Our Town - April 14, 2016

Page 1

The local paper for the Upper er East Side SPRING ARTS PREVIEW, CITYARTS < P.12

WEEK OF APRIL

14-20 2016

TRUMP, CLINTON LEAD IN MANHATTAN STRAW POLL NEWS Front-runners carry neighborhood survey Manhattan’s neighborhoods are supporting Hillary and The Donald. A straw poll conducted by this newspaper over the past week shows that a majority of voters on the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Chelsea and downtown are planning to support the two parties’ front-runners in the April 19 primary. While there has been extensive

statewide polling in recent weeks, as New York’s usually irrelevant presidential primary has taken on unusual importance, there has been little insight into the leanings of Manhattan voters. Straus News, which publishes four newspapers in the city, asked readers to call and write in with their choice. Our voters’ snapshot largely tracks recent statewide polls, which indicate that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will carry New York. In our city survey, 63% of Manhattanites say they’re for Clinton, compared to 37% for Bernnie Sanders. On the Republican side, Trump squeaks by with

a much closer margin than in statewide polls. In our survey, Trump received 51% of the Republican vote, compared to 35% for John Kasich and 14% for Ted Cruz. New York is seen as an important contest for Trump, after a recent stumble in Wisconsin. New York’s 95 delegates are imperative if he has any hope of winning the 1,237 electora l delegates needed to clinch the party’s nomination in advance of its convention this summer in Cleveland. Trump, as well as Clinton and Sanders, has spent much of the past week in the city, holding rallies and meeting with

newspaper editorial boards. While our fi ndings are consistent throughout the city, they show a heavier dose of support for Sanders on the Upper West Side, compared to the Uppper East Side. Trump, mea nt i me, p er for m s sl i g ht ly stronger on the East Side than on the West Side. Many of our readers, who could vote by phone, email or the web, included explanations for their support of the candidates, offering some insight into reasons why the front-runners are holding strong. “I’m a lifelong Democrat who will be voting for Bernie,” one Upper East

EAST SIDE POLICE COMMANDER UNDER INVESTIGATION Deputy Inspector James Grant among four high-ranking officers placed on desk duty in fallout from federal corruption probe

nally. “The potential violations under investigation include violations of NYPD rules and policies, the City conflicts of interest rules and the federal criminal laws. The investigation is examining the conduct of current and former NYPD Officers and several others,” Bratton said in a statement. Grant has also been transferred, Bratton said, although he did not provide details. The 19th Precinct’s new commander is Deputy Inspector Clint McPherson, who transferred from the 17th Precinct, on East 51st Street. He is a 23-year NYPD veteran who started his career on patrol in the 77th Precinct in northern Crown

BY RICHARD KHAVKINE

Deputy Inspector James Grant of the 19th Precinct is under federal investigation and has been placed on desk duty and transferred

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O OURTOWNNY.COM @OurTownNYC

The 19th Precinct’s commander, Deputy Inspector James Grant, was among four high-ranking police officials placed on desk duty as part of a federal corruption investigation into the activities of two fundraisers for Mayor Bill de Blasio. Without providing details, police Commissioner Bill Bratton last week said the officers were being investigated by the FBI, the Department of Justice and inter-

Newscheck Crime Watch Voices Graying New York

2 3 8 9

City Arts Restaurants Property 15 Minutes

12 14 16 21

Sider wrote. “I’m sick and tired of the Clintons.” Added an Upper West Sider, “Trump has the chutzpah this country needs.”

FULL SURVEY RESULTS INSIDE To see numbers, neighborhood breakdowns, and comments from readers, go to p.10

Heights in 1993. He has done stints on Patrol Borough Brooklyn North and the Counter Terrorism Division. The three other police officials put on desk duty are Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, of the department’s Housing Bureau, Deputy Chief David Colon and Deputy Chief Eric Rodriguez. The police officials were ensnared in a wide-ranging federal inquiry into the fundraising activities of two men, Jona Rechnitz and Jeremiah Reichberg, both of whom contributed to Bill de Blasio’s mayoral campaign in 2013 and were later part of a 70-person committee planning the mayor’s inaugural celebration, The Times reported. Both men sought out associations with high-ranking police offi-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday April 15 – 7:18 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.

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APRIL 14-20,2016

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WHAT’S MAKING NEWS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD blend of professionalism and compassion, while his legacy lives in the generations of medical examiners, including myself, that he trained in New York City,â€? she said. Hirsch came under scrutiny in 2007 after concluding that retired police detective James Zadroga, who died of lung disease, wasn’t sickened by inhaling toxic ground zero dust, as a colleague in New Jersey had ruled. Hirsch’s ďŹ nding meant that Zadroga’s name couldn’t be added to the Sept. 11 victims’ list. Hirsch believed Zadroga, who died in 2006, got the lung disease that killed him by injecting ground-up pills into his bloodstream, leaving traces of the pills in the lung tissue. But a third medical examiner later found glass fragments in Zadroga’s lungs and declared he died of dust inhaled at ground zero.â€? MICHAEL BALSAMO

Photo: Ludovic Bertron, via ickr

MEDICAL EXAMINER AT GROUND ZERO DIES Dr. Charles Hirsch, who oversaw the city medical examiner’s office for more than two decades and whose staff helped identify the remains of Sept. 11 victims, has died. He was 79. Hirsch, who led the medical examiner’s office from 1989 until his retirement in 2013, died Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The cause of his death was not released. Hirsch rushed to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and was hit by falling debris as

one of the twin towers collapsed. He and several aides worked to create a temporary morgue at the lower Manhattan site. He oversaw the medical examiner’s office as pathologists worked for years to identify the remains of the more than 2,000 victims. De Blasio said that after Sept. 11 Hirsch and his team “worked tirelessly, beginning the city’s now decades-long effort to identify the victims.� Hirsch’s successor, Dr. Barbara Sampson, said he was “a steady presence and guide during some of the darkest hours.� “He will be remembered for his exquisite

79TH STREET LEFT TURN LANE WILL BE ELIMINATED A designated left turn at East 79th Street and York Avenue that many say has contributed to several pedestrian injuries and 1 death will be eliminated, reported DNAinfo. Under current rules of the new signal, southbound traffic on York Avenue receives a red light while those going northbound are free to take a left turn or continue straight. This pattern is unfamiliar to most pedestrians who are used to walking across the street when cars are stopped at a red light. Seven years later after the lane was

installed, a total of 17 pedestrians have been injured and one person killed at the intersection, according to the City’s Vision Zero map, DNAinfo said. A Community Board 8 committee voted in favor of a resolution to ban the left turn and reset the signals so that both directions on York Avenue will receive red and green lights simultaneously. Margaret Forgione, the city Department of Transportation borough commissioner, said that it would take two months to make the change, DNAinfo reported.

PRICEY PROPERTIES FOR SALE Two townhouses at 1083 Fifth Ave. and 3 East 89th St., and a school building at 5-7 East 89th Street, currently home to the National Academy Museum and School, are on the market for a combined $120 million, reported The Real Deal. The properties were combined and renovated by architect Ogden Codman Jr. for a private residence and were later donated in the 1940s to the museum and school. Together the properties total 52,000 square feet and if converted into a single-family home could become Manhattan’s priciest residential sale and make for one of the city’s largest homes, the publication reported. The property comes with an additional 42,000 square feet of air rights, which could lead any buyer into expanding the properties. The townhouses feature original architectural details from the time period, and the Fifth Avenue property has a view of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park.

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APRIL 14-20,2016

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CRIME WATCH BY JERRY DANZIG STATS FOR THE WEEK

JETS PLAYER WINS IN NIGHTCLUB PUNCHING CASE A jury in a civil trial found that a woman failed to prove she was punched by New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall outside a Manhattan nightclub four years ago. Marshall, 32, was not in court as the verdict was read after a federal jury deliberated less than two hours about the March 2012 encounter outside the Marquee nightclub. His lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, said outside court: “He knew he never touched her and he wasn’t going to pay a penny because he knows he did nothing wrong.” The plaintiff, Christin Myles, sat with a look of devastation long after the verdict was read, with her attorney, Joshua Moskovitz, summoning her mother to console her. He declined comment.

Reported crimes from the 19th precinct for Week to Date

Year to Date

2016 2015

% Change

2016

2015

% Change

Murder

0

0

n/a

1

1

0.0

Rape

0

0

n/a

0

1

-100.0

Robbery

0

5

-100.0

19

29

-34.5

Felony Assault

3

3

0.0

29

32

-9.4

Burglary

5

1

400.0

54

32

68.8

Grand Larceny

17

17

0.0

335

301

11.3

Grand Larceny Auto

1

1

0.0

10

5

100.0

Jason Kuffer, via Flickr Myles, 28, had testified during the four-day trial that she knew she was punched by Marshall because tattoos she saw on the forearm of the man who punched her matched the tattoos she saw on Marshall’s arm on photographs she had taken inside the club, where Marshall’s group was seated next to hers in the VIP section. She said her eyelid was cut by the punch, which also gave her a black eye and lasting neck and back pain. Myles sought unspecified damages with her lawsuit. Marshall insisted he never punched her and video seemed to show his arms were covered by sleeves when he was outside, raising doubts that

Myles could have seen tattoos on his forearm. Marshall is a six-time Pro Bowler who has also played for the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears over a 10-season career.

LOCK LACK Police remind gym goers that it’s not smart to leave an expensive smart phone in your locker. At 9 p.m. on April 5, a 47-year-old man returned to his locker in the New York Sports Club at 248 West 80th St. to find that the lock on his locker was missing as well as

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items of his property. The stolen goods included his wallet, credit cards, $150 in cash, and an iPhone valued at $850.

SUB TRUB Lay valuables on a store counter unattended, and you can count on their disappearing. At 2:30 p.m. on March 23, a 22-year-old man left his phone on the counter in the Subway shop at 33 West End Ave. When he next looked for his phone, it was gone. The stolen cell was an iPhone valued at $1,010.

STEPPED OUT Police arrested a light-footed and sticky-fingered thief. At 8 p.m. on March 24, a 24-year-old woman discovered that her wallet was missing when she returned from a class in the Steps dance studio at 2121 Broadway. Police later arrested the thief, a 17-year-old woman, charging her with grand larceny. The amount lost and recovered came to $400.

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APRIL 14-20,2016

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

A GENTEEL PART OF E. 86TH STREET ON THE CORNER Henderson Place has been around since the 1880s BY MAXINE DOVERE

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

HOW TO REACH US:

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On Henderson Place, “they look out for their neighbors.” After 32 years, Kevin Bing, who now tends the door at Henderson House, should know. Part of the building at 535 E. 86th Street occupies what was the west side of the cul de sac of Henderson Place. The 1959 midrise faces a set of buildings almost 100 years older than itself. In 1881, developer John Henderson built 32 houses for “persons of moderate means.” Twenty-four of the Queen Anne-style houses remain, designated as the Henderson Place Historic District in 1969, on the corner of East 86th Street and East End Avenue, stretching a full block north to 87th Street. Even near the turn of the 19th Century the houses were considered small. Rent, according to The New York Times, was $650 a year, low compared to up to $1,500 charged for other row houses in Manhattan. The first residents were, in fact, “moderate:” an electrician, a hat and collar maker, someone who worked with coal, a florist, clerical employees of private clubs. By the 1920’s, however, one of the once low-cost houses had become home to The Duke and Duchess of Richelieu; another housed war correspondent Horace Green and his family, including two governesses. Henderson Place has a spirit, a definite character, said Bing. “When I came here, it was always family oriented.” Today, people are so absorbed and pressured, a lot more detached. There’s no time for small talk.” The charming gatekeeper, who once worked in retail sales at Saks, has watched a generation grow up. Some have moved on, many have stayed. “There’s still a lot of affection. People look out for their neighbors.” Asked what he would change about Henderson Place, Bing turned traditional. “You see that asphalt? I would make it as it was. The cul de sac is a part of history; it should have cobblestones, a place to relax Cars and parking take away from the history.” For driver Edward John, Henderson Place has been both a place to rest and a frequent starting point for his job. Virtually every morning, his shining black car is parked at the corner of Henderson Place and 86th, awaiting a morning commuter. “It’s a service the building never promised,” Bing said. “Everybody loves it.

APRIL 14-20,2016

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POLICE COMMANDER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 cials as merit badges of sorts. Rechnitz, who owns a real estate firm with holdings in Manhattan and Brooklyn, also raised $45,000 for de Blasio, The Times said. Reichberg, a Brooklyn businessman, held a high-profile 2014 fundraiser for a recently disbanded nonprofit that campaigned on behalf of de Blasio’s agenda. The investigation into possible corruption began two years ago and is ferreting out possible ties between campaign contributions and political favors, which, The Times writes, was largely absent during the three terms of de Blasio’s predecessor, the billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The Times reported that federal officials conducting the corruption investigation are looking into de Blasio’s fundraising efforts. The paper said the FBI has been looking into allegations that some police officials were given free meals and trips by religious organizations

in Brooklyn. Bratton said police personnel with the rank of captain or above had earlier this year met with representatives of the department’s legal bureau for training on conict-of-interest rules. The police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau began its investigation at the end of 2013, which was then joined with FBI and Department of Justice investigations already under way, Bratton said “As this is an on-going, joint investigation, the rules governing what we can say at this point are limited not only by NYPD policies and practices, but also by FBI and DOJ guidelines and policies. There are also general rules about the secrecy and conďŹ dentiality of grand jury investigations,â€? the statement said. “We will follow the leads wherever they take us,â€? Bratton added. Neither Rechnitz and Reichberg have been charged with wrongdoing. The Times last week reported that a federal grand jury was listening to evidence.

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NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AND WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE SEMINAR SERIES • SPRING 2016

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

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Reflux to Esophageal Cancer: ðø From Knowing Your Risks and Prevention Tips Felice H. Schnoll-Sussman, MD Alexandra L. Weinstein, RD, CDN 9tÞ

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Precision Medicine: Targeted Treatment and You! Olivier Elemento, PhD M. Elizabeth Ross, MD, PhD

Web

Time

www.weill.cornell.edu/seminars

6:30–8 pm

If you require a disability-related accommodation, or for weather-related cancellations please call

212-821-0888

and leave a message on the recording. All seminars are FREE and open to the public. Seating is available for 250 people on a first-come, first-served basis.

Place All seminars held at

Uris Auditorium Weill Cornell Medicine 1300 York Avenue (at 69th St.)

14 Fri15

Thu

NEW APPROACHES ON THE STUDY OF RACE IN PUERTO RICO CUNY Grad Center, 365 Fifth Ave., room C-197 6-8 p.m. Free A panel bringing together important scholars of the study of race and racism in Puerto Rico 212-396-6545. www. centropr.hunter.cuny.edu

CABARET — RACHELLE GARNIEZ▲ Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Avenue 7 p.m. from $110 Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist Rachelle Garniez performs in a romantic, rhapsodic and casually hilarious style. Tickets include dinner. 212-628-6200. neuegalerie. org

16

Sat

A SYMPOSIUM ON THE HISTORY OF ART

START WITH ART AT THE MET

1 East 78th St., (at Fifth Avenue) 2:30-6 p.m. (Reservations required) All graduate students in this history of art, faculty members, and museum staff are invited to attend. Part 2 of this event takes place April 16th. www.frick.org/calendar#/?i=1

The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue 2-3 p.m. Free w/ museum admission Share ideas and enjoy stories, sketching, and other activities that brings art to life. For families with children 3-6. 212-535-7710. www. metmuseum.org

THE SUPERMODEL ERA►

VOLUNTEER GARDENING

1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd St. 2-3 p.m. Free w/ museum admission This talk focuses on the Supermodel era of the early nineties, and is led by Chris Gartrell. 212-423-3200. thejewishmuseum.org/

86th Street Mall at East End Avenue 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Join neighbors and pitch in as a CSPC gardener. 212-459-4455

APRIL 14-20,2016

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Sun

PASSOVER FAMILY DAY 1220 Fifth Ave. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free w/ museum admission Family day full of storytelling, traditions, scavenger hunt, and songs in honor of passover. 212-534-1672. www.mcny. org/event/passover-family-day

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Mon

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WINE TOUR DE FRANCE▲ FIAF Le Skyroom, 22 East 60th St 7 p.m. $115; Members, $95 Tasting will feature six wines paired with a selection of cheeses, charcuterie and bread 800-982-2787. fiaf.org/ events/winter2016/2016-0418-grapes.shtml

19

67th Street Library, 328 East 67th St. 3:30 p.m. Free Enjoy reading to a therapy dog. Ages 5-12. Pre-registration required for every 20 minute MINDFUL EATING/ slot. 212-734-1717. www.nypl.org/ MINDFUL BODY events/programs/2016/04/04/ new-york-therapy-dogs-read 92nd Street Y, Lexington

Tue

Avenue at 92nd St. 6:30 p.m. from $25 Adrienne Glasser, licensed social worker/therapist and Jenna Hollenstein, nutritionist lead a workshop in hopes to transform how you nourish yourself. 212-415-5500. www.92y. org/Event/Mindful-EatingMindful-Body

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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.

OUR TOWN HONORED BY PRESS GROUP Our Town has been honored by the New York Press Association for its series last year on growing old in the city. The newspaper, which is published by Straus News, received a First Place honor in the Best News or Feature Series catego-

An Our Town Cartoon

ry for its “Graying New York” series by Health Clayton Colangelo. In their comments, the judges said: “Not every judge-worthy story needs to be about something REALLY important. Readers want engagement, and this series served them admirably. There was a lot of reporting in this category, but not much writing. Our Town wrote.” Colangelo’s piece followed Hank Blum, an Upper East Side eye doctor, as he struggled with the notion of retirement. The series was

A BETTER BUDGET PROCESS BY STATE SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER

Early on Friday morning, April 1, after a grueling allnight session, the New York State legislature passed a $157 billion budget for fiscal year 2016-2017. Regardless of whether one thinks the final product is good, bad or somewhere in between, we should all be able to agree that the budget process has gone completely off the rails. This is not what democracy should look like, and without significant changes we will continue to undermine the integrity of our already shaky governing institutions and threaten the fiscal stability of our state. So I’m addressing my fellow legislators with a simple message — we have to do better. The state budget is without a doubt the single most important package of legislation passed in Albany in any given year. Yet every year the process gets even less transparent, and legislators, the press, and the people of New York have less time to examine the bills before we bring them up for a vote. This year was particularly egregious - we pulled an allnighter like so many procrastinating undergraduates, with the final bills not introduced until nearly 6 a.m., and the gov-

Illustration by Peter G. Pereira

STRAUS MEDIA your neighborhood news source

Vice President/CFO Otilia Bertolotti Vice President/CRO Vincent A. Gardino advertising@strausnews.com

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

a production of the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and was led by Dorian Block and Ruth Finkelstein. To find all of the interviews and more, go to www.exceedingexpectations. nyc The series was chosen from dozens of entries from newspapers throughout New York, and was one of three awards received last week by Straus News papers in Manhattan.

ernor issuing so-called emergency “messages of necessity” even after it was clear that the budget would be late no matter what. What would be the emergency if it took a few more days and people actually reviewed the bills? As I have said before, in a budget process driven by closeddoor negotiations among legislative leaders, it is up to rank-and-file legislators to take a “trust but verify” approach. Yet with only a few hours at most to comb through thousands of pages of budget language, it is simply impossible for us to verify, and it’s getting more and more difficult every year to trust. By acquiescing to this status quo we as legislators are abdicating our responsibility to look after the interests of the people who elected us. As the floor debates made clear, even the majority Republicans in the Senate had very little idea what was in some of these last-minute bills. My colleague, the chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, was put in the unenviable position of answering my questions by explaining she had “faith” that the legislation we were about to pass — which was not yet available to review online or in print — actually contained what was promised (and noth-

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

Staff Reporters Gabrielle Alfiero, Madeleine Thompson Director of Digital Pete Pinto

ing more). This is no way to run an amateur bowling team, let alone one of the largest state budgets in the country. The solutions to avoid this annual farce are simple, easily achieved, and well known. Messages of necessity should be saved for actual emergencies, not used to maintain a debatable reputation for on-time budgets; bills should be made available at least three days in advance of debate, so that they can be carefully parsed to root out shady deals, giveaways, unexplained “lump sums” and poorly thought out policy. And finally, it’s time to end the embarrassingly regressive “three men in a room” system, and open up budget negotiations to the leaders of minority conferences in both houses. The people of New York deserve better than what they’re getting, and it’s up to us, their elected representatives, to give it to them. If New York is going to continue to be a leader in the 21st century, we have to jettison a budget process that would have been familiar in the 19th Century. I still believe that we can rise to the occasion. Liz Krueger is a NYS Senator representing the East Side of Manhattan, and the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee.

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

APRIL 14-20,2016

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BY MARCIA EPSTEIN

I have a cabinet full of overthe-counter supplements which I can’t seem to throw out, though I don’t think I’ll be taking them again. That is, unless the thinking changes back to when I first bought them. Meanwhile, they remain half empty, awaiting new information which refutes the old information which refuted the information before that. Take Vitamin E, for example. Everyone thought Vitamin E was the magic elixir, until it wasn’t. As an antioxident, it was supposed to help prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer, among others. Then the studies began to show no beneďŹ t, and maybe harm. Then new studies showed maybe it helped, while other studies showed it might hasten your death. So into the cabinet it went. I stopped taking calcium supplements when I read that there was little evidence it prevented fractures and might raise the chance of heart disease. The Mayo Clinic says it might or might not raise the risk of a cardiac event. Also in that “to be thrown out‌maybeâ€? cabinet are probiotics, which I took for years. A recent double-blind study showed that they were no more effective than placebos for diarrhea associated with antibiotic use or C. difficile infection, and no research that proves that they are effective for other gastrointestinal conditions, according to Sarah H. Yi, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Very helpful! I think I’ll go with a daily yogurt. My doctor does recommend Vitamin D, and so I take it, just waiting for a study that shows it is ineffective or dangerous. I do take Prilosec, even though the latest is that it might increase the risk of fractures and hasten the onset of Alzheimer’s. Scary! But I can’t deal with the heartburn, so I trudge on with it. What’s a person to do? The news can change tomorrow, so why worry? Old is in! Aging is sexy! Man-

9

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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Photo by frankleleon via ickr hattan Borough President Gale Brewer, partnering with the Dana Foundation/Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives celebrated Global Brain Awareness Week 2016 in March by hosting Up with Aging, a brain health fair. The goal was to change attitudes about aging from dependence and decline to an understanding of the possibilities that come with a long life. The panel included information on aging brain function and how to maintain brain ďŹ tness. Afterwards, panelists were invited to explore the Expo, which featured ways to keep the aging brain healthy. AARP is starting #DisruptAging, a new movement to challenge outdated beliefs about aging and present new solutions so that people can choose how to live and age well. You can follow this movement on social media and sign up for their monthly newsletter. You can go to the AARP website and type in Disrupt Aging for more information. It’s nice to see that aging seems to be “in.â€? Jane Brody writes many wonderful articles for The New York Times on

how to age healthily. Recently she wrote about how the music of Alzheimer’s patients’ childhoods awoke something in their brains that brought them out of their fog. It made them smile and sing or move their bodies. I happen to be someone who cannot dance, sing a note or draw a straight line, but I am a voracious reader and crossword puzzle doer. I do those things because I love them, but also hope they are helping to keep my brain healthy. Each to his or her own. Finally, a pet peeve. Have you ever bought a newspaper or magazine and taken it onto the bus or subway, only to have ads fall out onto the oor, especially those card inserts that are so annoyingly prevalent. Does anyone actually read them, or do they just end up ying away towards some unsuspecting rider or under someone’s seat? The department store yers are just as bad. The Kindle readers frown as these newspaper inserts drift off to the far corners of the bus. A small annoyance, but there you go. Life is full of them. Let all annoyances be small.

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APRIL 14-20,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

WHO SHOULD BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

MANHATTAN

OTES

Our straw poll was conducted over the last week, by phone, email and the web. Readers contributed from the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, Chelsea and Downtown.

(D)EMOCR AT

37%

Hillary Clinton

U PPER E A ST SI DE R E A DER S

Hillary Clinton

70% Bernie Sanders

30%

I’m a lifelong Democrat who will be voting for Bernie. I like his fresh approach to many problems we are facing in this country. I realize that Hillary is extremely qualified, but at the same time I’m sick and tired of the Clintons.

Ted Cruz

14% 51%

63%

Bernie Sanders

(R)EPU BL ICA N

Donald J. Trump

52%

35%

Donald J. Trump

John R. Kasich

DOW N TOW N R E A DER S

Sanders is the only true leader, with truly humanitarian values and agenda, to emerge in USA politics in decades.

HRC is well qualified in domestic and foreign policy and she can deliver. She has already been thoroughly vetted.

John R. Kasich

38% Ted Cruz

10%

CH ELSE A R E A DER S

As a woman for Bernie, I’m voting against the candidate who voted for the Iraq war, & seems owned by Wall Street. Can’t trust her. Do trust him. He may not get everything he talks about but he will fight like hell on our behalf and her real constituents are the Insurers, and those who benefit from mega-Trade Deals, etc. W E ST SI DE R E A DER S Donald J. Trump

There is no one more qualified, more appropriately experienced, more intelligent or more strategic and realistic in [Hillary’s] understanding of how to achieve democratic and progressive goals.

Bernie Sanders is the ONLY candidate against Fracking and GMOs.

Hillary Clinton

60% Bernie Sanders

[Bernie Sanders] is for real.

40%

43% Because [Trump] has the chutzpah this country needs.

Ted Cruz

28.5% John R. Kasich

28.5% Graphics and Illustrations by Christina Scotti

APRIL 14-20,2016

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Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

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12

Gohar Dashti, Stateless, 2015 Archival digital pigment print, 31.5 x 47.5 inches Courtesy Robert Klein Gallery, Boston

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

APRIL 14-20,2016

SPRING ARTS GUIDE BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO

Along with spring art shows and play openings, this season marks the start of a stretch of free outdoor events, from a museum crawl up and down Fifth Avenue to a celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday in Bryant Park.

MUSEUMS HUMAN INTEREST: PORTRAITS FROM THE WHITNEY’S COLLECTION The Whitney Museum of American Art opens a two-floor, 200-artist show of portraits from the museum’s own holdings. The more than 300 works on display, all created in the last 116 years, include the celebrated, by artists including Edward Hopper, Alice Neel, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol, and the recently-acquired that will receive their first showings at the museum.

Divided into 12 sections, the exhibition explores glam celebrity portraits from the early days of motion pictures, including Edward Steichen’s magazine shots, as well as street photography like Helen Levitt’s Spanish Harlem images. Artists’ likenesses also appear, including Robert Rauschenberg’s photograph of Cy Twombly, and a portrait of Jasper Johns captured by Richard Avedon. Among the recent works is a wax candle sculpture by Urs Fischer of artist Julian Schnabel. Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection Opens April 27 The Whitney Museum of American Art 99 Gansevoort St., between Washington and West Streets Museum hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; closed Tuesday Admission $22

For more information, visit whitney.org or call 212-570-3600

MUSEUM MILE FESTIVAL Exploring just one of the Upper East Side’s art destinations can often become a full day excursion, but the annual Museum Mile Festival makes seven of the area’s cultural meccas accessible and family friendly for an evening. During the festival, now in its 38th year, galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper Hewitt, the Jewish Museum and others open to the public for free. Street performers and chalk artists take over Fifth Avenue, which is open to pedestrians only during this three-hour stretch, and musicians perform outside the museums. A retrospective of painter László MoholyNagy’s work at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Roz Chast’s cartoons at the Museum of the City of New York are among

APRIL 14-20,2016

the shows on view. Museum Mile Festival Tuesday, June 14 Fifth Avenue, from 82nd Street to 105th Street 6-9 p.m. Begins at 5:45 p.m. at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd Street FREE For more information, visit museummilefestival.org or call 212-606-2296

ART SHOWS THE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW FROM AIPAD This 36th-annual photography showcase at the Park Avenue Armory convenes 86 galleries from across the globe showing a variety of work, from 19th-century prints to 1960s photojournalistic images to contemporary landscapes. Participants include Minneapolis’ Weinstein Gallery, which shows portraits by Alec Soth of respondents to the artist’s Craigslist ad while he was staying in a Tokyo hotel. “Ballerina� by Morton Bartlett, which is bound for exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an example of the artist’s photographs of plaster dolls that he crafted and posed. The Photography Show from AIPAD April 14-17 Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Ave., at E. 66th Street Show hours: April 14 and 16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; April 15, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; April 17, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Admission $30 For tickets, visit aipad.com/tickets, or call 202-3671158 for more information

13

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Bernadette Peters as Oakley, and is known for its numbers like “Anything You Can Do� and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.� The production at St. Jean’s Auditorium opens May 6. “Annie Get Your Gun� May 6-May 22 St. Jean’s Auditorium 167 E. 75th St., between Lexington and Third Avenues Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets $25 For tickets, visit stjeansplayers.org or purchase at the door 30 minutes before the show begins

MUSIC

Van Dyck: ÉŠF "OBUPNZ PG 1PSUSBJUVSF Through June ď™ˆ, ď™…ď™ƒď™„ď™‰

WALL TO WALL STEPHEN SCHWARTZ As part of Symphony Space’s spring theater celebration, its Wall to Wall event, an evening length program and a key point of the performance hall’s annual calendar, is dedicated this year to the work of composer and writer Stephen Schwartz. Nearly 100 performers, including Patti LuPone and Liz Callaway, put their spins on songs by the New York native responsible for the music from “Godspell,� “Pippin� and modern classic “Wicked.� Wall to Wall Stephen Schwartz Saturday, April 16 Symphony Space 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street Sets at 3 p.m. 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. FREE For advanced reservations and a full list of performers, visit symphonyspace.org

THE FRICK COLLECTION 1 East 70th Street at 5th Ave, NYC t GSJDL PSH “100 Glorious Works� 0VS 5PXO

Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), Mary, Lady van Dyck, nÊe Ruthven, ca. 1640, oil on canvas, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

M AR B LE C OLLE GI ATE C HURCH

THEATER A SHAKESPEAREAN BIRTHDAY BASH The Drilling Company, which performs annual, free outdoor Shakespeare productions in a parking lot on Norfolk Street, celebrates the playwright’s birthday and the 400th anniversary of his death with a day of monologues, music and death scenes. Free to the public, the event includes live music by the Natalie Smith Band, and, in a nod to a funeral, a jazz procession with the Jambalaya Brass Band. The celebration concludes with performances of death scenes from “Othello,� “Romeo and Juliet,� “Cymbeline� and other plays.

Diane Bish Host of The Joy of Music television series.

A Shakespearean Birthday Bash Friday, April 22 Bryant Park Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street 12:30-8:30 p.m. FREE For more information, visit http://shakespeareintheparkinglot.com

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 7:30PM

$25 at the door and $20 for students and seniors

“ANNIE GET YOUR GUNâ€? Non-proďŹ t Upper East Side theater group St Jean’s Players stages Irving Berlin’s classic musical about the gun-wielding Annie Oakley as its spring production. The theatrical account of Oakley’s rise to stardom in William “Buffalo Billâ€? Cody’s traveling show has seen numerous productions, with stars such as Ethel Merman and

Walt Kuhn, Clown in His Dressing Room, 1943. Oil on linen. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Gift of an anonymous donor

1 West 29th Street / New York, New York 10001 / 212 686 2770 / MarbleChurch.org

14

APRIL 14-20,2016

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

RESTAURANT INSPECTION RATINGS MAR 7 - APR 8, 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 http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/restaurant-grades.page Numero 28

1431 1 Avenue

B

Alex Cafe & Deli

1018 Lexington Avenue

A

Brasserie Cognac East

963 Lexington Ave

A

Latin Bites

419 E 70Th St

A

Texas Rotisserie

1315 1St Ave

A

Tanoshi Bento

1372 York Ave

B

Bistro Le Steak

1309 3 Avenue

A

Butterfield Market

170 East 70 Street

A

Zucchero E Pomodori

1435 2Nd Ave

A

Nino’s Restaurant

1354 1 Avenue

A

Persepolis

1407 2 Avenue

B

Corrado Bread And Pastry

960 Lexington Avenue A

Mile 17

1446 1St Ave

A

The Green Bean Cafe

1413 York Avenue

A

Creative Cakes

400 East 74 Street

A

Delizia Ristorante

1374 1 Avenue

A

Beach Cafe

1326 2 Avenue

A

The Allie Way Sports Bar

413 East 70 Street

A

Two Lizards Mexican Restaurant

1365 1St Avenue

A

4Th Floor Cafe

221 East 71St Street

A

Just Salad

1306 1St Ave

A

Up Thai

1411 2Nd Ave

A

Campagnola Restaurant

1382 1St Ave

A

5 Napkin

1325 2Nd Ave

Not Yet Graded (26) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F. Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, crosscontaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Come Prima

903 Madison Ave

A

Starbucks

1445 1 Avenue

A

The Coffee Inn

1316 1 Avenue

A

2Nd Ave Blue 9 Burger

1415 2 Avenue

Grade Pending (21) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies or food/refuse/sewageassociated (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/sewage-associated 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.

Six Happiness

1413 2Nd Ave

A

Mcdonald’s

1286 1 Avenue

A

The York Social

1529 York Ave

B

Highlands Cafe Restaurant 1505 Third Avenue

A

Ithaka

308 East 86 Street

A

Vinnie’s Pizzaria

1603 2Nd Ave

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

Thai @ Lex

1244 Lexington Avenue

A

Panera Bread

120 East 86 Street

A

Va Bene

1589 Second Avenue

A

Jacque’s Cafe

204 East 85 Street

C

Agora Turkish Restaurant

1565 Second Avenue

A

Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant

1616 2 Avenue

A

Mcdonald’s

1499 3Rd Ave

A

Yuka Restaurant

1557 2Nd Ave

B

Sistina Restaurant

1555 2 Avenue

A

Eastend Bar & Grill

1664 1 Avenue

A

Mee Noodle Shop & Grill

1643 2 Avenue

A

La Pulperia

1626 2Nd Ave

A

Bangkok Cuisine

1586 2Nd Ave

A

Bayards Ale House

1589 1St Ave

Not Graded Yet (25) 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. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Asian 83

1605 2Nd Ave

A

The Simone

151 East 82 Street

A

East Side Billard

163 East 86 Street

Grade Pending (21) Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.

Brady’s Bar

1583 2 Avenue

A

Munchery

435 E 86Th St

Not Graded Yet (32) No facilities available to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and/or equipment.

Arturo’s

1617 York Avenue

A

Rizzos Pizza

1426 Lexington Avenue

A

Cascabel Taqueria

1556 2Nd Ave

Grade Pending (42) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or nonfood areas. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Tevere 84

155 East 84 Street

A

Gael Pub

1465 3 Avenue

A

Gotham Pizza

1667 1 Avenue

A

San Matteo Pizzeria E Cucina

1559 2Nd Ave

A

Tal Bagel

333 East 86 Street

A

Metropolitan Museum Employee Cafeteria

1000 5 Avenue

A

Fresh & Co

1260 Lexington Ave

A

Brasserie Magritte

1463 Third Avenue

A

Ottomanelli Cafe

1626 York Avenue

A

APRIL 14-20,2016

15

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Neighborhood Scrapbook

Loyola School senior Patrick Wareham had five hits and seven stolen bases as the Park Avenue school’s baseball team went undeafeated during a spring tournament in St. Petersburg, Florida.

LOYOLA BASEBALL UNDEFEATED IN FLORIDA TRIP The Loyola School baseball team travelled to St. Petersburg, Florida, for a spring training tournament and returned undefeated. Senior and team captain Patrick Wareham had five hits, scored six runs, batted in three and stole seven bases as the Park Avenue school squad won five games in the non-elimination tournament organized by Tampa Bay Spring Training.

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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APRIL 14-20,2016

Property

In Brief CITY COUNCIL VOTES FOR MORE CONTROL OF PEDESTRIAN PLAZAS The City Council passed legislation that will give the Department of Transportation more control over the city’s more than 60 pedestrian plazas and the various costumed characters, desnudas and ticket sellers they contain. The only “no” vote came from Brooklyn Councilmember Robert Cornegy who, according to Gothamist, is against regulating any legal and non harmless activities of New Yorkers trying to make money. “Don’t knock the hustle,” Cornegy said. The Times Square pedestrian plaza, for example, could be divided into eight rectangular “activity zones” measuring 8-by-50 feet and 10-by-50 feet to contain characters and ticket sellers, according to DNAinfo, while pedestrians traverse the area in designated “flow zones.” The characters and ticket sellers themselves, of course, are concerned that such restrictions will decrease their income and put them more directly in competition with each other.

HISTORIC LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST DEPT. OF EDUCATION Eleven public school students and their families are suing the city’s Department of Education over violence in public schools. The families, along with the advocacy group Families for Excellent Schools, allege that the public school system has deprived their children of an education free from violence, bullying and harassment. They claim that violence in schools has been increasing, and that it disproportionately affects LGBTQ students and students of color. According to a press release from Families for Excellent Schools, it is the first class-action lawsuit on the subject of school safety to be filed in the state.“The Department of Education needs to recognize every child’s right to a safe school environment, and needs to act before more students suffer,” CEO Jeremiah Kittredge said in a statement. The parents involved in the suit report incidents of their children being abused and assaulted, both verbally and physically, by both teachers and classmates. Mayor Bill de Blasio disputed the lawsuit’s claims in a statement last Thursday, citing statistics that show crime in schools as down by roughly 14 percent.

SALE OF LOWER EAST SIDE NURSING HOME UNDER INVESTIGATION New York state attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman opened an investigation into the sale of Rivington House, on the Lower East Side. The nursing home, which was until recently protected from sale by a restrictive deed, was sold to a condo developer for $116 million in late February, according to the New York Times. POLITICO reported that subpoenas were sent to eight parties connected to the deal, which was made possible by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services agreeing to, in a rare move, lift the protective deed. Rivington House has historically served as a nursing home for people with AIDS, and considerable opposition has been expressed at its Mayor Bill de Blasio has told media outlets that he was not aware of the deal beforehand, and he indicated that his advisors had not been adequately keeping him in the loop. He said those responsible would “face very serious consequences.” In a statement, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer urged the mayor to “make this community whole by investing millions to create a new community facility and replace the beds lost in the sale of Rivington House.”

PIER 55 MOVES AHEAD NEWS Project wins in lawsuit over environmental issues BY MADELEINE THOMPSON

In a big win for Pier 55 Inc. and the Hudson River Park Trust, the New York State Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to derail the massive project along the Hudson River. Filed last June by the City Club of New York, the lawsuit hoped to delay or stop billionaire Barry Diller’s $130 million park, which will jut out into the Hudson River at West 13th Street, where Pier 54 currently sits in disrepair. It claimed that the park’s environmental review had not been diligent enough, and requested that the project go through an approval process by the state legislature.

“On behalf of Hudson River Park Trust, and all those involved in this project, I’m so glad we can get back to the work: that of building a great park and performance center for the people of New York and all those who come to visit,” Diller said in a statement. The 2.7-acre park will provide open green space infused with an emphasis on the performing arts. City Club President Michael Gruen said he was disappointed by the dismissal and is considering an appeal, though the group hasn’t “reached a firm conclusion.” “We think that there are errors pretty much throughout [the decision],” Gruen said. For example, he pointed out that the alternative action plan, which is required to compare the environmental impact of the proposed plan versus taking no action at all, was incorrect. This could be advan-

tageous to City Club should they decide to appeal. The New York Post reported that City Club was asking for legislative approval because “the project would allow ‘nonpark purposes’ including ticketed concerts in a public space,” though many events will be free or low-cost. They also cited concerns about the effects of such a project on species such as the American eel and shortnose sturgeon. In her decision, Judge Joan Lobis wrote that she did not believe the park would cause “significant adverse impacts on the aquatic habitat.” Construction is slated to begin this year and the park is projected to open in 2018, though it first needs to be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers.

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Chapter 7

EVE, AND OTHERS BY ESTHER COHEN

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PREVIOUSLY: 1980s Manhattan. It seemed as if many of us were young. Old people sat on benches. The world seemed objectively different. Eve and Naomi are roommates. Their clothes are thrift store evocative. Eve has a for-now boyfriend named Charles. Naomi spends some time with her gay friend who pronounces his name Al Bear. It’s Albert, really. His across the hall neighbor, Alyosha, has disappeared. Vanished really. The story Albert told Naomi, although it was full of his favorite words (fantastic! horriďŹ c!) about Alyosha disappearing was sufficiently vague for her to conclude that Anything Could Have Happened. Alyosha, said Albert, was a tap dancer from somewhere Albert could never remember. Eastern Europe-ish. Maybe even Georgia or Uzbekistan or Azerbaijan. Alyosha might even have been Armenian. What was his last name? Of course he was handsome, Albert said, in a too tight dark pants way. More flamenco than tap. He even had a

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moustache, full and black. Like quotation marks around his lips. Albert himself loved pants. He had more pairs than he could count, and did not discard them to oblivion. Did not give them to Goodwill or Salvation Army. In one corner of his apartment (his ceilings were very high) he actually had a pants cemetery – pairs he had no intention of discarding forever. They went from the oor nearly to the ceiling. He’d even had to start a second pile. “There are some,â€? he’d said once, “who let go. And some hold on. I’m one of those who loves forever. Especially pants,â€? he said, and smiled. “I just want them with me.â€? Once Naomi went through the piles with him, and he told her stories about every pair. “When did you know that Alyosha was missing?â€? she asked. “Our super knows everything,â€? he said. “Quite handsome by the way. Half Dominican half Haitian. Anibal. Hannibal in Spanish. Married though. Maybe he’s unhappy.â€? “When did the super tell you?â€? “He’s always in front. One day two weeks ago he said that Alyosha’s mother had called him. I wonder if he saved her number. She said she couldn’t reach her son. Anibal went upstairs to check and he was gone. Just gone. A cold cup of coffee was sitting on his table. As though he’d be right back. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t leave a cold cup of coffee on my grandmother’s formica kitchen table. Don’t you love that table? Not something you’d ďŹ nd at Pottery Barn.â€? “I do,â€? I said. “Can you find out his mother’s name and number? That might be what we do next.â€? “We?â€? he asked. “Yes we,â€? she replied.

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CLUELESS ABOUT THE ZIKA VIRUS

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.

HEALTH With summer mosquito season approaching, poll shows Americans don’t know much about the illness BY LAURAN NEERGAARD AND EMILY SWANSON

Americans don’t know a lot about the Zika virus that is linked to birth defects and creeping steadily closer to the U.S., according to a new poll that found about 4 in 10 say they’ve heard little to nothing about the mosquito-borne threat. Even among people who’ve been following the Zika saga at least a little, many aren’t sure whether there’s a vaccine or treatment -- not yet -- or if there’s any way the virus can spread other than through mosquito bites. Still, with mosquito season fast approaching, more than half of the population supports a variety of efforts to control summer swarms -- from spraying pesticides to releasing genetically modiďŹ ed mosquitoes, says the poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The government is considering a field trial in the Florida Keys of male mosquitoes, which don’t bite, that are genetically altered so that when they mate with wild females, the offspring quickly die. The poll found 56 percent of people would support introducing such mosquitoes into areas affected by Zika. “I think it’s kind of the wave of the future, to be honest,â€? said Janis Maney, 63, of Pensacola, Florida, who sees mosquitoes nearly year-round in her warm climate. She’s open to “anything that would control those little buggers.â€? The Zika virus has exploded throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. While adults typically suffer mild, if any, symptoms, there’s an increasingly strong link between infections in pregnant women and fetal death and devastating birth defects -- babies born with small heads that signal a

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damaged brain. U.S. health officials are warning pregnant women and those attempting to conceive to avoid traveling to Zika-affected areas. More than 300 cases of Zika have been diagnosed in the U.S., all so far associated with travel. But the mosquitoes capable of spreading Zika live in parts of the U.S. And while experts don’t expect an epidemic here, they worry that small clusters of cases are likely, particularly in Florida or Texas, if the insects bite returning travelers and then someone else. “We have only weeks to prepare before the mosquitoes, and perhaps the virus, get ahead of us,� said Dr. Edward McCabe of the March of Dimes. Leah Zeleski, 27, of Lincoln, Nebraska, said she won’t travel too far south this summer. A nursing student, Zeleski calls this a “very scary� time for women of childbearing age and wonders what scientists will discover next about Zika’s risks, unknown until the current outbreak began in Brazil last year. Zeleski said she’ll wear insect repellent and cover up during mosquito season. The AP-NORC Center poll found that among people who’ve heard about Zika, 90 percent know mosquitoes can spread it but there are some other key gaps in knowledge: * About 1 in 5 couldn’t say whether Zika was linked to birth defects. * Zika a lso sometimes spreads through sexual intercourse, but 14 percent wrongly thought it couldn’t, and another 29 percent said they didn’t know. That’s worrisome, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says men who’ve traveled to Zika-affected areas either should use condoms with their pregnant partners or avoid sex until the baby’s born. * More than half didn’t know if there was a vaccine or treatment for Zika -- there is not -or a diagnostic test. There are

tests but they’re not perfect, and they’re being used primarily with pregnant women. More public education is needed before there are any homegrown Zika infections, said Gillian SteelFisher of Harvard’s school of public health, whose own polling has found even more misconceptions about Zika. “We have an opportunity, before there’s a case, to get people to worry where they need to and not where they don’t,â€? SteelFisher said. “With good information, people can take the right steps to protect themselves.â€? The poll found few people -- 16 percent -- are very worried that the U.S. will experience much Zika. “I’ve kind of grown numbâ€? about outbreak warnings in recent years, said Valerie White, 24, of Montgomery County, Maryland, who doesn’t plan to travel during her pregnancy. “Once people realize it’s a problem, there’s usually a quick response, so I’m not worried.â€? Only a quarter of people said U.S. athletes should withdraw from the Olympics in Brazil this summer. When it comes to those genetically modiďŹ ed mosquitoes, some activists in Florida have argued against them -- but the new poll found only 16 percent of Americans overall are opposed to the strategy to control Zika, and 26 percent are neutral. In previous surveys, genetically modified food ingredients have generated more public concern. The AP-NORC poll of 1,004 adults was conducted March 17-21 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Respondents were first selected randomly using addressbased sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone.

1110 2nd Avenue( between 58th and 59th street: Northeast corner on 58th) 1IPOF t FNBJM info@outreach-rehab.com website: www.outreach-rehab.com

68th Street – Hunter College Station Improvements Environmental Assessment NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY and PUBLIC HEARING The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will hold a public hearing to allow the public to comment on the Environment Assessment (EA) and Section 4(f) Evaluation for proposed improvements to the 68th-Street Hunter College station. To facilitate the public’s ability to comment, the MTA is releasing the Environmental Assessment (EA) and Section 4(f) Evaluation for the proposed improvements as required under the Council on Environmental Quality regulations, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations under 23 CFR part 771.119), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, Section 4 (f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, the State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) of 1980, Executive Order 11988 for Floodplains, and Executive Order 12898 for Environmental Justice. Description of the Project The 68th Street-Hunter College station improvement project will bring the station into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, (as amended) and add necessary circulation improvements throughout the station. These improvements would include the installation of ADA-compliant elevators, widening existing stairs, constructing additional stairs and entrances, and other improvements. This EA and Section 4(f) Evaluation have been prepared for the FTA by the MTA in conjunction with the MTA’s request for FTA funding of this project. The FTA is serving as the Lead Agency for the purpose of the NEPA review, and the MTA is serving as the Lead Agency for the purpose of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Availability The EA and Section 4(f) Evaluation is available at the following places: G !( D2/@6A2 www.mta.info G A5 'A?22A $B/960 6/?.?F .@A A5 'A?22A "2D -<?8 "-

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Scrapbook

KALLOS HOLDS BIKE SAFETY FORUM More than 100 fast food delivery bike workers joined East Side Councilmember Ben Kallos for training by the Department of Transportation in English, Spanish and Chinese on traffic rules and bike safety. “Please take your time, obey traffic laws, and wear safety vests so that residents know which restaurants have good drivers and which restaurants don’t,” Kallos told a crowd of delivery bike workers. “Starting soon doorman buildings may stop accepting deliveries from people without safety vests.” Kallos’s Bike Safety Program distributes safety materials and equipment such as bells, lights, vests and helmets; trains cyclists on safe practices and traffic laws; and calls for increased enforcement by the New York Police Department against unsafe cyclist behavior.

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

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FERTILE MIND

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

On William Blake with Leo Damrosch

SUNDAY, APRIL 17TH, 11AM 92nd Street Y | 1395 Lexington Ave. | 212-415-5500 | 92y.org Leo Damrosch talks about his book In Eternity’s Sunrise: The Imaginative World of William Blake, which draws on Blake’s poems, paintings, etchings and engravings to offer an illustrated account of Blake the man and Blake the visionary. ($38)

The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It...Every Time

TUESDAY, APRIL 19TH, 6:30PM Mid-Manhattan Library | 455 Fifth Ave. | 212-340-0863 | nypl.org Maria Konnikova, bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, digs into the psychological principles of swindling, and how history’s most seductive imposters have so easily manipulated the truth around them. (Free)

Just Announced | Shakespeare Birthday Bash

FRIDAY, APRIL 22ND, 12:30PM Bryant Park | 42nd St. & Sixth Ave. | 212-873-9050 | shakespeareintheparkinglot.com The 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death is celebrated with monologue karaoke, performances of great death scenes and a mock jazz funeral led by the Jambalaya Brass Band. (Free)

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

sign up for the weekly Thought Gallery newsletter at thoughtgallery.org.

APRIL 14-20,2016

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

SUPPORT AND NURTURE AT SMITH SCHOOL An alternative education on the Upper West Side individualizes learning BY MELODY CHAN

The Smith School is one of a kind. On West 86th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, everything from its location on the upper levels of the Jewish Cultural Center (accessible only by stairs or a single aging elevator) to its array of services for 50 middle school and high school students is unique. The alternative school provides individual attention and oversight to all students, instilling in them the confidence for safe passage to young adulthood. Principal Karen Smith founded the school in 1990, endeavoring to craft an organic learning environment that catered to students much like those that used to come over to her house after classes when she was teaching in Los Angeles. Smith is a place where each student is made to feel singular and significant in an environment that is both relaxed and individualized. While several students have learning disabilities — for which the five-to-one, or even oneto-one student-to-teacher ratio was designed — the school also accepts kids who have had difficulty adjusting to the sometimes merciless environments in city public schools. Smith is a safe haven and second chance for those who could not fit in a public education system that serves nearly 1 million students. “Oftentimes if students are slipping through the cracks in their old school they begin to have doubts in their confidence and abilities,” the school’s fulltime social worker, Rebecca Levin, said. “And then they come here and recognize in a smaller setting that they are capable and they can excel.” One 16-year-old’s language disorder caused his parents to take him out of three public schools and place him in a homeschooling program. Until they found Smith. The parents attribute their son’s progress to the school’s warm environment and educators’ devotion. “Smith has taken him from zero to something. As an educator, I’ve never met somebody like Karen Smith,” his father, a public high school teacher, said. “She’s remarkable because she will figure out a plan for every child at that school to make them feel great. Get a load of this: Knowing how he struggled to socialize and how he loves video games, Karen sanctioned a video game club in our apartment. So he was able to start having some friends over every Thursday and they

Karen Smith, principal and founder of The Smith School, and Daniel Madden, the school’s assistant vice principal and learning specialist. Photo: Melody Chan

Smith School’s social worker, Rebecca Levin, has been at the school just a year. Photo: Melody Chan got credit for it too!” The boy, now a junior, started at the school in 2012. Smith provided him with confidence and the skills needed for success; he learned how to read at

age 12, made the honor roll and flew by himself this spring break to visit a university in Florida. He’s thinking about studying video game design there. Smith takes up three floors: one for

its eight classrooms, where classes with a maximum size of 5 or 6 are held; another where the entire student body has gym class for two hours every Friday; and the third dedicated to the one- on-one tutoring available full time for kids who need it. There is also a cultivation of the arts; the school’s narrow hallway, which leads into its eight of classrooms, is lined with students’ paintings and mosaics. The Smith School Rock Band has a legacy as well, having raised $1,100 on Kickstarter to record an EP of their original music in 2012. Students are also given control and ownership of the yearbook, participate in various clubs, and are given the freedom to explore their curiosities. One senior, Maddy Tuten, expressed an interest in psychology. Through an independent study program, she is now the only Smith student studying the discipline. “I like going to Smith because I’m around a bunch of people I like all day,” she said. “Everybody really understands and embraces each other and their differences.” She has been attending the school since sixth grade after having struggled with anxiety at her former school. After a year of Smith’s individualized, one-onone teaching program, Tuten joined Smith’s regular small classes and gradually overcame her fear of failure. “Smith has supported me through a lot and sort of acted as a second home and second family. When I first got

to Smith, school was not a place that I wanted to be at all,” she said. “They understood and accepted that. It wasn’t a problem.” Tuten is thinking about majoring in psychology at either Hunter College or Simmons College starting this fall. “You get to know kids, especially those who have been here for a long time, and their families,” said Brendan Klages, Smith’s high school English teacher. He interrupted himself to call to a Smith student walking down the hall: “Do you need something or are you just grabbing a glass of water? OK. Just behave yourself.” Klages, who has been teaching at Smith for four years, emphasized the diversity of the population as well as the difference that being in a small environment makes. He’s been able to differentiate between students and their learning levels and create a program where everybody moves forward together even as individual students continue getting the guidance they need. There is a daily 45-minute study hall for all students, an after-school program where students can complete their homework with teachers and a two-hour staff meeting each Friday. “We sit down and hammer out topics such as who’s not completing homework, who’s struggling and who’s class it’s happening in,” he said. “So there’s a lot of communication, we develop strategies as we go throughout the year and eliminate problems before the child feels that they’re so far behind they can’t even try.” As for after Smith? Students are given real-world experience even though they go to a small school with only 49 other kids and a group of friendly, dedicated staff. Levin runs a program with the speech and language pathologist Judy Nussbaum teaching real-life practical skills to some students. Levin and Nussbaum take them to the supermarket to shop for groceries and interact with others and provide the chance to experience what life is like outside Smith while still under its tutelage. Tuten, while reasonably nervous for university, is ready to go. “I learned how to advocate for myself and that’s a huge part of being an adult,” she said. “I think Smith has prepared me in a way I won’t fully realize until I go away.”

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“I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HELP THAT HOMELESS MAN.”

BE THE SOMEONE. Sam New York Cares Volunteer

Every day, we think to ourselves that someone should really help make this city a better place. Visit newyorkcares.org to learn about the countless ways you can volunteer and make a difference in your community.

APRIL 14-20,2016

APRIL 14-20,2016

CLASSIFIEDS PEST CONTROL

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