Our Town - April 23, 2020 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper East Side DR. MAX GIVES US THE FACTS ◄ P.6

FROM BAD TO WORSE

HOUSING

NYCHA resident details “unlivable conditions” during the pandemic BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

On Monday morning, La Keesha Taylor woke up to take a shower to find there was no hot water running in her bathroom. This is a typical occurrence at the Stanley Isaacs housing development at 93rd Street on the Upper East Side. Taylor already put in two tickets this month

alone for NYCHA to fix the problems in the boiler room. She’s used to there being no hot water and to her neighbors talking about the mold growing in their homes. It’s a part of life at NYCHA housing. Now, during the COVID-19 outbreak, no hot water for Taylor’s morning shower meant losing the few minutes of alone time she’s afforded as a single mother of two young boys who now depend on her not only as a caretaker, but also as an educator and entertainer. “This has pushed back my entire morning as we resume

remote learning and need to get back on schedule,” Taylor, 46, said Monday. Taylor has lived at the Isaacs housing development all of her life. Her family was one of the first African American families to move into the building when the development was built in the 60s, she said. As she remembers it, Isaacs was a much different place back then. When she was growing up, she and her friends could sit in the hallway and talk or play hopscotch and kick the can in the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Photo: U.S. House Office of Photography

ZOOMING INTO THE PRIMARY POLITICS

A virtual forum with the Democratic candidates for New York’s 12th Congressional District BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

Although the coronavirus pandemic has become a major obstacle for those running for public office this year, candidates running in

INSIDE THE ‘R’ FACTOR

An important metric shows that the lockdowns are working in New York. p. 2

DESPITE CLOSED DOORS, GENERATIONS CONNECT

7 HOME OFFICE TIPS FROM THE PROS

Interior designers John Barman and Joe Ginsberg offer suggestions to help you wow colleagues on your next Zoom call. p. 11

LaKeesha Taylor and her two sons (ages 5 & 8). Photo courtesy of LaKeesha Taylor

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

OurTownEastSide

@OurTownNYC

23-29 2020

How one Manhattan teen‘s idea is helping seniors feel less alone at home. p. 8

the Democratic primary to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District were able to share their messages with voters last week during a virtual forum. The Upper East Side chapter of Indivisible, a progressive advocacy group, hosted the four candidates running for the seat that serves much of Manhattan’s East Side, as well as parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The candidates on

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

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BAD TO WORSE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 parking lot. It was a community where everyone knew everyone. She remembers her family experiencing the usual problems of life, but she doesn’t remember NYCHA contributing to her family’s problems. Now, in her role as a leader of the Holmes Isaacs Coalition, Taylor is part of a lawsuit against alleging unlivable conditions that NYCHA has failed to fix. The suit details NYCHA’s alleged failure to provide the basic services of heat and hot water, but it also claims that tenants are dealing with rodent and insect infestations. Taylor said tenants are suffering from mold. One of her neighbors told management that her oven would not heat above 250 degrees, and NYCHA offered to replace it with a two-burner hot plate. Taylor saved money and bought her neighbor a new stove on her own.

Sign showing that one of the building’s two elevators is out of order. Photo courtesy of LaKeesha Taylor

These poor conditions at the development have become magnified and inescapable during the pandemic as tenants are confined to their homes. “Residents are experiencing anxiety living in the development,” said Greg Morris, who runs the housing development’s community center and has built close connections with tenants like Taylor. “There’s an amount of desperation. There’s seniors who are sort of stuck between

making choices between food and medicine and rent. The funds are getting low.” Taylor elaborated on the specific issues that have made life more difficult during the pandemic. The elevators have never worked properly, even when she was a kid, but now there is one completely out of commission. In a 25-floor building with about 2,200 residents, keeping six feet a part from other tenants is not possible. Taylor said an elevator only has to make one stop

for it to become overcrowded. She said there have been no signs that the elevator will be repaired, and that even when both are “in order” they still don’t work properly most of the time. “There’s no opportunity for social distance,” Taylor said. “The only way to social distance is for people to stay in their house.” Taylor said she is going to continue to take her kids outside though because they need the fresh air and opportunity for exercise. It’s also unclear how many times a week the building is being cleaned, who is cleaning it and how thorough a job the workers are doing, Taylor said. It appears that NYCHA has hired outside contractors to clean the buildings, but the workers don’t have a uniform or identification of any kind to indicate that they’re hired cleaners. She said when the cleaners are at the building, she doesn’t see the cleaning being done with much care. “When you walk by the staircase, it reeks of urine,” she said. “It’s obviously not

being done. It’s haphazard. You can’t believe what you can’t see.”

Food Delivery The crowded elevators and poor sanitation has added stress to Taylor doing simple tasks such as taking garbage to the shoot or going downstairs to collect her mail. All the while, Taylor said the way NYCHA responds to tenant complaints is unhelpful and unproductive. She said management recently pinned signs with information about changing rent policies in Cantonese, Spanish and Arabic, but the English copy was missing. “I sent an email to tell them that it was gone,” she said. “I have no idea what this important form says. A week went by, and by then all of the forms were gone and none of them have been replaced. “People are staying in their homes. These should be posted on every single floor.” She said the agency needs to be doing more to be getting information to every demographic in its buildings to en-

There’s no opportunity for social distance. The only way to social distance is for people to stay in their house.” LaKeesha Taylor sure people’s safety. But on top of all of this, Taylor thinks NYCHA should be doing more to ensure that tenants are not going hungry. Taylor has helped other tenants get food delivered from City Harvest, but she said the city needs to do better to make it available to people. She said every community center and NYCHA developments should have food delivered to them. “We have people who are already in dire conditions because we live in NYCHA,” she said. “They’re killing us with the mold. They’re killing us with the non-repairs. And people can’t find food. This is a problem.”

NEW YORKERS:

STAY HOME TO STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS New Yorkers working together and staying home can slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in New York City. When you go out for essential needs, work or to get fresh air, keep distance between yourself and others and take the following precautions.

PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS • Keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others. • Wash your hands with soap and water often. • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing. • Do not touch your face with unwashed hands. • Monitor your health more closely than usual for cold or ﬂu symptoms.

IF YOU ARE SICK • Stay home. • If you have a cough, shortness of breath, fever, sore throat and do not feel better after 3-4 days, consult with your doctor. • If you need help getting medical care, call 311. • NYC will provide care regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.

REDUCE OVERCROWDING

PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE • Stay home if you have lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer or a weakened immune system. • Stay home and call, video chat or text with family or friends who have one of these conditions.

• Stay home. • Telecommute if possible. If you do go out: • Stagger work hours away from peak travel times. • Walk or bike. • Do not gather in crowds.

Text COVID to 692-692 for real-time updates or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus. Call 311 to report harassment or discrimination. Call 888-NYC-WELL, text "WELL" to 65173 or chat online at nyc.gov/nycwell to connect with a counselor. *Messages and data rates may apply. Check your wireless provider plan for details.

Bill de Blasio Mayor Oxiris Barbot, MD Commissioner

APRIL 23-29, 2020

THE ‘R’ FACTOR CORONAVIRUS

An important metric shows that the lockdowns are working in New York BY MICHAEL ORESKES

The lockdowns are working. The coronavirus is retreating. One of the most basic metrics in epidemiology, the legendary R, has fallen below 1 in New York, which means that, on average, each infected person is spreading the infection to fewer than one other person. So long as that stays true, the epidemic will recede. After a weekend when hundreds of New Yorkers died, this may sound like a view through heavily rose-colored glasses. In fact, this rate of transmission, or reproduction, is vital to what we can do next and when we can do it.

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In other countries R has become part of the public conversation. In Hong Kong, the School of Public Health issues a regular update (R was .2516 last Friday). Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the German public a tutorial on R that reminded everyone of her training in quantum chemistry. On Friday, Dr. Tom Frieden, who has held two of the most important public health jobs in the country, director of the Centers for Disease Control as well as Health Commissioner of New York City, said that the transmission rate has been driven below 1 here. The next day Governor Cuomo reported that the rate is now .9. Encouraging, although, as he noted, not nearly as good as the .3 Wuhan reported as it curbed the virus there.

Tracking R in Real Time Uderstanding R, as esoteric as it may at first seem, is vital.

here in New York. Three factors combine to create this number, Frieden’s team at Prevent Epidemics explains: How long a carrier is contagious, the number of people that infected person comes in contact with and how easy the virus is to pass along the virus. The lockdowns have focused on radically reducing contact and making it harder for the virus to pass from an infected person to others. These efforts appear to be shutting down the virus. But they also have shut down the economy.

Boxing in the Virus On Sunday, April 19, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the New York State Department of Health would begin to conduct a statewide antibody testing survey. Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/ Ofﬁce of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

For the next year or two, R will be our north star as we try to resume some semblance of regular (let’s not even say normal) life and work. Frieden and his colleagues wrote an article last week describing the value of tracking R in real time because of its “important impli-

cations for disease control.” First a crash course. R, sometimes called Ro or Rt, is the number of people an infected person would be expected to give the infection to. Aboard the Diamond Princess, R was 14, Frieden said, and possibly as high as 5 in the early days of the epidemic

Saving a life is easy. Pay attention. Respect work zones.

Can we find a new approach that lets economic life resume while controlling coronavirus? Frieden says yes, but we have to change the conversation. “It’s not about when we can reopen,” he explains, “but what we have to do to make that date come sooner.” It is about what needs to be in place to restart safely, Frieden says in a matter of fact way that doesn’t directly criticize the public

officials who have tried to set the date first. Frieden gave a briefing Friday to describe how to box in the virus (#BoxItIn). There are four components and if any are weak the virus can escape. The first has received a lot of attention. That is testing. We are still weeks away from being able to conduct enough tests. Second, everyone who tests positive must be isolated. Instead of isolating everyone from everyone, as under the present lockdowns, we need to isolate those who are contagious from the rest of us. That can be at home, hotels or facilities set up to house them. Third is to trace everyone the infected person came in contact with and, fourth, isolate them too, if they may be contagious. The health department is looking at city workers who might be reassigned to this task. But there is also no shortage of out-ofwork residents who could be trained relatively quickly to talk to fellow New Yorkers about keeping us all healthy.

APRIL 23-29, 2020

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DR. MAX GIVES US THE FACTS HEALTH

CBS’s medical correspondent on what to do if you experience COVID-19 symptoms, the importance of short-term treatments - and when it’s safe to reopen the city BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Now, more than ever, New Yorkers are looking for medical advice from trustworthy sources. That is why we are fortunate the pandemic hasn’t stopped Dr. Max Gomez from lending his expertise to all of us at home during this time of uncertainty. Reporting from a makeshift TV studio in his living room, he is doing his part to educate viewers about COVID-19. In his segment “Max Minute,” he’s been weighing in on virtually every coronavirusrelated topic. In addition, he gives practical advice to New Yorkers like whether it’s safe to go to the laundromat and how to social-distance in crowded apartments. During his more than 30-year career in broadcast journalism, he earned 9 Emmys. For his coverage of the 9/11 attacks, Gomez was given an Excellence in a Time of Crisis award by the NYC health department. After a virtual editorial meeting with CBS, where he has served as medical correspondent since 2007, the doctor took the time to counsel us on best practices for staying safe. As for symptoms, he said to watch for fever, cough, fatigue and loss of sense of taste or smell. If you are experiencing any of these, he advises that you call your local hospital or doctor’s office for a phone triage to determine the next steps.

Why is it important to wear a mask when going out? The main usefulness for masks is to keep you from get-

Dr. Max Gomez. Photo: Gillian Fry/Guerrero Howe

ting somebody else sick. And you might be one of those asymptomatic propagators, or spreaders, or one of those people who got only mildly sick. You might be out there spreading it if you didn’t have a mask on. If you cough, sneeze or even just breathe or talk, it’s pretty much all being caught by the mask. If you’re wearing it and you’re not sick, it reminds you not to touch your face. That’s one of the main ways you can get infected- touching your eyes, nose, mouth. It doesn’t do very much to prevent you from breathing in some infected droplets, but even a little bit is better than nothing.

After shopping for groceries, what should be the cleaning procedure? You absolutely need to wash your hands; you can’t wash them too often. You can try to clean and wipe down your groceries and things. I don’t happen to think that makes a huge difference, but I know a lot of people are doing it. Studies are that the virus doesn’t really survive very long at all, just a few hours, perhaps, on cardboard. The study I saw was somewhere

from four to six hours on cardboard and cloth. Let’s say you have someone who is infected handle your box of cereal and you pick it up with your gloves and take it home, but then you don’t wipe the box down. You’d have to almost immediately, in the next few hours, pick up that box without your gloves, touch it exactly in the place that the person who was infected touched it, get the virus on your hands, and then in relatively short order, touch your face.

What symptoms should we be watching for? The number one symptom is fever. Fever and fatigue that comes on pretty suddenly. The flu is sort of like that, and it’s a similar thing where you could be okay in the morning, and by lunchtime, you’re feeling like you got hit by a truck. It turns out that the sudden loss of smell or taste is another symptom that sometimes comes on even before you get really sick. A dry, unproductive cough is another signal. Some people say they get some gastrointestinal symptoms, but that can be so many things.

APRIL 23-29, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com When do you think we’ll be seeing a vaccine? We are not going to see a vaccine in any significant numbers for the general public for two years at least. People are saying 12 to 18 months, but then let’s say you find a vaccine that looks like it’s effective. Well, now you’re going to have a couple of billion people across the globe who are going to want that. So it’s going to take that long to ramp up the production of this. And then you’re going to have to decide how you’ll prioritize it.

The ONLY way we can have safe re-opening of the economy and society is if we have massive, universal, reliable, accessible, affordable testing so we know who is infected and must be quarantined.” Dr. Max Gomez If people have those symptoms, what should they do? What you don’t want to do is show up at the hospital or your doctor’s office unannounced. Because if you really are sick, that’s a good way to spread it to everybody else. Or if you’re not sick, and the waiting room is filled with people who are sick, that’s a good way for you to get sick. So the thing to do is, ahead of time, get your local hospital’s main number and your doctor’s phone number. And then if these things start to come on, call and ask for advice and then they’ll do a phone triage. Also, have a thermometer at home because then they’ll say, “What’s your temperature?” and you’ll say, “I don’t know,” and that’s not going to be helpful.

Tell us about short-term treatments that can work. What is much more important in the short run is a treatment, that can be stem cells, some of these antiviral drugs. It might be hydroxychloroquine; we don’t know about that yet. One very important thing is going to be these antibodies; convalescent serum is what it’s called. Somebody who has recovered from this has antibodies in their plasma. You would sequence those antibodies and then you can manufacture those and call them monoclonal antibodies, and you can turn them into a drug. Those antibodies go after the virus-infected cells.

When do you think the city should be resuming activity? The rush to re-open is courting disaster. Whether the date is May 1, which is still being pushed by some, or later in the month, premature re-opening will inevitably lead to a resurgence of covid19 infections, increased hospitalizations and a tragic surge in the death rate. Yes, we’re seeing the so-called curve flattening but the only reason the curve is flattening is because we have been practicing social distancing. And if we stop doing that, mark my words, you will see the curve go back up and people will start to die again in big numbers. The ONLY way we can have safe re-opening of the economy and society is if we have massive, universal, reliable, accessible, affordable testing so we know who is infected and must be quarantined. We are NOWHERE near that … after 2 months we’ve barely tested 1% of the population. That’s not enough unless you’re in the camp that’s willing to trade hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of excess deaths in order to get back to “normal.” That’s not a trade-off I’m willing to make. To learn more about Dr. Max’s work, visit www.drmaxgomez.com and for his Max Minute segments, newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/max-minute

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

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DESPITE CLOSED DOORS, GENERATIONS CONNECT SENIOR LIVING

How one Manhattan teen’s idea is helping seniors feel less alone at home BY JENNIFER DOHERTY

Suzie Linchon has been struggling to pass the time since her senior assisted living center, Yorkville Gardens, closed its doors to visitors last month in an effort to protect residents from the novel coronavirus. The Upper East Side resident is originally from Taiwan, and spoke to Straus News with the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, but she didn’t need help describing her COVID-19 social distancing experience. “So boring!” she exclaimed. One bright spot in her week came in the form of a phone call from Christine Xu. The call was a test run for Generations Connect—or GensConnect, for short—a project Xu created to link seniors to high school-age partners for weekly conversations and support. “I kind of came up with it because my grandparents live in China, and I’m really close to them. I know how scary it can be to be an older person during an epidemic like this,” Xu told Straus News. “So we, my family, we talk to them and call them and it kind of helps both sides feel a little safer and more assured about the whole situation.” At just 16 years old, Xu has already established herself a

After coronavirus is over, I’m hoping that we could meet the seniors face-toface, kind of a group field trip, and talk in person.” Chapin student Christine Xu

Intergenerational connection at a New York Foundation for Senior Citizens-sponsored building on East 93rd Street. Photo courtesy of New York Foundation for Senior Citizens

force for good. Along with keeping up her studies at The Chapin School, she was a regular volunteer at the Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen in Lower Manhattan since 2018, until social distancing forced her to stay home. The virus also put a damper on her plans to attend a social sciences-focused summer program at Yale University entitled “Solving Global Challenges,” but Xu kept a positive mindset. “I mean, there’s already like a global challenge here, so why not try to solve it now?” Xu explained. Linchon and Xu’s first conversation was brief but very enjoyable according to both parties. They introduced themselves and Linchon asked Xu about her grandparents in China.

Starting Small Generations Connect has found a great supporter in Linda Hoffman, president of the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, which manages a number of senior centers and “enriched housing” programs around town, including the building where Linchon lives. Generations Connect is starting small, as Xu and Hoffman establish methods for vetting volunteers. “We’re doing it very carefully, very slowly,” Hoffman explained. “We’re being very protective of our seniors. But we’re also recognizing who would be the most appropriate and trying to match ap-

propriately.” Madison Cohen, 16, was an early GensConnect volunteer, helping get the program off the ground. She was paired with Mary Elizabeth Dee, a resident at another one of the foundation’s buildings on the Upper East Side. Dee and Cohen found mutual interest in their love of art — Ms. Dee is a visual artist, while Cohen enjoys photography. “I really enjoyed learning about her career since she was a teacher and then also worked for a magazine. I think it was cool to see that she had both of those jobs,” Cohen told Straus News following the call. The pair planned to talk again Monday. Xu has more volunteers ready hop on the phone and Hoffman’s team is matching them with their resident seniors. Both sides hope GensConnect will lead to friendships that provide comfort through the pandemic, and eventually outlast it. “After coronavirus is over, I’m hoping that we could meet the seniors face-to-face, kind of a group field trip, and talk in person,” said Xu. Until then, Generations Connect is already “removing feelings of isolation and loneliness” according to Hoffman. “It gives support. It gives a new outlook on life and it gives a connection. There’s social connection rather than social distancing.” Gens Connect: https://www.gensconnect.com

APRIL 23-29, 2020

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

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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.

THINGS ARE GOOD

VIEWPOINT

BY DEBORAH FENKER

Made you look, didn’t I? No, things are not good right now, generally and comprehensively speaking. In fact, pretty much everything, in every respect, is basically as bad as we could have conceived of it ever getting. Although (and it’s true) things could always get worse; frankly, they still might. But there are glimmers at the end of this dreary tunnel. Even Governor Cuomo is starting to mention it might be time to at least start thinking about getting this big lug of a city back up and running again. But in the meantime, haven’t you noticed a few things, trifling as they may be, that have improved over the past month? First, in accordance with the sixfoot distancing policies, people are getting out of one another’s way on sidewalks. There is some serious trajectory-avoidance going on; I have not been run into since this began, which used to happen on a daily basis preCOVID. People are certainly respecting each other’s space now, both for their own safety and the greater good. A brief respite from construction noise has brought an unprecedented quiet to the city streets, which for me, erupted daily from the Chelsea Hotel’s dinosaur-era hydraulic lift rumbling up and down all day long. I’m sympathetic to the loss of work, and realize it’s just postponement, but it’s brilliant not to awaken to a cacophany of drills and rotohammers. People are cooking more, which is almost definitively healthier, and it’s also a great skill to learn, or re-learn, as the case may be. Making your own food can be

comforting, connecting, fun and inherently rewarding. That said, I will be on the front line of the cheerleaders when the restaurants reopen, raring for something other than my own cooking, which reminds me daily how much I love, appreciate and worship the chefs of New York City, the greatest in the world. And maybe you haven’t gotten a haircut in a while, or your nails done. All those expensive salon treatments now seem somewhat frivolous: were they that important, in the grand scheme of things? Isn’t maybe that money better spent elsewhere? Those kind of treatments (emphasis on “treat”) might become a little less mandatory now, or at least we’ll appreciate them as luxury when salons reopen.

The Human Voice Speaking of appreciation, remember how much love you felt for whoever held that grocery store door open for you, saving you from its potential contamination? Remember that courtesy, which you can return by letting a few more people through every door opened. The less people touch it, the better. All this heightened hygiene-conscientiousness could curtail subsequent cold and flu seasons and their intensities, resulting in less sniffly-achey maladies overall. I’ve even been thanking the grocery store stockists, mail deliverers, pretty much any one doing anything productive that I surely took for granted prior. Did you thank the shelfstocker today at Trader Joe’s? Plus, have you gotten any phone calls lately? When did THAT happen before - people actually picking up the phone - and using it AS a phone? Isn’t it nice to hear a voice, get the humanity of vocal correspondence rather than a litany of jumbled typos and arbitrary emojis? Texts have their

IN A DARK TIME, THE EYE BEGINS TO SEE COMMUNITY

BY CONSTANCE H. GEMSON

Random mini stuffed bunny on a grocery store shelf. Photo: Deborah Fenker

time and place, but there is something sacred and connective about the human voice, and connection right now is a coveted commodity. What I haven’t been getting is a lot of campaign calls, another bonus. I still see random Facebook ads or unsolicited email plea for donations, but normally this would be the time for frenzied political stumping, and it has been blissfully sparse. Even though right now, electing the right people is going to be life-alteringly crucial, and I wouldn’t mind hearing a bit more from who’s who and what they’re going to do. The air seem cleaner, and it’s not just my imagination. From Houston to Wuhan, air quality has improved since COVID-19 reared its ugly face, and this effect may also have the added benefit of reducing respiratory illnesses that perpetuate the virus’s morbidity. And maybe more than anything, people seem nicer. Whether it is in the name of self-preservation or actual thoughtfulness, I don’t really care. It’s lovely. People smile at one another as they run essential errands, their faces not buried in their phones. Yes, they’re obfuscated by masks, N95 or makeshift contraptions of coffee filters with rubber bands, but you can see a crinkle around the eyes, an upwardly-shifted cheek. While it may be commiseratory rather than joyful, a smile is a smile, and I’ll take it. And I will give it right back to you.

Streets were once a whirl of sound and movement. Now the Upper West Side seems like a slow summer Saturday with so many skipping town, finding pleasure somewhere else. Cheery optimism is not present now. My neighborhood looks like an empty stage set. Owners post signs on their restaurant doors, bright as beach balls. Some signs say closed, with takeout orders only. A few flyers post long messages with support for their neighbors and the community we all love. Others read like prayers. I look up at the sky seeing birds that once circled in unity are flying in all different directions. The sky still seems blue and the day is beautiful. This cheerful view is an illusion. These days are the time of the coronavirus. The world seems split open. I discover hope in an unusual place. For over five years, I conducted telephone classes for the elderly. No, we don’t Skype or Zoom. The process is simple. We meet by conference call to create a safety net, warm as a winter quilt. The program is called University Without Walls, one of the programs of Dorot, a nonprofit organization. Topics include art, music and health advocacy. For this spring, I developed seven one-hour phone sessions. One title was “Resiliency: Bouncing Back After Hard Times.” I researched the theme, produced a booklet for group members, and encouraged discussion. Intimacy develops. We are aware of sadness or joy in a simple “Hello.” We are scattered over this country in different settings, time zones and histories. Group members live in San Francisco, Miami, Staten Island and the Bronx. Most participants do not

Photo courtesy of Constance H. Gemson

have computers. At least two in my group are homebound. Their entire world may be a very small space. Usually, we explore the class’s topic. Now, we assess their lives. The participants do not focus on political strategies or new medical advances. Their solutions are simple. Discover knitting. Plan a schedule. Reach out to friends and family. Listen to music. Light a candle. Write letters. One bed-bound woman told the class how she loved crocheting booties and filled them with jelly beans. I suggest journaling to keep a record of these dark times. One member states she lived in Israel through “the war years. I can get through anything.” Another mentions the power of those who survived the Holocaust. Unity develops between these unknown, invisible strangers. Our phones, our thoughts become a chord of connection. In this time of the coronavirus, this bleak unknown, the music of our voices lights the way. Constance H. Gemson creates and conducts workshops on resiliency, creativity and other topics. Her play “A Cigarette Girl in The South Bronx” was recently produced by the Working Theater.

President & Publisher, Jeanne Straus nyoffice@strausnews.com

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Senior Reporter Doug Feiden Staff Reporter Emily Higginbotham

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

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Stronger together.

“An appropriate size monitor” is crucial for a productive day. Photo courtesy of Joe Ginsberg

7 HOME OFFICE TIPS FROM THE PROS 4. Get in Gear

WFH FILES Interior designers John Barman and Joe Ginsberg offer suggestions to help you wow colleagues on your next Zoom call

Comfort is essential in these stressful times.” Interior designer Joe Ginsberg

BY JENNIFER DOHERTY

Maybe posting up on the sofa with your laptop worked fine for the first week of #CoronaLockdown, or perhaps your cellmate – er, spouse — has asked you to vacate the kitchen table to make way for their newfound love of baking. Whatever your situation, an appealing and functional home office can help re-establish workday normalcy as we settle in for more social distancing. For tips on setting up your corner (of the bedroom) office, Straus News turned to two of Manhattan’s premiere interior designers, John Barman and Joe Ginsberg.

1. Get Comfortable “Comfort is essential in these stressful times,” according to Ginsberg, whose portfolio covers some of New York’s most stylish lofts and penthouse apartments, as well as commercial properties including Christian Dior and the Marmara Park Avenue Hotel. For Barman, whose highend residences have featured in multiple design books including “John Barman Interior Design” and “City Living: Inspirational Homes in the

Heart of the City,” a good home office is all about personalization: “People have different feelings towards their workspaces. Some people like to be more cluttered, as it would be in their office, some people like to be more Spartan because they can think better.” Barman encourages WFH beginners to “think back to the way they work in their regular office,” and draw from what worked there.

2. Tidy Up “The important thing is to find a space that you can devote to your work and keep it neat,” Barman told Straus News. For his own home workspace, the designer prefers a minimalist set-up of white walls, white carpet and a black desk. “Have whatever you need handy for storage to keep things organized and reduce clutter,” Ginsberg recommended.

3. Shine a Light “Lighting is critical!” Ginsberg wrote, adding “no fluorescent.” He recommends task lighting to brighten up workspaces when burning the midnight oil.

“Efficient technology for uninterrupted workflow” including “an appropriate size monitor” is crucial for a productive day at the home office, according to Ginsberg.

5. Separate Yourself

Dear Neighbors, During these unprecedented times, many New Yorkers may not know who to call or who will answer their call when they need assistance. For over 120 years, the professionals at Frank E. Campbell – The Funeral Chapel have been answering our phones 24 hours a day. Through the happier times and the challenging times, we have remained a trusted community resource and are ready to assist New Yorkers at a moment’s notice.

For both designers, elbow room isn’t as important establishing a place to work that’s separate from homier spaces. “People working on a laptop don’t necessarily need that much space, but it’s nicer if it’s a space devoted to it that doesn’t become something else, if possible,” Barman explained.

Together, we have endured the most disconcerting of times due to our resolve, our commitment and our love for each other. It is with this that we remind our neighbors that, together, New York City will come through this difﬁcult time stronger and with a greater awareness.

6. Stage Your Calls

Sincerely,

For on-camera appearances, like teaching or being interviewed, Barman recommends replacing family photos with more generic artwork, and adding a plant to distract from domestic clutter. Even off camera, “flowers and other greenery and/or music are a very soothing addition,” Ginsberg noted.

Be well and stay safe.

William Villanova President, Frank E. Campbell – The Funeral Chapel

7. Suit Up As a finishing touch, Barman encourages housebound workers to forego the all-day bathrobe look, telling Straus News: “It changes your attitude for the whole day and makes you feel much more businesslike,” that combined with having “a space that’s definitely a workspace, and an attractive workspace” is a recipe for work-from-home success.

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

TURNING FOUND PARTS INTO ART SCULPTURE

Morningside Heights artist is given his building as a canvas BY ANGELA BARBUTI

The adage that someone’s trash can become another’s treasure is reinforced daily at the home of Mark Gordon. The retired lighting designer and electrical contractor has made a second career out of creating art from found objects. From Scrabble tiles to bottle caps to crack vial tops, all of the materials he uses he’s collected on the city’s streets. When the over 100-year-old elevators of his building at 420 Riverside Drive were being replaced, tenants expressed sadness at the loss of these pieces of history, which were decorated with ornate copperclad brass paneling. Gordon offered his solution; he would preserve their parts by transforming them into works of art. This labor of love took over one year, and included countless hours of removing the layers of paint, dust and grime that accumulated since

Elevated Art #2. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor/Dianne Dubler

the elevators had been installed in 1912. It resulted in 16 unique pieces of “elevated art,” all of which are displayed in the building for residents to enjoy. A beloved resident of the building since 1983, Gordon had done much of its rewiring and repairing, so was given free rein to construct “the elevator project,” as he refers to it. “I was given carte blanche to treat the building as my canvas,” he explained. “It was perfect for me.”

You ﬁnd objects every day. Which have been the most unusual? I don’t go out looking for things; I just find things. Last week, for instance, I found a chromed truck tire rim, which I brought home. Is it unusual, no? There are things, however, that interest me, shape-wise. When I first started making these things, I called what I did, “bulbus,” because I seemed to have been very interested in the bulb, rounded shapes, and was using lights. Originally, that was what attracted to me to various things, a bulbus shape to which I might add Lord knows what else.

Some of your work includes crack vial tops, which you would gather in Morningside Park. I moved to the Morningside Heights area in 1983. At night, my wife was not the only woman who would walk home down the middle of the street because it could be dangerous for a young lady alone on the sidewalk. I discovered Morningside Park in about 1987. I had a job remodeling a brownstone on Manhattan Avenue, down in Harlem. It was a complete dump at that time. It’s all staircases and they were all falling apart. It was completely overgrown and it was filled with crack vials. I would gather them up like I was going to pick nuts. When the epi-

A 200-lb. brass gear that Mark Gordon “returned to its home, so to speak, in that it is mounted on the elevator blockhouse.” Photo: Mark Gordon

demic hit, that park was especially filled with debris of drug addicts. They didn’t clean this up until 2010, something like that. It’s in excellent shape now.

wire brushes, sanders, grinders, cleaning, you name it. It was in there for 100 years, you know. There was serious dirt and oil and more dirt. It was like cleaning off parts of a car.

and then other floors asked for them. And since I was putting these together in the building shop, the guys wanted one for their employees’ lounge.

Take us through the process of putting together the ﬁrst piece of the elevator project.

What feedback did you get from residents?

Tell us a little bit about the building’s history and why it’s so special to you.

One of the pieces is from the old manual controls for the elevator, which is the switch that you turn left and right to go up or down. And then the center is the stop. It was the control for the elevator car and I thought it was really cool and that it deserved its own place in the universe. That is a true found object that’s almost 95 percent what it is. There’s just a couple of things added to it. Stripping, de-greasing, using

Detail of Elevated Art #1. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor/Dianne Dubler

I put up the first series, which was the five bottom panels, which were in public areas. Two of them went up at the roof accesses; three of them were downstairs where the freight elevator is in the lobby. So I put those five in and people were really pleased with that. And then I did the next series, which was stuff mostly from the passenger elevators, and those three went in the stairwell between the twelfth floor and the roof. It was a huge stairwell with absolutely nothing there. People saw that and thought it was really great because it really makes the space as you go upstairs. And then the other six were put out to bid, so to speak, because as I was putting up the ones downstairs, somebody said, in an Italian accent, “I want one of these on my floor.” And I said, “Well, ask the board. Every person on your floor has to say yes.” So the ninth floor did it and then the tenth floor,

It was a mansion and it was torn down and this building was erected in 1912. This was a high-end apartment building when it first opened. It went co-op in 1985. In the first five years after that, a lot of people left and a certain number of people moved in, all of whom had or were having kids, including myself and my wife. There were a lot of people in the building who raised their kids together and who felt a certain sense of community with each other that has lasted a long time. And it’s finally changing because we have 84 apartments and if three or four apartments every year changes hands, that means over a ten-year period, half the building is different. So the past cannot be recreated, but a lot of us really feel that we have a special building.

To see more of Mark Gordon’s work: markgordonsculptures.com

APRIL 23-29, 2020

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PRIMARY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the virtual forum conducted over Zoom included incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney and insurgent candidates Suraj Patel, Peter Harrison and Lauren Ashcraft. During the 90-minute forum, candidates were each given 10 minutes to explain why they were running for Congress and talk about the issues that matter to them.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney During her opening remarks, Congresswoman Maloney, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, spoke mostly about her involvement in crafting the recent stimulus package passed by Congress and how the Trump Administration has handled the outbreak. Maloney, who has served in Congress since 1993, highlighted that she held a hearing on March 11 that she dubbed a “turning point” in the crisis, during which she said she and her colleagues “examined the systemic failures of this administration to adequately protect the American people from this threat.” Additionally, Maloney talked about a bill she has introduced to forgive the student loan debt for nurses, doctors and medical technicians who are currently serving or join in serving on the frontlines of hospitals to battle the coronavirus. She said she is trying to get it into the next stimulus packages, adding that it would bring much

needed personnel into the system to help patients. On voting rights, Maloney said she is working in Congress to move to create grants to help cities and states move to voting by mail for upcoming elections and to modernize the voting machines. She also defended her opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, which her opponents characterized as pro-war. Maloney said rather she thought the deal hadn’t gone far enough to keep nuclear weapons out of Iran, and once it was in place she supported keeping it in place.

Peter Harrison Harrison, who has lived in the district for 14 years, came into politics as a housing activist after experiencing issues as a tenant in Stuyvesant Town, where he has lived for 11 years. “I actually had to fight to two bogus eviction notices myself down the housing court on my own, and that experience — for lack of a better word — radicalized me and changed the entire course of my life.” He changed course and attended graduate school at Columbia University to study urban planning and alternative equity models in housing. He helped author housing plans for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and parts of the Green New Deal. Harrison said he is running for Congress now to fight the biggest problems he believes the country is facing: eco-

nomic insecurity and inequality, racial injustice and climate disaster. He said Congress needs new ideas to conquer these issues and that his relationship to policy would help tackle them. Harrison said no one should have doubts about funding big, structural initiatives for the country, such as the Green New Deal, after COVID-19 since Congress “magically created” the money for the trillions of dollars in the stimulus package.

Lauren Ashcraft Ashcraft, a project manager in the financial sector as well as a standup comedian, set herself a part from the other insurgent candidates as the most willing to go after Maloney in her statements. Ashcraft, who said she identifies as a democratic socialist, said that by electing her, voters have a chance to save people “because the status quo is killing people.” She characterized Maloney as a passive leader who thinks her job is to “sign onto things sometimes, when there is political pressure to do so.” Ashcraft grounded many of her political beliefs and policy goals in the experiences of her family. She said her grandfather had been killed “from corporate greed” in a coal mining accident and that her grandmother had to care for her family using Social Security, which has made her a staunch advocate for the social safety net. Her grandfather on the other side of her family was a quadriplegic, but

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her family could not afford caretakers, which she said has made fighting for Medicare for All one of her most important crusades. “I am fighting to prioritize people,” Ashcraft said. “Working people who have gone ignored and oppressed.”

Suraj Patel Patel also told a personal story in explaining his candidacy for Congress. In the context of thinking about essential workers during the pandemic, he said he had fam-

ily members who served the public. His father was an MTA engineer, his uncle was a security guard and his family owned a bodega that they lived above when he was growing up. “I think about them too, because this city is run by folks who currently are sacrificing a lot to keep us moving and keep us alive,” said Patel, who himself had contracted coronavirus and has since recovered. He said while he was sick he had a lot of time to think about plans for universal test-

ing for COVID-19, and released one through his campaign. As more and more Americans file for unemployment as states remain on lockdown, Patel pointed to his own experience in helping run his family business during the 2009 financial crisis. He said his family did their best to do right by employees, and are having to make those decisions again. He said fresh perspectives and new ideas will be necessary to lead the country out of this new financial crisis.

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

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Can you figure out where each of these words go in the article below?

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve been working like a dog”? People say this when they work really hard. Some people say this phrase started because sheepdogs work guarding sheep from dawn until dusk and their only pay is food, a place to sleep and affection. Dogs have been sharing their lives with humans for at least 12,000 years. Since early times, dogs helped people in many ways.

A TRUE STORY!

Bravery Award for Holly

Help the sheepdog find all the sheep on this page.

Holly, a specially trained rescue dog received a

Dogs who help people in their everyday lives are called canine companions and assistance dogs. Some dogs are carefully trained to perform tasks to help the blind, deaf, or mobility-impaired people.

____________ award for saving victims of the Kashmir earthquake.

Help Molly (the guide dog) lead Mark safely through the park.

Holly and her ________ Dogs have a better sense of smell than humans. They can detect one drop of blood in five quarts of water!

Neil are on standby 365 days a year so that

With their ultra-sensitive noses, dogs are masters at finding buried land mines. Mine-sniffing dogs have helped prevent thousands of injuries and deaths in war-torn countries. Trained sniffers also find people trapped in collapsed buildings and drugs hidden in suitcases. Some dogs have been trained to sniff out termites in buildings. Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Students read grade-level appropriate material.

they can fly anywhere in the world when disaster _________.

R Q

T P

A K

In Kashmir, Holly’s heightened sense of

__________ proved invaluable; she ________

J I

several people who were then hauled alive

Fido has sniffed out something buried under the sand. Connect the dots in alphabetical order!

Spotted Dalmation dogs are mascots for fire departments. Long ago, these dogs helped fire fighters get to fires quickly and safely. Before cars and trucks, fire fighters rushed to fires in horse-drawn carriages. Since Can you find Dalmations get along well with horses, the two identical they were trained to run in front of horses to Dalmations? help clear the path, chase away other dogs and to get to fires as quickly as possible.

A numeronym is a word that has a number in it. For example, K-9 is a numeronym. Say the letter and the number and you will hear that is sounds the same as the word canine. Here are some more examples of numeronyms. Can you figure out what word each is?

from _______________ buildings. Holly

Word Pals Find, in today’s newspaper, five sentences containing at least one adjective each. Underline the adjective in red. Underline the noun it describes in blue. Use this list of adjectives and nouns to write five new sentences.

worked tirelessly without ____________ in extremely hot weather. Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Understand text from context clues.

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Standards Link: Vocabulary Development: Identify nouns and adjectives.

COMPANIONS DALMATION TERMITES S N O I T A M L A D MASCOTS G S R A C C A H T K TRAINED S N O I N A P M O C CANINE DETECT A N N D S N F A R E HORSES T I I E N I C S S T SNIFF O M S F R N N C E E NOSES P O A E F E U O S D TASKS FIRE N D E N I A R T N I DOGS T E R M I T E S O N CARS Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recongized identical RUN words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Puppy Tales

Tell a tale about a puppy. Be sure to tell details like the puppy’s name, where it lives, what it looks like and what it does. You can start you tale with “Once upon a time …”

APRIL 23-29, 2020

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Sables Smoked Fish on Second Avenue reopens for curbside pickup and delivery BY JASON COHEN

A staple on the UES for 30 years, Sables Smoked Fish had never closed its doors. Not for Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year’s. Yet, when COVID-19 hit, brothers Danny and Kenny Sze, who have owned the store for three decades, made the decision to shutter from March 28 to April 15. During those 18 days they sanitized and bought gloves and masks for employees to wear at all times. They are doing curbside pickup and delivery and encourage everyone to call ahead. “We are committed to protecting the health of you and our employees,” they said on Facebook. “Thank you all so much for your patience and

encouragement during this uncertain time. We will get through this together. Stay safe and healthy!” The business, located at 1489 Second Ave., which is known for their sable, caviar, salmon and much more, has never experienced anything like this, Danny Sze said. According to Sze, he did not anticipate the coronavirus would cause this much chaos. He worked through 9/11, Hurricane Sandy and the recession in 2008, but today there is so much that is unknown. “Nobody has gone through this in their lifetime,” he said. Sze noted that in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood of the UES it was tough to be closed on Passover. Many people typically come to him for matzoh ball soup and fish for the holiday. With a small staff and reduced hours - from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - he is barely getting by. Normally he does about 30 catering jobs a week, but is now down 65 percent in profits.

“The Twilight Zone”

Nobody has gone through this in their lifetime.” Sables co-owner Danny Sze

While customers appreciate that Sables is open, they may not see the harsh reality that many small businesses are facing. “It’s like the twilight zone,” Sze said. “It’s scary because

you don’t know how you are going to pay rent.” Another challenge is the fact that the federal government stimulus package of $350 billion for small businesses ran out and Sables got nothing. He applied and is hoping to receive something if they do a second rollout. Sze told Our Town that even though he’s been open a few days, it’s not the same. Saturdays are normally jampacked with a line out the door and this past weekend was like a ghost town. Looking ahead, he is fearful for what the future holds for small businesses. While some may reopen, others may be forced to hang it up. “It will take months to reopen,” he said. “The worst thing is the restaurants are hurt the most. This will change how people operate. Our lifestyle won’t be the same. Life is short; all the money that you make won’t make a difference.” In the midst of all of this, Sze was preparing to open a new larger store and close this one. However, because construction was forced to a halt, the new eatery at 76th and Third likely won’t open until July. “The UES, they’ve known us for 30 years,” he remarked. “My customers are loyal customers.”

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COVID-19 AND AIDS HISTORY

Gay New Yorkers see parallels and contrasts between the two crises BY DAVID CRARY, ASSOCIATED PRESS

New Yorkers who lived through the AIDS crisis of the 1980s see some bleak parallels in the COVID-19 pandemic now wracking their city. But more so, they stress the differences. Now, they share the same plight as their fellow citizens while the federal government is pledging trillions of dollars to combat the pandemic. Back then they were frighteningly marginalized in the face of indifference from government leaders and much of the public.

“There was a lot of fear and a lot of anger,‘’ said Dr. Jack Drescher, a New York City psychiatrist. “Fear because nobody knew what the cause was, anger because of the lack of concerted response.’’ Drescher was doing his internship and residency at New York hospitals in the early ‘80s as doctors struggled to learn the cause of AIDS. Effective treatment didn’t emerge until 1995. “In that time, many died, including many of my professional colleagues, patients and friends,‘’ Drescher recalled. “My partner and I would sit down every once in a while and ask, ‘Who have we lost?’’’ According to the city health department, more than 62,000 people died of AIDS in New York between

Protestors lie on the street in front of the New York Stock Exchange in a demonstration against the high cost of the AIDS treatment drug AZT, Sept. 14, 1989. The protest was organized by ACT UP, a gay rights activist group. Photo: Tim Clary / AP

APRIL 23-29, 2020

Over the next nine months, we’re all going to know people who will die. We’re going to have, compacted into nine months, what we went through over 15 years in New York City.’’ Activist Peter Staley

1981 and 1995. COVID-19 has killed more than 6,300 in the city in just four weeks.

Police stand outside the Mine Shaft, a gay bar which was shut down in Greenwich Village, New York, Nov. 7, 1985. It was the ﬁrst move by the city against premises that allegedly permitted “high-risk” sexual activity that could spread AIDS. Photo: Rich Maiman / AP

Emotional Scars

the Phantom of the Opera,‘’ Humm said. “Two guys in my building tied themselves together and jumped out the window.’’ Among the co-founders of Gay Men’s Health Crisis was Dr. Lawrence Mass, who in May 1981 wrote the first news article about AIDS. “There was confusion, chaos, a lot of denial,‘’ he said. “We didn’t even know what we were dealing with. With homophobia so overt, we wondered if it might be some kind of plot.’’ Now 73, Mass still practices in New York, specializing in addiction medicine. He recalls that some gay men, in the 1980s, continued engaging in promiscuous sex even as risks became more apparent.

Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health and a specialist in HIV/AIDS prevention, was a student at Columbia University and Hunter College in New York during the ‘80s. “I was petrified,‘’ he recalls. Halkitis says he and other gay survivors of that epoch carry permanent emotional scars. He finds it traumatic to see some similarities in the COVID-19 outbreak. “There’s the same anxiety and powerlessness and helplessness that was very present in the ‘80s,‘’ he said. “And this virus could kill a person in 10 days, instead of years.’’ Yet he also notes that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was far deadlier in its early years than the coronavirus. It was viewed for a time as a terminal disease compared to a projected 1% to 3% overall mortality rate for COVID-19 in the U.S. Andy Humm, 66, co-host of the weekly TV news hour Gay USA, was among several dozen gay men summoned by activist Larry Kramer to a meeting in August 1981, shortly after the first news reports of a mysterious disease that was killing gays. They heard a doctor “softly and terrifyingly tell us what was going on,‘’ Humm said. Kramer and a few colleagues soon founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the first nonprofit in New York focused on serving people with AIDS. “I remember one GHMC meeting - the guys would break down, crying for the friends and the way of life they were losing,‘’ Humm said. “It was chilling.’’ He recalls the first major TV news broadcast showing men wasting away from AIDS. “People gasped. These were goodlooking guys who now looked like

“God’s Plague” AIDS was not an equal-opportunity disease in its early years. Overwhelmingly, its victims were gay men, intravenous drug users, Haitians and hemophiliacs. Gay activists believe that the marginalized status of those victims made it easy for President Ronald Reagan’s administration - and to some extent New York City’s government - to dismiss the seriousness of the crisis. “AIDS was seen as God’s plague and as our just desserts for a hedonistic lifestyle,‘’ says James Esseks, a New Yorker since 1987 who heads the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & HIV Project. “Most of the nation simply looked the other way.’’ COVID-19, by contrast, strikes virtually every demographic group, although some LGBT activists say their community may suffer disproportionately because of higher rates of HIV and cancer, and discrimination in some health care settings. Peter Staley, a long-time

AIDS/HIV activist in New York, said the Trump administration’s initial response to the coronavirus outbreak enraged him, reminding him of the Reagan administration’s indifference early in the AIDS crisis. “Over the next nine months, we’re all going to know people who will die,‘’ Staley said. “We’re going to have, compacted into nine months, what we went through over 15 years in New York City.’’ “At least we could go to funerals back then, and hug each other through all that pain,‘’ he said. “We’re not going to have that this time. We can’t gather in person to celebrate the lives of those we’ve lost.’’ Among the thousands of New Yorkers killed by AIDS were a huge number of highly talented and creative gay men - artists, musicians, designers and others. COVID-19 deaths are less focused, though the LGBT community has suffered notable losses. They include playwright Terrence McNally, transgender activist Lorena Borjas and lawyer Richard E. Weber, Jr., 57, a longtime board member of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York who managed its free legal clinic. The association’s executive director, Eric Lesh, was a grade-schooler in Florida as the AIDS crisis unfolded, He’s been in New York nearly 20 years and knows many survivors of that epidemic. Lesh, 42, who along with his husband weathered a bout of COVID-19, was shocked by Weber’s death. “Richard would have watched lots of his friends pass away in the AIDS crisis,‘’ Lesh said. “And then to be swept up in another pandemic - it just feels so sad.’’

APRIL 23-29, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

CROSSWORD

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K B S O M W V R O H L L V R S

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A U E Y N A Y L T F U U O Z E

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Across 1. 2012 US Open winner, Simpson 5. Last word of “America, the Beautiful” 8. Way off 12. Seaweed gelatin 13. Prone 14. Drift 15. Needled 16. Bag thickness 17. Urged a right turn 18. Popular salad ingredient 21. Distress call 24. Safe places 28. Sight reported 29. Hot drink 31. Experiences 32. Offensive 34. Pigment 36. Looks at 37. Lowest moldings 39. Relative of an ostrich 41. Prior preﬁx 42. Thing referred to 44. Burst in 46. Absolute rule

Level: Medium

4 6 3

T Z G G W R Y U S C D S U L T

7 2

A E R N I Z L Z B D S W C E E

Y K E Y O D A N R O T C D C M

J P K L S D E F R E E Z I N G

J H X M S K D X T K D W I Y A

6 3

R O

6 3

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

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APRIL 23-29, 2020

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