Our Town - May 14, 2020

The local paper for the Upper East Side EATING SAFE IN COVID SEASON

◄ P.9

A TALE OF TWO DECISIONS

WEEK OF MAY

14-20 2020 INSIDE

POLITICS

Judge rules that Rebecca Seawright is back on the primary ballot and Dan Quart’s opponent is off

NEW YORK NEEDS A PLASMA PIPELINE

BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

Fred, a driver for God’s Love We Deliver, with meals ready to be delivered. Photo courtesy of God’s Love We Deliver.

FUNDS FOR EMERGENCY FOOD PROVIDERS COMMUNITY

City and state governments pledge financial help to deal with a rise in food insecurity

BY SARAH BEN-NUN

The coronavirus crisis has sparked another crisis in the city - a rise in food insecurity.

To help “the last line of defense,” as Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel

put it, $50 million in government funds split between the City and the State have been pledged to emergency food providers throughout NYC. More than 800 food organizations may be eligible for the financial help, which will ensure that they remain open and functioning in the coming months, in anticipation of feeding an extraordinary number of New Yorkers.

The money will provide

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Recovered COVID-19 patients can donate blood that helps to fight the virus. Let’s pay them to do it. p. 8

A state Supreme Court judge last week sided with two incumbent assembly members representing the Upper East Side in separate suits involving the city Board of Elections to decide who will appear on the primary ballot come June.

On Friday, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Carol Edmead reversed decisions by the city Board of Elections in both decisions: reinstating Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright to the Democratic Party and Working Families lines, and disqualifying Assembly Member Dan Quart’s primary opponent from the race.

The Court is ... not inclined to penalize Seawright for committing clerical errors while an unprecedented and catastrophic health crisis was enveloping the state.”

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Carol Edmead

CARE AND COMFORT FOR ANIMALS

New Yorkers step up in a time of crisis by fostering and adopting pets. p. 6

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright. Photo: Andre Beckles

In April, the Board of Elections had voted to unanimously to remove Seawright, who has represented the 76th Assembly District since 2015, from the ballot after she failed to include cover sheets with her ballot petitions.

Seawright argued that despite experiencing “COVIDlike” symptoms during the

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petitioning period in March, she successfully sent in all of the needed signatures.

The judge agreed with Seawright’s argument, saying that the assembly member “rectified her errors” by eventually submitted the needed documentation to the board.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Honoring a distinguished graphic designer. p. 6

Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset.

Friday, May 15 – 7:49 pm.

For more information visit www.chabbaduppereastside.com.

2

MAY 14-20, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

LEARNING WITHOUT LAPTOPS EDUCATION

Did the DOE prepare students for virtual classes?

BY JASON COHEN

As students have been home virtually learning for nearly two months because of COVID-19, the question remains: were they prepared?

Nearly 20,000 school children are still without devices, and some even had visits from the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) because their schools saw they weren’t signing into class each day. In those cases, the kids simply did not have a laptop or device to use.

Council Members Ben Kallos and Mark Levine, who serve on the education committee, are not pleased with this news and feel students are being given the short end of the stick.

TWO DECISIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Edmead went on that the “untimely submissions do not constitute an egregious failure to comply with Election Law requirements.” She also said that there was no effort

by Seawright to defraud or mislead the public by committing a clerical error.

“Shameful Pandemic Politics” Additionally, Edmead ac-

Council Member Mark Levine.

Photo courtesy of Mark Levine

“I’m angry that the city spent hundreds of millions of dollars and there’s still 19,000 kids waiting more than a month to get an iPad so they can keep up with their peers,” Kallos said.

The city is failing its children and this is quite upsetting, Kallos stated. When children are suspended or sick for a week, it is tough to makeup the homework or assignments, now imagine if

knowledged that Seawright’s mistake came during an unprecedented time.

“The Court is also not inclined to penalize Seawright for committing clerical errors while an unprecedented and catastrophic health crisis was enveloping the state,” Edmead wrote in her opinion.

In closing, Edmead granted Seawright’s request to validate her petitions.

“I will continue to fight on behalf of all of my constituents on the Upper East Side,

those things happened for six weeks.

Shuttered at home, parents are relying on the DOE to help get their kids through this crisis. He pointed out that people from all over the country all pitching in to help New Yorkers affected by COVID, so he is surprised students were not prepared to learn virtually.

“The DOE is failing so many kids and their families,” Kallos commented. “The pandemic has shown if there’s a will, there’s a way.”

According to Kallos, this crisis should give the city a glimpse of what learning really is. Everything today is digital and many school districts outside of NYC use Chromebooks, iPads or laptops year round.

The digital divide needs to end. Whether they are in the UWS, UES, Harlem or the Bronx, every child should have equal access to a device, he stressed.

Yorkville, and Roosevelt Island,” said Seawright in a statement following the decision. “It is time to end shameful pandemic politics.”

Meanwhile, Seawright’s Republican opponent, 62year-old doorman Louis Puliafito, who was a respondent on the suit, has already appealed Edmead’s decision, according to the New York Post.

Puliafito’s attorney, Lawrence Mandelker, told the Post that Edmead “was completely wrong on the law.”

In his council district, he allocates a million a year for laptops in schools because he understands how important technology is in education.

“Imagine if every kid had a laptop and a digital textbook,” he explained. “I think the pandemic has given us a chance to examine what our society looks like.”

Kallos explained that there are still 200,000 iPads that have not been delivered. With $200 million, the schools should have bought laptops or Chromebooks and used the remaining money to buy broadband for those families that need it.

“We could do this for every single student,” Kallos said. “I have wanted every student in city schools to get a laptop with broadband and eliminate the digital divide for as long as I’ve been an elected official.”

Falling Behind Levine, like Kallos, feels the

Assembly Member Dan Quart.

Photo courtesy of Dan Quart

Residency Issue In the second decision Edmead filed Friday, the judge removed 22-year-old Cameron Koffman from the 73rd District’s Democratic primary ballot, making way for Quart’s re-election to the Assembly.

In this suit, Quart questioned Koffman’s ability to run for office in New York due to the fact that while he attended Yale University, of which he is a recent graduate, Koffman registered to vote and voted in Connecticut elections. According to the state’s election requirements, a candidate must be a resi-

Imagine if every kid had a laptop and a digital textbook ... the pandemic has given us a chance to examine what our society looks like.”

Council Member Ben Kallos Photo courtesy of Council Member Ben Kallos.

city has failed the children.

After this crisis ends, the DOE and the administration need to take a hard look at education in the city, he said.

According to Levine, it is unacceptable that after nearly two months of virtual learning thousands of children still don’t have devices.

“I am deeply disturbed by the digital divide that was exposed by this crisis and the systemic lack of preparedness,” Levine said.

He noted the lack of untimely distribution of laptops not only affects the kids, but parents as well. This puts even more stress on moms and

dent of New York for the five years leading up to an election. Quart argued that by voting in Connecticut, Koffman gave up his claim to New York residency.

Koffman had argued that he never viewed himself as a Connecticut resident, and maintained his New York mailing address while in school. He added that he also paid taxes in New York, served jury duty here and maintained other ties to the community.

Although the judge said Koffman offered a compelling argument, ultimately, it was not a persuasive one.

“By taking the affirmative steps of registering to vote in Connecticut and casting votes there in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Mr. Koffman effectively chose the state of Connecticut as his electoral residence,” Edmead wrote in her decision.

“The Court is cognizant of the fact that many New Yorkers signed the petition in support of Mr. Koffman’s candidacy,” she continued.

“However, the salient issue is whether Mr. Koffman is qualified to be a candidate in accor-

dads, many of whom are laid off, furloughed, sick or working from home.

“Many are now thrust essentially into home schooling,” Levine said. “I’m very worried that kids are going to fall behind.”

Looking to the future, there should be enough laptops or devices in every school for every student, he said.

“I’m heartbroken that there’s a loss of learning that so many in the city will experience,” Levine said.

Parents can apply for iPads for their children through the DOE: https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices.

dance with New York State Constitution. In light of the discussion above, the Court finds that Mr. Koffman is not.”

Quart said Edmead’s decision to remove his opponent was not surprising.

“From the very beginning we’ve been saying the same thing: Cameron Koffman, having voted in Connecticut as recently as 2018, does not qualify to run for office in New York,” he said Friday. “Yet, when Koffman refused to follow the rules, he made this race about ensuring that the wealthy and the well-connected abide by the same laws as the rest of us. I was pleased to see Judge Edmead finally put this matter to rest.”

Koffman is appealing Edmead’s decision, which is expected to be examined Tuesday by the First Department of the New York Appellate Division.

“While we were disappointed in today’s ruling by Judge Edmead in Manhattan Supreme Court disenfranchising students in their right to vote, this election is far from over,” said Koffman.

MAY 14-20, 2020

3

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Affordable Housing for Rent RIVERWALK PARK 313 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED UNITS AT 460 MAIN STREET ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NEW YORK Amenities: Attended lobby, onteen lounge*, bike storage*, package kiosks* (*additional fees apply).

Transit: F Train, Tram, Ferry, Q102, RIOC Red Bus www.liveriverwalkpark.com No This building is being constructed through the M2 Mixed-Middle-Income Program of the New York City Housing Development Corporation and the Inclusionary Housing Program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Who Should Apply?

Individuals or households who meet the income and household size requirements listed in the table below may apply. Qualified applicants will be required to meet additional selection criteria. Applicants who live in New York City receive a general preference for apartments.

A set-aside for a percentage of units goes to applicants with disabilities: Mobility (5%) Vision/Hearing (2%) Preference for a percentage of units goes to: Residents of Manhattan Community Board 8 (50%) Municipal employees (5%)

AVAILABLE UNITS AND INCOME REQUIREMENTS Unit Size

Monthly Rent1

Units Available

Studio

$506

3

1 Bedroom

2 Bedroom

3 Bedroom

$648

$791

$909

5

1

2

Household Size2 1 Person 2 People 1 Person 2 People 3 People 2 People 3 People 4 People 5 People 3 People 4 People 5 People 6 People 7 People

Unit Size

Monthly Rent1

Units Available

Studio

$1,492

14

1 Bedroom

2 Bedroom

3 Bedroom

Annual Household Income3

$1,881

$2,270

$2,618

Minimum Maximum4

Monthly Rent1

Units Available

$662

13

$20,298 - $31,840

Household Size2

Annual Household Income3 Minimum Maximum 4

Monthly Rent1

Units Available

$1,132

8

Household Size2

Maximum4

1 Person

$25,646 - $39,800

$20,298 - $36,400

2 People

$25,646 - $45,500

2 People

$41,760 - $72,800

$25,543 - $31,840

1 Person

$32,263 - $39,800

1 Person

$52,389 - $63,680

2 People

$32,263 - $45,500

2 People

$52,389 - $72,800

$25,543 - $36,400

$844

22

1 Person

Annual Household Income3 Minimum

$1,431

13

$41,760 - $63,680

$25,543 - $40,960

3 People

$32,263 - $51,200

3 People

$52,389 - $81,920

$31,269 - $36,400

2 People

$39,326 - $45,500

2 People

$63,463 - $72,800

$31,269 - $40,960

3 People

$39,326 - $51,200

3 People

$63,463 - $81,920

$31,269 - $45,480

4 People

$39,326 - $56,850

4 People

$63,463 - $90,960

$31,269 - $49,120

5 People

$39,326 - $61,400

5 People

$63,463 - $98,240

$36,172 - $40,960

3 People

$45,463 - $51,200

3 People

$73,372 - $81,920

$36,172 - $45,480

4 People

$45,463 - $56,850

4 People

$73,372 - $90,960

$1,026

$36,172 - $49,120

7

$1,730

3

5 People

$45,463 - $61,400

5 People

$73,372 - $98,240

$36,172 - $52,760

6 People

$45,463 - $65,950

6 People

$73,372 - $105,520

$36,172 - $56,400

7People

$45,463 - $70,500

7 People

$73,372 - $112,800

33

10

11

Household Size2

$1,180

6

Annual Household Income3 Minimum

Maximum4

Monthly Rent1

Units Available

$1,961

36

$1,994

4

Household Size2

Annual Household Income3 Minimum Maximum4

1 Person

$70,183 - $131,340

2 People

$70,183 - $150,150

1 Person

$87,943 - $131,340

2 People

$87,943 - $150,150

1 Person

$54,103 - $103,480

2 People

$54,103 - $118,300

1 Person

$67,818 - $103,480

2 People

$67,818 - $118,300

3 People

$67,818 - $133,120

3 People

$87,943 - $168,960

2 People

$81,978 - $118,300

2 People

$106,115 - $150,150

3 People

$81,978 - $133,120

3 People

$106,115 - $168,960

4 People

$81,978 - $147,810

4 People

$106,115 - $187,605

5 People

$81,978 - $159,640

5 People

$106,115 - $202,620

3 People

$94,766 - $133,120

3 People

$122,675 - $168,960

4 People

$94,766 - $147,810

4 People

$122,675 - $187,605

5 People

$94,766 - $159,640

5 People

$122,675 - $202,620

6 People

$94,766 - $171,470

6 People

$122,675 - $217,635

7 People

$94,766 - $183,300

7 People

$122,675 - $232,650

$2,468

$2,974

$3,432

78

27

17

1

Rent includes gas for heating. Tenant is responsible for electricity and cooking gas.

Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria.

3 Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income. Income guidelines subject to change.

4 Minimum income listed may not apply to applicants with Section 8 or other qualifying rental subsidies. Asset limits also apply.

2

How Do You Apply?

Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to nyc.gov/housingconnect. To request an application by mail, send a self-addressed envelope to: Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH Street, New York, NY 10001. Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified.

When is the Deadline?

Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than July 6 th, 2020. Late applications will not be considered.

What Happens After You Submit an Application?

After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to an appointment of eligibility to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Appointments are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income.

Español

Presente una solicitud en línea en nyc.gov/housingconnect. Para recibir una traducción de español de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, envíe un sobre con la dirección a: Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH Street, New York, NY 10001. sello postal antes de July 6th, 2020. nyc.gov/housingconnect Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH Street, New York, NY 10001.

CHINESE July 6th, 2020 nyc.gov/housingconnect.

Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH Street, New York, NY 10001.

July 6th, 2020 Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH

nyc.gov/housingconnect Street, New York, NY 10001.

July 6th, 2020.

Kreyòl Ayisyien Aplike sou entènèt sou sitwèb nyc.gov/housingconnect. Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon anons sa a nan lang Kreyòl Ayisyen ak aplikasyon an sou papye, voye anvlòp ki gen adrès pou retounen li nan: Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH Street, New York, NY 10001. sou entènèt oswa ou dwe tenbre yo anvan dat July 6th, 2020. nyc.gov/housingconnect.

Riverwalk Park c/o Affordable Housing Group, 330 W 30TH Street, New York, NY 10001.

July 6th, 2020.

: "ARABIC".

4

MAY 14-20, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com POLICE

Drawing Board

Useful Contacts

NYPD 19th Precinct NYPD 23rd Precinct

BY PETER PEREIRA 153 E. 67th St. 162 E. 102nd St.

212-452-0600 212-860-6411

FIRE FDNY 22 Ladder Co 13 FDNY Engine 39/Ladder 16 FDNY Engine 53/Ladder 43 FDNY Engine 44

159 E. 85th St. 157 E. 67th St. 1836 Third Ave. 221 E. 75th St.

311 311 311 311

CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Keith Powers Councilmember Ben Kallos

211 E. 43rd St. #1205 244 E. 93rd St.

212-818-0580 212-860-1950

1916 Park Ave. #202 211 E. 43rd St.

212-828-5829 212-490-9535

353 Lexington Ave. #704

212-605-0937

1485 York Ave. 505 Park Ave. #620

212-288-4607 212-758-4340

222 E. 79th St. 112 E. 96th St. 328 E. 67th St. 1465 York Ave.

212-744-5824 212-289-0908 212-734-1717 212-288-5049

100 E. 77th St. 525 E. 68th St. 1468 Madison Ave. 1275 York Ave. 1230 York Ave. 4 Irving Place

212-434-2000 212-746-5454 212-241-6500 212-639-2000 212-327-8000 212-460-4600

STATE LEGISLATORS State Sen. Jose M. Serrano State Senator Liz Krueger Assembly Member Dan Quart Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

COMMUNITY BD 8 LIBRARIES Yorkville 96th Street 67th Street Webster Library

HOSPITALS Lenox Hill NY-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Mount Sinai Memorial Sloan Kettering Rockefeller University

CON EDISON POST OFFICES US Post Office US Post Office

1283 First Ave. 1617 Third Ave.

212-517-8361 212-369-2747

HOW TO REACH US:

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MAY 14-20, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

5

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6

MAY 14-20, 2020

Our Town|Eastsider ourtownny.com

Voices

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

SIGNS OF THE TIMES EAST SIDE OBSERVER

BY ARLENE KAYATT

And the EMMY goes to The pandemic didn’t stop this year’s EMMY awards ceremony although neither the red carpet nor the gala venue made the cut. Instead NYC newscasters acted as presenters and read the nominees and announced the winners.

And Doug Davis’s “Imported from Brooklyn,“ directed by Josh Kapusinski , was the winner in the Education category. It’s a documentary about the 50-year career journey of distinguished professor, graphic designer and typographer Tony Di Spigna. Tony, himself an import from south Brooklyn via south Italy, saw a client’s request for a Spencerian design as the perfect way to represent Brooklyn and to create a timeless vision using graphic design and typography.

Davis’s documentary is the extraordinary story of how Di Spigna, first a student at City Tech in the early 60’s, went on to Pratt Institute, and then worked with masters in the field of design, graphics and typography.

Davis was a student of Di Spigna’s at Pratt and is now an associate professor and the chairman of the Communication Design Department at New York City College of Technology. “Imported from Brooklyn” presents the digital generation with the chance to appreciate the power, purpose and precision of putting pencil to

Tony Di Spigna response to the UN’s call for messaging to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Image courtesy of Tony Di Spigna

paper. Di Spigna donated his archive to City Tech where “Imported from Brooklyn” has been on display at The Grace Gallery. Since retiring last year, Tony has been designing new and exclusive typefaces with Bill Hilson, a friend and colleague, and their newest typefaces will soon be released to the international market. Among Di Spigna’s most recent graphic designs were in response to the UN’s call for graphic designers to help with messaging on how to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Some of Di Spigna’s graphics are on his website, tonydispigna.com.

Virtual courts, real decisions - Election law cases are

having their day in court. In the 73rd AD, incumbent Assemblyman Dan Quart challenged Democrat Cameron Koffman’s right to seek the Assembly seat because Koffman was not a New York resident in the five year period prior to the June 2020 Primary. In the 76th AD, Re-

publican candidate for Assembly in the November election, Louis Puliafito, challenged incumbent Democrat Assemblywoman Seawright’s petitions claiming that their defects made her ineligible to seek re-election. In both cases, Judge Carol Edmead ruled in favor of the incumbent. So Koffman’s off the June ballot and Seawright’s on the November ballot. Koffman and Puliafito are appealing the decisions. The Manhattan Republican County Committee issued a statement declaring the decision “outrageous and shocking” and is seeking contributions to support their efforts to keep Seawright off the ballot. COVID or not, the fights go on.

Bus abuse - No excuses for the driver on the southbound M15 who refused to open the front door of an almost empty bus for a man with a walker so he could use the ramp. The man kept motioning for the driver to open the door as she motioned back for him to use the back door. Riders asked the driver to open the front door and let down the ramp because the man wouldn’t be able to lift the walker onto the bus.

The driver sat there, taking it all in. Masked riders rushed to the rescue as they helped the man and his walker onto the bus. Was this the MTA’s new normal? Not that I could tell. On other buses, at other times, front bus access was still available for riders with walkers and wheelchairs. As for other lazy, nasty drivers?

To be continued.

CARE AND COMFORT FOR ANIMALS PETS

BY LESLIE GRANGER

It’s been a strange few weeks in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak for everyone, including our pets and the many homeless animals in need. While much of our lives have become unrecognizable, we’re also seeing heroes emerge. It’s not just the amazing individuals on the front lines of the health crisis.

It’s people who recognize a need and step in. And that’s just what so many of our bighearted neighbors have done by taking in the deserving animals we serve at Bideawee, one of the country’s oldest and most respected animal welfare and pet adoption organizations.

Whether on a temporary or permanent basis, New Yorkers have stepped up in a big way by fostering and adopting. So many people feel helpless and are looking for ways to be impactful. Adopting and fostering an animal can be a significant way to help our animals be in a loving home and to ensure the health and safety of Bideawee staff and the public at large.

We’re currently processing adoptions by appointment only. Our dedicated matchmakers and our foster families have teamed up to do initial meet and greets via Zoom. In-person meetings with pets are done by appointment only and are set up to ensure social distancing protocols are followed.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the responsibility our staff feels in making the best animal/human connection possible. With that in mind, it’s vital that people

Leslie Granger and friend.

Photo courtesy of Bideawee

really evaluate their capacity for bringing in a four-legged family member. It may not be the right time. And that’s OK. At Bideawee, we’re not just concerned about placing our animals in homes, but rather in the right homes.

Since we shifted to adoption by appointment, we’ve already placed more than 60 animals in new forever homes. We received more than 700 foster applications and nearly all of our animals are currently in foster homes.

We had to temporarily suspended our foster application submissions due to the overwhelming response. But when we do open them up again, we encourage New Yorkers to consider fostering.

One of the most heartwarming things we’ve experienced is seeing some of Bideawee’s most longstay/difficult-to-adopt pets finding their forever home during the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s encouraging to know that even when the public is feeling so vulnerable, they’re remembering that these animals need care and comfort too.

It’s important to remember that animals are also affected by the changes we’ve been ex-

periencing. Maintaining a schedule for food, walks, and play time can help keep them calm and relaxed.

It’s wonderful to give love to our pets, but people often overlook the amazing comfort and joy animals bring to us – especially in uncertain times. The human-animal bond can bring about a symbiotic healing process.

While it’s amazing to know our animals are in good homes, any one of us can be affected by COVID-19 or some other ailment that prevents us from providing for our animals. Bideawee recommends having a care plan. Designate a caregiver who can take your pet should you require hospitalization. Create a document that includes health information, medications, special instructions and other details about your pet and post this information in a visible location. Create a “Go Bag” for each pet with food, leashes/harnesses, extra medication, vaccination records and veterinary contact so your pet can be moved quickly if needed. Ask your vet for extra medication so you don’t run out. And ensure all vaccinations are up to date.

Taking care of the animals we love is more important than ever. NYC residents can contact the NYC COVID-19 Pet Hotline during the COVID-19 pandemic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily by calling 877-204-8821 or by visiting nyc.gov and searching for “pets.” And if you go to bideawee.org, you’ll find out about pets available for adoption and other ways you can provide support.

Leslie Granger is the President and CEO of Bideawee

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MAY 14-20, 2020

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STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19!

LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS AT HOME. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19?

• The most common symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. Other symptoms include feeling achy, loss of taste or smell, headache, and diarrhea.

• Most people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will have mild or moderate symptoms and can get better on their own.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS? • People age 50 or older (people age 65 or older are at the highest risk) • People who have other health conditions, such as: Lung disease Kidney disease Asthma Liver disease Heart disease Cancer Obesity A weakened immune system Diabetes

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET SICK WITH COVID-19 SYMPTOMS? If you are sick with COVID-19 symptoms, assume you have it. When you are sick: • If you have trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest, are confused or cannot stay awake, or have bluish lips or face, call 911 immediately.

• Call your doctor if you are age 50 or older or have a health condition that puts you at increased risk, or if you do not feel better after three days.

• Always contact a doctor or go to the hospital if you have severe symptoms of COVID-19 or another serious health issue.

• Do not leave your home except to get necessary medical care or essential food or supplies (if someone cannot get them for you).

• If you must leave your home: Avoid crowded places.

Stay at least 6 feet from others.

Cover your nose and mouth with a bandana, scarf or other face covering.

Wash your hands before you go out, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer while outside.

• Household members can go out for essential work and needs but should monitor their health closely.

If you or someone in your home is sick: • Create physical distance: Do not have visitors.

Stay at least 6 feet from others.

Sleep head-to-toe if you share a bed with someone who is sick, or sleep on the couch.

Keep people who are sick separate from those at risk for serious illness.

• Cover up: Cover your nose and mouth with a bandana, scarf or other face covering when you are within 6 feet of others.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your inner elbow.

• Keep it clean: Throw tissues into the garbage immediately after use.

Wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if you are unable to wash your hands.

Frequently clean surfaces you touch, such as doorknobs, light switches, faucets, phones, keys and remote controls.

Wash towels, sheets and clothes at the warmest possible setting with your usual detergent, and dry completely.

Do not share eating utensils with others, and wash them after every use.

WHEN CAN I LEAVE MY HOME AFTER BEING SICK? • If you have been sick, stay home until: You are fever-free for three days without Tylenol or other medication and It has been at least seven days since your symptoms started and Your symptoms have improved • Reminder: New York is on PAUSE. This means that even if you have been sick, you should only leave your home for essential work or errands, or to exercise, while staying at least 6 feet from others.

NEED HELP? • If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.

• If you do not have a doctor but need one, call 844-NYC-4NYC (844-692-4692). New York City provides care, regardless of immigration status, insurance status or ability to pay.

• For more information, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus.

The NYC Health Department may change recommendations as the situation evolves.

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MAY 14-20, 2020

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NEW YORK NEEDS A PLASMA PIPELINE VIEWPOINT

Recovered COVID-19 patients can donate blood that helps to fight the virus.

Let’s pay them to do it.

BY TOM ALLON

Sometimes there are potential solutions to vexing problems right before our noses – but we can’t see them because we’re not focusing our vision properly. And that might be the case right now with an overlooked treatment for the new coronavirus that could help save lives: convalescent plasma infusions.

In part, that’s because we haven’t yet developed and begun deploying a vaccine or treatment that’s known to be effective. The highly touted antiviral drug Remdesivir was found to shorten median recovery time for COVID-19 patients from 15 days to 11 days in a clinical study. Its efficacy in minimizing deaths from COVID-19, however, was negligible. Vaccines are being developed at a breakneck pace around the world, but even the most optimistic view holds that one of those won’t be ready for widespread use before early 2021.

And yet antibody-rich plasma infusions are a promising treatment that doesn’t seem to garner headlines like Remdesivir or hydroxychloroquine. The blood of people who recover from COVID-19 contains antibodies to immunize against future infections.

These antibodies can be transfused to those with the virus as a way to bolster their immune system. Although we need to wait for the results of double-blind studies comparing the benefits of convalescent plasma infusions to a placebo, a clinical trial at UC San Francisco is expected to begin within weeks because the anecdotal evidence is positive.

Mayor Bill de Blasio at City Hall on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

The principle of using donated blood from people who have recuperated from a virus is not new. It has existed since the late 1800s and was used throughout the 20th century, including in treating illnesses like measles and mumps.

I recently discussed this with a close friend who is a doctor at Montefiore Hospital. Like so many health care workers, she was an early coronavirus patient. She recuperated fully at home and decided to donate blood as soon as it was appropriate.

When the results came back, she was told that her blood was rich with antibodies, making her plasma prime material to help others. Even though people are generally prohibited from donating blood more than once a month, she was asked to come back the following week to make a donation.

Studies have shown that those who have recovered from COVID-19 have different degrees of antibodies in their blood and not all blood donors are equal. The more antibodies that can be infused after this plasma extraction, the greater likelihood that the recipient can make a strong recovery from their own illness.

Thus, it seems logical that New York should now launch the largest blood donation drive in history. With the state Department of Health recently finding that 21% of 1,300 New York City residents tested positive for antibodies,

there could be a potential donor pool of 1.7 million people in the five boroughs. If even 5% of those people have the strong antibody concentration exhibited by my friend, that’s 85,000 potential donors each week. As more people recover and become eligible donors, we will have enough plasma to not just cure the many that are ill today, but to bank enough plasma for the fall, when there may be another spike of cases in New York.

That clearly would take a massive effort to conduct a public information campaign, and get blood banks, labs, hospitals and medical professionals coordinated to start a plasma pipeline.

Some creative policy making might be needed too: The state should offer a $500 tax credit to everyone who has healed from the virus and donates their blood to be used for this plasma therapy. For those who have rich antibody concentrations, an additional $250 tax credit could be awarded each time they donate. It’s potentially a game changer and could bring down mortality rates that have seen more than 25,000 New Yorkers perish in this crisis.

New York needs, as former President Barack Obama once said, the “fierce urgency of now” to get this project off the ground.

Tom Allon is the president and publisher of City & State.

MAY 14-20, 2020

EATING SAFE IN COVID SEASON HEALTH

What you need to know about the virus and food

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION: The assumption is that cooking food to the same temperatures required to kill other bad bugs is likely to wipe out COVID-19. The effective temps are: 145° F for fresh pork, beef, and fish 160° F for egg dishes 165° F for poultry, ground beef, casseroles, and leftovers, as well as reheated precooked ham.

COVID-19: Lighthouse Guild Programs and Services Updates e are modifyin all of our pro rams so t at we can continue to provide services durin t is I pandemic

BY CAROL ANN RINZLER

Vitamin C didn’t cure the common cold. It won’t lay a finger on COVID-19 either.

Ditto for the Keto diet, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins and every nutritionist’s favorite, the Mediterranean diet. As for special foods, yes, garlic has some antibacterial properties but it’s a wimp when it comes to viruses.

That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news. As Rutgers University food science expert Donald Schaffner told one curious reporter, there’s no evidence that the disease is transmitted by food, which means you can eat whatever pleases your palate - although the best diet is always one that’s (boring word) balanced.

As you choose your menu, you will be pleased to know that while the bacteria such as Salmonella which are linked to foodborne disease do multiply on food, viruses don’t.

Why? North Carolina State University food safety expert Benjamin Chapman explains that viruses have to invade and work inside living cells to produce the new particles that cause the symptoms associated with a viral disease.

But there are links between COVID-19 and food. Start with that fresh apple sitting on your kitchen counter. If an infected person sneezed or coughed on it the virus might be sitting there on the peel waiting for you. However, COVID-19 is an “enveloped

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Chicken soup on the stove. Photo: Alan Levine, via flickr

virus” with an oily outer membrane easily disrupted by plain soap and then rinsed away with ordinary tap water.

Some experts even say it’s okay to skip the soap which might upset your tummy, and settle for scrubbing with a veggie brush and plain running water. Caveat emptor: Wash the brush afterward.

Effective Cooking Temps COVID-19 is also done in by heat. Not the kind you get from sunlight. The kind you get when you turn on your stove. The evidence comes from a 2003 World Health Organization study in which a coalition of Chinese, Japanese and German researchers found that after a scant three minutes at 149 degrees, the number of SARS coronaviruses on a surface dropped from 10,000 to a single particle. There are currently no similar studies with the COVID-19 virus, but the assumption is that cooking your food to the same temperatures required to kill other bad bugs is likely to wipe out COVID-19. The effective temps are 145° F for fresh pork, beef, and fish; 160° F for egg dishes; 165° F for poultry, ground beef, casseroles, and leftovers, as well as reheated precooked ham.

What about the food packages, ranging from the potato chips bag to the milk carton?

This March, a preliminary study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Princeton, UCLA and the CDC showed that COVID19 viruses might stay alive as long as 72 hours on stainless

steel on plastic. Cardboard?

Three hours. But James E. Rogers, Consumer Reports’ director of food safety research and testing, has said that “just because the virus is there, doesn’t mean that there are enough viable particles there to infect you.” True. But why not eliminate the worry by simply wiping down glass jars, metal cans, plastic tubs, and the like. After which you wash your hands, of course and simply transfer the food to a new, clean container.

With the food safely stored, it’s time to deal with another COVID-19 risk. You’re stuck at home all day. You’re bored.

You eat. And when you step on the scale, the result is right there in front of your eyes. To avoid the shock, as you head to the fridge for the 15th time today, stop, think, consider whether eating from boredom is healthful, and maybe just rearrange all the kitchen cabinets instead.

Which doesn’t mean avoiding comfort food altogether.

On March 3, 1976, when the FDA committee on over-thecounter cold remedies submitted its report, it said that chicken soup was “as good as any of them” in relieving the symptoms of a cold. Since then, several more effective OTC meds have come on scene to lighten the sniffles, but none to actually cure the cold. Or COVID. Nonetheless, few things are more soul soothing than warm and salty chicken soup. Enjoy.

Carol Ann Rinzler is the author of more than 20 books on health, including “Nutrition for Dummies.”

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MAY 14-20, 2020

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A LESSON IN SOLITUDE, QUIET AND LIGHT PAINTINGS

Meet a Masterpiece: Vermeer’s “Young Woman with a Water Pitcher”

BY MARY GREGORY

As I look out the window at a patch of grape hyacinths and yellow daffodils, I’m reminded of Johannes Vermeer, the 17th century painter from Delft. In almost every painting of his, yellow and blue play central roles. Yet, I’m reminded of Vermeer’s work for another reason. His images of solitary figures within domestic spaces, wrapped in quietude, seem to speak to today’s realities.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Young Woman with a Water Pitcher” may not be the most famous of Vermeer’s paintings - that title goes to “The Girl With a Pearl Earring” thanks to a novel and a film about it - but it’s a perfect example of the delicacy, intimacy, luminosity and ravishing beauty that make him one of our most beloved artists.

It was painted in 1662, a period during which the artist tightened his vision, shifting from scenes with multiple figures populating large rooms with checkered floors and musical instruments, to scenes of women, usually alone, by a window. They’re characterized by one thing above all: light. Vermeer worked slowly.

During a career of more than 20 years, he created a scant

three dozen firmly attributed works. In them, he studied how light moved, how it changed, fell, reflected, colored and shaped objects. In doing so, he anticipated and inspired much. This painting, and so many others that echo it, are lessons about the snippets of time that make our days and how to observe them and feel their weight and presence. They’re also about their fleeting nature, and the added value that imparts.

Struggle with Finances His message wasn’t the most popular during his own time, the Baroque period. It favored big scenes filled with dramatic events and expressions of intense emotion.

Think of “Judith Slaying Holofernes” by Artemisia Gentileschi, or Rembrandt’s starkly lit biblical scenes filled with pathos. Even when household scenes became popular in Holland, it was lavish dinners, complex interiors with doors leading into other spaces, and drinking parties that were in demand. Though Vermeer was respected and had devoted collectors, he struggled with finances.

Shortly after his death, his paintings were sometimes sold as having been done by other, more popular painters.

“Young woman with a Water Pitcher” was purchased in 1887 in Paris for $800 by Henry Marquand, a small price compared to other Old Master works. It was the first Vermeer brought to America.

Marquand gifted it to the Met

Johannes Vermeer, “Young Woman with a Water Pitcher” ca. 1662, is waiting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image: Public domain

while other collectors were focused on Italian Renaissance works and one-name wonders like Velazquez and Rubens.

Perhaps he’d heard about Vermeer from the French modernists of the late 1800s, who responded to Vermeer’s quotidian beauty. Later, when the rest of the world became comfortable with photographic images and their ability to freeze time, it became clear that there was a great genius who’d done this exquisitely, centuries earlier.

Marcel Proust, in “Remembrance of Things Past,“ wrote about a viewer overcome by the beauty of “a little patch of yellow” in Vermeer’s “View of Delft.”

Countless such patches, balanced by blue, make up this painting. Let

your eye travel from the golden brass pitcher to the cobalt blue hanger weighing down a yellowed map. See how the woman’s azure dress leads your eye to a shawl of the same color leaning over the back of a chair. Pale blue light at the window sends a thousand shades of tint across a warm white wall. The window panes reflect sky blue and clouds; similarly, her white linen scarf is dappled in blue shadows. There’s even, on the gilded pitcher, a tiny reflection of a figure looking towards us, likely Vermeer himself, dressed in blue.

Yellowy pearls dangle out of jewelry box of golden wood, off to the side. They’re likely the most valuable thing in the painting, but clearly not the

most valued. All of Vermeer’s efforts draw attention to the light that streams in the window, bathes the woman’s face and figure, and arrests time, even as it attests to its passage. Shadows spill down from the window ledge. Light creates motion, time, and change, even in the perfect stillness.

Women at Domestic Tasks The young woman in the painting has been deemed by scholars a symbol of domestic wholesomeness. But she’s also recognizably human, perhaps, especially to Vermeer. The artist worked in a studio in his home, which he shared with his wife and ten or eleven children at least seven of whom were daughters (records from the time are imperfect).

Women at domestic tasks were pretty much pictures of his world.

Vermeer’s young woman reaches across the span of the small painting, touching both water and light. Although the water inside the pitcher is not visible, we know it’s there.

Similarly, we don’t see the source of the light, just its gorgeous play on the window and the highlights it strews throughout the space. Her gesture – one hand extended towards the sky while the other touches water, symbolically reaching out to heaven and earth, above and below – has been used to signify humanity’s relationship with the divine in many cultures.

We don’t know what she’s thinking. And that’s part of why, after more than 300 years, Vermeer’s work still engages viewers. They’re almost cinematic moments. We know something is going on, has happened and will happen, but the artist doesn’t provide the story. He just presents a glimpse. While we don’t have the details of what she’s doing (finishing washing up or opening the window to water flowers have been suggested) here’s what I think Vermeer shows us - an individual, not interacting with the artist or the viewer, for the moment alone with her thoughts, gently smiling.

She’s bridging the interior and exterior, the mundane and transcendent, touching and touched by light. To me, it’s a moment that feels spiritual, perhaps even sacramental.

There’s no question isolation can bring loneliness, but Vermeer’s young woman tells us it can also bring awareness, appreciation and a quiet and lasting form of joy. As Emily Dickinson wrote almost exactly 200 years later, “Forever is composed of nows.” metmuseum.org/en/art/collection/search/437881 upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Jan_Vermeer _van_Delft_019.jpg

MAY 14-20, 2020

FOOD PROVIDERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 funding for 19 million meals.

Politico last month published a list of organizations that will reportedly receive the City’s funding. For example, Met Council, a poverty-fighting Jewish charity organization, will receive $6 million, designated for “food and protective equipment for badlyneeded volunteers.” City Harvest, NYC’s largest food rescue organization, will get $5 million.

“Even in normal times,” said Council Member Karen Koslowitz, “our food pantries operate on the edge. Our current health emergency is pushing our food pantries beyond their capabilities.”

While most emergency food programs are still functioning and providing services, some 32 percent of them have been forced to halt their operations due to a lack in supplies and resources. “For many [individuals], these programs mean the difference of access to a hot meal or going to bed hungry each night,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm.

Referrals from the Community God’s Love We Deliver cooks and delivers medically tailored meals to those who have life-altering illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, renal disease, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or cancer.

Since their start in 1985, the organization has delivered more than 25 million meals. A spokesperson for God’s Love We Deliver told Straus News that they were quickly notified of their $2 million grant.

On Friday they confirmed that they had received and signed the contract for the funding.

Due to the stay-at-home requirement, people can no

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CAMPS SEARCHING FOR YOUR CHILD’S SUMMER BREAK?

At the CityMeals Emergency Meal Center, packing shelf-stable meals in boxes for delivery. Photo courtesy of CityMeals on Wheels

longer physically go to places where they used to collect meals. Added the spokesperson, “Many seriously ill people who would normally get meals at a senior center or adult day care, or have someone cooking for them, are reaching out for help now.” In a normal week, God’s Love We Deliver sees 100 referrals or so from the community, and now the organization is seeing five times that many.

Other options for food delivery, like family, friends or health aides, are no longer viable. According to their spokesperson, God’s Love We Deliver is currently serving “25% more people and 25% more meals than we were just six weeks ago,” which will hopefully be lightened by the funding; the money will go to all aspects of their food delivery operations, to answer the new demand of an increase in clients due to the pandemic.

Because most of their clients are elderly and all are living with underlying conditions, the medically tailored meals God’s Love We Deliver cooks and home-delivers to New Yorkers living with severe illness are critical to their well-being.

While the pandemic has changed many operations for God’s Love We Deliver, the organization remains committed to delivering hope, dignity, love and respect with every meal.

Homebound Seniors

Even in normal times, our food pantries operate on the edge. Our current health emergency is pushing our food pantries beyond their capabilities.”

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The crisis of food insecurity is pervasive. It ranges from striking whole communities for periods of time, to individuals who haven’t faced it before, but are now due to the coronavirus. Nicholas Buess, Associate Director, Mobilization & Policy at Food Bank For New York City, explained that

the funds will “help us ensure more meals are available to New Yorkers, including many who are struggling with food insecurity for the first time.”

Food Bank For New York City is slated to receive $3.5 million in funds.

Like God’s Love We Deliver, CityMeals on Wheels, a nonprofit that delivers meals to the homebound elderly, is reported to be eligible for $2 million in emergency funds.

CityMeals on Wheels executive director Beth Shapiro informed Straus News that they would use the funds to support their efforts in preparing 450,000 “shelf-stable emergency meals for older New Yorkers in need.”

The funds would also be allocated to maintaining the operations of their weekend home-delivered meal program, which is “growing as a result of increased need for food among seniors at home.”

This program partners with local community-based organizations and senior centers to guarantee healthy meals for homebound seniors, since, according to their website, government funding is unavailable for food deliveries during these times. They have since delivered 275,000 weekend meals.

“With more older people staying home, there will be more need for emergency food,” Shapiro added. Within the last month, their homedelivered meal program has increased by 10%. They expect that number to rise. As of May 4, they are serving an additional 10,000 senior NewYorkers.

Shapiro added that many CityMeals on Wheels’ recipients “live alone and have mobility issues … so our meal deliveries are essential.”

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MAY 14-20, 2020

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YOUR 15 MINUTES

BRINGING BALLET INTO HOMES EVERY DAY DANCE

New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck teaches virtual dance classes and releases a children’s book during quarantine

BY ANGELA BARBUTI

Tiler Peck believes that dance is a universal language that brings people together, and there is no better illustration of that than what is taking place at her childhood home during this time of uncertainty. Having left her Upper West Side apartment after Lincoln Center announced its closure amid the coronavirus outbreak, the principal with the New York City Ballet traveled to California to quarantine with her parents.

Because of the West Coast time difference, Peck could not attend the daily classes

that her troupe was taking on Zoom, so she decided to hold them for herself in her family’s kitchen. Using the countertop as a barre, she streamed the sessions on Instagram Live, not expecting the overwhelming response and outpouring of appreciation that would follow from virtual students around the world.

“Turn It Out with Tiler” lessons take place from 1-2 pm, Monday through Saturday, on her Instagram handle, @tilerpeck. Thousands of viewers follow along with her plies,

arabesques and pirouettes from places as far as South Africa, Australia, Brazil and Iraq, some even waking in the middle of the night to participate.

“To reach thousands of people that I would have never been able to in a physical studio is amazing,” she said. Peck, who made her professional arts debut at age 11 in Broadway’s “Music Man,” also calls on her industry friends such as “Black Swan’s” Benjamin Millepied, Leslie Odom, Sarah Jessica Parker and Broadway director Susan Stroman to lend their expertise and join in as remote guests.

The dancer-turned-author has another project she is proud of, one she hopes will also spark stay-at-home joy.

Her new novel, “Katarina Ballerina,” which she co-wrote with actor Kyle Harris, was published on May 5. Written for children in middle grades, it follows a 10year-old who aspires to become a prima ballerina in New York City, but meets with challenges along the way.

The 31-year-old is thankful it went to print at a time when parents are looking for material to keep their kids occupied.

“I’m so grateful they are going to have one more book to help them out,” she said.

Tiler Peck of New York City Ballet. Photo: Erin Baiano

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to our website and submit your story.

What feedback have you been getting from students of your live classes?

They say it’s the only thing in their day that they kind of look forward to. It makes me so happy. I feel like if I can give everybody an hour of joy within their day, I’m so grateful to be able to do that. I think it’s really important for us all to stay physical, even though we are in our homes. I hope it’s a time where people can stay physically and mentally strong. It’s kind of an escape for an hour. And also people feel comfortable taking class because they’re not worried about people judging them because nobody can see them. So they will say to me, “I would have never had the confidence to walk into a studio with you, but I feel so comfortable because I know nobody can see me. It’s in the comfort of my home.”

How did you and Kyle get the idea for the novel?

The idea for “Katarina” basically came from when we were doing a show, “Little Dancer,” about Degas’ sculpture, and I played her. My costar, who plays my boyfriend in the show, Kyle Harris, he and I wrote a little rhyme, so to speak, when we were in DC, maybe six years ago. And we thought, “This could be a really cute children’s book.”

But when we talked to Simon & Schuster, they said, “We love it, but think it could be a chapter book. How do you guys feel about that?”

Tell us the meaning behind Katarina’s story.

We used Kyle’s and my story a little bit. He used to play soccer and now he’s a big-time actor and in musical theater, and he’s pigeon toed a little bit. And we thought what a great story to make about this little girl who has this love to be a ballerina, but her body isn’t quite right for it. But she has that thing that you can’t teach. You can teach technique as much as you can to a student, but you can’t teach them that light that comes from within, that makes people want to watch you dance. So it’s really about if you work hard and own your own gifts, and don’t compare yourself to the person right next to you. Everyone’s unique and their gifts will shine through. That’s what Katarina’s little story is and what we hope kids learn when

“Everyone’s unique and their gifts will shine through”- Tiler Peck on the meaning of “Katarina Ballerina.” they read it.

I read that you’re planning to write about your own life through your injury.

I would like to write something on my injury because it was really a traumatic time in my life. I had a herniated disk in my neck. It was a very serious one. I was kind of told I may never, ever dance again. But I just danced a whole season. I came out of it stronger as a person and a dancer. A different dancer. I’m not the same dancer, and that’s okay. I have a different quality that I bring now, that I didn’t have before. I feel like a lot of people could relate to either not being understood by their doctors, or going through a time of uncertainty where they really had to dig deep. I just want to share my experience so that hopefully it could help other people. I think some people think that ballerinas are untouchable and have perfect lives. That’s just not the case, and I want people to know that we go through things too and if I can help in any way by sharing my experience, that’s something I

would really like. I kept a diary and am starting to put together paragraphs and ideas; nothing is set for when that would come out. It’s just in the beginning processes.

What do you plan to do once this quarantine is over?

I will be so excited to get back into a studio and have a lot of space to move. I want to find out how to keep these classes going, because when I go back to New York City Ballet, I’m not going to be able to do them at the same time.

So we’ve been brainstorming on what these “Turn It Out with Tiler” classes would look like after COVID, because I would be feeling like I was leaving so many people behind.

This interview has been condensed and edited. To follow Tiler’s classes, please visit www.instagram.com/tilerpeck

Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to our website and click on submit a press release or announcement.

CROSSWORD

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O X B T F S H G I O U T L P G

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S D M O U R U R I V E R S V A

K L T B R I T D D O I U F D S

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H H H A I I R N Y Q F I E Q G

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B P S I S R E W O L F Q G S F

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15 words are listed below.

They may go across, up and down or diagonally in the puzzle. Circle each one as you find it.

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J V E I R T E E C G E K A I B

B A B D J T W F E V T W E R F

Down 1. Velocity meter 2. Facts 3. Branch of botany that studies fungi 4. Belonging to an Asian country 5. “Love Story” star 6. Pithy remark 7. Mini-newt 8. Interference 9. Smooch 10. Tropical fever 11. Brought into existence 19. How-do-you-do 21. ___-Wan Kenobi 23. Cat 24. Incurred a bar tab 25. Abbr. in car ads

N C E N T O P L S N E R B B X

A T R R R Q X S M H I R E Q C

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H H H A I I R N Y Q F I E Q G

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2

WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor

Z S I Z T U B E S I Y E G E Q

59

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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.

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SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

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