Our Town - February 25, 2016 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper er East Side LIGHTING UP THE MET'S TEMPLE

WEEK OF FEBRUARY-MARCH

25-2

CITYARTS, P.12 >

2016

ZEROING IN ON EAST SIDE HOMELESSNESS

Our Take THE SECOND DISGRACE OF OUR HOMELESS SHELTERS

NEWS Concerns that the homeless population in the neighborhood is being undercounted BY BRYTNIE JONES

Amid a rising homeless problem citywide, East Side officials are concerned about an underreporting of the issue in the neighborhood. Councilmembers Ben Kallos and Dan Garodnick, State Senator Liz Krueger, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer have launched the Eastside Taskforce for Homeless Outreach and Services, “ETHOS”, in an effort to help and address the challenges facing the number of homeless on the Upper East Side. ETHOS is in partnership with various churches, synagogues, non-profits, and city agencies to provide food, legal services, substance abuse, medical, shelter service, and supportive housing for the homeless. “The East Side of Manhattan is a priority underserved area with too many homeless”, Krueger said. On the Upper East Side, Casa Mutua holds 54 units for residents who are chronically homeless, Lenox Hill Women’s Mental Health Shelter at the Park Avenue Armory has 80 beds, and the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter has a total of 65 beds. A number of churches operate safe havens and also have a number of beds, but more than 100 can still be found sleeping on the streets. “Sadly the concern is not how do we help them but how do we make them go away. For me, it’s important to step

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IN CENTRAL PARK, WEIGHING KIDS AGAINST DONALD TRUMP NEWS The candidate’s ownership of the carousel puts New Yorkers in a familiar bind BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS

It’s late afternoon on a mild winter weekday, and kids and tourists are lining up to pay $3 for a quintesentially New York moment: a carousel

Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Out & About

ride in Central Park. On the wall next to the entrance is a white placard with red lettering that reads, “Trump Carousel Rules and Regulations” -- one of the only indications that Donald J. Trump, presidential candidate, owns and operates the carousel. Trump’s politics have begun seeping into the carousel, as riders weigh an afternoon escape against a deeply divisive candidate.

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City Arts Top 5 Business 15 Minutes

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Gemma Whiteman and Joel Hauxwell, who were on vacation from England and rode the carousel Monday, said they noticed the placard bearing Trump’s name. “It was in my head,” said Whiteman, when asked if the realization gave her pause. “He’s not very liked in England, so in my head I was a bit like, ‘Do I want to give money to this

First, let’s start with the obvious: conditions inside this city’s homeless shelters are a disgrace. A series of terrible crimes, one more horrible than the last (including the killing earlier this month of a woman and her two daughters in Staten Island), has highlighted the shameful living conditions for people at the margins of one of the richest cities in the world. But none of that excuses the recent grandstanding by the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who apparently sees no issue on which he can’t try to belittle the mayor. In the governor’s latest attempt at a hit job, state officials complained to the city, then promptly to the New York Post, about a gang rape at a city homeless shelter, publicizing the alleged event before police even had time to investigate it. As it turned out, the incident never happened, infuriating city officials who called it a “political media hit” aimed at embarrassing the mayor. In the meantime, of course, the Dickensian living conditions for men, women and kids in shelters goes on.

Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday February 26 – 5:25 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

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FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REPORTS OF SEX CRIMES INCREASE Reports of sex crimes on the subway jumped 19 percent last year compared to 2014, a jump the chief of the city’s police’s Transit Bureau suggested was a consequence of more women telling authorities about incidents, The New York Times reported. Reports of sex crimes — which include incidences of forcible touching and public lewdness — climbed to 738 in 2015 from 620 in 2014, the paper reported. The Transit Bureau’s Chief Joseph Fox expects the number of reports will keep rising as the police continue to talk about the problem. “Many men don’t know this issue exists; far too many women do,” Fox told The Times. “It’s a crime that goes largely unreported.” If subway cars are getting more crowded, giving opportunistic perverts additional cover, cellphone cameras and social media present victims with the means to combat tormentors and police the means to identify and catch them, The Times reported. Police last year started training more female officers to work the subway’s sex-crime beat as a way to get more victims to report the crimes.

POLICE ARREST SERIAL ROBBER A 45-year-old man suspected of following several city women into their apartments and robbing them is in custody, DNAinfo reported. Dwayne Hill, 45, is suspected of having robbed ﬁve women, three of them on the Upper East Side, the news site said. He was charged with three counts of robbery and three of burglary. Police said Hill had followed ﬁve women, showed

Photo: Francisco Anzola

a gun or pretended to have one, and robbed them, DNAinfo said. The documented incidents date from Jan. 14, when he robbed an East Village woman of $150, DNAinfo quoted police as saying. A week later, he robbed a woman of $20 at the back of the Gristedes on Lexington Avenue and 89th Street. The next day, he robbed a woman of $60 in an East 92nd Street elevator. And on Feb. 16, Hill allegedly robbed a 71-year-old woman of $280 in her building’s stairwell at Second Avenue and 76th Street, the news site, quoting police sources, said. None of the victims was hurt during the incidents. Hill was picked out of a police lineup by two of the victims, DNAinfo reported.

DOG STABBED TO DEATH IN INFIDELITY ROW A man stabbed his boyfriend’s Chihuahua to death in a park after suspecting the boyfriend of inﬁdelity, the New York Post reported. Jose Rodriguez, 39, was arrested shortly after the Saturday morning incident and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal mischief and weapons possession, the paper said. The boyfriend was in Texas visiting family. Rodriguez, though, suspected his boyfriend was going to visit another man. He took the dog outside and stabbed the Chihuahua twice with a kitchen knife near a park near East 78th Street and FDR Drive. Witnesses called 911 and officers arrested Rodridguez. The dog’s owner had left the dog, Buddy, with Rodriguez, his boyfriend of 13 years to attend his grandmother’s funeral in Texas. Police contacted him shortly after the incident, the Post reported.

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FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG

MAN ARRESTED IN SPATE OF ROBBERIES New York City police say a 21-yearold man has been arrested in connection with a series of robberies, including one in which a man was stabbed. The New York Police Department says Rondell Smith was arrested on robbery, weapons possession and

other charges. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment. Police say Smith was arrested after robbing a man on a train platform in Manhattan Friday morning. They say he is also accused of stabbing a 33-year-old after taking the man’s tablet and headphones on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Police allege Smith also menaced a man with a gun, stole money from a 13-year-old boy after threatening him with a knife and said he’d shoot a man who wouldn’t give him money.

DUANE GREED An employee of the Duane Reade on Broadway near 88th Street is suspected of having printed money orders valued at $37,388. Police said

Jason Kuffer, via Flickr

Gloria Allen, 34, printed the Western Union money orders between Sept. 15 and Feb. 2. Allen was arrested Feb. 12 on grand larceny charges.

Reported crimes from the 19th Precinct for Feb. 8 to Feb. 14 Week to Date

WATCH OUT! A construction worker apparently helped himself to an apartment dweller’s jewelry. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 11, numerous construction workers were in and out of the apartment of a 69-year-old man living at 27 West 86th Street. After the workers left the premises, the man said an expensive watch was missing which he had last seen the day before. The stolen watch was a Girard-Perregaux men’s gold watch valued at $20,000.

A three-wheel scooter was taken from in front of 265 Riverside Drive on Feb. 13 after its owner, visiting from Houston, had parked it there while visiting family. About four hours after leaving it, he realized that he had forgotten to lock up his ride and went outside to check on it but his scooter had indeed scooted. Police searched the area but could not locate the missing three-wheeler. The looted scooter, an Amigo Shabbat, is valued at $6,000.

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Year to Date

2016 2015

% Change

2016

2015

% Change

Murder

n/a

-100.0

Rape

n/a

-100.0

Robbery

-50.0

33.3

Felony Assault

80.0

33.3

Burglary

150.0

94.4

Grand Larceny

20.0

149

151

-1.3

Grand Larceny Auto

n/a

-25.0

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No Crime Watch column would be complete without an ID theft story. A 65-year-old woman living at 215 West 90th St. found that between Jan. 2 and Jan. 13, an unknown perpetrator had been charging purchases to her credit card to the tune of $5,000. The woman told police that she was in possession of the card during the entire period.

O.M.G. Shopping for groceries proved staggeringly expensive for one Upper

West Side resident recently. At 11:15 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7, a 27-year-old woman was riding the northbound 1 train carrying her groceries when she laid her bag down on the ﬂoor. As she was walking at the southwest corner of Broadway and West 103rd Street 15 minutes after getting off the train, she realized that her bag was gone. The items stolen included a MacBook Air laptop, a pair of Beats by Dre headphones, an antique jade pearl gold estate bracelet, a monogrammed makeup bag, an O.M.G. olive green nylon bag, a ﬂight voucher, and an American Express gift card presenting a total value of $3,410.

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FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

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Useful Contacts POLICE NYPD 19th Precinct

153 E. 67th St.

212-452-0600

159 E. 85th St.

311

FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16

157 E. 67th St.

311

FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43

1836 Third Ave.

311

FDNY Engine 44

221 E. 75th St.

311

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Daniel Garodnick

211 E. 43rd St. #1205

212-818-0580

Councilmember Ben Kallos

244 E. 93rd St.

212-860-1950

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano

1916 Park Ave. #202

212-828-5829

State Senator Liz Krueger

1850 Second Ave.

212-490-9535

Assembly Member Dan Quart

360 E. 57th St.

212-605-0937

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

1365 First Ave.

212-288-4607

COMMUNITY BOARD 8

505 Park Ave. #620

212-758-4340

LIBRARIES Yorkville

222 E. 79th St.

212-744-5824

96th Street

112 E. 96th St.

212-289-0908

67th Street

328 E. 67th St.

212-734-1717

Webster Library

1465 York Ave.

212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St.

212-434-2000

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell

525 E. 68th St.

212-746-5454

Mount Sinai

E. 99th St. & Madison Ave.

212-241-6500

NYU Langone

550 First Ave.

212-263-7300

CON EDISON

4 Irving Place

212-460-4600

POST OFFICES US Post Office

1283 First Ave.

212-517-8361

US Post Office

1617 Third Ave.

212-369-2747

Soﬁa Russo, at microphone, at a press conference after the death of her daughter, Ariel.

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DRIVER IN DEATH OF 4-YEAROLD SENTENCED TO JAIL NEWS Case had become a pedestrian-safety rallying cry An unlicensed driver who killed a 4-year-old girl while he was ﬂeeing from police apologized to her family in court and was sentenced to up to nine years in prison. “I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused,” Franklin Reyes Jr. said in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. The girl’s mother moments earlier had ripped into him for showing no remorse, according

to the Daily News. Reyes, who was 17 at the time of the crash, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges in the June 2013 death of Ariel Russo. Reyes was driving his parents’ SUV without a license and ﬂed from officers who were trying to stop him from driving erratically. He jumped a curb and slammed into a restaurant on the ground floor of an apartment building, pinning Ariel and her grandmother Katie Gutierrez. The girl’s mother, Soﬁa Russo, told Reyes: “Ariel died a violent

death because of your reckless behavior, and you have not apologized. You have shown no remorse.” The judge said in January 2015 that Reyes could not be treated as a youthful offender because he had been arrested twice since the fatal crash. While Reyes was out on bail, he was stopped by police for driving without a license. Authorities said he stepped on the gas, dragging an officer 100 feet. In August 2014, while in custody, Reyes complained about chest pains and escaped from a hospital, authorities

said. The city, citing Ariel’s death, enacted a law requiring the ﬁre department to calculate emergency response times from the moment a 911 call is made, not when a 911 operator transfers the call to a dispatcher. The city’s investigative arm said human error caused a 4-minute lag in processing calls to rush an ambulance to the scene. However, the response time was still deemed faster than average. Ariel was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a hospital.

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

East side business owners looking over the sketches that appeared in the newspaper last year. Photos by George Cade

Owners of a number of the honored businesses.

45 YEARS AND COUNTING EVENT HONORS OUR TOWN, EAST SIDE BUSINESSES Upper East Siders turned out for a joint celebration last week -- honoring long-standing East Side businesses and celebrating Our Town’s 45th anniversary. Councilmember Ben Kallos

read a city proclamation saluting Our Town and the businesses being honored. For most of 2015, the newspaper proﬁled businesses that have been open at least as long as the newspaper.

From left, Our Town Editor in Chief Kyle Pope, Straus News President Jeanne Straus, and Councilmember Ben Kallos, with a proclamation honoring the newspaper and the businesses being celebrated

Those businesses were applauded at the Mt. Sinai event, and each of them received a copy of the illustration by John S. Winkleman that accompanied their proﬁles in the paper.

In addition to Kallos, honorees were also toasted by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and state Sen. Liz Krueger.

The owner of Little Wolf Cabinets, which was among the companies honored in the neighborhood.

Illustrator John S. Winkleman signing copies of his drawings.

From left, Straus News President Jeanne Straus, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Sen. Liz Krueger

HOMELESSNESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 up and have important conversations and put initiatives into place to help the issueâ&#x20AC;?, said Kallos. Kallos said that last year when the number of the homeless was increasing and it appeared to be a crisis, he contacted Garodnick and together they contacted several other organizations, so that they could pull resources together and make a change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;New York City is currently experiencing an unprecedented homelessness crisis. As the challenges have continued to grow, we took steps to leverage every resource at our disposal to address this situation. The Upper East Side has a long history of organizing to help those in need, and we are now going even further, by better connecting our Community Based Organizations with government agencies with the broader community. We hope that this partnership will become a model for other parts of the City,â&#x20AC;? said Garodnick.

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com Some other organizations in partnership with ETHOS includes, the Department of Homeless Services, Human Resources Administration, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, Church of the Epiphany, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, St. Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Church, Zarua, Temple Emanu-El, and others. Many of these organizations seem to be optimistic about the work that they are doing in partnership with ETHOS. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope to pull resources together, think collaboratively and work on changing the general images of the homeless and homeless services. We have to bridge the gap between the homeless, homeless providers, and community membersâ&#x20AC;?, said Eve Mersfelder, external affairs and administration manager of Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Their programs include the shelter at Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mental Health Shelter at the Park Avenue Armory, Casa Mutua, and the East Side Homeless Network. The National Coalition for

Shelter will provide professional training and guidance for churches and other organizations on working with the homeless and the mentally disabled. Various churches are working to help provide a home cooked meal to the homeless. Every Wednesday night, the Church of Epiphany on York Avenue provides dinner for the homeless with a total of 110 to 120 in attendance per week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope that this group works to collectively reach out to the neighborhood around us. We have signs outside asking for volunteers to help and we get a lot of volunteers who are not members of our church, but just wanted to be of some helpâ&#x20AC;?, said Rector Jennifer Reddall of the Church of Epiphany. Reddall was excited about the training that NCS would provide for her church and the volunteers on working with the homeless. The hope is that ETHOS will be a model for other communities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope to continue this program as long as it remains usefulâ&#x20AC;?, said Kallos.

Photo: Franck Vervial, via ďŹ&#x201A;ickr

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FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

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Neighborhood Scrapbook

Sports

EAST SIDE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

AGUA AT METRO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics (AGUA) competed at the Senior Metropolitan Championships over the weekend at the Nassau County Aquatic Center. The team turned heads all weekend long with many swimmers achieving new National-qualifying times. The highlight of the meet came on Friday when 13-year-old Isabel Gormley qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 IM with a time of 4:53.78. She is one of only five 13-year-olds to qualify for trials.

BARRY LIEBMAN, The New York Public Library is seeking volunteer interviewers for Upper East Side Story: An Oral History Project. The initiative taking place at the 67th Street library, at 328 E. 67th St., aims to document, preserve, and celebrate the rich history of the Upper East Side’s unique neighborhood by collecting the stories of people who have experienced it ﬁrsthand. An orientation session for interviewers will be held Saturday, February 27, from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. To sign up for one of the trainings, please contact Alexandra Kelly at alexandrakelly@nypl.org or 212-621-0552. To view similar projects, please go to oralhistory.nypl.org

Share your news and what’s going on in your life. Go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

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Met Council is accepting applications for the waiting list of affordable housing rental apartments in our building located at 334 East 92nd Street, NY.

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Monthly rent includes heat, hot water and gas for cooking. Seniors will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria to qualify. Income guidelines are subject to change. One application per household.

Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/ housing or requested by mail from Met Council: East 77th Street Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271

Applications may be downloaded from: www.metcouncil.org/ housing or requested by mail from Met Council: East 92nd Street Residence 120 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10271

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

Op-Ed

Voices THE MYSTERY OF THE FISH MAN EAST SIDE ENCOUNTERS BY ARLENE KAYATT

THE KISMET OF AN AFTERNOON MOVIE BY MELITTA ANDERMAN

Do you remember the golden oldie movie “Kismet”? A sumptuous color ﬁlm with handsome swaggering Howard Keel and petite beautiful Ann Blyth and their glorious voices? Costumes to die for, painted background scenery with breathtaking dimensions, Baghdad in all its Hollywood infused glory. I’m at MOMA for an afternoon matinee showing of “Kismet.” The audience consists of retired middle aged people, since a younger crowd is working or in school. They are what I call the regulars as I’ve been there for other showings and I recognize them. Most of them read or do crossword puzzles waiting for showtime. When the screen lights up and it gets dark they seem to come alive. They laugh at anything and everything. What’s wrong with me? The jokes are very silly and not worth the hearty roar of a laugh from the barrelchested man in front of me. He and his companion are totally immersed in the

dialogue of the poet (Howard Keel), the villain and his cheating wife (Dolores Gray), who wears tights I would love to own. Oh, and there is the new young ruler, a pathetic looking Vic Damone who wears a schmatte head turban which adds nothing to his slight stature. I might add that this crowd is very insular. They look at you in a nasty glare if you dare to enter their row and want to sit down where they have put their coats and/or other stuff. And there is the little stooped vagrant type man with his plastic bag and accompanying odors. Great! He passed my row. and found himself a seat next to an unsuspecting person who will soon be sniffing to find the origin of the smell. And so the film comes to its end, the lovers reunited, the bad guys killed off and peace comes to Baghdad. Reality returns as the lights come on and the crowd disperses . Was “Kismet” enough to to sustain their lonely lives until the next showing of another fairy tale world?

EDITOR’S NOTE In a story published Feb. 11, “Sex-Selective Abortion in New York,” a passage referencing the manager of community and outreach at New York Asian Women’s Center indicates that the center has on numerous occasions been contacted by women who have been pressured to have sex-selective abortions. Following publication, representatives at the center, which helps women and their children in otherwise abusive situations, said that they can only recall being contacted by one woman who had been forced into a sexselective abortion, and that abortion is not among the center’s primary policy issues.

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

Bus bust: Young man panhandling on Lex/5253 on a balmy January day. His cardboard sign appealed for “$44 more” so he could take a bus to Memphis to visit his sick mom. A man walking by stopped, read the sign as the young man seated on the sidewalk was nodding out. The passerby had some questions for the man with the sign: “Is it round trip you need? How much is the whole ticket? Did you pay anything?” Squirming, the seated man asked, “Hey, you giving me some money, or what?” The man standing replied, “Just a minute, buddy, if you didn’t order the ticket, maybe you can get it cheaper on Velocity or gotobus.com. They’ve got good prices.” Live and learn. Google bungle: Everybody hates phone solicitations. Our only edge in avoiding them, besides not answering, is Caller ID. Not to be avoided, however, some Google solicitors have been using faux caller ID’s. Bad enough that they do that, but to use a phone with a Caller ID with the name of a hospital. That’s a bad, bad thing to do ... and does any solicitor really think that, when someone picks up a call with a hospital ID and find out

it’s a Google solicitor,they are going to do anything but cut them off? I don’t know the pay arrangements Google has with its solicitors - maybe just getting someone to pick up gets you a reward - but they should come up with a better training model. Become your dream: You’ve probably seen it and maybe wondered what it was all about. Discarded mattresses, bed frames, file cabinets, tables inscribed with the words “Become Your Dream” and a fish jumping out of water painted on it. Although I’ve never seen it myself, the furnishings and decoration have appeared on the Upper East Side over several years. Back in 2010, a young man who lived in Murray Hill blogged about it and explained how it inspired him when he first saw it on a discarded mattress and then years later when he saw it again on an old Ikea dresser. The second sighting, he blogged, had the name of the artist written next to the words and the fish: DeLaVega, as in James DeLaVega. The famous artist had been spreading his words and fish out of tank painting throughout the city for many years. On East 95th/1st and 2nd he painted a mural. It was there, as the man on the blog noted, in 2010. Don’t know if it’s still there. According to the 2010 blog, DeLaVega isn’t respon-

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com Account Executive Editor In Chief, Kyle Pope editor.ot@strausnews.com Fred Almonte Director of Partnership Development Deputy Editor, Richard Khavkine Barry Lewis editor.dt@strausnews.com

sible for every “Become Your Dream” and fish drawing, but others, inspired by his words, want to spread the message and continue on. Petco, please: I’m a big fan of Petco, particularly when there’s a 55-centa can sale if you buy 20 cans of Fancy Feast. Despite advice from friends to the contrary, my vet says Fancy Feast Classic is the can of choice for my Betty and Gracie, both 14, to supplement their medicinal food along with some chicken. Betty’s a diabetic. Gracie’s got renal problems. Molly, the 4-year old, is not on meds so she gets her Fancy Feast with fresh chicken. As a pet owner and human being, I’m a big fan of helping homeless animals through charitable contributions and giving to individuals who feed, foster and otherwise care for homeless and feral animals. So I’m never happy when I go to pay at Petco’s cashier and before my credit card will be approved, I’m asked on the screen, “Do you want to help a homeless pet?” Options, yes or no. Of course I want to help a homeless pet, but I don’t want Petco to do it for me. And I don’t like clicking “no” I don’t want to help a homeless pet. Can you say it nicer, Petco? Or maybe say you’ll match all contributions? Or post a sign saying how you’ll help me help a homeless pet? All good. Just keep me in the

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

loop and don’t make me say I don’t want to help a homeless pet, okay? Not fit to be a Burger King: 11:30 PM on a rainy Saturday night. Laden with bags from Fairway next door, a man enters Burger King on East 86th. About 10 customers at eight different tables eating. Man entering calls across to the staffer at the register (who was the supervisor) to ﬁnd out how late they were open. Supervisor says “One.” Man confirms by repeating, “One.” Supervisor nods yes and holds up a ﬁnger indicating one. Man orders two burgers, fries, pie, cold drink, hot drink, and sits down with a book. Fifteen minutes later, supervisor announces that they are closing in 15 minutes. Just having finished removing food from bag and starting to eat, the man asked the supervisor why were they closing at 12 when he was told closing was at one. The supervisor waved his hand and ignored the question. As the man angrily discarded the rest of his meal and walked to the door, a staffer came to unlock the door so he could leave. The man said he didn’t understand why he would have been told that closing was at one. “Oh, he probably doesn’t know that the time was changed from one to 12 midnight,” she replied. Maybe Bu rger K ing should get rid of their late night supervisor who doesn’t know what time the place closes. And makes no accommodation for food that had to be tossed because he doesn’t know what’s happening and then is dismissive of a customer. In fast food lingo, there’s no value added to treating customers badly.

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

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Primary and Multispecialty Care on the Upper East Side

A BIRTHDAY WORTH CELEBRATING MY STORY BY BETTE DEWING

Now hear this: The older you are the more your birthdays deserve remembering - not a popular notion when it comes to people, but it’s a revolution this columnist still struggles to obtain. But most will agree the older a community newspaper, the more its birthdays deserve celebration and to recall the many ways and many individuals who made life better – its safety and quality. Of course, I speak of Our Town’s 45th birthday, and how last week’s anniversary issue needs future issues with more about those ways, people and places which need remembering for current and future nowadays’ well-being. Safety from violent crime was a top priority of founding publisher, Ed Kayatt. He called for more police power and strict enforcement long before the dailies took note. And the pols mostly listened. Our Town friend and contributor, Msgr. Harry Byrne, always believed strongly in the “Thou shalt Not Kill or Steal” commandments and his related “First Civil Liberty” essay was aired in The Paper of Record. Byrne was also a key member of the multi-faith council and involved in saving and providing affordable housing. His homilies which related scripture to everyday life regularly appeared in Our Town. They need re-reading along with the First Civil Liberty op ed.

Our Town also helped assemble and distribute crime-prevention material like Robert Nicholas’s Safe Neighborhood free monthly - and so much more in those high crime times, many now do not remember. There were even more of what I call “crimes of traffic,” which I’ve forever adamantly eschewed, above all, the most deadly motorists’ “failure to yield” kind. But there’s also bicyclists’ flagrant disregard for the laws of the road, which Police Commissioner Ben Ward once said “are scaring the public to death.” And former council member and Parks commissioner, Henry Stern, agreed how “Bikes scare you more than a car, because they are silent. swift and come at you from any direction.” Kamikaze walkers also have to go. But so very thankfully, this paper under editor Kyle Pope has made the ﬁght against motor vehicle crime especially a real and ongoing crusade. Saving small businesses is also a major and continuing concern of this editor. Ah, ongoing and major coverage is needed to stop robbing New Yorkers, and often the elder ones, of neighborhood places which meet their everyday needs. That includes emotional ones - affordable places to eat, but not be alone. The staff knows you by name. Recently, East End Gristedes cashier, Dajeeka, dashed out to help an elder customer she saw trying to cross a suddenly icy avenue. Comanagers Ellen and Joe share this concern. So is the staff of

the gracious East End Kitchen restaurant located in the now unfortunately sold six-story 1906 rental apartment building also housing Gristedes. Ah, just so many reasons to save these places that make for a caring, safe and neighborly community. This paper has always been in the vanguard of this mighty endeavor and especially now – especially now. It’s also been in the vanguard of saving endangered faith groups which also meet nonreligious community needs with meeting places for 12 Step and other helpful activities. My apologies for giving the wrong address for the Our Lady of Peace Church whose members hold 6 pm daily reveries outside to pray the Vatican will reopen this not only landmarked but self-supporting century-old beautiful church. The location is 239-241 East 62nd Street, between Second and Third Avenues. And these reveries need media coverage! Infinitely more needs to be remembered for nowadays health about those ways and people who contributed so much to the paper, which, editor permit, will continue at least for one more column. And maybe some of those relevant recollections will also appear in the columns of former Our Town editors, Arlene Kayatt and Bill Gunlocke. The good newspapers do desperately nee to get out there. And here’s hearing from you, dear readers. Somehow everyone should have email access. dewingbetter@aol.com

Exceptional and comprehensive care for all your medical needs, in your neighborhood: 234 East 85th Street Services and Specialties X

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234 East 85th Street New York, NY 10028 www.mountsinai.org/east85

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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

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

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

Thu 25 Sat 27 Sun 28 SONIDOS DE CUBA Cervantes Institute, 211 East 49th St. 7 p.m. $20 in advance; members, free. Artistic director and bass virtuoso Carlos del Pino is joined by Tomas Estrada (percussion and voice), Ben Winkelman (piano), and Orlando Sanchez Soto (sax) in jazz tribute to Cuban composer. 212-308-1214 or www. cult1ny@cervantes.org

THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR 96th Street Library. 112 East 96th St. 2 p.m. Free. Billy Wilder’s 1942 feature, starring Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland and Rita Johnson. 212-289-0908

THE UPPER EAST SIDE STORY: ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWER ORIENTATION ► 67th Street Library, 328 East 67th St. 3-5 p.m. Volunteer interviewers are needed to help with an oral history project aims to document, preserve, and celebrate the rich history of the Upper East Side’s unique neighborhood by collecting the stories of people who have experienced it ﬁrsthand. For more information, email alexandrakelly@nypl.org or call 212-621-0552.

UNORTHODOX: ON MUSEUMS Jewish museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., at 92nd Street, Scheuer Auditorium 2–6:30 p.m. $12, general; $8, students, seniors and members. International and local curators, including contributors to the exhibition catalogue, discuss the unconventional and nonconformist approaches to programming at their various institutions in a half-day symposium. 212-423-3200. thejewishmuseum.org/ calendar/events/2016/02/28/

Fri 26 “TANGOS AND RAGS IN THE SALON” ►

We invite the community to join us for

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH Come and Sample Healthy Treats Each week we will cover a different topic and provide prizes and healthy food samples to participants.

Wednesdays March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 12 noon – 2 pm

Location Main Lobby, Gracie Square Hospital 420 East 76th Street between First and York Avenues

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, gallery 746 6-6:45, free with museum admission As part of the series “Schastey’s Steinway: Music of the Gilded Age,” Joshua Rifkin, who revived the ragtime genre in the 1970s, plays the piano. 212-535-7710

A CONVERSATION WITH SILVIA GRUNER AND MARÍA MINERA Americas Society, 680 Park Ave. 6:30 p.m. $10; Free for Americas Society members and Hunter College students. The artist and critic talk faceto-face about Gruner’s exhibition “Hemispheres: A Labyrinth Sketchbook.” www.as-coa.org/events/ conversation-artist-silvia-grunerand-art-critic-mar%C3%ADaminera

BLACK HISTORY MONTH FAMILY DAY

unorthodox-onmuseums-022816

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. 1-5 p.m. Free with museum admission a full afternoon of happenings, including a Panel discussion, performances and Storytelling For more information and to register, go to www.mcny.org/ event/black-history-monthfamily-day

ROMANCE TOUR Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 421 East 61st St. Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Adults, $8; seniors and students, $7; children under 12, members, free. Celebrate the spirit of Valentine’s Day with a special tour focusing on men and

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

www.ďŹ af.org/events/ winter2016/2016-03-01-csdaft.shtml

DISTINGUISHED WRITERS SERIES: TERRANCE HAYES

Going to the Airport?

1-212-666-6666

Hunter College, 695 Park Ave. 7 p.m. Free, but reservations are required at spevents@hunter. cuny.edu or 212-772-4007. Hayes, a poet, Macarthur â&#x20AC;&#x153;geniusâ&#x20AC;? fellow and winner of the 2010 National Book Award, reads. 212-772-4007. www.hunter. cuny.edu/calendar/

Wed 2

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STREET ART STORIES:

womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationships and courtship in the 1800s. Included with admission but reservations required. 212-838-6878. www.mvhm. org/calendar/

Mon 29 â&#x20AC;&#x153;INSOMNIAâ&#x20AC;?

Madison Ave., at 93rd Street 6 p.m. Peackock reads from her latest, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alphabetique: 26 Characteristic Fictions.â&#x20AC;? 212-831-3554. cornerbookstorenyc.com/ events/

Tue 1

Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave., DAFT PUNK CafĂŠ Fledermaus UNCHAINED â&#x2013;ź 4 p.m. Free Erik SkjoldbjĂŚrgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1997 thriller. French Institute, Florence www.neuegalerie.org/ Gould Hall, 55 East 59th St. calendar-items 4 & 7:30 p.m. Free, RSvp at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ RDaftPunk MOLLY PEACOCK Q&A with HervĂŠ MartinREADS Delpierre and DJ Superpoze following the 7:30 screening Corner Bookstore, 1313

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth AVe. Steven Harrington and Jaime Rojo, the founders of BrooklynStreetArt.com; DAZE, a graffiti and street artist; and Swoon have a conversation. about 6:30 p.m. Free for museum members; $16, general public; $12, for students/seniors. More information/Register at www.mcny.org/event/street-artstories

OUTREACH PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND SPEECH REHABILITATION, PLLC OUTREACH is a new rehabilitation clinic in your area that focuses on physical therapy, hand therapy along with speech and swallowing difficulties (speech and language pathology). Please call for more information about our services and how we can be of assistance.

KILL YOUR TV READING GROUP Logos Bookstore, 1575 York Ave. 7 p.m The group will discuss â&#x20AC;&#x153;The City Of Falling Angelsâ&#x20AC;? by John Berendt. 212-517-7292. www. logosbookstorenyc.com/ Calendar.html

1110 2nd Avenue( between 58th and 59th street: Northeast corner on 58th) 1IPOF t FNBJM info@outreach-rehab.com website: www.outreach-rehab.com IN OUR HANDS RESCUE, K9 KASTLE, LINDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAT ASSISTANCE MUDDY PAWS RESCUE & NORTH SHORE ANIMAL LEAGUE AM

Adopt A Pet 75 9th Ave. (btwn W. 15th & W. 16th St.) 9 9

860 Broadway @ E. 17th St. 9 9

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Home ome of the Mut M Mutt utt tt-itt i-gree gre reeÂŽ animalleague.org rg 9 516.883.7575 25 Davis Av Ave enue 9 Port rt Wa Washingto on, NY

Photos By Ellen Dunn

159 Columbus Ave. @ W. 67th St. & W. 68th St. 9

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Temple of Dendur, detail. Photo: Adel Gorgy

SEEING THE PAST IN A NEW LIGHT The Temple of Dendur Comes Alive in Color BY MARY GREGORY

An image of the Priestess Tagerem from the Dynasty of Ptolemy (300–250 B.C.) resides within the temple. Photo: Adel Gorgy

How do you enliven something people have been looking at for 2,000 years? The Metropolitan Museum of Art decided to shine a new light on the Temple of Dendur. Egyptologists at the Met put their knowledge of artistic styles and techniques together with the digital wizardry of the museum’s MediaLab and are illuminating the ancient structure with bright, lively colors. The results can be seen Friday and Saturday evenings through March 19. Though we’ve come to know them in their monochromatic gravitas, a great many sculptures in antiquity, like those on the temple, were originally painted with ruby red lips, thick locks of dark hair, and whatever was the todie-for color of current fashion. The practice was meant to make the works more lifelike, more recognizable and relatable. There’s probably no painting that could make falcon-headed Horus seem human, but he’s certainly never looked better. An interesting thing happened after a few minutes of looking at the tinted image. It was impossible to resist painting the rest with my mind’s eye. Instantly, memories of necklaces

embedded with carnelian, lapis and turquoise set the palette for my imagination, and the whole structure came alive in a way I’d never anticipated. I couldn’t help but see Aten’s sun disk on a lintel atop a doorway as deep red and its spreading wings in shades of green. In its day, this little temple from a dusty outpost south of Aswan would have put Times Square on a Saturday night to shame. Stepping inside the temple brought an altogether different experience and realization. A stunning fragment of a ﬁgure poised on a pedestal and lit as though magically, reminded me that, though this is among the great works of art in the world, it was also a place of worship. Even the fact that a small group crowded in with us felt right, as when a quieting and a sense of wonder washes over a community joined in worship to address higher powers. Together we stood in silence, considering a presence we could not hope to understand, but couldn’t resist gazing upon. Sometimes, things we’ve seen countless times, we hardly look at anymore. Sometimes the most important things are the ones we take for granted. This time, the Met has given us a chance to see one of the Met’s, the city’s and the world’s masterpieces in a whole new light.

5 TOP

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

FOR THE WEEK BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO OUR ARTS EDITOR

MUSIC

WEST VILLAGE CHORALE’S WINTER CONCERT With its seasonal concert, West Village Chorale premieres “In Honor of Martin,” an original work by composer David Hurd that nods to the work of Martin Luther King Jr. by incorporating poetry and scripture. The performance also includes songs from “Les Misérables,” along with assorted freedom songs and spirituals, rounding out a program that highlights the power of individuals against oppressive forces. West Village Chorale’s Winter Concert Sunday, March 6 Judson Memorial Church

Exhibition Tour | Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, 10:30AM Metropolitan Museum | 1000 Fifth Ave. | 212-535-7710 | metmuseum.org Enter the mindset of an 18th-century portrait-painter extraordinaire, on a docent-led gallery tour of an exhibit—the ﬁrst major retrospective in ages—of the works of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. (Free with museum admission)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH, 6:30PM Open your eyes and ears to the intricacies of Noh and Kyogen, two traditional styles of Japanese theatre, at this performance-lecture; a Q&A follows the presentation. ($20) West Village ChoraleCredit: Kristen Felicetti

55 Washington Square South, at Thompson Street 6 p.m. Tickets $25 For more information, visit westvillagechorale.com or call 212-517-1776

“THE SACRIFICER”

TILT KIDS FESTIVAL

Retired Brandeis University literature professor turned composer and librettist Martin Halpern finds inspiration for many of his operas in classic literature, including “The Sacrificer.” Based on a work by Euripides, the opera finds Iphigenia, the daughter of king Agamemnon, conspiring with her brother to remove a statue of the goddess Artemis from its use in human sacrifices by a cruel ruler. Feb. 25-27 Davenport Theatre 345 W. 45th St., near Ninth Avenue 8 p.m. Tickets $22 Tickets available for purchase at the door

The ﬁrst year of this children’s arts festival from French Institute Alliance Française and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy includes ﬁve premieres, as well as programming for young foodies and intellectuals. Events take place at venues throughout the city during this month-long festival, including Paris-based group Cie 14:20’s circus and magic themed show “Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle.” March 4-April 3 Assorted venues, including FIAF’s Florence Gould Hall 55 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison Avenues Assorted dates and times Tickets sold for individual performances For more information, visit tiltkidsfestival.org

The ongoing Musicals in Mufti series from York Theatre Company delves into musical revues from the 1970s in the 21st year of the series of stripped down musical productions. Micki Grant’s “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” starts Feb. 27, fusing various genres of music including gospel, soul and rock. The ﬁrst Broadway show directed by an African-American woman, Grant was also the ﬁrst woman to earn a Grammy for best score when she was awarded the prize for the production. “Starting Here, Starting Now,” about the travails of relationships, follows in March. Feb. 27-March 20 York Theatre Company 619 Lexington Ave., entrance on 54th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, at St. Peter’s Church Assorted show times Tickets $45 each, or $65 for both shows To purchase, visit yorktheatre.org or call 212935-5820

NEW YORK CITY

Asia Society and Museum | 725 Park Ave. | 212-288-6400 | asiasociety.org

KIDS

MUSICALS IN MUFTI SERIES

thoughtgallery.org

Theater Japan/Noh and Kyogen

OPERA

THEATER

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

DANCE MARGARET BEALS’ “FILMS AND STORIES” Dancer, choreographer and improviser Margaret Beals discusses the works seen in her dance ﬁlms, including pieces from “Bottom Line Live!” which she performed at nightclub the Bottom Line in 1979, and “Four Dance Solos: Tulips,” in which Beals interpreted poetry by Sylvia Plath. March 6-28 Cloud House Studio 104 W. 17th St., near Sixth Avenue Assorted show times Suggested donation $20 For reservations, call 917-710-0050 To be included in the Top 5 go to ourtownny.com and click on submit a press release or announcement.

Just Announced: Ray Kurzweil with Neil deGrasse Tyson on Invention and Immortality

MONDAY, MARCH 7TH, 7:30PM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Futurist Ray Kurzweil and Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson come together to talk tech, brain science, and what’s next in the ﬁelds of A.I., life extension and immortality. ($36)

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

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS

Vinus And Marc

1825 2Nd Ave

Grade Pending (32) 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. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

La Isla Restaurant

1883 Third Avenue

The Kiosk

7680 East 116 Street

Restaurant San Cristobal

339 East 108 Street

Superior Cafe

1490 Madison Ave

Neapolitan Express

232 E 111Th St

Not Yet Graded (25) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked ﬁsh and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.

FEB 16 - 19, 2016 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. Tanoshi Bento

1372 York Ave

Grade Pending (26) Food Protection Certiﬁcate not held by supervisor of food operations. 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.

Paola’s

1295 Madison Avenue A

Shoga-Sushi & Oyster Bar

1698 2 Avenue

Via Quadronno

1228 Madison Ave

Falafel Off The Corner

1764 1St Ave

King Dragon 88

1548 Madison Ave

Enthaice

1598 3 Avenue

Grade Pending (29) Food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.

Thai Wok

1406 Madison Ave

Not Yet Graded (31) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed. Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.

Double Dragon 88

2037 1St Ave

Not Yet Graded (28) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Evidence of rats or live rats 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.

Chickpea, Red Mango

1413 Madison Avenue A

Little Caesars

1936 3 Avenue

Alice’s Tea Cup

220 East 81 Street

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.

Brasserie Magritte

1463 Third Avenue

Ottomanelli Cafe

1626 York Avenue

Pizza Beach

1426 3Rd Ave

Grade Pending (14) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Arturo’s Pizza

1610 York Ave

Grade Pending (14) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.

The York Social

1529 York Ave

Grade Pending (14) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

More neighborhood celebrations? neighborhood opinions? neighborhood ideas? neighborhood feedback? neighborhood concerns?

Email us at news@strausnews.com

Highlands Cafe Restaurant 1505 Third Avenue

Ithaka

308 East 86 Street

Yuka Restaurant

1557 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (23) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Vinnie’s Pizzaria

1603 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (5) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

THINKING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW BOX THE MANHATTAN GARDENER

Huge Selection of Bibles Fiction/Non-Fiction Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books Greeting Cards .VTJD t (JGUT Original Art Events and More! Hours: M-F 10am-9pm 4BU BN QN t 4VO QN QN

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BY MIA KRAVITZ

For many New Yorkers, window boxes are pretty much the extent of our gardening space. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to say these arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a challenge: watering chores and picking the right plants are even more critical if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve only got a few square feet for ďŹ&#x201A;owers. To grow to the max, go for the biggest container that ďŹ ts your space. A box planter twelve inches deep can hold a rosebush; eight inches deep will support a trio of longblooming perennials, flowers that come back year after year. Deeper boxes wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dry out as fast, and you owe it to yourself to visit the second ďŹ&#x201A;oor of The Plant Shed (208 West 96th Street, west of Broadway) for its wonderland of sizes, styles and materials for planter boxes, window boxes, and urns for the front stoop. Another option: Go hightech. Self-watering containers from Gardeners Supply (www. gardeners.com) allow me to leave town for a week without worrying my window box will wilt. These boxes have a water reservoir and come in different styles of lightweight plastic. (I admit I did a faux mossy ďŹ nish on mine). This online supplier also sells lightweight watering hoses that curl up into nothing but stretch that ďŹ fty feet from your kitchen sink to your window plantings. For a sunny, south- or eastfacing window, dwarf rosebushes will give you blooms all summer long. Varieties worth looking for: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Happy Chappyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (single pink ďŹ&#x201A;owers) â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Popcornâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (ivory flowers with gold centers) and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sweet Chariotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (fully double, near-purple flowers). Home Depot (90 Third Avenue at 59th Street) carries the dwarf everblooming â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oso Easyâ&#x20AC;?(R) rose series; the newest this year is the apricot-pink â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mango Salsaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I also like the look of evergreens in window boxes. You get height, you get structure,

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A clever window treatment on West 83rd Street plops pots of seasonal color (fall chrysanthemums) into a more permanent anchoring of ivy and other vines. Photo by Mia Kravitz and a certain sense of dignity, and you can ďŹ ll in around them with seasonal annuals such as marigolds, petunias, sweet-potato vine, chrysanthemums in fall and ornamental cabbages in winter. For some ideas, just visit New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flower District (West 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues), where potted evergreens line the sidewalks every Saturday morning at this time of year. My own window boxes face north, so for years Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve relied on sturdy shade perennials for ďŹ&#x201A;owers and foliage. Bleeding heart, coral bells, and hosta are all getting upgrades this year, with brand-new varieties worth mentioning to you. Coral bells -- also known as Heuchera -- are evergreen, but new varieties have leaf colors from apricot to near-black. My â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Palace Purpleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is easy to ďŹ nd in local nurseries and so strong a plant it will survive even if not watered for a week. A new one I like is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Midas Touch,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; with warm golden leaves that will add some lightness to my shady planting. Old fashioned bleeding heart, with green leaves and pink flowers, has survived nine summer droughts and icy winters in my flower box. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;White Goldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offers stunning lime green leaves and white flowers. For a more tropical palette, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gold Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is easier to find, and offers the same

chartreuse foliage -- but with hot pink ďŹ&#x201A;owers. Bleeding heart foliage dies down in summer, leaving a space for summer annuals. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll usually plop down a pot or two of impatiens until the hosta leafs out fully. Hosta come in all sizes and shades of green, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth it to hunt for the smaller ones, like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aureo-marginataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which behaves in containers. This year, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got my eye on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hadspen Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which is a very blue-green and promises purple ďŹ&#x201A;owers in August. Most city garden centers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stock spring blooming shrubs, perennials and rosebushes until late March. Early birds head to local growers at the Union Square Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market (Broadway at 16th Street) or shop the Flower District. Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Depot stores start stocking plants in April, and we can expect the newer West Side Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (2008 Broadway at 69th Street) will do the same. Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ nd that special plant? Go online. Mail-order nurseries such as Jackson & Perkins, White Flower Farm, Wayside Gardens and Park Seed are reliable and usually offer online specials if you sign up for email alerts. Mia Kravitz is the author of The Garden Explored and has been gardening in the city since 1979.

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CUOMO ‘INSULTED’ BY PENSIONS FOR DISGRACED ELECTED OFFICIALS Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it is “insulting” that taxpayers have to pay for pensions for elected officials convicted of corruption and vowed to continue pushing for a constitutional amendment to end the practice. The comments came after the

state comptroller’s office said two former legislative leaders found guilty of corruption were getting pensions. Ex-Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ annual state pension is $95,831. Ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is getting $79,222. “I believe 100 percent we should

In Brief DAMNING REPORT ON HOMELESS SHELTER Auditors have reported finding unchecked squalor including rodents, vermin, mold and fire hazards in New York homeless shelters, faulting inadequate state oversight. The comptroller’s office said its auditors visited 20 certified and 19 uncertified shelters statewide, including 26 in New York City, giving operators less than 24 hours’ notice. “We did identify numerous issues that rendered living conditions unacceptable at most of the shelters,” they reported. They estimated New York’s homeless population at 80,000. The audit from April 2013 until last Aug. 5 said most shelters were in disrepair with filthy living conditions, some posing serious and obvious health risks. They found evidence of rodent and vermin infestations at 16 shelters, fire safety issues like expired extinguisher inspections at 15 shelters, and mold in residents’ rooms at eight shelters, as well as various worn and soiled mattresses, missing carbon monoxide detectors and holes in walls and ceilings.

ART SCAMMER EXTRADITED TO NEW YORK Spain’s National Court ruled that a businessman accused of being part of a group that commissioned and sold $33 million in high-priced fake art passed off as famed expressionist works can be extradited to the United States to face charges in New York City. The court issued the ruling for Jesus Angel Bergantinos Diaz, who is indicted in New York on federal charges of being part of the ring that created, and sold to Manhattan art galleries, fake art attributed to artists such as Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell. Also charged is his brother, Jose Bergantinos Diaz, and Pei Shen Qian, the Chinese artist who allegedly painted the works from a home studio in the New York borough of Queens. Qian collected only hundreds or thousands of dollars each for the fakes. He has ﬂed to China. His paintings were promoted as never-before-exhibited and previously unknown works of art, eventually attracting more than $80 million from unsuspecting customers. The Bergantinos Diaz brothers are accused in the indictment of taking part in the 15-year scam with New York art dealer Glaﬁra Rosales, who pleaded guilty in 2013 and said she arranged for sales proceeds to be transferred to Spanish banks.

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revoke the pension of any elected official who is found guilty of official corruption,” said Cuomo, a Democrat. “I think it is adding insult to injury that you can convict a person for violating the public trust and then the person continues to get paid by the public through a

pension.” A 2011 law allows a judge to strip the pension of elected officials found guilty of public corruption, but the law doesn’t apply to those who took office before 2011. It will require a change to the state constitution to make pension forfeiture retroactive. Last year, the Senate and Assembly passed different versions

of a pension forfeiture bill. Cuomo remains supportive of the Senatebacked plan, which didn’t get a vote in the Assembly after a state worker union objected out of concerns that it would apply to nonelected public employees. More than 30 lawmakers have left office after convictions or allegations of ethical misconduct since 2000.

GAMBLING ON A MANHATTAN CASINO NEWS Scramble is on to fill the void created by a fading Atlantic City BY WAYNE PARRY

If New Jersey follows through on its plans to allow two new casinos in the New York City suburbs, analysts and gambling industry officials agree they could be among the most successful in the country. But some also caution that the casinos, intended to recapture gamblers who have been abandoning Atlantic City for neighboring states, could face their own difficulties if -- as widely expected -- New York allows a casino in Manhattan. The New Jersey casinos in turn could wreak havoc on older casinos in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, all of which are now drawing gamblers away from New Jersey. New Jersey is moving forward with plans to ask voters in November to approve two new casinos in northern New Jersey, more than 70 miles from Atlantic City. Although locations have not been speciﬁed, the two proposals most often mentioned are at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, where the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants play, and one in Jersey City, the state’s secondlargest city, directly across the river from Manhattan. Jeff Gural, who runs the Meadowlands and is partnered with Hard Rock International Inc. on the casino proposal, said 14.6 million people live within 50 miles of his track. “I think we’d do great,” he said. “We have the best location for a casino in all of America.” The other casino proposal

The collapse of the Atlantic City gambling market has the industry eyeing Manhattan. comes from footwear magnate Paul Fireman, who has declined to discuss his $4 billion to $5 billion Jersey City proposal. Gural estimates a Meadowlands casino would take in $800 million to $900 million a year from gamblers, ranking it among the most successful in the nation. Some analysts think a Meadowlands casino could exceed $1 billion in annual revenue, at least before it has a nearby competitor in northern New Jersey. The appeal of new casinos is undeniable to New Jersey officials, who watch with dismay as Atlantic City’s casino industry crumbles, whittled away by everincreasing competition in nearby states. In 2006, when the first casino opened in Pennsylvania, Atlantic City’s casino revenue was $5.2 billion. Last year it had fallen to $2.56 billion, and four of the city’s 12 casinos shut down in 2014. Peter Trombetta, an analyst with Moody’s Investors Service, thinks the north Jersey casinos would do well -- but at someone else’s expense. In addition to harming Atlantic City, the new casinos could draw customers

away from casinos in eastern Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut. “Given where that’s located, in terms of access to a substantial population base, we think they actually could do pretty well,” said Trombetta. “Any time you cut off access to competing casinos and offer a good product, people will go there instead of where they used to go. If I were Atlantic City, if I were Connecticut, I’d be nervous. All of the surrounding markets would be affected. “But we look at gaming as a zero-sum game,” he added. “If they built that, I don’t think it would grow the market.” New Jersey Assemblyman Chris Brown, an Atlantic Cityarea Republican, makes the same point in opposing casinos elsewhere in the state. “The market is simply oversaturated,” Brown said. “All we’re doing by opening a new casino is shuffling the deck and moving people who are already gambling to a new spot.” A major wild card is the possibility of a Manhattan casino, which could be approved as soon

as December 2022, according to the New York State Gaming Commission. Allowing two years for construction, a Manhattan casino could open just as the north Jersey casinos would be hitting their stride. New York City already has one of the top-earning casinos in the nation at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, which offers only slot machines but still won $816 million from April 2014 to March 2015. “You’re going to assume the competition is going to go after your market if it’s close by,” said Moody’s analyst Keith Foley. “If New York state sees north Jersey casinos are doing very well and taking visitors from Manhattan, if they put a casino in downtown New York City, that’ll cut that traffic off coming into north Jersey.” Steve Norton, a former Atlantic City casino executive who now runs a consulting company, estimates the two north Jersey casinos would do a combined $1.5 billion annually. If Manhattan opens a casino, “they’ll lose share, but still be proﬁtable,” he said. Gural doesn’t believe New York will ever locate a casino in Manhattan and is unconcerned with the cautions voiced by Wall Street analysts. “They are the same people that said it was a great idea to build Revel,” he said, referring to Atlantic City’s $2.4 billion casino that opened in 2012 and closed in 2014. “Why would you ask them about anything? Where were they ﬁve years or even seven or eight years ago raising warning signs about Atlantic City when anyone with even half a brain could have told you what was going to happen?”

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In New York City, there’s no escaping the pressure to be taller and thinner -- not even for the skyscrapers. Changes in building technology and materials in recent years have made it possible to build slender towers that are among the tallest in the world. And some of these cloud-puncturing beanstalks are poised to transform the city’s iconic skyline. So far, the thinnest of all is the recently completed apartment tower at 432 Park Ave. The stark white pillar, just south of Central Park, is 1,396 feet tall, but each side is only about 93 feet wide. That’s higher than the Empire State Building, but only as wide as the length of a basketball court. Plans are in place for another tower just a few blocks away that could be the skinniest skyscraper in the world. The tower, at 111 W. 57th St., would be about 1,400 feet tall and under 60 feet wide. Those tiny footprints are a sharp departure from supertall skyscrapers of the past. The base of the Empire State Building, for example, occupies an entire city block. “It’s a combination of advancements that allows us to build,” said Ahmad Rahimian, USA Director of Building Structures at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, an engineering firm that’s worked on these kinds of projects. He pointed to highstrength steel and concrete, unavailable a couple of decades ago, which can support higher levels of stress; advances in computing that allows for better modeling and building simulations; and advancements in damping devices, like weights, springs and pendulums which counteract swinging. Damping systems are used in supertall buildings to help control how the structures move with the wind to make it more comfortable for the people inside. Better engineering alone isn’t

driving the race for thinner towers. In New York City, these days, there is very little land available for building. Buying up a whole block for a huge skyscraper could be prohibitively expensive. “This is pretty unique to what’s happening in New York right now,” said Antony Wood, executive director of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a group that studies and promotes tall buildings. By CTBUH’s count, there are now 101 supertall skyscrapers standing in the world, with 51 of them built just in the last ﬁve years. It counts a building as meeting the deﬁnition if it is over 300 meters tall, or around 984 feet. By 2020, another eight supertalls are slated to be completed in New York City, some office buildings and some residential. At least another 10 have been proposed, including the first one outside of Manhattan. That would be a 73-story building in downtown Brooklyn, which at its current planned height of just over 1,000 feet would dwarf every other building in the borough. Prices in these buildings are expected to be as sky-high as the views. A three-bedroom

apartment at 432 Park Ave. is currently listing for $17.75 million. A penthouse is listed for $75.5 million. Not everyone’s thrilled at the new additions to the skyline. Some say the public should have some input in how these buildings can be built, and that the city should look into whether the zoning codes that allow for them should be revised. “It’s not just one supertall,” said Gina Pollara, president of the Municipal Art Society of New York. “What does that mean to the streetscape? How much shadow will there be, how much sunlight will there be? There are the kinds of issues that aren’t being discussed.” Carl Weisbrod, chairman of the city’s planning commission, wasn’t available to discuss the supertalls. In comments to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, he acknowledged there was both pride in the skyline and fear that putting up taller buildings would impact sunlight and the possibility that some landmark skyscrapers could be overshadowed, and “it is our responsibility in government to strike the right balance.”

FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 2,2016

WEIGHING KIDS AGAINST TRUMP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 guy’s company?’” In the end, said Whiteman, she and Hauxwell were in New York on vacation, and it mattered more that they went on the carousel. “If it had been something like picking which shop or café to go in, I would’ve picked one that wasn’t Trump,” said Whiteman. Sarah Orza, who was pushing a stroller with a toddler in tow after exiting the ride, said Trump’s ownership of the ride took a backseat to the experience. “It doesn’t matter to me, not with a three-year-old.” Does she support Trump’s candidacy? “No, just the carousel.” One woman, who was in New York for a job interview with a major media company and asked not to be identified because it might hurt her chances, said after she and her friend bought tickets they saw the sign indicating Trump operated the carousel. “We bought the tickets too soon,” said her friend, Rafael Manna, who had he known Trump was involved, “would’ve given it a second thought.” But, said Manna, “Why the hell not? It’s been 25 years since I rode a carousel.” It is a political calculus New Yorkers navigate everyday when it comes to one of their more contentious local characters. As Trump’s presidential campaign has gathered steam, locals have had to figure out how to separate Trump’s politics from the fact that he is a high-profile figure woven into the fabric of the city, from Trump apartment buildings and hotels to the ownership of two ice skating rinks close to the carousel in the park. It’s not at all clear that the city relishes its relationship with Trump. Last year, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration was looking for ways to terminate the city’s contracts with Trump, after the presidential candidate referred to Mexicans as rapists during a speech in June when he announced his candidacy. A selection of his other greatest hits include calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, criticizing Ariz. Sen. John McCain for getting captured in Vietnam, and blasting Megyn Kelly of Fox News for her performance during a GOP debate she moderated for the network. After the comment about Mexicans, City Councilmember Mark Levine, chair of the parks committee, immediately called on the Parks Dept. to cut ties with Trump, who also has license agreements with the agency to run Lasker and Wollman rinks in Central Park and the Ferry Point Golf Club in the Bronx. “Mr. Trump’s racist comments are despicable even by his already low standards,” Levine said. “Our parks are public spaces where everyone should feel welcome and an association with Mr. Trump directly contra-

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com dicts this spirit.” Levine noted that all of Trump’s license agreements with the city include terminate-at-will clauses. This newspaper filed a freedom of information request for the license agreements on all four concessions, and found that indeed they do contain such clauses, provided that the termination is not “arbitrary and capricious.” De Blasio spokesperson Karen Hinton said in July that the city was discreetly reviewing their contracts with Trump, but a city official said last week the effort hit a wall in August. “We reviewed the city’s existing contracts with Donald Trump and found no legal way to cancel these contracts,” said spokesperson Monica Klein. “In the future, however, the mayor said he would not go out of his way to do any business with Mr. Trump.” At least when it comes to the carousel, business for Trump has been good. Revenue reports filed with the NYC Parks Dept. show Trump has grossed $1.72 million since 2013 on the carousel. Ron Lieberman, a former NYC Parks official who is now an executive at the Trump Organization, said getting involved with the carousel was never a money-making proposition for Trump. “It wasn’t from a money standpoint that [Trump] got involved in this, it was because this is a great New York City landmark,” said Lieberman. “Donald is a very important New Yorker and he did this because he wanted to do something to give back to New York City.” Lieberman stressed that funds generated by the carousel and other Trump attractions in New York City are not used on his campaign. “[The carousel] has nothing to do with the campaign,” said Lieberman. “The business and the campaign are completely and entirely separate.” Lieberman said he doesn’t even know if the carousel is proﬁtable. “Honestly I don’t even know,” said Lieberman. “I told you, Donald got into this not from a money-making position, it was more to give back to New York City.” Trump’s lease on the carousel runs through March 2020, and his annual payments to the city increase to $300,000 in 2018 and peak in the ﬁnal year at $325,000. In March 2011, at the start of the license agreement, the annual fee was $250,000. Trump will wind up paying the city $2.725 million over the 10 years. Carousel admission is set to increase in 2017 to $3.25 and peak at $3.50 in 2020. Trump is also allowed to sell food, beverages and merchandise at the carousel, according to the license agreement. He’s also required to invest a minimum of $400,000 in capital improvements and repairs at the carousel over the life of the agreement, for things such as restoring the wooden horses and installing new lighting. A Parks Dept. spokesperson said Trump has

so far followed the capital improvement schedule laid out in the agreement, which required him to spend a minimum of $260,000 on repairs and upgrades by April 2013. According to the revenue reports, the most lucrative months at the carousel are between April and August, when over the last three years he’s grossed anywhere from $65,000 to almost $90,000 during those months. But Lieberman reinforced his point that Trump didn’t get into these agreements for the money. “If you know anything about the

carousel, you know since Donald took it over, it’s been an incredible success story for New York City,” said Lieberman. “Before Trump got involved the carousel did not look at all what it looks like today. It was not properly maintained, was in disrepair, it was awful, and it’s such a beautiful landmark for New York City.” When contacted last week, however, Levine reinforced his own position that the city should not be doing business with Trump. “I don’t think New York City should be affording those privileges to peo-

ple that could potentially damage our reputation,” he said. Asked if there’s any political will in the city council to work on ending these agreements, Levine spokesperson Tyrone Stevens said it’s really up to the administration. “This really isn’t about political will in the council since this would have to be taken up by the administration,” said Stevens. “Though I think there is widespread agreement that these contracts are less than ideal, members, including Mark, recognize the very real difficulty for the city to escape them.”

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

A YEAR FOR THE BOOKS Former New York City high school teacher chronicles his harrowing experience BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Ed Boland thought he had an idea of what to expect as he began his ﬁrst year as a high school teacher. “I’m a good New York liberal, I had read all the Jonathan Kozol books, could cite the great books on urban education, observed in all these schools, student taught, so thought I knew what the life circumstances were like for the 1.1 million school kids in the city. And, in retrospect, I didn’t have a clue,” he said. At the beginning of his memoir, “The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School,” Boland leaves his lucrative career as an executive in the nonproﬁt sector behind for a ninth-grade classroom in what he thought was a progressive school on the Lower East Side. However, he quickly comes to realize that both the school and the city’s educational system are failing his students, many of whom come to school already struggling with their own personal issues. Although he desperately tries to connect with and engage the teenagers, he met with much resistance. However, his experience was not all negative. Although he ended up abandoning his teaching career, he is still in touch with more than half of his students, whose responses towards the book have been overwhelmingly positive, with many apologizing for the tough year. But Boland turns it around and apologizes to them not only for his naiveté in the classroom, but also for the fact that the school and educational system failed them. At his reading at Book Culture, he even wore a sweater one of his students had given him. “I wore it as my good luck sweater and she was there,” he said, choking up, “It was very poignant.”

When did you decide to turn your experience into a memoir? I had my experience teaching and then went back to my job at Project Advance. You know when something bad happens and you just want to pretend that it didn’t, so you don’t talk about it? I told everybody that I went back to my old job and didn’t really process or share it much because, frankly, I was ashamed. Everybody had known I had gone to gradu-

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ate school at night for all those years. I had a pretty successful student teaching experience and everybody said, “You’re going to be a great teacher.” And then I had a very humbling experience and my blend of arrogance and naiveté caused me to really fall hard. For about a year after, I didn’t talk about it, except with my at-the-time boyfriend, now husband, and a couple of friends. But I knew it was there and I had to make sense of this experience. So my husband said, “A friend of mine teaches at the West Side Y.” I really did it as a form of, I hate to say, therapy, but it really was. It sounds so cliché, but it’s true. So I started to write and everybody I shared the story with was similar to me in that they thought they knew what life was like for kids in struggling schools in New York. But there is such a difference between knowing something in an abstract, academic and interested way and quite another when Chantay is staring you in the face and screaming obscenities at you.

Based on their backgrounds and situations at home, you were surprised that a lot of your students even showed up to school. Give us an example. There was Nee-cole who had been in foster care since middle school. Her birth mother was struggling with a lot of issues but still so involved in her child’s life. She was not happy with how her daughter’s education was going in middle school. She did research and realized the school she was in was not a high performing school, so she pulled her out and homeschooled her on the subway. And ironically, she was one of my better prepared and more academically oriented students because of it. She showed up and was terribly bullied and when her homeless mother came to the parent-teacher conference that made the bullying worse. But, she transferred to another school and persevered. And one of the greatest glimmers of hope in the book is that I watched her graduate from college two years ago, which was extraordinary. One or two percent of kids in foster care get a college degree. It’s just a testament to her grit and resilience.

You really tried to help Byron, who was undocumented, get into college, but to no avail. I’m telling you this kid was a genius. He had so much potential.

He was so curious and hardworking. And the fact that he never went to college at all because he’s undocumented is a sin. And it’s a sin from a moral point of view, that anyone with that much potential should have it squashed by a government policy. He was undermining his own chances at many turns, which was so frustrating to watch. But, ultimately, the system failed him. When he was on the waitlist at Harvard and Brown, it was so close. And I advocated for him and then tried to get him a postgraduate year at a boarding school. He’s applied for DACA, which is the Obama program for undocumented kids who were brought here by their parents, to attend college, so there may be hope there.

A teacher wrote in the New York Post that you were ‘throwing fuel in the ﬁre,’ and you responded. The only fuel I’m trying to add to the ﬁre is to make the American public more interested in the link between education and poverty. That was a little frustrating because the teachers who have read it. One reviewer said, “I’ve never read an education book that’s so edgy.” And come to think of it, our education books should be edgy. And a lot of people say, “What right do have writing a book after one year?” But, the more I think about it, sometimes the voice of failure is more telling than the voice of success. And sometimes the voice of the rookie will give you an entirely different perspective than the voice of the veteran. That guy didn’t think that I didn’t try to use food to have my kids perform? Every chapter is gummy worms, Oreos. He doesn’t think I didn’t try to use relevant content to make ancient history interesting? I mean, look at [the Roman history lesson with] Little Kim. I don’t blame the guy. He read the Post article and they made it seem as if I was blaming the kids. He didn’t read the book because the Post published that two weeks before the book came out. If I can find where that guy teaches, I’m going to send him a bottle of whiskey and my book. www.edboland.com

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