The Villager • Mar. 3, 2016

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The Paper of Record for Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933

March 3, 2016 • $1.00 Volume 86 • Number 9

New Extell building is wrecking the hood, in many ways: Locals BY YANNIC RACK

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ower East Siders gathered near the Manhattan Bridge on South St. once again this week to protest against the 80-story apartment tower — dubbed the “Building from Hell” — that is currently rising there, and whose construction they say is damaging neighboring

buildings. “This is not about gentrification, this is about extermination,” said Maggie Martinez, who lives nearby at 55 Rutgers Slip. “We need to make sure that the structures of these buildings have not been compromised.” EXTELL continued on p. 5

A bridge beach too far? E.D.C. throws sand on novel Blueway plan BY COLIN MIXSON

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ocals are pushing back against a city agency they say is trying to shut the public out of Downtown’s only beach to reserve it for private developers. A recent feasibility study on turning Brooklyn Bridge Beach into a public park commissioned by the city’s Eco-

nomic Development Corporation came under fire at the Community Board 1 Seaport Committee’s latest meeting, where residents accused the agency of looking for excuses to scuttle the effort. “My reading of it was that it was more of an anti-feasibility study,” said C.B. 1 BEACH continued on p. 23

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

Miria-Sabina, an employee at Lomography, photographed with a Petzval 85 lens on a digital camera body. The W. Eighth St. camera shop does not sell any digital cameras. See Page 22 for article.

City goes for the fences to increase parks access BY ALBERT AMATEAU

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new design concept, Parks Without Borders, intended to improve access to city parks and better integrate them into their neighborhoods, could bring changes to public spaces in Greenwich Village. Based on neighborhood nominations, the Department of Parks and Recreation will choose eight parks across the five boroughs as pilot projects for reconstruc-

tion using Parks Without Borders principles. The Community Board 2 Parks and Waterfront Committee on Feb. 3 considered parks in the Village that could be improved by the new design concept. Among those discussed were: • Mercer St. Playground between Bleecker and W. Third Sts. on the west side of Mercer St. • Passannante Ball Field on the north side of W. Houston St. between Sixth Ave. and MacDougal St.

• Playground of the Americas on the south side of W. Houston St. at Sixth Ave. • Jefferson Market Garden on the north side of Greenwich Ave. between W. Ninth and W. 10th Sts., with Sixth Ave. on the west. • Jane St. Garden, at the corner of the south side of Jane St. and the west side of Eighth Ave. The committee’s discussion was guided by Parks Department criteria. PARKS continued on p. 4

High hopes or political reefer madness?..page 2 Editorial: Pull the plug on Indian Point.....page 14 Disappointment wins....................page 20

www.TheVillager.com

Dennis Levy, sporting a stylish tam.

CANDIDACY UP IN SMOKE? NOPE! An herb-ad-

vocating candidate is set to spice up the special election in Lower Manhattan’s 65th Assembly District. Dennis Levy, 67, the fourth candidate, recently threw his tam into the race. An H.I.V.-positive grandfather and marijuana advocate, he will be running on the Green Party line in the April 19 election to select a successor to Sheldon Silver — for at least for a few months, that is, until the September Democratic primary. Levy has lived in the district for 10 years, on Pearl St. near the Brooklyn Bridge in a New York City Housing Authority building. He previously lived in the Bronx. He said he has spent 30 years working as a community organizer in efforts to help the poor — as part of which he founded the Black and Latino AIDS Coalition (Blac NY) — and also has worked in housing and employment. He is also the founder and president of the New York State Committee to Legalize Marijuana. “I’ve got 18,000 followers on Facebook,” he noted of the committee’s page. A first-time political candidate, he was tapped by the Green Party to run. “They said, ‘We want him,’ ” he said. He discovered the Greens and joined them last June because of their support for marijuana legalization. He found out he was H.I.V. positive back in 1991, and started smoking pot, on a friend’s advice, to deal with the illness’s side effects, including nausea and disorientation. The pot helped where nothing else had, and the experience led to him become an activist for the drug’s legalization. Levy said he’s “not happy” about the New York State medical marijuana law pushed through by

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March 3, 2016

Governor Andrew Cuomo, and instead supports replacing it with state Senator Liz Krueger’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which, similarly to Colorado, essentially would legalize recreational pot use for adults over age 21. Levy would also lobby to add a provision to MRTA (pronounced “murta”) to allow people to grow their own, “up to a couple of buds,” he noted. More to the point, he said, “Legalizing marijuana represents jobs to me — a way to make wealth. If we legalize in New York, we will be creating a new industry, from production to retail. I want to see it in poor black and Latino communities, creating jobs.” The nascent U.S. legal weed industry raked in $5 billion last year. He said he is also trying to partner with GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis) and Mount Sinai Beth Israel to set up clinical trials to see if cannabis can slow the progression of H.I.V. — and possibly even cure it. Indeed, he often wonders if his own ganja habit — he tokes faithfully every other day — is a factor in his own “long-term nonprogressor status.” Asked what his other campaign issues would be, he said, “Real affordable housing. Close down that [nuclear] reactor Upstate; I’m for alternative energy, wind and solar. I’m also for community control of schools,” said Levy, a foe of charters. “I would advocate for federal infrastructure jobs.” Although some of his supporters were urging him to slam Silver publicly, Levy resisted — or at least he was when he spoke to The Villager two weeks ago. “Shelly was around long enough that he did some positive things for the community, bringing money into the district,” he said. “People are telling me to rail against Silver — I won’t do it.” However, Levy subsequently released a campaign video in which he vehemently declares that Silver, convicted for graft last year, “disgraced himself” in office. Levy, though, had his own run-in with the law, when — after falling into cocaine addiction and crime — he was convicted of robbery and sentenced to 15 to 20 years in jail. Yet, he was released after three years, after the police were found to have engaged in misconduct and “the case was reversed,” according to his Wikipedia page. Asked whether he identifies as gay or straight, Levy said, “The term they use is ‘metro,’ ” apparently referring to “metrosexual.” “I’m a guy — I like people. I don’t want to be defined by labels that carry a lot of baggage — like ‘gay’ or ‘bisexual.’ ” His Wikipedia page, though, describes him as heterosexual. The 65th A.D. is diverse, with large populations of Asians, Latinos and whites and a smaller number of blacks. Levy, whose own background is diverse, said

he can relate to everyone. His father was Jewish while his mother was black and Indian. Growing up in Cincinnati, he got it from all sides. “People didn’t know if I was Puerto Rican, Asian or what,” he recalled. “My last name was Levy. Some black guys used to call me ‘Jew baby.’ ” But his elusive ethnic mix could be an asset in the 65th. For example, his eyes look Asian, he said, so “the Asians love me.” He said he definitely wants to debate the other candidates: Alice Cancel, the Democratic nominee recently selected by the district’s Democratic County Committee; Yuh-Line Niou, the Working Families Party candidate, who dropped out of the County Committee contest when she saw she didn’t have the votes and Cancel would win; and Republican Lester Chang. Asked if he would run in the September primary if he doesn’t win the April special election, he said, possibly. “If I build relationships and a network,” he said. “I’m out there now, let’s see what happens.” However, this Tuesday, Levy suddenly contacted The Villager to say he was not running, though could conceivably still decide to — though he was clearly running out of time to make a decision. “I just got very sick. It’s my H.I.V., I think,” Levy said. “I have been under stress and maybe that is the reason for my illness. I haven’t informed the Green Party yet, but they do know I’m sick. A political campaign might be too much for me. “I’m going to wait a few days and see what my doctor says about it,” he said. “If my health makes a run impossible, I will have to withdraw my candidacy and the Greens will have to nominate another candidate. I will keep you posted.” But on Wednesday, he contacted us again to say he is still in the race. “Put the article in the paper,” Levy told us. “I am going to run no matter what happens. My doctor said I was having an anxiety attack. That is not stopping me.”

BUSBOY AID: Local activist and Silver Spurs fan Sylvia Rackow led an effort on Saturday to collect donations for Bobby Barbot, the LaGuardia Place diner’s busboy who was viciously slashed by a Lower East Side teenager on Thurs., Feb. 18. The teen, who was subsequently arrested, had reportedly been hitting up the place’s customers for cash for a bogus basketball league and Barbot had told him to leave. But the 16-year-old left, then quickly returned and slashed Barbot on the left cheek, requiring him to get about 120 stitches to close the gaping facial gash. Since Barbot still isn’t able to work, Rackow and many others in her building, 505 LaGuardia Place, wanted to assist him financially, to help defray his lost salary and pay for his medical costs. Rackow was in the place’s lobby on March 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., collecting donations. “We are still collecting until Saturday,” Rackow told us. “Thus far, people have dropped off $150 to my door. I had hoped for $200 but I think we’ll get much more. Bobby’s a very nice fellow, as are all the Spurs workers. Paul and I have lunch at Spurs often, as do others in our building and the neighborhood. It’s also popular with tourists on weekends.” In addition, the outspoken critic of the N.Y.U. 2031 development plan had a petition with her last Saturday for people to sign, asking the university’s new president, Andrew Hamilton, “to slow down the construction activities” on the South Village superblocks. TheVillager.com

TheVillager.com

March 3, 2016

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Gardens, playgrounds in fence-fix mix? Named best weekly newspaper in New York State in 2001, 2004 and 2005 by New York Press Association Editorials, First Place, 2014 News Story, First Place, 2014 Overall Design Excellence, First Place, 2013 Best Column, First Place, 2012 Photographic Excellence, First Place, 2011 Spot News Coverage, First Place, 2010 Coverage of Environment, First Place, 2009

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March 3, 2016

PARKS continued from p. 1

The P.W.B. design concept aims to improve parks near high-pedestrian areas; parks lacking street trees or greenery along their edges; parks with narrow, gated or inconvenient access points; and parks with high fences that block eye-level views. It calls for fences to be lowered, redesigned or totally removed. However, Tobi Bergman, C.B. 2 chairperson, stressed that neither the committee nor the full community board has taken a stance on the program yet — and that the board has not nominated any parks, playgrounds or gardens at this point. “No resolution was submitted by the committee to the board, so no position was taken,” Bergman explained. “Any parks that were suggested were suggestions by members of the committee acting individually.” Similarly, Rich Caccappolo, the committee’s chairperson, said, “The Parks Department team that presented Parks Without Borders asked for example spaces in our district to consider at the session — they wanted it to be a working session as much as presentation. These locations were suggested before or during the meeting. We did not pass a resolution.” Asked if the committee would, at some future point, pass a resolution nominating a park or parks, Caccappolo said, “No, I don’t think so — unless there was a groundswell of interest by the community requesting support for consideration of a park in our district [for the program].” Frederica Sigel, a member of the C.B. 2 Parks and Waterfront Committee who attended the P.W.B. presentation on Feb. 3, told The Villager that the city hopes to choose the eight pilot project parks this spring. If the neighborhoods get behind the projects, the reconstructions could be completed in three years. Any potential change to the 0.36-acre Jefferson Market Garden is likely to meet opposition from preservationists. Bordered on the north by the Jefferson Market Library, the garden was formerly the site of the infamous Women’s House of Detention, demolished in 1971. A devoted group of friends, helped by the Vincent Astor Foundation, convinced the city in 1974 to designate the site as a park and establish a garden. For the past two decades, a 9-foot-tall wrought-iron fence with a gate on the Greenwich Ave. side has enclosed the garden. The fence, approved by the city Parks Department and the New York Public Library, was endowed by the late Brooke Astor and is much loved by neighbors. But the height of the fence, and the fact that the gate is on the shorter Greenwich Ave. side rather than on the longer and more-trafficked Sixth Ave. side, make the site a likely choice for a P.W.B. treatment, Sigel said.

Ave., and a paving-block strip with park benches outside the fence on the Sixth Ave. side. The field is frequently used by Village young people and serves as the recess-period playground for students of Little Red School House, the private progressive school nearby. Phil Kassen, director of LREI (Little Red School House & Elizabeth Irwin High School), said he was not familiar with PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY Right before Valentine’s Day, someone left this crocheted the Parks Without Borheart on the chain-link fence on the Sixth Ave. side of ders program, but noted Passannante Ball Field. A message next to the heart that the stark but open said it was “to remind whomever passes by that you are design of the field allows all sorts of possible uses. loved,” with the Twitter hash tag @commonthreadusa. The small Playground of the Americas, at 0.08 Moreover, the garden, which is open, weather permitting, from April (tulip acres, across W. Houston St. from Pastime) to October, is attended by volun- sannante Field, has a 6-foot-high fence and a single entrance on Houston. teers. Mercer St. Playground is a long, nar“It seems more like a private garden than a public park,” said Sigel. “It’s row hard-surface strip of 0.43 acres sepclosed when it rains. I’ve passed it when arated from the sidewalk by a 5-foot-tall it was closed because it was ‘too hot,’ just fence. It has two small access points, one when people would most want to go in.” near Bleecker St. near the entrance to Sigel compared the Jefferson Market Washington Square Village South and Garden with the openness of the newest one near W. Third St. near the entrance park in the Village, on the St. Vincent’s to Washington Square Village North. Jane St. Garden, the smallest of the Triangle — though it still has not been formally named — on the west side of potential Village P.W.B. sites at barely Seventh Ave. across from the former hos- 0.04 acres, lies behind an old 6-foot-high pital site. Although not officially a city chain-link fence and is open from April park, the 0.36-acre space is maintained to October. A new gate, previously fundby the Parks Department. It has a waist- ed by the city, is already planned. “A visitor has to ask at a nearby grohigh fence, an inviting gate at the corner of Seventh and Greenwich Aves., anoth- cery store for the key to the gate, but aler access at Seventh Ave. at W. 12th St., most nobody knows about it,” Sigel said. She compared the five sites with the and a third access at its western corner openness of Abingdon Square Park, at on Greenwich Ave. Nonetheless, the Jefferson Market 0.22 acres, and Jackson Square Park, at 0.23 acres, both with 4-foot-tall fences. Garden has a zealous constituency. The citywide Parks Without Borders “The Jefferson Market Garden is cared for by an incredibly dedicated and program has been endorsed by Manhathard-working group of volunteers and is tan Borough President Gale Brewer. “New Yorkers will get the most benefit used by an extremely appreciative community which has a real deficit of green from our parks when they’re designed as space,” said Andrew Berman, director of welcoming spaces, fully integrated with the Greenwich Village Society for His- the communities around them,” Brewer toric Preservation. “The fence currently said. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adaround the garden emerged from a long, deliberative process. Any contemplated ams, City Councilmember Mark Levine, changes to the garden or the fence must who chairs the City Council Parks Comreceive a full public vetting and should mittee, and Tupper Thomas, director of only result from a clear community con- New Yorkers for Parks, also endorsed the sensus about the future of these spaces,” design initiative. “Parks Without Borders will open Berman added. Passannante Ball Field, at 0.62 acres, parks to users, weave green space into is the largest of the five potential Parks neighborhoods and create a flowing, Without Borders sites in the Village. The welcoming public realm,” said Parks blacktop field, surrounded by a 12-foot- Commissioner Mitchell Silver. Mayor Bill de Blasio has designated high chain-link fence, is marked out with a softball diamond with a backstop, $50 million for Parks Without Borders, a basketball court and other designated including $40 million for the eight pigame areas. It has a small entrance on lot projects in the five boroughs and $10 the northeast corner on MacDougal St., million to incorporate the principles into plus a large gate, often locked, on Sixth current design and construction projects. TheVillager.com

New Extell building is wrecking the hood: Locals EXTELL continued from p. 1

Foundation work at 250 South St., where Extell Development Company is erecting an enormous residential glass tower called One Manhattan Square, has nearby residents worried that it is slowly destroying their own dwellings. “People’s apartments are sloping and walls are cracking,” Martinez said. “That is not a safe environment for anyone.” Residents at 82 Rutgers Slip next door first complained about vibrations in their building caused by the new project’s foundation work more than a year ago, which prompted the developer to install seismic monitors within the building, as well as around the construction site’s perimeter. The project currently has a partial stop-work order in place, as well as two open violations dating from mid-January, according to Department of Buildings records. According to the D.O.B. Web site, inspectors responded that month to complaints that cracks had appeared in the walls due to the construction next door. The entry notes that the order was issued because the construction company failed to notify the city of the damaging conditions. Extell did not respond to a request for comment by press time, but company representatives previously addressed the concerns at a community meeting last year. “We are aware that there’s been some cracking, some issues with doors sticking,” Anthony Abbruzzese, Extell’s senior vice president of construction, told residents back then. “We inspected all the conditions and we’ve committed to repair anything that was caused by our construction,” he said, adding that engineers regularly inspect the neighboring building. In addition to the new super-luxury tower, Lend Lease — the construction firm overseeing the project — is also building a smaller, affordable component right next to it. Both buildings are scheduled for completion in 2019. But protesters who gathered in front of the construction site on Wed., March 2, said the next-door building continues to suffer from the effects of the foundation work. “The land is sinking, it’s dangerous for the people who live here,” said Louise Velez, who has lived in the neighborhood her entire life. “Are they waiting for the building to collapse onto the people?” To many in the neighborhood, TheVillager.com

PHOTO BY YANNIC RACK

Lewis Barnes, a volunteer with NMASS, right, speaking at Wednesday’s protest at the One Manhattan Square project site, which his group organized.

the building also symbolizes a larger problem — the displacement of longtime tenants from the area. “This is going to be an 80-story building for the 1 percent,” said Lewis Barnes, a volunteer with National Mobilization Against Sweat Shops, or NMASS, which organized the rally and operates a Workers Center on Grand St. nearby. “Look around at the people here — we are not the 1 percent,” Barnes said, pointing out that a large sign on the project’s construction fence was ironically advertising the mayor’s housing plan. “Why are they building this in our community?” he asked. The development, which will tower over the Manhattan Bridge, is advertised as a “vertical village” with private gardens, romantic fire pits and a covered dog run, where apartments will reportedly sell for between $1 million to $3 million — absurdly expensive for the people currently living all around it. “There’s a lot of low-income people living in this neighborhood,” said Velez. “We’re poor people. We need them to get the hell out,” she said of the high-end builders. Residents like Velez still lament the loss of the Pathmark supermarket that stood at the site and was closed in 2012 to make way for the development. (Last year, Extell said it was committed to including an affordable supermarket in one of the new buildings’ retail spaces.) Rallies against the project have previously drawn hundreds of locals, although Wednesday’s crowd was more humble. Michael Lalan, another NMASS organizer, reminded everyone to

come to the group’s monthly picketing of Gracie Mansion, which will take place next on Wed., March 16, at 4:30 p.m. “He’s ruining our community? We’ll come to his house,” Lalan said of the mayor. Apart from getting the work at

the project to stop permanently — which may seem a futile undertaking — the protesters hope they can garner enough attention to force the city to adopt a rezoning plan that was drafted over the last seven years, which they hope would stop similar developments in the future. However, the Department of City Planning last year dismissed the plan, created by the Chinatown Working Group, which calls for protections similar to the 2008 rezoning of the East Village and part of the Lower East Side, which now safeguards that area from overdevelopment through strict height caps on new buildings. Chinatown and the Lower East Side below Grand St. were not included in the rezoning, and critics argue that this, in turn, has driven luxury residential and hotel development into these areas, causing rents and property taxes to skyrocket. “We have our own rezoning plan because we know what we need in this community,” Barnes said. “We need supermarkets, we need schools, we need parks, we need low-income housing. We don’t need this,” he said, pointing at the construction site behind him.

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March 3, 2016

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St. Mark’s Bookshop sadly turns the final page BY TEQUILA MINSKY

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he community had been forewarned of the imminent closing of St. Mark’s Bookshop, whose sales were down and debts high. For a few weeks, a bold sign, stating, “Clearance Sale — 50% OFF — CASH ONLY,” beckoned from the front window of the E. Third St. literary refuge, the third and last location of this iconic neighborhood institution. Then another sign appeared in the window: “Our last day open: February 28, 2016, Thank you for your years of patronage.” By late afternoon Sunday, there was a steady trickle of regulars and the simply curious, some looking to get bargains, some there for a final farewell. One man, his unicycle in hand said, “I’ve had a credit of $3.19 for 26 years. They say it’s still good.” He was there to use his credit. A younger man, Chris Stewart, 24, was perusing the spartan shelves. “I went to the Stuyvesant St. location a lot when I was a student at Cooper Union,” he reflected, praising the store’s art book selection. His mother — who was choosing note cards to buy — and dad from New Jersey were there, too. They were all in town visiting his younger sister, a college freshman, who found two books to buy. One Upper West Side woman and a friend spent quite a while going over the eclectic, though by then very thin, book inventory, includ-

PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY

A local bibliophile found a couple of clearance-sale bargains on the nearly empty shelves on St. Mark’s Bookshop’s final day.

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ing back issues of specialty publications. While she wouldn’t give her name, she said she works for the “small business” division at City Hall and was both interested in books and bearing witness to yet another closing of a New York institution that had meant so much to a community. Amy Sheridan, who lives nearby, walked out with four books. She was really feeling the loss. “I’m a voracious reader,” she said. “I read 70 books last year.” “It’s so sad,” she continued. “We’re supposed to buy books online. I don’t like Amazon or Barnes & Noble to make choices of what the whole country can read.” She valued the variety and accessibility of books she had found at St. Mark’s. “You can’t peruse a book [online],” she noted. Judy Chou, another neighbor, emphasized as she was adding to her stack of books and journals to buy, “There’s something special in this place where you can smell and touch the books.” Another local, artist Stan Gaz spoke of the special creative feeling inside the place. “You don’t get that in most bookstores,” he noted. His companion said this was a store where neighborhood artists could sell their books. “I have a number of small artist-made books I bought when St. Mark’s was on St. Mark’s [Place],” she said, though adding, “I just don’t have room in my apartment to buy more.” “A lot of creative people liked to come here,” Gaz reflected, wistfully.

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March 3, 2016

TheVillager.com

Women’s Career Panel: How to Shape, Change, and Design Your Professional Path Monday, March 14 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm 53 Washington Square South Room 113

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A new Link NYC high-speed router on Third Ave. near E. 15th St. shortly after its installation in January.

Why pay for Wi-Fi with new street hot spots? locals say BY COLIN MIXSON

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he city’s free wireless Internet hot spots recently installed along Third Ave. are helping some East Village businesses cope with their sometimes-tenuous Internet connections. One mattress salesman said that, between Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Link NYC routers and an unsecure wireless signal from a nearby Capital One bank, he never has to worry when it comes to surfing the Web. “If my service is really slow, I’ll use the Link,” said sales professional Mark Anthony, who works at the Third Ave. Sleepy’s between E. 13th and E. 14th Sts. “But sometimes that won’t connect, so I’ll use the Internet from the Capital One next door.” The new service, which has seen payphones along Third Ave. north of E. 14th St. replaced with Link NYC kiosks emitting free Wi-Fi in a 150-foot radius, is providing passersby and pedestrians with the opportunity to save a little money off their 3G, the most common way that New Yorkers connect with the Web on their mobile devices. Glenn Colson, a security guard who works at nearby New York University facilities, said he’s saved more than a few bucks thanks to the new service. “I was using my data before, so this saves me some money,” Colson said. “It helps when I’m sending e-mails and stuff.” A recent New York Post report quoted ecstatic Third Ave. residents and merchants who were eager to cancel service from their paid-for Internet providers in the wake of Link NYC’s launch, saying there’s no point TheVillager.com

in signing checks for Time Warner and Verizon now that the city was providing the service gratis. “I’ll definitely cancel my Time Warner,” Alex Della Rocca, who lives on E. 16th St. and Third Ave., told the Post. But not everyone living within range of the hot spots is so eager to cut and run from their usual providers. Skepticism abounds about the brand-new service, and some locals are concerned about privacy and security regarding the new Internet obelisks. Despite their offering encrypted network connections between customers’ devices and the hot spot, Link NYC does collect some information from users. “I’m concerned about privacy, and I’m a little bit hesitant,” Daniel Nieves, who lives on Third Ave. between E. 13th and E. 14th Sts., told The Villager. And some locals just don’t see the point. Bruce Ray, another Third Ave. denizen, said there’s nothing Link NYC can provide that his phone can’t already do. “I don’t see how it would be of much value,” Ray said. “Anything it can do, I can already do on my phone.” Link NYC is part of a citywide initiative announced by de Blasio in 2014, which will bring 7,500 free Wi-Fi hot spots to neighborhoods across the five boroughs. In addition to providing free Internet, the Link NYC kiosks allow New Yorkers to make free phone calls to anywhere in the country, as well as provide free phone charging, access to maps and city services and a spot to ring 911 in case of an emergency.

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Thomas Mullen, 63, founder of corporate consulting firm OBITUARY

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homas P. Mullen, formerly a faculty member of the New York University Stern School of Business, died Feb. 1 at his home in Greenwich Village. He was 63. He founded the Park Li Group, a global strategic management consulting practice, 23 years ago. His wife of 27 years, Nancy Donnali Mullen, said he had been diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in December 2014. The Park Li Group’s clients include leading banks and financial services firms, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and industrial and energy companies from all over the world. Among Park Li’s arts clients are the New York City Ballet and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Born the youngest of four brothers to Benjamin and Catherine LaPointe Mullen in eastern Massachusetts, Thomas Mullen was raised in Reading, Penn., where he was president of the class of 1970 of Holy Name High School. “In his younger days, he loved his motorcycle and had a lot of different jobs,” his wife said. “He even worked for a time as a pipefitter on oil rigs.” In his 20s he decided to pursue a business career and entered N.Y.U., where he earned his M.B.A. and Ph.D. at the Stern School. “I worked at N.Y.U., too, and that’s where I met Tom,” said his wife, born and bred in the Village, where her father had a candy store on Spring St. “We got married in November 1988 at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro,” she told The Villager. “He had been to Africa before and showed me photos of Kilimanjaro. I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to go there,’ and if you said you wanted to do something, he was the

Thomas Mullen.

kind of guy who’d do it with you,” she explained. The couple climbed the mountain with someone who officiated at the ceremony. “It wasn’t as hard as you might think,” she added. Nevertheless, they had a more formal ceremony in New York at City Hall in December 1988 just to make sure it was legal. “We went back to Africa as a family with Tom’s brother Joe in November 2014 and stayed in the same hotel that we stayed in when we got married,” his wife recalled. Thomas Mullen wrote more than 30 articles, papers and business case histories on corporate governance, strategic leadership and organizational change while he was on the Stern School faculty and then as managing partner of Park Li Group. In addition to his wife, two daughters, Katie of Brooklyn and Samantha of Manhattan, survive, as do his brothers, Doran of Manhattan, Joseph of Franklin, Mass., and Michael of Sinking Spring, Penn. The wake was at Perazzo Funeral Home, 199 Bleecker St., on Feb. 12.

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POLICE BLOTTER hooded sweater, gray jogging pants and a black jacket. The second male suspect was last seen wearing a black hat, black jacket, black jeans and black sneakers. The third male suspect was last seen wearing a black hat, black jacket and black jeans, and has a goatee. Surveillance images of the suspects inside Karavas Pizza, at 72 Christopher St., before the incident were released by police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline, at 800-577-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting them to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.

Rage against the bar

Images of the alleged female suspect, top, and the third male suspect in the Feb. 27 Seventh Ave. South stabbing and robbery.

7th Ave. So. stabbing On Sat., Feb. 27, around 2:50 a.m., a 30-year-old woman told police she had a verbal confrontation with an unidentified woman and three men in front of 110 Seventh Ave. South, near Christopher St., at which time one of the individuals stabbed the complainant, causing a laceration, and stole $50 from her. The individuals fled and the victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital where she was treated and released. The female suspect was last seen wearing khaki pants and a black sweater. The first male suspect was last seen wearing a black hat, gray

A man tried to go into El Cantinero, at 86 University Place, after it had closed, around 4:30 a.m. on Mon., Feb. 22, but was rebuffed and then kicked a glass door, cracking and shattering it, according to a report. Police said employees refused to let the man enter the bar, even though he said he had left his phone inside, after which he karate-kicked the door in rage. The damages came to less than $250. Daniel Perez, 27, was arrested for misdemeanor criminal mischief.

You want a pizza me? The 99-cent pizza place at 388 Sixth Ave., between W. Eighth St. and Waverly Place, got a little rowdy at 3:45 a.m. last Wednesday. On Feb. 24, two men got into a verbal dispute inside the popular hole-in-the-wall eatery, police said. One man then struck the other in the face, causing substantial pain and swelling. Brandon Venable, 22, was arrested for misdemeanor assault.

Two views of one of the suspects in the Feb. 12 attack on a transit worker at the W. Fourth St. station.

Meatpacking punches An employee at the Gansevoort Hotel, at 18 Ninth Ave., tried to break up a fight in the hotel lobby but ended up taking a punch himself. At 1 a.m. on Sun., Feb. 28, a man got into a fight with another patron at the hotel, police said. When an employee tried to stop the ruckus and escort the man out, he was struck in the face above the left eye, causing swelling. The staffer refused medical attention. Police arrested Kevin Whylie, 29, for misdemeanor assault.

You booze, you lose A woman exiting an Uber car at Thompson and Bleecker Sts. had her Kate Spade purse stolen by an unknown man around 1 a.m. on Sun., Feb. 28, police said. An officer observed a man removing the handbag, valued at $400, from the woman. Upon a search, the man was found to be in possession of an alleged bag of marijuana. Because the victim was

intoxicated, she was taken to the Lenox Health Greenwich Village medical complex on Seventh Ave. Police arrested Michael Conner, 52, for felony grand larceny.

Shoved onto the track According to police, on Fri., Feb. 12, at 2 a.m., a 41-year-old male NYC Transit worker got into a dispute with two men on the northbound E train platform at the W. Fourth St. station over money found on the track. One of the individuals then reportedly pushed the subway worker onto the track, causing an injury to his ankle. The pair fled the location, and the victim was removed to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment. The two suspects are said to be 30 years old, around 5 feet 11 inches tall, 200 pounds, with black hair, medium complexion, and each last seen wearing a black jacket.

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March 3, 2016

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Time to pull the plug on Indian Point nuke plant EDITORIAL

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fter the latest accident at the Indian Point nuclear reactors in Buchanan, N.Y. — the seventh major malfunction in just eight months — a coalition of six environmental and health organizations issued an urgent call to shut down the aging power plant while investigations by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and New York State agencies are conducted. On Feb. 6, it was reported that Indian Point recorded a significant spike in radioactive, tritium-contaminated water at several monitoring wells. The coalition includes Riverkeeper, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Scenic Hudson, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Indian Point Sane Energy Coalition and Physicians for Social Responsibility. Twenty million people live in Indian Point’s evacuation zone — within 50 miles of the power plant. New York City’s northern border is just 24 miles from Indian Point. The danger zone also extends to parts of New Jersey and even as far as Long Island. Governor Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers across the Hudson Valley are also on record saying that the failing facility poses too great a danger and must be taken offline. However, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer promptly rebutted the coalition’s demand to close the plant, countering that Indian Point provides 25 percent

of the Downstate area’s power, and that there is currently no way to replace that energy. Plus, he said, closing the accident-plagued plant would boost electricity rates 30 to 40 percent. “I have told some of the environmental people, if you can show me a plan to figure out a way to replace that electricity, fine. … In the meantime, I have emphasized very strong safety,” Schumer said. But the senator’s response simply doesn’t hold water, according to the advocates urging the plant’s shutdown. In fact, Schumer is “dead wrong,” said Cliff Weathers, a spokesperson for Riverkeeper. In short, Riverkeeper has been working with a consulting company, Synapse, that has focused on this issue for the past four years — namely, how to replace Indian Point’s capacity once it is shut down. Basically, the capacity of Indian Point’s two remaining reactors is 2,040 megawatts. Meanwhile, three power plants that have been offline since Superstorm Sandy — Astoria, Bowline and Danskammer — and that all operate on natural gas, are coming back online, set to produce a combined total of 1,047 megawatts of power. New transmission projects Upstate will cut another 400 megawatts. Refrigerators and air-conditioning units are becoming more efficient, further decreasing energy need. Con Edison also has been ordered to create more efficiencies, which will cut up to 142 megawatts. The Downstate region is on track in 2016 to reduce peak energy demand by 549 megawatts, according to the study. And, of course, renewable energy keeps grow-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LifeThyme saved my life To The Editor: Re “Raw-food Rashomon as cops remove disruptive man” (news article, Feb. 18): In contrast to the unhappy incident reported about police being called to remove an aggressive, seemingly mentally disturbed customer from the store, I’d like to submit my account of very benevolent actions by LifeThyme staff, when I, as the

result of a defective coronary artery, collapsed at the checkout register a couple of years ago. Feeling increasingly lightheaded as I approached the register, I asked the cashier if a chair might be available for me to sit a moment. She immediately grasped the situation, came around to me and gently supported me as I sank to the floor, parallel to the line of registers. A call was made to 911. While I briefly lost consciousness, someone had covered me with a

IRA BLUTREICH

ing — as it should and must — with more solar, wind and hydroelectric power, further reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and nuclear power. When all these new power sources and efficiencies are added up, they total 2,100 megawatts — which is actually 60 megawatts greater than the current capacity of the dangerous nuke plant frighteningly located right in our backyard. Schumer — though he publicly claims he wants to see the environmentalists’ plan — so far has not responded to Riverkeeper’s numerous requests to sit down and discuss these energy efficiencies that would make Indian Point’s power irrelevant. Indian Point was built 42 years ago by Con Ed and is now owned by Entergy. The plant’s aging infrastructure is constantly being patched up. Most people, though, get a new car when it starts to break down after seven or eight years. It’s a no-brainer that anything mechanical is more likely to wear out over time — and in the case of a nuclear plant, when something goes wrong, it could be an environmental disaster. Entergy counters that $1 billion in repairs have been put into Indian Point over the years — that’s a whole lot of bandaids and spit holding together a ticking time bomb. One of the plant’s original three reactors was shut down years ago due to leaks. Indian Point’s two remaining generators are currently operating without a license while the N.R.C. decides whether to renew them. The feds ultimately make the call on whether to shut down nuclear plants. In addiEDITORIAL continued on p. 23

LifeThyme logoed windbreaker jacket, embroidered with the name Jason. After a ride in a Fire Department ambulance to the nearest hospital, the E.M.T. handed me the LifeThyme jacket. A few days later, out of the hospital with a brandnew stent in the problematic artery, I returned the laundered jacket, with my thanks, to the store. I now know Jason is the manager whose jacket had covered me in my time of need. I remain grateful to Stasia, the kind and efficient first-responding cashier, and to Jason for their help then, and to the rest of the staff, who, over the years, have always served this customer graciously and well. The Villager’s good article clearly exculpated store staff from in any way supporting unnecessary use of force to remove the troublemaker, and was mute on whether the police may have been harsher than needed. I wasn’t there to witness what took place. But as so many events in our city have dark outcomes, I just felt compelled to offer my anecdote of a positive outcome of an emergency event well handled at LifeThyme. Aline Kessler

Clumsy clichés can’t cut it

Everyone wants to ‘pay to play’ with Mayor de Blasio. 14

March 3, 2016

To The Editor: Re “Slicing through the Meat Market project’s jargon” (talking point, by Michele Herman, Feb. 25): Michele points to the clumsy attempt of the Continued on p.16 TheVillager.com

‘Where’s your ticket?’ A prison of pastrami NOTEBOOK BY BETH KAISERMAN

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verything was planned out perfectly. My co-worker Rachel and I would eat a feast at Katz’s, down a couple beers and then head to my last day of work before I moved Upstate for a summer internship on a vegan farm. We were only a few stops away on the F train from the restaurant from where we worked, so everything would be timely and smooth. Some of my favorite eating memories are with co-workers from the service industry. When you serve people all the time, flipping the coin and letting yourself be served is a great way to unwind. Katz’s is probably one of the last places in New York City where you should expect stellar customer service, but of course that’s not why you’re there. You’re there because the meat melts in your mouth, and the tireless counter guys give you little morsels while they construct your dream sandwich. The cooks, counter people, hosts, busboys, dishwashers and servers work their butts off to make this New York institution a well-oiled machine. That is, until you lose your ticket. We had started with a bowl of fluffy matzo ball soup, ordered a variety of meats, took pictures with the meats, ate, took a break, breathed heavily, ate some more and finished our beers. Everything had gone well,

A Katz’s corned beef sandwich with a ticket. Enjoy the sandwich — but better not lose the ticket!

as it always does when Katz’s pastrami is involved. We put everything on Rachel’s ticket, since we were sharing it all anyway. At the end, we proceeded to the credit card line where they sell bagels (separate from the cash line up front) and split the cost between us. I clutched my credit card receipt as I waddled toward the door, full and ready to tackle my last day of work. After that, it’s a bit of a meat-dazed blur. “Where’s your ticket?” the security guard asked. “It must be here somewhere,” I said, searching my bag, pockets and eventually every crevice of my body.

I searched the table. I went back to the pastrami counter. The matzo ball counter. The credit card counter. My ticket was nowhere to be found. My mouth was suddenly very dry, thanks to many salty meats and a crippling fear that I was in trouble. It was second grade, and I was caught racing down the hallway all over again. “Well, I have my receipt from when we just paid!” I said hopefully. “You need your ticket. Call her in,” the security guard ordered to another. She arrived. I guess her name is Mrs. Katz’s Deli. She has red hair and New York attitude written all over

her. Jake Dell currently runs all operations as far as I know, but this older woman was surely in charge of the scene that day. “Where’s your ticket?” she asked. “I don’t know, I checked everywhere in here but I have my receipt right here showing we paid! I really have to leave for work! What can I do?” “Ya can’t leave without your ticket.” “I know, I’ve looked everywhere though. What more can I do? We paid all on one ticket, and mine must have dropped somewhere.” “I should call the police right now,” she said. My life flashed before my eyes. It seemed so typical of me. This was how I was going to go down — all because of a sandwich. My love of eating always got the best of me. Ten minutes of a similar back-andforth ensued until it was finally decided that the cops would not be involved. At least, not today. “This time, go. Next time, keep ya ticket!!!” I thought my picture might be put on the wall, strictly separated from signed photos of Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Stiller and all the other Jerrys and famous deli lovers. Two years later, I’m still paranoid at Katz’s. As soon as I enter, I clutch my ticket like my life depends on it. I do a ticket check with my dining companions every five minutes. Eating at Katz’s may not be the most relaxing scene, but a little dramatic flair might be the secret to keeping the meat oh so tender.

Fox has his facts all wrong on Pier 57 project TALKING POINT BY DIANA TAYLOR

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t’s time to stop pretending Tom Fox is informed about Hudson River Park — or cares about the well-being of those in the community who love it. His recent comments in The Villager are a case in point (“Pier 57 project kept changing, without new bids,” talking point, Feb. 25). Too bad Fox didn’t take advantage of Hudson River Park Trust, Youngwoo & Associates and RXR Realty representatives in attendance at four recent Community Board 4 meetings — not to mention the widely publicized Pier 57 public hearing on Jan. 20 — to learn more about the project and ask his questions. Had he done so, or bothered to read the draft lease and other documents available on the Trust TheVillager.com

Web site, he would’ve realized that the Pier 57 marina and its location were assessed in the completed environmental impact statement, and that the marina is an option available to the developers under the proposed lease. Fox would know that regulatory approvals have already been granted for other in-water construction, excluding the marina. He would know that the cumulative effects of construction of Pier 54 and Pier 57 were indeed assessed, and that additional environmental analysis, including with respect to the delayed construction period, was properly conducted and also made publicly available. And he would know that C.B. 4 has complimented the Trust on keeping it fully informed about the project as it has progressed over the years, including with respect to the addition of RXR as a development partner, the introduction of office use for a portion of the building, and the rationale for doing so. Fox provides his park credentials from years

ago, no doubt to bolster the illusion that he is an expert on such complex topics as state procurement rules. Sadly, he’s as uninformed about that process as he is about the rest of the Pier 57 project. Anyone with experience directing large-scale public projects understands the complexity involved in moving them from preliminary designation to completion. The Trust is confident that it proceeded in a manner consistent with state law and Trust policies. It’s unfortunate that Fox is seeking to damage a project that enjoys strong public support, and one which many people, including community leaders and elected officials, have worked doggedly to advance since 2008. Let’s drop the pretense that Tom Fox is a Hudson River Park advocate, when his actual goal is halting widely supported critical park initiatives — and promoting his own reputation. Taylor is chairperson, Hudson River Park Trust March 3, 2016

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Continued from p. 14

developers to seduce us with clichés and fanciful words. Jared Epstein, who represents the developers, is quoted below from his Facebook page. He talks of a great, lost period that he will “recreate” — like a Disney cartoon set. I doubt that he notes the irony of rebuilding history by tearing it down. And how sad it is that the Landmarks Preservation Commission allows itself to be convinced by nonsense. “Our project will connect New Yorkers to a great, lost period in the history of the Meatpacking District,” Epstein said. “The district has buildings, architecture and a streetscape that are unique, and we’re recreating a valuable piece of that history.” Elaine Young Young is a founding member, Save Gansevoort

‘Recreating’ — and elevating To The Editor: Re “Slicing through the Meat Market project’s jargon” (talking point, by Michele Herman, Feb. 25): Excellent column! One fun fact that should also be mentioned is that these tenement buildings of yesteryear were five stories, but their total height was no more than 55 feet, and maybe less. However, the developer proposed buildings that were a maximum of 120 feet tall! I agree that these buildings — featured on the cover page of the 2003 Gansevoort Market Historic District designation report — should be left alone or rebuilt as market buildings of the same current size. But if the so-called Landmarks Preservation Commission allows them to be recreated as they were previously, then let’s make sure we are talking about limits in feet — not stories. Keith Anderson

The Stranger: Adam Purple To The Editor: Billy Joel once said that “We all have a face that we hide away forever,” and that appears to be the case with Adam Purple. Adam was a man that, like so many of us, I liked and respected. A rare combination for me because most of the people I have a lot of respect for, I don’t particularly like. I’ve designed one private garden and one public garden on the Lower East Side, as well as three private gardens in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, all using ideas and techniques that I learned from Adam. So it hurts me to say this, but I have to stand with the victims. I also have to stand with Lincoln Anderson and The Villager for having the courage to write and publish such a sad and painful story. Jerry The Peddler

Looking ahead to — Rajkumar To The Editor: Re “Forget County Committee; We need to look ahead” (talking point, by Chad Marlow, Feb. 18): I’d say Jenifer Rajkumar is the sort of person Marlow seems to be suggesting we find and elect. Sylvia Rackow

A great presence

Claws come out vs. Scoopy To The Editor: Re “There goes the block” (Scoopy’s Notebook, Feb. 25): Scoopy wrote that 4 St. Mark’s Place was once owned by Alexander Hamilton. This naturally leads us to think that the owner of the house was Alexander Hamilton, the current musical comedy star and Treasury secretary and duel victim. It’s tough typing with paws, I realize, but a rudimentary sense of history, or a quick look online, would have told Scoopy that the owner of the place was that man’s son. Alex the Great died in 1804 and the house wasn’t built till 1831. Can Scoopy do the math? Bryan Dunlap

Editor’s note: The letter writer is correct. Scoopy is guilty of reading an article about the building’s sale in The Real Deal too quickly and mistakenly writing that Alexander Hamilton, rather than his son, Alexander Hamilton, Jr., was the first owner of 4 St. Mark’s Place. Despite the letter writer’s sarcastic tone, however, Scoopy will be the bigger cat — and not challenge him to a duel.

To The Editor: Re “John Farris, bohemian poet who chronicled life on Lower East Side” (obituary, Feb. 11): John was a great presence at The Living Theatre from 1989 to 1993 and beyond. A dear friend and mentor. Tom Walker

E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to news@thevillager.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to The Villager, Letters to the Editor, 1 Metrotech North, 10th floor, Brooklyn, NY, NY 11201. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. The Villager reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Snap, the jungle cat, loves the Tompkins trees Snap — seen on a leash on a tree branch — comes to Tompkins Square Park all the time with her human companions, Nick and Danielle. She’s apparently not a scaredy-cat when it comes to red-tail hawks.

PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER

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March 3, 2016

TheVillager.com

Formerly of ‘Fiddler,’ Finkel, 93, far from final act Living link to Yiddish vaudeville creates a new tradition BY TRAV S.D.

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udiences at the Metropolitan Room are about to be treated to a spectacle that is increasingly rare, and destined to become more so. On March 7 and 8, the legendary Fyvush Finkel, 93, will perform a solo show chronicling 84 years in show business — including his beginnings in the Yiddish theater of New York’s Lower East Side, summers as a Catskills entertainer, and 12 years in the national touring company of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Finkel is best known for his Emmywinning portrayal of lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the TV series “Picket Fences” (1992-1996), and for his role as the dybbuk in the Coen Brothers’ 2009 film “A Serious Man.” Finkel, who sings in addition to telling jokes and stories, will be accompanied by his sons Elliott (on piano) and Ian (on xylophone). Stitching it together is the theme of Yiddish vaudeville, of which Finkel may be one of the last true exemplars. Yiddish is, of course, the lingua franca of the Jewish people of Europe. It began in the Middle Ages as a dialect of German, then spread with the migrations of the Jews into Eastern Europe, and finally, around the turn of the last century, to America. The highest concentration of Yiddish speakers in America was on New York’s Lower East Side. It was inevitable that the Yiddish-speaking theater would transplant itself in New York, as well. From the 1880s through the mid-20th century, peaking in the 1920s, there were dozens of thriving Yiddish venues on the Lower East Side presenting stars like Boris Tomashefsky, and Jacob and Sara Adler (parents of Luther and TheVillager.com

PHOTO BY LINDSAY AIKMAN/MICHAEL PRIEST PHOTOGRAPHY

L to R: Merwin Goldsmith, Fyvush Finkel and June Gable in the National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene’s 2011 Drama Desk-nominated “Fyvush Finkel Live!” revue.

Stella — the famous acting teacher). For a time, Second Avenue was known as “the Yiddish Rialto.” “Yiddish was our primary language at home,” says Finkel. “Even the dog, Tootsie, only responded if we talked to it in Yiddish.” Finkel grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. His father Harry emigrated from Warsaw and earned his living as a tailor. But the needle and thread were not for Fyvush. “I was nine years old when I started in the theater,” Finkel remembers.

“There was an advertisement in the Jewish newspaper The Forward. This was around 1934. They needed a boy soprano to sing ‘Oh Promise Me’ during a wedding sequence. I was hidden in a box seat and I stopped the show cold. I got a dollar a week. So I became a child star in the Yiddish theater. And I trained for that. I was taught to speak ‘fine Yiddish’ or ‘stage Yiddish,’ which was different from how we spoke at home. Just as they used to have more formal English on stage than people ordi-

narily spoke. Today, people can talk however they want!” Amazingly (since it’s considered a dead language), Finkel performed in the Yiddish theater for 35 years. “My first show as an adult was ‘Who is Guilty.’ I was in my 20s and I knocked the hell out of that thing. The crowd loved me, and the show was a big hit. There was no TV in those days and no advance ticket sales with a credit card. The box FINKEL continued on p. 18 March 3, 2016

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Finkel and sons set to make Metropolitan Room debut FINKEL continued from p. 17

office had lines around the block. It was at the Hopkinson Theatre, and I got to appear with great Yiddish stars like [the husband and wife team] Julius Adler and Henrietta Jacobson.” Starting in 1938, as so many did in those days, Finkel began to spend his summer playing Borscht Belt hotels in the Catskills. “There were 400 of them back then! I played 50 hotels a summer. I played ’em all!” he reminisces. “They had a emcee, a social director and a second comedian, and that was how I got my start. I was a single, a monologist. Nowadays you’d call it stand-up. And I had them laughing, shrieking! Back then it was all about clean family life. The people didn’t even want dirty material. It’s like Milton Berle said: ‘If you pull your pants down once, it’s funny. But then you have to keep doing it, and it isn’t funny anymore.’ ” True to that philosophy, the Finkels promise a family show at the Metropolitan Room. “It’s probably the world’s funnest and cleanest show,” says his son Ian, who carries on the family tradition with his own

COURTESY FYVUSH FINKEL

Finkel, seen here in 1967 as Tevye, spent 12 years in the national touring company of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

xylophone-based vaudeville act. “Fyvush Finkel is the world’s last living link to the Yiddish vaudeville tradition,” says latter-day Yiddish performer Shane Baker. “He has trained generations of younger actors in the styles and techniques both onstage and off. My favorite memory? Strolling with him down 50th Street, someone stopped him to shake

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hands or get an autograph every three feet. He took time to warmly greet each and every one, offering as an aside, ‘That’s my public! I work for them!’ — the consummate showbiz professional.” Yiddish scholar and translator Caraid O’Brien agrees: “Fyvush is ‘The Last Confederate Widow’ of the Yiddish stage. When he goes, may it not be soon, our link to an entire generation of Yiddish theater performers is gone forever. He’s also part of a grand, inspiring tradition of Yiddish performers who never retire. He’s funny and charming, and at this point completely unique, a true Yiddish comedian.”

The amazing thing is, when Finkel began to enjoy national success, he’d already been in show business for 60 years. “The older I get, the busier I’m getting,” he marvels. And the lively nonagenarian gives no indication of quitting. He recently wrapped the John Susman film “Game Day,” scheduled for release later this year. Mon., Mar. 7 & Tues., Mar. 8, at 7 p.m. at The Metropolitan Room (34 W. 22nd St., btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.). For tickets ($35, plus two-drink minimum), call 212-206-0440 or visit metropolitanroom.com.

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Old hat: Fyvush Finkel, having conquered Yiddish theater and TV, plays Chelsea’s famed cabaret room (with sons Elliott and Ian) on Mar. 7-8.

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America suffers splitting Super Tuesday headache Poll results prove we’re all losers

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“I’m not in the race anymore. I don’t have to do your stupid podcast. Leave me the hell alone.”

DESIGN BY MICHAEL SHIREY

BY MAX BURBANK

M

y, but it’s been an exciting month since the Iowa caucuses! Once-inevitable Republican nominee Jeb! Bush had to turn in his exclamation point and have his mom walk him home. Ultra-conservative wet dream supervillain Antonin Scalia took an allexpense-paid bribe/hunting vacation with his secret society Illuminati pals and decided to multitask by dying. Before rigor mortis could set in, hideous human/turtle hybrid — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — publicly celebrated Scalia’s lifelong commitment to Constitutional Originalism by ignoring it in favor of an unTheVillager.com

written rule of thumb, the “Thurmond Rule,” created by a deceased senator best known for his lifelong dedication to segregation and occupying his senate seat for almost a decade past the point where he could form sentences or chew without assistance. Chris Christie decided he never did say that thing about Trump being unfit to be President, and instead rolled over on his back at Donald’s feet, exposed his belly and peed himself in the most humiliating display of slavish submission since every single moment of Jeb!’s campaign. Then suddenly, without any warning (beyond having been on the calendar for almost four years)…Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Look! Up in the

sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… SUPER TUESDAY — the biggest, baddest, national electoral cluster#$@&%! until the actual election! That’s 12 states, or maybe 14, or one of them’s a territory, or 11 if you’re a Replublican, or 15 if you’re a Democrat. Nobody really knows. For sure, there’s Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont; that really cold, far away state you can see Russia from if you’re extra stupid; that state where they filmed “Deliverance”; that other state where everybody thinks the Emancipation Proclamation was just a suggestion; some state I can’t think of right now that has more registered Republicans than teeth; some other horrible backwater states, and…American Samoa! Super Tuesday was originally designed to put enough delegates on the line at one time in order to force candidates to address issues of national concern, weed the field down to one candidate, and stick a collective thumb in the eyes of Iowa and New Hampshire, who think they’re so big. And it worked! Mostly. Kind of. Iowa and New Hampshire both made laws that say they go first no matter what, even if they have to move voting back to before the previous election. As of press time, all the candidates who went in to Super Tuesday are still in. Nevertheless, Super Tuesday did achieve its main purpose: leaving the nation with two clear front-runners. Hillary Clinton is now the inevitable nominee. All major media outlets are using that word — “inevitable.” You know, the way she was inevitable until Sanders started drawing enor-

mous crowds and polling better in the general election. Or the way Jeb! Was Inevitable! before other people started running! Pundits love the word “inevitable,” except in the sentence, “Boy, I sure was wrong when I said [insert candidate’s name] was inevitable.” Yes, Hillary won seven states to Bernie’s four, and won more decisively, but Bernie still…Okay look. I can’t do this. I can’t keep calling them “Bernie” and “Hillary,” even though that’s what absolutely everyone does. We are not friends. I mean, I like them fine, but I don’t know them personally. There is absolutely no way I or any other writer, news reader, or for god’s sake, voter, is on a chummy, first-name basis with Clinton or Sanders, which is what I’m going to call them from now on. Hillary and Bernie; what is this, a sitcom? Stop it. You need to stop it. So blah, blah, blah. Clinton is competent and tested, but the money! She’s so political, with the being against gay marriage way after it was cool and crap…and Sanders! I mean, who doesn’t love an irascible old Socialist Jew who wants to tax the crap out of the grotesquely wealthy robber baron class? He’s adorable, but if by some miracle he became president, he would not get a single thing through Congress, not even if he signed off on a bill that said all Republican senators must be addressed as “M’Lord.” Sure, there are big differences here, but both candidates could undergo psychiatric evaluations and not be immediately committed against their will. It’s more fun to write about the STUMP SPEECH continued on p. 20 March 3, 2016

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Super Tuesday results: Disappointment wins STUMP SPEECH continued from p. 19

Republicans. As of press time, none of the Republican candidates have “officially” dropped out. Kasich and Carson, who collectively garnered well over a dozen delegates all told if you add them together — unless I did my math wrong. I really wasn’t paying much attention, because, seriously? Kasich sated that he was pleased he’d exceeded expectations, so assumedly he’s not concerned that these “expectations” were the kind of low not usually found outside of record-setting limbo contests, and was looking forward to a “home court advantage” in Ohio, which someone should remind him is pretty much just one state. Asked what the hell Carson was thinking by staying in the race, Campaign Chairman Robert Dees responded, “Well, we clearly don’t know,” but that the “opportunity exists” for people to “wake up” — just not “Carson,” because it is “dangerous” to wake someone who is “sleepwalking,” which is what Carson has been “doing” in “lieu” of a “campaign” for “months now.” Shortly afterward, Carson told supporters he will not be in Detroit for the Mar. 3 Fox News Republican debate, that he “did not see a political path forward,” but that he was no quitting, and that he would address his political future on Friday. He then walked face first into a corner and began snoring. Despite retweeting Mussolini and coy refusals to outright decline the support of David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan, anthropomorphic vintage catcher’s mitt/toupee combo Donald Trump swept to victory, crushing all contenders beneath his yugely expensive Italian leather jackboots. This is not to say that the vast majority of Republican voters are unashamed racists physically aroused by the prospect of American Fascism, except that’s pretty much exactly what it is to say. Even though, or more likely because, former governor Sarah Palin endorsed Trump (I think she did, she might have been having some sort of prolonged seizure), Ted Cruz won Alaska. He also won Oklahoma and his home State of Texas, answering the question, “Are the voters of The Great Sate of Texas simply ignorant bigots, or ignorant bigots blindly lining up to buy snake oil and get rich quick schemes from a man whose head resembles a rotting, Ugli Fruit swollen to the point of bursting with the gasses of decay?” About a week ago, Rubio boldly abandoned the high road, trading up from transparently fake reasonable human candidate to insult comic. First, he cracked wise that The Donald requested a full length mirror before the last debate because he needed to make sure his pants weren’t wet — and then, referencing Trump’s admittedly stubby wee hands, he made what may well be the first dick joke in presidential campaign history. Rubio’s platform is now that Donald Trump pees himself and has a tiny wiener. How will Donald Trump combat terrorism, negotiate trade with China and reform our tax code when he is too busy peeing himself with his abnormally small junk? Now at last we have reached the level of discourse the Republican Party has long demanded. Are we ready to call Trump “inevitable?” I mean, you know, for the nomination. ’Cause no way are we crazy enough to make that dude president, right? Right? Come on, say something. You’re scaring me here.

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March 3, 2016

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“I just bought this man. I could stick this finger in any opening on Chris’ body, and you know what he’d say to me? Thank you, Mr. Trump.”

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Just Do Art

COURTESY HIGH LINE OPEN STUDIOS

PHOTO BY GEORGIA NERHEIM

Artisans from the United Nations’ Ethical Fashion Initiative contributed to the costumes in “Elijah Green” — at The Kitchen Mar. 10-19.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER

THE SECOND TUESDAY LECTURE SERIES: GEORGE HODGMAN’S “BETTYVILLE” The life-altering tale of gay New Yorker George Hodgman’s trip to Paris happens not in the City of Light, but in a city of little more than 1,200. Disorienting curves along the road Hodgman is forced to navigate are played for laughs in “Bettyville,” a memoir that begins as the unemployed fiftysomething magazine editor takes a challenging new assignment: return to Paris, Missouri, and become the primary caretaker for his aging mother. Wit is the North Star throughout this tale of secrets and silences in a small southern town, as forced familiarity breeds a new level of understanding between mother and son (that is, if the self-professed “Joan Crawford of eldercare” doesn’t snap and go from “Terms of Endearment” to “In Cold Blood”). Find out for yourself, when the author reads from “Bettyville” and discusses life since it hit the bestseller list — as Hodgman takes his place in the pantheon of presenters who’ve stood behind the podium of The LGBT Center’s Second Tuesday Lecture Series. Running since 1985, its guests have represented the arts, academia, and politics. Of particular note: Larry Kramer’s March 1987 appearance, during which he spoke about the AIDS Crisis. “Thus beginning,” notes TheVillager.com

Get inside their heads — or at least their workspaces — when you take Mar. 5 & 6’s High Line Open Studios Tour.

The Center, “ACT-UP, the largest direct action AIDS organization in the world.” The Bureau of General Services — Queer Division (a bookstore based at The Center) will on hand to sell copies of “Bettyville,” making a heartfelt author inscription an easy score. Tues., Mar. 8, at 7 p.m. at The LGBT Center (208 W. 13th St., btw. Seventh & Greenwich Aves.). Suggested donation: $10. To RSVP (suggested, not required), visit gaycenter.org/second-tuesday or call 212-620-7310. Also visit secondtuesday.org and bgsqd.com.

ANDREW ONDREJCAK’S “ELIJAH GREEN”

With a narrative inspired by Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s early 20th century work “A Dream Play” and a visual aesthetic that recall Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel’s lush scenes of peasant village life, multi-disciplinary artist Andrew Ondrejcak’s “Elijah Green” has a divine spirit observing the unremarkable but interconnected lives of contemporary mortals. Along with choreography by John Jasperse, writer/director Ondrejcak’s visual language for “Green” is driven by costumes created in collaboration with Alba Clemente and artisans from the United Nations’ Ethical Fashion Initiative. The resulting pieces include Maasai beaded neckpieces (Kenya), mud-dyed fabrics (Mali), hand-forged metal jewelry (Haiti), and woven textiles (Burkina Faso) — all combined with donated fabrics from brands such as Carolina Herrera and Vivienne Westwood, as worn by a multi-generational, international cast of 12, ranging in age from 11 to 72.

COURTESY THE LGBT CENTER

The “Joan Crawford of eldercare,” George Hodgman, reads from “Bettyville” on Mar. 8 — part of The LGBT Center’s Second Tuesday Lecture Series.

Thurs.–Sat., Mar. 10–12 & 17–19, at 8 p.m. at The Kitchen (512 W. 19th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). For tickets ($20, $15 for students, seniors), visit thekitchen.org or call 212-255-5793, x11.

HIGH LINE OPEN STUDIOS TOUR

They’ve already done their spring cleaning, and managed to put some new stuff up on the walls — now it’s your chance to go from casual lookyloo to serious art collector, and give your own thinkspace an aesthetic upgrade. This self-guided tour of the West Chelsea arts district gives par-

ticipants the rare chance to gain insight into the creative process of over 40 artists, while providing the opportunity to purchase work directly from their studio. Free. Sat., Mar. 5 & Sun., Mar. 6, 12-6 p.m. Self-guided tours begin at the West Chelsea Arts Building (526 W. 26th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.), where you can pick up a map that identifies all participating studios. Maps also available at the Westbeth artists building (55 Bethune St., corner of Washington St.). For more info, visit highlineopenstudios.org. Also visit westbetharts.org. March 3, 2016

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Focusing backward into the future at Lomography BY BOB KRASNER

C

onsider this: In 2015, the best-selling item in Amazon’s camera department was — suspend your disbelief for a moment — film. O.K., it was Fuji’s instant film, but it’s still an analog process that somehow beat out digital. The folks at the Lomography store, at 41 W. Eighth St. in the Village, are probably not surprised. For the past seven years, they’ve been successfully running a camera store that does not sell any digital cameras. The company has been selling cameras longer than that, though, having produced its first camera in 1992. In the beginning there was the Lomo LC-A, a reproduction of a popular Russian model that was actually a copy of a Japanese camera. Currently, they are producing 20 different devices in a variety of colors and designs (a number of which use the aforementioned instant film), which are being snapped up by a diverse clientele. Customers range from teenagers who grew up on Instagram to professional photographers, writers, art directors and graphic designers. The store’s catalog could not be more diverse, including cameras such as fisheye, half-frame, twin lens, underwater, movie, sequential, pinhole, panoramic, 360 panoramic and if that’s not enough, a panoramic pinhole, as well. There are cameras for 35-millimeter, medium format and 110-millimeter film, all of which the store sells and develops in house. Recently they have begun producing specialty lenses, some of which can be used on digital camera bodies. They market their own film, as well, including oddball choices, like their Lomochrome Turquoise, which turns lighter tones into varying shades of blue. So why bother with film, when your phone has a perfectly good camera? For one thing, said store manager Christian Polt, “Seeing the image later is a very different experience. A picture that you take at a party and then delete might be one that you would have kept if you had shot it on film and looked at it with a different perspective afterward.” And, he added, “These cameras are full of surprises.” Employee Miria-Sabina is a portrait photographer who recently graduated from Pratt, where she shot her thesis project entirely on film. She continues to shoot a few rolls of film per week, sometimes using Lomo’s Lubitel and pinhole cameras. “There is something artificial about digital,” she said, adding how she likes how shooting on film “slows down the process. It makes you concentrate more on composition.”

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March 3, 2016

PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER

Lomography’s mission statement on the store’s wall, above.

Between paid jobs and personal work, fashion photographer Emily Soto shoots about 20 rolls of film a month. “I love the classic feel and story it gives to the images,” she said. Adding to the feel of her work are two Lomo products, the Petzval 85 and 58 Art Lenses. “I love the painterly feel that they give to my images,” she noted. The brick-and-mortar shop has seen a slow but steady increase in sales as it has developed its own community of enthusiasts. They hang out on the couch, discuss their craft and pass around their latest images. In addition, the store offers workshops, movie screenings (with a photography theme, of course) and occasional parties for their loyal patrons. It should also be noted that many of the shop’s camera models serve more than one purpose. Besides taking funky photos, they are designed to function beautifully as conversation pieces, whether you are wearing one or have placed it perfectly on the shelf. But, more important, the inherent limitations that are built in — fixed focus, manual controls and limited apertures, among others — force the user to actually think about the whole process and create images that are unique to the cameras. With their built-in limitations, the cameras actually become collaborators in the shooting. Even for those of us who shot film for years and loved it but are not going back, there is something hearten-

Store employees Devin and Christian, photographed with a Lomo instant camera with a multi-exposure splitter device attached.

ing about the fact that kids who find it hard to believe that cell phones did not always exist are putting 35-mil-

limeter canisters into their cameras. For more information about Lomography, visit its Web site, lomography.com . TheVillager.com

A Brooklyn Bridge Beach too far? City thinks so BEACH continued from p. 1

member Marc Ameruso. “It appeared that every which way they could spin it, they do not want that beach to be used in any way, shape or form, and they came up with all sorts of bogus safety reasons as to why.” The study, conducted by Ocean and Costal Consultants for E.D.C., pointed to several factors — including the presence of nearby combined stormwater-sewage overflow outlets, intense wave action, swift currents and nearby commercial river traffic — as obstacles to opening the beach, which has long been fenced off from the adjacent East River esplanade. In particular, the consultants cited the high cost of the “substantial interventions” they said would be necessary to reduce wave action, which erodes the beach and would undermine any efforts to extend it into a public space. But Downtown Boathouse President Graeme Birchall, who presented a detailed rebuttal of the study to the Seaport Committee on Feb. 16, argued that E.D.C., a quasi-governmental agency charged with promoting development throughout the city, was fishing for red herrings. He said the costly infrastructure envisioned in the study — such as floating breakwaters, wave fences and even artificial islands — are needlessly expensive and impractical solutions to a problem that can actually be solved relatively cheaply. “They did a feasibility study, but they only came up with unfeasible solutions,” said Birchall, who operates a free kayaking program at Tribeca’s Pier 26. Birchall said the wave problem could easily be solved with simple groins — rock walls extending from the shoreline into the river — that are a time-tested and environmentally neutral solution to the problems noted in the study. “There are plenty of sandy beaches, in the Rockaways for instance, where groins are very common and effective, but E.D.C. chose not to analyze effective solutions to deal with that,” he said. The consultants also wrote at length about the dangers of swimming in the East River around Brooklyn Bridge Beach — especially sewage overflows into the harbor and the river’s swift currents. But these arguments are misleading, according to Birchall, because swimming is prohibited at beaches throughout New York Harbor, and even wading is discouraged on the beaches at Brooklyn Bridge Park. “There’s no swimming on any beach in New York Harbor,” Birchall said. “Technically, there’s not even TheVillager.com

This is how the 2013 East River Blueway project envisioned a public Brooklyn Bridge Beach.

any wading, and if you go to Brooklyn Bridge Park, there’s a multiplicity of signs, including ‘No Wading” signs. Nobody goes swimming, and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon. Beaches don’t have to be used for those purposes.” However, the annual Brooklyn Bridge Swim, featuring scores of participants, does either start or end at the beach. The beach-bummer study seemed so slanted that some locals speculated E.D.C. is really just trying to reserve Lower Manhattan’s only beach for private development, pointing to plans released in 2014 by the Howard Hughes Corporation that featured a marina adjacent to the coveted cove. “The only thing I can think of is E.D.C. is crossing their T’s and dotting their I’s, and kowtowing to Howard Hughes and other developers,” said Ameruso, “because they want to build a large marina right next to it.” In 2013, then-Borough President Scott Stringer announced plans to spend $7 million to turn Brooklyn Bridge Beach into a public park as part of the East River Blueway — an ambitious project to open up Manhattan’s eastern waterfront from the Seaport up to E. 38th St. Momentum for the Blueway fizzled, though, as E.D.C. threw a proverbial pail of sand on the Brooklyn Bridge Beach project, but there is still strong support for the idea on C.B. 1.

In December, in response to the E.D.C. feasibility study, the board passed a resolution calling on the city to allow “unfenced, unfettered access” to the beach as soon as possible. C.B. 1 passed similar resolutions in 2008 and 2013. Last week, the Seaport Committee sent a letter to E.D.C. requesting a formal response to Birchall’s critique of the study.

The agency would not comment specifically on Birchall’s rebuttal, but said it stood by the safety concerns outlined in the study. “We are working with community stakeholders to identify a project that improves waterfront access,” said agency spokesman Ian Fried. “Safety is our number one priority, and any project must take into account the parameters set forth by the feasibility study.”

Pull plug on Indian Point EDITORIAL continued from p. 14

tion, Indian Point is currently operating under a grandfathered coastal consistency certificate — which concerns the plant’s impact on surrounding waterways — but this is being challenged in court. East Village journalist Paul DeRienzo, who has recently been chronicling the “leaks of the week” at Indian Point for The Villager, put things in perspective: “No nuclear plants have been built since Three Mile Island. Demand for electricity is being met by natural gas fracking in this era. Nuclear is pure profit. Catastrophic insurance costs are covered by the government. I’m told Entergy is among the worst com-

panies, with a long history of mismanagement at Indian Point.” Yes, nuclear plants were built near large population centers to cut down on transmission costs. But in the current era, as the Synapse study clearly shows, there is no longer a need for Indian Point — and it is simply incredibly risky to keep this broken-down, accident-prone, dangerously sited plant operating. It’s time to start moving toward pulling the plug on Indian Point, and the sooner the better for all of us. And Senator Schumer, Riverkeeper is ready and waiting to show you the Synapse plan. You said you wanted to see one, right? We sincerely hope you’ll sit down with them soon and seriously consider what they have to say. The safety of 20 million people is at stake. March 3, 2016

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D’Andre McLamb helps ice the game with some clutch free throws toward the end.

S.P. Bears hold off scrappy Eagle SPORTS BY RICHARD KUSHNER

A

coach’s dream is that all his players have a great game at the same time. This is what happened last week in Seward Park High School’s first playoff game for the New York City championship versus Brooklyn’s Eagle Academy. All the Seward boys played well in the 70-66 win. The game started with a quick slam dunk by D’Andre McLamb and it looked like easy sailing for Seward. However, Eagle Academy had a lot of scrappy, hard-working players who would not give up. At the half, Seward led by 10, but

that lead was cut down to four as the Eagles pressed and stole the ball for three quick layups at the start of the third quarter. Drew Billingsley was having trouble all game hitting his shot, but he found it in the fourth quarter, burying two big 3-pointers. He also had some great passes for assists. McLamb was having trouble all game with his foul shooting, but found the range in the fourth quarter, along with an amazing drive with the game on the line. He got fouled hard but still made the clutch basket, and ended with 17 points. Dean LaBoy was the coach’s dream. He played an almost-perfect game, getting 17 points, including the last two free throws

with four seconds left to put the game out of reach. Xavier Jennings and Justin Capers both fouled out at crucial times, but their defense was superb, along with Gabriel Jacquez, who was spelled by Dayshanel Reid in the waning minutes for Reid’s outstanding defensive skills. When your players play hard, when your offensive and defensive schemes work against the other team, then, as a coach, you feel you have done well. Wallace Simpson and his staff — Eddie Lau, Brian McCollam and Pete Markovics — have a lot to be proud of. After a long, grueling season their hard work has paid off and they are headed to the next round of the playoffs Wednesday, at the Bears’ Grand St. home court.

McLamb, wearing No. 1, and teammates slap hands in the final seconds after the Bears, at last, had safely put the game away. TheVillager.com

March 3, 2016

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ADVERTORIAL

How to handle an old 401 Upon making the transition to a new job or retiring, many people are unsure about what to do with their 401(k) or other retirement plans linked to their employer. Handling this transition can be costly, and many men and women might benefit from the advice of a professional financial advisor to help them navigate these waters without breaking the bank. Some men and women may think they’re forced to cash out their retirement accounts when moving on to new companies. But, depending on a person’s age, that’s a potentially costly option that can incur heavy penalties. Fortunately, cashing out is not the only option men and women have as they try to figure out what

to do with their retirement accounts after retiring or moving on to new companies. Keep the money with your former employer Some employers allow former employers to keep their retirement savings in their plans. This allows men and women to avoid early withdrawal penalties and lets them continue to defer paying taxes on retirement savings accounts until they reach retirement age and need to start withdrawing money. Another benefit to keeping money in an employer retirement plan even after you leave the company is it protects you if there are rollover restrictions governing any additional accounts you might have transferred the money

into. Employers who do allow former employees to keep their money in retirement plans likely included certain language in those plans that govern how the account is managed after employees leave the company. For example, former employees may no longer be able to contribute to the plan or take out plan loans. In addition, when the time comes to withdraw money, you may or may not be allowed to make partial withdrawals from accounts linked to former employers. Read the fine print to determine if keeping the plan with a former employer makes the most sense for you. Rollover into your new employer’s retirement plan Some people have the option to rollover a 401(k) from a previous employer

into their new employer’s plan. But not all companies allow this. If you are allowed to do so, this can make the transition that much easier while still allowing tax-deferred growth on your assets. In addition, if you can rollover into your new employer’s plan, you may be allowed to take out loans based on the amount of your combined plan instead of just loans against new contributions. Rollover and plan loan eligibility should be confirmed with your new employer. Before rolling over money into your new employer’s plan, confirm your investment options under the new plan. If they pale in comparison to an IRA, you might want to rollover your retirement assets into an IRA that offers more investment options.

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PHOTOS BY CLAYTON PATTERSON

A tour through time at Eldridge St. Museum

Rabbi Aviad Bodner of the Stanton St. Shul, along with his wife, Rebbetzin Lindsey Bodner, top, led some of the shul’s congregants on a tour of the Museum at Eldridge St. on Feb. 21. The museum is a restored 1887 synagogue, and its mission is to offer cultural and educational programs that explore Jewish American traditions, history and culture; immigrant, urban and New York City history; and architectural and cultural preservation.

TheVillager.com

March 3, 2016

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STYLISH FINISHES ICONIC VIEWS

D I STI N CTIVELY M O D ER N C L A S S I CALLY D E TAI LED O N E TO FO U R B ED R O O M CO N D O M I N I U M R E S I D EN C E S

Starting from million DESIGNED BY MORRIS ADJMI Sales Gallery Now Open | West th Street th Floor | | www w nyc/VIL

This is not an offering where prohibited by law. The complete offering terms are in an offering plan available from sponsor File No. CD15-0113. Sponsor: 55 West 17th Street Partners LLC, 75 Broad Street, 21st fl oor, New York, NY 10004.

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March 3, 2016

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