally funded program. The ACA was based on the notion that federal aid would enable citizens to buy insurance via subsidies — it did not predict that insurance companies would then raise their premiums to ensure their profits would never be used to pay for health care costs, a perpetual game of keep away. The growth in the net cost of health insurance is due to administrative waste and executive profits. ACA further assumed that states would expand Medicaid coverage — and approximately half did not. New York Health would offer both affordable as well as accessible health care. Sharon R. Kahn has earned a doctorate in psychology and holds state licensure as a psychologist. She lives on the Upper East Side.

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

A MUSICAL HAVEN ON THE UPPER WEST SIDE Executive director of Kaufman Music Studio on what makes it so special BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Kaufman Music Center has created a community united in its appreciation for musical culture. Located on West 67th Street, it is home to Merkin Concert Hall, Lucy Moses School, which is the largest community arts school in New York, and Special Music School, a public school for students with musical talent. Lydia Kontos has been with the center since 1979 and was instrumental in helping it grow into the dynamic place it is today. She began there as head of the concert hall and was later promoted to executive director. Although her job is multifaceted, she cannot help but mention the strides the center has made for its young musicians when asked about her proudest accomplishments. Because of her musical background, she brought with her a vision that every child would learn music in a classroom setting. This was due to the fact that as a youngster, she took piano lessons at her teacher’s apartment and it proved to be a lonely experience. “When I started as executive director here, kids would do their year-end recitals and see their parents, aunts, grandparents and that would be pretty much it,” she explained. “And I remember sitting in the back and thinking that one of my measures of success is going to be when this place has such a kid music culture that kids want to hear each other …When I see our kids perform now and they’ve got their music friends and they’re doing ensembles and working together, that is really was this was meant to be and I’m so proud of my role in bringing it there.”

What’s the atmosphere like at Kaufman Music Center? How would you explain it to people who have never been? It’s hard to characterize what it’s like for people who have never been because we have so many different ways of coming here for the ﬁrst time. You might come as an audience member or as a student or as somebody who might want to learn more about a contribution. If I take it just from an adult’s point of view, what I hear from people who are in the building for the ﬁrst time is that it’s a bustling, busy, warm place with lots of happy young people. It has a feeling of instant inclusion. People feel very comfortable here very quickly.

What does a typical day look like for you? It’s very hard to outline a typical day

Lydia Kontos, Pharoahe Monch and Curtis Stewart. Photo: Chanell Crichlow of Pitchblak Brass Band. because there are so many different aspects to the place. But, ideally, a day for me includes hearing some students perform or rehearse. In running the organization with my colleagues, there is a lot of really smart and interesting conversation about what we’re planning, what’s next and how we can work together. There’s a great deal of collaboration among the staff. I’m really lucky; it’s a wonderful staff. Even though everybody has their own areas of responsibility, it’s not a place where people are competitive. They really enjoy who they work with and the atmosphere of the place. It’s great. I love it.

really has the musical expertise to put together a music school. First of all, by being a public school, the Special Music School would be making a statement about the need for more music in public education. Second of all, it made sense not to try to compete with top private schools because those schools are really, really expensive. And if we tried to compete, we would have had to do a lot that didn’t even have to do with music. In this way, we’re not fighting for tuition dollars, instead, we have to raise money. It’s a different kind of struggle, if you want to call it that. And one that is a lot more focused on the outcome for the kids.

It was your idea to make the Special Music School a public institution. What are the beneﬁts to that?

You recently wrote an article about the importance of music education. Why do you think it’s so crucial for students?

I was very proud to be the person who conceived of the Special Music School as a public school. I have to give a lot of credit to the pianist Vladimir Feltsman, whose idea it was to create a music school really for musically gifted children. But I had this vision that it should really be a public school. And I think that was my unique contribution since I’m not somebody who

In a way it’s very easy to answer, and in a way it’s very difficult. On the difﬁcult side, I would say, ‘Why is math important?’ Everybody would have a different answer and I don’t think anybody would say it’s not important to learn math. Now when I ask why it’s important to learn music, I’m asking the same unanswerable question that I would ask about math. But the funny

earning a reliable living as a music teacher in a school setting because you never know when it’s going to be cut from the budget. Because of that, there has been very little research and design on effective ways of learning music.

What are your future plans?

Lydia Kontos. Photo: Paul Zimmerman/ WireImage thing is there are so many answers to that question. People say music is important because you learn history better, it helps you with math, it makes you creative … But music as a subject is really what’s important because being musically literate is one of the important literacies for us as human beings. And I think the only reason it’s been so easy to cut from the schools is because it’s not cheap. But one of the catch 22s about music education is that it’s very hard for people to think in terms of

The work that we do is so unique and amazing. The way all of our parts integrate to make so many experiences available to so many kids and adults as well. I would like more of the city and even the country to know who we are. Kaufman Music Center is, in my personal opinion, a phenomenon. I would like people to know about it and, if they’re not from New York, I’d like them to go to their cities and replicate it. And if they are from New York, I hope they come here. www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org

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